Mbox3 W10 drivers and PT11
 

Hello.

I have just recently discovered that Avid had released W10 drivers for Mbox3 which is my primary interface. I am using PT11 as my DAW and had delayed the switch to W10 so far (which soon won't be free anymore), as PT11 isn't officially supported on the new OS. I've tried to dig through countless threads trying to conclude is it "safe" to upgrade, as some users have stated that PT11 works well for them on W10, even better than on W7. I'm well aware that PT11 would never be declared to be W10 compatible by Avid, but that doesn't mean the program itself won't run on it as it should. I'm guessing that most problems with new OS arise from drivers which were written for older versions. So now, when Mbox3 drivers for W10 are finally available, should one try to make the jump?

P.S. Please forgive me for yet another thread in this tone, but the similar threads out there didn't help me to decide.

Re: Mbox3 W10 drivers and PT11
 

If you do decide to make the jump to Windows 10, just make sure you have a cloned image of your OS/ProTools drive backed up. In the event it doesn't work, you can revert back to the working configuration. Do you have a need to "upgrade" to Windows 10? As you can see from my details below, I am on a very old (but very stable) combination of Windows and PT. I use that particular computer for nothing but ProTools, no internet or games or anything else.

I know it is tempting to want to jump on anything that is "free", for fear of missing out. Yesterday it was announced that Microsoft's yearly revenue was down year over year for the first time since 2009 (the Great Recession). I have a feeling that it won't be long that the "free" upgrades to W10 will be converted to an annual paid subscription. I haven't read the terms and conditions of the W10 license agreement, as I haven't converted my Windows 7 and 8 computers, and won't be doing so any time soon because W10 does not support Windows Media Center which I use a lot for recording TV programs and watching TV while working on the computer. But I would assume that the terms and conditions for W10 do not grant a perpetual license to use the product.

It's up to you, that is just my 2 cents worth (maybe only worth 1 cent).

Re: Mbox3 W10 drivers and PT11
 

Could you use VLC Media Player in place of Media Center?

And you can clone or just image your operating system drive. I recommend Macrium Reflect - IMHO (far) superior to Acronis and there's a free version.

IIWM, I'd image my OS drive, upgrade to Windows 10, try PT and, if you want to go back, just restore the image you made. That way you're computer is authorized for W10 if/when you want to upgrade again.

Re: Mbox3 W10 drivers and PT11
 

I haven't looked into VLC Media Player. I am going by what folks on the Tom's Hardware forum were saying about finding a suitable replacement for WMC, and their conclusion that the available replacements aren't up to the level of WMC. Hopefully that will change.

Re: Mbox3 W10 drivers and PT11
 

Thank you for your responses and insights.

Yes, I've forgotten about the fact that once you've installed and activated W10 on a certain PC, you should be able to do it again later free of charge, despite going back to an earlier version of the OS for the time being, like in my case. I hope I'm getting this right, as I've already upgraded my other two systems and would like to take the advantage for my DAW too in the future.

The main thing is that switching to PT12 is too costly for me at the moment. I've foolishly missed an opportunity to upgrade before end of 2015. thinking that PT12 won't bring any earth-shattering new features. So now I must pay for a reinstatement (twice the earlier price + VAT). According to Avid, W10 still isn't qualified for Pro Tools even with PT12, and judging from other users posts, there are still problems. So if one need to stick to W7, I might as well stick to PT11 and delay the upgrade to PT12 at some more opportune time.

Re: Mbox3 W10 drivers and PT11
 

PT 12 is supported on Windows 10 - http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/e...EUCON-and-ISIS and running quite well for me (12.3 though, due to 9173 errors that are not Win 10 related)

Joel

Re: Mbox3 W10 drivers and PT11
 

@JoelG; thanks for the info. I've tried googling "PT and W10 compatibility" but I haven't spotted the page you're referring to. Anyhow, I will have to postpone upgrading to PT12 for now. I just hope I will be able to install and activate W10 on my DAW PC in the future.