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Microsoft Retires Legendary 'Blue Screen of Death' After 40 Years of Frowny Faces

Like Pudding Pops and Benetton sweaters, another 1980s icon is gone. After 40 years of delivering the tragic news of a PC crash to Windows users, Microsoft's infamous "blue screen of death" will be going away. But not to worry -- a black screen of death will be replacing it, albeit without the sad emoticon face. The infamous "blue screen of death" has been around since Windows 1.0 came out in 1985. Named for its bright blue color, it's a critical error screen that pops up on computers using the

Microsoft changes Windows in attempt to prevent next CrowdStrike-style catastrophe

In the summer of 2024, corporate anti-malware provider CrowdStrike pushed a broken update to millions of PCs and servers running some version of Microsoft's Windows software, taking down systems that both companies and consumers relied on for air travel, payments, emergency services, and their morning coffee. It was a huge outage, and it caused days and weeks of pain as the world's permanently beleaguered IT workers brought systems back online, in some cases touching each affected PC individuall

The Windows kernel is about to receive a security-focused redesign after CrowdStrike crash

Why it matters: The kernel space is the core component of a computer operating system, where critical hardware management and device driver code reside in memory. If a kernel-level driver malfunctions, the entire OS can behave erratically – or simply crash and burn with a BSOD. Microsoft has stated that it is working on a significant change to the Windows architecture to help prevent another large-scale incident like the one involving CrowdStrike a year ago. Microsoft is developing a new securi

Microsoft is trying to get antivirus software away from the Windows kernel

In the summer of 2024, corporate anti-malware provider Crowdstrike pushed a broken update to millions of PCs and servers running some version of Microsoft's Windows software, taking down systems that both companies and consumers relied on for air travel, payments, emergency services, and their morning coffee. It was a huge outage, and it caused days and weeks of pain as the world's permanently beleaguered IT workers brought systems back online, in some cases touching each affected PC individuall

This city is dumping Microsoft Office and Windows for OnlyOffice and Linux - here's why

Jumping Rocks/Contributor/Getty Is it something in the water? First, it was Denmark bidding Microsoft adieu. Then it was the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Now it's Lyon, France's third-largest city and a leading economic hub, sweeping Microsoft Windows and Office suite away to replace them with Linux, OnlyOffice, NextCloud, and PostgreSQL. Also: Ready to ditch Windows? 'End of 10' makes converting your PC to Linux easier than ever So, why is Lyon making this move? Well, it's not due to

No, Windows didn't kill the Blue Screen of Death, it just got a makeover - what's changed

Bloomberg / Getty Images The Blue Screen of Death in Windows is never a good thing. But Microsoft is now making the screen a bit less bright and a bit more helpful. Also: How to get Windows 10 extended security updates for free: 2 options A new BSOD In an update to Windows 11 coming later this year, the old BSOD will give way to a new BSOD -- only with black replacing blue. Painted in a dark shade similar to the Windows Update screen, the new display will not only be simpler and more streaml

Get in Shape With the Best Rowing Machine Picks Tested by a Fitness Expert

What we like about it: This is Peloton’s first smart rowing machine, which teaches you how to row and correct your form. Similar to other Peloton equipment, you receive white-glove delivery and it’s assembled in your home. The delivery people are pros, so they have it up and running in half an hour, tops. It has a 24-inch HD touchscreen that's adjustable and easy to rotate. Using the Peloton Row is an experience, unlike the others I had when testing rowing machines. Before you take a class, you

This city is the latest European government to dump Microsoft for Linux

Jumping Rocks/Contributor/Getty Is it something in the water? First, it was Denmark bidding Microsoft adieu. Then it was the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Now it's Lyon, France's third-largest city and a leading economic hub, sweeping Microsoft Windows and Office suite away to replace them with Linux, OnlyOffice, NextCloud, and PostgreSQL. Also: Ready to ditch Windows? 'End of 10' makes converting your PC to Linux easier than ever So, why is Lyon making this move? Well, it's not due to

Windows 11 KB5060829 update released with 38 new changes, fixes

​​Microsoft has released the KB5060829 preview cumulative update for Windows 11 24H2, which includes 38 changes, including improvements to the taskbar and a new PC-to-PC migration experience. The KB5060829 update is an optional non-security preview update that delivers updates at the end of each month, allowing Windows admins to test bug fixes, improvements, and new features that will roll out to all users during next month's Patch Tuesday release. However, unlike regular Patch Tuesday cumulat

Microsoft Officially Retires 'Blue Screen of Death' After 40 Years of Frowny-Faces

