I run BB on Win7 but always have a backup on my old XP drive - just in case. The Win7 has gone fine but attempts to Install in XP brings up the following Exception Error. At first look it MIGHT be something preventing ACTIVATION as every time I try and do that I get the Error. Same if I click "about Band In A Box" in Help Any ideas?
Last edited by sixchannel; 12/12/1902:07 AM.
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
I run BB on Win7 but always have a backup on my old XP drive - just in case.
Is the file on the XP system a separate installation on a completely different computer system (XP), or a copy of the same installation run from a different drive "old XP drive"? Trev
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
I run BB on Win7 but always have a backup on my old XP drive - just in case.
Is the file on the XP system a separate installation on a completely different computer system (XP), or a copy of the same installation run from a different drive "old XP drive"? Trev
Trev The XP was, and always is, a new install from the PG website. The 2 HDs are completely separate. Ian
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
CORRECTIVE EDIT - The program boots up and then the onscreen messages appears. Trying to set a new SGU etc etc does nothing, although it does appear that I did manage to update the Stylepicker. Strangely , any existing SGUs DO seem to load and play OK. Ian
Last edited by sixchannel; 12/12/1907:48 AM.
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
Sixchannel, i take it you talk about Windows XP? That's driving dangerously these days LoL. Though i have a very old laptop now only in use for some outdated games for my grand-kids and wife. Even windows 7 Microsoft is throwing out of the window. It seems you can update to Windows 10 for free. If you do, go for pro 64bit or LTSB (latter doesn't work with NVDIA RTX GPUs BTW). You will need some tuning to do to get rid of the bloatware that comes along with it however.
Sixchannel, i take it you talk about Windows XP? That's driving dangerously these days LoL. Though i have a very old laptop now only in use for some outdated games for my grand-kids and wife. Even windows 7 Microsoft is throwing out of the window. It seems you can update to Windows 10 for free. If you do, go for pro 64bit or LTSB (latter doesn't work with NVDIA RTX GPUs BTW). You will need some tuning to do to get rid of the bloatware that comes along with it however.
Hi Fiddler Yep - thats Windows XP. Although I run BB on Win7 (itself about to be made obsolete for no good reason), I still have my old XP drive and actually prefer to run BB on it as it seamlessly works with my VERY OLD DAW that does everything I want and will not work on Win7. XP, apart from when downloading any BB related files is not Net connected. Are you saying that I can update my Win7 to 10 for free? I thought they'd stopped that Freebie. FWIW - I think Support agree that there IS a problem with 2020 in getting it to work on XP. It may be that I'll HAVE no option but to go Win10 in 2020. Cheers ian
Old Guys Rule.The older I get,the better I was! BB2023 ULTRA, 1013, Win 7 and 10
Google on upgradng from Windows 7 to Windows 10 using assistive technologies. If any of those conditions apply, you should still be able to upgrade to Windows 10 (from Windows 7 or Windows 8) for free. You will find instructions on what to do to get the upgrade. You can't upgrade from XP or Vista, however. How well it works on your older computer is a different story. Usually, drivers are the problem, but Microsoft does a pretty good job of providing generic drivers for most systems. That may or may not work out for you on a music DAW system that places specific demands on the computer.
Also, you will only get what you currently have. So if you currently have Windows 7 Home, you'll get Windows 10 Home; if you have Windows 7 Professional, you'll get Windows 10 Professional. There is no direct upgrade if you happen to have Windows 7 Enterprise (as Microsoft views that as a corporate version to be upgraded per your Microsoft maintenance agreement).
I just upgraded my laptop from Windows 7 Pro to Windows 10 Pro (I had done it a couple of times in the past, but had issues with the video driver and a few other things). But since Windows 7 is going away and this is a web connected computer, I'm taking the plunge again. It's an almost 10 year old HP first generation i5 Intel processor system with 8 GB RAM and dual 2TB hard drives. So far, this time things seem to be working pretty well, but I still have to figure out how to get HDMI connectivity to work. I've found some workarounds for the video driver issue (that wasn't there before - I guess the passage of time has allowed people to figure things out and post their solutions).
What I did was make sure my Windows 7 system was completely up to date. I updated all my applications. I also have a list of programs that (based on previous upgrade attempts) needed to be de-authorized/de-activated before doing the upgrade, because once upgraded, those apps saw it as a different system and needed re-activation. This required contacting the vendors to explain what I did so they could release a previous activation. This time I knew which apps were affected and just de-activated them before doing the upgrade.
I then made a system image of my hard drive (I use Acronis True Image 2018) and save the image to an external USB hard drive. I have a boot DVD that allows me to restore that image if necessary, should anything with the upgrade go wrong.
I downloaded the ISO image of the Windows 10 installation disk and burned it to DVD. I put the DVD into my computer and while Windows 7 was running, I ran "Setup" from the root folder of that DVD (as I wanted to do an in-place upgrade of my system). The in-place upgrade allows you to keep all your settings, applications, and files intact. About three hours later, I was looking at Windows 10 and so far (this time) things seem to be mostly looking okay). I re-activated the applications. I've tried to run all the major apps I use on a regular basis and everything seems to work pretty well. I'm sure I'll come across some drivers that need updating. I had to re-install my Steinberg eLicenser software (quick and easy) and it immediately recognized my licenses. Interestingly, the iLok license manager worked fine with no re-installation required.
Once I verified everything was working okay, I then took another system image of the computer running Windows 10, so if anything goes haywire, I can at least get back to where I am right now (or worst case, revert back to Windows 7 from the previous image).
Hope this helps.
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean