Windows announced the availibility of Windows 8 I believe on the 26th.  I know some on this forum somehow beta tested Windows 8, but I am not sure if anybody has looked at the results of these two big changes and how they function together (X2 with Windows 8.)
 
How many X2 users are going to Windows 8 right after its release?  I have a very stable XP machine, realively new, running X1.  Weird enough, there is an update path from XP to 8 - but not XP to 7!  So here is a chance to get 'up-to-date' and take advantage of the X2 features. 

I would strongly consider buying a new PC if you go for Windows 8 in your scenario (you haven't listed your hardware in the footer, but the chances are your PC is getting quite old). Get a new PC with it pre-installed I would suggest.

I use Win 8 x64 and Sonar Producer x64. They work fine. I use a 6 year old laptop. I disable my video driver, my battery and my wifi card before recording, but I don't get any glitches if I take those steps. I am not able to record at 88.2 and use the TH2 Guitar Amp Sim. I have to stay at 44.1 or 48 if I'm using that. Otherwise, I can hang at 88.2 for a lot of work. 24 bit.

The one change in this version of Windows I've been slow to adapt to is that shutdown is now just another version of sleep (unless you go to lengths to change it). This means that if I leave my M-Audio interface plugged in when I swing the lid down, I'll get a crash when I lift it back up. No problems if I unplug or turn off the device before shutting down or sleeping. But, I'll say, I have been long used to restarting my PC and having a 'soft shutdown' bugs me a little.

Weird enough, there is an update path from XP to 8 - but not XP to 7!

That is not true depending on what you mean by an "upgrade path." You can install a retail  Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade, or Windows 7 Professional Upgrade version onto a machine running XP. It will not do what Microsoft calls an "upgrade installation" i.e. keeping all your installed programs and data. But you can do a "custom installation" from XP with the upgrade license/dvd. You cannot do an "upgrade installation" form XP to Windows 8 either however. So if you want to install Windows 7 or Windows 8 upgrade versions onto a machine running XP, you can do either, and there is no advantage to doing one vs the other as far as the "upgrade path." You will still need to reinstall all your applications if you upgrade regardless of whether to 7 or 8.


Boxed retail upgrade versions of Windows 7 will become harder to find as time goes on-- Newegg is out of stock already, and Amazon has "8 copies left." On October 26 Microsoft will be offering an upgrade download of Windows 8 Professional for 39.95--a bargain if you want that sucker. Pre-orders of the boxed versions are going for  around 69.95.

@ Flapp - get an additional hard drive and install win 8/X2 on there. That way you can always go back to the xp hard drive to work on a project if win8/x2 has a problem.
Cakewalk did say that they would be providing a patch for win 8  (I don't know what for).
I think that it was mentioned in the win 8 blog.

@ gswitz - Try this and see if your win 8 laptop shuts down completely:
Make a shortcut on your desktop and place this command line in there, without the quotes:
"C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe -s -f -t 00"

see here for info on shutdown command:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb491003.aspx

... and if you vote Romney all old laptops will run flawlessly on Windows 8 ;).

Star - you are correct re: upgrade installation.  I might as well go 8 as it is a cheaper alternative.  I am at a rare point where I will have the rest of the year free to get into 8 and x2.

Mike - that's definately an option to install it in another drive.  I don't have any problem doing a complete install as I am done with my current projects and everything is backed up. 

I still would like to know how many cats are goig for Windows 8 - immediately.  Thanks All.

What I did with Windows 7 was I bought another disk drive and did a clean install of Windows 7 on it. Then I gradually installed my apps and moved data to the new drive. That way if I needed to go back to the old XP system I could just change the boot order. I don't think I ever did, and eventually reformatted the old C: drive and reused it for an extra drive. That way you don't have to worry about a file not getting backed up. 

I'm going to buy it straightaway but will have to hope Roland release some drivers for the octa capture ASAP as the windows 7 ones don't work apparently.

Bibs