Microsoft Investigates Windows 7 "Black Screen of Death" 351
duguk writes "Microsoft has confirmed that it is investigating a problem described as the 'black screen of death,' which affects Windows 7 — and reports suggest it affects Vista and XP, too. The firm said it was looking into reports that suggest its latest security update, released on Tuesday 25 November, caused the problem. The error means that users of Windows 7 and earlier operating systems see a totally black screen after logging on to the system." Update: 12/01 22:35 GMT by KD : Microsoft now says that its November Windows updates are not causing the BlackSOD: "The company has found those reports to be inaccurate and our comprehensive investigation has shown that none of the recently released updates are related to the behavior described in the reports."
Problem Solved! (Score:5, Funny)
BSOD (Score:4, Funny)
Nice of them to change the color (Score:5, Funny)
i was getting tired of the blue screen
Henry Gates Ford: (Score:5, Funny)
"You can have any screen of death color you want, as long as it's black"
Re:Heh, simple. Don't update. (Score:4, Funny)
What the hell do you do with an unpatched box from 2003?
Play Solitaire?
Re:Nice of them to change the color (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Nice of them to change the color (Score:4, Funny)
Microsoft felt guilty about not allowing you to change the desktop picture in Windows Starter Edition, so they realeased this variation of the BSoD to everyone, to make up for it.
See: they're not totally evil*.
*may be totally evil
Finally... (Score:5, Funny)
The headline should read "Microsoft finds way to make an Operating System 100% secure".
Once the Black (screen of) Death Security Pack is installed, the computer locks up after login, meaning the user will not be able to surf to dangerous pages, will not be the victim of even the most clever social engineering hacks, and best of all won't see any spam any more, ever.
Users protected by the BsoDSP can feel free to emerge from their basements and experience RealWorld 1.0. It's like a MMORPG, but with real sex.
Optical problem (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Nice of them to change the color (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Heh, simple. Don't update. (Score:5, Funny)
They need more control (Score:1, Funny)
They need to link it to the color picker. Black and Blue really kind of kick you when you're down. Adding bright friendly colors would help soften the experience. If possible adding a splash screen would be nice. "You're Fucked" in big friendly letters would be more helpful than blue or black.
Re:Optical problem (Score:5, Funny)
I looked into my suitcase
And much to my surprise
I realized I couldn't see a thing
If I closed my eyes.
Re:Heh, simple. Don't update. (Score:5, Funny)
Securing windows is like pushing water uphill with a sharp stick.
So, if I follow what you're saying, securing windows is much easier when it freezes?
Re:Problem Solved! (Score:5, Funny)
I just put a painting in front of the monitor, and then take it away before my kids come over. They think it is so cool I'm into computers.
Re:Problem Solved! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:BSOD (Score:2, Funny)
It won't be Windows 10 though. Because Microsoft expects to crush all competition by that time, 'Windows' will become simply 'OS'. And because the number 10 isn't marketable enough, it will be replaced with a Roman numeral.
Re:Heh, simple. Don't update. (Score:4, Funny)
blackscreen ? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Heh, simple. Don't update. (Score:3, Funny)
Heh, you couldn't be more wrong if you stood on your head & farted to the tune of "When Johnny comes marching home again"
Hey, don't knock it. That's how I welcomed my family on Thanksgiving.
Re:Can confirm the issue from personal experience (Score:2, Funny)
I removed an expired copy of Kaspersky AV from a Vista laptop yesterday, did a wndows-update and installed free AVG. On rebooting it black-screened.
in that instance another forced reboot brought the system back as normal - I have no explanation
You could have pressed ctrl+alt+f1, login and read ~/.xsession-errors to see what happened. Oh ... wait!
Re:Nice of them to change the color (Score:2, Funny)
Ha! that mac's screen has a stuck pixel! oh wait..
Re:Problem Solved! (Score:5, Funny)
Had a secretary at my first job with a similar problem. Reasons for "The computer is broken!":
1.) forgot to turn monitor on.
2.) didn't press power button on desktop
3.) kicked monitor plug near the power strip pulling it out of back of monitor.
4.) stepping on power strip rocker switch.
5.) somehow put the entire OS in dutch.
Re:Problem Solved! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Nice of them to change the color (Score:3, Funny)
Wait, you got that mixed up with a screenshot from Doom 3.
Re:Problem Solved! (Score:3, Funny)
We had to settle for volcanic plains.
At least you kept warm.. In my day the temperature never got above -10 Kelvin.
Re:Had this myself.. not a showstopper (Score:2, Funny)
"Couldn't use the card reader after that though"
Have you tried plugging it in?
Re:Problem Solved! (Score:5, Funny)
At least you kept warm.. In my day the temperature never got above -10 Kelvin.
My home town nearly went to zero Kevins back in 1978.
It was a particularly cold winter, and we were already down to 3 Kevins (due to their low popularity at the time).
Kevin Thomas had flown out to be with his son's family for a wedding and got stuck in Boston for a whole week due to the weather. 2 Kevins left.
Kevin Lemmer was rushed to the hospital during my shift. I still remember the call from the EMTs as the ambulance was rushing toward us. "It's Lemmer. He's in bad shape. Drove right into the fucking ditch." We called the time of death at 6:15 PM.
At 6:16, all eyes turned to room 2217. Kevin Spencer was 82 and on his death bed with leukemia. His family being Catholic, he had already been given his last rights. If he couldn't hold out until Kevin Thomas returned, we would be at zero Kevins. Sure, we had 4 perfectly healthy Calvins, but they're just not the same.
It was 7:15 when Carla Brooks and her husband James burst through the main entrance. "She's not due for 2 weeks!", James exclaimed. As the staff bustled around getting the Brookses settled, they exchanged darting glances with each other. This was their first child, and they wanted to keep the baby's sex a secret. Of course, in a small town, secrets don't get kept. Nearly all of the hospital staff new that the child about to rip open Mrs. Brooks was indeed a boy.
The delivery was routine, and Kevin Brooks was born healthy, if a tad underweight, at 10:52 PM. Kevin Spencer was pronounced dead at 10:54.
It was, as they say, a close one. Kevin Thomas arrived two days later, the weather having finally cleared up. To this day, we still rib him about it.
Cedar Falls is currently at 5 Kevins.
Re:Problem Solved! (Score:4, Funny)
Yay! I'm still young!
Re:Heh, simple. Don't update. (Score:5, Funny)
Lookeee here, guys! Someone who claims to be a senior IT security "technician" who has never heard of defense in depth!
He even thinks server-side virus-scan can catch as much malware as the client-side stuff does. Guess he's never heard of behavior-based virus detection, either? And his grand security architecture posture is simply "don't use much of the internet." There's sophistication for you.
But then, he's extrapolated his advice based on a single poorly-measured datapoint. Who are we to question him?
Re:Problem Solved! (Score:5, Funny)
Perfect leesbaar, toch ?
Re:Problem Solved! (Score:4, Funny)