Has your computer suddenly been getting a black screen? The latest Microsoft Windows Update may be to blame. Apparently, it’s affecting versions of XP, Vista, and Windows 7.
Microsoft’s latest round of security patches appears to be causing some PCs to seize up and display a black screen, rendering the computer useless.
The problem affects Microsoft products including Windows 7, Vista and XP operating systems, said Mel Morris , the CEO and CTO for the U.K. security company Prevx.
Prevx was alerted to the problem by users of its security software last week, Morris said. Microsoft apparently made changes to the Access Control List (ACL), a list of permissions for a logged-on user. The ACL interacts with registry keys, creating visible desktop features such as a sidebar.
However, the latest patches appear to make some changes to those registry keys. The effect is that some installed applications aren’t aware of the changes and don’t run properly, causing a black screen, Morris said.
Prevx has a fix that you can get from their site.
Updates are tricky, especially with the zillions of them that we get all the time, coupled with our own software programs, and then our own software/operating system changes. There’s been a huge push to update computers– they claim we must do so for our computers to staty secure– but I’ve never been comfortable with them. I always hold my breath when I do them.
Anyway, if you have been experiencing the Black Screen of Death ad wonder why, check your updates. It just may be them. You can uninstall certain updates through your Control Panel and Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features settings.
December 7, 2009
news, security news, Windows