Another 1980s icon is gone, like Pudding Pops and Benetton sweaters. After 40 years of delivering the tragic news of a PC crash to Windows users, Microsoft's infamous "blue screen of death" will be going away. But not to worry -- a black screen of death will be replacing it, albeit without the sad emoticon face. The infamous "blue screen of death" has been around since the very first version of Windows in 1985. Named for its bright blue color, it's a critical error screen that pops up on comput

Microsoft Officially Retires 'Blue Screen of Death' After 40 Frowny-Face Years

Another 1980s icon is gone, like Pudding Pops and Benetton sweaters. After 40 years of delivering the tragic news of a PC crash to Windows users, Microsoft's infamous "blue screen of death" will be going away. But not to worry -- a black screen of death will be replacing it, albeit without the sad emoticon face. The infamous "blue screen of death" has been around since the very first version of Windows in 1985. Named for its bright blue color, it's a critical error screen that pops up on comput

New benchmarks show SteamOS outperforming Windows 11 on Lenovo's handheld PC

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust That's called progress: SteamOS started life as a lightweight Linux-based system built for Valve's Steam Machines that never really picked up steam (pun intended). Now, it powers the Steam Deck and various other handhelds. New benchmarks show that the gaming OS outperforms Windows 11 on similar hardware. A recent Ars Technica report tested five demanding PC games on Lenovo's Legion Go S handheld, r

Windows killed the Blue Screen of Death

You’re laughing. Windows killed the Blue Screen of Death and you’re laughing. Yes, the iconic Windows error screen is getting a makeover nearly 40 years after its debut in the first version of Windows. Now, the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) will become the Black Screen of Death (BSOD). This change is related to other updates that Windows is making in the wake of the CrowdStrike outage last year, which affected 8.5 million Windows devices and took businesses, airports, TV stations, and government

Windows is finally kicking the Blue Screen of Death to the curb

The notorious Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) is finally heading to a junkyard upstate. This error message has been a key part of the Windows experience for almost 40 years. Microsoft has been teasing this change for years , but now we know the crash screen will be removed in an update to Windows 11 that's coming later this summer . Windows computers are still going to crash , so there needs to be some sort of error screen. Microsoft is transitioning to a Black Screen of Death instead. This new cra

Microsoft rolls out Windows security changes to prevent another CrowdStrike meltdown

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Last summer's CrowdStrike meltdown was a nightmare for network administrators worldwide, disrupting healthcare systems, cutting off access to banking systems, and grounding aircraft. All in all, the event caused billions of dollars in direct and indirect damages, and it was entirely preventable. Also: How to get Windows 10 extended security updates for free: 2 options In response, Microsoft convened a security summit, bringing together technical experts from Crowd

Access BMC UART on Supermicro X11SSH

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Windows is getting rid of the Blue Screen of Death after 40 years

is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) has held strong in Windows for nearly 40 years, but that’s about to change. Microsoft revealed earlier this year that it was overhauling its BSOD error message in Windows 11, and the company has now confirmed that it will soon be known as the Black Screen of Death. The new design drops the traditional blue color, frowning face, and QR code in fav

Microsoft is moving antivirus providers out of the Windows kernel

is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. It’s been nearly a year since a faulty CrowdStrike update took down 8.5 million Windows-based machines around the world, and Microsoft wants to ensure such a problem never happens again. After holding a summit with security vendors last year, Microsoft is poised to release a private preview of Windows changes that will move antivirus (AV) and endpoint detection and response (ED

Can this $200 Windows mini PC replace my Linux system for a week? Here's the verdict

ZDNET's key takeaways The Minix Z97 mini PC is available on Amazon for $217. This tiny PC is a powerhouse that's well-suited for daily use. Running demanding tasks like local AI workloads puts a strain on its resources. $238.9 at Amazon Imagine having a PC that fits in your hand and performs well enough to get you through the day (with power to spare). Such computers exist, but not all of them are created equal. I've tested plenty of these tiny form-factor PCs, and a lot of them might be cut

Topics: linux mini pc windows z97

Games run faster on SteamOS than Windows 11, Ars testing finds

Nearly a decade ago, Ars testing found that Valve's "Steam Machines"-era version of SteamOS performed significantly worse than Windows when SteamOS's Linux game ports were tested on the same hardware as their Windows counterparts. Today, though, Ars testing on the Lenovo Legion Go S finds recent games generally run at higher frame rates on SteamOS 3.7 than on Windows 11. The performance advantage is yet another way that Valve's upstart OS is differentiating itself from the "default" Windows inst

