BSOD gone: Windows changes Blue Screen of Death

The notorious Blue Screen of Death, well-known by many Windows users, is getting a makeover.

Windows has killed the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), replacing it with the Black Screen of Death (also BSOD). The original blue screen, which also featured a sad-face emoticon, has been around for about 40 years. Windows users will now see a plain black screen and the words: "Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart."

This change comes as Windows embarks on its Windows Resiliency Initiative, a project aiming to "embed resilience and security" directly into Windows platforms.

The initiative was announced after the CrowdStrike outage last year, a digital debacle that affected everything from airlines to banks to grocery stores. Across the world, Windows computers were hit by the BSOD: an error message that stops the computer from working.

Now, Windows is making moves to "maintain productivity and minimize disruptions," according to a Microsoft blog post. The company is adding a quick machine recovery feature, so that Microsoft can target any issues without manual intervention. The new error screen features "simplified UI" – or, a black screen instead of a blue one.

The change, according to Microsoft, "improves readability," while the new design "aligns better" with Microsoft's aesthetic principles.

Say goodbye to the Blue Screen of Death. It's the end of an era.