Not entirely Sonar related but relevant.  I received a hard drive warning from Windows (7/64) last night.  It is backing up as I speak.  It is my boot drive, but only has executables - no data.  I am looking for drive recommendations (1TB - the machine is being retired this year so I don't want to go SSD), and advice regard restoring the system
 
Cheers
 

Grif
 

Not clear of your whole setup there, but here's one suggestion (which I have done).

Get an external hard disk drive enclosure. Move your system drive into that. Put your new blank drive in your PC. I assume you have a DVD drive accessible.

Have a drive clone program. The one I use is Acronis. This is a hard disk drive backup utility (for one or more drives accessible to your machine, depending on what you ask it to backup or restore). Acronis has a feature of cloning a drive included in its feature set, which is why I mention it and why I've used it.

Clone your system drive from the external enclosure to your new blank drive. You boot from the DVD drive with your clone program on it, and the software helps you select what you need to do.

Should be painless.

If there's an error on your drive and you clone the drive, you might just close the error along with it.  If you can, and it's actually causing you problems, re-install windows and build you system again.  I have my system stuff on an SSD, so it's actually really fast to re-install.  I have to put back Office, Adobe, Sonar, etc, and other stuff too, which takes some time to do, but in the end things just work better.

I am of the clean install mindset as well since it is also a clean slate for the registry. I keep downloaded files on another drive to speed this up. In your situation I would install Win on the new HDD first (only drive installed), then add the old drive as a slave drive for data file recovery (if needed). I carry the same concern of a disk error being imaged to another drive.

Thanks for the advice.  If I go the clean route, where are we on Win 7 vs Win 8 (I have an MSDN licence so can use whatever I want)
 
Cheers
 
Grif
 

The only thing that comes to mind is driver support. Some hardware stopped updating drivers at Win7, which should be checked before heading down the Win8 path. Otherwise I think it is more splitting hairs on which version to use.

Good Point Mettlus - I'll wait for the new machine - I have bugging me with Win 7 and the machine is 4-5 years old.  

SteveGriffiths
Thanks for the advice.  If I go the clean route, where are we on Win 7 vs Win 8 (I have an MSDN licence so can use whatever I want)
 
Cheers
 
Grif
 

 
The other issue is that Windows 7 reaches the end of "mainstream support" in 4 days on Jan 13. What that means is that no new features will be added. So if someone invents thought control for your computer after that date, Microsoft will not be obliged to write a thought control interface for Windows 7. Windows 8.1 would, however be eligible for a free update to enable you to post cat pictures without moving your muscles. Security patches for Win 7 should be available until the end of "extended support" on 1/14/2020, but "hotfixes" will not be available without a special support subscription. 

1 TB drives are certainly more bang for the buck at about half the price of a 128 Gig SSD. 
I think on older machines that the way to go. 
But SSD certainly perk up a computer.
I vote for clean install. It's just a great way to blow out the cobwebs.
I also would vote for W 7 if you have the choice. Widows 8  I think is still having issues with updates causing some of us grief. I never had blue screens on W7 but I'm still trying to sort out my W8.1 system. I only went with W8 because it was cheaper and I figured might as well be cutting edge. For my office computer it's fine, But I'm regretting it for the DAW right now.  

I would update all programs
  make lots of notes about hardware
   find and download drivers for w7
    find and save drivers for w8 to external source
 
Use the sonar plugin manager to export all presets saved using the sonar preset format.
 
Image the disk.
 
Get a new disk, install, install window 8.1.1, and all updates.
 Install the hardware drivers previously downloaded.
 
Once done, image again.
 
Windows 8.1.1 can be configured to mostly never show the start walls of unhappiness.
 
Starting anew: I recommend windows 8+ for next 3+ years
 
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Last time I did this took more than a month to get all software installed and usable. Limited time, dual boot, clean install on new disk" :: for me: install adobe, java,... configure windows to use desktop programs, install office and all updates and configure (I use spreadsheets for most all lyrics and tracking of projects and notes), install a many sonar versions and updates, and import sonar presets, install 3rd party programs, instruments and tools and conversion utilities, and so on.
 
Image again.
 
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When ready, use the manufacture's disk utility to write zeros to the original disk.  I have "saved," and "rehabilitated," disks indicating failure by doing this.