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| PC World - 27 Jun (PC World)Almost every Windows user has encountered the legendary “Blue Screen of Death” (or BSOD for short) at least once. More than anything else, the infamous error screen is characterized by its bright blue color, the sad smiley face, and the bluntly plain “An error has occurred” message, which combine to make the screen so instantly recognizable.
But Microsoft is now changing the design of the blue error screen and breaking with 40 years of BSOD tradition. In fact, it won’t be called a “blue screen” anymore because, at least in the current preview version of Windows 11 24H2, the error screen is now completely black. (For Windows Insiders on test versions, the error screen will be green instead.)
Update: According to The Verge, Microsoft will finalize the transition to the new Black Screen of Death for current Windows 11 users “later this summer.”
Microsoft
It’s not just the color. Other iconic elements are also apparently being removed, as Windows Latest has discovered. For example, it no longer displays a sad smiley face or a QR code. The QR codes have been a part of the blue screen error design since 2016 with Windows 10, and are intended to direct users to relevant troubleshooting tips.
The text has also been changed. It now says “Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart,” which is much shorter and less ominous or overwhelming. It also says “device” instead of “PC,” which broadens it to more than just desktops and laptops. The specific reason for the crash (and the error code) is displayed at the bottom in much smaller text.
It’s been coming for a long time
Microsoft allegedly developed a new system crash screen back during the initial development of Windows 11, but apparently discarded those changes—or at least postponed them for a later release. Perhaps that time is now, with preview builds already using the new design.
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Windows 11 Pro
Why does Microsoft even want to change the BSOD in the first place? That’s anyone’s guess. It’s possible that Microsoft doesn’t like the iconic reputation of the blue error screen, which in some ways symbolizes the numerous problems that often come with Windows updates.
If that’s the case, it’s hard to see the redesigned error screen as an improvement—the new look is now even more reminiscent of a funeral, as it’s completely black and white. And despite the accrued baggage, the familiar blue screen will certainly be missed by long-time Windows users, as it has long been a historical part of the Windows experience.
It’s not yet known exactly when the new system crash error screen will be rolled out to the public version of Windows 11. We haven’t yet been able to discover it in the official Windows 11 roadmap, but the change will probably be introduced in an upcoming Patch Tuesday.
Further reading: Every Microsoft Windows operating system, ranked
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on April 5, 2025, but was updated when Microsoft made BSOD’s retirement official. Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | BBCWorld - 27 Jun (BBCWorld)Trump Mobile maintains the gold smartphone will be made in the US, despite the changed wording on its website. Read...Newslink ©2025 to BBCWorld |  |
|  | | PC World - 27 Jun (PC World)ChatGPT is rapidly changing the world. The process is already happening, and it’s only going to accelerate as the technology improves, as more people gain access to it, and as more learn how to use it.
What’s shocking is just how many tasks ChatGPT is already capable of managing for you. While the naysayers may still look down their noses at the potential of AI assistants, I’ve been using it to handle all kinds of menial tasks for me. Here are my favorite examples.
Further reading: This tiny ChatGPT feature helps me tackle my days more productively
Write your emails for you
Dave Parrack / Foundry
We’ve all been faced with the tricky task of writing an email—whether personal or professional—but not knowing quite how to word it. ChatGPT can do the heavy lifting for you, penning the (hopefully) perfect email based on whatever information you feed it.
Let’s assume the email you need to write is of a professional nature, and wording it poorly could negatively affect your career. By directing ChatGPT to write the email with a particular structure, content, and tone of voice, you can give yourself a huge head start.
A winning tip for this is to never accept ChatGPT’s first attempt. Always read through it and look for areas of improvement, then request tweaks to ensure you get the best possible email. You can (and should) also rewrite the email in your own voice. Learn more about how ChatGPT coached my colleague to write better emails.
Generate itineraries and schedules
Dave Parrack / Foundry
If you’re going on a trip but you’re the type of person who hates planning trips, then you should utilize ChatGPT’s ability to generate trip itineraries. The results can be customized to the nth degree depending on how much detail and instruction you’re willing to provide.
