Sorry, I'm not understanding that idea.

Hidden_Symmetry
when re-opening the projects the running engine processing &  resources can sometimes trigger a crash instantly.

Even starting in safe mode?

When the projects aren't processing on startup (tracks archived)  I rarely have any crashes.
I'll only use safe mode as a last resort when I have to delete plugins or synths out of a project.

Safe mode does not have to be a last resort. It may be enough to have the process interrupted for the initial plug-in prompt to avoid the load problem. There is no need to step through the plug-ins one at a time.

Hidden_Symmetry
Let me explain it this way:
When I close projects I archive all midi & audio tracks (& disable synths & certain fx bins on buses) This stops processing, resources, cpu usage & almost guarantees the project will re-open smoothly.
 
I'd like to try doing this by using an auto option setting or tweak that would prevent any resources or processes from running on startup. (keeping the engine in the off state; stopping all process & resources similar to using the 'Disable Audio Engine' button in the transport.)


 
Cakewalk runs very smoothly however certain plugins or large projects with lots of automation can trigger a crash. When this happens certain tracks I've been working on aren't archived, when re-opening the projects the running engine processing &  resources can sometimes trigger a crash instantly.
Maybe it wouldn't work the way I'm thinking it would but I'd like to try it to see what the results might be. (if it were possible)

That is very cleaver thinking. I do follow your logic. However there is a way to open a troublesome project using safe mode. Plus in the end this is an error and should be addressed in an update. This wont get done if Bandlab is unaware of the problem.  
 
Note: Safe mode is activated when you open a file while the SHIFT key is pressed.
 
I hope that this problem is fixed. 
 
One final thought. What happens if you save with the audio engine off?

AFAIK, the engine is automatically enabled when a project is open. The engine state is not saved in the project. I am unaware of any documented setting to change this behavior. There may be an undocumented setting but I do not recall reading about one.

@John, thanks, tried that already but it becomes enabled again after saving / re-opening.
 
@scook, again I'm not understanding. I use Safe mode for troubleshooting only, you can't work in it & a project can still crash. If I'm looking for a certain plugin (or audio file, automation ) that might be causing a problem I'll use safe mode to hunt it down using the disable options until I find the culprit, but that's not what I'm looking to do.
Any problematic plugins that might be causing the crash on startup otherwise run & work fine when working in the project itself.
I only want the engine from processing & using resources on startup. It's during that initial loading (with the processing, resources running) that causes a crash (& why I use archive to keep them off when re-opening)
 
Does that make sense or am I missing something about Safe Mode? thanks
 
 
 

Sometimes projects that do not start regularly will start in safe mode because of the delay in loading plug-ins.  This may not be the case here. This may be a job for support include a dump in the report.

How about checking "Suspend Audio Engine When Cakewalk Is Not in Focus", open your project, then quickly go to another window whilst it's loading?
 
You could also try unchecking MMCSS before loading your project. In theory, this should give SONAR lower priority for resources, which may slow down the loading of resources allowing things to settle down whilst the project is loading.
 
Also try unchecking "Always Stream Audio Through FX".
 
You probably want to re-enable MMCSS & "Always Stream Audio Through FX" after the project has loaded tho.
 
I'm not sure if disabling the Multiprocessing Engine will help or make things worse, but its probably worth messing around with.

@skook thanks, I'll save a report the next time it happens.