Déjà bork: BSOD fairy pays key-cutting kiosk another visit
(2021/05/18)
- Reference: 1621329306
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/05/18/bork/
- Source link:
Bork!Bork!Bork! A déjà vu of the borked variety landed on our desk today as another automated key-cutting machine housed in a Do-It-Yourself emporium shows its true colours: white on blue.
The stricken system was spotted by Register reader David in the lovely Cambridgeshire town of St Neots. The town's growth over the years has meant the inevitable arrival of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) superstore B&Q and a (now borked) machine to cut keys.
Those feeling like they've seen this snafu before would be right. A sibling of the machine in a Huddersfield B&Q outlet [1]featured in these very pages last year showing a disturbingly similar error. A spokesperson for the Keighley-based My Key Machine supplier of the borked box told us that an engineer had been dispatched to deal with whatever hardware fault had occurred.
[2]
Click to enlarge
Certainly, a remote recovery from a BSOD can present a challenge unless one has an extra long finger with which to jab the reset button (or perform the hardware equivalent).
[3]For the marketeer that has everything – except a CPU fan
[4]Another platform on which Java will not run – platform 1 of Newcastle's Central Station
[5]Stale and past its best. Are you talking about Windows or the pizza you're waiting for?
[6]Börk returns to its spiritual home of Sweden as duff disks take down Stockholm signage
The difference this time is that a thoughtful member of staff, doubtless concerned for the poorly machine's welfare, has left a bucket in front to catch whatever Windows vomits up from the depths of its memory dump (while OS/2 holds its hair back and says something soothing).
Judging by the sheer bloat of Windows nowadays, one would probably need a bigger bucket. Fortunately, that BSOD is an indicator of earlier, leaner versions.
[7]
[8]
As for the error itself, it's another 0x000000F4 hinting at either duff hardware or misbehaving software. As the saying goes: to have one kiosk fail is unlucky. To have two drop over… well, very unlucky.
It's a bit of shame since the My Key Machine is an impressive bit of kit and saves customers from the hassle of having to deal with actual humans when getting keys cut. While the devices don't need an internet connection at their location, the team behind it can fiddle with things thanks to an onboard SIM.
Assuming the bork fairy has not paid another visit. ®
Get our [9]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/01/bork/
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/05/17/keycutbork.jpg
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/14/bork/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/11/bork/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/07/bork/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/30/bork/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YKOQONfdOseGuoj2V6jIawAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YKOQONfdOseGuoj2V6jIawAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The stricken system was spotted by Register reader David in the lovely Cambridgeshire town of St Neots. The town's growth over the years has meant the inevitable arrival of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) superstore B&Q and a (now borked) machine to cut keys.
Those feeling like they've seen this snafu before would be right. A sibling of the machine in a Huddersfield B&Q outlet [1]featured in these very pages last year showing a disturbingly similar error. A spokesperson for the Keighley-based My Key Machine supplier of the borked box told us that an engineer had been dispatched to deal with whatever hardware fault had occurred.
[2]
Click to enlarge
Certainly, a remote recovery from a BSOD can present a challenge unless one has an extra long finger with which to jab the reset button (or perform the hardware equivalent).
[3]For the marketeer that has everything – except a CPU fan
[4]Another platform on which Java will not run – platform 1 of Newcastle's Central Station
[5]Stale and past its best. Are you talking about Windows or the pizza you're waiting for?
[6]Börk returns to its spiritual home of Sweden as duff disks take down Stockholm signage
The difference this time is that a thoughtful member of staff, doubtless concerned for the poorly machine's welfare, has left a bucket in front to catch whatever Windows vomits up from the depths of its memory dump (while OS/2 holds its hair back and says something soothing).
Judging by the sheer bloat of Windows nowadays, one would probably need a bigger bucket. Fortunately, that BSOD is an indicator of earlier, leaner versions.
[7]
[8]
As for the error itself, it's another 0x000000F4 hinting at either duff hardware or misbehaving software. As the saying goes: to have one kiosk fail is unlucky. To have two drop over… well, very unlucky.
It's a bit of shame since the My Key Machine is an impressive bit of kit and saves customers from the hassle of having to deal with actual humans when getting keys cut. While the devices don't need an internet connection at their location, the team behind it can fiddle with things thanks to an onboard SIM.
Assuming the bork fairy has not paid another visit. ®
Get our [9]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/10/01/bork/
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/05/17/keycutbork.jpg
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/14/bork/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/11/bork/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/07/bork/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/30/bork/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YKOQONfdOseGuoj2V6jIawAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/bootnotes&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YKOQONfdOseGuoj2V6jIawAAAAM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
GlenP
I've also had the sharp intake of breath, followed by, "Nobody keeps the blanks for those because they break the cutting machine!"
That was from a local indie key shop, went round the corner to Timpsons who took one look at the key, reached for the blanks and cut the copies. When we mentioned what the previous shop had said the response was, "Bullshit!"
I saw one of these trucks yesterday...
Neil Barnes
https://www.bork.de/de/
Perhaps, along with their logistics enterprise, they are actually responsible for, er, borking all these displays? German efficiency, and all that?
TRT
That goodness it's a BSOD and not some software licensing message asking people to "input a valid key".
"and saves customers from the hassle of having to deal with actual humans..."
I have to say that on the few occasions that I've had key cut, I've always found the staff to be extremely quick and efficient.
Them: "What key do you want cut?"
Me: - holds up key -
Them: "How many do you want?"
Me: "Two"
Them: - takes key, selects two blanks from the rack behind, mounts key in cutting machine, cuts 1st blank, cuts 2nd blank.
Them: "That'll be £7".
Done in a few short minutes. My kind of human interaction.