Microsoft patch crashes IE

Microsoft's latest Internet Explorer patch has been blamed for users' browsers crashing.

After people apply the MS06-042 update, rated "critical" by Microsoft, IE may crash when certain websites are viewed – including Microsoft's own on-demand CRM service.

The problem affects IE 6 with Service Pack 1 on Windows XP and Windows 2000 systems, Microsoft said on its support website.

"Microsoft has identified an issue with the security update MS06-042," the company said in a statement. It plans to re-release the bulletin and patch on 22 August for all affected users.

The problem occurs when IE users view websites that use version 1.1 of HTTP alongside compression, according to Microsoft's notice. HTTP, or hypertext transfer protocol, is the standard protocol used to browse websites.

IE users on security mailing lists have reported browser crashes when using PeopleSoft applications that have web-based interfaces. Others report running into problems when using other applications, including Microsoft's own CRM tools.

Microsoft has a temporary fix available for the problems caused by MS06-042. However, this fix is not available for download; people have to call Microsoft's support line.

Joris Evers writes for News.com