Shares in Crowdstrike Holdings, the company widely named as causing a Worldwide computer outage, have plummeted as the reality of the problem affects major organisations becomes reality.
In the early hours of 19th July 2024, hospitals, airports, banks and many other organisations began to report Windows computers with the dreaded ‘Blue Screen of Death‘ (BSOD). Flights at major airports have been grounded and hospitals reported being unable to access patient records.
Users of Windows based computers have reported being stuck in a ‘boot loop’; where computers constantly restart in an attempt to reload the operating system. Crowdstrike have named the bug a ‘Windows Sensor Issue’.
Broadcasters including Sky News were initially unable to beam images.
What went wrong at Crowdstrike?
Crowdstrike provide anti-malware and cybdersecurity services to major companies around the world and are one of the most trusted online security providers. The sponsors of Mercedes Formula One team, Crowdstike are one of the top three providers.
It is understood that an update to the Crowdstrike software resulted in a bug, causing Microsoft Windows computers to be unable to start.
Some users are understood to have been able to reboot their computers in Safe Mode, disabling the Crowdstrke software and uninstalling it.
How to Reboot a Computer affected by the Crowdstrike Outage
These are the workaround steps for the Crowdstrike issue.
Safe mode in Windows starts the operating system with a limited set of drivers and services. The method to access safe mode varies between Windows versions:
- Windows 7: Use the F8 key during startup
- Windows 10: Use the Shift key and Restart
- Windows 11: Use the Shift key and Restart
1. Boot into Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment
2. Navigate to the following directory: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike
3. Locate the file “C-00000291*.sys”, and delete it.
4. Reboot the Computer
Crowdstrike have since announced that a software update on the Windows Sensor Issue has been released to resolve the problem.
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