Windows 7 or Windows 8

I've been out of the loop for nearly two years due to a host of obligations.  However, I am done with much of that and I am getting back into my recording and music interests.

A while back, I updated to Sonar X1 but never really got into it because of aforementioned obligations.  Now that I am ready to get back into the swing of things, I am looking into upgrading to X2.  I figured, I am going to have to relearn what little I knew in the past.  So, if I am going to learn something, why not upgrade and learn the X2.

My recording computer has Windows XP.  It looks like X2 isn't supported by XP.  So, I am going to upgrade by operating system.  So, the question is, are there any major advantages to Windows 8 over Windows 7?  

I don't really have an interest in the touch screen capability for using Sonar.  I've got the V-Studio 700 and a mouse so I'm thinking that'll do just fine.

Windows 7 has been around longer and should be a solid foundation.  Is this a true assumption?

Thanks for any input.

My view is Windows 8 is a better OS then Windows 7, but just marginally. 

I like Windows 8 and past on Windows 7. I come from Vista. 

If you want two OSs in one Windows 8 is the one to get.

Ya ... And XP was around forever ... Now Microsoft is coming out with new OS's too fast. 

I run vista on an AMD quad ... With X2A producer and so far ... No problems. That's my DAW

However, 

I think I would get windows 7. I run 7 on my junky lap top and 7 looks nicer then the big blue block things I see on windows 8. 

In 10 years from now we won't even need an OS to run programs. We will just look at a piece of glass and control the programs with our minds instead of a mouse. 


What the hell am I even talking about?! 

WTF! 

Last winter, I went from XP to Win8 so I could stay current with Sonar ... that was when the upgrade was still only $40. I noticed a bit of a performance improvement on my old machine and haven't had any real problems. But before you do anything, I suggest you download and run the upgrade assistant to see if there are any roadblocks to putting Win8 on your laptop, like synktrotron mentioned.

In my opinion:

1. Windows 7 is a better OS than XP, and for me to say that is a lot, because I was a DIE-hard XP Pro fan.  Windows 7 is very stable, and more drivers seem to be available for Windows 7 than for Windows 8, although that will change with time.

2.  Windows 8 has some internal changes that some folks have lost their minds over, and some folks have gone to great lengths to install third-party software to recapture familiar methods of doing things, like keeping the old Start Menu, rather than the new user interface that comes with Windows 8.  That being said, as one person above posted (and this is my approach too), I have decided to go 'whole hog' with Windows 8, and have learned how to work with the changes in how things are done.  I have found that in Windows 8, with things set up the way I like, that I can fly through things now with greater speed than I could in Windows 7.  Those issues are largely a matter of personal preference.  The REAL thing to look for with Windows 8 is to make SURE that any software drivers that you need for any external devices EXIST and are STABLE (midi controllers and synths, as well as audio interfaces).  Do NOT assume that things will simply plug in and work.

So, do your homework on your gear that will be connecting to your computer for EITHER Windows 7 or Windows 8, and other than that, choose the one that you like the feel of.

A great many folks here in the forum are using Sonar on Windows 7, and a great many are also on Windows 8.  There are, however, a small number of folks who have upgraded to usually Windows 8, only THEN to find out that there are no drivers for their external gear.  (Those folks are weeping and gnashing their teeth and pretty much not happy campers).

One additional thing to tuck away in your brain somewhere is that a piece of freeware called DPC Latency Checker, which does a nice job of presenting a scrolling graph of detected system latency, does not report the proper times in Windows 8.  It works fine in Windows 7, but the kernal timing information has changed internally, and to the best of my knowledge DPC Latency Checker still does not post proper latency values.  There is, however, an alternative piece of freeware, called LatencyMon, that works fine in both Windows 7 and Windows 8, and it does a mighty fine job of posting similar (even more detailed) information on your system's performance and latency and such.  So, just remember this, and whenever you get a system with either OS on it, DO download and run one of these tools to give you an idea of whether or not your system in its state at the time of running the tool - can adequately handle audio streaming as done with programs such as Sonar.

The BEST of it all in your new adventures with operating systems and all that goes with it all.

Bob Bone

Well, to be fair, Cakewalk announced the SP1 requirement for Win 7 up front, and explained it nicely, and it also works fine on Windows 8, and there has been plenty of discussion here in the forum suggesting that folks do their homework on their particular gear working with either version of Windows.

I would also much rather Cakewalk drop support for the older Windows versions, enabling cleaner code moving forward, AND allowing more resources to be devoted to us still waiting for the next version or maintenance release to appear (because they have their developers working on fixes and new features, rather than having to continue to provide support for older OS versions).

Course, the above is simply my puffed up chest billowing out irrelevant whatevers on the whole matter, so feel free to ignore me. :)

Bob Bone

If you have the driver support.... 8