Kindle Readers See Blue Screen of Death on Windows 10

Windows users dread the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), which signifies a major operating system crash requiring a reboot of the computer. Microsoft has tackled the BSOD over the years, but it appears that a recent update to Windows 10 had the opposite effect.

There were multiple reports this week of BSOD again rearing its ugly blue head on systems running the latest version of Windows 10 after an Amazon Kindle was plugged in. Microsoft's support forum users reported that when they connected their Kindles, their PCs would crash, often with the error message "SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED."

"When plugging into my USB, Paperwhite crashes my Windows 10 Anniversary PC even when the Kindle magnetic cover is already open, and screen swiped to open the book I am reading," forum user Scott Ayers wrote, referring to a major update released on Aug. 2. "Same as the other people complaining here, this problem just arose after the Anniversary update, so it is not a hardware problem. It does not occur when the device is plugged into USB at boot."

Other users suggested that the problem only occurred when the Kindle was plugged in with its magnetic cover open. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a forum moderator posted the following message yesterday:

"We are aware of an issue with a small number of Kindle Voyager and Paperwhite e-Readers causing an unexpected behavior when plugged into Windows 10 devices after installing the Anniversary Update. We are currently working on an update to address this issue."

Recommended by Our Editors

Windows 10 Anniversary Update Breaks Many Webcams

Amazon, meanwhile, announced an initiative this week to donate Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, and Kindle eBooks to schools, libraries, hospitals and other organizations worldwide. Kenya is one of the first countries to receive the donated devices, with Amazon joining an effort to equip all 61 public libraries with digital readers.