The Windows 8 thread - post your experience here

[ooohhh2]

How many of you guys upgraded to Windows 8 instead of fresh installed it?

I do believe it's all good with win 8, but imagining to install everything all over again makes me sick in the stomach.

[Fiction]

I installed a fresh Windows 8 Pro from a dvd very quickly without issue.

[mfx]

Originally Posted by Fiction

I installed a fresh Windows 8 Pro from a dvd very quickly without issue.

LOL Takes me another 2 days to install programs, updates and retrieve all the configuration settings

[ooohhh2]

My PC is quite new, and i needed like 1-2 weeks to have all programs up and running like on the old machine. I might skip win 8 just because i'm too lazy to go through all that again.
So none of you installed it over win 7?

[UltimateOutsider]

Originally Posted by ooohhh2

So none of you installed it over win 7?

The first time I installed Win 8 on my DAW system, I did a Win7-to-Win8 upgrade install (after backing up my Win 7 system drive!).

After I restored my Win 7 drive, the second time I installed Win 8 was a fresh install on a separate partition. So I've done both.

Performance was the same for me on both Win 8 installs. I also experienced all of the same problems. One thing that was different, however, was that on the upgrade install of Win 8 I got several eLicenser errors at Cubase startup that didn't happen on the fresh install. They seemed to be about the soft eLicenser, not the dongle, so I didn't bother investigating that. I assume re-installing Cubase or the eLicenser package would have fixed that.

[CheneysGun]

For what it's worth:

I've been running the preview of windows 8 since the first day it came out. I love the OS. It takes a while to get used to the UI. but once you do, it honestly is much faster to get around and you won't miss the start menu. I consider the start menu more of a habit that people are not going to want to break. It took me a good month or so to get used to not having it and finding my way around the new OS. Yes, it was frustrating, but after sticking it out, it makes a lot of sense if you take the time to figure out the shortcuts and what-nots.

I am running ProTools 8.0.1 on it with no problems. it actually runs better on 8 than on 7, IMO. But I had to do some .net framework hacks to get it running. Surprisingly they worked and it's amazingly quick, especially since upgrading my hard drives to all SSD.

Have patience with it. I don't understand all the uproar from people that haven't even used it. It's nice. I plan on getting a surface and already bought a Windows phone (Nokia 920 - white ) and I can't wait to see all of the benefits of having all of these using the same ecosystem that I have trusted and used since Windows 3.1. I switched to Apple for a few years, but honestly, OS X became more buggy than Windows, as Windows became more stable (IE: Win7). Plus the hardware has become cheaper on Macs and I don't like not being "allowed" to swap out parts myself. (I had terrible issue after issue on my macs, but that's another thread. Flame away fan boys )

Basically this is Win7 stability with a strange new interface layer. You can still be a power user and enjoy Windows as much as you did with win 7, only with some minor enhancements of performance, and a new start screen instead of a menu.

Try it out if you are curious. If you don't want to completely lose your OS, buy a new HD and install Windows 8 on it and play around with it for a while. But don't immediately pass judgement on it before you give it a chance! Also, understand that there will be a few minor things that will be updated shortly, as with all OS releases on every platform. Waiting for updates before installing is totally justifiable.

________________________
Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 mobo
Intel i5 2500K 3.3ghz (OC'd to 4.0ghz)
16gb Crucial 1600 (OC'd to 1866)
3 x OCZ Agility 3 128gb SSD
BFG Nvidia GTS250

[Sensorychaos]

Hi,
Cubase 6.5 64 bit, Ableton Live 8.4.x 64 bit, Fireface ufx are running smoothly on my new windows 8 vaio.
All the plug I have installed so far work perfectly as well.
Good new.

[kaboom75]

Ableton Live 8 64bit runs perfect with Win 8 a little les CPU needed. Games run 5 fps faster even though I've not clocked my GPU yet like it was on Win 7.
All ilok plugs work.
Programs install and open faster the internet browser is more responsive.
Win8 now uses all cores to boot instead of just one.

Don't need a start button as metro is the start menu and you can add anything do it including the control panel, drive icons and so on.

Got an email from Stardock saying they have a start button mod for Win8 not checked it out yet don't think I need it.

[Jay-]

I battled W8 for 4 hours.

Let me pass these life saving links.

