Windows 11: The Blue Screen of Death is no more

Microsoft has integrated many new features in Windows 11, some of which are already available to try out in its initial Insider Preview build. Android app emulation will arrive in later builds, but improved Snap Assist options are some of the most useful features we have noticed so far. A change that we have not encountered is the one that Microsoft has made to the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). While the current build still shows a Green Screen of Death, as is the case with beta versions, The Verge reports that Microsoft will switch to a Black Screen for the release build.

The BSOD has received several major updates since the days of Windows 1.0. Microsoft revised the BSOD in Windows 95, for example, and added a sad smiley in 2012 on Windows 8. Most recently, the company added a QR code to the BSOD in 2016, albeit only in Windows 10. However, the colour has remained unchanged for the best part of 30 years.

Microsoft has not explained why it has switched to a Black Screen of Death with Windows 11. Black Screens have been a part of Windows for decades too, although they are not as infamous as the BSOD, which even popped up during a Windows 98 presentation. Ultimately, a Black Screen of Death may not look as jarring as a Blue Screen of Death, which is a good thing in our books.

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