sock monkey
"so I'll just get a copy of 8 since it seems really solid" 
 
Ahrrr avast me mates!!`Only one way to get 8.5 these day's I'm afraid...

 
:P I found one on ebay!

Thanks for the detailed reply. I do a lot of those things but I keep update on because I know how easy it is to exploit some of those windows security vulnerabilities once they're found.
 
I didn't think to try 7 on compatibility mode because it was actually working when I first installed it for a while. Anyway 8 seems to be working well... for now.
 

spacealf
First you may want to take off all the automatic stuff in Windows 7. You would have to go to Control Panel and go through everything, mainly like Windows Update - not automatically done, and User Account Control - I have mine off, but it is because it is more of an annoyance than because of anything else - all the time - do you trust this software, do you want to install it - duh, yes, so I turned it OFF! Automatic Defragging of the harddrive - I don't need schedules on for anything - yes I have to check every now and then the computer, but I am used to that.
 
I do not even have Sonar 7 with compatibility mode for XP with whatever SP like SP2 or SP3 and XP Compatible, I did at one time for awhile, but I got to say  - works the same in Windows 7. Now I do not use soft synths, but that probably not that much of a problem, and I do not use software compressors, and limiters and any of that stuff, but still the Cakewalk effects do work and I could - maybe one time I did, but the rest for mainly audio recording I never have a problem with. In fact my drivers for my RME-Babyface, work with XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 - one driver download for any OS on that.
 
??? I never have to re-install Windows either, because it is an OEM OS so I think there is a spare copy kept in Windows 7 - maybe all Windows 7 is like that and I have a Home Premium version of Windows 7, and it all works fine, no problems. You have to make your own DVD disks if you want to store the OS because you do not get those Windows disk with the computer, and a Start-up disk if anything goes wrong, but all of those are done either from the manufacturer's own program or a Windows program. Also stored is the other stuff you need for the computer should the OS bust, and that may have to be written down somewhere to keep also (on paper like).
 
Sonar 8 would be better, but like anything I have the patch for Sonar 7 installed and Sonar 8 needs patches also - what to version 8.5.3 whatever, but probably will upgrade sometime and although I like the old version vs. new version like X3 whatever, I may just have to upgrade someday anyway. I hope it is not as hard to use as some people seem to indicate on this forum, and I am sure I will have to read through it because it is different, and that day will be that day then.
 
Check your harddisk - Get up Computer desktop Icon - go to the C:\ drive and right click and select Properties, then the Tools tab and check your files for Windows if necessary, also do disk cleanup for files no longer needed - like when Windows Update is done, and Windows does not get rid of the cleanup but most of the time they do, and other files no longer needed on the computer -- or have all your harddisk bulged up from files no longer needed on your computer.
 
I have not had Windows Update interfere with anything running on my computer and those still are going to come out anyway for quite a while yet.
 
That is about it, go through Control Panel and set the computer the way you want to run it. I myself just take off the automatic scheduling stuff because I do it when I want to and not when some schedule is going to do it - you have to change usually that stuff on the time anyway, and I turn my computer off, so it is not going to do it at night or any of that.
 
Go to Control Panel and Administrative Tools and System Configuration, and set what little stinking programs you want to start up when the computer starts up - or not start up - they take up memory and take up time running sometimes - I get tired of automatic stuff on a computer even with Adobe Flash which can be set just to notify you if there is an update, and there was just a recent update, Java (which I probably do not need anyway) on the computer, or anything else with those stupid update programs. I have software that can not be updated so why would I have those programs for the updates on anyway.
 
You can clean boot about there also, or set it up to start the computer the way you want to - better than XP use to be. You just have to get familiar with Windows 7, if you are not already. Especially when you connect to the Internet - I have a desktop Icon that is for "Local Are Connection" just get up that screen in Control Panel when you get to Connections (for the Internet) and drag it to the desktop. If I want the Internet on, then the desktop icon is where I go to Enable that or Disable it and the Status screen also after I do connect to the Internet. XP had that also, but it is there in Windows 7, you just have to find all the stuff and change Windows 7 to perform how you want it to.
 
Can't think of anything else right now, and I sure I had something else to say about it all, but then, in Windows 7, you can set it up more to the way you want, then XP ever could be set up, but know to go through the speaker icon on the Tray on the right hand side and look at all of that also - usually right clicking to select what menu item you want to look at - those would be probably the WDM drivers part of the sound, but in Sonar 7, I only use ASIO drivers although I can change that, and all that is the same as it was on XP. I do have share drivers with other program checked marked in Sonar but I doubt if I need that, since Sonar is separate say like using ASIO drivers while anything else in Windows 7 would use the Windows drivers of WDM/KS because that is the way that it all works.
 

Well, that is enough babbling and probably way too much.
Babyface and all as it were.
 

I've used Sonar 7 Producer (32 bit) on Win7 (64 bit) with no problems.
I used the 32 bit versions as some plugins didn't like the 64 bit Sonar.
 
I now us Sonar X3 Producer (32 bit) running from a SSD and it's very stable (as long as the wifi is off).
 
I did try a clean install of just X3 64bit, but again some plugins were not working as they should.
Tried a few things.
Best option was reinstall Sonar 7 (32 bit), then my plugsins, then Sonar X3 (32 bit).
Now it all works rather nicely.