TECHNOLOGY
How to fix the blue screen caused by CrowdStrike in Microsoft and its cloud
The bug, which affects CrowdStrike cybersecurity software, has caused problems for businesses, airports, banks, hospitals and television stations.
Some Windows users started the morning with a fright. A massive Microsoft outage, caused by an error following an update to CrowdStrike cybersecurity software. The technical fault caused the Microsoft cloud to crash, resulting in chaos on a global scale. Major airports around the world were particularly hit hard - departure boards suddenly turned off and passengers had to be checked-in manually, causing huge delays which are expected to get worse as the day wears on.
Among the problems experienced by many users was the appearance of the dreaded blue screen of death in the Redmond operating system. Those who have encountered this can try a temporary solution.
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This is the solution for the blue screen of death problem in Windows
A few hours after the incident, CrowdStrike’s engineering department published step-by-step advice if you have experienced the blue screen issue. This is a simple process that allows you to reverse the problem:
- Start Windows in Safe Mode or Windows Recovery Environment (Press the F4 key to enter Safe Mode; Press and hold the Windows Key and press the power button, then release both keys to enter Window RE)
- Go to the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike directory
- Locate the file “C-00000291*.sys” and delete it
- Restart your PC as usual
Microsoft has confirmed that it is investigating the problem that has caused the errors in its applications and operating systems, so it has warned users that the services may not function normally.
Meanwhile, CrowdStrike has accepted responsibility for the errors and has reported that it is already working on a definitive solution. The company explained that the fault was caused by a “defect found in a single content update” and insisted the issue “was not a security incident or the result of a cyber attack”.
Windows is the most widely used operating system in the world, and this morning’s outage has affected large and small businesses in almost every part of the global economy. Many supermarkets were unable to take card payments and several television channels spent time off air