Posted on 06/26/2025 2:28:08 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Microsoft is saying hello to the Black Screen of Death error message instead.
The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) has held strong in Windows for nearly 40 years, but that’s about to change. Microsoft revealed earlier this year that it was overhauling its BSOD error message in Windows 11, and the company has now confirmed that it will soon be known as the Black Screen of Death. The new design drops the traditional blue color, frowning face, and QR code in favor of a simplified black screen.
The simplified BSOD looks a lot more like the black screen you’d see during a Windows update. But it will list the stop code and faulty system driver that you wouldn’t always see during a crash dump. IT admins shouldn’t need to pull crash dumps off PCs and analyze them with tools like WinDbg just to find out what could be causing issues.
“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,” says David Weston, vice president of enterprise and OS security at Microsoft, in an interview with The Verge. “Part of it just cleaner information on what exactly went wrong, where it’s Windows versus a component.”
Microsoft says it will roll out this new BSOD design in an update to Windows 11 “later this summer,” alongside its new Quick Machine Recovery feature, which...
(Excerpt) Read more at theverge.com ...
But no, they can't.
Technical knowledge is a real thing. I'm an ordinary schmoe who has done some computer troubleshooting, and even if you look up the Microsoft codes and can understand all the words, there is a baseline level of technical knowledge you must have to fix BSOD issues. It's not just "press this button", or the computer would have fixed itself. There are layers and layers of troubleshooting you generally have to do that require certain base knowledge.
So I will stand by my point. Anyone unable to look up a more expansive definition of the codes provided by Microsoft is going to be unable to do the actual repair.
You are totally missing the point.
I do not want the kindergarten kid to make the repair.
I just want to communicate to them basic clues as to what is happening—so they can understand to their level of understanding.
In my work life I had to communicate with both subject matter experts in the audience as well as clueless newbies—at the same time—leaving both with information that was helpful to both.
It is an art and a skill.
Oldie-but-Goodie: How Macs identify Windows boxes on the network
It isn’t about blue or black screens. I was hoping for an OS that doesn’t crash so often.
So what, they are going to replace it with the rainbow screen of death?
Excellent!!
Yep could be interpreted as RACIST!
You can say that again. I had an applicant to one of my apartments who is a “teller” YIKES!!!
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