Was this a download installation Randy? There are ways to use hash marks to check if the download is correct without errors. Some have reported completed d/ls and when they install the program, they got unexplained errors. Maybe worth a shot.

Randy - please list the missing subroutines from your running of Dependency Walker.  I would like to take a look at them.
 
Thanks, 
 
Bob Bone
 

robert_e_bone
Randy - please list the missing subroutines from your running of Dependency Walker.  I would like to take a look at them.
Thanks, 
Bob Bone

OK - Thank you very much, Bob.  After the DW report, there's something else very important about these problems:
 
Dependency Walker report - When having the program analyze "02_Sonar_X3_Studio.part1.exe"
 
These are listed in the bottom half of the program, and all have the message "Error opening file.  The system cannot find the file specified (2)."

API-MS-WIN-CORE-COM-L1-1-0.DLL
API-MS-WIN-CORE-WINRT-ERROR-L1-1-0.DLL
API-MS-WIN-CORE-WINRT-L1-1-0.DLL
API-MS-WIN-CORE-WINRT-ROBUFFER-L1-1-0.DLL
API-MS-WIN-CORE-WINRT-STRING-L1-1-0.DLL
API-MS-WIN-SHCORE-SCALING-L1-1-0.DLL
DCOMP.DLL
IESHIMS.DLL
PB3DLL.DLL
PBCORE.DLL

BUT these same missing files are listed (except for the last 2) when, as an experiment, I had DW analyze "Sonar 8.5 exe" in the "Sonar 8.5 Setup files" folder that has that exe and 4 bins.  I guess that means that if I decided to re-install Sonar 8.5 (which is still working fine) - it wouldn't work, because these things are now missing, but they weren't when I initially installed the program some years ago?

INTERESTING observation about the X3 installation files.  When hovering over the various parts:

pt. 1 it says "Sonar X2 part1" (instead of X3)
pt. 2 is fine
pt. 3 says "Sonar X3 part1"
pt. 4 is fine

Maybe that's all correct, and those mismatching descriptions are part of the files - Like when they put together the install package for X3, they just used the same part 1 as for X2.  Maybe pt.3 somehow managed to be mislabeled, but it was too late to change the error later?  I dunno - But that's how the parts are labeled.

ANOTHER NOTE:

I've been using Sonar 8.5.3 in 32 bit mode, and it works fine.  BUT the 64 bit version stopped working when I re-installed X1 in 2012.  I just shrugged, because I've just stayed stuck in 32 bit anyway, even though I have a 64 bit machine.

I uninstalled X1, but 8.5 64 bit still doesn't open.  I get the exact same Runtime Error about Visual C++ as when I tried to open the new X3 installation yesterday.
 
BAD COMBINATION OF UNINSTALLED WINDOWS UPDATES:
 
At the Garritan Forum, someone suggested, and I'm suspecting he's right, that all these problems are caused by a weird combination of Windows Updates.  Long story short - I went for a year with automatic updates turned off (bad advice from a computer tech).  Then, in the wake of my problem with the X3 demo, I started going through the HUGE list of Windows updates that had piled up.  But I wasn't sure what I was doing.  I was trying to install 5 a day until it was done - but I gave up in frustration and have just not wanted to think about it!
 
It's very likely that I installed some things out of order (they're not organized by date - pretty hard to see what to install when initially there were almost 100 listed!) - and some updates are probably half baked.
 
In case it's useful, here are 2 screenshots showing the updates still waiting:
 

 

 
I'm a verrrrrry bad computer owner.  Someone should put me on a Time Out.
 
Randy
 

I don't see  the 2 Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable and the X64 Redistributable  KB2565063 dated 7/14/2013. Now this is on windows 8.1 64 bit

I think your Windows install is in shambles.
 
Are there version numbers listed for the ones it cannot open?  The reason I ask is that these usually are released with updates periodically, so there may be one on your system - but is out of date.
 
