According to PatchLink, an Internet Explorer update released last week can meddle with some applications, including Google's Toolbar.

Other applications, affected by the Web browser patch, include business software from Oracle's Siebel customer relationship management unit and certain Web applications that use specific versions of Java, PatchLink said on Friday.

Because of changes Microsoft made to how the Web browser handles Web programs called ActiveX controls, some problems arise: in the Google Toolbar, users may experience an error when closing a window that contains an inactive ActiveX control, but the problem affects only older versions of the Google Toolbar, those before version 3.0.129.2.

"Google implemented a fix and shipped this to users on March 8 by using its automatic servicing mechanism," a Microsoft representative said.

Siebel 7 users face a bigger problem though. After installing the IE patch, they must click several times to be able to use the Siebel customer relationship management program, one time for each ActiveX control in the program, PatchLink said.

Microsoft's patch can also affect ActiveX controls that use Java Platform, Standard Edition 1.3 or 1.4. Users will have to click twice to be able to use such a Web program if it uses the affected Java versions. The newer version of Java - 1.5 - is not affected