this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2025
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As the article notes, the increase seems to be driven mainly by users in Asia, where recycling and reusing older hardware is quite common. I wonder if third-party companies are offering extended security patches there, which could make affordable second-hand Windows 7 machines more appealing for people who just need them for browsing or light tasks. It would certainly make sense given recent fiascos and Microsoft’s current stance on AI, especially with generative AI being used to develop system-level code.

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[–] vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 15 hours ago

If the world weren't networked the way it is now (I'm not against global connectivity as a thing, just how it works now), any kind of old software and hardware could be used. Because security and things breaking without the Internet are the main reasons why people update.

[–] FalseTautology@lemmy.zip 2 points 23 hours ago

JFC I wish I could go back to win 7, I had to get win 11 and I've never hated an os like this in my life. My favorite part is how I have no control over it changing the things I actually use. No sorry, my favorite part is how right around the time an update is about to come out my windows starts crashing and locking up. It's amazing.

[–] DarkSideOfTheMoon@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I don’t get why people prefer to go to an unsafe version of windows instead of trying Linux. Nowadays there is many friendly distro.

[–] vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 15 hours ago

They feel more at home with it. And they shouldn't be told how to use anything. Windows NT, were it cleared from all the mess, would be a very fine OS.

Or maybe something like AmigaOS or Haiku.

It's a demand that Linux doesn't fulfill, some sort of rebirth of Amiga could.

[–] bytesonbike@discuss.online 1 points 1 day ago

Lack of education and training really.

I only knew of Linux because I saw some dude use Linux in 2012. And then a few years later, I finally decided to try it out as it was easier for work. After a lot of false starts, I finally started switching around 2021.

Going to imagine most people are the same - get experience from it and then have a reason to use it daily.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Its so dumb. Linux is the only way to actually get out from under the thumb of Microsoft and its so easy these days to switch.

[–] the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Linux is the only way to actually get out from under the thumb of Microsoft

Aside from macos, bsd, ChromeOS, android, iOS, and templeos, sure.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 1 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

I dont think being under the thumb of Google or Apple is any better. And Linux is just a much better choice than bsd for almost all people. That being said, I was impressed to learn that hacker news run their entire site on a single server with openbsd. :)

[–] kepix@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

win7, my beloved. that uxtheme.dll got patched so many times...

[–] polle@feddit.org 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

A friend of mine was still on win7 and just recently made the switch to linux. In the end the issue was that most of the software stopped working.

[–] TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz 4 points 1 day ago

I hated when software didn't work on Windows. After switching to Linux my mouse, keyboard, monitor, hard drive, OS, and software don't work 😂

(this comment is a joke I love 🐧)

[–] radix@lemmy.world 190 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (6 children)
  • Windows 7 was used to browse more web pages on a subset of sites that use the Statcounter plugin, and mostly in one area of the world.

But that doesn't make a good headline.

[–] ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Could it be that something is spoofing a Win7 signature?

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

I personally just edited the registry to stop my Win10 upgrading to 11. If it fails, it's Manjaro time.

[–] kylian0087@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Manjaro might not be the best starting point tbh. So many better choices.

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[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 23 points 3 days ago

I think that it's a possibility for the rest of the world.

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Still, it's unusual for that to happen.

[–] The_Decryptor@aussie.zone 14 points 2 days ago

Ehh, bots have always presented nonsense UAs to servers. And since modern browsers hard-code the OS version in the UA string, pretending to be an old browser on an old OS could be a (probably ineffectual) way to bypass fingerprinting.

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[–] NateNate60@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago (6 children)

They should make a Windows version called Windows 10P which is the same as Windows 10 but only the bare-bones necessities and no extra crap or required online services, and sell it for $59.99 (seeing that Windows is already de facto freeware). That's probably an order of magnitude than what they make from intrusive advertising anyway to a single user over the lifespan of a computer.

[–] SharkAttak@kbin.melroy.org 1 points 2 hours ago

How about a Win 7 Remaster? Since there's been a lot of them recently.

[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago (2 children)

This already exists, and it doesn't cost $60. What you want is the Windows 10 IoT LTSC Edition.

https://massgrave.dev/.

(Brought to you by Carl's, Jr.)

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Why do you keep saying that? Lol

[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

I don't know, but I find myself mentioning it often enough I feel like somebody ought to be paying me for it.

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[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

No way they will do that. The value for microsoft these days is in harvesting their victims info and forcing them in to their walled garden.

[–] FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Walled garden? Windows? Do you even understand what a “walled garden” is?

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

They have been trying to force a microsoft accounts on everyone. I know what a walled garden is and when Microsoft looks at apples they are jealous. Remember S mode? The shitbox machines microsoft pushed out that could only use their app store. That is the end goal for them. They just can't sell it.

My current problem is keeping copilot and recall off of our public computers. People are using them and want them clear of spyware and intrusive monitoring. You can not really get rid of any of the microsoft software since they now cache it on the computer. Anytime someone new logs in it puts 365 and copilot on their profile. If you delete it from the cache its back the next update cycle. They have begun putting notepad and basic programs in the cache. So you can't just kill it by making the cache path inaccessible. They are gearing up to close off all holes and force their app store onto everyone. They are working toward a walled garden where everyone has a microsoft account.

So maybe you don't know what a walled garden is? You don't understand that they have everything in place to lock out any third party software. They have recall, a huge security risk to train up their AI's. You can't believe anything they say about it. I know this because I've been around since the dos floppies had the IBM logo on them.

They have a unmanageable cache of software downloading without consent that uses their app store and if you kill it with a gpo you start having problems with basic functions. They killed wsus because it could be used to lock out their garbage. Despite operating in a domain environment I still see messages on accounts urging people to link a microsoft account.

So please tell me about what I know or don't know.

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[–] SleafordMod@feddit.uk 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Nobody should be using old versions of Windows that no longer get security updates. Either switch to Linux and install all of the latest security updates, or enable the coming year of security updates on Windows 10, or run Windows 11.

[–] BCBoy911@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Agree for a main computer but there's no risk when using Windows 7 or XP on an offline machine.

[–] filcuk@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 days ago

If it were offline machines, then they wouldn't be on these statistics

[–] SleafordMod@feddit.uk 5 points 2 days ago

Fair point, I guess some people might want to do that to play old games or something like that.

[–] Luci@lemmy.ca 86 points 3 days ago (2 children)

It’s okay, Windows 10 will be the last version of Windows you’ll need!!!

[–] Pat_Riot@lemmy.today 80 points 3 days ago (18 children)

It was. Linux Mint has been beautiful since I switched last year. Certainly nicer than windows.

[–] Marshezezz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 27 points 3 days ago (2 children)

My laptop runs so much better now with Mint after getting rid of windows

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[–] carrylex@lemmy.world 40 points 2 days ago
[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I still have my old Win7 pro disk with unlimited installs :p

I didn't think i would ever use it, but I'm also not ever gonna use win11, so maybe upgrading from 10 to 7 will be my plan for my windows needs if they are both gonna be insecure anyway.

7 is just the best OS Microsoft has made, it's been downhill since.

[–] CosmoNova@lemmy.world 60 points 3 days ago

Possibly from people booting up 15 year old laptops to see if they‘re still running so they can install linux on them before trying it on the big machine. Yes, this is my made up narrative but I believe that more than in a Win7 comeback.

[–] rozodru@piefed.social 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

within the past month? what all these people in Asia suddenly found a stockpile of machines with Win7 on them and all, collectively, decided "yeah lets just use these"?

I don't buy it.

It is spoofed someone wants people to thinks it it Windows 7.

[–] BilSabab@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago

It's almost as if there's a demand for meat and potatoes OS.

[–] TaterTot@piefed.social 31 points 3 days ago

Year of the Windows 7 Desktop?!

[–] mormund@feddit.org 27 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Don't have a link to the thread on Mastodon, but it was only in Singapore. So it is likely a troll or some glitch.

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