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You can simply install or upgrade to Windows 10 Pro. Then you can either turn off or have complete control over updates via "Group Policy Editor".

While that method will work because Addictive Drums has already been activated on that computer, XLN Audio Addictive Drums is not locked to the Sonar installation. If you ever had a license for Addictive Drums, your XLN Audio account and the XLN Online Installer will let you install your XLN plugins on any two computers, regardless of Cakewalk or Sonar being present. Addictive Drums is often discounted online, and a few of the leading online sellers currently have deals available. The best deal available is usually for the "Addictive Drums 2: Custom" bundle that gives you the full AD2 engine, plus your choice of any 3 kits and any 3 MIDIpaks. For example, the Custom bundle is listed at Audio Deluxe for $99 USD, but in the cart with automatic discount it is currently $82.95 USD. https://www.audiodeluxe.com/products/xln-audio-addictive-drums-2-custom

That is a two-edged sword. The thing that gave Cakewalk an edge on Windows is because the developers worked very closely with Microsoft to leverage Windows audio technologies for the best performance possible. If Cakewalk had been developing for cross platform use from the start, things might be different now. Hindsight and all that ... Unfortunately that leaves the code stuck between a rock and a hard place as far as good, cheap, and fast (pick any two) porting to another platform. The Mac OS since OS X is a certified Unix system, and Apple has written a custom audio subsystem for it: https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/MusicAudio/Conceptual/CoreAudioOverview/CoreAudioEssentials/CoreAudioEssentials.html Windows audio architecture looks like this: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/audio/windows-audio-architecture Very different animals.

This distinction has been muddied by Microsoft in their attempt to call Windows 10 the "last Windows", while at the same time trying to push a rapid development cycle of two feature updates a year. These feature updates (known as Anniversary Update, Creators Update, etc.) are actually full version updates, equivalent in some respects to the upgrades to Vista, Win7, Win8, Win10, etc. If you pay attention, you will see a full version installer run each time you update one of these semi-annual versions. They even change your computer ID, that some software activation relies upon, and that is what triggers the need to re-activate some items. The only real way to get control of this annoyance, is to use Windows 10 Pro. Using the Group Policy Editor in Pro, you can disable or defer the feature "upgrades" as long as you need to. I always attempt to stay one version behind the current one. You will need to upgrade eventually, because MS keeps dropping support for older versions of Windows 10. I think they maintain support for the most current 3 versions.

What you don't understand is the business side of this. Those DAWs + Logic Pro X create a significant barrier to entry for newcomers to the Mac market. Remember that they are already extremely popular DAWs that are already coded for the Mac and don't need additional millions $$$ invested for cross platform development (basically a re-write of the entire code base) to even begin marketing to Mac users. Cakewalk was barely rescued from the dustbin of history after being questionably successful in the Windows only market (rumor has it that it lost money for many recent years for its prior owners), and so it would be a huge marketing and development risk to go there commercially. Cakewalk on Windows is a mature technology that apparently requires minimum development to maintain in its current platform. Giving it away to Windows users has the potential to open up other marketing opportunities for its new owners. For the Mac market, Cakewalk would have to become more popular and appealing than the competition to succeed commercially in the long term. And if you would just plan to just give a Mac version away? How would you recoup the huge investment in development for a Mac version? Technical reality and business reality don't always coincide. So don't misunderstand me, I am not against doing this by any means. I have invested 20 years of my life into learning Cakewalk tools, and I would certainly love to see it flourish everywhere. But I am sure that the reality is not as simple as some may wish. At the end of the day if you are running a business, you still need to pay your employees and creditors, and hopefully turn a profit for your investors.

