Microsoft officially retires the "Blue Screen of Death," and Windows is set to enter a new era of the "Black Screen of Death."

According to news on June 26 local time, Microsoft announced that it is gradually phasing out the iconic "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD) that has been used in the Windows system for nearly 40 years, replacing it with a brand - new "Black Screen of Death" design. This change will be fully rolled out with the Windows 11 24H2 version this summer, providing users with clearer error messages and a faster system recovery experience.

Since the 1990s, the Windows Blue Screen of Death has become the most intuitive prompt interface when the system encounters errors and crashes. The interface with white text on a blue background has struck fear into the hearts of countless users. Now, Microsoft has decided to abandon this visual symbol, switching to a more modern black background, and removing the traditional "crying face" emoji and QR code, only retaining the key error codes and faulty driver information.

"This is an update aimed at clarity and efficiency," David Weston, the vice - president of enterprise and operating system security at Microsoft, said in an interview. "We hope that through this adjustment, users and IT administrators can more easily identify the nature of the problem and speed up the repair process."

The new version of the black - screen interface is more similar in style to the black screen during Windows updates, but it is more practical than before. It can directly list the drivers and error types that cause the system to crash, reducing the need for administrators to rely on debugging tools (such as WinDbg) to analyze crash dumps.

Microsoft will also introduce the "Quick Machine Recovery" function in this update, which is designed for devices that cannot start normally, aiming to further reduce downtime. Microsoft promises that in most cases, users' systems will be able to restart and resume operation within 2 seconds.

This change is also influenced by the "CrowdStrike incident" last year. In July 2024, an incorrect security update released by CrowdStrike caused millions of Windows devices around the world to enter the blue - screen state. Even a large number of digital billboards in New York's Times Square went blue - screen, attracting global attention. After this incident, Microsoft made improving system resilience a development priority and redesigned the unexpected restart process.

Microsoft said in its official blog that this revamp, named "Simplifying the Unexpected Restart Experience," is part of its strategy to "reduce system interruptions and improve recovery speed."

Although the "Blue Screen of Death" has represented frustration and fear for many years, it has also become an indelible part of the memories of Windows users. As Raymond Chen, a long - time Microsoft developer, said, "The blue screen is not only a prompt for technical problems but also a shared memory of a generation of users." With the progress of the system architecture, fault - handling methods, and user expectations, Microsoft has chosen to transform this symbolic interface into a more practical and function - oriented black - screen design, marking the end of an old era and the beginning of a new stage.

This article is from "Tencent Technology", author: Wuji. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.