Compatibility with previous Windows versions no longer maintained

For upcoming and future product and update releases, we will no longer offer support for the Windows operating system below version 10. Customers may be able to install Steinberg software under Windows 7 and Windows 8, but since we are now solely developing and testing under Windows 10, we cannot offer official support for our software when running under previous versions of Windows. There are several reasons for this decision: Microsoft has announced the end of life of Windows 7; various technologies are only supported under Windows 10; and, most importantly, Windows 10 ensures the quality and effectiveness of Steinberg products. We recommend that Windows users who are planning to update their systems to move directly to Windows 10 to get the most out of their Steinberg product.

Our support team has created a knowledge base article about the support of older hardware on Windows 10:

Best regards,
Matthias

Iā€™m sorry but I think this is unacceptable. I can understand that you will not be supporting Windows 7, but to cast Windows 8.1 users adrift seems a bit harsh, given that there is still Windows support for this version. Why would users who have computers that are still performing well want to upgrade before they need to? I feel that Steinberg has yet again not put the needs of their users before what is convenient for them. This seems to underline the lack of care for long term users.

I think there is always a time when you have to develop further to survive.
and especially in the technical world this will be the case more and more often.

And you decide to introduce this MID-cycle development?
So a Windows 8.1 system is supported when I first purchased Cubase 10, but whilst Iā€™m waiting for the programmers at Steinberg to sort out the bugs and deliver a usable application, support is revoked?

That is really not acceptable behaviour. I would expect support to be extended at least until Cubase 10.5.0 (the next paid ā€˜upgradeā€™).

Whatā€™s not acceptable is Micro$oftā€™s policy of effectively taking control (and effective ownership) of peopleā€™s hardware.

It is inevitable that all software developers must adapt to the environment (ā€œplatformā€) which is presented to them, otherwise they will not survive. An application as complex as Cubase simply must move with the operating system. Steinberg cannot reasonably be held open to criticism for deciding to drop official support for ageing systems which hardware developers have long abandoned (e.g no new W7/W8 drivers for graphics cards). If you want HiDPI support, then you need to bite the bullet and move to Windows 10. If you donā€™t care about that, then what you already have will probably be fine, just donā€™t complain about the GUI of some 3rd party plugin being too small to see after you nab that 8K TV ā€œbargainā€.

If we had the option of Cubase for Linux then at least we could retain control of our own computers.

Windows 7 was a pretty good OS but it is aging now and as some have mentioned, hardware driver support is falling out, which means it is time to update. As far as Windows 8 is concerned, it was sort of a beta test for Windows 10. I canā€™t understand why someone with Win8 wouldnā€™t already have updated to Win10. It has the same feel and look and works better. Plus Win10 was FREE for a year I thinkā€¦ If they didnā€™t take it then itā€™s time to bite the bullet and pay the $100 to update in my opinion.
I have been a Windows user of every version since Windows 3 and Windows 10 is the most reliable and stable yet.

+1, big time. Just do it.

Same long experience here. There have occasionally been some minor hiccups in semiannual upgrades, but there have been far fewer issues than previous versions. Overall itā€™s been the most stable and functional Windows yet for me.

There are also many things built into Windows 10 that I previously had to use 3rd-party utilities to achieve:

  • Task View and virtual desktops
  • Mouse scrolling of inactive items/windows
  • Quadrant window snapping
  • etc.

I have also found Windows 10 to run smoother than Windows 7 on older hardware. My old early '08 MacBook Pro had the misfortune of being used heavily with Windows Xp, 7, and finally 10. It definitely ran 10 the best. In fact 10 ran better on it than 7 ran on a another computer with twice the cores and higher clock speed.

This sounds like the right decision, even though itā€™s a difficult one. I would recommend that you pick e.g. 10.5 as the starting point and leave 10.0 ā€œas isā€.

I would much rather see Steinberg focused on a smaller set of supported operating systems than spending resources supporting the huge and complex legacy environment. This seems a far better use of their limited resources. From my experience, Windows 10 Pro is the most stable Windows Iā€™ve had.


Exactly. Whcih show a signally cavalier attitude towards loyal users. To signal that 11 would be when the change started would give us time to make decisions or failing that to have told us at the beginning of this year would have been a lot more considerate. I donā€™t expect any apology from Steinberg as this is not something they do.

The upcoming maintenance updates for Cubase 10 will still be tested on Windows 7 and 8, but Cubase 10.5 will only support Windows 10. We decided to announce our future strategy as soon as possible to give all of you still running W7 or W8 system enough time to prepare.

Hi,

so do I understand correctly, that Cubase 10.5 will run on Windows 7 but without ā€œofficial supportā€ as stated in post #1?

Or does it mean, that Cubase 10.5 will not run at all under Windows 7 ( ā€¦ like Pro Tools since 2018, which doesnā€™t even install under Windows 7) ?

LG, Juergi

Im out as well alongside changing things for no reason (transport bar and various menus) REMOVING features (lighten darken all in colour menu) with no mention of it (how about a whats new pdf that has a what we removed section) Not really adding too many new features gigabytes of samples is not a feature NO the final straw is trying to force me to win 10 (their forced updates constantly break things) Why do you think we are still on win 7 or 8 (in my case tried 10 hated it back to 8.1 few tweaks cubase reliable )

Stick to what is actually stated in post #1, and you wonā€™t go wrong:-

I believe, they would have said explicitly in that note, if it was no longer going to be possible to even install future Cubase versions under Win 7/8

HTH,
Bob

Exactly. Windows 10 is a massive Spyware too. Iā€™m mostly using Macs, but have a Win 7 machine in the studio additionally to run certain Windows software. This PC is not connected to the internet, just an additional intranet, and I couldnā€™t do this for longer with a Win 10 machine. Developers like Steinberg, with Yamaha in the background, should urge Microsoft to offer offline versions of Win 10 for single end user - AFAIK there is a version like that for large companies which buy large volumes of copies.

Write a letter to Santa perhaps he will make a miracle for you this Xmas.

This topic is about Steinberg Cubase, not a free-wheeling discussion/debate about Microsoft Windows. Please stay on topic. If itā€™s Windows 10 you want to talk about, use The Lounge.


If I was a moderator Iā€™d lock the topic because thereā€™s nothing to discuss.