Whenever you visit a website, information about your operating system, screen resolution, browser name and more details is left behind.
This can be collected and the results can be seen in the numbers shown by StatCounter for example.
If you are interested you can use one of the many test sites to reveal what you leave behind:
A less detailed (but faster) one:
As long as they have NO internet connection, this is not a big problem.
But this means
NO Mail
NO Google
NO Updates for any software, including anti-virus software
Only USB sticks and external hard discs that have been checked for viruses and other malware will be attached.
I wonder, how such isolated Windows 95 or XP could run Simian systems or even radio stations.
For all the systems that are really never online, only 100% offline and never connected to the internet there is a small % number "missing" in such statistics.
But they don't really count anymore, because systems like Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 are all End-of-Life (EOL) and no more supported by Microsoft.
It's simple, many Simians have very specialized broadcast audio cards that can cost thousands of dollars with high-performance audio outputs, which are connected to other, more recent Windows computers to manage the sound, etc.
I have two Simians, one with Windows 7. I've never had any problems since the beginning, and in 2025 with the updates.
My second computer is with Windows 10. Sometimes I have problems with the updates. I'm afraid to upgrade to Windows 11, which is very problematic...
Yes, I agree with you. When I use my Windows 7 and visit websites, it's true that they can learn information that I'm using Windows 7.
The question, I'm asking myself, is that a large number of Windows XP users no longer browse the internet, so how can I know the real statistics?
You are not alone. Here is a long but fascinating BBC article on why very old versions of Windows are still commonly used by businesses, even by large organizations like Deutsche Bahn: Still booting after all these years
Even though the regularly published Windows XP user figures are based exclusively on the proportion of internet users, the percentage share from industry, healthcare, etc., probably doesn't significantly increase this percentage. The absolute figures for this usage are still too small for that. Internet usage figures hover around 0.15%, and I suspect that even including systems without internet usage, the figure wouldn't exceed 1%.
I myself still have a PC with Windows XP sitting in the corner, although you can hardly call it "used" anymore, as I haven't touched it in three years. It's only still alive because the software for my SCSI slide scanner doesn't work on newer Windows operating systems.
Hello @poster, I think for Windows XP, it could be 1%. I use Windows XP occasionally, and I also have a fax program that works fine on Windows XP, but not on other Windows systems.
If we look at the statistics @LyricsLover posted, Windows 7 is 2.2%. This figure could be correct, because Windows 7 still works on the web and we still have updates…
The article @Doug_Mackie posted is excellent; it explains very well why people or organizations still keep old Windows. It's mainly because of the very expensive amounts of money required to replace their systems with new Windows…
However, they have problems with slow networks or complex programs with old Windows systems…
What I find special about this article is this passage:
"Many ATMs still operate on legacy Windows systems, including Windows XP and even Windows NT," which launched in 1993, says Elvis Montiero, an ATM field technician based in Newark, New Jersey in the US. "The challenge with upgrading these machines lies in the high costs associated with hardware compatibility, regulatory compliance and the need to rewrite proprietary ATM software," he says.
Microsoft ended official support for Windows XP in 2014, but Montiero says many ATMs still rely on these primordial systems thanks to their reliability, stability and integration with banking infrastructure.
The version of Windows XP used in ATMs is different to the one you use on your PC.
It's a very restricted and limited version that occiasonally pops up when a crash occurs.
It uses special drivers to control the internal hardware for internal banknote management and the external screen and hardware- or touchscreen-buttons.
As there are not many different vendors for ATMs, the same hardened version of Windows XP can be used.
Rewriting such drivers for every new version of Windows would be a huge effort. The re-certification process - for the hard- and softwareparts - would be huge, too.
Such versions of Windows XP are never connected to the internet or report to a system outside the bank branch or location in a supermarket.
Thanks @LyricsLover for these very interesting details...
I suspected that these systems are internal and not external and are not connected to the internet, etc.
I understand perfectly well that they are forced to keep their old Windows systems because of several programming issues, technical problems, and especially financial problems, etc.
