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#1 2008-07-11 3:50 am
- Bat
- Adult's Play
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 24076
Microsoft anti-malware tool removes Firefox 3?
WE'VE RECEIVED a report that suggests Microsoft might be up to its old tricks again.
Windows 95 wouldn't permit users to run DR-DOS instead of MS-DOS. Back in the day, Caldera sued Microsoft, and the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
A reader writes:
"Yesterday (9 July) I received two updates - one a security update, the other the latest version of the Malicious Software Removal Tool. Upon updating, I had NO INTERNET. I use Firefox 3 and it seems the MSRT removed what it deemed malicious to [Microsoft] - namely Firefox. I tried again today with the same result. Had to use system restore both times."
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#2 2008-07-11 9:27 am
- user
- Your plastic pal who's fun to be with
- From: I'm not getting you down, am I
- Registered: 2001-10-15
- Posts: 14551
Re: Microsoft anti-malware tool removes Firefox 3?
DR DOS... I ran that back in the day because it had an on-the-fly compression routine that double the size of my hard drive, from 40 meg to 80 meg. When I installed Windows 3, I got a dire warning that DR DOS was not supported, but Windows installed anyway and worked just fine.
Aw, he's no fun, he fell right over.
Unless you become as little children, there's no way you will believe this crap.
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#3 2008-07-11 1:24 pm
- Bat
- Adult's Play
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 24076
Re: Microsoft anti-malware tool removes Firefox 3?
Yup. I'll test this myself soon, as I plan to use FF3 with the 'new' machine. Meanwhile it sounds like either a coincidence and/or a good headline, but not typical or designed. MS is sneakier than that.
'Legacy' box is close too, if I have a suitable PSU handy. '98SE will give me access to DOS 7.11 (IIRC 6.22 was the last they published & sold separately).
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#5 2008-07-11 1:54 pm
Re: Microsoft anti-malware tool removes Firefox 3?
Bat wrote:
MS is sneakier than that.
Not really. I remember something like this before, with Firefox 1.5 or 2 as a matter of fact.
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#6 2008-07-11 2:00 pm
- Bat
- Adult's Play
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 24076
Re: Microsoft anti-malware tool removes Firefox 3?
ScifiterX wrote:
Bat wrote:
MS is sneakier than that.
Not really. I remember something like this before, with Firefox 1.5 or 2 as a matter of fact.
I think they are. It's better to quietly sabotage than blatantly remove something; that's just too obvious (and actionable, and liable to PO the ~20% marketshare FF has now).
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#7 2008-07-11 2:32 pm
- D'Eyncourt
- OMGDICTATOR
- Registered: 2001-12-27
- Posts: 8216
- Website
Re: Microsoft anti-malware tool removes Firefox 3?
The security patch is likely MS08-037 that has a (now) known ZoneAlarm problem which corrupts the network connection. It doesn't have anything to do with Firefox.
BOYCOTT SONY
"I think the question now is not whether you went to Vietnam or whether you didn't, whether you fought in the war or fought against the war. I think the only question is whether we can find a president smart enough never to make a mistake like that again"--Molly Ivins, way back in 1992
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#9 2008-07-11 4:47 pm
- Bat
- Adult's Play
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 24076
Re: Microsoft anti-malware tool removes Firefox 3?
D'Eyncourt wrote:
The security patch is likely MS08-037 that has a (now) known ZoneAlarm problem which corrupts the network connection. It doesn't have anything to do with Firefox.
I have a topic on that nearby. ZoneAlarm's been fixed.
Edit: I see the article's been revised since first posting.
It's the security patch that's borking users' Internet connections, other readers have informed us, not the anti-malware tool update.
That's not good, but it's not as bad as deleting competing browser software.
Carry on. µ
Last edited by Bat (2008-07-11 5:22 pm)
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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