robert_e_bone
OK - let's take a step back.
 
First of all, the original poster lists an EMU 0404 USB audio interface, and is running Windows 8.
 
The EMU 0404 USB audio interface is NO LONGER SUPPORTED by Emu.
 
I do not believe there are any Windows 8 drivers for that discontinued interface - NO Windows drivers show up on the lone support page out there on the EMU site for that interface.  It is listed there as 'At the end of its service life'.
 
The EMU 0404 USB interface was designed and released for XP 32/64, and while I am not sure if there were even any Windows 7 drivers for it, I AM certain that there are not any currently available, AND there are certainly no Windows 8 drivers available for it.
 
To the original poster - your interface is NOT compatible with Windows 8, and as a discontinued and unsupported product, will NEVER be compatible with Windows 8.
 
It is possible that it might function under Windows 7, but I am not certain of that.  IF you happen to have a valid Windows 7 installation disc, you could attempt to completely reload your PC, using Windows 7, but you would have to reload all data and any installed programs, as the entire OS partition would be wiped out.  (backing up any data would be prudent PRIOR to wiping out your Windows 8 install).  There are no guarantees that the interface would work on Windows 7, although some dim part of my brain makes me think that a friend of mine is running Windows 7 with that same interface, though it may be Vista.
 
You could also go back to a Windows XP install, but again, you would have to back up any data you wanted retained, because the reload of the prior version of Windows would of course wipe out anything on the hard drive.  IN ADDITION, XP is NOT supported for running X2, and X2a will simply NOT install, due to minimum system requirements for Windows 7 at Service Pack 1 maintenance levels.
 
It is my recommendation that you consider upgrading your audio interface, to one that DOES have Windows 8 drivers.  An equivalent interface to the EMU 0404 USB would run somewhere between $140-$200 USD, approximately.
 
I also need to point out that 4 GB is pretty 'lean' for memory to be running Sonar.  IF your laptop supports 8 GB of memory, you might want to look at either adding a second 4 GB strip (about $20 these days), or if the memory currently in there is 2 2GB strips you would need to add 2 4GB strips, for a total of around $40 USD.  MAKE SURE that you check out the specifications for your laptop so you can confirm it will support 8 GB of memory.  (not all of them do).
 
I hope that helps.
 
To some of the folks who have commented as 'factual' that X2a is not stable, I disagree.  There are currently no show stopper bugs in the X2a release - in terms of global crashes.  Yes, there are bugs and annoyances, but X2a itself IS stable, to the best of my knowledge.
 
Instability, as born out in the myriad of threads in this forum, on systems that ARE running X2a, ends up being determined to be one or more of the following conditions:
 
1.  User error
2.  Hardware error
3.  Systems not meeting minimum levels for running Sonar, as specified on the Cakewalk site for X2/X2a.
4.  Audio interface problems, most often with drivers
5.  Interference from other installed applications, such as some anti-virus software, etc.
6.  Not following recommended installation procedures, either for new installs or for removal and re-installation of X2/X2a
7.  Windows maintenance not being current
8.  Settings mismatch between Sonar and the audio interface
9.  Improper driver settings 
10.  Plugins - third-party software, usually 32-bit plugins running in 64-bit Sonar using BitBridge or Jbridge, or badly written 64-bit plugins.
11.  X2 itself had some show stoppers, for which Cakewalk released a quick fix.  X2a addressed more than 250 bugs, so if someone is still running the base X2 release, they may well have a bunch of problems.  Upgrade, in that event.
12. User error (yeah, I know I listed it twice)
 
 
There are I am sure some additional conditions I have not listed, but none of those are product-wide failures - show stoppers.  Some folks may not like the post-X direction of the UI design in Sonar, and some folks may not like some of the current functionality, or may find annoyance with some of the ways things work, or in the case of the existing bugs, may not like the workarounds available, but that is a different matter than stability itself.
 
Bob Bone
 

lahteedah
 
Hello,
 
I've had Producer X2 for about 4 months.  I use it daily.  It crashes all the time.  It seems to be easily overwhelmed.
I bought a new laptop just for X2.  Its a lenevo idea pad, i5 processor, 4GB memory, 500GB hard drive.
 
I don't know what i'm doing to make it crash ALL THE TIME.
 
Has anyone had this problem?
Thanks,
 
Richard

cliffr
Just wondering if you've used the "Replace Synth" option in the projects which are crashing ?.
 
I have used the "Replace Synth" a couple of times, and the projects seem to be extremely crash prone after that.
They crash "All the time".
 
Had to create new projects, and copy all the data over.
 
Cheers - Cliff