As someone who likes to get away at least once a year but also wants to make the most of every trip, leaning on ChatGPT for an itinerary is essential for me. I’ll provide the location and the kinds of things I want to see and do, then let it handle the rest. Instead of spending days researching everything myself, ChatGPT does 80 percent of it for me.
As with all of these tasks, you don’t need to accept ChatGPT’s first effort. Use different prompts to force the AI chatbot to shape the itinerary closer to what you want. You’d be surprised at how many cool ideas you’ll encounter this way—simply nix the ones you don’t like.
Break down difficult concepts
Dave Parrack / Foundry
One of the best tasks to assign to ChatGPT is the explanation of difficult concepts. Ask ChatGPT to explain any concept you can think of and it will deliver more often than not. You can tailor the level of explanation you need, and even have it include visual elements.
Let’s say, for example, that a higher-up at work regularly lectures everyone about the importance of networking. But maybe they never go into detail about what they mean, just constantly pushing the why without explaining the what. Well, just ask ChatGPT to explain networking!
Okay, most of us know what “networking” is and the concept isn’t very hard to grasp. But you can do this with anything. Ask ChatGPT to explain augmented reality, multi-threaded processing, blockchain, large language models, what have you. It will provide you with a clear and simple breakdown, maybe even with analogies and images.
Analyze and make tough decisions
Dave Parrack / Foundry
We all face tough decisions every so often. The next time you find yourself wrestling with a particularly tough one—and you just can’t decide one way or the other—try asking ChatGPT for guidance and advice.
It may sound strange to trust any kind of decision to artificial intelligence, let alone an important one that has you stumped, but doing so actually makes a lot of sense. While human judgment can be clouded by emotions, AI can set that aside and prioritize logic.
It should go without saying: you don’t have to accept ChatGPT’s answers. Use the AI to weigh the pros and cons, to help you understand what’s most important to you, and to suggest a direction. Who knows? If you find yourself not liking the answer given, that in itself might clarify what you actually want—and the right answer for you. This is the kind of stuff ChatGPT can do to improve your life.
Plan complex projects and strategies
Dave Parrack / Foundry
Most jobs come with some level of project planning and management. Even I, as a freelance writer, need to plan tasks to get projects completed on time. And that’s where ChatGPT can prove invaluable, breaking projects up into smaller, more manageable parts.
ChatGPT needs to know the nature of the project, the end goal, any constraints you may have, and what you have done so far. With that information, it can then break the project up with a step-by-step plan, and break it down further into phases (if required).
If ChatGPT doesn’t initially split your project up in a way that suits you, try again. Change up the prompts and make the AI chatbot tune in to exactly what you’re looking for. It takes a bit of back and forth, but it can shorten your planning time from hours to mere minutes.
Compile research notes
Dave Parrack / Foundry
If you need to research a given topic of interest, ChatGPT can save you the hassle of compiling that research. For example, ahead of a trip to Croatia, I wanted to know more about the Croatian War of Independence, so I asked ChatGPT to provide me with a brief summary of the conflict with bullet points to help me understand how it happened.
After absorbing all that information, I asked ChatGPT to add a timeline of the major events, further helping me to understand how the conflict played out. ChatGPT then offered to provide me with battle maps and/or summaries, plus profiles of the main players.
You can go even deeper with ChatGPT’s Deep Research feature, which is now available to free users, up to 5 Deep Research tasks per month. With Deep Research, ChatGPT conducts multi-step research to generate comprehensive reports (with citations!) based on large amounts of information across the internet. A Deep Research task can take up to 30 minutes to complete, but it’ll save you hours or even days.
Summarize articles, meetings, and more
Dave Parrack / Foundry
There are only so many hours in the day, yet so many new articles published on the web day in and day out. When you come across extra-long reads, it can be helpful to run them through ChatGPT for a quick summary. Then, if the summary is lacking in any way, you can go back and plow through the article proper.
