My goal is to keep Splat running on my Windows 10 computer as long as possible, without any need to re-authorize in the event of a Windows update causing Splat to think I'm on a new computer.  To that end, I recently learned how to disable Windows updates in the Services list.  I'm pretty good at regularly backing up files, projects, installers, etc, but I've never created a disk image, set a restore point, set something up that I could "roll back" to, or anything like that.  If somehow my computer did perform an update, and that update did cause Sonar to need to re-authorize, and the Cakewalk servers were toast at that point (lot of ifs there I know), is a disk image/restore point something I could save on an external hard drive and then roll my version of Windows back to one that Sonar recognized, negating the need to re-authorize?  I hope that question made sense.  Just trying to keep all my bases covered here.  Thanks in advance for any info, I appreciate it!

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.

What if your hard drive fails and you install a new hard drive.  Will the image from the prior hard drive work without new authorizations required?
 
Hard drives do not last forever.

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

deswind
What if your hard drive fails and you install a new hard drive.  Will the image from the prior hard drive work without new authorizations required?
 
Hard drives do not last forever.

Yes, as long as it's on the same computer. It will be as if nothing even happened. I've done it many times.

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?" 

well I think ive said before, surely sonar is worth something? Selling it for $50 would be better than killing it and burying it...surely.....as some other kids said, maybe they will sell the software code? 

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..

i just bought a black friday cheap new computer, $300 AUD, and installed sonar on it, ive disabled windows updates, and ill put that away in a corner until my main computer dies, again ive disabled updates......it just seemed like the best easiest/cheapest option.......i had spent a lot of money on my sonar setup, so jumping over to a new daw i would have needed to spend all that money again, plus re-learn, transfer files etc......  

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.