Patch Tuesday paralyses Internet Explorer

 

Gallery

Posted on 19 Dec 2007 at 09:49

Last week's critical security update to Internet Explorer has crippled the browser for many users.

The problem is reportedly affecting Internet Explorer 6 users on Windows XP. The fault causes the browser to crash in a number of different scenarios, such as when printing web pages.

Microsoft's support forums received dozens of complaints soon after the patch was released. "Specifically, about 60% of the time, I would get an 'Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and must close' dialog, " reports one affected user on the Microsoft Windows Update forum.

In a message posted on Microsoft's Security Response Center website, the company admits it has a problem. "We have been investigating public reports of possible problems on systems that have installed the Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (942615), released earlier this month," it reads.

"We have been working with a small number of customers that reported issues related to the installation of MS07-069. Specifically, on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computer, Internet Explorer 6 may stop responding when you try to a visit a website."

In response, Microsoft has issued a Knowledge Base article that offers various fixes for the eight issues reported.