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Scratched PC-dispatch patch patched, hatched in batch rematch

Windows security update fixed after triggering blue screens (and screams) of death

Microsoft has reissued a security patch for Windows that previously caused PCs to suffer blue screens of death. The new release comes 10 days after Redmond advised people to uninstall the dodgy update.

"This month we had our first roll out with additional non-security updates. A small number of customers experienced problems with a few of the updates," said Tracey Pretorius, director of Microsoft Trustworthy Computing.

"As soon as we became aware of some problems, we began a review and then immediately pulled the problematic updates, making these unavailable to download. We then began working on a plan to rerelease the affected updates."

The security patch, MS14-045, covers kernel vulnerabilities in 47 of Microsoft's systems; Redmond rates it "important," one step below "critical." The problems the patch was designed to fix could lead to key information becoming visible to an attacker or allowing the escalation of privileges within a network.

The BSOD-triggering patch was an embarrassment for Microsoft: Redmond spends a lot of time testing patches against its huge codebase and having to ask users to uninstall updates caused red faces all round.

The newly released patch is being pushed out using Windows Update, and has already turned up on some El Reg computers. People without automatic updates enabled are advised to visit the Microsoft site and download the patch manually, where possible. ®

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