Microsoft Windows Blue Screen Of Death Is Retiring After 40 Years, Here's What Will Replace It

Microsoft Corporation MSFT announced to retire the iconic Blue Screen of Death after nearly 40 years. The tech giant is replacing it with a Black Screen of Death for Windows 11 users.

What Happened: The BSOD, a familiar sight for Windows users, is being revamped. The Verge reported, the traditional blue color, frowning face, and QR code will be replaced by a simpler black screen. The new design will resemble the black screen seen during a Windows update but will also display the stop code and faulty system driver, providing more information on the cause of the crash. The change aims to provide clearer information on the issue, allowing for faster resolution.

Microsoft’s Vice President of Enterprise and OS Security, David Weston stated, "Part of it is just cleaner information on what exactly went wrong, where it's Windows versus a component."

The new screen will be rolled out in a Windows 11 update later this summer, along with the Quick Machine Recovery feature, designed to restore non-booting machines quickly.

Why It Matters: The retirement of the Blue Screen of Death comes after a series of issues with Windows 11 updates. In October 2024, a Windows 11 update caused devices to restart multiple times or become unresponsive with blue or green screens. This issue was part of a broader problem caused by a Crowdstrike Holdings Inc. CRWD incident that resulted in Windows computers crashing worldwide. This change is part of Microsoft‘s broader effort to enhance Windows’ resilience

Despite these challenges, Microsoft’s stock has been performing well. In June, Microsoft shares surged to a new all-time high of $469.65, despite no company-specific news. The rally was attributed to broader market trends favoring mega-cap tech stocks, particularly those leading in artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Price in Action: Microsoft ended the trading session with a 1.05% gain ($5.18). In after-hours trading, the stock dipped slightly by 0.05% to $497.20, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicates Microsoft stock has Momentum in the 69th percentile. Find out the stock value of other tech giants.