Undefined form variables with Internet Explorer

Issue

Users viewing ColdFusion pages using Internet Explorer 6.0 may get errors indicating that a form variable is undefined. The problem is intermittent, and usually goes away when the page is refreshed. The undefined variable may change on subsequent viewings of the page. The specific error looks like:

Element USER is undefined in FORM

The specific element name will change based on the form being submitted. This issue does not occur with Netscape, FireFox or other browsers.

Reason

This issue is caused by a known bug in a Microsoft patch. Please review the Microsoft knowledge base article at:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=831167

Some ColdFusion users report the 500 server error as a symptom they see but this bug and its fix has resolved the issue for many ColdFusion users.

Solution

Apply the patch in the Microsoft knowledge base article to update Internet Explorer.

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