After 40 years, Windows' Blue Screen of Death turns black
What's the story
Microsoft is set to retire the notorious Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in favor of a new Black Screen of Death. The change comes as part of a broader effort by the tech giant to improve its operating system's resilience. The BSOD has been a staple in Windows for nearly four decades, appearing when a program crashes or becomes unresponsive.
Design changes
Here's what the new BSOD will look like
The new Black Screen of Death will replace the traditional blue backdrop with a black one. Microsoft has also gotten rid of the sad face emoji and QR code from the error message. Instead, it will now simply say that "your device ran into a problem and needs to restart." Error codes will be displayed at the bottom of the screen for easier access.
Enhanced information
Microsoft's VP speaks on the change
David Weston, Microsoft's VP of enterprise and OS security, spoke to The Verge about the company's intention behind this change. He said, "This is really an attempt on clarity and providing better information." The new design will provide clearer details on what went wrong, helping users and Microsoft pinpoint the root cause of issues more quickly.
Upcoming updates
New BSOD design to be available 'later this summer'
The new BSOD design will be rolled out with an update to Windows 11 "later this summer." Along with this, Microsoft will also introduce its new Quick Machine Recovery feature. This tool will help quickly restore machines that are unable to boot, further enhancing the overall user experience and system reliability.