Thousands of Microsoft Windows XP computers were shut down today after McAfee's update identified a part of Windows operating system as a virus and caused the "blue screen of death" or BSOD to wreak havoc on many Windows computers. IT administrator's and others live in fear of such things. The nightmare became a reality today as the update caused the malfunction of thousands of networked computers around the world.

Not surprisingly, McAfee identified a new threat that impacts Windows PCs. This happens all the time. Windows is vulnerable to a number of hacks, security breaches and viruses which are rampant on the internet. These threats attacks critical Windows system executables and bury themselves deep into a Windows computer's memory. You would think that Microsoft could come up with some cure for this, but they are not that clever. Or are they more clever?

After all these years of development and updates from Microsoft and McAfee, how is it possible that Windows could be so fragile that it breaks on a simple anti-virus update?

Soon after McAfee issued a downloadable update to their popular anti-virus software for Windows XP, reports began to surface that Windows PC's--primarily Windows XP SP3 PC's--were experiencing significant issues, including constant rebooting or the BSOD (blue screen of death) system crash. How enjoyable!

The McAfee 5958 virus definition apparently detected svchost.exe--a core system file on Windows PC's--as a malware threat. As it turns out in this case, McAfee was the malware. The error is being blamed on a faulty McAfee detection of the W32/wecorl.a virus -- for those who really have this virus, our hearts go out to you!

In addition this fiasco, there may be remnants of files and systems affected that are not apparent. A fix is offered by McAfee here. 

This exposes a major flaw in the Windows XP architecture. It is vulnerable to such miscoding. The solution for some may not be to upgrade to Windows 7 another "potentially infected" system. A reasonable person might expect upgrades, updates and foul ups that may create future incidents like this. Even if your Windows system is stable now, there is no reason to assume that it will be stable tomorrow or the next day. Losing your system, your data or your user preferences is no fun. There is no guarantee that your anti-virus program will work. The same goes for your backup software.

After this catastrophic blunder, Windows apologists and PC fan boys are now recommending an "upgrade" to Windows 7. Take your chances. Obviously, this will lead to more money in their pockets. That's how they make their living. Will upgrading to WIndows 7 solve the core issues - swiss cheese system architecture, malware, viruses, bad programming, errors, mischief, profit, ...whatever.

After they've moved you to Windows 7, will it suffer from the same viruses and update malfunctions as Windows XP, Windows 95 and other Windows products? Who makes money on the next upgrade?