Apple Scrambles To Respond To QuickTime Fix ComplaintsApple Scrambles To Respond To QuickTime Fix Complaints

Complaints about the QuickTime security patch Apple Computer released three days ago dominated support message boards Friday as Apple responded with an unintaller to roll back the player to an earlier version.

Tuesday, Apple debuted QuickTime 7.0.4 for both the Mac and Windows, and said that the new version fixed eight critical vulnerabilities in the player's parsing of image and media files.

Almost immediately, Apple's support message groups began buzzing with user complaints.

On Wednesday, a user identified as "Erik Nanstiel" wrote "I'm having LOTS and LOTS of problems after upgrading to the latest quicktime [sic]. Now I'm contemplating reinstalling my entire system just to get rid of the cursed upgrade!!!"

Others said that after installing 7.0.4, video playback quality "looked really bad," and the Front Row application -- which Apple unveiled in the most recent upgrades to its G5 iMacs and includes with its new Intel-based iMacs -- wouldn't work properly.

"Kevin Kishfy" wrote on the same support board that "I can't believe what Quicktime 7.0.4 did to my mac…supposed to be major stability improvements, WOW were they wrong."

Windows users, too, have been busy on the boards, with some saying they can't connect to the Internet after the update, and others noting repeated server time-outs as they try to update earlier versions to 7.0.4.

Although Apple was not immediately available for comment -- in any case, its policy is to keep mum about security problems -- the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer and electronics maker has posted an uninstaller for 7.0.4 on the Mac.

The uninstaller rolls back QuickTime to version 7.0.1.

Some comments on Apple's message boards claim that the problems with 7.0.4 disappear after users first returned their machines' QuickTime to 7.0.1, then updated to 7.0.3, the version released in November 2005.