First metro is just that, "Metro" Sucks bad!
Welcome to Classic Shell

Second, I see M$ is becoming more and more mac like, you dont actually own your computer any more, its some mystery "Administrator"

A tool I found to remove Windows.old! (Its a reg file called takownership.reg
http://www.mytechguide.org/wp-conten...-Ownership.zip

And lastly after reading hundreds of pages I managed to elevate my account to administrator, I forget how but it was hard.

I still think microsoft is going in the wrong direction with Metro, the metro dev guy was fired. Metro is horrible. Most "Apps" are junk and are only in full screen so no tool bars, cant even close them.

[sensing]

I don't like that certain file types are registered to metro apps.
I have no use for all that stuff and it can all be removed with 4 lines of powershell:
Removing Built-in Applications from Windows 8 - The Deployment Guys - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

Cleans up the start menu pretty nicely too.

[Nighthawk77]

I am using Win 7, see no reason to upgrade as my setup is complex. Better safe then sorry, I will wait a minimum of 1 year to even consider it.

Newer is not always better....

[Psychlist1972]

I upgraded from Windows 7 to 8 on this machine (it's my main machine: two 30" screens, MOTU 828mk3, 6 cores/12 logical, etc.). I had to reinstall a couple drivers. The only broken thing is the soft eLicenser in Cubase 6.5. It hasn't stopped me from using Cubase, though. The dongle licenser worked fine once I installed the latest driver from the elicenser site (they have a win8 version).

I also have Win RT on my personal Surface, and Windows 8 Pro on my two work laptops.

Originally Posted by Jay-

A tool I found to remove Windows.old! (Its a reg file called takownership.reg
http://www.mytechguide.org/wp-conten...-Ownership.zip

You don't need a tool or registry file for that. If you want to remove the windows.old folder, right click the drive, select properties, and then click "disk cleanup". Be very careful about running .reg files from third parties.

And lastly after reading hundreds of pages I managed to elevate my account to administrator, I forget how but it was hard.

Running as admin is not a good idea for most users. It's how you get viruses and malware. In the Linux world, this is equivalent to running as SU -- something most people would never consider doing.

I still think microsoft is going in the wrong direction with Metro, the metro dev guy was fired.

Julie Larson Green, the person who oversaw the UX in Windows 8, is now in charge of Windows. If we weren't behind the new UI, I can't imagine Julie being put in charge. That said, I'm not in the loop on the specifics of the decisions to promote Julie, or on Steven's departure.

Metro is horrible. Most "Apps" are junk and are only in full screen so no tool bars, cant even close them.

Apps are full screen, or they occupy a 320px-wide snapped view, or (minimum) 1024x768 filled view. This works as long as you have a resolution of at least 1366x768.

Windows manages the lifetime of Windows Store apps. I'm not sure why "can't even close them" is a problem here. You can suspend the apps by using Alt-F4, dragging from top to bottom with the mouse, or swiping down if a touch screen. Apps are written to understand suspension.

Whether or not you like the interface is your opinion and your preference, of course.

Pete

[norbury brook]

Pete,

Thanks for your posts on windows 8 and windows generally, in feel a lot of people jump to conclusions based on poor knowledge or old working practices so its nice to have an informed view of things from someone inside Microsoft.

I appreciate gui's are a personal thing and people hate change,but if there's one thing in life I can guarantee, apart from death; that's change :-)

I have used windows 8 preview on my elitebook to do verity critical live recordings and its performed faultlessly so I have no worries here.


I'm looking forward to building a new windows 8 ,cubase 7 Daw after Xmas and embracing the new :-)


MC

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Psychlist1972]

Originally Posted by norbury brook

I'm looking forward to building a new windows 8 ,cubase 7 Daw after Xmas and embracing the new :-)

Thanks.

I got Cubase 6.5 a couple weeks too early for the upgrade to 7 :/

As a bit of an aside, this recent interview with Nick at Sonic State may be of interest. It's a bit about cross-platform development and MorphWiz/Tachyon on Windows 8. Jordan and Kevin arranged this directly with Nick.
Sonic TALK 291 - Windows App Developer - Wizdom Music Jordan Rudess and Kevin Chartier - YouTube



Pete

[soundpalace]

Hey guys, a little update from me. I have now been working on a new track for the last day (probably spent about 5 - 6 hours on it).