Ummm. With all due respect, I think the question was how to migrate everything from an OLD computer to a NEW computer. Your method would work for migrating to CbB on the SAME computer. So for starters, after you get Windows setup to your liking on the new computer, install your audio interface and MIDI devices with the latest factory drivers. Note: back up everything DAW related on the old computer before you attempt this. You will want to copy some stuff over, and you should have a backup of the rest anyway. 1. Install the Sonar version you are currently using and any add-ons that are bundled with Sonar on the new computer. 2. On the old computer, look in your Sonar preferences for the file folder locations used by your projects, templates, audio library, etc. You will want to back this all up and copy to your new installation of Sonar and adjust the locations in the new Sonar preferences to match. 3. On the old computer, look in your existing Sonar preferences for your VST folder paths and make note of them, then install/authorize as needed all of your plugins onto the new PC. Then adjust the VST paths in the new Sonar Preferences to match. The details of this will vary depending on what plugins you are currently using, and may take the most time. Some of your 3rd party plugins may need to be de-authorized on your old computer before you can activate them again. You may need to research each 3rd party vendor to determine how many activations you are allowed. The Cakewalk bundled plugins should be straightforward though., except for the XLN Addictive Drums 2 and Celemony Melodyne which use their own websites for your user accounts and activations. Those are the main points. As long as you have access to the old PC, you can compare configuration settings between the old and new until everything is running to your expectations. Good luck! If I forgot anything, I hope somebody else will chime in!

I have a Dropbox icon on my quick launch bar, ready for any ad-hoc needs. I always shutdown the Dropbox task when I am finished syncing, and it never starts with Windows boot.

Except by default, a 32-bit user mode process can only access 2GB. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/Memory/memory-limits-for-windows-releases So the limitation per application be be even more limited than the physical memory of a 32-bit machine.

Also dropped 32-bit versions (64-bit only now): PreSonus Studio One v4 Ableton Live v10 Tracktion Waveform v9 Propellerhead Reason v10 Avid Pro Tools 2018

I like this approach. It keeps things simple. VST plugins are relatively small, so keeping them on the OS drive is reasonable. If the plugin has additional sample content, the installer will usually allow you to specify a secondary path for the content only. I put that content stuff on my D: drive, while keeping the plugin .dll file in "C: > Program Files > VSTplugins". Moving plugins, and/or their content after installation can sometimes break things. Using Windows directory junctions is the safest way to move things that cannot be moved via the installer or the Cakewalk preferences. http://forum.cakewalk.com/Hello-BandlabNO-custom-install-options-Is-this-True-m3744203.aspx

Fixed it for ya!

That's exactly the reason I have disabled One Drive, and never sign in to my Microsoft Account. I use a local machine user account only. I have also blocked as many Windows processes as practical in my network firewall, without breaking Windows. Now I love my Window 10. Out of the box, she was a bit too chatty for my taste, LOL! And I have disabled Defender as much as Windows 10 Pro will allow, and only use 3rd party security software. Running Windows with the user in control, as it should be!

Might be prime time for an edition of "CbB Power" for the newcomers!

Here are a few links to songs submitted to KVR's One Synth Challenge. Many of these contests were dedicated to free synths, and the requirements are to use only the one designated synth to generate all sounds (including percussion) used in the songs entered for that challenge. Multiple instances and tracks are allowed. Check the rules for details and restrictions. Note: some of these synths have had repeat appearances in additional challenges. There is some excellent work here by the participants. I am amazed at what can be done with just one (FREE) instrument in creative hands! Synth1: https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc/osc-94-synth1 OB-Xd: https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc/osc-93-obxd Tyrell N6: https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc/osc-91-tyrell-n6 Dexed: https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc/osc-74-dexed Zebralette: https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc/osc-32

I agree, those free or nearly free AIR synths are a no-brainer. They may have dated GUIs, but still make some excellent sounds. There are also lists of excellent free VST instruments all over the place, as well as lots of opinions on which are the best. Some are very, very good, and worth hunting down and trying. For free, I would start with: u-he Zebralette (free version of Zebra) u-he Tyrell N6 (analog modeled subtractive synth, inspired by Roland Juno, many community preset banks available) Synth1 (a Nord Lead clone, with a bazillion free presets available, amazing sounds) OB-Xd (an Oberheim OB-X emulation, with many community preset banks available) Dexed (a Yamaha DX-7 FM synth clone, with another bazillion free presets available) Ample Sound Ample Bass P Lite II ( a sampled fingered Fender P-Bass) Ample Sound Guitar M II Lite (a sampled Martin acoustic 6-string) Native Instruments Kontakt 6 Player (free factory library with 50 sampled instruments included) IK Multimedia Sample Tank CS (Custom Shop edition, with 30 free factory sounds included) Sennheiser DrumMic'A (a sampled drum kit for Kontakt Player, requires registration on a German website, but Google translate can get you through that!) MT Power Drum Kit (a sampled drum library with groove library) In my opinion, that is the cream of the free crop, and all found a permanent home on my hard drive!

