Microsoft Recommends Rebooting Your Computer 15 Times as Blue Screen of Death Strikes Worldwide

Have you tried turning it off and on again? And then on again? And then off again? And then...

Off and On Again

As the world is still reeling from a massive IT outage triggered by a faulty security software update by CrowdStrike that forced Windows machines to crash, Microsoft is trying to pick up the pieces.

Worse yet, the bug needs to be addressed in person by IT professionals.

And on top of all the chaos the outage has caused already, those professionals will need to be patient as they quite literally try to turn it off and then back on again — over and over.

"We have received feedback from customers that several reboots (as many as 15 have been reported) may be required, but overall feedback is that reboots are an effective troubleshooting step at this stage," Microsoft wrote in an update.

Really? 15 times? Depending on how ancient the Windows machine in question is, that could take an eternity.

Global Reboot

The bug has wreaked havoc on numerous industries, including hospitals, banks and airports. Airlines have canceled thousands of flights worldwide, with passengers across the world getting stranded.

An entire TV network in Australia wasn't able to broadcast due to the outage.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is advising experts to delete a specific file to stop Windows machines from experiencing a "blue screen of death," a critical error screen that indicates the entire system has crashed.

"We can confirm the affected update has been pulled by CrowdStrike," Microsoft wrote in its update. "Customers that are continuing to experience issues should reach out to CrowdStrike for additional assistance."

While it sounds like a simple fix, rebooting may prove difficult for some cloud-based servers, as The Verge points out.

Of course, it's deeply ironic that cybersecurity software designed to stop hacks caused such a cascading global disaster.

Thanks to its deep integration into Windows computers, Falcon has plenty of tools at its disposal to ward off attacks.  But those same privileges also mean that when something goes wrong, it can take entire systems down with it, as The Conversation explains — a "worst-case scenario."

Meanwhile, CrowdStrike shares slid more than 15 percent in early trading Friday, its worst loss since 2022.

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