I can't seem to find any info on this OLD software on the CW site, but in any event, I'm probably the last person still using Sonar Home Studio 6 XL. I'm using a 10 year old computer I must soon upgrade. I don't imagine there's a patch to make SHS 6XL work with Windows 8, but I thought I'd enquire. Any ideas on that?

Hey Mark - long time!
 
No, there are no patches to make SHS work with win8, or even win7 or vista for that matter.  it's a dead product and has been for a while.
 
however, as a registered owner of SHS6XL, you can upgrade to Sonar X3 (basic) for only $49. 
 
you just missed the sale they had which, IIRC would allow you to purchase it for $20. 

Thanks, Beagle, good to see you. I don't believe I've even visited the forum in over two years (life does NOT slow down when you reach 60!). You've confirmed what I feared, but at least it won't be expensive to upgrade

I'm not 60 yet, but I'm approaching it with increasing speed.  and it seems I'm ALWAYS busier than I was last year!
 
good luck to you!

I believe that Sonar HS6XL will run ok on a Windows 7 platform, but I'm not sure about Windows 8.
 

I've been toying with the idea of installing hs7xl on win 8.1 just for the heck of it!  If I try I'll report back!

I am also still using SHS 6 XL on an old XP machine.
I also loaded it on my W 7 box, and it seems to work, but I haven't really tested it deeply.
But, got X3 for $25, too. The future isn't that far ahead.

To the OP, I was just playing with "XP Mode" for Win7/8 tonight, so the fear of a new OS may not be as bad as you think. I posted that here just a moment ago: http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3115152
 
However, I would also recommend the upgrade to X3, as it is incredibly powerful and stable. Having gone from Home Studio -> SONAR -> X-series myself, the best advice is not to be steadfast on what you "expect," since many features are similar... yet some are not. Rather than take the mindset of "why is this different," it is much easier to learn the new features as if it were a new program. Once you understand the GUI, it is very nice to work in once customized to your work flow.

And you can dual boot too.
http://forum.cakewalk.com...fter-W-7-m3114692.aspx

Home Studio 6XL was my first Cakewalk Product. It's the cause for my addiction to Sonar and the upgrades have been non-stop ever since.  I believe it will work on Windows 7. I know it worked with Vista.