The Background
 
Running X1 Producer Expanded in Windows XP on a Vostro laptop (see signature). From reading the forum it makes no sense to upgrade to X2 since it doesn’t support XP and will not work when the next X2 patch is released.
 
The Question
 
            I’m a noob and really just want to make music, primarily audio tracks and EZ drummer.  Maybe a softsyn or two.  Small projects.  Have never gone over 12 tracks.
 
Would I be shooting myself in the foot if I upgraded only to Windows 7  now?  I don’t want to spend time troubleshooting Windows 8 like all the recent posts. 

 What’s your guess for how long Cakewalk will support Windows 7?  Would I be in the same boat in 2 years?  

Would I be shooting myself in the foot if I upgraded only to Windows 7  now?

No. Win 7 is stable & mature

I don’t want to spend time troubleshooting Windows 8 like all the recent posts.

Neither do I. That's why I probably won't upgrade again until Windows 9

What’s your guess for how long Cakewalk will support Windows 7?

Who knows - best guess? A LONG time

No one has a crystal ball and it depends on all the software and hardware company's. 

You could email or call all the company's that you have software and hardware with and ask them and take the chance the answer you truthfully

WinXP is 11 years old.
Win7 (3 years old) isn't going anywhere anytime soon...
You'll be fine installing/using Win7x64 for the next several years.

http://windows.microsoft....ows/products/lifecycle

A rule of thumb would be seven years after product is removed from the market - so expect about 2020?

arachnaut's answer is probably the most definitive one you will get about Microft's support of the OS

How long Cakewalk will continue to make programs that will run under various versions of Windows, or to provide bug fixes..err I mean updates.. that will be backward compatible is more of a mystery. If your current version of Sonar runs under Windows 7, it should continue to do so. That does not guarantee that a bug fix designed to make the program work better in Windows 8 might not break that compatibility. In that case, you might have to uninstall the update and forgo the bug fix.

In any case, you can still get Windows 8 upgrades for $40.00, so if you install Win 7 now, you can save a cheap upgrade for later when the bugs are tamed a bit.

Can 8 be successfully installed over 7 or is a clean install necessary? Anyone done it?

Can 8 be successfully installed over 7 or is a clean install necessary? Anyone done it?

Someone has:
http://www.itproportal.co...rade-or-clean-install/

but I probably would not.

I actually bought a new laptop earlier than planned specifically to make sure I could get Windows 7 rather than be forced onto 8.

I may well make the move at some point but Windows 7 is really solid for me so I'm sticking with what I know for now.