As an example, I ran one of my own PCWorld articles (where I compared Bluesky and Threads as alternatives to X) through ChatGPT, which provided a brief summary of my points and broke down the best X alternative based on my reasons given. Interestingly, it also pulled elements from other articles. (Hmph.) If you don’t want that, you can tell ChatGPT to limit its summary to the contents of the link.
This is a great trick to use for other long-form, text-heavy content that you just don’t have the time to crunch through. Think transcripts for interviews, lectures, videos, and Zoom meetings. The only caveat is to never share private details with ChatGPT, like company-specific data that’s protected by NDAs and the like.
Create Q&A flashcards for learning
Dave Parrack / Foundry
Flashcards can be extremely useful for drilling a lot of information into your brain, such as when studying for an exam, onboarding in a new role, prepping for an interview, etc. And with ChatGPT, you no longer have to painstakingly create those flashcards yourself. All you have to do is tell the AI the details of what you’re studying.
You can specify the format (such as Q&A or multiple choice), as well as various other elements. You can also choose to keep things broad or target specific sub-topics or concepts you want to focus on. You can even upload your own notes for ChatGPT to reference. You can also use Google’s NotebookLM app in a similar way.
Provide interview practice
Dave Parrack / Foundry
Whether you’re a first-time jobseeker or have plenty of experience under your belt, it’s always a good idea to practice for your interviews when making career moves. Years ago, you might’ve had to ask a friend or family member to act as your mock interviewer. These days, ChatGPT can do it for you—and do it more effectively.
Inform ChatGPT of the job title, industry, and level of position you’re interviewing for, what kind of interview it’ll be (e.g., screener, technical assessment, group/panel, one-on-one with CEO), and anything else you want it to take into consideration. ChatGPT will then conduct a mock interview with you, providing feedback along the way.
When I tried this out myself, I was shocked by how capable ChatGPT can be at pretending to be a human in this context. And the feedback it provides for each answer you give is invaluable for knocking off your rough edges and improving your chances of success when you’re interviewed by a real hiring manager.
Further reading: No, don’t threaten ChatGPT for better results. Try this instead Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | PC World - 27 Jun (PC World)AI company Anthropic recently announced that you’ll now be able to create, host, and share AI apps made using Claude. The resulting apps can be shared with others, who can then run the app on their own.
What’s interesting about this hosting and sharing model is that you aren’t on the hook for API calls made by your app. When someone uses your Claude-made app, they have to use their Claude account to do so and they pay for it with API usage counting against their subscription. No need to juggle and manage API keys.
In the example given by Anthropic, Claude creates a new chat app that can be used to talk to the chatbot. But Anthropic writes that it should also be possible to use this new ability to create games with AI characters that remember conversations and player choices.
This new feature of Claude is still being beta-tested by Anthropic, but has been made available to all Claude users. Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | PC World - 27 Jun (PC World)Microsoft is keen to see as many users as possible upgrade to Windows 11, something we’ve highlighted before. But even though Microsoft just extended Windows 10 security updates for another year, the company still wants you to upgrade to Windows 11 sooner than later.
In a Windows Experience blog post from earlier this week, Yusuf Mehdi—Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer at Microsoft—wrote that “Windows 11 PCs are up to 2.3x faster than Windows 10 PCs.”
The claim is based on benchmarking results from the Geekbench 6 Multi-Core measurement tool, which could be seen as misleading as it doesn’t entirely reflect real-world usage. For example, it’s been shown that Windows 10 has better gaming performance than Windows 11, which is a common argument for sticking with the older operating system.
Meanwhile, the blog post also argues in favor of upgrading to Windows 11 by highlighting increased security due to solutions like TPM 2.0 and Smart App Control. Microsoft claims a 62 percent reduction in security incidents with Windows 11, but that’s comparing new computers running Windows 11 to older computers running Windows 10.
Further reading: Upgrading Windows 10 to 11: All you need to know Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | PC World - 27 Jun (PC World)One of the big gray areas in the burgeoning generative AI space is whether the training of AI models on copyrighted material without the permission of copyright holders violates copyright. This has led a group of authors to sue Anthropic, the company behind the AI chatbot Claude. Now, a US federal judge has ruled that AI training is covered by so-called “fair use” laws and is therefore legal, Engadget reports.
