The notorious Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) error messages in Windows are one of the reasons I transitioned to Mac over 15 years ago and have never regretted it. It wasn’t the blue screens themselves that ultimately persuaded me to embrace macOS and leave the familiar Windows environment behind. I simply reached a point where I grew frustrated with every aspect of using Windows. The BSOD errors were merely the final straw, alerting me that something had gone horribly wrong and perhaps required immediate action. At times, that meant performing a complete reinstall of Windows—an ordeal I never wish to experience again.
I wasn’t merely troubleshooting my own Windows computers when necessary. I was also the person family and friends relied on when they faced Windows-related challenges. Almost all my Windows issues disappeared after switching to Mac. I still had to repair Windows machines occasionally, but it became significantly more manageable once Windows 10 was released.
The error screens are still present, but they’re not as troublesome as before. However, the abrupt restart experience is set to shift, as Microsoft has opted for Windows 11 to feature the Blue Screen of Death messages in black once again.
This isn’t a case of déjà vu; it happened four years ago when Microsoft chose to introduce Black Screens of Death instead of the traditional blue ones. The BSOD term and experience remained unchanged. Microsoft’s trial was short-lived. Users were either confused or frustrated to encounter black error screens rather than blue ones. Here’s what that Black Screen of Death appeared like:
Back then, I thought substituting blue for black could be beneficial for users who experienced the late ’90s and early 2000s Windows period. A few years later, I find myself viewing the Blue Screen of Death with a sense of nostalgia. Yes, it’s inconvenient to encounter one, but it’s also an integral part of the Windows identity. People immediately recognize what a BSOD signifies.
