Do not install this software
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The end of Windows 10 is now just days away, and 500-milion-plus users need to upgrade to Windows 11 or enroll for extended security updates before October 14. But as dangerous as Windows 10 might be after that, there are worse places to be. New data suggests 300 million Windows users are now taking a disastrous security risk.
Microsoft confirms there are 1.4 billion Windows users globally. To determine the percentage of those users on Windows 11 or Windows 10 or even older versions of the OS, we turn to StatCounter, which uses device-based signals to work that out.
That’s how we know that 630 million users (45%) are on Windows 11 and 490 million users (35%) are on Windows 10. But that same data also suggests a staggering revival for Windows 7: it seems almost 300 million users (20%) have suddenly installed a highly dangerous OS that retired in 2020, and that’s a gift to hackers.
Per Windows Central, “Windows 7 usage seemingly skyrockets as users refuse to upgrade to Windows 11 in wake of Windows 10 end of support;” while “Windows 7’s sudden marketshare gain is likely a data anomaly, but interesting timing nonetheless.”
That should be impossible — and it is.
The impossible revival of Windows 7
StatCounter
As Windows Latest says, “no, Windows 7 isn’t gaining market share in 2025,” asking “where do you find a Windows 7 ISO in 2025? How do you use it when most new games, drivers, or apps don’t run properly on the decades-old operating system? I couldn’t even manage to install Windows 10 on my Spectre because drivers were strictly locked to Windows 11. Now, imagine trying to install Windows 7.”
This is an intriguing anomaly, and on the surface it’s so impossible that it doesn’t matter. But there’s a serious aspect to this that should be a major concern.
If the data sourced from PC signals around the world can be this obviously wrong, then what’s the tolerance across other data. Is Windows 11 really 45%? Has Windows 10 really dropped down to 35%, losing 10% in just a few weeks. Or is the Windows 10 problem we’re now braced for more alarming than we think?
We will get some of these answers in the coming weeks. Meantime, please don’t hunt down a Windows 7 ISO with thoughts that it’s any kind of answer to the Windows 11/Windows 10 problem. It’s off support and a huge risk.
Microsoft warns that “an unsupported version of Windows doesn’t receive software updates. These include security updates that protect your PC from harmful viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, which can steal your personal information.”
That’s the reason you need to stop using Windows 10 as well.
