Helpful ReplyAnyone at all using X3 Producer with Windows XP SP 1?

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Harvey Cedars
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2013/10/18 17:17:16 (permalink)

Anyone at all using X3 Producer with Windows XP SP 1?

Anyone at all using X3 Producer with Windows XP SP 1?
I can upgrade my OS to SP3 the latest.
 
I know it is no longer officially supported , but does it work anyways
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robert_e_bone
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Re: Anyone at all using X3 Producer with Windows XP SP 1? 2013/10/18 18:22:31 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby mettelus 2013/10/18 23:52:25
You could install up to X2 - but you would NOT be able to install the rather significant upgrade of X2A, which means you would have at a minimum 250 bugs more than if you were able to have installed the maintenance patch (X2b).
 
Furthermore, you can NOT install X3 on XP, period, due to run-time libraries that are REQUIRED for the installs, and which only show up with Windows 7 SP1 and beyond.
 
Sorry - you will need to upgrade your OS at the minimum to Win 7 SP1 to run X2a or X3, and if your computer is getting long in the hardware tooth, you might just consider picking up a new computer.  Please note that if you do indeed pick up a new computer, and it is pre-loaded with software, that you will almost certainly have to go in to delete a bunch of free trials of this and that, including trial versions of antivirus software,  I recommend Avast, for a good freeware antivirus program.  You can get it at www.downloads.com - just pay attention in the install, so you don't get a bunch of who knows what installed by your not paying attention - remove check boxes in the install process for anything that isn't the free base version of Avast and you will be fine.
 
Bob Bone
 

Wisdom is a giant accumulation of "DOH!"
 
Sonar: Platinum (x64), X3 (x64) 
Audio Interfaces: AudioBox 1818VSL, Steinberg UR-22
Computers: 1) i7-2600 k, 32 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 Pro x64 & 2) AMD A-10 7850 32 GB RAM Windows 10 Pro x64
Soft Synths: NI Komplete 8 Ultimate, Arturia V Collection, many others
MIDI Controllers: M-Audio Axiom Pro 61, Keystation 88es
Settings: 24-Bit, Sample Rate 48k, ASIO Buffer Size 128, Total Round Trip Latency 9.7 ms  
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Harvey Cedars
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Re: Anyone at all using X3 Producer with Windows XP SP 1? 2013/10/18 20:18:38 (permalink)
Thanks amigo, Yes my daw is 10 years old, and I figured exactly what you posted above. If I was to get a new computer for audio work I would certainly build it myself with a half hour or an hour purchase of Jim Roseberry's time http://www.studiocat.com/open_cart/ (or actually purchasing one of his builds). It would be my 4th build although I have not done it since my Core2Duo office computer in whatever year I built it. My current DAW is as old as mud, a Pentium 4 Northwood running 8.5.3 producer.
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mettelus
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Re: Anyone at all using X3 Producer with Windows XP SP 1? 2013/10/18 21:24:57 (permalink)
Hi again,
 
   There was an interesting thread posted a while ago on computer builds (for X1). If you upgrade a machine, you will definitely want to take advantage of the 64-bit architecture. My specific build is older, but is still effective (and significantly cheaper now too). Due to the "guts" of my machine, it was still benchmarking #10 at 2 years old (the SSD and GPU are a bit overkill of the average user). Bob and I have similar machines, but he has a full RAM load and upgraded to Win8.
 
   That thread is worth looking at if you are researching a new machine. http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/2733572
 
   Michael

ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero (Wi-Fi AC), i7-8700k, 16GB RAM, GTX-1070Ti, Win 10 Pro, Saffire PRO 24 DSP, A-300 PRO, plus numerous gadgets and gizmos that make or manipulate sound in some way.
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robert_e_bone
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Re: Anyone at all using X3 Producer with Windows XP SP 1? 2013/10/19 10:11:00 (permalink)
Building them is fun, and pretty pain-free these days.
 
Make sure your new motherboard has both USB 2 and USB 3 ports, as some/many audio interfaces that have USB connections do not like to be plugged into USB 3 ports.
 
I would suggest some flavor of i7 CPU, and 16 GB of memory, or 32 GB if you have any money left over - but 16 is still good, so don't kill yourself trying to get 32 GB.  I have used AMD CPU's several times over the years, and they have good value, but I find the Intel chips to be a bit faster.
 
Also, my initial build of my latest computer had 2 crazy powerful video cards, but since then I have gotten rid of both and simply use the on-board graphics - and that works just fine to drive 2 giant displays (32" HDTV and 46" HDTV), so I would suggest you hold off on an expensive video card - you can always add one if needed, for between $30-$100 that will be fine.
 
I also had a 512 GB SSD drive when they were first available - almost $500, and it bit the dust, but while still under warranty.  That refund is what bought my 46' HDTV that is now my primary display, and the hard drive is now a run if the mill 2 TB SATA III non-SSD drive, that only ran something like $79 or $99, can't remember.  That drive is plenty fast enough for streaming.  Do NOT get a 'Green' drive, you are a POWER USER, and the variable-speed drives are a giant headache for Sonar - get drives that spin at 7,200 RPM and you will be fine.  
 
You will want at least 2 drives - I recommend a 120 GB SSD primary drive, for the OS and your applications only, which will be crazy fast.  I also recommend at least one additional drive, SATA III 2 TB (almost same cost as 1 TB so go ahead and get double the size for like $10 difference).  This second drive should hold your projects.  Some folks pick up an additional drive for holding sample libraries and such - I keep all of that on my 2nd drive (the same one as the Cakewalk projects and audio), and I have never had any performance issues just using 2 drives.  I actually do NOT have a solid-state drive as my primary, and still don't have performance issues, but the SSD drives are lightening-fast for holding the OS, and if I were to build another computer, it would have an SSD drive for the primary drive.
 
Anyways, I hope any of that helps.
 
Bob Bone
 

Wisdom is a giant accumulation of "DOH!"
 
Sonar: Platinum (x64), X3 (x64) 
Audio Interfaces: AudioBox 1818VSL, Steinberg UR-22
Computers: 1) i7-2600 k, 32 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 Pro x64 & 2) AMD A-10 7850 32 GB RAM Windows 10 Pro x64
Soft Synths: NI Komplete 8 Ultimate, Arturia V Collection, many others
MIDI Controllers: M-Audio Axiom Pro 61, Keystation 88es
Settings: 24-Bit, Sample Rate 48k, ASIO Buffer Size 128, Total Round Trip Latency 9.7 ms  
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Harvey Cedars
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Re: Anyone at all using X3 Producer with Windows XP SP 1? 2013/10/20 23:16:58 (permalink)
Thanks for the advice. Building a new DAW with a more modern sound card is a good idea. I am sill using my Echo Layla 24/16 PCI card real old early 2001 to 2002 (or so) technology. Does not sound as crisp and clear as what is happening these days. But it runs flawlessly, and if I had a project worth doing in mind I would need to replace all of that old stuff.
 
Thanks again for taking the time to post the above.
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