14 responses to “This month’s patches a real yawner”

1. 

   sanda May 14th, 2010 at 18:52

   The two patches I’m offered are:
   KB978542 and KB890830 – the latter appears to be different one than the KB978213 you list. Should I do the KB890830 now or wait?

2. 

   rc primak May 14th, 2010 at 23:27

   Woody, what if I have Windows XP and the original Outlook Express which came with it, but never use OE for e-mail or mail-to? Can I still wait on the patch?

3. 

   EP May 14th, 2010 at 23:53

   well woody after MS released a megaton of patches last month, it’s no surprise that this month’s patches are so few and are not so essential.

4. 

   FTWMike May 16th, 2010 at 03:59

   Is it just me or is anyone else annoyed by the fact that even if one ‘un-installs’ Outlook Express, it’s still on the system and, as shown in by these updates, still posing security risk to the system?

   Mike

5. 

   woody May 16th, 2010 at 04:40

   RC -

   Absolutely. OE isn’t an immediate threat to anybody. It’s just a tired, old annoyance.

6. 

   woody May 16th, 2010 at 04:40

   Sanda -

   Wait for the all-clear.

7. 

   rc primak May 17th, 2010 at 10:57

   My default e-mail program (the one that pops up in any “mailto” link) is Eudora 8, recently updated, so I feel safe for now.

8. 

   Bill May 18th, 2010 at 02:17

   Hi Woody,

   I actually use XP (SP2) and OE 6. (Rare, I know!) I only use IE 6 for the monthly Windows Critical Updates though, but use Firefox 3.6.3 for all internet browsing. (I realize the opinion is that all this stuff should be updated, but I need to stick with what I’ve got for a variety of reasons.)

   FYI (since this update concerns mail servers), my internet provider is Earthlink (I actually still use dial-up — go figure!), in case that matters. Incoming mail server is pop.mindspring.com and outgoing is smtpauth.earthlink.net.
   http://support.earthlink.net/articles/email/earthlink-email-faq.php

   I’ve been sending/receiving email normally since this update came out. No problems yet that I know of.

   Do I need to install KB978542 immediately, or can I wait for the all-clear from you? (Always like to wait to see if there’s any problems before installing…)

   Thanks for the help!

9. 

   woody May 20th, 2010 at 05:48

   Bill -

   Definitely wait. There aren’t any screamer patches this month.

10. 

    Bill May 21st, 2010 at 02:30

    Thanks, Woody.

    I don’t think I made it really clear, but I do use Outlook Express 6 for all email. Still okay to wait, right?

    Thanks again!

11. 

    woody May 21st, 2010 at 22:58

    Bill -

    Yep. OK to wait.

12. 

    rc primak May 23rd, 2010 at 03:36

    Some Vista and Windows 7 users are reporting that if Automatic Updates was turned on, MS Updates downloaded and installed a driver update. It messed up their networking. This is separate from the earlier MS10-021 (KB 979683) issues. Microsoft is offering this driver update as a “critical” update. I think it concerns the “1394″ type of networking device. Some printers apparently also use this type of connection.

    Anyway, beware of any driver updates which may be mixed in with this month’s MS Updates.

13. 

    Ron May 26th, 2010 at 05:55

    Woody I just got the KB981793 up on my Pc is it ok to install it or should i hold off a bit im running Windows Xp Sp3. Thanks

14. 

    woody May 26th, 2010 at 22:43

    Ron -

    Hold off. There’s nothing pressing at the moment…