Have you ever been told to turn your device off and on again? That familiar phrase from IT departments and the popular TV show “The IT Crowd” is being echoed by Microsoft today. This advice is recommended to address a faulty CrowdStrike update that has caused significant disruption, affecting thousands of Windows PCs and servers globally.
Rebooting as a solution
The company shared customer insights in a support note on Microsoft's Azure outage page. Rebooting virtual machines and PCs multiple times can help resolve the issue. “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,” states Microsoft.
This approach may seem excessive, but it's becoming clear that persistence with reboots is proving effective for many. If the 15 reboots do not resolve the problem, Microsoft recommends a workaround that has been popular among IT administrators. This involves deleting the faulty CrowdStrike driver. For those using Microsoft's Azure virtual machines, it should be more straightforward to mount a disc and delete the problematic file rather than booting machines into Safe Mode.
Feedback from IT administrators
Many IT administrators have confirmed that multiple reboots are indeed fixing the issues. It's ironic and amusing that one of the most severe global IT outages in recent memory can be remedied by simply turning systems off and on again. This essential troubleshooting step, often the subject of jokes and memes, has become the day's hero.
The CrowdStrike update incident reminds us of the sometimes unpredictable nature of IT systems. Despite the complexity and sophistication of modern technology, simple solutions can still play a crucial role in resolving significant problems. As IT departments worldwide breathe a sigh of relief, they also have a newfound appreciation for the humble reboot.
