(Image source from: The New York Times)

Microsoft has released a USB recovery tool to repair PCs and other machines affected by the infamous CrowdStrike update, Microsoft announced in a blog post. By creating a bootable USB drive, IT administrators can use it to speed up the repair process and get a failed device back up and running. Specifically, CrowdStrike previously revealed that a faulty Falcon Sensor update affected approximately 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide, causing the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD). In a blog post in the Intune Customer Success section, Microsoft released an updated recovery tool with two repair options: Restore from WinPE and Restore from Safe Mode. Signed tools can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center. According to the company, the “Recover from WinPE” option offers users the ability to restore their devices without requiring local administrative rights. However, if you have BitLocker enabled, you may be asked to enter your BitLocker key to repair the corrupted system. According to Microsoft, this option is recommended for most users.

Alternatively, if users cannot access their BitLocker keys, they can use the Safe Mode recovery option. This will allow you to start your Windows PC in Safe Mode. However, you must log in to the device with local administrator rights. According to Microsoft, this approach is only recommended for unencrypted machines or machines where the BitLocker key is unknown. If your device doesn't allow connecting USB devices, the company says it's a good idea to take a screenshot. The USB drive created as a bootable recovery drive must have a minimum and maximum storage capacity of 1GB and 32GB respectively. Additionally, the PC must be running a 64-bit Windows client. According to Microsoft, you need at least 8GB of free space to run the recovery tool. Microsoft's new recovery tool aims to repair Windows PCs and servers affected by the CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor update. It was released on Friday and was quickly followed by reports of Windows PCs around the world being affected by the BSOD. Microsoft services such as Azure, Store and Office 365 were affected.

According to media reports, there were service disruptions in all institutions, including banks, airports and IT companies. Airlines around the world have canceled or rebooked flights due to “technical issues.” In addition, Australian broadcaster ABC News also claimed to be affected by the update. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz released a statement citing an “isolated content update error” on the Windows platform. Devices running Linux or Mac do not appear to be affected.