Microsoft recently released a tool to help users across the world bring to life over eight million Windows PCs knocked out by the CrowdStrike outage. Shortly after the release and after gathering the initial feedback from restless IT admins, Microsoft pushed a newer version of the recovery tool.
The updated Microsoft Recovery Tool is now available for download from the Microsoft Download Center. The company notified users about the release in the official documentation:
As a follow-up to the CrowdStrike Falcon agent issue impacting Windows clients and servers, Microsoft has released an updated recovery tool with two repair options to help IT admins expedite the repair process. Based on customer feedback, this new release includes a new option for recovery using safe boot, the option to generate ISO or USB, a fix for ADK detection when the Windows Driver Kit is installed, and a fix for the USB disk size check.
Microsoft also revised the original recovery tool post with details about which mode affected users should use to restore their computers. Recovery from WinPE is the recommended option. It does not require local admin privileges, but you need to manually enter the BitLocker recovery key (if you use BitLocker. The second option, recovery from Safe Mode, will restore systems without requiring the BitLocker key, but you need access to a local account with elevated privileges (administrator access).
Finally, Microsoft provides an option for systems that do not support USB connections. In such cases, Microsoft offers using the Preboot Execution Requirement (PXE). If PXE is not available, recovering from the outage is possible by reimaging the device.
Whatever option admins pick, Microsoft strongly suggests performing tests on several machines before broadly deploying the fix. You can find the updated blog post with all the necessary links and guides on the Tech Community website.
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