Scot Finnie is on a very short list of people I trust and read regularly. His latest newsletter calls out problems with the 832894 IE patch I recommended last week. Scot says there are problems with the patch, problems that are so severe he recommends not installing it.
I disagree. I suspect by this point Scot may too. Microsoft has acknowledged the bug that caused Scot’s problems and has released a fix with the daunting technical title 832414 – XMLHTTP call fails for URLs with embedded user credentials.
I don’t have a Web-based application running here that uses the MSXML parser, so I can’t guarantee that this patch works. But it seems to directly address the problems Scot referred to.
For most people, the IE patch is a genuine critical update and should be installed immediately. If you’re having troubles with authenticating on a Web-based application (like the content management system Scot uses), don’t compromise your PC’s security by removing this update. Instead, try installing the XML service pack. (If you’re not sure which one to use, pick Service Pack 4.) If it doesn’t work, I want to know about it.
Oh, and if you’re a Windows enthusiast, subscribe to Scot’s free newsletter. He knows his stuff.
Ed Bott 