Microsoft blackens Windows 7 wallpapers

Earlier this month, Windows 7 met its maker as Microsoft finally pulled the plug after 10 years of support and updates. Microsoft did also say that Windows 7 users will be seeing a pop-up message asking them to upgrade to Windows 10. However, it looks like Microsoft is doing more than just showing a pop-up message.

First reported on Reddit, it looks like the last Windows 7 update has removed the wallpapers and has replaced it with a black image. The issue kicked in after Microsoft rolled out the KB4534310 and KB4534314 for Windows 7 users. Surprisingly, the issue is also affecting users who have wallpapers set by group policy.

Users have reported that uninstalling the patch brings back the wallpaper. While it does seem to solve the issue, we don’t recommend uninstalling security patches as those can leave you vulnerable to attacks. Some users did report that manually adjusting the wallpaper fixes the issue which could be a potential solution to the problem.

Microsoft hasn’t confirmed yet if this was intended to remind users that they are using an unsupported version of Windows. We suspect it was just a bug as some Windows 10 users also reported the issue. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if Microsoft decides to speak up about the issue and release a patch to fix it (if it’s a bug).