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Latest Microsoft patches cause black screen of death
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 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, the CEO 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 are not aware of the changes and do not run properly, causing a black screen. Security applications seem to be particularly affected. The CEO said users of other security products have also complained about the issue, even going so far as trying to reinstall the operating system to fix it. Prevx has released software that fixes the registry to match the ACL settings, which should resolve the problem, the CEO said. Users could do this on their own by modifying their registry settings, but making alterations to those settings is risky since it can severely affect how the operating system runs. The CEO said Microsoft was likely just trying to fortify the security of the operating systems when it inadvertently made the error in its patches.
More http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141568/Latest_Microsoft_patches_cause_black_screen_of_death