Microsoft's Windows ecosystem is still split between three large parties: Windows 8 and 8.1, Windows 7, and Windows XP. It makes it hard for the software giant to push out updates that will affect everyone, and it also introduces new challenges when it comes time to stop supporting the older OS.

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Windows XP has been unsupported since April this year, but Microsoft is only just now seeing the big surge away from the OS, from both consumers and enterprise. This has been helped along by cheaper prices for Windows 8 and 8.1 PCs on the back-to-school sales.

Percentage wise, Windows XP fell below 20 percent to 17 percent, the lowest it has been in a decade, according to NetMarketShare. The 17 percent of people still running Windows XP are mostly based in the enterprise sector, with some companies incapable of upgrading due to price of software and training.

Windows 8 and 8.1 also got a small boost on the back of the Windows XP downgrade, Windows 8 got a small 0.20 percent increase, while Windows 8.1 got another 5 percent market share. This brings the total up to 15 percent for both updates, still shabby compared to Windows 7.

Windows 7 remained where it has for the past year, at the top of the standings. This month it gained a minor increase of 1 percent, but might see small decreases from now on, after Microsoft removed the Windows 7 OEM copy to bring more manufacturers onto Windows 8.

The landscape for Windows is as fragmented as Android's, but Windows 10 could be the saving grace. Microsoft is adding some of the core features from Windows 7 back onto the OS, alongside the best of Windows 8.

Reports say Windows 10 will be free for most consumers and Microsoft will make a deeper push into cloud and services to make up for the free OS update.

TagsWindows XP, Windows 8, windows 8.1, desktop OS