Microsoft last week confirmed that Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 contain an un-patched bug that could be used to infect computers.

The bug is in the “Windows Help and Support Center” which can be used to access and download Microsoft help files from the Web. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution.

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Microsoft is testing a new free “Fix it Center” – designed to prevent, or detect and repair, basic PC problems. The Fix It Center is an online and PC-based tool which could help Windows users prolong the life of their system.

A fair amount of diagnostics are already built into Windows 7, the free Fix it Center aims to expand on these and also bring similar capabilities to earlier versions of Windows, such as Windows XP and Windows Vista. The service, currently in beta consists of both a Windows download and an online service

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Some users have reported that Microsoft’s recent security updates have crippled their Windows XP computers with the notorious Blue Screen of Death

The patch, part of Februarys update and listed under MS10-015 , dealt with a problem caused by the switchover from 16-bit to 32-bit systems back in 1993. A 16-bit emulator introduced with Windows 3.1 and present ever since turns out to run the risk of running a bogus application which allows access to the system’s kernel.

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Microsoft support for Windows Server 2000 will end next July; at the same time Windows Server 2003 will switch to only receive limited support.

Crissy House, the Windows Server operations manager, used the Windows Server Division Web blog to confirm the support situation on Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003.

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Microsoft is planning another security patch Tuesday on the 14 July. Half of the security bulletins coming next week target the Windows client and Windows Server platforms with a severity rating of “Critical”.

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Microsoft has issued a security advisory (971778) warning that hackers are exploiting an un-patched critical vulnerability in Windows DirectX used by Gamers and for streaming video from Web sites.

Hackers are using malicious QuickTime files (Apple’s default video format) to hijack PCs, in the advisory Microsoft said. “The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if the user opened a specially crafted QuickTime media file … Microsoft is aware of limited, active attacks that use this exploit code.”

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Ktec Training have announced an Easter Offer where their MCSE 2003 Training Course Bundle is now £199 – Saving £100 was £299. The price is for a 12 Month Subscription with Anytime Online Access & includes video simulations and self test questions as well as downloadable PDF Notes.

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Microsoft have now confirmed that the un-patched bug in Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) that hackers are now exploiting also exists in older versions of the browser, including the still-widely-used IE6.

In a revised security advisory 961051, Microsoft said research confirmed that the bug is within all its browsers, including those it currently supports — IE5. IE6 and IE7 — as well as the preview version of IE8 Beta 2

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