In a business world where services, storefronts and servers are expected to operate every hour of every day in response to a 24-hour retail world, IT support partners are a vital bulwark to ensure that businesses can avoid potentially costly downtime.
This means not only intervening quickly when there are serious issues with hardware, software and connectivity, but also taking a preventative approach by auditing IT equipment to maintain compatibility, security and stability.
Not doing this leads to a range of critical error messages, the most famous of which is the Microsoft Windows stop error, famously known as the Blue Screen of Death (BSoD).
Whilst Windows Central reported earlier this year that the design, structure and even the colour of the BSoD is set to change, the term is still commonly used as shorthand for critical errors that stop users from using computer systems, devices and functions.
To understand how both developers and IT staff work tirelessly to prevent them from appearing, it is important to know what a blue screen actually means.
What Is A Blue Screen Of Death?
A Blue Screen of Death is a catch-all term used to describe a range of screens and messages that display when a device can no longer function, usually due to a critical fault with either a physical component of a system or a file that the computer needs to function.
It is named after the Windows stop error, which, up until 2025, would display a message in white text on a blue screen, usually including a mix of instructions for users and error codes that a user can look up to try to explain the issue.
Its typically sudden emergence, stark colour scheme, association with time and data loss, and a number of embarrassing public appearances have made the blue screen itself, as well as the verbs “blue screening” and “BSoDing”, a common part of the IT lexicon.
What Do You Need To Know About Blue Screen Errors?
- A Blue Screen of Death means a computer can no longer function without restarting.
- It usually features written instructions and error codes for technical support staff to help fix the problem.
- It primarily affects computers running Microsoft Windows, but any computer can be affected.
- It is commonly associated with frustrating data and time costs, as it is uncertain how much work is saved until the computer is rebooted.
Why Do Computers Blue Screen?
As the BSoD is a general critical stop error screen, there are a number of causes that lead to a computer being unable to continue functioning without risking damage to data or even computer hardware.
This means that there are a lot of reasons why they occur, from missing system files required for Windows to function properly, a hardware malfunction or connection problem (often related to hard drives and data storage), an update that failed to install properly, overheating, or issues with the core of the operating system itself.
They were infamously common at one point, particularly in the late 1990s with Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me. However, whilst this was blamed on unreliable, poorly made software, Linux founder Linus Torvald argued instead that it was an issue with poorly made hardware drivers and computer owners tampering with components.
After the fundamental internal changes to Windows seen with XP and particularly Vista, BSoDs became less common and typically more serious, as the Crowdstrike error in 2024, as a report by The Guardian attests.
Why Do Devices Show A Blue Screen Of Death?
- An unrecoverable error caused by corrupt or missing system files.
- Issues with overheating, disconnected or malfunctioning hardware.
- Broken updates.
Is A Blue Screen Of Death Exclusive To Windows Computers?
Whilst other operating systems, such as MacOS, Linux, and AmigaOS, do not show a blue screen, nor will Windows itself following the November update, the concept is not exclusively a Windows issue.
Amiga OS, the Nintendo DS and several web-based applications have the often-befuddling Guru Meditation errors, named for how developers would meditate to relieve the frustration of dealing with the critical software errors.
Meanwhile, MacOS had the Mac Bomb, the Sad Mac and the Chimes of Death at varying points in its history, all of which were used to display a critical error that stopped the system from booting up properly.
Finally, the Kernel Panic is the equivalent of the BSoD on Linux-based systems and is often seen when there are faults with servers that lead to the underlying system deciding that the memory and state of the machine are no longer safe to use.
How Can Fatal System Errors Be Prevented?
IT support teams use a range of methods to stop blue screens from appearing, including:
- Frequent phased testing of equipment to avoid significant downtime.
- Scheduled maintenance to allow businesses to prepare.
- Backing up data frequently to avoid financial and regulatory repercussions.