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Dealing with the death of a computer
By Susan Bradley
Microsoft may call it Patch Tuesday, but I call it the day that I start watching for the "dead bodies." You know what I mean, don't you? The anxiety you feel when you press the button to reboot your computer after the security patches are applied? Will the system arise from the reboot to compute again? Will your data survive another trip through the patch process?
Whether you're patching a workstation, a standalone computer, or a fleet of servers, there are tips and tricks to help you make the journey through Patch Tuesday easier.
I'll first bring you up to date on issues I've seen regarding the patches Microsoft released in January. Following that, please see my Special Report on how to cope when you have a "dead computer" thanks to a patch (and how to keep it from keeling over in the first place).
January patches included Internet Explorer patches. Not!
Microsoft's January 11 patches caused some confusion as to whether or not they included needed fixes for Internet Explorer. As was previously reported, in the last Windows Patch Watch, they did not.
The only patch that had an impact on Internet Explorer was the MS05-001 HTML patch. However, this is not a cumulative Internet Explorer patch to fix reported vulnerabilities. There are still several issues that leave Internet Explorer vulnerable and subject to security issues.
I still recommend that you disable ActiveX scripting, run with Internet Explorer in high security, and/or use an alternative browser that you configure as defensively as possible. Always "think before your click" before visiting any Web site.
There is a documented issue with MS05-001 causing problems with HTML-based help files and Web-based applications. This can cause these to fail if the patch is installed before a separate workaround is applied. There's guidance on how to fix the issue in Knowledge Base article .
Windows AntiSpyware beta hoses Media Center Extender
Microsoft's "Media Center Extender" can't establish a remote connection after you install the Windows AntiSpyware beta on a computer running Windows Media Center Edition 2005. There's no fix yet, except to uninstall the AntiSpyware software, according to Microsoft KB article .
By Susan Bradley
Microsoft may call it Patch Tuesday, but I call it the day that I start watching for the "dead bodies." You know what I mean, don't you? The anxiety you feel when you press the button to reboot your computer after the security patches are applied? Will the system arise from the reboot to compute again? Will your data survive another trip through the patch process?
Whether you're patching a workstation, a standalone computer, or a fleet of servers, there are tips and tricks to help you make the journey through Patch Tuesday easier.
I'll first bring you up to date on issues I've seen regarding the patches Microsoft released in January. Following that, please see my Special Report on how to cope when you have a "dead computer" thanks to a patch (and how to keep it from keeling over in the first place).
January patches included Internet Explorer patches. Not!
Microsoft's January 11 patches caused some confusion as to whether or not they included needed fixes for Internet Explorer. As was previously reported, in the last Windows Patch Watch, they did not.
The only patch that had an impact on Internet Explorer was the MS05-001 HTML patch. However, this is not a cumulative Internet Explorer patch to fix reported vulnerabilities. There are still several issues that leave Internet Explorer vulnerable and subject to security issues.
I still recommend that you disable ActiveX scripting, run with Internet Explorer in high security, and/or use an alternative browser that you configure as defensively as possible. Always "think before your click" before visiting any Web site.
There is a documented issue with MS05-001 causing problems with HTML-based help files and Web-based applications. This can cause these to fail if the patch is installed before a separate workaround is applied. There's guidance on how to fix the issue in Knowledge Base article .
Windows AntiSpyware beta hoses Media Center Extender
Microsoft's "Media Center Extender" can't establish a remote connection after you install the Windows AntiSpyware beta on a computer running Windows Media Center Edition 2005. There's no fix yet, except to uninstall the AntiSpyware software, according to Microsoft KB article .
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