Microsoft to patch Windows 7 wallpaper bug

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Windows 7 hit end of support on earlier this month, meaning Microsoft wouldn't be issuing any more updates except to organisations that had shelled out for extended support.

However, only a couple of weeks on, and Microsoft will roll out a patch for Windows 7. The patch isn't addressing a dangerous vulnerability, but a bug that makes wallpaper disappear.

The bug was introduced in the very last update for Windows 7 before it hit end of support, and left users with a black background screen if the wallpaper they used had been stretched to fit.

Microsoft initially told users to find a new wallpaper that fits or use a different custom image option, such as centering the picture or tiling it to fill the screen. The company then said a patch would only be rolled out to those who had paid for extended support, but has since extended that to everyone still using the out-of-date operating system.

"We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release, which will be released to all customers running Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1," Microsoft said in a security alert.

The immediate patch for such an insignificant issue has surprised some. As security analyst Graham Cluley notes: "And there I was imagining Windows 7 users might actually have an incentive to switch to a more secure operating system."

Microsoft has issued patches to operating systems even after they hit end of life, but it's normally for severe security concerns — such as the series of updates rolled out for Windows XP in the wake of WannaCry.

Windows 7 is still used on more than a quarter of computers globally, according to Net Applications' Market Share, despite warnings from security experts and even GCHQ that it's time to upgrade to a more modern OS.

Nicole Kobie

Freelance journalist Nicole Kobie first started writing for ITPro in 2007, with bylines in New Scientist, Wired, PC Pro and many more.

Nicole the author of a book about the history of technology, The Long History of the Future.