Opinons sought on most complete and stable Sonar version before Splat?

My X3 e was pretty good over all. I mostly would get random freeze ups after saving and trying to close a project. Very rare that it happened and it was always a project with a 32 bit plug in. 
I also found that free version of Home Studio was very solid. Don't think that deal is still around, there was a link in the deals forum but that was last Dec. 
Defiantly to avoid any before that until you get back to 8.5 which was also a very stable version. 
The first X versions were noted as having many issues and these forms were alive with a lot of complaints back then. 

If you step too far backward, some free plugins are locked to Platinum, so you will lose them. If you go before X3, you will also lose ARA and VST3 support. Another "break point" was when Aux Tracks/Patch Points were introduced... and cwps containing those cannot be opened by any SONAR prior to their introduction (and I forget which version that was).
 
For Platinum versions, I stopped after the first year and still have Manchester 2 installed. A lot of the meat that came with Platinum was in that version and was stable for me.
 
Out of curiosity, why consider backing out prior to SPLAT?

8.5 if "stable" is the primary criterion, X3 if "complete" is. However, 8.5 will run many of the external components that were included with later versions, such as the SI instruments.
 
The biggest loss vs. current features would be ARA. But ARA is more about convenience and ease of use than actually defining what you can or cannot do. I was using Melodyne long before ARA. It was just more of a hassle. 
 
You'd also lose VST3 support, but that's trivial. Outside of the Steinberg/Yamaha microcosm, there are almost no third-party plugins that are exclusively VST3. Then there's ProChannel, but again that doesn't cost you any capabilities. Somehow, we all managed to EQ and compress stuff just fine pre-ProChannel.
 
Personally, despite having been a longtime 8.5 holdout who skipped over the entire X series, I'd never go back. CbB has 99.999% of every past feature I've ever cared about.  I'd be curious to know why CbB doesn't work for you.

8.5.3.
 
If I were you I'd save an image file of your C drive using Macrium Free and then try reinstalling your OS from scratch using the install CD. You can create your own install Win 10 CD. CbB is the most stable version of all for me.
 
This seems drastic. A solution may not be as far off as you think. I wish you luck
 

Thanks guys for all the answers...the current version, for me and my system, is glitchy takes about 189 seconds to load (and that's a totally blank project) - constantly drops audio, on occasion has "jittery" MIDI among other things, nothing catastrophic, but added together make it a bit annoying. And no the latest thing with the Bandlab Assistant refusing to operate correctly, ergo no updates - it got me thinking that I might be better off just going back to the best version prior to Bandlab taking over.
 
I'll have a think on it again, as it would be a retrograde step but maybe, juts maybe it will be more reliable....again thanks for the input.

Do you have the latest BandLab Assistant?
Is CbB up to date?
 
CbB has been way more stable for me than any previous version.
 
A bigger question is whether Windows is up to date. Drivers and software are always "chasing" Windows. I had a Logitech wireless mouse/keyboard become so erratic I assumed they were broken. Also, I was getting BSODs on a regular basis, particularly when going online. I ran a MemTest and it was fine but when I ran a Windows troubleshooter, it said there was a hardware problem and I needed to contact the manufacturer.
 
Not so! There had been a Windows update. I went to the Intel Driver and Support Assistant, downloaded the latest Bluetooth and Wireless drivers, and everything was fine. It's a pain in the butt to keep everything updated, but when EVERYTHING is updated, stuff works. When only some stuff is updated...colorful language is in the forecast.

As others have said I can't see that the cakewalk software is really the problem.  More knowledgeable folks than me will be more than happy to guide you through making it work on your system. You already have Bitflipper's attention so you're in very good hands if you decide to go for it and troubleshoot the MF.
 
WRT the versions...... I can't speak for the Bandlab version as I haven't yet felt the need to install it, but like many I was happy to sit back and watch the X-series launch crash and burn safe in my 8.5 world, but ARA in X3 finally sucked me in and once the dark theme came along in Platinum I bit on that and was a happy camper again. 8.53 is still installed and occasionally I open it just to see. I loved it at the time, but couldn't go back now.
 
When CW was looking for all the world like a dead duck my plan was to revert to X3 if the worst had ever come to the worst (no CCC for Platinum) and suck up the acres of grey again as it still seemed preferable to the alternative DAW's that I tried

It must be the case that if CbB is able to run OK (which it does for me and judging by the relative paucity of complaints by people on here and the various Facebook groups, for most others also) the only logical explanation for the OP's problems have to lie with his/her system. I realise it's a bit of a pain but it's worth a clean rebuild and CbB installation (without altering any settings) to rule out anything awkward that may have crept in software wise. If it still causes problems then it's likely a hardware thing. I can't accept that CbB is flakey otherwise it would manifest itself badly for everybody which is clearly not the case.

If the problem is that you cannot download the installer, that needn't be a showstopper. It's only 50Kb in size; I'd be happy to email it to you.
[EDIT] Never mind, I just read your thread about issues with the installer, in which you said that downloading it wasn't the problem, running it was. I've not seen the behavior you described, but my guess would be a version mismatch with some dependency, such as the C++ runtime libraries.

Joden, I think many users around here will agree that every OS install no matter how careful you are will likely get corrupted by some unknown OS glitch at time goes on.
 
 It may be a corrupted file, or corrupted setting, or something else or a faulty Win update. When that happens you can bang your head against the wall and try hours worth of troubleshooting or you can do the easy fix by reverting back to an image of your C drive when everything was working fine.
 
When I get a new computer or install my OS from scratch. The first thing I do is make an image file, because then you can always go back to that instead of reinstalling from scratch. 
 
In your case the first thing I'd do after a clean install is to install all current Win updates, and update main drivers like video card, install your audio interface and then CbB and see if it's behaving ok. 
 
My guess is that it would be. Each time you add programs, hardware, FX, etc make an image file. When you run into problems you can always go back a few steps and build it back up to determine where the problem or incompatibility is. 
 
Never save audio files, data, or sound libraries on your OS drive. Keep it lean, so when you revert back to an earlier image you don't lose any data only OS and programs.
 
I my opinion anyone that wants a stable problem free DAW should rely on image files. They've saved my butt numerous times. Carefully build up your DAW in steps.

It might be useful to list your entire computer spec.
 
Sometimes it's possible to at least point you in the right direction by just looking at your hardware/software spec