MS08-050: Description of the update for Windows Messenger 4.7 for Windows XP: August 12, 2008

Microsoft has released security bulletin MS08-050. To view the complete security bulletin, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites:

• Home users:
  http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/updates/bulletins/200808.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/updates/bulletins/200808.mspx)
  Skip the details: Download the updates for your home computer or laptop from the Microsoft Update Web site now:
  http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/ (http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/)
• IT professionals:
  http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS08-050.msp (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS08-050.mspx)

How to obtain help and support for this security update

For home users, no-charge support is available by calling 1-866-PCSAFETY in the United States and Canada or by contacting your local Microsoft subsidiary. For more information about how to contact your local Microsoft subsidiary for support issues with security updates, visit the Microsoft International Support Web site: North American customers can also obtain instant access to unlimited no-charge e-mail support or to unlimited individual chat support by visiting the following Microsoft Web site: For enterprise customers, support for security updates is available through your usual support contacts.

More information about this security update

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: If an application no longer works after you install this security update, you can configure the registry to exempt the application from the update. To do this, use the following method:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following subkey in the registry:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Application_name\
   Note In this step, Application_name is a placeholder for the name of the application that you want to exempt. You may have to create the Application_name subkey. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key.
   2. Type a name for the Application subkey, and then press ENTER.
      
      Note The name for the Application subkey must match the name of the executable file for the application. The name must also include the three-letter extension of the executable file for the application. For example, Microsoft Office Excel uses the following excel.exe subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\excel.exe\
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Type AllowMessengerExecHandleFailure for the name of the DWORD, and then press ENTER.
5. Right-click AllowMessengerExecHandleFailure, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
7. Exit Registry Editor.

File Information

The English (United States) version of this security update has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

For all supported x64-based editions of Windows XP Professional

For all supported 32-bit editions of Windows XP