I have two questions:
1 - I've noticed in X1 that I can't just record a midi track using an external sound module without either recording an audio track with it or inserting a soft synth in another track. In other words if all I have in the song are midi tracks with no audio it won't let me record unless I add a soft synth. It's not a big problem but i was wondering if I'm doing something wrong or that is the way it is designed.
 
2 - I would also like to change the colors around which i know I can do in preferences but I want to make sure if I screw things up i can get the original color scheme back.  Will the "Defaults all colors" button do that ?
 

Some of this is basic, and you probably already know a lot of it, but just in case:
 
MIDI is performance data that drives a synth; it has no audio content. The synth generates audio with timing and duration based on those instructions, and with timbre of the sound based on the synth's internal programming (MIDI controllers  and note velocity can modify this to some extent also based on synth programming).
 
If the synth is external, you must have an audio track receiving the sound output via an audio interface in order to record it. Also, the preferred method of monitoring an external synth is to have an audio track with Input Echo enabled to echo it back out to your monitoring system, rather than direct monitoring. This allows you to process the input signal with effects real time inside SONAR, and hear that processed signal while you perform live.
 
You can record MIDI from a keyboard synth, and play it back, all with the audio from the synth going directly to your monitoring system, but at some point, you'll need to route that audio signal into SONAR and record it in order to eventually generate an duio file that you can play on another system and share with others.
 
And you'll wnat to set Local Control OFF in your keyboard synth's setting and echo MIDI from it's keyboard through the MIDI track and back to the synth. This applies to separate keyboards and hardware synths as well. This prevents doubled notes in the sound from the external synth and having the synth always generating output even when you are trying to play a soft synth.
 
As for colors, SONAR comes with a default color file that you can re-import. I've never actually used Defaults: All Colors, and it doesn't appear to be documented in the Ref. Guide, but, yes, I would guess that will re-import the default .CLR file. from AppData.
 
Hope that helps.

I understand all that about midi but what I'm talking about is recording the midi data. I have no problem converting it to audio when i need to. The record button just will not start Sonar in recording mode if it is only a midi track. If i open up a new project with nothing but a single midi track & try to record just midi data it will not do it. In my older versions I would lay down a midi keyboard track for reference before recording any audio. Playing it back through an external module just saved overhead so I'm used to doing it that way.
 
I realized that if i go into preferences/midi/playback&recording & check "Allow midi recording without an armed track" that will let me record pure midi data without anything else. It's a little dangerous though because it would be very easy to record over an existing track by mistake so i wouldn't want to leave that checked.
As for the colors it looks like it will reset back to the default colors by clicking that the default button.    

You do not need an audio track to record midi, nor do you need "Allow midi recording without an armed track" checked. I record midi only when I'm recording multiple midi tracks from my sequencer/workstation. I use direct monitoring, and do not need (or want) to have an audio track.
 
On the midi track, next to the mute and solo buttons, is a record arm button. you need to click that (it will turn red) to "arm" the track before you can record to that track. You can do this with multiple midi tracks simultaneously if you are recording multiple parts in one go. Then click the master record button.
 
The "Allow midi recording without an armed track" simply makes the midi tracks assume they are always armed, and it will give you grief if you are recording separate parts in multiple takes across multiple tracks. :)

js516
You do not need an audio track to record midi, nor do you need "Allow midi recording without an armed track" checked. I record midi only when I'm recording multiple midi tracks from my sequencer/workstation. I use direct monitoring, and do not need (or want) to have an audio track.
 
On the midi track, next to the mute and solo buttons, is a record arm button. you need to click that (it will turn red) to "arm" the track before you can record to that track. You can do this with multiple midi tracks simultaneously if you are recording multiple parts in one go. Then click the master record button.
 
The "Allow midi recording without an armed track" simply makes the midi tracks assume they are always armed, and it will give you grief if you are recording separate parts in multiple takes across multiple tracks. :)

Either I've got a bug or I've got something set up wrong.
When I do exactly as you say an arm the midi track (it turns red) then click the master record button(I'm assuming that's the round button to the right of the button with the two fast forward arrows):
1 - The master record button turns red.
2 - The midi track stays armed in the track view but in the console view the track gets disarmed ?
It will not allow me to arm the track in the console view yet it still shows armed in the track view until I hit  the stop or pause buttons.
3 - No movement at all so it's not recording
Now if I arm an audio track then the midi track will automatically get armed in the console view & the hitting the record button will start recording for both midi & audio. I don't get it?
 

If it doesn't start recording, you might not have a clock source set. I'm out at the moment and not by may daw, but in preferences there are setting for the playback and recording master clock, as well as a set of radio buttons that controls sonar's behaviour in the presence of a clock source. If sonar is not setup with a clock source, (on my laptop, the clock sources have a habit of unsetting themselves) sonar will refuse to record midi unless you have an audio track. The audio device input connected to the track becomes the clock source. Unfortunately I don't recall what my settings off the top of ky head. :(

When I get back home, I'll post my clock source configuration for you to compare against.
What audio/midi interface do you have?

I'm still using my old M-audio audiophile 2496. I've never had a problem with the midi or the audio in it. I was planning on getting a usb interface but since I got a new MB with a pci slot i figured I'd keep it and see how it does first. 

On my laptop I use either a US144Mk2 (recording or working with midi) or a UG1A (when just mixing, its a lot more portable).
 
In the Driver Settings page, I have my interface set as the Playback and record timing masters. Sometimes these get blanked out, and I have to reset them. This is usually due to windows grabbing the drivers.
 
On the sync and cache page,
- I have trigger & freewheel set, unless I'm recording output from a sequencer.
- The "When SMPTE/MTC is detected" I have set to "Ask first, then switch clock and start" set.
- Currently, the "pressing play in sonar will" is set to "switch current clock and start playback" set.
 
Hopefully this will get you working as well. :)
 

I tried those settings but still no change. I couldn't find the "pressing play in sonar" setting.
What I did find that worked was setting the metronome to midi instead of audio. That did the trick. I tested it quite a few times & found that when the metronome was set to audio I could not record a midi track until an audio track was either armed or already recorded. A soft synth is also like an audio track in this instance. I'd be curious to see if it's my setup or it is actually the way the program is designed. To check all you have to do is open up a blank project where nothing has been recorded and in preferences/metronome set it to " use audio metronome". Make sure no audio tracks are armed, no soft synths are inserted & try to record some midi data.