Microsoft probes Outlook Express patch trouble

By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News

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Related Stories: Windows patch trips up on HP tool, firewall
April 17, 2006; Company warns on IE patch
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Does bad luck indeed come in threes? A Microsoft security fix for Outlook Express could be the third of last week's patches to cause trouble for some users.

Microsoft has received some reports of trouble with the update, a company representative said Thursday. Microsoft had already acknowledged that two of the other five updates it released on "Patch Tuesday" last week can, in some cases, cause problems for users.

Microsoft is still investigating the issues related to the Outlook Express patch. "Nothing is confirmed yet," the representative said in an e-mailed statement.

In discussion forums on Microsoft's Web site, users report several issues with the e-mail client after installing the latest update. The trouble includes inaccessible address books, problems opening and sending messages in the "unsent messages" folder and trouble using templates.

The patch for Outlook Express fixes a problem in the way the application handles Windows Address Book files. Opening a specially crafted WAB file can result in execution of malicious code, giving an attacker control of the Windows PC, Microsoft said last week in Security Bulletin MS06-016.

Other patches that have given some users headaches are a comprehensive fix for Internet Explorer, which can break some Web applications, and an update for Windows, which can cause trouble on computers that run certain Hewlett-Packard photo-sharing software or the Kerio firewall.

See more CNET content tagged:
Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook, patch management, Microsoft Corp., security

Add a Comment (Log in or register) 4 comments

Update
by birds110 April 21, 2006 12:19 AM PDT: For the last 2 days I have received and update to outlook express, its for the junk filter.When I click to install it, it tries to install then says it failed and 3 minutes later it shows up again and says I need to update, I have tried several times but it keeps telling me it failed and then comes back, so now it just sits in my try at the bottom cuz it won't install and it won't go away. I went to the update windows thing and got the same thing it failed 15 times to install but it keeps insisting that I need to install it.. Any one have any suggestion???? Please help; Reply to this comment View all 3 replies
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