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Computerworld - Microsoft Corp. today confirmed that Windows XP users who repair the operating system cannot update their PCs with the latest patches because of a file included with the stealth update pushed out to machines this summer.

"When an XP repair CD is used, it replaces all system files (including Windows Update) on your machine with older versions of those files and restores the registry," said Nate Clinton, program manager for Windows Update (WU), in a post to the Microsoft company blog dedicated to the update service. "However, the latest version of Windows Update includes 'wups2.dll' that was not originally present in Windows XP. Therefore, after the repair install of the OS, wups2.dll remains on the system, but its registry entries are missing. This mismatch causes updates to fail installation."

The Windows Secrets newsletter reported the patch installation failures after tests on Windows XP machines that had been restored by an in-place reinstall. The root of the problem, said the publication, is that seven DLLs from the latest revision to WU -- not just one -- failed to register themselves with XP. Microsoft could not provide an explanation for the discrepancy between the claims.

The file cited by Clinton, wups2.dll, is one of the seven fingered by Windows Secrets and part of the so-called stealth update that Microsoft sent to most noncorporate Windows XP and Vista users beginning in July and running through this month. The update was delivered and installed without prior notification, even when the PC's owner had told the operating system not to download or install updates without notification and permission.

Computerworld on Thursday confirmed through testing that the WU update silent update -- tagged as 7.0.600.381 -- blocks 80 patches and hot fixes from installing on a just-repaired system restored with a retail version of Windows XP SP2. After executing a batch file recommended by Windows Secrets, the batch file registered each of the seven suspect DLLs. The updates could be installed, however.

Clinton said the problem would be fixed by registering only the wups2.dll file. He also listed the steps users should take, and pointed to KB943144, a document on Microsoft's support database, for more details.

Although Scott Dunn of Windows Secrets said the post-repair update bug is proof of the danger that stealth updates pose, Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security Inc., said today that the practice also hits Microsoft in the wallet.

"Imagine the amount of work for Microsoft's support teams on this," he said. "It would have probably taken a couple of hours on the phone to help a customer," he added, because even the support representative would not have had any idea that the WU update was the cause. "This isn't just a PR problem for Microsoft, but also a support problem.