I reverted to W 8.1 as to me it's half way between W7 and W10. I'm sitting on a nice solid fence. 
 
Out of all the OS I have from XP through W10,   W10 is my least favorite. It's a bit of a bully and tries to think for me. It keeps trashing my settings and drivers.   
But that said, I have it on 3 computers and , Oh well.   Just don't pay for it, it is still free until the end of the year. 
http://www.itprotoday.com/windows-10/assistive-technology-users-free-upgrade-still-available-windows-10
 
 

When I saw this thread title I figured it would be full of responses from MS fanbois posting about how great Win 10 is, so it was a relief to see a more realistic discussion. As a YAITP (Yet Another IT Professional) I would have to agree with most posts here - better to avoid Win 10 if you can. Windows 7 is a good solid OS - no reason to feel bad about sticking with it. The only down side is that support for Win 7 will end in just over two years. Of course you can use an OS even after MS support ends - some people are still using XP! The MS OS that would be better would be Windows 8.1 - very solid and smooth. I've been running it on my DAW since it came out and it's pretty trouble-free for me. But if you're going to upgrade, be sure to go with Win 8.1, not Win 8 - that was kinda messed up until 8.1 fixed it.

Still on Win 7 here for my main DAW. It never goes online, never gets updated and is as solid as a rock.
 
I also have several system images so in the event of a major hardware failure I'll be able to get back to making music fairly painlessly

On Win 8.1, here. Very solid OS.

I have a home studio and current hardware.  I have no problems with Win 10, although Win 10 is not for everyone.  Just stating my own experience.  I do some computer support and all my clients except one have either upgraded to Win 10 or bought new PC's with Win 10 and none currently have any issues with it.  The one client that is not on Win 10 is because I advised him not to upgrade because of his old (marginally compatible) hardware.

Many, many thanks for all the helpful replies.
 
The general consensus here so far seems to be to stick with Windows 7 or perhaps to update to Windows 8.1?
Stratman70, I do make money from recording in a small studio and that’s one of the reasons I’m wondering about an update …
and like you, seem to have overindulged in the plugin department somewhat!
 
Is there the danger that 3^rd party plugins stop supporting Windows 7?
 
Can I confirm with you all that if I were to stick with Windows 7, then in the future move to Windows 10 but the Cakewalk servers were gone, that I would simply be able to update to Windows 10 without having to worry about reauthorizing Sonar in any way? (I've downloaded and backed up all the SPLAT files)
 
My computer is stable just now and is used exclusively for audio (and video sometimes) and is only online for updates and patches and transferring files.
 
Thanks again for the help.

If its off-line and everything works, there is no need to upgrade, at least now.  Although I'm happy with Win 10, as stated previously, its not for everyone and especially those with older hardware.  At the point you do replace the PC it will then be time to adapt to the new OS (whatever that is at the time you do).  Whether you will be able to install Sonar with that new system??    

I would say, if you did update to windows 10, you would have to update to the version of windows 10 from a month ago........because sonar is not being updated anymore, any future updates could cause problems.......windows 8.1 sounds like the safest bet.

I'm still running SPLAT on Window 7 Professional and I'm also running Studio One 3.5 and Digital Performer on Windows 7 with absolutely no hiccups. I figure if it ain't broke don't fix it.

My computer is stable just now and is used exclusively for audio (and video sometimes) and is only online for updates and patches and transferring files.
 
That tells me you should leave things alone. After all, what do you think will be BETTER if you swicth to W10 
If anything a new SSD drive will make a huge difference, but not the OS.