Security Patch causes problems (go figure)

[Bubba Grizz]

We have had a number of clients call us with this problem and this is the fix we found. I used the Option 2 on a client it worked instantly. I had them reboot and the fix stays. I hope this helps.
===================

We've determined that the majority of the issues people are having with
MS06-015 / KB908531 are due to a bad interaction between the security update
and a software component included with various HP hardware devices,
including but not limited to **=> printers <=**, scanners, and cameras.


Here are two fixes which should fix problems caused by the interaction with
the HP software:


Option 1 - Modify the registry
------------------------------


- (If you have multiple user accounts set up) Log onto the computer using an
account with Administrator privileges


- Click the Start button, then click Run and type "regedit" at the prompt,
without the quotes; this will start Registry Editor


- Locate the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell
Extensions\Cached key in Registry Editor


- Right click on the key and select New / DWORD Value


- Rename the resulting value "{A4DF5659-0801-4A60-9607-1C48695EFDA9}
{000214E6-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} 0x401", without the quotes


- Right click the value, select Modify, and type "1" into the Value Data
field


- Close Registry Editor


Option 2 - Kill the HP process
------------------------------


- Wait until Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, or whichever component is
encountering problems is in an unresponsive state


- Click the Start button, then select Run and type "taskmgr" at the prompt,
without the quotes; this will start Task Manager


- Locate any instances of hpgs2wnd.exe or hpgs2wnf.exe in Task Manager, then
right click on them and select End Process


Notes:


- Option 2 this may disable some HP device-specific functionality until you
restart your computer.


- Option 2 will correct the problem for the logged-in user, but not for all
users on a computer with multiple user accounts. For that reason, Option 1
is the preferred option.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If your computer is not currently unresponsive, you should only have to do
Option 1 or Option 2, not both. If your computer is currently unresponsive,
you should be fixed by doing Option 2.


I'm very sorry about the inconvenience this has caused you all; hopefully
this will get things back on track. Please note that MS06-015 fixes a
critical security vulnerability, so it's very important that you reinstall
it as soon as possible if you've uninstalled it. Please also keep in mind
that disabling Auto Update will leave your computer unprotected even after
we release security updates. I understand that this experience has been
very frustrating for many of you, but I really must still strongly recommend
that you leave [Automatic Updates] enabled for your own safety.

[Aabidano]

Latest batch of patches wouldn't run on my system. MS sent me a utility after sending them mail via the reporting tool that actually fixed the problem.

That's a first for me, having a problem corrected by MS support. Every time I've called them from work they wanted money to correct known problems with their OS.

[Deward]

My years of experience have taught me to never install the updates as soon as they become available. I always wait at least a couple days unless I am worried about being compromised. Hence I haven't had a problem in years. By waiting you let the other people test the patches first. I learned this back in the late nineties with Windows 95 and 98 patches and updates.

[Animalor]

Here's an MS article detailing the affected products and the regedit solution described above.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918165

We had an issue with the new IE ActiveX change and Siebel. Had to target the compatibility fix to a certain subset of our organisation to give us the time to apply the fix pack that Siebel will be releasing in May.

Hopefully that fix pack comes because in June, the compatibility fix expires and Siebel users will be up shit creek without a paddle.