I experienced several crashes early on which Cubase reported to be ArtsAcoustic CL1 plugin. The crashes were frequent and nasty (no chance to save, Cubase would just die at random times). I then removed CL1 from my project (and my PC ... I have no time for buggy plugins ...) and the experience has been awesome since. Everything is rock solid and running really well.

The plugins in my collection are as follows:

Access Virus TI - not used yet
Audio Damage Eos - used, plugin steals keyboard focus (already reported to Audio Damage over a year ago but they don't consider it priority ... if you want to help get this fixed, please write to them too ...)
CamelAudio Camel Crusher - used
Christian Buddle Phase Rotator - used
Dada Life Sausage Fattener - used
DMG Audio EQuality & Compassion - used
LennarDigital Sylenth1 - used
Native Instruments Komplete 7 - used Massive only so far
Sonalksis TBK, TBK2 & StereoTools - used StereoTools only so far
Spectrasonics Omnisphere - used
TAL Filter 2 - used
u-he Zebra2, MFM2 & Uhbik - used
Voxengo Elephant, Voxformer & SPAN - used Elephant only so far

And out of Steinberg's Cubase plugins, I have the following enabled for use:

BitCrusher - not used yet
EnvelopeShaper - used
Groove Agent ONE - used
HALion Sonic SE - used
Padshop - used
Phaser - not used yet
Retrologue - used

I'll advise how the remaining plugins go once they are used.

Cheers

[mikewellington]

Just about to try out Windows 8 for the first time (upgrading from 7) - In the middle of building a new PC so wanted to check for problems on the old machine first, before deciding to stay with the upgrade or stick with 7 on the new build. Will let you know how I get on.

Didn't really know that much about Windows 8 but this short video was a good starter: Learn Windows 8 in 3 minutes (OK, it's really 4) - YouTube

[Mr. Wilson]

Win8 upgrade from Win7 Asus intel i7 machine 9 GB ram. After checking that my install of PT 9.06 worked, I ditched that and installed Win 10.3.2 running both plain and HD. Uad2 Quad and Solo cards working fine. PT running native via FW to a Tascam DM4800. Have had to remove and reinsert the FW cable to the DM a few times so I've reverted to the legacy 1394 Win Driver to see if that helps it...it's a Ti card. I also run a Eucon Artist that off and on stops communicating with PT. A PT reboot brings it back. So far a stable setup. Win8 does boot fast almost as fast as my SSD Win7 clone drive, but it's deceiving in that it boots to the Metro screen fast and then takes longer if you want to launch a program, whereas W7 on my SSD is booted and ready to go in 30 seconds.

[Mr. Wilson]

OOoh had a nasty mix record experience with PT10.3.2 on my W8 install. Some combo of plugs...possibly McDSP with the demo of UAD Shadow Hills comp kept crashing a record attempt. I pulled the UAD SHComp and the session settled down. But after a successful record pass the convert to mp3 crashed PT again. I went to my plan B which is using Reaper to encode an mp3. No probs there and it reminded me that Reaper makes a better sounding mp3. I noticed that W8 was in a background update mode during this time period...so I need to find where the option is to turn off auto updates. I'm sure it's in there but not as obvious as W7 is. I don't necessarily mind updates ESP on new OS but I like to know what it is and when to schedule it. Big Duhhh to MS. Of course Mac OS is totally default Nanny in the same way.

[sopre]

Hey guys,

I have a desktop with windows 7 64 bit for music i7 18 gb of ram and i3/ 8 gb ram laptop for music also. Both are optimised. I followed many articles for optimising audio for windows 7. If I wanna install windows 8, how do I do that on my current pc and laptop since both are optimised for windows 7. Can I install windows 8 over my current optimised windows 7 settings or should I just do a fresh install for windows 8? Thanks! I followed these steps- Optimising your PC for audio on Windows 7 .: Focusrite Answerbase.

[TimDolbear]

All my Windows 7 systems were stock, even on my network/internet. Same now with W8. 1 month into using W8 on my main system and 1 other, and all is great!

-Sequoia 12
-GIGABYTE GA-EP45C-UD3R Intel P45 Core 2 Quad Socket 775 1600 MHz PC3-16000
-8 gigs DDR3 1600
-EVGA 512-P3-N954-TR GeForce 9500 GT 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16

- 2 UAD-2 Duo, 1 UAD-2 Solo Laptop in PCIe adapter
- RME HDSP 9632
- Echo Audio AudioFire 4 (for FLP and PT10)
-Separate SATA system and audio and sample drives, dozens of client storage drives...

