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The infamous blue screen of death, or BSoD is one of the more universal Windows experiences. Many users have at one time encountered this harrowing screen. Sitting there with baited breath as we wait for the result of the forced restart. Was the blue screen merely a one off, or have we finally reached the end of the road?
Some of the most common BSoD causes are related to DirectX and will often report nonsensical driver errors as the problem. Thankfully it looks like Microsoft might finally be putting a stop to these particular deathly blue screens with its latest Windows 11 update.
Spotted by HotHardWare (opens in new tab), the next patch for Windows 11 (opens in new tab) comes with a fix that should put a stop to all these DirectX blue screen issues. The update states it "Addresses a stop error (0xD1, DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL) in the DirectX kernel component." which likely means the error was never on the drivers to begin with, and was probably a Windows problem. As always, the update will also include fixes for other bug problems found in the system, so it's always a good idea to check them out.
Windows 11 has brought a slew of changes to the platform, and even turned the blue screen of death to an even more menacing black version for a while (opens in new tab), before reverting back to the slightly less terrifying blue (opens in new tab). Now hopefully we'll just be seeing less of it all together, but Windows 10 users will still have to wait.
The patch is set to hit next week on April 5, but Windows Insiders can already access the newer version for testing. If you're plagued with DirectX related BSoD and can't wait for Tuesday, signing up for the Insider program today could be worth a go. It'll also let you test plenty of other interesting functions before they come out, and may accidentally serve you ads in your Explorer window.
Windows 11 has been an interesting platform that's required some extra setup when it comes to PC gaming. But as all software, it continues to improve with time. The latest updates are seeing these lovely useless UI animations (opens in new tab) come to the platform, as well as prioritising renewable energy use (opens in new tab). Maybe in the future we will have no screens of death, no matter the colour.
blue fortnite background
Hope’s been writing about games for about a decade, starting out way back when on the Australian Nintendo fan site Vooks.net. Since then, she’s talked far too much about games and tech for publications such as Techlife, Byteside, IGN, and GameSpot. Of course there’s also here at PC Gamer, where she gets to indulge her inner hardware nerd with news and reviews. You can usually find Hope fawning over some art, tech, or likely a wonderful combination of them both and where relevant she’ll share them with you here. When she’s not writing about the amazing creations of others, she’s working on what she hopes will one day be her own. You can find her fictional chill out ambient far future sci-fi radio show/album/listening experience podcast at BlockbusterStation.buzzsprout.com. No, sadly she’s not kidding.