Starting tomorrow, Microsoft will stop supporting and sending updates to Windows 7. Tomorrow will bring the last patches to the 2009 desktop operating system. With Windows 10 now being out to the public for over 5 years, the operating system has taken over Windows 7 in usage.

However, as the most popular desktop OS meets its death tomorrow, it's still running on more than 1 in every 4 computers.Fresh stats fromNetMarketShare reveal thatWindows 7 remains the second most-used desktop operating system having a share of 26.64%. Windows 10 is leading with a 54.62% share of the market.

While adoption rate of Windows 10 was pretty fast at the beginning after its launch in 2015, it has decreased significantly over the years. Last few months caused a slight bump since the end of service deadline of Windows 7 started pushing those on the fence to upgrade to Windows 10. But, Windows 10 is still not where Microsoft would want to see it.

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Users' reluctance to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10 would prove to be a pain for Microsoft, as it will be pushed to deliver security updates for drastic cases like WannaCry when the company delivered updates for Windows XP. While Microsoft may deliver security patches for catastrophic scenarios, users will remain open to security risks by sticking with Windows 7.

But, moving to a new operating system also means new hardware especially for businesses that are running older machines. This is especially true for government departments, which is why Microsoft is offering free extended support for 2020 election machines. The company is also offering a rather expensive support program for enterprises that costs between $25 to $50 per device per year, doubling with each passing year.

It is unlikely for Windows 7 numbers to drop significantly with the operating system potentially turning into another XP-like headache for the Redmond software maker. For users, if your hardware supports it, youcanstill make the upgrade to Windows 10 for absolutely free.

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