Microsoft has introduced a specialized recovery tool designed for users impacted by the recent global outage caused by malware, which has affected an estimated 8.5 million devices worldwide. The tool, built on the WinPE platform, is capable of identifying and removing the malware effectively.
This recovery solution offers two distinct repair options aimed at helping IT administrators streamline the recovery process. To utilize the tool, administrators must ensure they have a 64-bit Windows client with a minimum of 8 GB of available space, the necessary administrative rights, and a USB drive with at least 1 GB of storage capacity. It is important to have a BitLocker recovery key on hand if applicable. Please note that all data on the USB drive will be erased during the process, as it will be formatted to FAT32.
IT admins can initiate a reboot of the affected Windows devices either through the Recovery Environment, which is the preferred method, or in Safe Mode.
For effective use of Microsoft’s recovery tool, IT staff should ensure they are using a Windows 64-bit client with at least 8 GB of free space, possess administrative access, and have a USB drive of 32 GB or less, as larger drives cannot be formatted to FAT32, which is necessary for booting.
The signed Microsoft Recovery Tool can be found in the Microsoft Download Center. The link to the Microsoft Download Center is in this blog post.