Prepare for lingering problems from the global IT outage

Like many other travelers Friday, Herrin was stranded by a global meltdown of computer networks that hit airlines, hospitals, 911 centers, package delivery companies and office workers’ laptops.

The irony of a technology expert getting stuck by a technology failure shows that it’s hard to avoid being caught up in computer meltdowns that are far beyond our control. And Herrin had a note of caution for all of us: We may not be out of the woods yet.

Herrin said the computer outages — which experts largely attributed to a glitch in a software update to Windows computers from the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike — was so unusual that there could be unexpected and lingering problems with websites and computer systems for a few days.

“This will not be a normal week,” Herrin said. “Bake a little flexibility into your plans.”

But Frank Dickson, group vice president of security and trust at the technology research firm IDC, said CrowdStrike quickly dispatched a fix to its software error. He doesn’t believe people will experience lingering problems with computer systems.

If you paid a bill online in the past day, placed an online shopping order, booked a travel reservation, made a medical appointment or were waiting for a direct deposit of your paycheck, Herrin said it’s a good idea to double check that what you expected to happen actually did happen.

If you’re one of the Windows computer users who saw a “blue screen of death,” or BSOD, on Friday — the cheeky nickname for a Windows error message that can keep computers stuck in a loop of restarting — I’m sorry.

If it’s a work computer, know that everyone in your company’s IT department is having a terrible day trying to fix the problem. CrowdStrike and Microsoft said they are working with businesses to restore affected computers to normal working order.

If it’s your personal computer, my colleague Tatum Hunter wrote that your best bet is to restore your computer to a version before the update.

To do so, press the power button on your PC — but before it starts up, press and hold the power button to turn it back off. Do this three times in a row. After the third time, you should see some advanced settings appear. Go to “advanced options,” then “system restore.”

In Manila, Herrin eventually was able to rebook the flight and extend his hotel stay. He joked that he planned to enjoy his unexpected extra time in the Philippines, maybe by doing “analog” activities like taking walks.

• What services have been affected?
• What is BSOD?
• Windows outage sparks global chaos, from travel to hospitals
• Follow our live coverage of the computer outages here.
• Do you have a tale you want to share about your experiences with the global computer meltdown? Email me at Shira.Ovide@washpost.com