Microsoft Updates Outlook, OneNote

Besides patching Windows, Exchange, and the Flash Player Tuesday, Microsoft also released a pair of Office 2003 non-security, high-priority updates, and as usual, unveiled a tweaked version of its Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.

The pair of Office 2003 updates refreshed Outlook 2003's anti-spam filter and fixed a flaw in OneNote 2003, the note-taking application that Microsoft sells separately from the Office suite.

According to a support document on the Redmond, Wash. developer's Web site, OneNote users would see their handwriting disappear from a Tablet PC screen when they lifted the pen.

The Malicious Software Removal Tool update added detection and deletion capability for three more pieces of malware, including the Evaman, Ganda, and Plexus worms. Each has been rated by Microsoft as a "moderate" threat. None is exactly new; two debuted in 2004, while the third is nearly three years old.

Windows XP, 2000, and Server 20003 users receive the updated tool automatically through Windows or Microsoft Update; others can download the tool and run it manually.