Guess Who Wrote Microsoft's 'Blue Screen of Death' The text from that infamous blue screen on Windows PCs was written by none other than ...

By Dave Smith

This story originally appeared on Business Insider

If you've ever used a Windows PC, you have most likely experienced the "Blue Screen of Death," which would show up when a program experienced a fatal error or became unresponsive. In later versions of Windows, you'd see this blue screen any time you pressed "Control-Alt-Delete."

Well, according to a blog post from Microsoft developer Raymond Chen, the text from that famous blue screen was written by none other than Steve Ballmer, the bombastic ex-CEO of Microsoft.

Chen says Ballmer was head of Microsoft's system division when he paid a visit to the Windows team. And when he saw Control-Alt-Delete and the original text for the Blue Screen of Death, he said, "This is nice, but I don't like the text of the message. It doesn't sound right to me."

According to Chen, someone from the Windows team challenged Ballmer to write a better message if he thought he could do a better job -- and he did. Chen says Ballmer's text "went into the product pretty much word for word."

Here is that text, courtesy of Chen:

Guess Who Wrote Microsoft's 'Blue Screen of Death'

Wavy Line
Dave Smith is senior technology editor for Business Insider. His work has been published in Newsweek, Forbes, ABC News, USA TODAY, ReadWrite, Inc. Magazine, The International Business Times, NPR, and others. 

Editor's Pick

She's Been Coding Since Age 7 and Presented Her Life-Saving App to Tim Cook Last Year. Now 17, She's on Track to Solve Even Bigger Problems.
Lock
I Helped Grow 4 Unicorns Over 10 Years That Generated $18 Billion in Online Revenues. Here's What I've Learned.
Lock
Want to Break Bad Habits and Supercharge Your Business? Use This Technique.
Lock
Don't Have Any Clients But Need Customer Testimonials? Follow These 3 Tricks To Boost Your Rep.
Why Are Some Wines More Expensive Than Others? A Top Winemaker Gives a Full-Bodied Explanation.

Related Topics

Business News

'All Hell Is Going to Break Loose': Barbara Corcoran Issues Warning About Real Estate Market, Interest Rates

The "Shark Tank" star appeared on FOX Business' "The Claman Countdown" this week.

Science & Technology

She's Been Coding Since Age 7 and Presented Her Life-Saving App to Tim Cook Last Year. Now 17, She's on Track to Solve Even Bigger Problems.

Angelina Tsuboi, a full-stack mobile and web developer who also happens to be a pilot, has always been solution-oriented.

Branding

How I Made Money From My Book Without Selling a Single Copy

Did you know you can make money with a book without selling copies? Here's exactly how I did it.

Business Plans

How to Change Careers: A Step-by-Step Guide

Want to make a career change without compromising your finances or future? Check out this step-by-step guide on how to change careers to learn more.

Growing a Business

Subscribers Exclusive Event: Discover How These 2 Founders Turned Their Side Hustle into a Million-Dollar Lifestyle Brand

Learn how you can transform your personal brand into a thriving business empire with co-founders of The Skinny Confidential

Leadership

How do You Turn Employees Into Problem-Solvers? Follow This 3-Step Leadership Formula.

As leaders, we need to solve company problems effectively. We often have the urge to fix everything quickly, but is this system of problem-solving really sustainable?