Under US law, fair use means that copyrighted material is allowed to be used if the result is considered “transformative.” That is, the resulting work must be something new rather than it being entirely derivative or a substitute for the original work. This is one of the first judicial reviews of its kind, and the judgment may serve as precedent for future cases.
However, the judgment also notes that the plaintiff authors still have the option to sue Anthropic for piracy. The judgment states that the company illegally downloaded (pirated) over 7 million books without paying, and also kept them in its internal library even after deciding they wouldn’t be used to train or re-train the AI model going forward.
The judge wrote: “Authors argue Anthropic should have paid for these pirated library copies. This order agrees.” Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | PC World - 27 Jun (PC World)If you’re going to spend a lot of time in your backyard, your balcony, or your patio this summer, then you might want to upgrade the space a bit—with something like these gorgeous Govee smart outdoor string lights that are now down to $70 (was $100) on Amazon with a coupon.
With this deal, you’re getting 96 total feet of smart string lighting split into two string lights measuring 48 feet each. That’s a lot of lighting! And given that the 48-feet light is normally $70, you’re basically getting two for the price of one with this deal.
These string lights are perfect for just about any outdoor area. They’re waterproof with an IP65 rating, so they’re safe to stay outside year-round. They’re also sun-proof and snow-proof, plus the bulbs won’t crack if you drop them. (That last part is particularly nice because we all know how easy they are to accidentally drop while putting them up.) However, the power adapter is NOT waterproof, so you should plan accordingly.
These are RGBIC lights, meaning you can program different lights in different sections, which is awesome for customizing the look and atmosphere you want for your space (or stick with the mood presets if you don’t want to bother). And if you hook them up to the Govee app, you can get them to “dance” in sync with your music. The Govee app can be integrated with both Google and Alexa, so you can also use voice commands to turn the lights on and off.
Snag these awesome Govee outdoor string lights and get 96 feet of smart string lighting for just $70 while you still can! (Don’t forget to clip the on-page coupon for $20 off. The extra 10% off will automatically apply at checkout, for a total of $30 off.)
Get 96 feet of smart outdoor string lighting for 30% offBuy now at Amazon Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | PC World - 27 Jun (PC World)Sorry, but I just can’t deal with a big, bulky PC on my desk. I’m already juggling a pair of 27-inch monitors, a couple of boxy Bluetooth speakers, a full-size mechanical keyboard–not to mention I also need space for the occasional connected laptop. Cramming a PC case next to those other components is just too much.
But putting your PC beneath your desk comes with its own set of problems, as my colleague Dominic Bayley learned the hard way. Cutting to the chase, I’d never put my PC on the floor without a stand; many makes and models are available on Amazon, but I settled on this Io Crest tower stand, which costs a reasonable $14.
A PC stand can keep your case a couple inches off the floor, even with casters.Ben Patterson/Foundry
Why does a PC under a desk need a stand? Even if your PC case has its own feet (which have an evil tendency to fall off), your system will be just millimeters away from the floor, and that means dust, bugs, and spiderwebs, all conspiring to block your PC’s airflow.
The situation gets worse if your floor is carpeted. Even low-pile carpet can clog a PC’s air vents, and as your CPU and GPU heat up, they’re prone to throttling. That’s bad news for gamers.
One more threat to consider for PCs on the floor: moisture. My office is in the basement, and we’ve had our fair share of water seepage over the past few years. Even less than an inch of water could be enough to short-circuit your PC’s power supply.
I’ve purchased three of these Io Crest stands, one for each of the PCs I’ve built, and they’ve served me well over the years. The stand is best described as a plastic, X-shaped bracket with a width that can be adjusted from 6 to 10 inches. The bracket feels thick and sturdy; I’ve never had any concerns that my PC was in danger of tipping out of the stand.
