Microsoft Issues Emergency Patches For Y2K22 Exchange Mail Bug And Black Screen Issues
Many people have returned to work after a long holiday break only to discover that their messages are not sending, their computer is behaving slowly, and/or they are faced with a black screen. There is thankfully an end in sight. Microsoft recently issued patches for the “YSK22” Exchange mail and black screen issues.
The Exchange Server issue began on January 1, 2022. Messages were stuck in the “transport queues” of Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019. System administrators found workarounds to get mail temporarily flowing, while Microsoft worked to create a solution.
Microsoft has now thankfully released an official fix. They noted that mail was getting stuck due to “a latent date issue in a signature file used by the malware scanning engine within Exchange Server.” System administrators will need to take action and there are now both automated and manual fixes for the issue. You can find the instructions for both of these processes on Microsoft’s website. The time it will take to resolve the problem will largely be determined by the size of the organization.
Microsoft has also resolved another annoying issue. A Windows Server bug was leading some users to encounter a black screen, slowness when attempting to sign-in, or just slowness in general. Others complained that they were unable to reach the server through the Remote Desktop and at other times their server just stopped responding entirely. Microsoft released an Out-of-band (OOB) update yesterday to resolve the problem on Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2012 R2. Users will either need to search for the update in the Microsoft Update Catalog or manually import it from the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). It is important to note that this will not update automatically and that a solution for Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2016 will be released soon.
The Exchange Server problem was an especially widespread issue as purportedly 65,000 companies use the Microsoft Exchange Servers. Microsoft claims that over 67% percent of companies with one hundred or more employees have installed Microsoft Exchange Online for emails, contacts and calendars. All of the bugs were one New Year’s surprise most probably could have done without.
The Exchange Server issue began on January 1, 2022. Messages were stuck in the “transport queues” of Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019. System administrators found workarounds to get mail temporarily flowing, while Microsoft worked to create a solution.
Microsoft has now thankfully released an official fix. They noted that mail was getting stuck due to “a latent date issue in a signature file used by the malware scanning engine within Exchange Server.” System administrators will need to take action and there are now both automated and manual fixes for the issue. You can find the instructions for both of these processes on Microsoft’s website. The time it will take to resolve the problem will largely be determined by the size of the organization.
Microsoft has also resolved another annoying issue. A Windows Server bug was leading some users to encounter a black screen, slowness when attempting to sign-in, or just slowness in general. Others complained that they were unable to reach the server through the Remote Desktop and at other times their server just stopped responding entirely. Microsoft released an Out-of-band (OOB) update yesterday to resolve the problem on Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2012 R2. Users will either need to search for the update in the Microsoft Update Catalog or manually import it from the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). It is important to note that this will not update automatically and that a solution for Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2016 will be released soon.
The Exchange Server problem was an especially widespread issue as purportedly 65,000 companies use the Microsoft Exchange Servers. Microsoft claims that over 67% percent of companies with one hundred or more employees have installed Microsoft Exchange Online for emails, contacts and calendars. All of the bugs were one New Year’s surprise most probably could have done without.
