Amongst the increasingly frustrating aspects of using Sonar, I now have started to get a "sonar has stopped woirking" message and a greyed out screen on exiting the program.
 
Then windows invites me to try and find a solution - which it never does of course.
 
Clearly this shouldn't be happening. Anyone else experiencing this problem?
 
Sonar is now casuing me soooo much grief, after 12 years of patience, I'm tempted to try another DAW software!!

I do not see the issue when I close Sonar. 
 
I see from your signature that you are running X3 and Windows 7 is that still the case? 
 
 
 

The only times I've had this is when there is a particular plug-in that unloads "incorrectly": even closing a project with the bad plug-in present could cause this.  Is there a common plug-in used in all your projects?

I reported that same problem. It has bern ongoing for welll over a year. Put in a CB report, never heard back and don't expect to either. Ticks me off that someone from Cakewalk showed a method of displaying the mini dump files. I know where they are, i have dozens of them. If only i could read them!
Anyway, it seems like Amplitube 4, both VST 2 and 3, may be the culprit, but I use Amplitube on most projects so who knows?
If you stomp your feet and whine on the forums better than me sometimes Cakewalk will step in and try to help.

You say that you now have started to get error messages that states "Sonar has stopped working" and you suspect Sonar to be the culprit. But considering that Sonar X3 hasn’t been updated since March 18, 2014, don’t you agree that it seems very likely the cause of your problems is somewhere else to be found?

We have since over 10 years a lot of client laptops recording tapes and vinyl with SONAR.
Very stable.
This behaviour and Crashing on Exit was "always" a problem with the audio interface. audio-interface-drivers, cable, USB connection, USB drivers - somewhere is the mistake. 
Win 7 SP1 - ist this right? I would minimum recommend to update to SP2.
After our experience, Windows 10 x64 and SPLAT is rock solid and faster as Windows 7 and the old SONAR X3.
 
 
 

I have that happen once in a while, and it's always because I've tried to close Sonar while it's still processing something.

Well, i am on SPLAT and it is happening. I hsve waited upwards of 2 or 3 minutes and still had it crash upon exit. Tried closing the project befire exiting, it crashes upon closing. Of course this is an intermittent problem. I assume it is a particular vst, or maybe too many VI's... Who knows?
If i could read the mini dump file.
After so many attempts over the years, I'll just switch DAWs when i finally become frustrsted enough.

interesting...my system does the opposite, and if I get it to load up, it looses the driver for my audio, or it clicks pops Just makes the most ugly sounding hissssses on the attempts to play back audio...I thought no tweaking or reg-edits were needed,or services disabled, or turn this off or on,..check this, by pass that, twist in this circle of updates continually, and get the mouse fixed by removing it when needed.....by those saying so...It works with MS windows?
 
So perhaps when someone solves this one for you?...or you solve it yourself?, and put solved into the header...,..{please}
 
I might get to read, and, use the productivity of the mind melded processes, and the logics there in,if any?... to get a working audio studio with overly injected here for PC parts and windows OSes, by doing something backwards to your solution?..or the same?... and all those wonderful bells and whistles (?) Might be played with one day, without incident of point the finger at...3rd and 4th partnered parties...Could take a lifetime though?...That is where my buddy come into play....lol...He said trust in me...(test the other side)...So, I could not resist the other ones claims to getting things done either...Thanks be to him, we try all solutions....And paying to make it work, or we have to find the magic check box on or off or oddly neither, was not on the box when I bought this...nor in any manual typed for me to read out of that box.
 
 
Try after every session to save , save and save in all the wonderful file types Sonar provides for you to do before exit.
 
And if it is not enough the how to setup to PC with all the tweaks necessary, and install Processes, and such in the manual...they say contact them, or use the forums...when registered via....World wide AI.
Oddly this is to sell internet connections, so you end up here...lol...And fuel the Matrix..and the hunt for red October begins...The name of the AI is Nimrod...and his fellow in bed is Nero...tied to Caesar no doubt, and a bunch of bullies and natzi's...Until they found out what it was all tied to...profiling?...and they live with the Jinn and tonic....noted said dead heads put into a metal box round their heads to keep em bound down to folly...but are still in the cash cow business....Oh Murphy, Murphy, murphy Solomon brothers fell down.trying to keep it in play too long knowing? ....So he came to say...try the other side of zero hint=(Apple) or Reason it out, or Studio one 3, or Steinberg Qbase to debase the problem?... is making things that do the same thing you want to try and get done....If so you go to the last resort....Just use a pen and paper to solve for the cash cow...cheque it out, or use the debit card.
 
Well that is my offering here....Good luck.
 
Linux eh?...well they got some good things in free software to try if you want to explore...get another boot drive.
 
 
Cheers.
 
Sir Les
 

Along with all the other helpful questions and comments already posted, I'll ask if you are running Melodyne in the projects that cause Sonar to crash on exit.   That happened to me for awhile when Melodyne Studio was used as a clip insert, and the track wasn't frozen or bounced down.

Any of these suggestions in this thread helpful to you?