Windows devices

Winsage
July 8, 2025
Microsoft is redesigning the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) for Windows 11, transforming it into a Black Screen of Death with a black background and without the frowny face icon. The new screen will still provide essential information about the need to restart the device. This redesign may cause confusion among users due to its resemblance to the Windows Update screen. Additionally, with the introduction of Windows 11 24H2, the operating system can create a crash dump collection file more quickly, allowing for reboots from the BSOD screen in approximately two seconds.
Winsage
June 28, 2025
Millions of enterprise devices are still using Windows 10, with a report indicating that half of all business-managed Windows devices have not transitioned to Windows 11. In the healthcare sector, 19% of devices are too outdated to upgrade without replacement, and the finance sector also shows slow modernization. The Americas have only 43% of enterprise devices upgraded to Windows 11, while Europe has a 70% upgrade rate. Larger organizations managing over 10,000 devices have completed only 42% of their migrations due to complex environments and aging infrastructure. Microsoft is offering paid support through its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program, and third-party provider 0patch plans to deliver security fixes for at least five years after Microsoft's support ends.
Winsage
June 27, 2025
Microsoft will retire the Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in favor of a black screen as part of the Windows Resiliency Initiative (WRI), with the change rolling out later this summer for Windows 11 version 24H2 devices. This update follows a security incident in July 2024 that affected approximately 8.5 million Windows machines. The WRI aims to enhance system resilience by reengineering Windows code and allowing security software to operate outside the Windows kernel, minimizing risks from vendor security code. A private preview of the new Windows endpoint security platform will be available to Microsoft Virus Initiative partners next month.
AppWizard
June 26, 2025
Microsoft is testing a new aggregated gaming library within the Xbox app, which consolidates titles from various platforms like Steam, Battle.net, Ubisoft, Epic Games Store, and Riot Games. The Xbox app automatically identifies installed games on the PC, presenting them in an organized library with thumbnails and launcher names. Users can launch games directly or navigate to the original launcher, and there is an option to hide titles from various stores. This integration catalogs games without providing Xbox achievements or enhanced functionalities. Additionally, there are reports of "Xbox full-screen experience" settings appearing on existing ROG Ally devices, which are currently non-functional as Microsoft is testing this feature. Existing devices will eventually receive the full-screen Xbox experience. Users can access the new library by installing the Xbox test app through the Xbox Insider Hub and updating the Xbox app via the Microsoft Store.
Winsage
June 26, 2025
Windows has replaced the Blue Screen of Death with a new Black Screen of Death. This change marks a significant shift in error screens that began with Windows 1.0 in 1985. The update follows the CrowdStrike outage that affected 8.5 million Windows devices and led to the introduction of the Windows Resiliency Initiative, aimed at enhancing security and reducing disruptions from unexpected restarts. The new Black Screen of Death features a "simplified UI" and includes a quick machine recovery feature to help PCs regain functionality faster after unsuccessful restarts.
Winsage
June 26, 2025
Resilience is now a strategic necessity for organizations, prompting Microsoft to launch the Windows Resiliency Initiative (WRI) to integrate resilience and security into the Windows platform. In September 2024, Microsoft held the Windows Endpoint Security Ecosystem Summit (WESES) with endpoint security vendors and government representatives to discuss enhancing resilience. Following the summit, collaboration with Microsoft Virus Initiative (MVI) partners has increased, focusing on improving Windows security and reliability through rigorous testing and safe deployment practices. Next month, Microsoft will begin a private preview of a new Windows endpoint security platform for select MVI partners, allowing security solutions to operate outside the Windows kernel for better reliability. Microsoft has released the Windows Resiliency Initiative e-book to guide organizations in building resilience. Innovative products introduced under the WRI include: - Quick machine recovery (QMR) for faster recovery from unexpected restarts, reducing downtime to approximately two seconds. - Microsoft Connected Cache to enhance bandwidth efficiency during updates by caching content locally. - Universal Print anywhere for secure printing from any location. - Hotpatch updates for critical security updates without requiring a restart. - Windows 365 Reserve for secure access to a temporary Cloud PC during device disruptions.
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 26, 2025
Last summer's CrowdStrike incident caused significant disruptions in healthcare, banking, and air travel, resulting in billions of dollars in damages. In response, Microsoft held a security summit with experts from CrowdStrike and other firms to address vulnerabilities. Microsoft announced Safe Deployment practices and architectural changes to enhance Windows security, including relocating third-party security drivers from the Windows kernel to user space. This change aims to reduce risks associated with kernel-level flaws. Upcoming features in Windows 11 24H2 include a streamlined crash report process, replacing the Blue Screen of Death with an "unexpected restart" screen, and a quick machine recovery (QMR) capability to automate fixes during outages. Additionally, Windows Autopatch will allow network administrators to deploy updates with fewer required restarts for Windows 11 Enterprise PCs, limiting them to once every three months.
Winsage
June 26, 2025
As of June 2025, 50% of enterprise Windows endpoints have migrated to Windows 11, an improvement from 82% still on Windows 10 the previous year. The Education and Technology sectors lead in migration rates at 77% and 73%, while Healthcare and Finance lag at 41% and 45%. In the Americas, only 43% of endpoints are upgraded, compared to 70% in Europe and 66% in other regions. Larger organizations with over 10,000 devices are the least prepared, with only 42% of migrations completed. ControlUp's analysis is based on over one million enterprise endpoints.
Winsage
June 20, 2025
Microsoft's Family Safety tool is causing disruptions for users trying to launch Google Chrome on Windows devices, with issues reported since June 3. Users with the Family Safety feature enabled experience Chrome failing to open or crashing. Alternative browsers like Firefox and Opera are unaffected. Chrome support manager Ellen T confirmed the issue is linked to the Family Safety feature. Microsoft has not issued a public statement or timeline for a fix, and a workaround involves renaming the Chrome executable or disabling the "filter inappropriate websites" option in Family Safety.
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