Microsoft’s blue screen of death (BSOD) is an institution in the Windows world and has long served as the signal that something is very wrong with the OS. Over the years Microsoft has updated the screen with more precise explanations for what went wrong, but the screen has almost always been blue.
But in Windows 11, which Microsoft released a week ago to Windows Insiders testers, the B in the BSOD acronym has changed from blue to black.
It’s not a massive change but the blue screen BSOD is familiar to millions of people across the world.
Via Neowin, the new black screen was discovered by Windows Insider participant Martin Nobel, who’s posted a video of the new BSOD.
Windows 11 is a step change compared to recent Windows 10 releases, which have been largely incremental, but there are a bunch of questions about Windows 11 compatibility with today’s hardware, which ZDNet’s Windows watcher Ed Bott has a good rundown on.
As Bott notes, users need a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor running at 1 GHz with two or more cores, compatible Arm System on a Chip. On Windows 11, 32-bit (x86) CPUs are no longer supported and users need 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. Fortunately, most PCs built in the last 10 years meet those specs but the hardware needs to support need a Trusted Platform Module, or TPM, version 2.0 to run Windows 11.
But the change to the fatal error page is a notable change given the various user interface (UI) changes that Microsoft is introducing with its Sun Valley project that are coming in Windows 11.
A big change on the horizon with Windows 11 is that Microsoft plans to make Android apps available through the Microsoft Store under a much needed revamp of the store that also encompasses Win32 apps and Progressive Web Apps. Microsoft is also adding Office, Edge, and Visual Studio to the Store.