This Io Crest stand has an adjustable width, between 6 and 10 inches.Ben Patterson/Foundry
A set of casters is included, and with those installed, the bottom of your PC would be a good 4 inches off the floor, high enough to keep your system’s air vents clear even if you have high-pile carpet. Personally, I leave the casters off, and even then, my PC is still roughly two inches off the floor.
Even if the Io Crest stand isn’t to your liking, there are plenty of alternatives on Amazon, and trust me—you need something for your PC to sit on if it’s going on your desk, unless you like the idea of dust bunnies cozying up to your graphics card. Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | PC World - 27 Jun (PC World)Updated on June 26, 2025: Per BleepingComputer, Microsoft has apparently fixed the bug mentioned below that causes the classic Outlook app to crash when opening emails or writing new messages. You should install the newest version of classic Outlook as soon as you can to rectify the issue. Otherwise, if you don’t want to update the app for whatever reason, you can still use the workaround described below.
Original story from June 17, 2025: In recent months, a long list of issues with the classic Outlook app for Windows has cropped up, including high CPU usage, empty sections in the Calendar view, and a bug that causes the Ctrl+C and Ctrl+Alt+V keyboard shortcuts to malfunction.
The latest news is that many users are experiencing app crashes when opening emails or writing new messages. According to BleepingComputer, Microsoft promises to fix these crashes in an upcoming update. Until then, there’s a temporary fix you can try.
Open the Start menu, search for the Run command, and launch it. In the resulting Run dialog pop-up, type %localappdata%\Microsoft and click OK. This will open File Explorer at the local AppData directory for Microsoft. Here, create a new folder and name it FORMS2. Restart classic Outlook and the crashing should stop.
It’s nice that Microsoft still endeavors to fix issues with classic Outlook, but don’t expect it to continue for long. The company wants all users off of classic Outlook by 2026, so you may want to switch over sooner than later to begin familiarizing yourself. Fortunately, between now and the death date, you can use classic and new Outlook side by side to help ease the transition and minimize issues.
Further reading: Useful tips for the new Outlook app
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC för Alla and was translated and localized from Swedish. Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
|  | | PC World - 27 Jun (PC World)Double Data Rate 4 memory—or DDR4 RAM if you’re short on time—has had a good run. It first popped into PCs over a decade ago, but at this point it’s hard to find a new laptop that hasn’t moved on to DDR5, and it’s only really relevant on the desktop side for budget mini PCs and AMD’s AM4 platform. DDR4 manufacturing is winding down, and that means it’s getting a whole lot more expensive.
There appears to be something of a rush on the existing stock of new DDR4 memory. TrendForce reports that retail prices for DDR4 RAM kits being tracked have gone up shockingly fast, with the price of some SKUs having gone up by almost 40 percent in the last week. That’s due to several compounding factors, including decreased production from memory manufacturers and the Trump administration’s import taxes (tariffs) feeding anxiety over pricing.
Those short-term price increases are, in fact, considerably higher than TrendForce predicted just a few weeks ago, where consumer-grade DDR4 modules for PCs was projected to rise 18 to 23 percent in the third quarter of the year. As Tom’s Hardware observes, this is an unprecedented situation: DDR4 might become more expensive than the much faster DDR5, based purely on scarcity as manufacturers like Micron and Samsung have wound down production.
A few quick searches show that DDR4 prices haven’t yet eclipsed DDR5 at the consumer retail level, though the former is definitely higher than it should be for a technology that’s on its way out. I’m more concerned about devices that use soldered memory modules in more affordable form factors, which can’t easily switch to new hardware that supports DDR5. The newest Raspberry Pi is still running on a design that’s six years old, with DDR4 memory that can’t be replaced. If that memory suddenly doubles in price, the Pi 4 will be forced to rise in price, too.
It might also be the final, arguably long-overdue death knell for AMD’s AM4 socket. AMD has been producing shiny new CPUs for the nearly 10-year-old platform as recently as this month, but it all depends on cheap and easily available DDR4 RAM to make financial sense. Without that component, we might see the end of a continually supported CPU socket that’s lasted through five chip generations and change. Read...Newslink ©2025 to PC World |  |
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