Microsoft patch freezes Office and Explorer on HP

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 19 April 2006 04:36

Business IT - Security

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Microsoft is working frantically to develop a fix to a patch it issued a week ago, which is causing problems with HP PCs. Although the patch was designed to plug a security hole in Internet Explorer, irate HP PC owners have reported problems with the operation of both Office and Internet Explorer since installing the fix.

Some of the problems include not being able to access and save Office files in Windows folders and the inability to get Internet Explorer to access websites.

Microsoft has acknowledged and detailed the problem to security update MS06-015, as well as how to fix it manually on its website:

SYMPTOMS

After you install security update MS06-015 (908531) (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-015.mspx), you may experience one of more of the following issues:

•    Unable to access special folders like "My Documents" or "My Pictures".
•    Microsoft Office applications may stop responding when you attempt to save or open Office files in the "My Documents" folder.
•    Office files in the "My Documents" folder are not able to open in Microsoft Office.
•    Opening a file through an application's File / Open menu causes the program to stop responding .
•    Typing an address into Internet Explorer’s address bar has no effect.
•    Right-clicking on a file and selecting Send To has no effect.
•    Clicking on the plus (+) sign beside a folder in Windows Explorer has no effect.
•    Some third-party applications stop responding when opening or saving data in the “My Documents” folder.
CAUSE

The MS06-015 security update package installs a new binary, VERCLSID.EXE, which validates shell extensions before they are instantiated by the Windows Shell or Windows Explorer. On some computers, VERCLSID.EXE stops responding. The following have been identified to cause VERCLSID.EXE to stop responding:

•    Hewlett-Packard's Share-to-Web software. There have been reported issues where HP software causes the VERCLSID.EXE process to stop responding. In particular, HP's Share-to-Web Namespace Daemon (Hpgs2wnd.exe) which ships with:
•    HP PhotoSmart software

RESOLUTION

•    Hewlett-Packard's Share-to-Web software. The MS06-015 (908531) (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms06-015.mspx) security update includes a "white list"; VERCLSID.EXE will not scan any extension that appears on this list. Adding the HP shell extension corrects the problem. Manually edit the registry:

1.    Log on to the computer with an account with administrator privileges.
2.    Click the Start button and then click Run.
3.    Type Regedit and then click OK.
4.    Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Cached
5.    Right-click "Cached", point to New, click "DWORD Value", and then enter:

{A4DF5659-0801-4A60-9607-1C48695EFDA9} {000214E6-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} 0x401

6.    Set the Data of this value to 1
7.    Close the Registry Editor.
8.    Use Task Manager to end the Verclsid.exe process or restart the computer.

Note: If other third-party COM controls or shell extensions are determined to cause this issue, the same method must be used to add the appropriate shell extension.

•    Any HP DeskJet printer that includes a card reader
•    HP Scanners
•    Some HP CD-DVD RWs
•    HP Cameras

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