BSOD
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The Blue Screen of Death in Windows 11 is going black
Windows 11 will feature a Black Screen of Death, instead of the current blue one we all know and dread.
Microsoft updated Windows 10 again to fix printer problems
An emergency Windows 10 update last week fixed BSOD errors linked to printers, and now a second one addresses missing graphics and logos.
Steve Ballmer wrote Windows' first Ctrl-Alt-Delete message (updated)
Whether Microsoft likes it or not, Windows' blue screen messages are iconic -- they're universal signs that something really bad has happened to your software. But who wrote the original Ctrl-Alt-Delete message that would grace the screens of sick PCs worldwide? None other than Steve Ballmer, according to company veteran Raymond Chen. The executive (then in charge of the Systems Division) reportedly didn't like the text that engineers first wrote, and took up a challenge to write better material himself. As it turns out, Ballmer did a good enough job that his version made it into the shipping product "pretty much word for word." The message has long since changed and isn't nearly as much of an issue on modern computers, but it's fun to think that the owner of the LA Clippers is also responsible for an app crash alert seen by millions of people. Update: Chen has since updated his story to emphasize that this is the Ctrl-Alt-Delete screen, not the infamous BSOD; the two just look pretty similar. We've tweaked our story accordingly.
Windows 8 BSoD ditches confusing error codes for uninformative frowny face
As with any version of Windows, the Metro-slathered Win 8 has one of those oh so familiar Blue Screen of Death thingies. But, this time around, there's a change. Gone are the confusing and uninformative error codes, and in its place you get an equally uninformative sad emoticon. OK, there's also some text informing you that your PC is about to reboot, but it still doesn't get you any closer to tracking down the root of the problem. Well, at least it's little less cutesy than the Sad Mac (though, no less infuriating).
3DS owners reporting sporadic 'Black Screen of Death,' how is yours treating you?
You've read our Nintendo 3DS review, where we found it to be a generally fun but still somewhat flawed handheld gaming experience. Now it's been released to the world, and to the willing hands of Triforce Johnson, and we're left wondering what all of you think. We're also hearing scattered word of a supposed "Black Screen of Death," where the system indicates "An error has occurred" while playing a variety of games and has to be rebooted. We saw no such glitches in our testing, but what about you? %Poll-62218%
StarCraft II easter eggs include iPistol, BSOD, and misplaced characters (video)
You'd think with all the pressure of making a StarCraft sequel worthy of the name, Blizzard wouldn't have time for humorous insider references, but StarCraft II begs to differ. The game's designers have expended some of their creative juices on concocting a jolly little iPod-esque advert for a fictional iPistol, which is supposed to let you "take your shot at life." And just in case anyone thought them biased, the Blizzard devs have also had a little swipe at Microsoft, with a Blue Screen of Death adorning the control console of a drill inside the game. Other than those techie witticisms, the eagle-eyed gamer will be able to spot a dancing Night Elf and a Tauren Space Marine from World of Warcraft, as well as Diablo from, well, Diablo -- but we'll let you play the game and figure out where they are for yourself! Skip past the break to see the iAd homage and BSOD screenshot. [Thanks, Michael]
Blue Screen of Death amongst issues that plagued Deepwater Horizon
A recent report in the New York Times details a myriad issues that led up to the eventual explosion that started the mess known as the "BP oil spill," but aside from obvious mishandling of warnings and red flags, one particular issue was troubling those working on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig long before April 20th. Mike Williams, the rig's chief electronics technician, has come forward with a multitude of icky details surrounding the negligence that was involved in the catastrophe, with the one most germane to our discussion being the following: "For months, the computer system had been locking up, producing what the crew called the Blue Screen of Death." Williams continued, noting that "it would just turn blue," with "no data coming through." Of course, it's not as if BSODs are totally uncommon out in the working world -- Microsoft's Windows powers the vast majority of systems that corporations rely on daily -- but this one rubs just a wee bit differently. Hit the source link for the full spill. [Image courtesy of Ultrasaurus]
Microsoft confirms rootkit caused Windows XP blue screens
When malware writers fail to generate clean, reliable code, just who can you trust? On the heels of many Windows XP 32-bit users facing blue screen of death errors and unwanted reboots, Microsoft is now confirming that there's a little bit of malicious code sitting at the root of it all. A rootkit, to be specific, one called Alureon that compromises the atapi.sys file and others. This rootkit makes a system call via an address that, after the update, no longer corresponds to the particular call Alureon is trying to make. This is apparently the cause of the BSODs, not the update itself, and so those suffering from similar issues can resolve them by simply replacing corrupted system files via the recovery console. It won't be as much fun as using Microsoft's more popular console, but should at least cure what ails you.
