Gnomie Mike Thomas writes:

Dear Chris,

Last night was Update Night here, and since I had Automatic Updates turned on, I received the two updates from Microsoft and they were installed. I then rebooted, as per instructions, to finish the installation.

After the reboot, I was unable to access the Internet — either by my DSL or by the dial-up connection. I was not best pleased.

I double-checked all wiring, and the connections were secure. I ran all possible checks on the machine, which said that all was as it should be — all devices in good working order. I even reinstalled my ISP software, to no avail. I still had no access to the Net.

This morning I spent over an hour and a half on the phone with my ISP tech support. The young man there was very patient with me and as helpful as he could possibly be. We exhausted every avenue, ran every test, and came up with the inescapable conclusion that the problem was not with their hardware or software.

After that, I tracked down and uninstalled the two updates from last night. Mirable dictu, I had access to the Internet again!

I’m not sure which of the two was responsible for cutting me off from the Net, or if it was the combination of the two, but without them I have access, while with them, I do not.

I have XP Media Center SP3 running on a Compaq Presario desktop. My ISP is Net Zero DSL. I’ve never had any serious problems with either (aside from getting SP3 installed on the AMD chipset).

Am I the only one to have this problem with these updates, or is it more widespread, and to what extent? What are the common factors, if any?

Most important, when will this be fixed, and will somebody please tell me so I can turn Automatic Updates back on? And how will Microsoft get the amended updates to those who cannot figure out how to get back on the Net? By telephone or by snail mail?

Can you swing some extra clout at MS? Or at least tell me where to direct my displeasure?

PS Tonight I got a phone call from my cousin, who has DSL from Bellsouth. She was also unable to access the Net after Update Tuesday. Therefore, I must conclude that the problem is not only with my ISP. I walked her through the steps to turn off Automatic Update and to uninstall the updates from Tuesday. Behold, she also now has access to the Net.