Well, what are we waiting for? Three weeks later, Windows Embedded Standard 7 still didn't have the answer
- Reference: 1597393806
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/08/14/bork/
- Source link:
"Please wait..." Windows Embedded Standard 7 commands from a soft blue screen adorning a wall at one of the UK's medical institutions. Our reader, who spent three weeks in the place, passed the screen every day and noted: "It never changes."
Indeed, for those of us that feel like today is the 167th of March, the words "Please wait..." pretty much sum up life at the moment.
[1]
We're waiting
Windows is notable for encouraging its users to take impromptu breaks from work. Who hasn't found themselves suddenly at a loose end prior to an important work call (or online gaming session) because Windows just had to have that update?
However, 21 days does seem a little excessive – even if one was installing Windows 7 from scratch and attempting a decade's worth of updates and patches.
The wait for this instance of Windows should soon be over. Extended support for Windows Embedded Standard 7 (Service Pack 1) finally [2]comes to an end in October 2020, unless the doubtlessly cash-strapped facility fancies spanking some additional pounds to keep that "Please wait..." showing a little longer.
What Windows is waiting for is anyone's guess. A clean shutdown, an application startup, a refresh of the natty background? 21 days waiting for Windows would cause even Samuel Beckett's Vladimir and Estragon to utter: "Steady on..."
However, in these interesting times, where life appears to be on hold and we wait to see what will happen next, it is reassuring to know that we are all indeed in this together. Even Windows 7. ®
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[1] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/08/13/borkwindowsembedded.jpg
[2] https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/lifecycle/search?alpha=Windows%20Embedded%20Standard%207
[3] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: "one of the UK's medical institutions"
The statistical likelihood is that other civilisations will arise. There will one day be lemon-soaked paper napkins. ‘Till then, there will be a short delay. Please return to your seats.
Looks like...
...a DELL wallpaper, maybe behind that lg monitor there's a dell mini-pc or some sort of thin client.
All the while it is churning the disk and sucking power doing nothing important.
Windows updates are a menace and just damage hardware.
If Microsoft really cared about updates, they would integrate a sane package manager rather than these fragile online updates that often fail.
Snigger.
"Who hasn't found themselves suddenly at a loose end prior to an important work call (or online gaming session) because Windows just had to have that update?"
Me.
The old laptop killer
I know someone who hit "shutdown" just before getting on a flight only to find their laptop completely dead on arrival - and I do mean dead, as it had drained the battery in an endless "waiting for something", causing the CPU to fry itself in the nice, thermally insulated (padded) bag it was in...
Re: The old laptop killer
Been there! Thankfully only a 1.5 hour trip so the laptop didn't die, but the bag felt like it was 30 seconds from self immolation
Re: The old laptop killer
My company insists on a laptop having an encrypted disk which requires a boot password. Leave the laptop alone on battery overnight and it sleeps, then hibernates, and then wakes up in the middle of the night to install some mandatory Windows update. It then sits in BIOS, waiting for the password with the screen lit & no power management in effect, so it's dead the next morning. And yes, if it's in the neoprene travel sleeve it's well cooked as well. So far it hasn't fried anything, and it's not my personal laptop so I don't really care. Sorry boss, missed the meeting, your f#$%^ing laptop policy screwed up again.
Re: The old laptop killer
Also been there. This current laptop has a ring of dots permanently burnt into the display from when it looked like it was going to shutdown but didn't and instead spent all night failing to do something until the battery died.
From someone who has never installed Windows....
However, 21 days does seem a little excessive – even if one was installing Windows 7 from scratch and attempting a decade's worth of updates and patches.
"Sometimes Windows sits and thinks, and sometimes it just sits"
I think that's a typo, you missed the "h"
Remember when there was talk of Windows in cars?
I was just waiting for the following message to appear:
Your brakes have stopped responding. If you wait, they may become available again. <
Re: Remember when there was talk of Windows in cars?
"Steering wheel could not be found. Hit any key to continue"
Samuel Beckett
Ah yes, his host lost masterpiece : Waiting for Windot
What Windows is waiting for is anyone's guess.
I'm going to go with: lemon-soaked paper napkins
I really need
to send mine in from the EE store in town that had a BSOD.
Well, that depends on the baud rate of your dial-up modem.
"one of the UK's medical institutions"
Not sure this is actually Borkzilla's fault. It's not a BSOD, after all.
There's a fair chance Windows is functioning perfectly well, and it's just waiting for some network service that has been shut down or is otherwise unavailable.