Windows’ Blue Screen of Death is now Black Screen of Death

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For almost 40 years, when a Windows computer crashed severely, it would display the infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), a blue screen with an error message that typically indicated a serious system issue. 

But now, Microsoft is changing that. In Windows 11, the BSOD will soon become the Black Screen of Death. 

Instead of the old blue background, sad face icon, and QR code, the new screen will be black and simpler in design.

This updated error screen looks similar to the black screen you often see during a Windows update. 

But it will still give important details like the stop code and the name of the system driver causing the problem. 

Previously, these details weren’t always visible, which forced IT professionals to dig through complicated crash reports using special tools like WinDbg just to find out what went wrong.

Microsoft says the main goal of the new Black Screen of Death is to make error information clearer and easier to understand, both for everyday users and IT support staff. 

By clearly showing what part of the system failed, whether it’s Windows itself or a piece of hardware or driver, Microsoft hopes people will be able to fix problems faster.

David Weston, Microsoft’s vice president for enterprise and OS security, explained that this change is about giving more direct, helpful information to everyone, which should speed up the process of troubleshooting and repairs.

This new black error screen will arrive in an update to Windows 11 planned for later this summer. 

It will come along with a feature called Quick Machine Recovery, which helps quickly restore computers that can’t start up properly. 

These changes are part of Microsoft’s larger effort to make Windows more stable and reliable, especially after a major issue last year caused by CrowdStrike software that led millions of computers to crash with BSOD errors.

What do you think about this change to the unfortunately iconic BSOD? Are you looking forward to it? Tell us below in the comments, or via our Twitter or Facebook.