XP loses ground to Windows 7 but still top OS

XP's share of the market dipped to 45 percent from 47 percent in January. At the same time, Windows 7 grabbed 38 percent of all users, up from 36 percent the prior month.

The latest numbers show a trend in which XP has gradually lost share over time, while Windows 7 has picked up more customers. In February 2011, XP owned more than half of the market at 57 percent, while Windows 7 had just a 24 percent share. And though XP climbed slightly in January, it now seems on the decline once again.

Microsoft continues to convince people to move away from XP toward Windows 7.

The company has reminded consumers and especially companies that support for XP runs out in April 2014, at which time security patches, bug fixes, or other updates will no longer be available.

And despite its considerable effort in creating Windows 8, Microsoft has advised businesses still on XP not to wait for the new OS and instead migrate to Windows 7 now.