What's new

Welcome to Offtopix 👋, Visitor

Off Topix is a well-established general discussion forum that originally opened to the public in 2009! We provide a laid-back atmosphere, and our members are down to earth. We have a ton of content, and fresh stuff is constantly being added. We cover all sorts of topics, so there's bound to be something inside to pique your interest. We welcome anyone and everyone to register and become a member of our awesome community.

🎁

Member Interviews

Feel free to start a thread here! We'd love to ask you some questions and get to know you better. Can't wait to chat!

In the News

Share all current news stories here to inspire discussion and comments. Check here for engaging articles that spark curiosity.

Member Introductions

Welcome to Off Topix! We're excited to have you here. Take this opportunity to introduce yourself to our vibrant community and start connecting with others!

Finally, Deleting (Part Of) System32 Can Actually Fix Your Computer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dead2009
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 0
  • Views Views 28

Dead2009

Horror Movie Guru
Moderator
Joined
Mar 8, 2024
Posts
2,180
Reaction score
809
Points
355
Location
Maryland
This is a couple days old article because apparently gaming news sites take the weekend off lol


A CrowdStrike update that caused thousands of computers and servers to infinitely reset and "blue screen of death" finally has a solution, and it involves deleting (part of) System32. Yes, really, deleting one file in Windows' basic system directory apparently solves the problem that caused what some have called the biggest server outage in history.

According to TechRadar, the fix to the issue involves booting Windows in Safe Mode, navigating to the CrowdStrike directory within System32, and deleting one file that matches a certain alphanumeric code. Meanwhile, Microsoft officially advises customers to restore from a backup if possible, and if not, attach the disk to a virtual machine for an offline repair.

In online circles, "deleting System32" is a well-known (if ancient) prank that trolls pulled on unsuspecting Windows users. It involves telling the user that deleting the folder will make their computer go faster (often through a specific command line); of course, in reality, deleting this folder would make their computer not work correctly.

Though it's not clear how many machines were affected by the July 19 outage, it had a major impact on airlines, hospitals, banks, and tech companies. Per NYT, it even reportedly caused payment processors like Visa to suffer major downtime. Hundreds of flights were grounded as a result, and emergency 911 lines in multiple US states were also affected. Logistics companies like UPS and FedEx also experienced disruptions due to the snafu.

Initially feared to be a security incident or coordinated cyberattack, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz went to social media to quell those concerns. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he said that the issue has been identified and a fix has been deployed, though it'll likely take some time for the affected systems to recover.
 

Create an account or login to post a reply

You must be a member in order to post a reply

Create an account

Create an account here on Off Topix. It's quick & easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Welcome to Offtopix 👋, Visitor

Off Topix is a well-established general discussion forum that originally opened to the public in 2009! We provide a laid-back atmosphere, and our members are down to earth. We have a ton of content, and fresh stuff is constantly being added. We cover all sorts of topics, so there's bound to be something inside to pique your interest. We welcome anyone and everyone to register and become a member of our awesome community.

Theme customization system

You can customize some areas of the forum theme from this menu.

  • Theme customizations unavailable!

    Theme customization fields are not available to you, please contact the administrator for more information.

  • Choose the color combination that reflects your taste
    Background images
    Color gradient backgrounds
Back