Digital boards are seen due to the global communications outage caused by CrowdStrike, which provides cybersecurity services to U.S. technology company Microsoft, on July on 19, 2024.
Selçuk Acar | Anadolu | Getty Images
It’s a bittersweet day for Windows users.
Microsoft is scrapping its iconic “blue screen of death,” known for appearing during unexpected restarts on Windows computers. The company revealed a new black iteration in a blog post on Thursday, saying that it is “streamlining the unexpected restart experience.”
The new black unexpected restart screen is slated to launch this summer on Windows 11 24H2 devices, the company said. Microsoft touted the updates as an “easier” and “faster” way to recover from restarts.
The software giant’s blue screen of death dates back to the early 1990s, according to longtime Microsoft developer Raymond Chen.
Microsoft also said it plans to update the user interface to match the Windows 11 design and cut downtime during restarts to two seconds for the majority of users.
“This change is part of a larger continued effort to reduce disruption in the event of an unexpected restart,” Microsoft wrote.
The iconic blue screen was seemingly everywhere in July 2024 after a faulty update from CrowdStrike crashed computer systems around the world.
Digital boards are seen due to the global communications outage caused by CrowdStrike, which provides cybersecurity services to U.S. technology company Microsoft, on July on 19, 2024.
Selcuk Acar | Anadolu | Getty Images
The blue screen of death errors on computer screens are viewed due to the global communications outage caused by CrowdStrike, which provides cybersecurity services to U.S. technology company Microsoft, on July 19, 2024.
Harun Ozalp | Anadolu | Getty Images
An error message on a screen at a Starbucks in Austin, Texas, on July 19, 2024.
Jordan Vonderhaar | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Blue screen of death on display at the Amtrak South Station ticket area in Boston due to the CrowdStrike outage on July 19, 2024.
David L. Ryan | Boston Globe | Getty Images
Passengers seen waiting after a major disruption in Microsoft Corp.’s cloud services caused widespread flight cancellations and delays at T3 IGI Airport in New Delhi, India, on July 19, 2024.
Vipin Kumar | Hindustan Times | Getty Images
People walk past a flight information screen in the second terminal at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on July 19, 2024.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images
