Official Microsoft recovery tool released to fix CrowdStrike error causing blue screen loop and unable to boot PC

Microsoft has officially released a recovery tool for Windows devices after a bug caused 8.5 million Windows devices to repeatedly experience blue screens and crashes due to an update to security software CrowdStrike.

New Recovery Tool to help with CrowdStrike issue impacting Windows endpoints - Microsoft Community Hub
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/intune-customer-success/new-recovery-tool-to-help-with-crowdstrike-issue-impacting/ba-p/4196959

Microsoft releases recovery tool to help repair Windows machines hit by CrowdStrike issue - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/21/24202883/microsoft-recovery-tool-windows-crowdstrike-issue-it-admins

On July 19, 2024, an error in CrowdStrike's security software caused Windows to display a blue screen and enter a restart loop. According to Microsoft , approximately 8.5 million PCs worldwide were affected by this issue.

CrowdStrike's Blue Screen of Death issue affected 8.5 million Windows devices, less than 1% of the total - GIGAZINE

CrowdStrike released an update to fix the software that caused the error, but not all machines received the fix automatically. Some users have reported that they were able to get the necessary updates by rebooting their PC multiple times, but the only way to fix the issue is to boot into Windows Safe Mode and delete the problematic CrowdStrike update file.

So Microsoft has officially released a tool that allows users to recover using a USB drive, which boots into the Windows Preinstallation Environment via a USB drive, accesses the disk of the affected machine, and automatically deletes the problematic update files, eliminating the need to perform the recovery process manually.

In addition, since the tool only accesses the disk without booting a local copy of Windows, there is no need to boot into safe mode or request administrator privileges. However, if the disk is protected with BitLocker encryption, the tool will request a BitLocker recovery key, so you will need to have one ready in advance.

Microsoft also has separate recovery instructions for Windows Virtual Machines running on Azure, and has published recovery instructions for Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices on its support site.