Microsoft has released a critical update to fix a Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) installation problem caused by a third-party adware program called T.V. Media.
The software maker said T.V. Media, which styles itself as a
permission-based contextual marketing network, disrupts the successful
installation of SP2 and other critical updates.
Microsoft said PCs with T.V Media installed with the adware prevent the
security-centric SP2 from loading and serve the following error
messages: “Stop: c0000135” and “winsrv was not found.” The computer
then tries to restart itself repeatedly and forces the user to manually
disable the automatic restart function.
The company also released a knowledge base
article that includes a removal tool for the T.V. Media adware.
T.V Media is released by TotalVelocity.com and is used to serve
advertising on computers that have certain free software applications
installed. The company offers an application called Memory Meter that
promises to monitor the available memory on a computer in exchange for
advertising.
Another TotalVelocity.com application is Speed Blaster, a free
utility that supposedly optimizes the speed of a user’s Internet
connection. A note on the company’s site made it clear that users
receive advertising from T.V. Media only if they choose to download or
use free T.V. Media software applications.
“T.V. Media is not spyware and does not know who you are. T.V. Media
shows you relevant offers, information and services as you browse the
Web,” TotalVelocity.com said.
However, Microsoft is recommending that users delete the T.V. Media
software and reinstall the service pack to better defend against
viruses, worms, and malicious hackers.
