Yep thats the update I was referring to.  Did the rescan and reboot.    I think last option is to clean reinstall of X3 as you suggest. 

Looks like a complete reinstall of X3 did the trick.  

Agentcalm
Looks like a complete reinstall of X3 did the trick.  

Glad you got it sorted, albeit with some hassle.

Thanks for the help Tele.    But yeah....it was a messy fix.   Wonder if buying something like EZ drummer would be less hassle going forward.    I like SD and it suits my needs but i have heard that EZ is a really good drum program. 

Yes, I have EZ drummer, and it's great. I like Toontrack in general.
 
I would also check out SI Drums that come with Sonar. They still hold up really well.
http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/Studio-Instruments/Drums

I might have that DLL file somewhere.   I did remove SD1 as i got so used to using SD3.    But if I have the DLL still on the hard drive I can add it back into the VST folder and rescan.    I came across something similar the other evening which was a free download.   I'll post the link later.  I'm in work right now.   The only problem with some of those drum systems is that they put all drums on one track.  Meaning you cant adjust levels etc of individual drums.   But I guess they would work fine for the purposes of getting a rough demo down.  If they come with good loops it cant really help your song writing.    Is the advantage EZ and Toon track the different kits you can choose from?  Or is it their ease of use?    i use a midi keyboard to trigger the drums and its dis advantage is when trying to do drum rolls.   I'd certainly invest in either of those products if their strong point was the ability to create those realistic drum rolls and fills.  

It looks like there might be some confusion. The drums I linked to are Studio Instruments Drums, not Session Drummer.
 
As far as EZ drummer, it's all of those things, plus sound quality and MIDI packs (with rolls and fills).

Ah gotcha.    Well the studio instruments are not expensive at all so I might try them out.
Cheers for that. 

Agentcalm
Ah gotcha.    Well the studio instruments are not expensive at all so I might try them out.
Cheers for that. 

I hope I'm not too late, but you don't need to buy it. You already own it. See page 3.
 
http://www.samash.com/wcsstore/SamAsh/root/Product_Manuals/Cakewalk/SONAR%20X3%20Comparison%20Chart.pdf

Dang...might need to try the install again.  I dont see anything for instruments under the Soft synth menu .      dont even see anything in the plug in manager console.