Games run faster on SteamOS than Windows 11, Ars testing finds

Nearly a decade ago, Ars testing found that Valve's "Steam Machines"-era version of SteamOS performed significantly worse than Windows when SteamOS' Linux game ports were tested on the same hardware as their Windows counterparts. Today, though, Ars testing on the Lenovo Legion Go S finds recent games generally run at higher frame rates on SteamOS 3.7 than on Windows 11. The performance advantage is yet another way that Valve's upstart OS is differentiating itself from the "default" Windows insta

Microsoft opens a free tier for Windows 10 extended updates

Microsoft has found a new use for Reward Points – and another incentive to upload everything you hold dear to someone else's servers. You know the drill by now. Windows 10 is approaching its end of life (although the special LTSC edition has years to go, and we told you how to get it a couple of months ago). In April last year, The Register described the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, and then in October when the scheme was extended to individual consumers for a bargain-tastic $30 for

Bill Gates-backed Airloom begins building its first power plant

Wind power has run into some headwinds, and not the kind that spin its turbines. Recently, President Trump has decided to wage war against the technology, an unwelcome bit of friction that coincides with rising costs in recent years. Onshore wind power went for $61 per megawatt-hour last year, according to Lazard, bucking a decade-long downward trend. “We have a lot of headwinds,” acknowledges Neal Rickner, CEO of wind startup Airloom Energy. But he also argues that his company, which takes a

WinRAR patches bug letting malware launch from extracted archives

WinRAR has addressed a directory traversal vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-6218 that, under certain circumstances, allows malware to be executed after extracting a malicious archive. The flaw tracked as CVE-2025-6218 and assigned a CVSS score of 7.8 (high severity), was discovered by security researcher whs3-detonator who reported it through Zero Day Initiative on June 5, 2025. It affects only the Windows version of WinRAR, from version 7.11 and older, and a fix was released in WinRAR versio

Bill Gates-backed AirLoom begins building its first power plant

Wind power has run into some headwinds, and not the kind that spin its turbines. Recently, President Trump has decided to wage war against the technology, an unwelcome bit of friction that coincides with rising costs in recent years. Onshore wind power went for $61 per megawatt-hour last year, according to Lazard, bucking a decade-long downward trend. “We have a lot of headwinds,” acknowledges Neal Rickner, CEO of wind startup AirLoom Energy. But he also argues that his company, which takes a

Discord is working on a Windows on Arm app

is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. Discord is working on a native Windows on Arm version of its communications app. An early development preview build is available for testers, ahead of a full Arm64 release for compatible Arm-powered devices. Discord spokesperson Claudia Fellerman confirmed to The Verge that the company is working on a build for Windows on Arm, but it’s in the early stages of development so it’

Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026 – with a catch

In brief: Microsoft plans to end support for Windows 10 this October despite its enduring popularity and the fact that hundreds of millions of usable PCs don't support Windows 11. The company recently introduced a new option for personal devices to receive another year of security updates, but it requires using OneDrive. After Windows 10 reaches end-of-life status on October 14, users who enroll in Windows Backup will continue receiving security updates through October 13, 2026, at no extra cos

Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan throws cold water on 1-person, billion-dollar startup idea at VB Transform: ‘more people allow you to grow faster’

Join the event trusted by enterprise leaders for nearly two decades. VB Transform brings together the people building real enterprise AI strategy. Learn more As AI-powered tools spread through enterprise software stacks, AI coding platform Windsurf’s rapid growth is becoming a case study in what happens when developers adopt agentic tooling at scale. In a session at this week’s VentureBeat Transform 2025 conference, CEO and co-founder Varun Mohan discussed how Windsurf’s integrated development

Microsoft Offers Free Windows 10 Extended Security Updates -- Under One Condition

Microsoft is closing the door on Windows 10 in October 2025, and will be ceasing security support for that operating system unless users pay $30 for a one-year extended security update. On Tuesday, with less than four months on the clock until support expires, Microsoft has added a free option. Users need to turn on cloud backup and connect it to their OneDrive account. The ability to get free updates on Windows 10 is a pretty big deal because it is still the most widely used Windows OS, accoun

Meet Mu, the small language model in charge of Microsoft's Settings AI agent

In brief: Small language models are generally more compact and efficient than LLMs, as they are designed to run on local hardware or edge devices. Microsoft is now bringing yet another SLM to Windows 11, as users apparently need a few AI-powered hints to help them find specific OS settings and customize their PC experience. Microsoft recently announced Mu, a new small language model designed to integrate with the Windows 11 UI experience. Mu will work alongside Phi Silica – the language model p