Microsoft has stopped offering support for one of its most popular operating systems. On Tuesday, Windows XP was officially retired. And though users have been receiving warning messages for weeks, millions of Chinese are still finding it hard to log-off for good.

Millions of Chinese Windows XP users find it hard to say goodbye

Technical support for Windows XP is officially no more. And without any further security updates, Microsoft has warned that computers installed with the 12-year-old operating system could now face more security risks and potential virus attacks.

But Windows XP remains the most popular operating system in China, with a market share of more than 53 percent.

And according to the China Internet Network Information Centerover 55 percent of office computers are still running the system.

In a recent poll conducted on Sina Weibo, more than 57 percent of personal PC users said they preferred to wait-and-see, rather than immediately switch to different system.

Only about a quarter of users said they would turn to new system right away.

Their reasons for staying with the operating system ranged from the additional cost of software and hardware upgrades, to unfamiliarity with how other systems operated.

"I'm still learning to Windows XP. I've been using it for so many years, it's just like a habit." A Windows XP user said.

To help users cope with the post-Windows XP era, Chinese online security firms are providing their own technical assistance and security patches. But this is only be a temporary solution.

"All these commercial products have system recovery functions. But that recovery process may conflict with the operating system itself, and cause more problems for the computer." Computer technical engineer Liao Huichao said.

And experts say that even without threats of attacks or viruses, computers running on Windows XP should still eventually get upgraded, in order to safeguard their information. Also, one infected computer on the internet increases the risk to everyone else.

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