Pity it doesn't do XP, but you should have done yor homework before part with the $$$.

Did your universe stop with XP, or could you imagine you'll ever progress to W7 or beyond ?

There are features and architectures of the new OS that some apps depend on.

geoff

Yeah, it may be worth upgrading Windows at this point. Vista was borderline for quite a while (I waited some time on it, myself), but as-of SP1 it no longer really deserved the vehement derision it tended to get, and SP2 was pretty decent.

Windows 7, while having been released sooner than I usually like to upgrade an entire OS (mostly because of Vista's poor image among the masses due to its initial hardships), is extremely stable, runs faster than Vista on the same hardware (in my experience), and there's really no reason at all not to upgrade. Windows XP was great, but its day is pretty much over.

...am I out $150?

Dave, if you don't want to upgrade to Windows 7, contact Sony about your dilemma.
There have been a few people in your situation who have asked for and received a full refund.

Mike

In my opinion, Windows 7 is Microsoft's best OS since Windows 2000.

I don't mean to belittle anybody but I simply do not understand people who stubbornly stick with Windows XP. Yes, Vista had its problems but the service packs fixed them. And as John said, Windows 7 is probably the best OS Microsoft has released since Windows 2000.

"Is there a way around this or am I out $150?"

If you REALLY want to stick with an OS from the turn of the century that is no longer supported by Microsoft, then I am sure you can easily sell your Vegas license after the early-upgrade offer is over.

I still use XP on 6 or so machines around the house. Some are in their 'late middle age' and a couple are only a year or two old. As I've replaced retiring machines with new ones that I build, I transfer the XP licenses to save $.

That's not exactly stubbornly sticking with XP, it's a reality of my retirement income. So far, it ain't been broke, so I didn't fix it.

Now that I've purchased the Vegas 11 upgrade, there's a compelling reason to move to Windows 7, at least on my editing and music recording machine.

It's going to be an expensive move, because, in addition to Vegas & Windows 7, there's a new motherboard and graphics card required to fully realize the advancements in 11. I'm hoping that it'll be worth it and I'm looking forward to it.

As Chico Escuela might say: "XP has been berry, berry good to me..."

"If you REALLY want to stick with an OS from the turn of the century that is no longer supported by Microsoft..."

Not so fast, that's not completely accurate... While mainstream support and development of new features are things of the past, Microsoft will be releasing security patches until April of 2014.

Yeah, moving up to Windows 7 makes sense for a lot of reasons, but XP users are not completely helpless yet.

... but if you do get a refund, don't complain when you have to pay a bit more for the upgrade when you inevitaby eventually do move onto W7.

geoff

Windows 7 64-bit allows much more RAM and I get sensational playback in Vegas 10e. Just tinkering with 11 until 11a is released. But 10e is rock solid for me and the Win 7 environment is way better than XP IMHO.

David

Is there a way around this or am I out $150?

I made the same mistake. There was nothing on Sony's email nor on the purchase pages to indicate that Pro11 required Win7. Pro10 worked on XP and, in the absence of any clear statement to the contrary, I (and quite a few others) assumed that Pro11 would also be XP compatible. I know I should have checked the product spec page, and my error is now pushing me to upgrade from XP Pro to Win7 at extra expense which I hadn't anticipated.

If the OS upgrade goes OK I shall keep Pro11. But just to be safe I telephoned Sony yesterday and explained my dilemna. A very helpful gentleman advised me that full refund will be available to me and that my sales record has been marked accordingly should I decide not to keep Pro11.

Reading posts on other forums, it seems that others have made the same mistake and, whilst Sony could have been more explicit in their email, they now seem to be very fair and helpful in offering refunds to those who have fallen foul of this.

And please don't knock those who are still on XP - it still works well and those of us on retirement income can't always afford to upgrade and/or replace their computers - particularly in the present financial climate.

Brian.

i really can't believe people when they complain vegas 11 wont run on xp - it's written in plain english at the top of the system requirements:

Vegas Pro 11 system requirements

Microsoft® Windows Vista® 32-bit or 64-bit SP2, or Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit

don't people read such things anymore?