New patches for Windows 2000 and Outlook

Microsoft have released a beta version of the Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 to MSDN subscribers, and have also released a patch for Outlook after the ILOVEYOU virus hit hard. The Windows 2000 patch is only available to Professional and Universal MSDN subscribers. Evidently a list of fixes was available at http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWS2000/downloads/recommended/prem_sp1/fixes.htm but this seems to have been removed. Full story on this update at betanews. Outlook gets a special update to counter the effects of macro viruses. Fixes include:

• Outlook users will be prevented from accessing several file types when sent as e-mail attachments, including executables and batch files
• Prompts to users when external programs attempt to access Outlooks address book or send mail on their behalf
• Set default security that disables most automatic scripting and ActiveX controls from opening without the user's permission.

The update will be available from the week of May 22. See Microsoft's Office Update site for more information, and see Betanews for the story.