InPost locker units in the UK use a touchscreen workflow where users scan a code and open a locker door to drop off or collect parcels. A reported issue shows Windows running behind the scenes and presenting an activation warning watermark on the locker screen. The warning appears when Windows detects something has upset it, such as a hardware change or an unhandled configuration update. The locker hardware has been deployed for more than a decade, with updates rolled out over time, but the affected unit likely has not received recent updates. Windows may continue running despite the warning, but the activation reminder remains visible to users.
"InPost, for the uninitiated, is a logistics company headquartered in Poland. It's most famous for the banks of lockers that have sprung up around the UK in recent years (more than 14,000 of them, according to the company). The process is simple: scan a code, and a locker door opens. Either pop in a parcel, or collect one. It beats queuing at a post office to do parcel-related stuff, where the information screens might have had their own visit from the bork fairy."
"However, as with many processes that are seemingly simple and straightforward, Windows makes it less so. As our reader saw, the operating system is lurking behind the scenes, ready to receive jabs from customers' fingers on the touchscreen. Windows is probably a little hefty for an edge case like InPost lockers, and is showing customers an activation warning. The watermark appears when something has upset Windows."
"The watermark appears when something has upset Windows. Perhaps someone shoved a parcel containing a Linux distribution into one of the lockers. Or a stuffed penguin in another. More likely, there was a hardware change that threw the operating system into a spin, and someone in the back office hasn't yet clicked the OK button that would make the problem go away."
"The locker screen in front of our reader looks distinctly grubby, and we'd think twice before applying a finger to it, but it does look relatively new. InPost lockers have been on the streets of the UK for well over a decade, with hardware updates rolled out over the years. It's unlikely that updates are being applied to this particular set of lockers. While Windows won't stop work"
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