Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Windows Insiders will now see a Green Screen of Death when their PC crashes

By

Windows Insider
Image used with permission by copyright holder
First there was the Black Screen of Death (BSOD), where a Windows 3.x PC would throw up a screen with white text on a black background when it crashed. Then, around the time of Windows NT, Microsoft switched to the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). These stop screens have been an important part of Windows culture since forever.

Now, apparently, Microsoft is ready to take yet another step in its transition from the old to the new. It seems that the newest — and unofficial — Windows Insider preview version of Windows 10 is using a new Green Screen of Death (GSOD), as MSPU reports.

Recommended Videos

Cool to read all the new features people discover in the leaked builds, but they missed a big change!, Huge change!. curious when its found.

— Matthijs Hoekstra (@mahoekst) December 27, 2016

The initial reports were from Twitter, via a tweet sent out by Microsoft Senior Program Manager Matthijs Hoekstra. One of the first Windows Insiders to locate the new GSOD was Twitter user Chris123NT.

@mahoekst so on a hunch I tried to force a bug check and well, yeah… pic.twitter.com/iKeDPT5wu6

— Chris123NT (@Chris123NT) December 29, 2016

Of course, Microsoft’s being a bit tongue-in-cheek about the entire thing. In fact, as Hoekstra later clarified, the GSOD is a feature of the Windows Insider program to help Microsoft engineers differentiate between stop screens issued by the production version of Windows 10 and those that come from Windows Insider preview versions.

The new GSOD is showing up in a leaked preview version of Windows 10, build 14997, that made its way to the internet over the holiday break. The new build offers up some interesting new Creators Build features like Start Menu folders, Cortana joining in on the out-of-box-experience (OOBE), Edge browser enhancements, and a blue-light reduction function to reduce eye strain.

Nevertheless, from now on, anyone within earshot of a Windows 10 user who suffers a crash will know if they’re a Windows Insider as they yell “GSOD!” into the air instead of “BSOD!” And Microsoft engineers will be able to take a quick look at screenshots to know if it’s production Windows 10 or the Windows Insider version that’s having issues. And while that’s yet another change to get used to, it should make everyone’s life a little simpler — and a bit more colorful.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock
Computing Writer
Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…
Google now has its own way of making Android phones and Windows more compatible
The Your Phone app on an Android phone.

If you own an Android phone and a Windows PC, you'll soon have one more way to use both devices together to get more done. Rolling out later this year to Windows is a Fast Pair feature for Android phones.

Google's announcement at CES 2022 comes alongside a number of improvements on how Android devices can connect to your larger ecosystem of tech products.

Read more
Windows 11 brings back a familiar ‘friend’ to accompany your PC crashing
Windows 11 blue error crash screen.

Microsoft has decided to change the black screen of death (BSOD) introduced in Windows 11 back to the more familiar blue color.

As Ars Technica discovered in extensive patch notes for a new preview build, Microsoft confirmed the switch in the changelog, saying, “We changed the screen color to blue when a device stops working or a stop error occurs as in previous versions of Windows.”

Read more
The 5 biggest problems with Windows 11 right now
Windows 11 Woman on Laptop Lifestyle

With new visuals, multitasking features, and a new Microsoft Store, Windows 11 marks a new era for the Windows operating system. That doesn't mean it is all perfect, though.

Many who were quick to adopt the new OS have also been quick to point out some of the issues when compared to Windows 10 -- just look at Twitter for some core examples. We're there, too, and have used Windows 11 as our main OS since it was in beta, but we still think there are five core problems that Microsoft needs to address.
Memory leaks

Read more