Windows XP market share climbs again as customers dig their heels in

[nemesismk2]

THE POPULAR Microsoft operating system that refuses to die, Windows XP, has seen a rise in popularity for the second month running.

Windows XP, which reaches end of life in a little more than four weeks, has continued its bizarre renissance, according to this month's Net Applications figures.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer...-climbs-again-as-customers-dig-their-heels-in

This is the second month that microsoft has tried and i bet most people have received the windows xp support is ending email from microsoft. I have windows 7 and a few pcs with windows xp and i don't want to upgrade to windows 8 because i don't consider it to be an upgrade. for all windows xp hold outs i recommend kaspersky internet security 2014 because it's a great antivirus with great firewall. I wouldn't keep using microsoft security essentials with the windows xp firewall because it offers little protection.

I would also recommend that users with windows xp use firefox not internet explorer 8. mozilla has said that they will support windows xp providing that it is windows xp with service pack 3. As a side note i have used internet explorer 11 with windows 7 and firefox and firefox is faster.

 

[pmv]

THE POPULAR Microsoft operating system that refuses to die, Windows XP, has seen a rise in popularity for the second month running.

Windows XP, which reaches end of life in a little more than four weeks, has continued its bizarre renissance, according to this month's Net Applications figures.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer...-climbs-again-as-customers-dig-their-heels-in

This is the second month that microsoft has tried and i bet most people have received the windows xp support is ending email from microsoft. I have windows 7 and a few pcs with windows xp and i don't want to upgrade to windows 8 because i don't consider it to be an upgrade. for all windows xp hold outs i recommend kaspersky internet security 2014 because it's a great antivirus with great firewall. I wouldn't keep using microsoft security essentials with the windows xp firewall because it offers little protection.

I would also recommend that users with windows xp use firefox not internet explorer 8. mozilla has said that they will support windows xp providing that it is windows xp with service pack 3. As a side note i have used internet explorer 11 with windows 7 and firefox and firefox is faster.

Is it certain that these statistics mean what you imply though?

Are they not based on counting OS/s of visitors to certain web-sites?

Maybe people are just going on-line more with older XP PCs precisely because they want to update them before they finally go offline forever?

I did that with one old box here - on checking updates found I hadn't put it on-line since 2010! I should probably just junk it, but its a nice small-form-factor case and is the only box with a floppy drive and so on!

 

[Mushkins]

I'm not sure what to say here. People can dig in their heels and refuse to upgrade all they want, but that's not going to somehow magically make Windows XP a supported operating system or fix the remaining security holes and deficiencies. There are real world consequences to continuing to run XP past the support date for both home and business users.

If people want to keep running an insecure OS, that's their call, but it's totally reasonable for Microsoft to be pulling the plug on this one. Regardless of whether Win8 is a dud, it's been 13 years since XP was released and technology has changed considerably since then. There's only so many band-aids you can put over something that simply was not designed with modern security issues in mind.

 

[escrow4]

I shall prepare some fine ale and snacks next month for the inevitable malware rush. A better browser will not protect you. Antimalware/virus will not protect you. XP is physically decrepit, it simply is not as secure as 7, never mind 8. It will be a hilarious nightmare.

 

[Towermax]

I don't expect Microsoft to support an OS forever--XP support has been extended far longer than originally planned.

However, some of us don't use XP to surf the net or do anything dangerous. I keep it running on a couple of retro systems to play older games that don't like 7 or 8. That's it. So it's nice that we'll still be able to do new XP installs and use Windows Update.

But then, I've also got Windows 2000 on another machine . . .

 

[Fardringle]

In my case, I have been reinstalling fresh copies of XP on several computers that are running (and will continue to run) XP in the past few weeks to make sure they can get all of the updates before Microsoft shuts down support. It's possible that other people are doing the same thing, making it seem as if there are a lot of "new" installations of XP when they're really just reinstallations of existing systems.

And yes, I know that XP is old and retired and 7 is better (I agree), but for cheap systems that need to stay cheap (ie no purchasing Win 7 licenses), don't need internet access, and just need to work, XP works just fine.

 

[nemesismk2]

And yes, I know that XP is old and retired and 7 is better (I agree), but for cheap systems that need to stay cheap (ie no purchasing Win 7 licenses), don't need internet access, and just need to work, XP works just fine.

I agree 100% because all of my Windows XP Computers are light Computers with Dual Core AMD CPU and mostly used for light offline Gaming and Office type of Applications.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Windows XP: The zombie of operating systems.

 

[nemesismk2]

I just read on the Inquirer that Microsoft is going to start using nag screens because Microsoft are failing to get people upgrading from Windows XP. I think that adding a nag screen should be considered an act on spam if you ask me.

"PC USERS running Windows XP will soon be greeted with nag screens, as Mic"rosoft continues its campaign to get people to switch. From 8 March, exactly one month before the 12-year old Windows XP PC operating system reaches End of Life, Windows Update will display a pop-up warning that time is running out to change. From there on, the pop-up message will reappear on the eighth of every month until the user disables the Windows Update service or upgrades the machine.

Microsoft has been using every trick in the book to lure the 29 percent of computer users who have been refusing to upgrade from Windows XP, and it seemingly hasn't been helping, with XP growing its market share in February. Recently, as a last ditch attempt, Microsoft suggested enlisting friends and relatives to intervene and help those who are less computer savvy."

 

[Charlie98]

Part of the problem, I believe, are all those old PCs still running... Pentium and old C2D, etc machines that should have succumbed long ago that are still running in email/web surf duty. Ma and Pa Kettle don't know anything about upgrading the OS and security vulnerabilities, and don't want to spend $200 on a $200 machine to upgrade what still works.

I finally just took down my last 2 XP PCs, but I still have my daughters old lappy running it. I'm not going to waste the time or money to upgrade it, either, I'll just replace it in 6 months or so with a more capable machine running W7 or 8.

Besides the pure marketing angle ($) I don't know why MS is in such a tizzy over this... why do they care?

"...Recently, as a last ditch attempt, Microsoft suggested enlisting friends and relatives to intervene and help those who are less computer savvy."

Sounds a little Fascist to me...

 

[nemesismk2]

Part of the problem, I believe, are all those old PCs still running... Pentium and old C2D, etc machines that should have succumbed long ago that are still running in email/web surf duty. Ma and Pa Kettle don't know anything about upgrading the OS and security vulnerabilities, and don't want to spend $200 on a $200 machine to upgrade what still works.

I finally just took down my last 2 XP PCs, but I still have my daughters old lappy running it. I'm not going to waste the time or money to upgrade it, either, I'll just replace it in 6 months or so with a more capable machine running W7 or 8.

Besides the pure marketing angle ($) I don't know why MS is in such a tizzy over this... why do they care?



Sounds a little Fascist to me...

I was just sent some info about Toms Hardware Guides article about China May Get Windows XP Support Indefinitely. I have a few Chinese friends and all of them use Windows XP which has never been updated (can't be updated more like) with security patchs because their copy of Windows XP was never purchased so not legal. Ofcourse I am not saying that all Chinese people use pirate software but hearing that everyone else is being treated differently ie worse. It's like Microsoft thinks more of people who use pirate software than someone like me who purchased all of his microsoft software over the years since dos and most users of Anandtech.

 

[ultimatebob]

March 8th is going to be fun, as Microsoft is going to start posting obnoxious pop-ups on their screens telling them that support ends next month:

http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/...er-tool-and-end-of-support-notifications.aspx

I wonder how many tech support calls we will get from those people who bought our older equipment that still runs on XP and didn't bother getting the upgraded model

 

[darkewaffle]

People can dig in their heels and refuse to upgrade

I would imagine most XP users are ignorant of any need to upgrade more than refusing to do so. There's a lot of people out there who literally do not know what version of windows they have, what browser they use, where their documents are saved - the basics elude them. These are the same people that likely, even if they knew they needed to upgrade, would probably be "scared" (for lack of a better word) due to inexperience or consider the risk of upgrading to be greater than the risk of not doing so.

 

[darkewaffle]

Besides the pure marketing angle ($) I don't know why MS is in such a tizzy over this... why do they care?

Because inevitably it will reflect negatively on them. No matter how clear they are about it, if (when) something significant affects XP after support has been dropped you can bet the media will jump all over portraying little old ladies who just want to look at pictures of their grandchildren in their email as victims and Microsoft as a big bully who tried to force them into an expensive, confusing upgrade instead of supporting the product these little old ladies paid their hard earned American dollars for.

 

[Mem]

Windows XP: The zombie of operating systems.

Hehe well my very old XP PC was replaced by Linux let alone Win7/8,there are always good alternatives out there unless some people are being very stubborn or cheapskates.

