Screen, Patch, Update
Windows XP Crippled With ‘Blue Screen’ Following Patch Update
Microsoft is investigating claims by some users that the Windows security update issued as part of Patch Tuesday, has resulted in the infamous Blue Screen of Death for Windows XP. [...] Some users are claiming that Windows XP has been crippled with the blue screen of death following Microsoft's Patch Tuesday update. [...] You are here. Home News Security Windows XP Crippled With Blue Screen' Following Patch Update. [...]
Microsoft Blames Malware For XP’s ‘Blue Screen Of Death’
Following an investigation, Microsoft has confirmed that the blue screen of death' that last week hit some systems running Windows XP following the Patch Tuesday security update, was caused by a rootkit. [...] The update patched two vulnerabilities affecting the Windows Kernel, and was one of 13 security bulletins issued 9 February as part of Patch Tuesday. As reports of the problem came in, speculation began to centre on malware being the root cause. [...] According to Microsoft, Windows systems infected with Alureon were hit with blue screen of death' errors that prevented computers from booting after the user downloaded Microsoft patch MS10-015. [...]
Microsoft Leaves Users Hanging Following Black Screen Of Death
After Microsoft refused responsibility for the black screen outbreak and Prevx was done apologising to Microsoft, the average Windows user was left wondering what to expect next. Would Microsoft release a patch to prevent the problem from ever happening again Would Prevx find a way to make its own fix work for anyone affected by the Black Screen of Death At this point, neither outcome seems likely. [...] And so, once again, it's the users who need to worry about the impact this latest outbreak will have on their computers. It might not be as serious as the Blue Screen of Death and, if Microsoft is right, few users have been affected. But considering a security company has spent so much time investigating the problem and Microsoft has done its part to find a root cause, doesn't it make sense that the software giant would want to issue a patch so no users face that black screen. [...] Based on what Microsoft said, it seems that the company has no interest in pursuing the Black Screen of Death. It has simply written it off as a malware problem. Prevx has said that the root cause might be related to the way Windows stores string data in the registry. [...]
Microsoft Denies Security Patches Caused Black Screen Of Death
The so-called Black Screen of Death condition striking some Windows users is not caused by bugs in November's Patch Tuesday updates, Microsoft stated 1 December. [...] Security vendor Prevx reported on its blog 27 November that Windows users were experiencing a black screen due to a change in the Windows operating system's lockdown of registry keys. According to Prevx, the Windows patches most commonly tied to the issue are KB915597 and KB976098. [...] Our comprehensive investigation has shown that the November security updates, the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, and the nonsecurity updates we released through Windows Update in November do not make any changes to the registry as claimed, a Microsoft spokesperson said. [...]
Review: Parallels Desktop 4.0 “Switch To Mac” Edition
The presentation material is usually straightforward, although the on-screen talent can't seem to help but interject a little chuckle when explaining the similarities and differences between Windows Update and the Mac Software Update. [...] Many of the exercises can be done on a Mac simulator, and there are on-screen notes that describe the steps needed. [...] I was therefore pleased to see that Parallels has included several hours of helpful instructional demonstrations that show step-by-step how to perform simple tasks in the Mac world. Many of the demonstrations, for example, how to turn off the computer, start by showing how this task is performed on a Windows system, and then the same procedure is performed on the Mac. [...]
Microsoft Patch Tuesday Fixes 34 Vulnerabilities
Redmond has released its largest ever Patch Tuesday update after fixing 34 vulnerabilities in a number of its products, including six affecting its forthcoming operating system, Windows 7. [...] Additionally, the Patch Tuesday update includes fixes tied to ActiveX Controls compiled using a vulnerable version of Microsoft Active Template Library. The bulletin addresses three vulnerabilities affecting all supported editions of Microsoft Outlook versions 2002, 2003 and 2007, as well as Microsoft Visio Viewer versions 2002, 2003 and 2007. [...] Microsoft has used its usual Patch Tuesday update to address a record number of vulnerabilities (34 in total), including six affecting its forthcoming replacement for the Vista operating system. [...]
Microsoft Offers Modified Word Versions To Comply With Ruling
On 9 Jan, Microsoft posted a 5.7MB patch to Office Word 2003 on its Download Center, stating, You must install this update if you have been instructed to do so in a separate communication from Microsoft. The note adds. This update will affect a particular custom XML tagging implementation. . [...] Apparently in response to a patent-infringement lawsuit filed against it by small IT company i4i, Microsoft pulled copies of Office 2007 from its online store and issued patches for Word 2003 and Word 2007 in its online download centre. [...] Neither the Microsoft Office 2010 Engineering blog, the official blog of the Microsoft Office product development group, nor the Microsoft Word 2010 blog, the official blog of the Microsoft Word product team, have posted updates on their pages about the situation. [...]
NHS Staff Told To Abandon IE6
The DH bulletin also advises organisations that choose to continue using IE6 to apply the security update patch issued by Microsoft in January. Where the update is incompatible with existing applications, the DH recommends applying one of the mitigating actions from the Microsoft security advisory instead. [...] We take Internet security very seriously and we have worked with Microsoft and other suppliers over many years to understand the security of the products used by HMG, including Internet Explorer, West added. There is no evidence that moving from the latest fully patched versions of Internet Explorer to other browsers will make users more secure. [...] The Department of Health (DH) has issued a bulletin to NHS staff, recommending that any organisation still using Internet Explorer 6 should upgrade to Internet Explorer 7. The advice is based on concerns about the security of IE6, following the discovery of a vulnerability that can be exploited to run malicious code on various versions of Windows. [...]
Microsoft Pulls Windows 2000 Server Patch
Microsoft has withdrawn a security patch issued for Windows 2000 Server as part of its Patch Tuesday update, because it fails to properly fix a critical vulnerability. [...] Microsoft has pulled support for a security patch update that was supposed to fix a critical vulnerability on Windows 2000 Server. [...] The company issued MS10-025 earlier this month as part of an 11-bulletin security update for customers. The bulletin was supposed to fix an issue affecting customers running Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 4 who installed Windows Media Services, a Microsoft platform for streaming live or on-demand audio and video. [...]
Internet Explorer’s Share Drops In Some European Countries
According to Reuters Canada, some 200 million computers will receive the ballot-screen update. [...] Microsoft has seen market-share for Internet Explorer decline in certain European markets following the March release of a Web browser choice screen designed to give Windows users in the EU a selection of browsers other than Internet Explorer, according to Web analysis firm StatCounter. [...] The ballot screen was introduced as an automatic download to European users on 1 March, as a tactic by Microsoft to sidestep concerns from the European Commission, the EU's antitrust regulatory body, about the bundling of Internet Explorer 8 with copies of Windows. [...]
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