Windows-Based Device Issues After Global Tech Outage

The following message was delivered to members of the Northwestern Community on Friday, July 19, at 8:11 a.m. (CDT).

Dear Northwestern Community,

A global tech outage occurred overnight, causing some Windows-based devices to display a bug check/blue screen error. If you are a Windows user impacted by this situation, please review the steps below to resolve your specific computer's issue. Mac and Linux users are unaffected. Please also be aware this issue impacts University-wide systems and servers that are reliant on Windows. As a result, certain systems and servers may be temporarily unavailable.  

Recovery Steps for the Blue Screen Issue

1. Reboot your computer. This guidance is the vendor's recommendation, and we have seen some success with this option in early testing.
2. If rebooting does not work, please review this self-support Knowledge Base article for instructions on the recovery steps.
3. If you cannot restore your computer using the methods above, please contact your school or unit's local IT representatives.
4. You can also contact the Northwestern IT Service Desk for assistance at 847-491-4357 (1-HELP) or consultant@northwestern.edu. 

We apologize for the inconvenience this global outage has caused. We are continuing to work with technology partners across the University to restore Northwestern systems and servers; however, due to the scale of the issue, it will take time to achieve full recovery. If you experience any problems with a University-wide system, please contact the Northwestern IT Service Desk to report the issue. You can also read updates about this issue on the Status of University IT Services page.

Joseph Paris
Senior Director, Research Computing and Technology Support Services
Northwestern University