Language: EN

BSOD Prank: Fake Blue Screen

A full screen fake crash screen with a slowly climbing percentage, a very official looking error name like COFFEE_SPILLED_ON_KERNEL, and a fake restart at the end. It uses its own layout and wording, clicks and keys do nothing, and Esc gets you straight back.

The system has stopped

0% saved

Error:

Reference:

The device will start again when this finishes.

*** SYSTEM HALT ***

 

Fatal error:

 


          
 

          
Saving memory dump: 0%

          
Restart pending_

        

        

          
          

          

          

        

        
Restarting

        
Just kidding!
Nothing crashed. Press Esc to exit.

      

      
      
    

    

      
      
    

    
Clicks and keys do nothing on the error screen. Press Esc to exit.

  

  

    

      
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How to use it


  1. Pick a layout: Modern (big calm text and a percentage), Text dump (a wall of fake memory registers) or Minimal (an icon, the error name and a bar).
  2. Pick the color. Blue is the classic, but a green, red or purple screen of death is funny too.
  3. Choose an error name or type your own, and add a message if you like.
  4. Choose how fast it counts to 100% and what happens next: a fake restart and the blue screen again, a fake restart and then "Just kidding", or stay stuck at 100%.
  5. Press Start the blue screen or F. Press Esc to exit.


Pulling the prank on a friend


  • Wait until they step away, open this page on their computer and start it. The mouse pointer hides after a moment, and clicks and keys do nothing.
  • The Restart animation, then the blue screen again ending is the evil one: it crashes, restarts, and crashes again, forever.
  • Personal error names work best: FORGOT_TO_BUY_MILK, TOO_MANY_BROWSER_TABS, or your friend's name followed by _NOT_FOUND.
  • On a phone or tablet, add the page to the Home Screen first on iPhone so the address bar does not give it away.
  • Let them in on it before they hold the power button. A forced shutdown in the middle of real work can lose unsaved files.


How to exit


Press Esc. On a touch screen, tap once and a small Esc button appears in the top right corner, or swipe back or close the tab. The page only shows a picture of an error. It does not crash, restart or change anything on the device.


Questions
Can a BSOD prank break a computer?
No. This is a web page that looks like an error screen. The computer is running normally underneath, and pressing Esc or closing the tab brings everything back.
Why do clicks and keys not close it?
So the prank survives the first confused click. Only Esc, the small exit button or closing the tab ends it.
Is the error code real?
No. The error names are jokes and the reference number is made up. None of them are real system error codes.
Can I use my own message?
Yes. Type your own error name and message. They show on the screen in every layout.
Does it work on Mac, Chromebook and phones?
Yes. It runs in any modern browser. Computers and Android go fully full screen. On iPhone, add the page to the Home Screen for a full screen view.