ATM Machine / related software specialist

[TheJimi]

Mods, please leave here as I've got the greater chance of exposure and getting an answer.

I just need my mind putting at rest here.

My HBOS card was swallowed by a Clydesdale Bank ATM earlier. The screen froze on the amount selection screen. It then went completely blank after a few mins, and a "sorry this machine is temporarily out of order"

I then went to the branch which was just around the corner and I've cancelled my card but when I came back along, the machine was back up and running.

Question is, in between me cancelling the card and the machine coming back up, would it have reverted to the previous screen with the amount options or will it have re-booted?

Asking for obvious reasons

Edited by TheJimi on Thursday 24th December 16:50

[TheEnd]

There should be smart enough to cancel everything, and boot again from scratch with an error, there'd be no reasonable idea to try and do anything different.

[TheJimi]

Aye, that's what I'm thinking / hoping!

[Robertj21a]

As far as I'm aware it will default safe at all times. Any card captured will be retained in the machine. In the event of any dispute involving an ATM, there are very detailed audit trails that show absolutely everything that happened.

[Celtic Dragon]

Your card would have been ejected into the card bin at teh back of the reader, on start up as a self check and to clear the blockage. You'll be fine.

[TheJimi]

It's not the card that I'm worried about per-se. It's the notion of the screen coming back up at the amount selection and someone being able to withdraw money.

Although, what I've read so far on this thread has made me stop panicking a bit.

[Robertj21a]

Any machine fault should cause it to go into shut down mode and reboot (manually if necessary). Any screen should default back to the normal start/introduction page.

[Celtic Dragon]

What Robert said, you're talking a Windows based pc here. I never managed to replicate the scenario you fear.

[TheExcession]

TheJimi said:

It's not the card that I'm worried about per-se. It's the notion of the screen coming back up at the amount selection and someone being able to withdraw money.

Although, what I've read so far on this thread has made me stop panicking a bit.

No need to panic - the machines are set to reboot/boot up a completely new operating system after every transaction - failed or otherwise. The machine needs to be 'clean' for each new transaction.

Hence the annoying delay when granny in front of you finally walks away and it still takes 10 seconds before you can stick your card in.

(Unlucky to lose your card at this time of the year, can only imagine that is a nightmare)

[TheJimi]

Slightly amused though, at the notion of saying "it's windows based PC" as if that will make me feel better

I jest, of course :-)

Thanks a lot people, much appreciated, I genuinely do feel better now.

[maxdb]

Most ATM's use Windows NT if it error'd and re-started it would of wiped the previous screens before re-boot along with re-setting the server connection etc.

[TheEnd]

It's amazing how old some of the embedded stuff is.

I did a IBAN transfer in a Natwest a few weeks ago, and I had a look at the screen. It was familiar, but very old, I think Win95.

[Silent1]

maxdb said:

Most ATM's use Windows NT if it error'd and re-started it would of wiped the previous screens before re-boot along with re-setting the server connection etc.

Lots of ATMs use Windows xp variants now as well.