Now I can't even open Sonar!!

I've been with this program since it was Twelve Tone Music. Now I'm considering dumping the thing and all the time is has taken to learn it. Suddenly, and trust me, nothing else happened, now, every time I try to open Sonar, it stops after about 20 seconds, and then I get this message.
 
"SonarPDR.exe - System Error
The program can't start because mfc110u.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem."
 
What gives and why is this so hard? I need some help! Please.....
 
tc

http://forum.cakewalk.com...messages-m2745641.aspx

Did you launch the installer with 'Run As Administrator'?  That's important for proper installation, and also for the completion of the registration process.
 
Many folks also have the Sonar icon set to also always Run As Administrator, as it gives you elevated permissions, even if your user account is an administrator.
 
Also, is antivirus software running, and was it running during the installation process?  It can interfere with both installation and execution.
 
I believe this is likely an installation mishap, and you may want to consider removing Sonar and installing it again.
 
Please post back if you need complete instructions for removal (including the registry keys and hidden sub-folders and such).
 
Bob Bone
 
 

Mfc may stand for Microsoft foundation class. This may be related to the required runtime.

Reinstalling sonar should cause the reinstall of the runtime. Alternatively, you could download and install the runtime yourself.

It is a MS routine - looking things up on the web shows it coming up missing for other applications as well.
 
I would recommend having Windows up to date on maintenance, in any case.
 
If it were me, I would remove and install Sonar again, after first running Windows Update until it got all needed maintenance applied.
 
Bob Bone
 
 

This time, Alex, but you have certainly beat me plenty of times.  :)
 
Bob Bone

caminitic
http://forum.cakewalk.com...messages-m2745641.aspx

Thank you , but I had tried the ideas listed here before sending my own problems out to the world.

robert_e_bone
It is a MS routine - looking things up on the web shows it coming up missing for other applications as well.
 
I would recommend having Windows up to date on maintenance, in any case.
 
If it were me, I would remove and install Sonar again, after first running Windows Update until it got all needed maintenance applied.
 
Bob Bone
 
 

I am up to date on Windows.

robert_e_bone
I may have missed it - what version of Sonar are you using?
 
Also, had this version been working and then suddenly go belly up?
 
Is it opening a particular project and then dying, or just getting into the program?
 
Bob Bone
 

 
Thanks for helping. I'm using Sonar X2a Producer 64, build 351. I haven't had a version of Sonar that doesn't go belly up on a regular basis, and I go back to when you could put the whole of Cakewalk on a single floppy disc. Since the introduction of the Sonar X series, I use SoundForge mostly, even though it is not an ideal song creation tool. (People ask my why I don't switch, and the reason is I have enough of a working knowledge of Sonar to at least occasionally create something - when it works - plus I have all the soft synths and effects, and I'm not so sure how well they would translate with another DAW, and finally, the cost to get something else, both in time and money, seemed too high.) I have decided to permanently get off the Sonar upgrade merry-go-round until I can get a solid working version. I mean, do you guys usually just use versions that are one or two gens back to try to assure some stability?
 
What was happening was that I couldn't even get the program to start, now it will start, but it always ultimately crashes.
 
I completely uninstalled Sonar, reinstalled it as the administrator, and now I can at least open the program. However, I have worked on four pieces  and in all cases, Sonar crashes. Sadly, I didn't realize that I had to turn on the "save document" for it to work. Consequently, I lost all four. Now I have it turned on.
 
Most importantly, does anyone else have this problem? I haven't made it through one whole song without Sonar X2 crashing.
 
Thanks again in advance for any ideas.

theloniouscoltrane
...However, I have worked on four pieces  and in all cases, Sonar crashes. Sadly, I didn't realize that I had to turn on the "save document" for it to work. Consequently, I lost all four. Now I have it turned on.
 
Most importantly, does anyone else have this problem? I haven't made it through one whole song without Sonar X2 crashing.
 

I don't really understand what you mean by "turn on the save document for it to work", since in all versions have always supported the standard Windows commands Ctrl+S, File > Save and File > Save As.   But that does raise a question - how exactly do you typically start a new project?
 

Yes, sorry, I meant autosave. I thought it would be automatically ticked to "on" but it wasn't.
 
To CakeAlexS, great picture, and here's the answers.
The items listed below in my signature line are current
Results of chkdsk were fine and a screenshot is attached.
I ran driver boost and it said all drivers are up to date.
The sound interface drivers and firmware are current from Focusrite/Novation
I defrag nightly (I know, that's too often, but I like to have it nice and clean).
I couldn't find anything relevant in the Event Viewer, but perhaps I am looking in the wrong place.
 
Thanks for your help. I just had another crash. I had inserted three soft synths with no problem, but the 4th caused it to go groaning into the night.

No screenshot for chkdsk but we shall take it for granted :)
 
> I defrag nightly
As you say, way too often! I doubt it will be of any benefit whatsoever, once a month (or after you install lots of software or updates) I suggest minimum unless you fancy a hard drive replacement :
 
Please go back and look at the event viewer, click on custom views -> Administrative Events. Right click on an error with a red icon, Copy -> Copy Details as text and paste here. No need to post duplicate errors.
 
and +1 what Bob says....

Something else to keep in mind are development cycles. Even though Cakewalk will likely attempt to test each new Beta version on each version of Windows, they will probably focus primarily on the latest patches and updates. They will not focus as much on testing older versions of Sonar with newer versions of Windows or the latest Windows updates, and certainly without regard to the latest trends in viruses, etc. So, for example, let's say your anti-virus program downloads a new signature database update, then, somehow renders a .dll file a risk, you may allow it to remove or quarantine that file without knowing what the file is for.
 
NOTE: Some Trojan viruses also may replace known good files with a bad one. This even happens with known good patches and software installs from let's say, a 3rd-party plug-in developer (virus developer writes a piece of code, hacks into the 3rd-party plug-in's website and secretly adds their own virus to known good--and trusted code). This happens more often than you might think.
 
So, when new trends in the market occur (good or bad), the older software (X2a) will likely not be tested to survive those trends or patches/updates. Re-install is a probable solution.
 
So, as convoluted as my post here can be, the reality is, that file may have been wiped by your anti-virus software, or became corrupted. In either case, try re-installing Sonar first. If that doesn't fix, try restoring your machine to an earlier time, then reinstall Sonar.