Even then, the main reason why XP also was very popular with many was the utter shitstain known as Windows ME. Some figured out how to set it up right and with what hardware, otherwise it was the worst Windows, even with XP’s own issues (concerns over obsolete-ing “perfectly fine” hardware, the UI was very divisive, stability problems, etc.).
Difference is that Windows 7 was out before XP support was dropped, so people could just skip over Vista. They don’t have that option with 11.
Even then, the main reason why XP also was very popular with many was the utter shitstain known as Windows ME. Some figured out how to set it up right and with what hardware, otherwise it was the worst Windows, even with XP’s own issues (concerns over obsolete-ing “perfectly fine” hardware, the UI was very divisive, stability problems, etc.).