These dll routines should live in your C:\Windows\System32 folder, and if you locate for instance API-MS-WIN-CORE-COM-|1-1-0.DLL in this folder, right-click on it and click Properties, then click on the Details tab, and you will see the version that is installed on your computer.
 
You can then go search for the latest version manually, but I recommend that instead you go through the process of install ALL outstanding Windows maintenance, and it should get all of the latest versions of all of the modules.
 
I looked up this particular routine API-MS-WIN-CORE-COM-|1-1-0.DLL, and Microsoft has it available through a particular downloadable update file, BUT it is also available through Windows Update, and I think Windows Update is the better way to go to get all of these routines straightened out.
 
I believe if you get all maintenance up to date, that things may well work a lot better for you.
 
I also recommend that if you do any installs over again, that you right-click on them and click Run As Administrator, to get a higher set of privileges than you get even if you are a user with Admin privileges.
 
In addition, I suggest you do any installs with your antivirus software temporarily suspended.
 
Bob Bone
 
 
 
 

For instance, that first file is available for download at:
 
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2731771/en-us
 
But it should have come in automatically with Windows Update, so I urge you to use Windows Update to get all outstanding maintenance applied.
 
Bob Bone
 
 

When I re-staged my laptop (i.e., "restored to factory settings from the restore partition"), Windows Update said I needed 186 updates.  I let it run all day and night doing updates.  When it was done I rescanned for updates and I needed 39 more.  After installing those and rescanning I needed only 3 more.  So it's obvious that some updates won't even show up until some previous updates are installed.
 
When mysterious system errors seem to happen suddenly and can't be fixed simply, it's also worthwhile to check for failed updates in Windows Update.
 

In addition to the updates I recommend running chkdsk on your OS drive, then go to the command prompt running as administrator and typing sfc /scannow to check your OS files are intact.

With windows update don't forget to check the optional updates.

And always backup first :)

Cheers..

UPDATE 4/10/14
 
Thank you, everyone who patiently posted help on this thread.

All Windows updates were installed,and I went online to Microsoft to get any C++ files that didn't seem to be in my list. After that, I installed X3 again.

This time - Success - X3 opened up, I had a look at the goodies. Swell.

Had to check my old Sonar 8.5.---no dice - same thing as before. It has the Runtime Error message preventing it open. Remember the first time I installed X3, neither it or 8.5 would open. So, this was an improvement, but not what I want. It just makes me too nervous to not have 8.5 still available on the machine - I have to get that going too.

The rest of the day, for hours and hours, I tried to remedy things with umpteen usages of Restore Point, done in Safe Mode - But every danged time I did that - my CPU meter on the desktop shot up to 100% and stayed there! The tower was wheezing away and totally freaking me out. At first I was just trying to get back to pre-X3 install but after the Windows updates - WHIRRRR!- 100% Then I tried to go farther back, a couple of days - still, when the restore was finished, CPU at 100% - I stubbornly tried over and over - The only thing that put an end to it all was to just go back to the most current state with X3 installed and 8.5 dead. That's the only point in time when CPU runs normally.

A computer expert friend has offered to take a look around when I have time via Windows Remote Assistance. Either with his help, or one way or the other, I'm sure at some point this crazy C++ Runtime problem will be licked, and I'll have what I want - both Sonar 8.5 and X3.
 
WHY AND HOW did X3 break something for 8.5?*  Now I know from experience that if I removed X3 from the computer, 8.5 would work again.  WHY?-- But at this point, since I can't use Restore (100% CPU problem), and uninstalling alone doesn't fix things,  I'm getting work done in X3, adapting my methods to how the program works.

Randy
 
* At another Forum, someone claims that Cakewalk is aware of how X3 breaks 8.5 - but that can't be right.  I know there are plenty of people who successfully have both versions on their machines - Some are on this thread.

Could you post the exact error message? Or a screenshot? There are a lot of different things that could constitute a 'runtime error', you see.