MS07-069 Windows XP Woes Solved (and We Suggested It First!)

MS07-069's No Joy - But MS Has the Solution

Microsoft's MS07-069 cumulative security update for Internet Explorer hasn't been the most welcome update this holiday season. As our own Paul Lilly reported, lots of Windows XP SP2 users have no longer been able to connect to the Internet with IE after this update (brought to you by the same Windows Update that gave you Windows Desktop Search 3.01!). We suggested a workaround yesterday, but there's now a definitive solution that requires just a little registry magic.

For Browsing Benefits, Dial KB946627

Microsoft Knowledge Base article 946627 provides the details, which involve creating a new registry key and DWORD value in Windows XP SP2's registry. Here's a hint: save yourself some typing (or mistyping) by copying and pasting the the subkey during the registry editing process. The best news: you're back in business immediately, with no reboot required.

Great Minds Think Alike!

As it turns out, Microsoft's solution in KB article 946627 is the same registry fix detailed as part two of the solution in KB article 942367, which we suggested as a solution yesterday. So, if you already performed the steps we suggested, relax - you've already fixed the problem!

Put This In Our Stockings, Steve and Bill, Please!

Here's a wish for every Windows user this Christmastime: Microsoft, please, please, please test these security updates more thoroughly before they go out. It's absurd to make users need to whip out Regedit to fix problems of this type.