fatal error/crash dump

The three things that quickly come to mind are:
 
1.  Maybe a plugin-specific issue - do you have 32-bit plugs loaded in a 64-bit Sonar?
2.  Possibly a plugin expecting Sonar to be running with the explicit Run As Administrator?
3.  A permissions issue during installation of something - again possibly lack of Run As Administrator.
4.  Possible Windows Maintenance issue - make sure you are up to date with Windows maintenance.
5.  Make sure Sonar and your plugins, as well as any device drivers, are up to current maintenance levels.
 
OK - so those are my top five 3 things that come to mind to check, 
 
Bob Bone
 

Bob - FYI here's my workaround: I think somehow the fx chain just got corrupted, so I extracted the included fx & resaved them to a chain, renamed it & so far, so gd. Thanks again for yr input!

That error seems to point to some sort of access exception - like trying to read memory that doesn't belong to the application trying to read it.
 
I dimly/dumbly seem to recall that also happening due to some sort of permissions problem, potentially.
 
1.  You indicated you always run as administrator.  So, quick question on that point - are you simply using a USER that has Administrator rights?  OR, when you installed and when you launch Sonar, do you explicitly right-click on the launch icon and click on Run As Administrator?  I ask because these are two different levels of permissions.
 
When your user is defined as an Administrator type of account, you get certain added permissions, but that does NOT hold true for the execution tokens you get when you run programs.  So, if your earlier comment about running as administrator, that may well not be enough - and you should then attempt to run your tests again, using the explicit Run As Administrator option on the launch icon for Sonar.  If this makes everything work, then you can modify the launch options for Sonar to always Run As Administrator by right-clicking on the launch icon, clicking on Properties, then clicking on Advanced, then checking the box that says Run As Administrator.  It MAY be that one or more of your effects plugins (usually a 32-bit one, if memory serves) may be expecting the elevated privileges you get with Run As Administrator.  I think sometimes this situation has something to do with these programs reading protected folders - like for configuration info or that sort of thing - this is pure speculation here as to why.
 
3.  One more thought - and this one is a bit of a reach, for this issue, but still may be something you want to do anyways, as I will explain.  OK - you are running a laptop here, according to your posted specs.  No problem, except for your laptop's Wi-Fi adapter/drivers.  MANY times, the Wi-Fi can wreak havoc on a computer's stability and ability to handle streaming audio - whic is what Sonar massively does.
 
So, this is actually super simple to test out - just prior to launching Sonar, either turn off the Wi-Fi adapter (might be a switch on the laptop somewhere, or maybe a Function Key - not always present and depends on the laptop model), OR go into Windows Device Manager and Disable the Wi-Fi adapter/drivers.  (DISABLE, not delete/remove/uninstall).
 
Once the Wi-Fi adapter is off or disabled, NOW launch Sonar and test out the stability of your Sonar session.  Once you finish the Sonar session and close Sonar, go back and either turn the Wi-Fi back ON, or enable it again through Windows Device Manager.  (If you STILL have trouble, try this test again, this time making sure to also launch Sonar with the explicit Run As Administrator option).
 
What happens with many Wi-Fi adapters/drivers, is that for some reason they really spike DPC Latency way up high, and this can just mess up Sonar really badly.
 
SOOOOO - please review the above and give things a shot, and I will look for some results of your additional testing.
 
Bob Bone
 

It's hard to discern a pattern here: more than 1 plug crashes, in busses only (I think), fx themselves crash, not just chains. I never really understood administrator in win 7...maybe i was mistaken in always running as admin but I right clicked as you suggested to run as admin & I cd still make it crash. I don't use wi fi - it's always off.
 
update: it seems to be the top plug or fx chain (any one) in one of the busses - always the top one. I tried renaming, deleting & recreating the bus & it still happens. The workaround is to put a plug I don't use on top. I'll see what happens, but I hate to rely on a workaround & not get it fixed.

There are execution privileges that you get when you explicitly use Run As Administrator, that you do not get when you do not - even if your user is of type Administrator.  It's a safety issue that is built into Windows, and downright confusing to many/most.
 
Doesn't seem that would be the issue though, from your above post, although I suppose maybe some install difference could be at play, if installing with Run As Administrator versus installing without it.  Rightly or wrongly, I always install using Run As Administrator, and also launch Sonar with that too.  Others can comment on that and give you better info than I.
 
It should definitely NOT be that the top plugin crashes and burns, but I do not at the moment have any solution to the issue.  
 
I will circle back in a bit and try to take a closer look at the prior posts, and do some digging, to see if I can help - I have to tear apart 2 laptops at the moment, so it will be about 2 hours til I can get back to this thread.  HOPEFULLY, someone else has some handy fix to your issues, in the meantime.
 
Bob Bone
 

ditto... and firmware...
 
Cheers...