Microsoft has added a scannable QR code to the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” crash display in their latest update for Windows 10.
The addition of the QR code is allegedly to make problem diagnosis an easier feat when your PC suddenly crashes. All you have to do is scan the code with your smartphone using a QR reader app, and your mobile device will be redirected to an online troubleshooting resource. Alternatively, you can simply go to another device and type in the simple listed URL to access the same page.
The Blue Screen of Death is often characterised as being one of the most annoying, yet iconic occurrences of Windows-installed devices and typically happens when your PC undergoes too much strain or is hit by an unmanageable technical problem. The crash renders a big blue screen, a sentence or two of information, an integer displaying the percentage of completion for the device’s attempt at fixing itself, and in new editions of Windows, a big sad emoji face. :(
“The first thing the new build did in my VM was crash, but instead of just the usual smiley I was greeted by a QR code as well. Is this a new addition to this build?” asked one of the first users to identify the addition in Reddit’s Windows 10 subforum. A string of other consumers noticing the change have also popped up since, indicating that the bizarre and minor change must be a recent addition.
Charlie Nash is a frequent contributor to Breitbart Tech and former editor of the Squid Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington.