New figures indicate that users aren't really impressed by Microsoft's warnings

Jun 4, 2014 07:54 GMT  ·  By

If you're still on Windows XP at the time of reading this article, you're not alone. Stats show that last month, more than 25 percent of the world's desktop computers were still running Windows XP, despite the avalanche of warnings launched by Microsoft since one year ago.

A new chart published today by Statista and based on figures provided by Net Applications shows that only little has changed after Microsoft pulled the plug on Windows XP, as only a few users have actually decided to upgrade to a different operating system after the April 8 deadline.

At this point, 25.3 percent of the desktop computers worldwide are running Windows XP, down from 27.7 percent in March 2014, when the operating system was still getting updates and security fixes.

Windows 7, on the other hand, recorded a small growth, which is probably an indication that Windows XP users who decided to upgrade have ignored Microsoft's proposal to switch to Windows 8.1. Windows 7 was last month installed on 50.1 percent of desktop PCs, up from 48.8 percent in March.

As far as Windows 8.1 is concerned, the modern OS version also posted a growth from 4.9 percent to 6.4 percent, while Windows 8 lost users, dropping from 6.4 percent to 6.3 percent.

Microsoft itself obviously wants users to switch from Windows XP to a newer Windows version as soon as possible and pushes Windows 8.1 as the perfect replacement that comes with what it takes to become a secure and fast working and playing environment.

“While it's true that you can keep using your PC with Windows XP after support ends, we don’t recommend it. For starters, it’ll become five times more vulnerable to security risks and viruses, which means you could get hacked and have your personal information stolen,” the company said in a statement.

“Also, companies that make devices like digital cameras, Internet-ready TVs, and printers won’t provide drivers that work with Windows XP, so if you get new devices, they won’t work with your current PC. And over time, the security and performance of your PC will just continue to degrade so things will only get worse.”

A zero-day flaw in Internet Explorer 8, which also runs on Windows XP has already been found, and Microsoft intends to fix it on the upcoming Patch Tuesday rollout next week. Windows XP users, however, won't get a patch, so those who are yet to upgrade will remain vulnerable to attacks trying to exploit this flaw.