I've run Home Studio 2004 for 9 years. I'm looking at other DAWs because maybe mine is outdated? Sometimes it won't re-record a track, and yesterday a volume envelope I added to a clip wouldn't change the volume.
 
My music needs are simple. I lay down midi tracks I play from my digital keyboard. I edit them in staff view. I use nothing else of Home Studio's--no instruments, no plugins, no effects.
 
So I have these questions:
 
1. Is Home Studio 2004 conflicting with Windows 7?
 
2. Seeing that my recording needs are simple, is Music Creator a better upgrade for me than Sonar X1 (I saw on the products page that Cakewalk no longer offers Home Studio?)
 
3. Or is the legacy Home Studio 7 better than Music Creator?
 
I'm also looking at Cakewalk's (legacy) Pro Audio 9.
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Edit: I found out it's illegal to obtain Pro Audio 9 according to Cakewalk's rules.
  
 

I'm surprised Home Studio 2004 even runs at all under Windows 7. The latest version of Home Studio is actually called Sonar X2 Essentials, but it is very different from Home Studio so expect a big learning curve. I don't know anything about Music Creator. Also, I don't know where you'd find a legal version of Pro Audio 9 so I won't even comment on that.