For as long as there have been computers, there have been computer crashes — terrible, inconvenient, work-deleting crashes.
But in this gallery, we celebrate the computer error — Blue Screen of Death and inexplicable warning window alike … if you can suppress your anxiety long enough to click through it, that is.
In its earliest Windows 1 form, the “Blue Screen of Death” was just a jumble of unreadable nonsense.
It’s never a good sign when your computer has ‘X’s for eyes.
This unhappy little fellow dates back to 1984, when the Macintosh 128K was released.
Seeing the classic Mac “bomb” was never a good sign.
The Atari ST (circa 1985) used bombs as an error screen, as well.
The number of bombs shown corresponds to an error code — here, four bombs means “illegal instruction.”
ERROR: Computer is way too old for this nonsense.
Here’s some old-school cool: Error screens from 1980s-era Commodore Amigas feature their own inside joke.
Apparently, early builds crashed so often that programmers would try to calm themselves with “Zen Meditation” during the reboot. This involved balancing motionless on an Amiga Joyboard peripheral for as long as possible without suffering a “Mediation Error.”
Someone get Billy Gates on the phone; Netscape Navigator ain’t workin’ right.
You’d better look into that.
I wish I knew how to quit you. 🙁
Check it out: This is a special experimental “Red Screen of Death” found in early test versions of Windows 98.
You know things are bad when you don’t even have the free disk space to delete stuff anymore.
Time to buy a new iPod.
Something went wrong. Somewhere. With something.
Windows 2000 brought the Blue Screen of Death screaming into the 21st century.
You’ve got some big problems. Fortunately, those problems do not exist.
If you will try …
Our favorite Windows XP game? It’s a tossup between Hearts and “Can You Close These Error Windows Faster Than They Can Flood Your Screen?”
We’ll get you your coffee and donuts right after we’re done dealing with tech support. Thanks for your patience.
When Windows Task Manager stops responding, it’s time to just throw your computer out the window and declare it the start of a long weekend.
It was an exciting time for technology when error screens spread from our computers to our phones.
Looks like we’ve got a Vistaster on our hands.
In our story’s surprising climax, the lead error warning is stunned to learn that it has become the error itself.
Flight 908 to Portland is ready to board. Please press F1 to continue.
Hey look, everyone. It’s just one of Windows 8’s many, many problems!
🙁
Uh oh. Something has gone wrong with your Mac.
Uh oh — now it’s serious.
This “prohibitory” screen means that your Mac can’t find a System Folder to start up from — perhaps due to a hard drive problem.
Why look! It’s a bold new error screen from Microsoft!
The added QR code, coming to Windows 10 this summer, represents an exciting new frontier in malfunctioning computer technology. Huzzah for progress!
Fox Van Allen is a Los Angeles-based writer for CBS Interactive covering technology, tech lifestyle and gaming topics for GameSpot, CNET, ZDNet and TechRepublic. He has previously worked as a news and feature writer for a number of other sites, including Techlicious, Tecca, WoW Insider (Joystiq) and Blizzard Watch. In his spare time, Fox is an amateur skydiver, retro gaming and arcade enthusiast, 8-bit pixel artist, podcaster and Twitch live streamer.
