Windows 8 has struggled in the market since its Oct. 2012 debut, and that became crystal clear this weekend when HP started selling Windows 7 devices on its website, which it said were"back by popular demand."

HP is now selling five Windows 7 devices on its website: three desktops and two laptops.

For desktops, the HP Pavilion 500-205t with a 3.4GHz 4th-gen Intel Core i3 and a 1TB hard drive is $479.99. An HP Envy 700-215xt with a 3.4GHz 4th-gen Intel Core i7 and a 1TB hard drive is $699.99, while the HP Envy Phoenix 810-135qe with a 3.4GHz 4th-gen Intel Core i7 and a 2TB hard drive is $999.99.

If you want a laptop, a 15.6-inch HP Pavilion 15t-n200 with a 4th-gen Intel Core i5 and a 750GB hard drive is $599.99 and a 15.6-inch HP Envy 15t-j100 Quad Edition with a 4th-gen Core i7 and 1TB hard drive is $779.99.

Depending on the device you choose, your PC will come equipped with Windows Home, Home Premium, or Pro.

According to December stats from Net Applications, approximately 6.89 percent of PC users had Windows 8 machines, while 3.6 percent had the updated Windows 8.1 operating system. But Windows 7 still dominates the space, running on 47.52 percent of PCs around the globe.

Coming in at No. 2 is the aging Windows XP at 28.98 percent.

Microsoft plans to stop supporting XP as of April 8, but amidst concern that XP was still on so many systems, Microsoft announced last week that it will continue updates to its antimalware signatures and engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015.

"For enterprise customers, this applies to System Center Endpoint Protection, Forefront Client Security, Forefront Endpoint Protection and Windows Intune running on Windows XP," Microsoft said. "For consumers, this applies to Microsoft Security Essentials."

Still, Redmond cautioned that anti-malware solutions on outdated operating system are limited. "Running a well-protected solution starts with using modern software and hardware designed to help protect against today's threat landscape," Microsoft said.

For more, see PCMag's full review of Windows 8.1. And check out PCMag Live in the video below, which discusses the Windows 7 return.

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