Windows XP patch fiasco gets even crazier, Microsoft now scrambling for solutions
If you ever needed a reason to go Linux, here you go. The noise surrounding this patently obscure Windows XP bug / patch fiasco has just reached a fever pitch, and now we've got engineers within Redmond scratching their heads, too. As the story goes, Microsoft recently patched a security hole that took care of an antediluvian DOS vulnerability, and in doing so, some users began to see BSODs and endless reboots. Today, we've learned that the patch has been yanked, and Microsoft is suggesting that malware is to blame. But here's the skinny -- the patch simply disturbed the malware, which called a specific kernel code that directs your PC to keel over; in other words, any application that calls that same code could theoretically leave your machine in dire straits. And that, friends, probably explains the software giant's following quote: "In our continuing investigation in to the restart issues related to MS10-015 that a limited number of customers are experiencing, we have determined that malware on the system can cause the behavior. We are not yet ruling out other potential causes at this time and are still investigating." Rock, meet hard place.
Patch for ancient DOS bug in latest Windows XP update causing blue screen errors
Looks like Patch Tuesday turned into BSOD Tuesday for some Windows XP users -- Microsoft's latest security updates for the venerable OS are causing blue screens and endless reboots for people. That's the word according to a growing support thread on Microsoft's site -- and making matters just slightly worse / funnier, it's apparently the patch for that 17-year-old DOS vulnerability that's causing all the trouble. You win some, you lose some, right? Microsoft's identified a fix for those with access to an XP install disc and an optical drive, but that leaves most netbook users out in the cold -- and considering netbooks are where most of the recent XP action's been going down lately, we're hoping a better solution comes down the pike soon. P.S.- That's the BSOD tattoo guy in the photo -- remember him? [Thanks, HyperSl4ck3r]
Windows 7 Black Screen of Death? (It's not as bad as it sounds)
Well, maybe it's not as bad as it sounds, but it's still not so good. As you're probably aware, over the last week or so Windows users of all stripes (not just Windows 7 users, as it turns out) have been complaining of a plain black screen that appears upon login -- at which point the systems lock up, and... that's it. Aside from some users getting an additional My Computer window (lucky devils) the system grinds to a halt. According to a Microsoft email that's making the rounds, the company is "investigating reports that its latest release of security updates is resulting in system issues for some customers." Until that time, what's a poor PC user to do? Prevx, a UK developer of anti-malware software, has surmised that a recent Windows security patch changed Access Control List (ACL) entries in the registry, preventing some software from running properly and prompting Engadget to whip up a Bergman-inspired graphic. If your machine should find itself afflicted, Prevx has put together a fix that it claims will do the trick. Keep in mind that we don't know these guys, so don't blame us if it blows up your computer -- or gives you the Bubonic plague. We'll let you know when we hear back from Microsoft on this one. Good luck! Update: Microsoft says this isn't its fault, and that it's likely some nasty malware to blame.
iTunes 8 causes Windows Vista BSOD
Some Windows Vista users are having significant problems using iTunes 8, which crashes the operating system with a "blue screen of death" when an iPod or iPhone is connected to the PC. Apple today released a tech note, suggesting to uninstall Apple Mobile Device Support, restart the computer, and re-download and re-install the iTunes 8 installer. It's unclear what about Apple Mobile Device Support was causing the problem. According to Macworld and ZDNet, Apple simply replaced the files associated with Apple Mobile Device Support (usbaapl.sys or usbaapl64.sys) with the versions shipped with iTunes 7.7. Computerworld highlighted several irate comments from an Apple Discussions thread on the subject, including precious gems such as "I love how Apple owns up to problems... IT'S NOT US! IT MUST BE YOU! OR MICROSOFT! OR YOUR MOUSE! OR YOUR CHAIR!" Adorable.
Spinning beachball of death, for real
Circuit-bending dynamo Gieskes created some real-life ammunition for Windows fanboys to use against their Mac-loving enemies with this meatspace version of the infamous beachball of death. If you're in the former camp, you'll want to bookmark this for quick reference the next time an Apple lover starts ribbing you over a BSoD leaving you SoL, OK? Video after the break. [Via gadget lab & MAKE]
Mini How-To: Remove the Windows BSOD icon in Leopard, make OS X a little less smug
It's pretty clear that Apple left no stone unturned in Leopard, making changes and fixes throughout the new operating system. Unfortunately, that also included an upgrade to its crucial smugness subsystem: the image you see above of an old school CRT monitor with a blue screen of death is actually the not-so-subtle gag icon Leopard uses to represent Windows machines on your local network. (Is it any wonder why PC and Mac fanboys tend to get in so many fights?) Granted, many Leopard beta users have seen this icon since the early releases, but we didn't actually think the shipping version would include something so pompous and galling to the other 90%.We'll save the missive on the subject (although if that's what you're looking for, Anil Dash wrote a pretty good one), and skip straight to the problem solving: hidden away deep within the recesses of Leopard, far, far away from the reaches of Spotlight, is an unassuming icon file that's doing a great job at perpetuating the myth of Mac users' disdainful sense of self-superiority. Luckily it's an easy fix, and we'll show you the three easy steps necessary to get rid of the BSOD and make your Mac a little less condescending.
