If you're using a Insider preview version of Windows 10 next year and your system crashes and fills your display with a green screen with an error message, don't be alarmed -- or at least any more alarmed than usual. Your eyesight is not deceiving you, your monitor doesn't need to be re-calibrated: Microsoft is retiring the Blue Screen of Death for preview users.
The change was first hinted at by Microsoft's Sr. Program Manager for Windows Matthijs Hoekstra, before it was apparently first found in the wild by Twitter user @Chris123NT who shared proof. The change is possibly more for Microsoft than it is for users, though. If a user shares a photo of their green screen online, Microsoft's team will recognize it on sight and better know where to file the news of a crash and how to prioritize it.
MORE: How to Use Windows 10
The green screen of death isn't even available to Windows Insiders as of today, though, as it's a part of build 14997 of Windows 10, which leaked online earlier this week. This version, expected to be released in 2017, includes a blue-light reduction feature, app folders for the Start Menu and improvements to Microsoft Edge tab management.
@mahoekst so on a hunch I tried to force a bug check and well, yeah... pic.twitter.com/iKeDPT5wu6 — Chris123NT (@Chris123NT) December 29, 2016
If you're considering trying to track down build 14997, we'd suggest you hold off and wait until next year. Unless you're an advanced user, it can be mighty hard to correctly identify a safe version of an OS update, especially when malware runs rampant in third-party app download sources.
Windows 10 Performance and Productivity
- Best Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts
- MIrror Your Screen to a TV or Monitor
- Speed Windows 10 Boot Time
- Get Superfast Mouse, Touchpad Speeds
- Calibrate Your Monitor
- Activate 'God Mode'
- Defragment Your Hard Drive
- Measure the Time it Takes for Apps to Load at Boot
- Use Maximum CPU Power
- Enable Swipe to Delete in Email
- Copy and Paste at the Command Prompt
- Record Video of an App
- Use Offline Maps
- Get the Full Layout in Windows 10’s Touch Keyboard
- Create a .Reg File for Easy Registry Hacks
- Record PC Gameplay on the Xbox App
- Perform a Clean Install of Windows 10
- Uninstall Windows 10 and Roll Back to 7 or 8
- Enable the Linux Bash Shell
- Generate a Detailed Battery Report
- Turn a PC into a Wireless Display
- Open Folders in the Taskbar
- Open Sites in the Taskbar
- Import Gmail Contacts
- Get Android Notifications
- Use Multiple Desktops
- Use Eye Control
- Use the Timeline Feature to Resume a Task
- Send Web Pages from Phone to PC
- All Windows 10 Tips
- Increase your Battery Life