[thrillscience]

I've had few problems with Windows 8. All my audio hardware works, including an SPDIF->5.1 interface, a Tascam US-200 and US-600 and a Motu Ultralite.

It took a few days to get used to the new "start" screen.

It boots fast and looks nice.

[Marcus909]

[jbraner]

Originally Posted by ooohhh2

My PC is quite new, and i needed like 1-2 weeks to have all programs up and running like on the old machine. I might skip win 8 just because i'm too lazy to go through all that again.
So none of you installed it over win 7?

I installed over the top of Win 7 64 bit and it's fine. One or two things didn't work - and I found that if you just reinstall them, they're fine.

I had to do this with my printer driver and Kaspersky IS 2013. Nothing "musical" needed to be re-installed though.

Also I had a problem on my non music partition with flash player in Firefox. There is a setting to take it out of "protected mode" which fixed it. All in all, this was less painful than reinstalling everything (which I agree - takes a whole weekend)


Apart from that - everything running pretty much the same:
SONAR X2
Delta 66 audio card

[jmcecil]

My experience so far is a slight bruising of my right index finger and smudges on my 30" monitor from constantly trying to poke and swipe the stupid metro interface out of the way.

[TAFKAT]

Originally Posted by jmcecil

My experience so far is a slight bruising of my right index finger and smudges on my 30" monitor from constantly trying to poke and swipe the stupid metro interface out of the way.

ROTFLMFAO.. !

[thenoodle]

Originally Posted by jmcecil

My experience so far is a slight bruising of my right index finger and smudges on my 30" monitor from constantly trying to poke and swipe the stupid metro interface out of the way.

Seriously though, I'm buying the 3m 22" multitouch display, will position it horizontally in front of me in a hollow desk space, position a second normal 27" display vertical in front at eye level and then...

set up Cubase 7 on win8 using both displays, pull the new Cubase mixer down onto the horizontal 3m display area so that I can use touch on the Cubase 7 faders/knobs... keep the track etc view up on the vertical display...and see how I like integrating touch into the setup. Mouse/keyboard and touch.

This basically means my entire December will be spent setting up Cubase to actually communicate with the 3m touch display via the 3m dev kit. This is also where I'll be able to see what win8 has done to really integrate touch in a stable way.

Wish me luck. I'm gonna see if I can get a workable system happening by the time Namm rolls around... so that I can show it to the Steinberg/Yamaha guys.

[TAFKAT]

Originally Posted by thenoodle

Seriously though, I'm buying the 3m 22" multitouch display, will position it horizontally in front of me in a hollow desk space, position a second normal 27" display vertical in front at eye level and then...

That unit and the associated technology works under windows 7 , don't get confused with Metro tactile applications under Windows 8 and regular apps like DAW's.

I doubt there will be any difference using Cubase with the above in Win7/8.

[Beany]

Anyone using the Logitech T650 with Windows 7? Looks like a pretty good combination to me, or am I missing something?

[loopy]

Originally Posted by jmcecil

My experience so far is a slight bruising of my right index finger and smudges on my 30" monitor from constantly trying to poke and swipe the stupid metro interface out of the way.

[snadge]

I love it on PC... sick of hearing people moan about it, if you dont like change or anything new then stick with 7 lol..

1 thing I dont like is the way it automatically logs in last user that was logged in...unless you use passwords, we dont use passwords...so I found a way to stop that happening

for anyone who wants to aswell...

he user "SYSTEM" changes the value back from "1" to "0"
So the goal is not allow the user "SYSTEM" to change it.

[HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\UserSwitch]
Change value "Enabled" from "0" to "1"

Right mouse click at registry key "UserSwitch" -> "Permissions"
"Advanced" -> User "SYSTEM": "Disable inheritance"
- choose 'CONVERT' when prompted
Change owner from "SYSTEM" to group "Administrators" by clicking change at top and typing in Administrator into the box that appears then click OK
- then check the box "Replace owner on SubContainers and Objects"
click "SYSTEM" -> "Edit" -> Type "Deny" -> "Show advanced permissions" -> "Clear all" -> check only "Set value"
- check box "Only apply these permissions to objects within this container"
- click APPLY / OK on all windows