(Credit: Microsoft)
Say goodbye to the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). Microsoft is retiring the iconic Windows error screen in favor of a minimalist black screen that feels more like a digital void.
Microsoft confirmed the change on Thursday. It began testing the redesigned error screen in March with a Windows 11 preview build. It's meant to simplify the interface and provide a less shocking notification that something is amiss with your PC. "The updated UI improves readability and aligns better with Windows 11 design principles, while preserving the technical information on the screen for when it is needed,” the company wrote in a blog post.
The redesigned screen stands out by featuring lots of blank space and a smaller font, perhaps to soften the sense of panic. Microsoft has also scrubbed the frowny face from the alert, along with the QR code that can pop up, redirecting users to the BSOD troubleshooting page.
Users can expect the new error screen to appear this summer if their PC is running Windows 11, version 24H2. Will it last? Microsoft tried this in 2021, but quickly returned to blue.
Stay Away From the Kernel
The redesigned error screen is part of Microsoft’s effort to prevent a repeat of last year's notorious CrowdStrike outage. A faulty update from CrowdStrike temporarily bricked millions of Windows PCs, causing them to display the BSOD error.
CrowdStrike had access to the Windows kernel, a deep layer in the OS, which enabled its update to trigger the error. In response, Microsoft has been rolling out new safeguards, including nudging cybersecurity vendors to build their software outside the kernel. To do so, the company has been testing a new software layer in Windows specifically designed for antivirus monitoring.
On Thursday, Microsoft said it’s ready to start rolling out a public preview of the new software layer to select cybersecurity vendors next month. “The new Windows capabilities will allow them to start building their solutions to run outside the Windows kernel. This means security products like antivirus and endpoint protection solutions can run in user mode just as apps do,” it says.
According to the blog post, Bitdefender, CrowdStrike, and ESET, among others, have been collaborating with Microsoft on the project. A key objective is ensuring the antivirus software can still monitor deep, potentially malicious changes to a Windows PC, without kernel access.