Manchester ATM ups PIN requirement to full Windows login

Definitely Maybe running Windows 7?

Bork!Bork!Bork! Just because Microsoft has ended support doesn't mean an operating system will suddenly disappear. Take this crusty ATM running Windows 7 in the fair city of Manchester, England.

Manchester (or "Madchester" to readers of a certain age) is known, among other things, for its music scene. Attending gigs and purchasing beverages and merchandise usually required folding money in the before times, hence an ATM like this one, spotted by Register reader Jay.

The ATM will charge a fee when dispensing cash. However, rather than a regular PIN entry screen, this device has upped the security by requesting a Windows 7 Professional login. There is only a keypad and some distressingly worn buttons with which to enter the information.

Windows 7 was first released in 2009 and reached the end of support on January 14, 2020. Extended Security Updates kept the patches flowing for a few more years, but the end finally came in 2023. A version for point-of-sale devices limped on until 2024, but is now also out of support.

Sadly, the news of Windows 7's demise has yet to arrive at this particular network of ATMs (doubtless operating on an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" basis and likely segregated from the internet), and the screen exposes the prosaic PC lurking behind the scenes. At a guess, it looks like a reboot happened, perhaps after a system update, leaving the ATM in a state where it won't dispense cash for a while.

Usually, these machines are sprayed with unmentionables by over-indulgent revellers. Here, the digital equivalent has occurred - only a catastrophic software failure would expose users to a Windows 7 login screen.

Then again, given the ticket prices for certain Manchester bands, perhaps a simple numeric overflow sent the operating system - released around the same time as Oasis's final tour before 2025's reunion - scurrying back to its login screen. ®