Microsoft to Retire 'Blue Screen of Death' in Favor of Black Screen

The infamous 'blue screen of death' that has plagued Windows users for decades is finally being retired by Microsoft. The company announced in a blog post that they are replacing the blue screen with a new black-colored screen to streamline the unexpected restart experience on Windows 11 devices using 24H2 operating software. This new screen will reduce reboots to about two seconds for most users and is set to roll out later this summer.

Variations of the blue screen of death have been around since the early 1990s, with the actual blue screen launching in 1993 on Windows NT. Microsoft employee Raymond Chen explained that the blue screen appears when the system is unrecoverably dead. In 2021, a black screen version was introduced to Windows 11 users with updated dialogue.

During a massive outage last July caused by CrowdStrike, Windows-operated machines displayed the infamous blue screen, affecting technology worldwide.