Microsoft ended their support of XP more than 3 years ago. Windows 7, on the other hand, is still being supported for another 2.5 years. Honestly, if the OS is no longer supported by MS, I really don't think anyone is owed advanced notice when any given third party chooses to end their support. Using an OS that Microsoft no longer supports is just silly.
In this game some people have serious amount of money tied up in items and skills. Hence, it would be irresponsible in a way to, at the same second MS drops support, to also cut off players with the assets (because an operating system manufacturer decides not to provide active support).
To give an example, windows 10 was said to be supported indefinitely. However it recently turned out, that what MS meaned (in the fine print) was that windows 10 would be supported on a specific platform as long as the manufacturer actively developed new hardware drivers. Practically this could mean that when a certain computer model is shipped, if the manufacturer doesn't continue to make hardware drivers according to the changes that Microsoft states, that computer will no longer be supported.
This will be apparent with next major Windows 10 release: Next windows release will not work on a number of CPU models because Microsoft has changed, uh some stuff. Originally this would mean that those computers would be sunsupported as soon as 2019, but MA took the wise decision to continue support it as long as Windows 8.1 would had been supported. Probably because Microsoft doesn't want the headace of customers wanting to downgrade to an earlier supported version of the OS.
However, next time Microsoft changes something it might not work like this. Now we know the deal: If you have a computer with windows 10, it could turn unsupported (practically) with a few months notice; when MS decides to do next major update. If your computer manufacturer doesn't actively update the drivers for the next windows 10 release you'll be sitting on a computer that's as supported as Windows XP is today.
Practically, and probably specifically for Windows XP, I think that most people have upgrated the hardware and by that also the OS, simply because of that teh hardware requirements has increased. I guess that a typical computer with Windows XP simply has too little RAM (say 1 GB memory), too slow graphics and possbily a slow CPU.
As for 32/64-bit, I'm pretty sure that there is a 32-bit version of Windows 7. However, most computers are shipped with 64-bit version. 32-bit windows 7 is mostly for computers with low RAM (say 1-2 GB memory), low diskspace (say 32 GB SSD-disk); or for companies who need to stay compatible with 16-bit windows programs (as 32-bit windows 7 can run 16-bit windows programs/installers).
Then again there are philosofical reasons to stay with Windows 7 rather than upgrade to windows 10 of course. Like, ugly GUI and shareware programs (ie "clash of clans" ending up on "start menu"), the windows store/microsoft account deal, no control over how Windows Update works (eg not being able to prevent windows from rebooting computer with documents open).
The "HAL" (Hardware abstraction layer) thinking, that allowed DEC Alpha CPU to run 16-bit DOS programs is no more. (The drivers Microsoft required updating was CPU drivers, and obviously MS doesn't supply any "generic x86"-driver.)
The point is: (Even) if you are using Windows 10, your computer can be unsupported the day it leaves the shelf of the computer store with the new support policy. Microsoft has the right to unsupport it at any update if computer manufacturer doesn't continously update hardware (for instance to each specific CPU type) drivers.
I direct my boot at Microsoft for not providing a fall-back generic CPU driver. I don't blame MA here because I think most computers runnign XP today has too weak hardware for entropia (less than 4GB ram). Also I'd guess the same way that even 32-bit WIndows 7 (Windows 8, WIndows 10) installations probably has too little of hardware.
