Microsoft Unveils Repatched Patch

As promised, Microsoft Tuesday released an updated edition of its April 11 MS06-016 security bulletin to eliminate a host of bad behaviors that the original fix caused on systems running older Hewlett-Packard software or NVIDIA graphics drivers.

The 2.0 patch, which is still dubbed MS06-015, will be offered to users only if it detects the conflicting HP or NVIDIA software, Microsoft has said.

"For customers who have already applied the update and are experiencing problems, the revised update will be available through Windows Update and Microsoft Update," Microsoft said in the updated bulletin. "The targeted re-release will be automatically delivered to affected computers through Automatic Update if it has been enabled."

No one else should see the update pop up, Microsoft said. "Customers who have already applied the MS06-015 update who are not experiencing problems need take no action."

The revised patch hasn't changed, but instead adds several new keys to the Windows registry. Earlier, Microsoft had recommended manually editing the registry, a potentially dangerous chore, as a workaround for the MS06-015 troubles.

Other patches unveiled earlier this month have also been questioned by users. Numerous users of Outlook Express, Microsoft's entry-level e-mail client, have complained that the MS06-016 bulletin caused address books to vanish and mail to be interrupted. Microsoft has said it is looking into the matter, but has not published an advisory or issued any other statement.