Thanks for all of the detail. As a suggestion, edit your forum profile, and add your system specs to your signature, and then for the rest of time anybody can see at a glance what kind of computer specs you have.
"Finally I was still moving around some files and somehow I lost all my X2 settings. Now every time I open X2 it does a long vst scan (like 5 minutes long) then doesn't show any project templates except "normal" , "-- blank project -- ", and "-- Play list Set --" on the new project dialog screen. Selecting "normal" takes me to a really minimal screen missing all the usual stuff. It's basically just the main track window with no tracks (a la cakewalk version 6.0). I can still get to everything (it's all there if I open the windows), but if I save a project it can't find it after I open again. "
Please forgive me, I am still a bit confused, and I want to make sure I completely understand each of the above issues.
1. Are you still having the VST scan issue? My X2 is set to scan for new plugins on start up, but this only takes a few seconds. Make sure in Preferences>Midi>VST Settings that just that first check box is checked ('Scan for VST Plugins On Start up'). This will skip ones that it finds that have already been scanned, if everything ELSE is set up correctly.
The next place to look is in Utilities>Cakewalk Plugin Manager. When that happens, you see a list of types of plugins on the left. Click on VST Instruments (VSTi), and you should see the list in the pane to the right of that showing the synths that it found on its last scan. Missing ones are either in a folder not included in the path list, or were excluded due to some other reason - compatibility or whatever. You can also check your VST Audio Effects by clicking on the effects in that pane on the left and you should see those as well appear in the pane to the right.
If you see Effects and Instruments showing up in the pane on the right, but X2 is STILL scanning every time on start up, then you need to see what you have checked for VST Scan Options. To look at these, from the Cakewalk Plugin Manager, look at the bottom under VST Configuration, and click on Options. Make sure you do NOT have either of the two check boxes checked (re-scan failed and re-scan existing), as these tell Sonar you want to re-scan every time you start up.
OK, so check the above for this issue, and next time X2 starts note the behavior and please post back with specific results on whether or not X2 is still doing the long scan on start up. The above will hopefully take care of this issue.
2. You report having an issue with missing Project Templates. OK, so you did a re-install and still have this issue. In an earlier post in this thread you indicate that you have your re-install destination settings as follows:
Destination location:
C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\SONAR X2 Producer
C:\Program Files\VstPlugins (VSTi)
C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\ (Shared Components)
E:\Cakewalk Content\Perfect Space\ (Perfect Space Content)
E:\Cakewalk Content\RXP\ (RXP Content)
E:\Cakewalk Content\Session Drummer 3\ (Session Drummer 3 Content)
E:\Cakewalk Content\ (Application Content)
You have your Cakewalk Content folder set to go to your 'E' drive, which you also indicated is your audio application data drive, and yet you also posted that you changed all the folders and such to point to the 'F' drive, which you indicate is for your sample data.
Please try this - in Preferences>File>Folder Locations, I would like you to use the 'browse for folder' button for finding and selecting each of the component folder locations. The button is to the right of the path, and appears for each path location. X2 uses Windows file open dialog boxes (a Windows standard api) to open/select things like Projects and Templates and such. Unless all of Windows is broken, unlikely, then there is most likely an incorrect folder path specified. By using the 'Browse' button to navigate and select each of these component folders, you will eliminate path errors, as you will be selecting actual paths as seen by Windows, and not paths simply typed in - which could be wrong.
The Browse button has the little horizontal dots on it - so use that to replace whatever you have specified for EACH of the component folder paths with an actual folder as found by you navigating to wherever each folder actually lives on your computer, and this should eliminate any issues with broken paths. Please note that doing this does NOT address things missing from individual folders, it only addresses making sure that the folder paths are in fact real.
Now, AFTER doing the above, I would like you to verify that the actual CONTENTS of the Project Templates folder are really there. You indicate in your posts that you only have Blank, Normal, and Play List Set. Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the exact same Project Templates folder that you have specified in Edit>Preferences>Files>Folder Locations for Project Templates, and open up that folder and look at the directory list of contents. Please then post back with an indication as to there being more than those 3 Project Templates present or not. There SHOULD be things like 16-Track Audio, Electronic, Surround (several flavors of that) and some others. I would like a SPECIFIC indication as to whether or not more than the 3 you posted about are in that folder.
Please additionally note that the Normal project template does NOT have any tracks present in it, and in fact does not have much in it at all. Your post indicated that you were expecting more, but by default there is just not much there. You also indicated that when you open things everything is there (was a little confusing how you phrased it), so I am thinking that what you see is what is by design for that template. I created an alternate Normal template with things set up the way I want for a default, and then overwrote the original Normal project template with my alternative settings and such. Alternatively, you could create such a layout, but then save it under a new project template name, like Normal - Split Console, or whatever you wanted to call it. This would preserve the original Normal project template, if you felt a need to do so.
3. If I save a project I can't find it on open. I would like a bit more of an explanation of this issue. If what I think you are trying to say is that you are clicking on the quick list of projects that appears when you start X2, then what may be happening is that what is in that list is pointing to a project of the same name that was saved in some other location where that location is no longer valid. This would happen if you moved a project folder outside of X2. I would like you to use File>Open and then you should see all the projects present in the Cakewalk Projects folder that is specified in Edit>Preferences>File>Folder Locations for the Projects Files path. All of your projects should be in this folder, and I want you to post back on whether or not your 'missing' projects are actually in this folder, and ALSO whether or not you can successfully open them using this technique. If they open properly here, then what is stored in the quick list at start up would appear to be pointing to an invalid location.
SOOOOOOOOOO, please review all of the above - sorry for the length, I am just trying to mail this all down for you and want to be specific so that I completely understand the issues you report, and that you understand how to correct them, if in fact my understandings are correct. If I have missed the mark on any of the above, please also post back to correct my understanding of any of the issues, so that I can better help you.
Thanks,
Bob Bone