Microsoft releases tool to fix Windows machines affected by CrowdStrike issue

Microsoft has launched a recovery tool to help IT administrators in repairing Windows machines affected by CrowdStrike’s faulty update that crashed 8.5 million devices last Friday. This tool creates a bootable USB drive to help quickly restore impacted systems.

While CrowdStrike has issued a fix for the update that caused widespread Blue Screen of Death errors, not all machines can automatically receive it. Some IT admins have managed to resolve the issue by rebooting PCs multiple times or manually booting into Safe Mode to delete the problematic file.

Microsoft’s new tool simplifies this process by using a bootable USB to access the disk of the affected machine and automatically delete the faulty CrowdStrike file, allowing the machine to boot properly. This method bypasses the need for Safe Mode or admin rights on the device. If BitLocker encryption protects the disk, the tool will prompt for the recovery key before proceeding.

Additionally, Microsoft has provided recovery steps for Windows Virtual Machines on Azure and detailed instructions for all Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices on its support site.