How Important Are Windows Updates For Best Performance?

Cubase
#1

Hey all,

I’m just about to do a clean wipe & reformat of my main SSD and completely re-install my Windows 7 x64 OS & Cubase, Audio & MIDI drivers, all programs, etc, etc.

Now obviously I’m about to invest a few very careful days into this, as I’ve done before.

So my questions are:

How critical is it to have all the updates for Win 7?

For instance, on my install disk, it will install Service Pack 1.

But how important is it to have the latest Service Packs and any or all updates?

Is that something that Steinberg does and/or insists upon for best performance as they release different versions & updates?

Or would it be better to just do the bare minimum install of Win 7 & go with that?


Thanks Buds,

James

#2

No one?

DaveAbbott? Curteye? BriHar? Strophoid? Bane? G-String? jimmys69? SteveInChicago? Grim?

Anyone at all know this?

#3

Hi,

Today when I’m always online (internet connection is on) I install all updates. I think they are importnat to security. But few years ago, my audio computer was not online. Then I’v not install any updates and everything was fine and … fast.

#4

I’d tend to agree with the previous post. Generally best to keep everything up-to-date, though I’m not a fan of “Automatic” updates and tend to wait with many updates a bit to see if there are any issues. I’ve not seen any issues on my studio W7 PC, but every so often we see a glitch at work in a certain application which can be traced to a specific Windows KB update, which must either then be de-installed or otherwise patched. I think one is more likely to see problems when updating Mac OS.

#5

Hi,

I haven’t seen anything from Bane in a while. Is he still around?

Yes, it is advisable to always have everything up to date, BUT (a very important but) if you have missed a couple of updates for a while but still everything is working fine for you, and then you have a very important session programmed for the weekend… Please don’t suddenly decide to get everything updated on the friday night before your important session. BIG Mistake!

All the best

#6

Hi All

All the advice here is sound, for me the important bit is NOT to allow windows to update itself, make sure that you have it set to inform you when updates are available, but not do anything about it till you tell it to. I had an SSD drive crash a few months back and had to reload windows and forgot to set the automatic update to OFF. It caused havoc in a session because it wanted to reboot, but that took forever as it was updating itself, very embarrassing!!!

Best Regards

Dave

#7

I keep my network device disabled unless I need to do application updates or registrations. Personally my machine works fine with the last systems update being sometime in early Jan 2012 when the machine was built. The question I have asked Steinberg techs before but was never answered: Are there any packages that we should be updating that Cubase requires in order to function properly and efficiently?

#8

I have a nice anecdote about updates and win 8. :sunglasses:

I have several systems. They all have single purpouses. Two for music, and one just for mails and internet, one for work, and so on.
Recently I changed my internetsurfing buddy because it was time to do so.

Since everything is win8 nowadays, know i am a proud owner of two win 8 licenses. :smiley:

Came home from the shop with my litte internetbuddy and installing went very fast and without a problem.
But… once logged in how great was my surprise that my internetbuddy actually presented itself visually as one of my music computers. (!!) (one that has also win 8)

Everything was there: links, passwords, colors, icons, shortcuts… I didn’t do a damn thing.

So i went looking for the reason of this, and since win 8 your entire desktop, settings and so on are copied to the cloud.
You can even have a complete back up of the system in your personal cloud.
Looks nice indeed, but one little thing wasn’t taken into account for guys like me. That music computer has a totally different keyboard layout (finnish).

I was able to disable the synchronisation on both systems after some thourough looking on how to do this. But still up to this day i have to switch the keyboard layout to my native language from the finnish layout every time i want to login with my internetbuddy, or login is an unpassable challenge with that new machine.

So that looks like the way things are going with windows. Complete backup in the cloud. With that addition that this is not yet fully stable when someone has multiple systems under one windows account. so it seems at least. :smiley:

kind regards,
R.

#9

Thank you all for the replies.

This is a completely clean, fresh-start installation = Win 7 x64, Ccleaner & Avast are the first 3 things to be installed.

I agree about the Windows Auto Updates. I always set it to notify me first. And I usually don’t put my DAW rig on-line - ever.

But this time I have so many VSTs & programs that it will be much easier to authorize [and update them] this way.

But cmaffia raises a good point:

…Are there any packages that we should be updating that Cubase requires in order to function properly and efficiently?...

Care to chime back in on this one with a bit more specifics Luis?

I’m all for installing anything that’s necessary, but I feel that a full blanket Windows update may be more harm than good.

And of course when Windows notifies me [us], who’s to say what’s to go with and what’s to leave untouched?

For instance, the info provided along with ‘Recommended Updates’ like ‘KB9xx6xx3xx’ doesn’t usually give enough info to know what good or what harm will be done.

#10

I do all available updates on a fresh install. If everything’s working I don’t do any updates as the machine is offline anyway. If I take it online (for some software that’s way easier to install/update/authorize online) I create a system restore point first, then do windows updates. Machine goes offline again.

Didn’t have troubles over the last years this way. Most updates seem to be security relevant which isn’t a big deal on an offline DAW.

#11

My sentiments precisely.

I do the exact same process.

So I went with 104 of 106 updates for my fresh install & then took it off-line.

The only 2 I skipped were for Internet Explorer 8 & 11, of which I use Chrome or Firefox for instead.

#12

Hi James

It’s all good advice here i wouldn’t go against any advice that works for each persons system and i have found the best way for my system is to update all the windows updates just before updating Cubase ( after rebooting of course ) .
My thoughts are if windows and Cubase work perfectly with the updates your on then there is no point of breaking something that’s not broken :wink:
I can fairly say i have never had any issues with my systems doing things this way but I’ve also always backed up to a spare SSD before any update process so if the shite hits the fan I’m fully protected .

Hope this gives you another little option :wink:

Good to hear from you :wink:

regards
John

#13

Hey John.

Thanks for chiming in.

I like how the senso-matic auto-correct changed your word to flower. :smiley:

There’s no guess work whatsoever to what word you meant.

But I suppose that flowers hitting the fan would indeed present a much better aroma, now wouldn’t they? :laughing:
…
Back to the topic at hand:

I think that’s all the Windows updates I’ll do.

Once I start installing Cubase & all other things, I won’t want to chance ‘rocking the boat’.

Thanks again for all the replies Buds!