Windows Vista - all versions
A number of people are reporting big
problems with the latest Windows Vista updates and patches. We've
experienced some of these problems too. One of the biggest problems
are programs that won't run after you've installed the latest
updates. The symptoms of this problem are:
1. You click the program shortcut and
nothing happens
2. You click the program shortcut and
get an error message that the program has encountered a problem and
needs to close.
If you've started having problems like
these, try disabling DEP (Data Execution Prevention) for the
program(s) that are giving you problems in Windows Vista.
In Windows Vista you can access the DEP
dialog by right-clicking "Computer" in the start menu (or on the
desktop) and choosing "Properties". In the dialog that appears,
click the Advanced tab. Under Performance, click "Settings".
Now click the Data Execution Prevention
tab.
In the image above, you can see that there are two ways to
turn off DEP. The first way is to "Turn on DEP for essential Windows
Programs and services only" and the second is "Turn on DEP for all
programs and services except those I select." Rather than turning
off DEP for everything except essential Windows programs and
services, a better (and safer) way to fix DEP errors with programs
is to add those programs (or program) to the exception list. To do so, click the "Add" button and browse to the program's
executable (exe) file. If you have more than one program which isn't
running correctly or failing to start after the last Vista updates -
add it to the list as well. You have to do one program at a time,
you cannot add multiple programs in the same session. Remember to
only add programs to the DEP exception list that you are familiar
with and that you trust. And make sure you have good antivirus and
antispyware programs running on your computer and you keep them
updated.
One other problem too - The other
problem with the latest updates for Windows Vista is a security fix
for Microsoft NET framework that doesn't install correctly. So far,
no solution for that one (as of 11/14/2009).
