Microsoft launched “Windows XP” to the public back in August 2001. It was an upgrade to the Windows Operating System and it replaced its predecessor Windows 2000. Any home or business system that could meet its system requirements was able to upgrade to Windows XP. In April 2009, Microsoft stopped providing Windows XP mainstream support for their OS and 5 years later, in April 2014, all customer support was ceased. Windows XP received a lot of praise from users all over the globe for its smooth operations and sleeker design.

How is Windows XP Still Going Strong?

Windows XP soared to the heights of global popularity that had never been seen in terms of an operating system. Some of the reasons for its longevity are as follows:

• It powered systems everywhere around the world. It reached its peak market share value in 2007 when more than “76%” of all computers were running on Windows XP. This was 2 years before Microsoft cut off support for the OS.
• More than a decade later, Windows XP was still going strong as it possessed a market share of “4.59%” in the year 2018. This was 4 years after all the support had been withdrawn by Microsoft.
• The resounding success and continued popularity of Windows XP are dependent on a number of its features that combine to make it one of the best operating systems of the 21st century.
• Windows XP was designed to run adequately on the hardware that was available at the time. Since then, computer hardware has improved by leaps and bounds and it probably cannot rank on the same scale as the old hardware due to the magnitude of advancements to date.
• Therefore, it can be said that the software meant for old hardware would run very smoothly on the present hardware and not even make it break a sweat. This is a major reason for the continued usage of Windows XP today as the users are not forced to break the bank on expensive computer hardware such as the latest CPU chips, RAM, and Storage.
• The same old hardware that the users already possessed is perfectly capable of running the Windows XP OS and therefore, the users feel absolutely no need to upgrade to later versions of Windows.

Why are People Still Stuck on Windows XP?

• Windows XP is utilized mostly in primary and secondary schools and small businesses all over the globe. The cost of the hardware upgrade is an important factor when deciding whether to upgrade the software or not.
• The schools and small local businesses would need to spend a considerable number of financial resources to upgrade all of their computers to a newer OS.
• They would need to procure advanced CPU chips, more RAM and ROM, and newer and more powerful motherboards that can meet the system requirements of the upgraded operating system.
• As a result, most schools and businesses refrain from making the decision to upgrade and instead rely on their own technicians to resolve any problems that may arise within the old software since there is no support available from Microsoft.

Conclusion

Microsoft Windows XP is still the operating system of choice for many users who do not have sufficient resources required to upgrade the hardware along with the software. Its popularity has diminished significantly since the support was stopped by Microsoft but there are computer mechanics who specialize in solving whatever problems may arise in systems running on Windows XP.