EVE Online update kills Windows PCs

Subscribers to EVE Online are being warned not to touch the latest update to the massive online game because it can damage Windows XP machines.

EVE Online is a massive multiplayer online game with over 200,000 subscribers. The Trinity update is an improved graphics engine for the game.

The Register received several emails overnight from gamers warning of the issue. The Trinity update removes the BOOT.INI file from Windows XP requiring people to perform system reinstalls or even completely reinstalling their operating system.

A statement on the EVE Online website says:

An issue has been discovered whereby Windows XP and older Windows OS users who have upgraded their EVE clients from Classic Graphics Content to Premium Graphics Content have their boot.ini file deleted. For users facing this issue, we recommend users DO NOT reboot their computers until this issue has been resolved, otherwise a potential reinstall of the operating system may be needed.

CCP Games, the company behind EVE Online, have taken the patch down until the issue is fixed.

The statement is available here, and there's more info here.