(847) 201-6416

Category: Windows

.ANI patch can break audio applications

Reports are coming in that some users are experiencing a problem with the Windows .ani vulnerability patch I informed you about previously.

The patch is reported to break certain audio applications, specifically the Realtek HD Audio Control Panel, and CDtag, which is used for ripping music CDs.

If you are affected, you will see an “Illegal System DLL Relocation” error when you start your computer. Microsoft has issued a hotfix for the problem, which you can find here.

Microsoft regards this as an isolated incident and does not plan to issue the hotfix as part of its automatic updates.

The hotfix should be installed only if you are experiencing the problem described.

Patch available for animated cursor exploit

Microsoft today issued a security patch for a recently discovered vulnerability that can affect users of Internet Explorer 6 or 7 and Outlook 2002 (also called Outlook XP) on Windows XP.

By embedding a hacked animated cursor (.ani) file in an HTML e-mail message or Web page, a malicious individual can potentially take control of your PC. All you have to do is view the infected e-mail message or Web site. This security advisory from Microsoft has all the details.

This is not a widespread problem, but Microsoft considers the exploit potential to be serious enough that it issued a patch outside of its normal security update cycle.

Make sure you have this patch installed. Even if you have automatic updates enabled, there can be a delay before the patch is downloaded. I suggest you run Windows Update (or Microsoft Update, if installed) from your Start menu at your earliest convenience. Select the “Express” option to install critical updates. You will have to reboot your system after the patch is installed.

While we’re on the subject, there’s also a nasty virus being distributed via e-mail messages with a subject line of “Internet Explorer 7 Downloads.” Details are here. As always, common sense applies. If you don’t recognize the sender, don’t open the message.

Daylight Savings Time changes: Is your computer ready?

By now you’re probably aware that Daylight Savings Time starts three weeks earlier this year and ends one week later. DST starts March 11, 2007 and ends on November 4.

Windows Vista is already set up to handle this new schedule, but older versions of Windows (and all versions of Microsoft Outlook) need to be patched to handle the new DST schedule.

If you have Windows XP and automatic updates are enabled, you probably already have the DST patch installed. In any case, you should definitely visit Microsoft’s special Daylight Savings Time update page by clicking here. The site will help you identify the necessary patches for both Windows and Outlook, and allow you to download and install them.

When you run the Windows patcher, it will either complete normally or give you an error message stating that the update is already installed.

The Outlook patcher will install a time zone update and optionally shift any appointments or meetings you have scheduled in the new three and one week DST periods. When I ran it, I did not allow it to shift my meetings. If I had a meeting scheduled for 2 PM on March 21, it’s still going to be at 2 PM regardless of DST.

The site has complete step-by-step instructions for installing these patches.

The updates are available for Windows and Outlook versions 2000 and newer. Updates are not available for older versions. Microsoft no longer supports Office 97, Windows 98, and Windows Me.