I saw in this excellent article that @Doug_Mackie posted on Mp3tag Community, two passages that I find very surprising:
I can’t stand Windows machines, but I’m stuck with them – John Watts
In a brightly lit room in San Diego, California, you'll find two of the biggest printers you've ever seen, each hooked up to servers running Windows 2000, an operating system named for the year it was released. "We call 'em boat anchors," says John Watts, who handles high-end printing and post-processing for fine art photographers. The printers are LightJets, gigantic machines that use light, rather than ink, to print on large-format photographic paper. Watts says the result is an image of unparalleled quality.
For the people who use this old technology, life can get tedious. For four years, psychiatrist Eric Zabriskie would show up to his job at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and start the day waiting for a computer to boot up. "I had to get to the clinic early because sometimes it would take 15 minutes just to log into the computer," Zabriskie says. "Once you're in you try to never log out. I'd hold on for dear life. It was excruciatingly slow."
…
The support for Windows 7 ended January 2020, Windows 8.1 January 2023 and Windows 10 without the need to pay for support will end October 2025.
I think the praise for older Windows systems like XP reflects a lot of nostalgia and forgetfulness. Their usability and stability were very limited, as I often had to provide support in my immediate area, and I remember that the automatic update mechanism, in particular, was extremely error-prone. But as is often the case, over the years, some things become romanticized.
Mainstream support for Windows XP ended on April 14, 2009, and extended support, including security updates, ended on April 8, 2014.
Here are the real reasons, mostly marketing-related: Extended support for Windows XP, which ended on April 8, 2014, was extended beyond its mainstream support period for several reasons. Microsoft granted a five-year extension to allow businesses and users to migrate to newer operating systems, such as Windows 7 or Windows 8, while still ensuring protection against security threats. Furthermore, the low-cost PC market, where Windows XP was popular, justified extending support to prevent Linux from becoming too important in this segment.
It's true that I really liked Windows XP. It took me a while to upgrade to Windows 7. It was amazing. I loved this new platform and I still love it today.
I think Microsoft sometimes shares misinformation, as I saw with Windows 7, to force people to upgrade to their new Windows platform.
Windows 10 support is scheduled to end on October 14, 2025. From that date onward, Microsoft will no longer provide free security updates, technical support, or security patches for Windows 10...
poster, do you really believe that? I don't believe it at all. Updates will continue after that date. Because there are many computers that can't manage Windows 11, and I've looked all over the web; there are many people having problems with Windows 11. You might write to me. Almost everything can be resolved, yes, but in general, it's not always easy to fix. In general, Windows 10 doesn't have many software issues...
I think not all businesses are ready to migrate to Windows 11, especially those with very specialized software. I think they're going to have some unpleasant surprises with Windows 11...
I I think Windows 11 isn't ready to replace Windows 10 yet. There's a rumor going around that Windows 12 might be the right Windows...
I remember people telling me at the time that Windows 8 would replace Windows 7, but after that it was considered a failure by many people.
From what I remember, when a Windows is well regarded by consumers, the new Windows that is supposed to replace it is often disappointing...
This is correct. However business and consumers can extend service for at least another year, at a paid cost. This can go on for at least three years at an escalating service cost. This will let corporate IT machines roll through a typical life cycle. New machines should be using Win11 moving forward.
The stats for what remains in the wild for Win10, Win8, Win7, XP, etc can't truly be estimated if the users are not using them online. For home media machines this is difficult since often these are networked to provide streaming and dlna services.
Regardless there is no absolute requirement for anyone to change from their current OS. They are rolling the dice on security since updates and patches will not be available. But I am sure there are many that don't care.
Microsoft long ago announced the Oct 2025 end of support date. They won't back out of that. That I believe won't change.
@MotleyG, thanks for the information that I hadn't noticed, it's my opinion, I believe that all Windows 10 pro and higher versions of Windows 10 will be entitled to updates, after the date of October 14, 2025.
Windows XP no longer has updates. People have tried it and it no longer works, it's true.
Another example of what Microsoft states on their website about Windows 8.1, which is not true...
