Questions about "disk image", "restore point", "rolling back", etc.

A system image is an exact duplicate of your drive. If your install of Sonar or Windows gets broken, all you have to do is restore it from that image. It will be exactly as it was at the time the image was made. You will not need to authorize anything. It will all just work. Everything. (You can only do this on the same computer, at least without resorting to hacks). It behooves you to make frequent images. You keep them on another drive, which can be in the computer or external. Don't trust Windows' own imaging app. Get Macrium or Acronis. The free version of Macrium is fine,  the paid even better . Macrium once restored my original drive, when when windows itself could not find the image it had made.
 
System restore does almost the same thing, except any new software you installed after the restore point won't be there. but all your files and programs will be. So, create frequent restore points.
 
If you don't want Windows to break Sonar, keep it offline. Do your surfing with another computer, or the same one but on a different drive. You can even install a  virtua lLinux system on your computer, and go online with that. It would be "sandboxed" from Windows, so that, even though you're on your Windows drive, you won't be going onlinje with Windows, but with Linux. The best thing to do if you want to keep using Sonar is to keep the drive it's on dedicated to that only. You then don't need to update Windows, as you won't be going online with it. With system images as your backup, this will work as long as the computer works.

I would only be doing this when my computer dies and I need to buy a new computer, is there any way I can do this

paul jenkins
I would only be doing this when my computer dies and I need to buy a new computer, is there any way I can do this

On a new computer, no . At least not without hacks, which I wouldn't even know how to do, and am not advocating.  Although you might be able to call Microsoft, explain the situation, and they might authorize it. They've been known to do things like this.  Who knows, maybe it'll give them an idea "Hey, why don't we just buy Sonar from Gibson, and help these poor fellows out?" 

I wonder if the servers are still authorizing.
I wanted to install a SSD but if it fails to authorize, I bought an SSD for no reason.
I wouldnt mind installing my windows and splat on a few drives, just in case something happens..

The authentication servers were working Thanksgiving day. I imagine they'll be up for a little while yet.
 
I was planning to make an audio / midi only workstation computer and installing sonar there. I might still do that and use Sonar X3, since it can offline activate already if the activation service goes away without a "fix" for Sonar Platinum. I want to offload DAW duties from my gaming system to save disk space on it (Games take up ridiculous disk space these days) and also to make a more workstation caliber system for DAW duties.