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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 together rose to almost 17% of the market in October 2014, up from 12% in September, according to figures IT Pro attributed to NetMarketShare. The increase was a historical jump in reported share—not a current adoption figure or a count of computers sold.
What the October 2014 figures showed
IT Pro reported that combined Windows 8 and 8.1 share climbed from 12% in September 2014 to almost 17% in October. It described this as the biggest leap in Windows 8.x share to that point. In the same report, Windows XP fell from 24% to 17% over those months. The figures were attributed to NetMarketShare; IT Pro did not provide detailed sampling or calculation methodology, so they should be read as analytics estimates rather than a verified census of installed devices. IT Pro’s November 3, 2014 report
Windows 8.1 had already passed Windows 8 in a separate report
In an earlier, distinct measurement, StatCounter Global Stats reported that Windows 8.1 reached 7.5% worldwide internet usage share in August 2014, ahead of Windows 8 at 6.6%. StatCounter said the combined Windows 8 and 8.1 total was 14%, exceeding Windows XP’s 12.9% globally for the first time. Its data covered desktop, tablet, and console; Microsoft assigned Windows 8.1 a distinct user agent, which let StatCounter report it separately. StatCounter’s September 2, 2014 release
These figures are not one continuous series: the August comparison is StatCounter’s internet-usage measure, while the September-to-October jump is IT Pro’s report of NetMarketShare figures. The periods, publishers, and reported measures differ. The StatCounter figures explicitly include desktop, tablet, and console; the IT Pro report does not state detailed methodology or a device scope. Neither report establishes unit sales or an independently verified installed-base count.
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What the headline does—and does not—mean
“Windows 8.1 overtakes 8 worldwide” refers to StatCounter’s August 2014 comparison of the two versions individually. The reported rise to almost 17% refers instead to the combined Windows 8 and 8.1 figure in IT Pro’s October report. Keeping those claims separate avoids treating one version’s lead over another as the same thing as the combined family’s change relative to XP.
StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen interpreted the August result by saying, “Following a mixed reaction to Windows 8, perhaps because of its radical new look, Windows 8.1 appears to be winning over users.” That was his contemporaneous assessment, not evidence establishing why usage changed. StatCounter’s release
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Windows 8.1 is no longer supported
The market-share reports describe 2014 conditions, not whether Windows 8.1 is suitable or safe to use now. Microsoft ended Windows 8.1 support on January 10, 2023. After that date, Microsoft says the product no longer receives security updates, non-security updates, bug fixes, technical support, or online technical content updates. Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 support notice
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