Microsoft shuts down iconic 'Blue Screen of Death' – DW – 06/27/2025
Microsoft has announced that it is getting rid of its Blue Screen error display to make way for a "Black Screen of Death."
Microsoft is killing its infamous "Blue Screen of Death" after over four decades. The notorious error message will soon be set to against a black background.
The technology giant made the announcement in a blog post on Thursday as it outlined wider measures to improve the resilience of the Windows operating system.
"Now it's easier than ever to navigate unexpected restarts and recover faster," the company wrote.
The efforts by Microsoft come in light of the 2024 Crowdstike incident which led to a mammoth IT outage, crashing millions of Windows systems across the globe.
The "Blue Screen of Death" or Blue Screen error was displayed if a serious problem caused Windows to shut down or restart unexpectedly to prevent data loss.
The company said it is "streamlining" what users experience when confronted with "unexpected restarts" that lead to disruptions.
The steps entail revamping the error screen that greeted users — often frustratingly so — for more than 40 years.
The new error message has a much more condensed text displayed across a black backdrop.
"Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart," it will read, according to an image shared by Microsoft in its blog.
The error message is no longer accompanied by a sad face icon and instead shows a percentage completed for the restart process.
The software company said that this "simplified" user interface for unexpected restarts will be available from later this summer on all of its Windows 11 (version 24H2) devices.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
7 hours ago
- DW
Microsoft shuts down iconic 'Blue Screen of Death' – DW – 06/27/2025
Microsoft has announced that it is getting rid of its Blue Screen error display to make way for a "Black Screen of Death." Microsoft is killing its infamous "Blue Screen of Death" after over four decades. The notorious error message will soon be set to against a black background. The technology giant made the announcement in a blog post on Thursday as it outlined wider measures to improve the resilience of the Windows operating system. "Now it's easier than ever to navigate unexpected restarts and recover faster," the company wrote. The efforts by Microsoft come in light of the 2024 Crowdstike incident which led to a mammoth IT outage, crashing millions of Windows systems across the globe. The "Blue Screen of Death" or Blue Screen error was displayed if a serious problem caused Windows to shut down or restart unexpectedly to prevent data loss. The company said it is "streamlining" what users experience when confronted with "unexpected restarts" that lead to disruptions. The steps entail revamping the error screen that greeted users — often frustratingly so — for more than 40 years. The new error message has a much more condensed text displayed across a black backdrop. "Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart," it will read, according to an image shared by Microsoft in its blog. The error message is no longer accompanied by a sad face icon and instead shows a percentage completed for the restart process. The software company said that this "simplified" user interface for unexpected restarts will be available from later this summer on all of its Windows 11 (version 24H2) devices. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Int'l Business Times
Tech Giants' Net Zero Goals Verging On Fantasy: Researchers
The credibility of climate pledges by the world's tech giants to rapidly become carbon neutral is fading fast as they devour more and more energy in the race to develop AI and build data centres, researchers warned Thursday. Apple, Google and Meta said they would stop adding CO2 into the atmosphere by 2030, while Amazon set that target for 2040. Microsoft promised to be "net negative" -- pulling CO2 out of the air -- by the end of this decade. But those vows, made before the AI boom transformed the sector, are starting to look like a fantasy even as these companies have doubled down on them, according to independent analysts. "The greenhouse gas emissions targets of tech companies appear to have lost their meaning," Thomas Hay, lead author of a report by think tanks Carbon Market Watch and NewClimate Institute, told AFP. "If energy consumption continues to rise unchecked and without adequate oversight," he added, "these targets will likely be unachievable." The deep-dive analysis found the overall integrity of the climate strategies at Meta, Microsoft and Amazon to be "poor", while Apple's and Microsoft's were deemed "moderate". When it came to the quality of emissions reduction targets, those of Meta and Amazon were judged "very poor", while Google and Microsoft scored a "poor" rating. Only Apple fared better. The expanding carbon footprint of the five top tech behemoths stems mostly from the breakneck expansion of artificial intelligence, which requires huge amounts of energy to develop and run. Electricity consumption -- and the carbon emissions that come with it -- has doubled for some of these companies in the last three or four years, and tripled for others, the report found. The same is true across the sector: operational emissions of the world's top 200 information technology companies was nearly 300 million tonnes of CO2 in 2023, and nearly five times that if the downstream use products and services is taken into account, according to the UN's International Telecommunications Union. If the sector were a country, it would rank fifth in greenhouse gas emissions ahead of Brazil. Electricity to power data centres increased on average 12 percent per year from 2017 to 2024, and is projected to double by 2030, according to the IEA. If all this extra power came from solar and wind, CO2 emissions would not be rising. But despite ambitious plans to source their energy from renewables, much of it is still not carbon neutral. Studies estimate that half of the computing capacity of tech companies' data centres comes from subcontractors, yet many companies do not account for these emissions, the study points out. The same is true for the entire infrastructure and equipment supply chain, which accounts for at least a third of tech companies' carbon footprint. "There is a lot of investment in renewable energy, but overall, it has not offset the sector's thirst for electricity," Day said. Given the status of AI as a driver of economic growth, and even as a vector for industrial policy, it is unlikely that governments are going to constrain the sector's expansion, the report noted. "So far the whole AI boom has been altogether quite unregulated," Day said. "There are things these companies can and will do for future proofing, to make sure they're moving in the right direction" in relation to climate goals, he added. "But when it comes to decisions that would essentially constrain the growth of the business model, we don't see any indications that that can happen without regulatory action." The report identifies a number of ways in which the tech sector can curb its carbon footprint, even as it develops AI apace. Ensuring that data centres -- both those belonging to the companies as well as third party partners -- run on renewable electricity is crucial. Increasing the lifespan of devices and expanding the use of recycled components for hardware production could also make a big difference. Finally, the methods use for calculating emissions reduction targets are out-of-date, and in need of revision, the report said. Data centres' electricity consumption is set to more than double by 2030 AFP
Int'l Business Times
16-06-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Microsoft Locks Down European Data with New Sovereign Cloud Initiative
Microsoft has launched an initiative to localize cloud data handling in Europe, ensuring that core customer data remains within European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) borders. The move is part of a broader strategy to comply with evolving data sovereignty regulations and support Europe's digital infrastructure goals. The company's announcement builds on its April 2025 commitment to invest 5 billion euros in European cloud and AI infrastructure over two years. This includes expanding local data center capacity, growing cybersecurity and engineering teams in 10 countries, and launching a new Transparency Center in Brussels to enhance regulatory cooperation. "Our services are now fully operated within the EU and managed by personnel based in Europe," said Brad Smith, Microsoft's President, in the statement. "We are committed to meeting the expectations of European governments and customers." Why Microsoft's EU Data Boundary Matters for Cloud Sovereignty The cornerstone of this initiative is the EU Data Boundary, now fully implemented across Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform. A Sovereign Cloud—designed for public sector and regulated industries—is also in preview, offering customers isolated infrastructure for higher compliance assurance. These developments come as Europe intensifies scrutiny on foreign tech firms, particularly around cross-border data transfers under the General Data Protection Regulation. Microsoft's efforts aim to preempt legal conflict and reinforce customer trust by ensuring regional control of sensitive data. The company also stated it would contest any attempt by foreign governments to access data stored within the EU without proper legal justification, a signal aimed at concerns over extraterritorial surveillance. Microsoft's investments and operational shifts reflect a growing industry trend toward data localization as a response to political, legal, and strategic pressures. With infrastructure, personnel, and transparency now rooted in Europe, Microsoft's EU data strategy may serve as a template for other tech giants facing similar regulatory expectations. Originally published on Tech Times
