Microsoft’s Blue Screen of Death: Turn It Off and On Repeatedly

The global IT community is grappling with what’s being dubbed the largest IT failure in recent history: the resurgence of Microsoft’s infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). Triggered by the recent CrowdStrike update fiasco, this error has introduced a new generation of users to the dreaded screen. But what exactly is BSOD, and how can it be resolved? According to Microsoft, the solution might involve turning it off and on repeatedly.

First appearing in Windows 3.0 back in 1993, the Blue Screen of Death, or BSOD, is officially known as a stop error. This critical error causes the Windows operating system to crash. Mike Walters, co-founder of Action1, explains that BSOD often indicates kernel-level conflicts or bugs, which are challenging to diagnose and fix due to their deep interaction with the operating system’s hardware. Historically, these errors have also been linked to faulty memory or overheating issues.

The current wave of BSOD errors stems from a problematic CrowdStrike update, causing a worldwide IT outage. The official remedy from CrowdStrike involves manually booting each machine into safe mode and using the command line for fixes. However, Microsoft has also provided guidance for users of Azure virtual machines affected by the CrowdStrike bug.

Microsoft reports that some Azure VMs are successfully updating via the CrowdStrike Falcon agent after multiple manual restarts. They advise the following steps: use the Azure Portal to attempt ‘Restart’ on affected VMs, utilize Azure CLI or Azure Shell, and note that multiple reboots might be necessary in some cases. Walters cautions that “multiple reboots should not normally be necessary unless there are additional underlying problems,” adding that long-untouched systems might face specific startup issues after a reboot.

For those encountering BSOD errors unrelated to the CrowdStrike issue, Microsoft recommends several steps: if new hardware was added before the BSOD error, shut down the PC, remove the hardware, and try restarting. If restarting is problematic, start the PC in safe mode. Ensure the latest updates are installed via Windows Update. Seek help from other sources or restore Windows to an earlier point in time. By following these steps, users can mitigate BSOD issues, whether related to the recent CrowdStrike update or other underlying hardware and software problems.