Getting Leopard's BSOD? Try uninstalling APE.
While there's no easy way to account for everybody Leopard user's crashing, Unsanity's Application Enhancer is apparently the cause of many a BSOD turning up on a range of user's systems during a system update to Mac OS X 10.5. If, after selecting "update," you're getting a perpetual blue screen, follow Apple's instructions for booting into single-user mode to remove the offending software. If you haven't updated yet, make sure you get rid of the software before you do: alternatively, do a fresh install and it'll overwrite any of the conflicts you would encounter otherwise. And remember to backup, backup, and backup.[Thanks, Dilan J.]
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Microsoft contracts Siemens VDO for in-car entertainment
Siemens VDO and Microsoft just announced a deal to co-develop in-car entertainment systems and navigation products. The companies will initially develop a multi-media platform to more easily integrate mobile phones and music players into automotive systems. The first products based on the Microsoft Auto Platform are expected in 2009. Now go ahead dear readers, leave us your obligatory BSOD, car crashing jokes in the comments below, mercy not required.
Man gets BSOD message tattooed on his arm
If anyone gave that Zune tattoo guy props for his bravery / stupidity, you owe a handful of kudos to this fellow, too. In an admittedly bizarre move to show one's disdain (right?) for the always infuriating Blue Screen of Death, this man has went so far as to tattoo the BSOD error message on his arm, presumably as a battle scar for all those Windows driver installations gone terribly awry. Next up? We're betting on a Kernel Panic tat for arm number two.[Via Tumbl, thanks Laura]
Hidden Windows BSOD in Leopard beta
Oh Apple devs, you are so funny. In a move that's sure to bring on the flames from the Mac vs. PC crowd, it looks like Leopard's developers have left this little jokey joke in Leopard's Finder that's been making the rounds-- when a Windows share becomes unreachable or fails to connect appears in the Finder (apparently this is the default for a PC view, thanks commenters), the image that shows up is none other than the BSOD. Sure, Apple, kick 'em when they're down.We're not sure if this is something that's just a placeholder in the beta, or if it's a real easter egg that will be in the final copy of Leopard (doubtful, despite the fact that it would make diehard Mac users chuckle every time they saw it while trying to hook up to a Windows share), but either way, take it for what it is right now, a joke, and laugh.[ Thanks Allen**-- via Wired ]**And also Big Dave, who kindly sent this to us exclusively. Unfortunately, we were dazzled by the new iPhone videos at the time and missed his tip, but credit where credit is due. Thanks, Dave!
The soul of an iPod vending machine
Those ZoomSystems iPod vending machines that we once gently mocked are both more successful and more ubiquitous than we thought they'd be. Still, it seems they aren't flawless. Reader & iPod shopper Kristopher decided to give one of the machines at his local mall a try; unfortunately, as soon as he started using the touchscreen, a familiar error screen appeared, and then... well, you can see what's underneath the pretty surface. Sure, lots of retail kiosk applications use XP, but c'mon -- for an iPod sales system, shouldn't Mac OS X be the first choice? [That's a joke, in case our visitors from Digg are confused. While there are plenty of Point Of Sale systems for the Mac, I don't actually know of one that's intended for vending-machine deployment, and even a Mac Mini is a bit high-end for the build cost of vending machines. That aside, it's probably not the best call to go with XP for a vend setup either...]
Homegrown Windows Vista "Error" stickers deface the Wow
Let's face it, there's not an operating system out there without its fair share of annoyances, but it's no secret that Microsoft goes out of its way to aggravate even the most diehard Windows users by cramming our palmrests with stickers, and apparently littering Prague with those oh-so-common "Wow" posters. Not one to take viral marketing lightly, a crafty individual has done the hard for us all and created a ready-to-go sheet of error stickers that snarkily state "The operation completed successfully." So if you're ready to get to defacin', and don't mind the possibility of getting approached by the boys in blue, click on to the read link and get your A4-sized sticker paper ready to roll -- after all, it's not like Microsoft itself is immune to such run-ins.[Via BoingBoing]
