Hi All,

I am currently running X2a under Windows 7.  However, I recently managed to acquire a copy of Windows 8 Pro before Microsoft realised they were selling it too cheap and put the price back up and I am considering installing it.

For those of you who have made the jump to W8, what's your view?  Is it worth the 'upgrade'?

I don't have a touch screen monitor and I don't want the expense of one right now - I may get one in the future but not just yet.

I don't mind NOT using the mouse too much, only when necessary - I was brought up on Unix & DOS so keyboard short-cuts work for me.

So your opinions, views please?  advantages? : disadvantages?

Thanks in advance

I have Win8 on one of my work laptops. It's an Lenovo Twist (touchscreen).
My take is this.  It's weird. It's as if in some sense it wants to be a tablet OS, and in another sense it wants to be normal Windows.  You can either have the new Metro style, or you can have the traditional Windows style interface.

Having said that, even when you are in the traditional Windows style UI, things have changed.  They have gotten rid of Window tool bar buttons. So, you don't have the minimize, maximize and close buttons on everything like you had in the past. Rather, you have to grab the window header and drag it all the way to the bottom of the screen. This in my opinion is a HUGE fail! You will find that it's more difficult to navigate at first. There is no "Start" button. However, you can go find Win8 add-ons. I did this immediately. Don't recall the name of the start button add-on that I found, it was free and very slick.

Regarding Sonar and Win8?  Not sure really.  I did load Sonar onto that computer, but I've not really done anything with it.

I have a co worker who said he hated Win8 at first, but forced himself to spend a weekend with it and now he loves it. Said it took some getting used to, but after getting used to it, says it makes sense. I'm personally thinking about making some significant upgrades to my home computer and when I do, most likely I'll put Windows 8 on it.   It's quirky in my opinion, but I suspect that Microsoft will listen to the heat they have taken and address some of the issues.
 
Is it a MUST upgrade?  Na, I wouldn't say so. Not from what I've seen. It is a shift though.

I'm happy with my decision to stick with windows 7, but it bugs me when I hear reports that win 8 runs circles around win 7 performance-wise.

If I ever need a performance boost I'll probably give in.

From my perspective, Windows 8 is merely Windows 7 with a new face. I suspect much will work the same, but as always in the software world, new is not always better. In Microsoft's history, the latest OS is nearly always problematic for many until at least the first Service Pack. X2b seems to have taken a performance hit in Windows 7, but maybe is more efficient in Windows 8. X2a was faster in Windows 7 for me. 

X2b???
Is it out?

Windows 8 is working well here with X2a.  It is definitely a worthy upgrade from XP or Vista... from 7?

Here's what's better:
Task Manager
Explorer file management
Multi monitor task bar and desktop backgrounds
Power management
slightly improved performance

Here's what's annoying:
Start screen searches, in 7 all options appear, in 8 you have to select between programs, settings, and files
The charms menu in between multiple monitors is annoying
The metro apps are pretty, but pointless for a DAW.  Good thing they can be ignored.

Here's the rub.  You used your Windows 7 installation to purchase the $40 upgrade?  That means you'll have to replace that installation of 7 if you are ever to use that software.  So since you can't use it elsewhere, at some point you'll just need to take the plunge and upgrade that DAW.

wogg


Windows 8 is working well here with X2a.  It is definitely a worthy upgrade from XP or Vista... from 7?

Here's what's better:
Task Manager
Explorer file management
Multi monitor task bar and desktop backgrounds
Power management
slightly improved performance

Here's what's annoying:
Start screen searches, in 7 all options appear, in 8 you have to select between programs, settings, and files
The charms menu in between multiple monitors is annoying
The metro apps are pretty, but pointless for a DAW.  Good thing they can be ignored.

Here's the rub.  You used your Windows 7 installation to purchase the $40 upgrade?  That means you'll have to replace that installation of 7 if you are ever to use that software.  So since you can't use it elsewhere, at some point you'll just need to take the plunge and upgrade that DAW.

If you have the windows 7 installation discs, couldn't you install windows 7 again as a dual boot then upgrade the new installation of windows 7 to 8?

Technically, the license for 8 replaces 7 so a dual boot with both isn't really allowed, but it would probably work and that sort of thing isn't really what MS is concerned with.

The Windows 8 ISO installation (provided you did download the ISO file and burn it) doesn't actually need the previous version of Windows installed first, you can do a clean install.  It does seem to track the hardware profile though, I replaced a motherboard and hard drive and attempted to clean re-install my Windows 8 upgrade from the disk and ended up spending 45 minutes on the phone with MS to get it activated.

As long as you're not blatantly pirating the installation, customer service will probably help you activate if you're patient enough.

I've did a fresh install recently of win8 on my 5 year old Dell Vostro. It seems to boot to the login screen in about half the time it did with win7 and i'm on the same hardware. 

I can't comment on Sonar as that is on my desktop machine, but overall i think win8 is a smoother experience in terms of performance. You will have to get used to the new layout though, if your not on a touchscreen then it's almost a step backwards. That said, logitech do a touchpad thats recognises multi-touch gestures for windows, so possibly worth a look if a touchscreen is too expensive.

Windows 8 works well. The main thing to watch out for is hardware drivers. You'll more than likely need new drivers for some of your hardware, especially your audio interface.

Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://garrigus.com - SONAR X2 Power! - http://garrigus.com/?SonarX2Power
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar ProAudioTutor video tutorial series: http://garrigus.com/?ProAudioTutor
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