Windows 3.1 changed the color of this screen from black to blue. Windows 3.0 uses a text-mode screen for displaying important system messages, usually from digital device drivers in 386 Enhanced Mode or other situations where a program could not run. It was not a crash screen, either when the system did crash, it would either lock up or exit to DOS. This screen was the outcome of a bug in the Windows logo code.
In the final release (version 1.01), however, this screen would print garbage output instead. Windows 1.01 Blue Screen of Death: Long version, showing installation DOS 6, Windows 1.01, and the failed startup of Windows 1.01īlue error screens have been around since the beta version of Windows 1.0 if Windows found a newer DOS version than it expected, it would generate a blue screen with white text saying 'Incorrect DOS version', before starting normally. Windows 1.0 BSOD (Incorrect DOS Version): Short version, showing a failed Windows startup The 'Incorrect Dos Version' screen on Windows 1.01, featuring random characters
