I think I will probably move up to Windows 8, but I may wait for SP1. 
In any case, I see several options:

1) I can upgrade to Windows 8 'in-place' and it is supposed to migrate all my Win 7 apps.
2) I can create a new partition and do a clean install and then re-install all my apps.
3) I would like to do step 2 and then migrate the Win 7 stuff to the Win 8 stuff.

If I could do 3, I can try out Windows 8, maybe install X2a and see how it runs, etc.

But I don't know if migration is possibly, I've not heard of anyone that tried it or what software does it.

I have a rather customized set-up that I built from scratch and it took forever to install everything I had in Windows XP when I installed Windows 7. I'd like to not do that again.

I guess I could also do the dual-boot try-out and if I like it, I can removed the Win 8 partition and upgrade Win7 in-place. At least that would tell me that all my hardware drivers worked on Win8.

I think most of my critical stuff is all up-to-date and ready for Windows 8.

You should be able to just upgrade Win 7 to 8 and all docs, apps, and settings should operate as it does in 7.  Buy the $40 online upgrade option before it expires, but don't run it until they come out with SP1.  Also, make sure your drivers will work with 8.  My Saffire Pro 24 does not yet have drivers for Win 8, so I'm waiting... prob until Win 9, since I want to upgrade to 64 bit but will need to reload everything.  I upgraded my old laptop and another desktop to Win 8 and I like it.  Check wifi and video drivers are also ready for 8.

Maarkr


 My Saffire Pro 24 does not yet have drivers for Win 8, so I'm waiting..

Focusrite has 3.1 drivers out for Win8 - see this:


http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2741669



EDIT: I found some problems for me in 3.1 so I reverted to 2.2

Possible and it was in my case easily done.

Opening the installer prompts a system scan that informs the user about possible issues and programs/hardware with no windows 8 drivers.

On the advice of others I uninstalled my audio card and moved my waves licenses to the cloud before running the installer.

It went very smoothly for me- everything works fine in win8, hundreds of VSTs for example that I couldn't be bothered installing from scratch. Windows 8 is terrific- but if you are someone who was freaked out about Sonar X1 and thinks multi touch is a gimmick you might as well stick with what you have.

The one thing that confused me about win 8 (for a small moment) was how to turn the computer off.

wait, are you saying that i can go from 7 to 8 without having to reinstall all my programs???!!!!!
and for $40??

is this for real?

Let me be a bit clearer. I know I can do an 'in-place' upgrade.

What I want to do is this:

Leave Windows 7 alone, as is.

Make a new boot partition and put a clean install of Windows 8 there.

Now I could boot 7 as is and 8 with no apps.

If I like 8 I THEN want to migrate Windows 7 to Windows 8 and test if everything went OK.

I will still have Windows 7 to boot from if necessary.

Finally, I would remove the Windows 7 partition and leave just Windows 8.

Hey, if you feel the need to complicate for no reason... well, it's your life.

I guess one way to do this is to CLONE my Windows 7 Drive and boot partition and then do an in-place upgrade of that.

If that works I can remove the older uncloned stuff.

I am a bit worried about the other drives, though. I have pagefiles on other drives, Windows search is elsewhere, my desktop, documents, VSTs, etc. Lots of drives are involved, not just the windows partition.

If I upgrade with a dual boot, Win 8 will probably change some of the things I use for Windows 7.

backwoods


Hey, if you feel the need to complicate for no reason... well, it's your life.

I don't follow you. It's a lot more complicated to recover a from a bricked system.

What are the odds of a bricked system- one in about how many?