X1 Where to Start!?

So, I have recently come into possession of Sonar X1 Producer edition from a friend who had no use for it. I am pretty new to the recording world but have played guitar for nearly a decade. My question is...where does one begin? I would like to do my own guitar tracks over pre-made or self-made tracks, but i wouldn't mind learning new instruments if that's the better path. I have started watching youtube videos on the basics, but i would like some other tips and tricks that people have come across over the years. Also, should i just upgrade to X3 before i invest alot of time and effort?  I appreciate your input :D

You can't upgrade to X3, it is now out of production...  We're onto New Sonar now.
 
How have you registered X1?  That will determine if you're even eligible for any upgrade discount.
 
But before you lay down load of money, you should use your X1 as a learning tool.  All the principles are the same.

X1 was said to have a few bugs and X3e was the most stable version of all the X series so far. 
I would recommend upgrading to Sonar Professional. Your cost would be only $99 and it's all you need when starting out. There's only a few fancy plug ins and toy's missing that Platinum includes. You can always upgrade later. 
Knowing X1 had issues would be enough for me to spend the money and be up to date. It's easier to get help here as  everyone's on the same versions.   
You can keep X1 installed because it has a few plug ins that Professional might not have. 
 
For starting out what I think is cool is download a free midi file of a song you know. 
Just enter a search for the song = Sultans of Swing midi and look for simple web pages that have the song listed in alphabetical order. The midi file should download in 2 seconds without fuss. If it re directs you leave that page and try another site. 
Open it into Sonar ( don't import) insert the TTS-1 for starters as it will play all the track using GM midi.
First thing I do is mute all but the Drums bass and piano. Don't go by the horrific sounding vocals and attempts at guitar parts.. Later you could insert Session Drummer or if you upgrade, Adictive Drums and improve the drum sounds.  Then say insert the SI Bass synth and on and on. You can make that GM file sound pretty good if it was sequenced properly to begin with. I look for well played drums parts. Drums are the most work when constructing a song from scratch. So I always will see if I can find a file on line.   Now you can use that to add guitar and vocals parts ( audio tracks) to learn how it all works. 

There are a ot of X1 videos and I think there may be an SWA video. There are two Groove3 videos that are marked down to 20 bucks each but you could sign up for 30 day pass to view all their videos for 15 bucks. It is a month to month charge so 30 bucks for two months, you wont get to keep the videos but you probably wont need to. They have a lot of other videos on most everything about recording. Here is the first X1 video: http://www.groove3.com/str/sonar-x1-explained.html they have an X1 "tips and tricks" video too.
I'm guessing you have an interface, a MIDI keyboard, and monitors?