Windows’ Blue Screen Of Death Is Dead, Long Live Black Screen Of Death

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Windows users will dread the familiar sight of the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) whenever they encounter an error. But after nearly 40 years, Microsoft will be retiring this infamous error message, or rather giving it a new color.

The company has redesigned the error screen to what will soon be known as the Black Screen of Death. Compared to the current screen, which includes a frowning emoticon and sometimes a QR code, this black screen is more simplified, listing the stop code and faulty system driver.

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In an interview with The Verge, Microsoft’s vice president of enterprise and OS security David Weston said, “This is really an attempt on clarity and providing better information and allowing us and customers to really get to what the core of the issue is so we can fix it faster. Part of it is just cleaner information on what exactly went wrong, where it’s Windows versus a component.”

The new design is expected to roll out “later this summer” in a Windows 11 update. This will also include a new Quick Machine Recovery feature, designed to quickly restore machines that can’t boot. These new changes can be seen as Microsoft bolstering Windows following last year’s CrowdStrike incident when the BSOD affected millions of Windows machines, leading to one of the biggest server outages in history.

Windows is also taking a more headlining role in the next generation of Xbox consoles, as Sarah Bond said the vision is to create a platform where games are “always with you” across devices, while games are not “locked to a single store.” This can also be seen with the upcoming Xbox ROG Ally Windows handhelds it’s releasing in partnership with Asus.

Image Credit: Getty Images/MirageC

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