I am glad to see Microsoft taking an active approach with this Blue Screen problem that has plagued people getting the ‘INVALID_PROCESS_ATTACH_ATTEMPT’ error. Service Pack 2 was on the case and it was patched thanks to the efforts of the security folks from Microsoft. Glad to see the proactive move guys, good job. :o)

It may not be the second Tuesday of the month — Microsoft’s normal day to release security bulletins and patches — but the Redmond, Wash.-based developer has posted a critical fix to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) on its Windows Update site, and pushed it to users relying on Automatic Update.

The problem, which has actually been public since December 2004, also affects Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. In some cases, installing third-party anti-virus or firewall software — Microsoft didn’t name makers or package titles — can bring down the operating system in a Blue Screen of Death with a cryptic error that reads “Stop 0×05 (INVALID_PROCESS_ATTACH_ATTEMPT).”

Ironically, the last time a Blue Screen of Death made the news, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates was on the stage at January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, demonstrating Windows Media Center.