A few notes about Pro Tools 8.
The boxed version will NOT contain a printed manual and contains the same content as the download, though the boxed version comes with an installation DVD, the download (obviously) does not.
Anyone eligible for a free upgrade - emails for those will be rolling out over the next week. Please
DO NOT CALL, as calling will not change the order in which you get your amnesty email and will only create longer wait times for those who are truly in need of help.
The download size is about 4.5GB, though you will have access to additional loops and content to download separately if you are eligible.
Upgrading to Pro Tools 8
You're excited about installing and using Pro Tools 8, but before you do, please read the following carefully to assure you avoid the most common pitfalls when upgrading.
First, BACK UP YOUR SYSTEM! This cannot be stressed highly enough. Backing up your system prior to upgrading will allow you to have something to fall back to should you encounter issues. While we do extensive testing both in-house and with our beta sites, there is still a chance that we won't catch every possible bug.
Mac users - use a utility like Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper to clone your OS drive to another drive before upgrading - or leave your current OS drive alone and do a fresh install of Leopard to a new drive to which you'll install Pro Tools 8.
If you're updating to 10.5.5, please use the Combo Updater available here:
Mac OS X 10.5.5 Combo Update
Windows XP and Vista users - use either Acronis TrueImage or Norton Ghost to backup your drive before upgrading or, as with Mac, do a fresh install of the OS to a new drive and install Pro Tools 8 to that drive.
Before installing Pro Tools 8, please review the READ ME files. These contain information specific to upgrading to Pro Tools 8, including known issues that you need to be aware of.
Compatibility and Upgrade information for Pro Tools 8
It is critical that any Pro Tools plug-ins you have installed on your system are compatible, whether they are used in a session or not. Information on compatible plug-in versions can be found here:
Pro Tools Plug-in Compatibility Grid