Windows update prompt joins the Post Office queue

"“Let's cross this one off your list” are words to strike fear into the hearts of many a Windows user, particularly when they appear on some Post Office digital signage. Spotted by an eagle-eyed Register reader in East Dulwich, London, the screen is one of two public displays designed to entertain and inform customers waiting to be ignored by a member of staff."

"The message, in theory, is helpful. Windows needs an update and is politely asking when a good time would be. The problem is that, without a keyboard and mouse is available nobody in the queue can help. And, frankly, Windows shouldn't need to ask. Considering the opening times of the average Post Office, there is plenty of time when the doors are locked, and there are no punters on hand to witness the operating system giving itself a jolly good update, with a cheeky reboot or two to finish the job."

"Here, Windows is thankfully relegated to serving up information rather than the all-important task of announcing available counters. The English may be patient queuers, but even they would baulk at a mechanical voice declaring “IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL”, followed by the news that Windows needed to dump its memory before service could resume."

"“I've always been amazed that a full-fat OS is used on a system that only has to perform a trivial function,” our reader noted, and we'd have to agree, particularly when Windows, in this instance, doesn't even seem able to do that right. That said, using Microsoft's finest to run an information screen does seem overkill."

Post Office digital signage shows Windows error messages and update prompts while customers wait. The displays are meant to entertain and inform, but they can instead present alarming system text such as BORK!BORK!BORK! and technical errors. Windows is used to run information screens rather than counter announcements, yet it still fails to handle even trivial tasks reliably. The update message asks for a good time to restart, but customers cannot interact because no keyboard or mouse is provided. With Post Office opening hours and locked doors, there is time for updates without requiring customer input, making the prompt unnecessary and disruptive.

Read at theregister