Windows 8.1 no longer has security updates or technical support from Microsoft since January 10, 2023.
I have an old Lenovo laptop that had Windows 10, which was very slow on this platform. With Windows 7, it was fast.
At first, I wanted to get rid of it, so I deleted all my important programs...
I had another idea: I decided to buy a Windows 8.1 Pro key ($7.34 Canadian) and have the program installed by a retailer who offers very good, inexpensive prices. They installed Windows 8.1 with my key along with Microsoft Office 2007. I'm using it. To do some testing, because I've never had one...
On my old laptop, Windows 8.1 is fast. The person who installed the program told me not to worry about updates, because Microsoft no longer does them with Windows 8.1.
I thought it was impossible, because there are still updates with Windows 7, and Windows 8.1 is newer than my Windows 7.
On Windows 8.1, I wanted to install my Bitdefender antivirus, but I couldn't because Internet Explorer is no longer supported.
I couldn't install Firefox on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 since January 2023, it is no longer supported and Google Chrome, I couldn't find one for Windows 8.1
I thought about it, and I said to myself, Microsoft Edge is Windows, and Windows does updates on Windows 7. Microsoft Edge should work on Windows 8.1. I tried downloading the file with Windows. 10, impossible. I took my Windows 7, downloaded Microsoft Edge, placed this file in Windows 8.1, it works perfectly. I placed my Bitdefender file, and with Microsoft Edge, everything worked fine.
I restarted my Windows 8.1.
When I was at my desktop, I asked Windows 8.1 to do an update. It was in the morning.
I knew there were going to be updates. It did several updates all day, it restarted my laptop very often, and the updates were finished in the evening.
Then I asked my Bitdefender to check the entire hard drive to make sure everything was clean. Everything was perfect...
Don't believe everything Microsoft writes about its website
We will only know about the ongoing updates after we get to October!
What Is for certain is that there will be many Win10 machines that will continue to run after that, with or without support from Microsoft. Judging by the XP devices, Win10 may still be around in 2036 and beyond.
You can't proof that you get security updates for Windows 8.1 after the end of support with a screenshot of the installed updates after a new installation of windows, which lacks a big amount of old updates. All your security updates on your screenshot are years old. End of support means that Microsoft does no longer fix new discovered security issues (sometimes an exception occurs), not that the windows-update-catalog which delivers updates no longer works.
@poster, I'm still receiving Windows 7 updates, knowing that Windows 8.1 is more recent than Windows 7, I imagine that version 8.1 must also receive updates, that would be logical it seems to me...
When we talk about updates here, we mean official Microsoft updates, which are automatically found and delivered by the update service. New updates haven't been delivered this way for years. Since Windows 7 also had extended support for companies for a fee, the point in time at which what is considered "old" differs for private and corresponding paid corporate licenses. But even for companies that paid for extended support, this support ended in January 2023. That does not mean that you can not install updates for other software that you run in Windows 7.
That's right @poster,
When we talk about updates here, we mean official Microsoft updates, which are automatically found and delivered by the update service.
I have 2 Windows 7 Pro, Microsoft continues to give us updates this way, for several years...
The usual updates for your Windows 7 Pro without ESU ended at 14.01.2020.
But of course you can setup a Windows 7 on a PC today (03.07.2025) and apply all existing updates until 14.01.2020 (or 08.10.2024 if you have a payed ESU contract with Microsoft for special versions of Windows 7 like "embedded" or "POSReady".)
These updates will appear in your update list with the current date 03.07.2025 as installation date.
That not makes the updates itself newer than from 2020 (or 2024 with ESU.)
I've just found this start screen on my ancient "Windows 7 Ultimate" virtual machine, telling me that support has not been available since 14 January 2020. This means:
No security updates
No software updates
No technical support
This KB890830 is a separate Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT), delivered cyclically as an update to clean the systems from malicious software.
Microsoft still provides this tool as a minimal safeguard against prevalent malware for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 (R2).
However, this update will not fix any bugs or enhance the functionality of Windows 7.
