The Ghost of Windows Past haunts a street corner in Bermondsey

12BoC Bork goes big in the latest edition of The Register’s 12 Borks of Christmas, with Windows reporting problems in the southeast London district of Bermondsey.

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Snapped by the passenger of eagle-eyed Register reader Duncan, the offending display can be spotted on London’s Jamaica Road. Should you ever fancy taking a trip around the geography of bork, by our reckoning you’ll find this sign normally slinging ads at passersby on the corner of Jamaica Road and West Lane, not too far from Bermondsey tube station.

The dialog belies the low resolution of the screen and appears to be running the OS that will not die, Windows 7. Its grandparent, XP, is considered the cockroach of operating systems but luckily for the residents of Bermondsey, this sign has escaped its clutches.

It has not, however, escaped a hard disk error and the suggestion from Windows that a backup would be a good idea. Unless this is some clever ad to persuade punters to part with cash for a PC protection program. Still, it’s good to see the old thing shining out like a beacon of bork.

As for the sign itself, it seems likely that it is one of Global’s outdoor digital screens. The company lays claim to more than 253,000 outdoor sites across the UK, reaching a lucky 95 per cent of the population.

There is every chance that the screen exhibiting unhappiness here is one of the company’s digital roadside units. Ads must be 576 x 288 pixels to meet Spec A of the group’s requirements, which looks to be what is on show here. Each ad receives a 10-second slot, although we fear that the Windows bork could well have been on show for considerably longer than that.

Poor Microsoft. Despite trumpeting Windows 11 and its rounded corners, and spirited attempts to kill off Windows 7, the operating system of Christmas past, replete with what could be Aero effects, continues to make its presence felt. ®