Microsoft has identified a problem related to the interaction between Alureon, a malware infection and a recent security patch issued by the company. Strictly speaking, the two items are unrelated, but Microsoft has determined that a specific malware program corrupts some Windows hardware drivers on affected systems. A recently released security patch renders the corrupted drivers unable to communicate with the computer and produces a system crash.

The hiccup affects 32-bit versions of Windows XP systems, but is not thought to affect 64-bit versions, or newer versions of the operating system. As a temporary response, Microsoft has removed the 32-bit XP patch from the company’s automatic update, and will supply a fix within the next two to three weeks. For users who are experiencing the problem, Microsoft recommends reinstalling the infected drivers from the recovery console, then dealing with the infection.

Malware Glitch Serves As A Good Reminder To Update Drivers

The problem serves as a good reminder for users to keep their system drivers and their anti-virus/anti-malware software updated at all times. Malware infections can be harder to prevent than traditional viruses because the user often loads malware onto the computer voluntarily. Users may not realize that a seemingly harmless utility may, in fact, be a rootkit, spyware or another form of malware that can cause significant damage to the computer’s operating system.

One good way to ensure that a computer’s drivers are up to date is to use a driver management program like Driver Detective. Driver Detective uses an extensive database that contains literally millions of software drivers. With such a large resource to draw from, you can be sure that you’ll always have the correct driver loaded for your particular system configuration.

Driver Detective will also provide clean copies of your required drivers when drivers become corrupted, get damaged or discarded by mistake. Once you have Driver Detective set up to manage your particular system, you can say goodbye to worries about driver problems. You’ll always know when a new driver is available for your system, and when driver-related problems occur. You’ll also have backup available immediately, should something unfortunate occur to your system. Just like anti-virus and malware protection, driver management software is highly recommended. Any time you can automate maintenance tasks, you’ll save yourself time and aggravation. That, by itself, is worth something!

Photo Credit: Ethan Hein, via Flickr