 

[escrow4]

Because inevitably it will reflect negatively on them. No matter how clear they are about it, if (when) something significant affects XP after support has been dropped you can bet the media will jump all over portraying little old ladies who just want to look at pictures of their grandchildren in their email as victims and Microsoft as a big bully who tried to force them into an expensive, confusing upgrade instead of supporting the product these little old ladies paid their hard earned American dollars for.

Pffft, its been 13yrs. Microsoft has no obligation. XP has basically been supported since the first OS X release. You don't see anyone complaining that Snow Leopard is dead and its been what 3 or 4yrs? Imagine the drain on resources supporting this old piece of trash. Keep on using XP and see what happens come April.

 

[pmv]

I shall prepare some fine ale and snacks next month for the inevitable malware rush. A better browser will not protect you. Antimalware/virus will not protect you. XP is physically decrepit, it simply is not as secure as 7, never mind 8. It will be a hilarious nightmare.

I don't know if it will be a malwareocalypse or not (I'm guessing 'not' but I wouldn't lay money on it). But surely if it is as bad as that, users of 7 or 8 will not be entirely unaffected? More vulnerable machines mean more zombie PCs acting as spam bots and possibly sending other, non-XP-specific, nasties, more DDOS attacks, and more insecure networks, etc.

Basically I don't know that non-XP users can smugly sit back and laugh, if it _is_ as bad as some fear. Its in nobody's interest for lots of machines to get infected ('herd immunity' anyone?)

 

[RU482]

I was just sent some info about Toms Hardware Guides article about China May Get Windows XP Support Indefinitely. I have a few Chinese friends and all of them use Windows XP which has never been updated (can't be updated more like) with security patchs because their copy of Windows XP was never purchased so not legal. Ofcourse I am not saying that all Chinese people use pirate software but hearing that everyone else is being treated differently ie worse. It's like Microsoft thinks more of people who use pirate software than someone like me who purchased all of his microsoft software over the years since dos and most users of Anandtech.

this made me lol. I've been in meetings in Shenzhen, with companies trying to pitch "cutting edge" computer equipment, while presenting via their Windows XP laptops....and having the "This copy of Windows is not Genuine" pop up showing it's ugly capitalist head in the middle of their presentation. At least the food was good.

 

[RU482]

Pffft, its been 13yrs. Microsoft has no obligation. XP has basically been supported since the first OS X release. You don't see anyone complaining that Snow Leopard is dead and its been what 3 or 4yrs? Imagine the drain on resources supporting this old piece of trash. Keep on using XP and see what happens come April.

meh, if you've ever visited a Microsoft campus, the drain on resources that is "maintaining XP" pales in comparison to the complete waste of resources that is the multiple layers of marketing departments, that, as far as I can tell, many of which exist to market Microsoft products to other divisions within Microsoft.

/I bet they have more people solely dedicated to ONLY putting together powerpoint marketing presentations than most mid size companies have for total staff

 

[nemesismk2]

this made me lol. I've been in meetings in Shenzhen, with companies trying to pitch "cutting edge" computer equipment, while presenting via their Windows XP laptops....and having the "This copy of Windows is not Genuine" pop up showing it's ugly capitalist head in the middle of their presentation. At least the food was good.

I remember that as well

 

[Red Squirrel]

MS should just open source it and let the community handle it. Of course they'd never want to do that.

 

[nemesismk2]

MS should just open source it and let the community handle it. Of course they'd never want to do that.

I have heard other people saying the exact same thing about letting the community look after windows xp. I agree that microsoft however would never allow this because imagine if people didn't buy any future versions of windows lol After buying every different version of Windows in the past apart from Windows ME, Windows Vista and Windows 8 going right back to dos so i have been a active customer for Microsoft.

 

[Mem]

MS should just open source it and let the community handle it. Of course they'd never want to do that.

Hackers would have more fun with XP if they open sourced it so no thanks, I think they should just let it die,no OS can remain forever especially one full of security holes.

 

[Mem]

I have heard other people saying the exact same thing about letting the community look after windows xp. I agree that microsoft however would never allow this because imagine if people didn't buy any future versions of windows lol After buying every different version of Windows in the past apart from Windows ME, Windows Vista and Windows 8 going right back to dos so i have been a active customer for Microsoft.

I miss my DOS 6.22 ,but as you know every OS has its time,DOS,XP etc all have to go eventually.


Only open source I trust (within reason)is Linux,Windows no thanks.

 

[bruceb]

MS updates tried today to install a KB about when XP expires. Most likely that nag screen that was mentioned in one of the above posts. I turned it down, of course.