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Sometimes, a patch can be almost as bad as the problem it fixes. This happen on Microsoft’s latest round of security patches. Microsoft’s latest round of security patches appears to be causing some PCs to seize up and display a black screen, rending the computer useless.

The problem affects Microsoft products including Windows 7, Vista and XP operating systems, said Mel Morris , the CEO and CTO for the U.K. security company Prevx.

Prevx was alerted to the problem by users of its security software last week, Morris said. Microsoft apparently made changes to the Access Control List (ACL), a list of permissions for a logged-on user. The ACL interacts with registry keys, creating visible desktop features such as a sidebar.

However, the latest patches appear to make some changes to those registry keys. The effect is that some installed applications aren’t aware of the changes and don’t run properly, causing a black screen, Morris said.

Security applications seem to be particularly affected. Morris said users of other security products have also complained about the issue, even going so far as trying to reinstall the operating system to fix it.

“If you’ve got this problem, it’s massively debilitating,” Morris said.

Microsoft today confirmed that it is looking into reports that November’s security updates have triggered a black screen on some Windows users’ PCs.

“Microsoft is investigating reports that its latest release of security updates is resulting in system issues for some customers,” said a company spokesman in an e-mail Monday. “Once we complete our investigation, we will provide detailed guidance on how to prevent or address these issues.”

“Once we complete our investigation, we will provide detailed guidance on how to prevent or address these issues,” the statement continued.

In other words, Microsoft hasn’t yet committed to releasing a patch for the patch that appears to be causing the problems, though it’s looking into it.

The root of the issue appears to be caused by a change in handling some Windows registry entries that were added by the latest set of Patch Tuesday fixes released on Nov. 10, according to Prevx.

For users who are afflicted with the black screen problem Prevx has released software that fixes the registry to match the ACL settings, which should resolve the problem, Morris said. Users could do this on their own by modifying their registry settings, but making alterations to those settings is risky since it can severely affect how the operating system runs. The firm is offering a free downloadable tool.