Microsoft quietly slips out patched patch for Outlook – in camouflage

Same name, very different results

If you held back on installing November's Patch Tuesday updates last week after Microsoft fumbled an Outlook patch, it's apparently safe to go back in the water.

Many IT managers and normal folks held off on last week's patching cycle after one Microsoft fix – KB 3097877 – broke several versions of Outlook. The error came in how the software handled fonts, and resulted in the email client crashing as soon as some emails were scrolled through.

"We have re-released KB 3097877 for Windows 7 to address the Outlook difficulties that some customers experienced. We recommend customers apply this update to help stay protected," a Microsoft spokesperson told El Reg today.

The patch affected Outlook 2010 and 2013 when it was running on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 systems. It also caused problems for some people trying to log in to Windows with the three-fingered salute (Control/Alt/Delete).

The case highlighted the problems Microsoft can have with patching. With the plethora of operating systems and software run by its users, the Redmond patch testing team has its work cut out for it to avoid code breaks with patches. Usually it works.

Reissuing the patch with the same name might cause confusion to some users, but end users should now just download the full set of patches and get to work. ®