Microsoft kills its Windows blue screen of death
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Microsoft is replacing its iconic “blue screen of death” after 40 years.
PHOTO: MICROSOFT
After 40 years, Microsoft is replacing its iconic “blue screen of death” (BSOD) for a cleaner, sleeker black screen.
The infamous BSOD was plastered across monitors in July 2024 when a faulty CrowdStrike update crashed computer systems worldwide. The incident, which affected about 8.5 million Windows devices globally
Microsoft revealed earlier in 2025 that the error message, which appears during unexpected restarts on Windows computers, will be renamed the Black Screen of Death.
In a blog post on June 26, Microsoft announced it would roll out the new BSOD in an update to Windows 11 24H2 devices “later this summer”. The new screen will no longer feature the frowning face and QR code. It will instead display the stop code and faulty system driver.
Along with it comes a “quick machine recovery mechanism for PCs that cannot restart successfully”, said Microsoft. These changes are expected to reduce disruption in the event of an unexpected restart. The restart is set to take about two seconds for most users.
Microsoft will roll out the new Black Screen of Death in an update to Windows 11 24H2 devices “later this summer”.
PHOTO: MICROSOFT
The original BSOD has lived in the Windows’ software for over 40 years.
Netizens reacted to the news with a mix of dry humour and nonchalance.
“A moment of silence for the blue screen of death. May its replacement be equally chaotic and confusing,” one X user deadpanned.
Calling it “the end of an era”, a Windows user posted on X: “So many lost hours of my life and so much cursing at my computer. I’ll miss it... maybe.”
A Reddit user summed it up for most people with this comment: “Fine, as long as we don’t have to change the acronym.”
