Windows XP will fail to load without a boot.ini file, requiring a boot disk to restore functionality. CCP has since removed the damaging patch from its servers.

"Please do not reboot your computer until you have read this," begins an official EVE Online forum post by CCP developer Pete Thacker.

Thacker notes that only users updating from the Classic to the Premium client have encountered the problem, while adding that players running Windows Vista should be unaffected. Links to Microsoft websites providing instructions on how to restore the deleted file are also provided in the post.

"We are working on a solution for this and will have more information as soon as it's ready," concludes Thacker. "We apologise for this and are working as best we can to find a solution."

The offending line of code is reported to come at the beginning of the installation process. "Output folder: C:\Program Files\CCP\EVE, Delete file: \boot.ini, Extract: boot.ini," read the installation logs of the patch victims.