Microsoft advises restarting your computer 15 times to remove CrowdStrike's "blue screen of death" in Windows

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Microsoft appears to have found a solution to what could be the biggest outage in IT history — according to the corporation, all you need to do is reboot your computer… repeatedly.

The advice was noted by the site 404 Media in Microsoft’s Friday update.

“We have received reports of successful recovery from some clients who attempted to reboot their virtual machines multiple times,” Microsoft informed users. “It may take several reboots (up to 15 known instances), but overall feedback demonstrates that rebooting is the most effective troubleshooting step at this stage.”

Businesses seem to be slowly recovering from the issue that affected systems globally this morning. It’s worth noting that the outage caused by a CrowdStrike antivirus update has disrupted IT systems around the world (including Ukraine, where users reported issues with monobank, Nova Poshta, and disruptions in the Vodafone network). Approximately 1,100 flights have been canceled, and CNN reports on a collapse at airports. Some train stations, banks, television services, and hospitals are also currently down, and there are reports of disruptions in emergency services and 911 in the U.S.

CrowdStrike stated in a comment that it is actively working with clients affected by the Windows defect (the issue does not affect Mac and Linux hosts). The problem has been identified, isolated, and is being resolved.

“We are directing clients to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide comprehensive and ongoing updates on our website. Additionally, we recommend that organizations ensure they communicate with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the safety and stability of CrowdStrike clients.”