It was discovered that the initial iterations of Windows 7 exhibited longer loading times based on the selection of desktop backgrounds.
Back in the day, logging into a Windows 7 machine could feel like an eternity - all thanks to my past self's love for that mauve desktop, it seems! Turns out, the delay wasn't just due to the operating system taking its sweet time, but a simple oopsie in coding.
Microsoft insider, Ray Chen, spilled the beans in his latest blog post (yeah, the guy's got some stories!) that the excessive waiting time was probably due to a programming error. When your login is authenticated, initializing the desktop is an intricate process involving various components. Chen explains that the logon system waits for all these components to report they're ready, or else it defaults to a 30-second timeout. In this scenario, the system was anticipating a response from a bitmap - associated with the desktop wallpaper file - but a solid color background lacked that bitmap, causing the system to halt until the timeout kicked in.
Interestingly, the same 30-second delay could also occur when the 'hide desktop icons' group policy was enabled. Why? Well, old Microsoft wasn't always as smart as it is today. Group policies, Chen explains, are often late additions, "bolted on after the main code is written," which makes them more susceptible to such oversights.
Fortunately, this error was resolved within a few months of Windows 7's release. Chen pointed to a support page that confirmed the problem had been addressed in November 2009. Now, that explains why our family computer was so sluggish... but hey, better not think too hard about that one!
Chen has shed light on numerous Microsoft mysteries in his devblog, Old New Thing. For instance, did you know that certain laptop hard drives just couldn't handle the power of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation back in the day? Now with present-day Microsoft using AI to pen around 30% of its code, who knows what other 'insightful' dev blog posts we'll see in the future about coding gaffes!
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Jess KinghornJess is a gaming journalist with over a decade of experience, currently working on publications like PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she's notarly geeking out about hardware here, she's either getting cozy with a horror classic, ranting about a cult favorite to a captive audience, or tinkering with some tabletop nonsense.
- The delay experienced while logging into a Windows 7 machine, initially attributed to the operating system, was possibly due to a programming error, as revealed by Microsoft insider Ray Chen.
- Chen explains that the logon system waits for all components to report readiness before initializing the desktop, and in the studied scenario, it was waiting for a response from a bitmap (associated with the desktop wallpaper file), which lacked due to a solid color background.
- Interestingly, the 30-second delay could also occur when the 'hide desktop icons' group policy was enabled, as this feature was often a late addition and more susceptible to oversights.
- Now, with present-day Microsoft using AI to pen around 30% of its code, we might soon see more insightful dev blog posts about coding gaffes, as Chen has done with numerous Microsoft mysteries in his devblog, Old New Thing.
- Chen's latest blog post revealed that certain laptop hard drives had trouble handling the power of Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation back in the day, suggesting that technology and gadgets like smartphones and high-end games can push the limits of our devices.
- In the world of gaming, Jess Kinghorn, a gaming journalist with over a decade of experience, provides updates, reviews, and deals on the latest games and technology, such as Windows 11, its installation process, and security requirements, all picked by the PC Gamer team.
