As I understand it, Windows 8 does not ship with a DVD player. I think you need VLC or the Media player package. If you run the upgrade assistant it should tell you what you have that won't work.

I usually wait for Service Pack 1 before I install a new version of Windows.

Somewhere I saw installation notes on setting up a dual boot system - it looked pretty straightforward.

mrneil2


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?  

What trouble shooting posts for Windows 8? If you can run Windows 7 you can also run Windows 8.

You could DL the upgrade assistant and see how you fair.  

From where I'm watching, it's looking like W7 will have even more staying power than XP as far as business users are concerned.  The attempt to provide an interface that's good for everything from small to large displays is not sitting well with the business user community.  Either MS does a lot to W8 to make it more large-monitor friendly or it will be resoundingly ignored by a user base that's adverse to change in the first place (time is money and all that).
 
Like someone else said, none of us has a crystal ball, but if I was forced to make a wager, it would be that W7 way more staying power than MS currently is expecting.

"Either MS does a lot to W8 to make it more large-monitor friendly or it will be resoundingly ignored by a user base that's adverse to change in the first place (time is money and all that)."


How is it large screen unfriendly? 

John


"Either MS does a lot to W8 to make it more large-monitor friendly or it will be resoundingly ignored by a user base that's adverse to change in the first place (time is money and all that)."


How is it large screen unfriendly? 

The criticism I've read is that it doesn't do windows as we know them.  In other words, want to look at a web page and edit a document while doing so ... that's not supported according to several critique's I've read.  If that's so, it's unthinkable to use W8 over an OS that readily accomodates the normal multitasking workflow of a typical knowledge worker.
 
That said, I have not tried W8 yet nor even seen it in action.  But in general, I think it's safe to say that compromises would be necessary to have a one-size-fits-all solution ... everything from a mini phone screen to a widescreen desktop monitor.  I could be entirely wrong on this point, though.  Like I said, I'm only working with second-hand information at this point.  But my sources of information have been pretty credible technical web sites.

Yes it DOES windows as we know them.  Only the Metro apps don't.

I hear you Dmbaer and its silly. That is true only if one is using apps and not normal windows programs and not entirely because you can have two apps up at the same time on one monitor. Did you know that Win 8 comes with IE for the desktop and IE as an app? 

There are reasons to use the app version and there are reasons to use the classic version. However if someone is basing an opinion about Windows 8 by only using apps than they have missed 90 % of windows. 

One way to look at the start screen or what used to be called Metro or the Modern UI is as a very large start menu that scrolls left to right instead of up and down. You get both the name and an icon. But don't be misled by how it looks. It has power and usefulness. On the other hand the desktop we know and love is very much alive and well. Doing just fine and is more accessible than ever.  

True it takes a little time to get used to the new windows but its well worth the effort. And as said before a start menu is only a download away.

The thing that gets missed with this release is the underlying power Windows 8 has. It is not a dumbed down Windows at all. It is more powerful than its ever been and more customizable than ever and more use friendly than ever. 

Tons of little improvements are there to help the user do their job. 

Its fast and stable.  Its what a Windows user has been waiting for.  

If you look at my previous post on this and this together you should get a better idea about Windows 8. Iy should be seen as an OS for apps but one that givesus choice and the ability to do either. Using Windows 8 on a desktop and also on a laptop plus a tablet and a phone is so simple and as group very powerful. 

Nothing need be left behind now. Any device we use will work and run the same things in the same way. 

Its an entirely new world that is just at the beginning. 

Bill51


Yes it DOES windows as we know them.  Only the Metro apps don't.

Hmmm.. Well..six of one, half dozen of another, here. 

I mean, Microsoft has been playing around with their product line-up for some time, and not always in ways beneficial to some of their users. I took a look at their Visual Studio 12 beta some time ago (it's out now..) and boy was that thing ugly. The user interface wasn't Metro, but rather an extension of its plain is better ethos. Yuck. The point I'm trying to make is that style and function are contextual. In a mobile situation you're interested in timely information that is useful in the context of being disconnected from the usual PC. Your need to interact is not quite as great, and the user interface reflects that. Pads and tablets are a step up; a little more interactivity, slightly better display, but you're still not going to type your college thesis on it. But on a PC, we expect the full symphony. 
 
As I mentioned in another thread - MS is afraid of Apple's scale, and is trying to emulate it. Win 8 Metro would be great for a tablet, but sucks for the desktop. I know MS now knows it - Steve Sinofsky got the boot after all, and that ain't the usual reward for a successful product launch.

Apples and oranges. I only wonder if Apple had already considered and discarded the notion of ios on the desktop. It should give them some pause. MS should be, and probably is, in a contemplative, rethink mode. Serious reflection instead of blind reaching. Like they did after Vista....MS's Achilles heel is they will make big bets if they think they can corner something, but they suffer from a lord-of-the-flies management style that thins critical thinking staff.

Win 7 fine, but why do you want to upgrade twice and go through the pain twice? You will need to upgrade to Win 8 or Win9 one day. Win 8 is stable enough.

ps Much cheaper to upgrade to Windows 8 right now than Win7 if you buy upgrade online at Microsoft store.

These is a media pack free upgrade on the Microsoft store when you buy if it isn't included, http://www.microsoft.com/.../details.aspx?id=30685

Windows Media Centre is also a free for a limited time...

http://www.techrepublic.c...-prepared-to-wait/6928


No brainer...

Win 7 - stay there until you want to slowly move into Win 8. Just remember the upgrade price won't last.
Earlier Windows users should jump ship straight to Win 8.

Win 7 - stay there until you want to slowly move into Win 8. Just remember the upgrade price won't last.

I'd bet against against that prognostification.  Most folks will get their Win 8 upgrades with the purchase of a new PC,  and of course, nobody has a jones for Metro...


There's just isn't enough difference between 7 and 8, sans Metro...