How can I change a BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) to another color?

When you receive a STOP error, Windows displays the STOP on a Blue screen, hence the name BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death).

If you prefer a Red screen with White text, or any other color combination that is easier for you to see:

1. Open %SystemRoot%SYSTEM.INI in Notepad.exe.
2. Locate the [386enh] section.
3. If the MessageBackColor= and MessageTextColor= entries are present, change them. Otherwise, add them to the end of the section. To have a Red screen with White text, use:

MessageBackColor=4
MessageTextColor=F

Using the following codes (case is important):

0 = black
1 = blue
2 = green
3 = cyan
4 = red
5 = magenta
6 = brown
7 = white
8 = gray
9 = bright blue
A = bright green
B = bright cyan
C = bright red
D = bright magenta
E = bright yellow
F = bright white

4. Save the changes to the %SystemRoot%SYSTEM.INI file.
5. Shutdown and restart your computer.

2 Responses to How can I change a BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) to another color?

  1. Welcome to Flaphead.com @ Home

  2. It does not work with XP, i tried it.
    “system.ini” was used by 16 bit windows.
    Did anyone test if it works with XP and above?

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