troubleshooting process

Winsage
July 14, 2025
Microsoft has announced the retirement of the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) after nearly forty years, transitioning to a new error screen called the Black Screen of Death. The new screen will feature a black background, replacing the blue, and will provide clearer error messages, such as "Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart." This change is part of a broader initiative to improve user experience during critical failures, including a significant reduction in reboot times to approximately two seconds. The redesign was influenced by the CrowdStrike outage and aims to enhance clarity and efficiency in troubleshooting. The rollout will begin with Windows Insiders and expand to millions of PCs globally.
Winsage
July 8, 2025
Microsoft plans to transition the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) to a Black Screen of Death, set to roll out in the summer of 2025. The new black BSOD will feature a streamlined user interface and a "Quick Machine Recovery" feature to assist in repairing computers that fail to boot up. This update will be included in a cumulative update for Windows 11 24H2 or later, excluding Windows 11 23H2 users. Key changes include a black background, the absence of the frowning emoticon, and no QR code or detailed explanatory text. The black BSOD will display a brief message indicating a problem has occurred, prompting a restart, which may lead to user confusion.
Winsage
June 26, 2025
The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) will be retired in an upcoming update to Windows 11, to be released later this summer. It will be replaced by a Black Screen of Death, which will display a straightforward black screen with a brief message indicating the need for a restart, along with additional information such as the stop code and the system driver responsible for the crash. This change aims to improve clarity and streamline the troubleshooting process for IT administrators. Additionally, Microsoft will introduce the Quick Machine Recovery feature to assist in restoring machines that fail to boot.
Winsage
June 3, 2025
Windows 11 has released a new preview build, 26200.5622, in the Dev channel, introducing several features aimed at improving user experience. Key additions include Quick Machine Recovery (QMR) for recovering from boot failures, a PC-to-PC migration feature for easier transitions to new devices, a new option in Phone Link to mirror Android phone screens from the Start menu, enhancements to the widgets board with a navigation bar, and a Click to Do feature for drafting text in Word using Copilot on Copilot+ PCs. These features are in early testing and may be included in the upcoming Windows 11 25H2 release.
Winsage
April 25, 2025
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build (27842) will replace the Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) with a new error screen featuring a Medium Forest Green backdrop. This change is part of an effort to create a more streamlined user interface for unexpected restarts, although it may provide less context for troubleshooting. The new design is currently being tested in Microsoft's Canary Channel and is expected to become standard with the Windows 11 25H2 update later this year.
Winsage
February 26, 2025
A user is experiencing difficulties updating their 32-bit Windows 10 system, which is fully updated as of January 2025 and configured to use Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). The February update fails to install, presenting the error code 0x8007000d. The user has performed various troubleshooting steps, including running chkdsk, DISM, sfc, the Windows Update Troubleshooter, renaming the SoftwareDistribution folder, executing a Windows Update reset script, and attempting manual installations. Despite these efforts, the CBS log indicates errors related to file decompression, and the user has re-downloaded the update files multiple times without success. The computer remains stable and functions well, complicating the troubleshooting process.
Winsage
February 14, 2025
Microsoft is developing an AI system for Windows 11 to simplify the detection and resolution of software issues, as detailed in a patent document from February 2025. This AI will analyze error data to address problems, benefiting both developers and everyday users by suggesting or implementing fixes and generating comprehensive reports for complex issues. Additionally, Microsoft plans to enhance its Copilot feature on Windows 11 and 10, transforming it into a multi-user chat platform for collaborative problem-solving.
Winsage
December 5, 2024
Microsoft has introduced a new tool called ‘Fix problems using Windows Update’ in Windows 11, designed to help users reinstall the current version of Windows without needing a DVD or product key. This tool allows for the reinstallation while preserving apps, files, and settings, and can be accessed through Settings > System > Recovery. It is available only for users with Windows 11 version 22H2 or newer, along with the February 2024 optional update. Users on older versions of Windows 11 or Windows 10 will not have access to this feature.
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