Microsoft is redesigning the Windows BSoD to get you back to work ‘as fast as possible’
- Reference: 1743485412
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/04/01/microsoft_is_redesigning_the_windows/
- Source link:
Redmond revealed its plans in [1]March 28 post – note the date because we would do a much better April 1 gag than that – which describes changes in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3653.
Here’s what Microsoft has to say about the BSoD redesign:
We’re previewing a new, more streamlined UI for unexpected restarts which better aligns with Windows 11 design principles and supports our goal of getting users back into productivity as fast as possible. We’ve simplified your experience while preserving the technical information on the screen.
And here’s the proposed design:
[2]
Microsoft's proposed BSOD redesign - Click to enlarge
The proposed design does not include elements of the current BSoD such as the frowning emoticon or the QR code that links to error code descriptions. Instead it lists a stop code and states which process failed. We've tickled the image above so you can see the code and failed process, which as you can see in this [3]full screenshot are in small type at the bottom of the screen.
Before you notice that screenshot is not blue and get all excited at the prospect of the BSoD becoming the GSOD, know that Windows Insider Preview builds use a green screen for crash notifications.
[4]
There’s no indication the BSoD is going green in future versions of Windows.
[5]
[6]
Nor has Microsoft offered any explanation about how the BSoD design depicted above will get you back to work faster or simplified the current experience of Windows falling flat on its face.
Some have observed that the new design looks like the Windows Update screen, and as that’s black maybe the “B” in “BSoD” could change from Blue to Black.
[7]Microsoft whiz dishes the dirt on the Blue Screen Of Death's colorful past
[8]Microsoft veteran on how to blue screen your way to better testing
[9]Death Becomes It: Who put the Blue in the Blue Screen of Death?
[10]UK lockdown easing heralds the return of burgers... and bork
If Microsoft really wanted Windows users to be more productive, it could stop disrespecting their decision to use browsers other than Edge with frequent suggestions to revisit default app settings. Making the OS more stable would also help: Windows crashes are rare these days, but your correspondent cannot recall the last time my iOS or Android devices fell over.
This Insider Preview also shows off an actual useful new feature in the form of Quick machine recovery (QMR) which, as we [11]explained yesterday , should make it easier to recover a Windows box from a CrowdStrike-like calamity
[12]
Also on show are the chance to use Win+C to invoke the Copilot AI, and a new speech recap window for the Narrator screen reader application that lists the last 500 strings spoken by the tool. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2025/03/28/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-26120-3653-beta-channel/
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/04/01/supplied_bsod_redesign_compressed.png
[3] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/04/01/supplied_bsod_redesign.jpg
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z-u5QzzVZggAx8dtVS73NwAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z-u5QzzVZggAx8dtVS73NwAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z-u5QzzVZggAx8dtVS73NwAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/02/who_wrote_windows_bsod/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/21/raymond_chen_windows_notmyfault/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/02/windows_blue_screen/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/11/bork/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/31/windows_11_insiders/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z-u5QzzVZggAx8dtVS73NwAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Hey Microsoft
How about fixing the kernel so that it does not crash?
Yes, that is Fscking obvious but.... isn't that your job rather than fiddling while Redmond burns?
Re: Hey Microsoft
Trouble is that everyone and their dog wants to install kernel-mode drivers, regardless of need or utility.
Very few people are capable of writing code robust enough for that! Even with "safe" languages, the improvement is "crash more quickly" - which does at least have the advantage that the OS is more likely to be able to pin the blame correctly.
And the OS can't ban them entirely - the last attempt at that was Vista, and we all know how that went.
Re: Hey Microsoft
It's not always Windows fault. I had a Dell laptop where a couple of time a F5 VPN software release caused crashes - otherwise BSODs were unknown. Now I was given an HP ZBook which is a BSOD feast. Full memory tests never failed, probably the fault is in some other hardware component or driver - fualty Intel CPU could be another issue. Applied many BIOS and firmware updates, mitigated the issue a bit but never resolved it fully.
My home-build desktop PC never shown a BSOD in many years. But there I don't have to install badly written "enterprise security software". and the hardware is not made of cheap components.
That said, what takes a lot when a BSOD happen is the memory dump. With actual PCs with GBs of RAM a dump can take a lot even of a fast disk, and take a lot of space too. I usually enable minidumps to save space and time, they can still be used with WinDbg to have an idea of what caused the stop. Microsoft could simply change the default.
Re: Hey Microsoft
Well my Dell laptop has never crashed in since I brought it a year ago. Of course, I don't run Windows on it ...
I would be infinitely more productive if:
- Copilot / AI did one when you told it to turn off, or simply never wanted it to be installed ever again.
- Same for Edge.
- The start menu was customisable and didn't hide Switch User behind a ... menu now.
- I could put the taskbar where I liked like I used to be able to do.
- Things were NOT allowed to pin themselves to the bar unless I did that.
- I could skin the OS / apps how I liked (remember "Themes"?) so that I could make my computer look like Windows 95 but still run Windows 11 programs, or Office look like Office 2000.
- Every setting under control panel appeared under Settings somewhere.
- It didn't takke about 8 clicks to get to the old network interface dialogue which is still needed because the new one STILL doesn't have all the same options.
- I could use a local user rather than a Microsoft account.
- etc. etc. etc.
Don't claim "productivity" when Microsoft - and especially its UI designers - have literally gone out of their way to destroy my working practices a dozen times over the years, throw everything in the bin, insist I use rubbish UI that looks like it was designed by a colour-blind, near-sighted child, and hide everything I need away but never quite get rid of it (because you can't, because there is no modern alternative).
Microsoft comes into my WORK OFFICE (i.e. computer) on a regular basis, literally throws the stuff off my "desktop" onto the floor, stamps on most things until they are broken and unrecognisable, puts a new fancy box on my desk that I can't remove, and tells me that my productivity will be improved. It's never once been true.
GSoD, BSoD, whatever, still SoD. Now there's a name for it.
Apparently you can have any colour you want, [1]it's just a registry key value
[1] https://www.tomshardware.com/news/windows-11-black-screen-of-death
This feels like the Seymour Skinner meme:
"How can I make errors better? Maybe I should work on overall system reliability?"
"No, it's the error screen that needs work!"
Wow?
I simply cannot tell you how immeasurably this will improve my life! (Mainly because I have no idea ... not at all would be my best guess.) Thanks, Microsoft.