This is meant for new members of this forum. Welcome! 

When posting a question please incorporate this information in your post. The more information you include the better your chances of getting the help you need. 

1. SONAR version. This should include whether it is the Producer Edition or the Studio Edition. It is very important to also include what version number as well i.e. Ver 1.00 or Ver. 6.2.1. Without this information we will have to ask you what you are using. This will delay an answer to your question. Edited to add with the X series and the new Sonar 2015 be sure to note Artist Professional or Platinum. Also be sure to mention whether you are using 32 bits or 64 bits version of an OS and program.  

2. Audio gear. List any and all audio cards or audio interfaces you are using. Include driver version too. 

3. MIDI gear. List all pertinent MIDI interfaces you have in your system. The brand and drivers also. Any outboard MIDI gear may be useful as well to include in your post. 

4. System specifications. Processor, memory, hard drives.The operating system with any service packs should be noted. 

5. Judgment will help you to decide just how detailed you are in giving your specs. But more information is better then not enough. 

6. What you include will of course be dictated by the type of question. 
 
7. This forum is very active consequently if you stick around an answer will be soon forth coming. 

Stick it in your signature!
And please throw this into the code of conduct thread (rename it to be more clear, this thread's subject title would be better).

Certainly good advice and really when new probably best to toss that info in if you are unsure until you get used to things (or as noted just toss it in your signature) buuuuut... it should be noted this info is more needed for technical issues like the classic "I'm getting pops and crackles" or "Sonar keeps crashing/freezing" type problems.
 
If the program is working ok but someone just needs to figure out how to perform a task it's not really necessary to type up technical specs each time (usually). That does still kind of support the "Specs in Sig" thing... even though I'm a dum dum who hasn't done that. I do however type up my specs when Sonar (or more accurately my computer) is farting directly into my mouth.
 
;-)

Also, PLEASE only post problems in the Problem Reports forum that have been submitted via Problem Reporter, with the assigned tracking number in the subject line.
 
For problems that haven't been submitted yet, use the main Sonar forum for confirmation and discussion.
 
 

I applaud the information but what happens when it's on page 2 or 3. It seems that unless it's a sticky or part of an existing sticky it will eventually lose visibility.

BobF
Also, PLEASE only post problems in the Problem Reports forum that have been submitted via Problem Reporter, with the assigned tracking number in the subject line.
 
For problems that haven't been submitted yet, use the main Sonar forum for confirmation and discussion.

 
Not problems though - reproducible bugs with steps to reproduce - One day ...just one day .. the forum will be renamed to something more appropriate...!
 
Also there is still a misunderstanding about the problem report forums, it is there so that people can validate their bug with other members of the community before they submit it in problem reporter... then they can alter the subject title with a CWBRN. Otherwise what's the point of it!! When posting in problem reporter it's probably also helpful Cakewalk gets a URL of the thread so they can get more info. Of course people can still log issues in Problem reporter any time they choose and bypass all this, but it certainly gives an issue more clout if more than one person can repro before it ends up in Cakewalk QA.
 
Troubleshooting of course (no steps to repro, questions or system specific) ends up in Sonar forums.

I'm assuming when you say "stick it in your signature" you're telling the new member to do that, Alex, about their specs? You will notice I don't do that. 
 
Thank you Bob. 
 
Mike, this thread can be made a sticky. We shall see if the forum wants it to be or not.
 
I don't want this thread to be hung up on problem reports. Its about basic advice for new posters. The hosts can deal with moving posts if it is needed. 
 
Totally agree Beep. Judgment is an important notion in what info to add for a particular problem.
 
Whats really important from my view point is a poster asking for help needs to stay around a bit so the poster can answer questions and take the actions suggested and report back. Problems can often be solved quickly with an active interchange of dialog.  
 
 

John
I'm assuming when you say "stick it in your signature" you're telling the new member to do that, Alex, about their specs? You will notice I don't do that. 

This is probably a cultural US thing. I am not telling anybody to do anything, I am advising... of course. Why the heck would I tell them I'm not a Nazi am I? Try to image every time I post I do it with a smile. It's really helpful not only to know specs, but to know where they are placed for speed reading. If six different posters have similar problems, if they have sigs you can speed read down and read each post, and possibly identify similarities in their specs straight away. If you don't want to do it fair enough. but the question really is - why wouldn't you want to do it?

Now I better update my sig I just noticed LOL 

The information in the first post is already in the Cakewalk Product handbook which is a sticky post already. Here's an excerpt from it.....

Follow these pro tips to help ensure that your question/comment/concern gets help from the community.

1. Be descriptive!
The exact version of the Cakewalk software (found under Help > About SONAR) or model of hardware you are using is really helpful.
Do: "SONAR X3 Producer (X3e build 352) - x64"
Don't: "SONAR"

Your computer and hardware specifications such as CPU, GPU, RAM, Operating System, Audio/MIDI Interface and external peripherals are important pieces of information to know when troubleshooting.
Do: "Intel i7-5960X, 8GB Ram, Windows 8.1, MOTU 828mkIII, Awesome mouse and keyboards"
Don't: "Laptop"

Any additional software you may be using (third-party plug-ins, hosts, etc.)