Microsoft offers temporary solution to ODBC connection problems

Microsoft released a temporary solution to a problem that was affecting Windows apps connecting via ODBC databases after the Patch Tuesday update for November 2022.

The company disclosed in December that affected apps may not be able to connect to certain databases using connections with Microsoft’s ODBC SQL Server Driver driver.

This issue affects both the client and server Windows platforms. It includes Windows 7 SP1 SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 as well as Windows 11 SP1 and Windows Server 2022.

Microsoft stated that apps using ODBC connections via Microsoft ODBC SQL Server Driver(sqlsrv32.dll), to access databases may not be able to connect after installing the update.

Users might also receive messages such as “The EMS System encountered a Problem” from the app or SQL Server, along with other errors like “Protocol error within TDS Stream”, or “Unknown token received from SQL Server”.

You can check if an app uses ODBC connections but is not fetching data by opening it. Then, run “tasklist /m SQLlsrv32.dll”, from a Command Prompt Window (without quotes).

Temporary mitigation is now possible

Two methods can be used by customers affected by this issue to reduce its effects and restore apps that have been damaged:

• Install if your app uses or is able to use Data Source Name to select ODBC connections.
• Your app may not be able to access DSN. The app must either be modified or use a different ODBC driver that Microsoft ODBC SQL Server Driver(sqlsrv32.dll).

Microsoft is currently working to resolve the issue. More details will be available in an update.

Other issues that were triggered by the installation of the November Patch Tuesday updates in the past two months have been addressed by the company.

It issued an emergency out-of band (OOB), November update to address .

It was fixed a month later by the LSASS memory leak problem that caused following installation of November Windows Server Updates.