Windows' Screen of Death Has New Shade

The Windows Blue Screen of Death is so passé these days, so some malevolent circuit board or update appears to have cooked up a new fail: the Black Screen of Death. The Black Screen is affecting not just new Window 7 machines, but those running XP and Vista as well. But don’t worry too much—the problem stems from a Microsoft security update, and the company is on it, if a bit cagey about the details.

And the savvy computer user can fix it DIY-style, PC World advises. While awaiting the update—Microsoft is investigating “system issues” and will soon “provide detailed guidance"—you can avail yourself of a fix courtesy of Prevx, the firm that first caught the malfunction. And again, don’t worry: The Black Screen is a software issue, unlike the Blue Screen, which signals deeper, intractable ills. (More personal computers stories.)