Windows is getting rid of the Blue Screen of Death after 40 years

The Verge ^ | Jun 26, 2025, 10:46 AM CDT | Tom Warren Tom Warren

[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.

The new BSOD in Windows 11. Image: Microsoft

“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...

[cgbg]

It looks like they have enough room on that screen to explain the exact problem in English that five year olds could understand.

Lol.

[Jamestown1630]

Blue was more interesting; but it’s not my problem. I don’t use Windows.

[BipolarBob]

Black Screen Of Death has the same acronym as The Blue Screen of Death. You're getting a BSOD any way you slice it. Thanks Microsoft.

[DiogenesLamp]

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.

Another frivolous, no improvement "improvement" to the windows operating system.

I keep seeing every release of windows rearranging icons and layout, and other inconsequential stuff, but nothing in the way of actual improvement.

Does it run faster? No. Is it less kludgy? No. Does it do anything better than XP? No.

Maybe better security, but that only matters if you care about it.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Maybe better security, but that only matters if you care about it.

Or get your bank account drained.

[xp38]

So blue goes black?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Black is the new blue.

[\/\/ayne]

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

Below is Star Trek’a Commander Data and his encounter with the The Blue Screen Of Death.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=urcO5OzKwPo&pp=0gcJCfwAo7VqN5tD

[SkyDancer]

Once it's on the Internet, it's always on the Internet.

And this as well.

[xp38]

I’m beaten up over this....black and blue so to speak.

[MortMan]

They should make the color selectable...

If they are killing the “faulty system driver” execution, does that mean that no crash dump file will be created, eliminating the ability to understand what happened?

[bobcat62]

You’re more likely to see the message in Hindi or Telugu these days.

[Leaning Right]

> It looks like they have enough room on that screen to explain the exact problem in English that five year olds could understand. <

True. But there’s no fun in that. Error messages like the one below are much more entertaining.

[stars & stripes forever]

I get a black screen before Microsoft Explorer comes up.

Is the Grim Computer Reaper about to end the life of my Windows 10 computer?

[Tell It Right]

Love it!

[Tell It Right]

I prefer the red and black Guru Meditation error I got on my Amiga.

[Blue Highway]

Never had an Amiga. Do tell, and when you do, “tell it right” haha

[Pikachu_Dad]

Now rainbow colored?