Just died, Microsoft had to urgently patch Windows 7

Two weeks after officially discontinuing support for Windows 7, Microsoft must immediately release a fix for the previous update package.

On January 14, Microsoft released the final update for Windows 7, ending complete support after 11 years of launch. However, after the update, some customers' computers encountered a problem.

The "final" update of Windows 7 has a dumb bug that Microsoft must continue to support. Photo: Shutterstock.

"After installing KB4534310, your wallpaper may turn black if you use the Stretch option," Microsoft admitted. This error only occurs when users choose Stretch, other modes such as Fit, Fill, Tile or Center on Windows 7 still work normally.

Initially, the company said that customers who pay for Windows 7 Extended Security Updates will receive a patch, but after one night they changed their mind, making it free to all Windows 7 users and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.

According to The Verge, this is an "embarrassing" bug for Microsoft. Instead of removing the burden of support for the aging operating system and focusing on Windows 10, the company must extend the update time due to its own mistakes.

Launched in 2009, Windows 7 is one of Microsoft's most successful operating systems. At its peak, Windows 7 was installed on 900 million devices. By the end of 2019, the operating system still accounted for 26.7% of the personal computer market, second only to Windows 10 (65.4%), according to StatCounter.