Microsoft’s latest round of security patches appears to be causing some PCs to seize up and display a black screen, rending 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.
If you’re having problems like this, be sure to read the complete article.
Running Ubuntu, OSX, and ChromeOS. No problems so far. 😀
This is, of course, why you should TURN OFF AUTOMATIC UPDATES !!! This has now become BlSOD – the BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH !!!
“If you’re having problems like this, be sure to read the complete article.”
If I have BLSOD than how can I be reading thi blog?
Sorry I had to say it.
So, anyone know of anybody actually experiencing this ‘issue’ except the customers of badly written security software produced by Prevx in the UK?
Just askin’ is all…
This sounds like the Prevx boss just wants to divert attention away from his coders (who can’t make their software work without using illegal calls to the OS).
This was probably done to create some work/sales in the IT/PC sector..
-Much like the old Michelangelo boot sector virus, which activates on March 6th, would be “tipped off to the media” a week or two prior which resulted in AV software being sold out at places like CompUsa etc..
I mean come’on, what idiot does not not know modifying ACL flags can wreak (simple to fix) havoc on a system.
(um, that would be a microsoft idiot in particular)
-s
#3 Jetfire – Sad but true (and strangely funny).
Good. About time that windows programmers join the rest of the world and learn to actually program within the confines of the OS.
It’s the same problem as when we moved from 95/98 to 2k and things crashed for no apparent reason (apart from the software being written by clowns) and MS getting the blame for it, or when we moved to Vista and people threw a fit over UAC, when it was in fact the programmers who were completely clueless about how to write for a limited-scope environment because they had become used to can-do-anything coding they could use when running on XP admin accounts.
From the description given, I am having this exact problem with one of my PC’s. I will have to give this thing a try. I probably won’t get to it for a couple of days, but I will report back with the results. Thanks for posting this article.
Black is the new Blue. 🙂
I’m a PC and, I told Microsoft to get rid of the Blue Screen of Death, so Windows 7 was my idea!
So now you can blame all of us who said that Windoze 7 was our idea for the BlSOD!
WTG Microsoft, plausible deniability FTW!
I’m speechless!
Is this a JOKE?
How can you miss this in testing?
Did they do any testing?
I did a little research and found out MS is claiming this is happening to computers with with ATI 2400 series graphics cards. Oddly I have an ATI 4650 in my PC. Coincidence? I think not. I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that MS is trying to diminish the issue. The next Apple ad should be very entertaining.
KSOD? (As in Graphic Design talk for black aka CMYK)
Ok, to geeky.
Damn! I think the Prevx fix worked. I have been up and running for 45 minutes and no black screen.
The latest claim (by Prevx?) is that some malware was involved. And it’s presence effected the ACL patch. But that’s doesn’t make much sense to me, if people other than Prevx have the same problem. What was the malware?