Windows Fix Brings Problems For Some

Computer users who install security updates from Microsoft as soon as they are released may have been greeted with a nasty surprise from a patch released last week - portions of Windows become unusable, or even worse, they could be locked out of their systems altogether.

The patch was intended to fix vulnerabilities in the COM+ and MS DTC objects within Windows. Instead, on some systems it prevents users from installing programs or starting the firewall, makes the network connections folder appear as if it was empty, prevents authenticated users from logging on, along with several other issues.

Microsoft says the problem was caused by how the update was set up to fix the vulnerability, which may conflict with how some people have configured their systems to be more secure.

"Before Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-051, explicit permissions to the COM+ catalog were not required," the company said.

According to security experts, the average person will not have any issues with the patch. However, if a user has altered Windows' permissions for their access lists, the fix may cause a problem.

Instructions to deal with the vulnerability have been posted in a Knowledge Base article on the Microsoft Support Web site.