It wold make sense for BandLab to re-issue Rapture Session as part of the CbB bundle, while offering the full Rapture Pro as a paid upgrade. Rapture Session doesn't offer much in the way of instrument editing, but it comes with a nice collection of sounds. including basses, guitars, pianos & keyboards, synths, strings, etc. That would make a nice addition to the package for first timers.

Everything should run on a 64-bit Windows. If you are referring to 32-bit plugins, your options are more limited, but you can still run a 32-bit DAW on 64-bit Windows. I have Cakewalk Project 5 (32-bit only) running on a current release of Windows 10 64-bit. It runs my 32-bit plugins just fine. And with Cakewalk by BandLab (64-bit), running here on 64-bit Windows I can still load 32-bit plugins, thanks to the built-in bit bridge in CbB.

I don't see many new versions of applications being released in 32-bit these days. It seems that many developers have decided to focus their development resources on the 64-bit model. You could acquire a 64-bit computer to try out newer software on. Many 32-bit DAW applications and plugins will still run fine on 64-bit Windows, so you can install your trusted apps side by side with the new versions and still continue to use the 32-bit DAW apps that you are comfortable with. Then gradually migrate your workflow to the newer 64-bit apps when you are ready. On the Windows 7 topic, I can understand the desire to retain older apps that still work, but Windows 7 will lose support next year. Moving to a supported OS would be recommended at that point, unless you plan to be completely self supported. and intend to maintain a "legacy" computing environment. But as mentioned earlier, the older apps should be fine on a modern 64-bit OS, at least for now. At some point, app developers will discontinue support for unsupported OS.

Sure! Right after the Mac port...

Windows Defender seems to have gotten a bit more aggressive in recent versions of Windows 10. Even with Defender effectively disabled by installing a 3rd party AV, and turning off scheduled scans, you still cannot fully disable Smartscreen. https://www.howtogeek.com/123938/htg-explains-how-the-smartscreen-filter-works-in-windows-8/ https://www.howtogeek.com/75356/how-to-turn-off-or-disable-the-smartscreen-filter-in-windows-8/ I followed these instructions, and SmartScreen will still scan certain files, until I kill the task in Task manager. Then it starts up again whenever it wants to. Defender was upgraded for Windows 10 Creators edition: https://www.howtogeek.com/220232/how-to-use-the-built-in-windows-defender-antivirus-on-windows-10/

LOL, the NEW upstairs/downstairs. Or the sewer...

"Online BandBlah thing"? If you are referring to BandLab's online social music creation platform, you do realize that BandLab version is an optional online community feature that is completely separate? For example, this is not the Cakewalk DAW: > https://www.bandlab.com/ Cakewalk by Bandlab, is actually just an updated version of Sonar found here: > https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk Cakewalk by BandLab is a DAW that runs locally on your PC and has the core features of Sonar Platinum, plus all the updates added last year. But if you were referring to the online BandLab Assistant to get the software download. Yes you will have to use that to download Cakewalk. It works sort of like Cakewalk Command Center did for the Sonar Platinum installers. But once you have Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB) installed on your PC you don't have to go online unless you want to.

LOL, maybe they are afraid of that riff-raff making the pilgrimage over here when they are cutoff. Just let 'em be, and all that! Uh-oh, there goes the new neighborhood!

This comment from scook above clarifies what I was trying to say earlier: So the plug-in must be configured by the developer as an FX version in order to receive audio in Cakewalk, and instantiated as scook says. Cakewalk will not route audio to an instrument in an instrument track. The looper in TH3 works fine and records audio, but that complies with being an FX plugin inserted into the audio FX bin. I don't know of any samplers capable of live audio recording to test with in CbB that are not locked to the DAW they are bundled with, the exception being TX16Wx. And Cakewalk sees that plugin as an instrument only, so no luck there.

If you already have SynthMaster 2, your regular crossgrade price to SM One is $29. http://kv331audio.com/synthmasterone.aspx But $31 is a no-brainer price if you have neither.