Urgent Notification for Microsoft Windows PCs

Late last week, Microsoft discovered that a serious flaw in Windows security was made public. This meant that hackers knew exactly what the flaw is and could write malware or virus to take control of the PC under the “right” conditions.

Microsoft released an emergency patch to Windows, which should be applied to all versions of Windows. The patch is critical to Windows 98/2000/XP and merely “important” to Windows Vista. More information about this vulnerability and patch is found at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958644

The patch automatically gets installed by Windows Update. Chances are good that your system has already been updated. However, under certain conditions, the patch may not get applied automatically and the user should check to see if it is applied and run Windows Update manually. You can see if the patch is installed in Control Panel/Add-Remove Programs. Make sure that “Show Updates” box is checked. Here is a couple of picture for your reference. The list under Software Updates is long, so the 2nd screenshot just shows the patch in question as installed.

Our customers under our BTMS program have been notified and the patch will be deployed automatically. For those that are not covered by any “managed service” like BTMS, as stated above, Windows Update should automatically apply the patch.
Should you have questions or need help in determining your system’s status, please contact your IT support person/company.

Sincerely,
--BizTech and Home PC Helpers