An ATM in England has replaced its Welcome screen with the Windows 7 Professional login screen, asking for a username and password instead of your PIN. According to The Register, this particular machine is located in Manchester, which is known for its bars and music scene, and often required cash transactions back in the day. However, anyone who tries to get their Pounds from this particular machine will be in for a surprise, as the display seemingly wants you to log into your Windows account before you can enter the four- or six-digit code you need to get money from your debit card.
Windows 7 is arguably one of the best versions of the ubiquitous operating system, cleaning up the mess left by Windows Vista, and second only to Windows XP. However, this OS is 17 years old right now, meaning it should be old enough to drive. It was launched in 2009 to the general public but was succeeded by Windows 8 in 2012. Still, it soldiered on for a few more years, losing mainstream support in 2015, before Microsoft finally dropped extended support in 2020.
But even though it’s been six years since Windows 7 was out of circulation, that does not mean that it’s already completely erased from commercial and industrial applications. Some businesses follow the ethos of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” which apparently stands true for these cash dispensing machines. Using an old operating system that no longer receives updates might feel dangerous, especially for an ATM. However, the bank likely didn’t bother replacing the system because it’s probably not connected to the public internet.
The Windows login screen isn’t supposed to reveal itself on an operating ATM, but this likely happened because of an update (likely not from Microsoft, but from a third-party provider) or a software crash that forced the machine to reboot without the bank’s IT services noticing it. The bank’s administrator needs to log in to Windows first, either remotely or through the terminal at the bank's ATM, before customers can start withdrawing money from it. Unfortunately, that means you won’t be getting cash from that particular machine, even if you’re desperate and have tried logging in with your username and password.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.