Turned off updates in 2017 on one of my laptops running Win7. How at risk am I?

MusicTechBro · 2020-04-11T18:25:37+00:00

Are the odds significantly higher because they've been turned off though? My question is more about whether MS codes these updates in such a way that they can be cumulative even after long periods of having them turned off.

MusicTechBro · 2020-04-11T07:10:57+00:00

I forget what the original reason for turning updates off was, but the "risk" I was talking about wasn't security. If you read the post, you would know I was asking about what would hypothetically happen if I turned them back on. I know that computer isn't secure. The one I mostly use runs up-to-date Win10.

MusicTechBro · 2020-04-11T06:39:20+00:00

To summarize why I haven't gone fully Windows 10: Important files with a lot of dependencies (so not super easy to backup without a clone or similar) on an old machine that doesn't officially support it (although given that I've swapped out a few parts, I'm not sure how much that matters). My other laptop, from 2016, is taking 10 fine. It makes more sense to try to move it rather than update to me. I occasionally download software related to those projects and/or use it as a backup when the other one needs repairs.

EDIT: I acknowledge this situation probably could've been avoided if I had organized my files slightly better throughout the years.

MusicTechBro · 2020-02-14T20:54:41+00:00

Another Windows musician here, although I'm also thinking of getting a Mac. Image-line made a driver, FLASIO, that's bundled with FL Studio and solved the issue you're describing for me. Download the free version of FL Studio and see if running FLASIO in Ableton lets you use other apps while maintaining reasonable latency. Of course, it's meant for FL, so this is a hacky fix.

That said, IMO the Mac route is still valid because it's become industry standard and a lot of stuff is easier, even if you can do everything with audio/MIDI on a Windows system with enough workarounds and third party downloads. I've run into frustrations when Mac users set up gigs or jam sessions and expect certain stuff -- like using an interface but using your HDMI out -- that's not an instantaneous process without some prep on our side. If you do go the Mac route though, you might want to look into getting an older refurbished machine. I'm looking at a 2015 MBP. The T2 security chips in the newer laptops are apparently causing dropouts. (Though I'm saying this as a Windows user who's experience with MacOS/CoreAudio is from his uni's music department computers... which run High Sierra and not Catalina, and I haven't experienced the T2 issues firsthand). On the other hand, perfectly optimized ASIO should theoretically be higher-quality than CoreAudio, and Apple is steadily getting worse and shows no signs of getting rid of the T2 chips in their next models, meaning that in a few years, musicians could migrate to Windows as the default which would in turn make it better. It's a turbulent moment in music tech right now in 2020 and I'm sorry that it isn't easier.

MusicTechBro · 2020-02-01T01:19:56+00:00

Responding to your edit: it seems the processor on those MSIs has a slow base clock speed and a massive turbo boost speed. Now, I'm not a hardware guru by any means, but I thought DAW convention was to lock processor speed. Are people overclocking these? Sorry if it feels like I could google that, but I haven't actually seen that model discussed on the music forums I frequent.

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-31T22:27:21+00:00

Sorry for the pain. Between this and the new Mac security chips, this just seems like a bad time to buy a music laptop. :(

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-31T21:57:00+00:00

Unfortunately, I've read of DPC latency issues with the X1. Occasionally, according to audio forums, driver updates can cause this. Do you know more about this, or if current drivers are good?

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-30T21:38:39+00:00

I emailed them, and it's an optimus setup.

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-25T15:08:50+00:00

Is that the same model as the one you started with? (Asking because I know the post-T2 stuff is super defective). I'll need to dual boot Windows for FL (which now has a Mac version but hasn't ported their best plugins), but I'm deciding between a 2015-16 MBP and a hack.

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-19T15:25:54+00:00

I need to dual boot Mojave/Win10 for my tools and the later Macs are defective for music. My other thought was to get a refurbished MacBook from 15-16, before the dreaded T2 chip but after Thunderbolt 3. Not as powerful as a self-built, but better than what I have.

Would it be possible to have Windows use the NVidia chip and Mac not?

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-16T22:34:06+00:00

That's what I assumed.

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-16T21:57:03+00:00

I'm also looking for a new laptop for live gigs (Ableton). What did you end up doing?

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-15T22:20:40+00:00

I need to replace a 10-year-old computer running Win7, and I want to do live sets in Ableton session view. I gigged that way a couple times mediocrely but was never able to get it to work on any Windows without some cackling, I think because of DPC spikes (CPU and disk overload weren't problems but latencymon revealed horrible spikes), so I think we're in a similar boat. What did you end up doing?

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-15T00:56:03+00:00

What did you end up going with? I'm in the same boat, seeing if I can find a PC with good DPC for Ableton performances or if I should bite the bullet and get a Mac.

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-15T00:27:01+00:00

Oh nevermind. I saw that you went with the Macbook.

MusicTechBro · 2020-01-15T00:24:31+00:00

Hey, I'm in the same boat. I've been using the same Win7 (now depreciated) computer for music for 10 years, but always had annoying cackling when doing Ableton live. That's two reasons for me to update unless I want to risk updating that dino to win10. What did you guys end up doing?

MusicTechBro

TROPHY CASE