Implications of Renaming Already-Installed VST / DXi plug-ins ?

Hi,
 
Hoping you guys can help me understand this better....
 
If I were to rename my DXi plugs, is it likely to cause any havok with Sonar?   I use a VST to DXi adapter and can therefore use that adapter to rename the resulting DXi that is exposed to host applications like Sonar.  I'd like to remove any developer/mfr name from the front end of the name so the plugs reflect better in the Sonar FX bins as the number of characters are limited.   For example - let's use Variety of Sound's FerricTDS:  Rather than see "Variety of ..."  in the FX bin I would prefer instead to see "FerricTDS"   Because, not only is it easier to distinguish, but when having the mfr name first and also having more than one Variety of Sound plugin installed they can no longer be distinguished by glancing at the FX bin.  You get the idea.
 
Anyway, to recap, just wondering if it is generally considered safe to rename plugs after the fact. Any impacts to previous projects, Sonar in general, etc?  Possible Windows implications? 
 
Sonic

Thanks Mark.  However, looks like I need to further clarify:  We are not talking about renaming the DLL.  Just the NAME OF THE DXi that is portrayed to the host.  This is possible with the VST to DXi adapter I'm using (DirectiXer) which allows for editing the name of the DXi that is portrayed to the host.  I think the Cakewalk Plugin Manager even allows for this kind of thing to some extent.  Anyway, the underlying VST file name (DLL) is not changed.  I've performed DXi naming alterations within DirectiXer few times before just to get Sonar to group plugins together and noticed no side effects.  But before doing anything on a much larger scale I wanted to first better understand what the dependencies might be within Sonar and anything else.
 
Sonic
 
 

msmcleod
I've not tried this myself, but I think this will be fine.
 
Once DirectiXer is in play, Sonar/CbB will only see the DXi and won't be aware it's actually a VST under the hood.
 

Correct, but Sonar will still see the change of name/description of the plugin, as then reflected in the Sonar FX bins.   If bindings are done by connecting file names with COM/CLSID's then I agree that aspect won't likely be a problem.  But, it still leaves the question of any other side effects in Sonar or the registry.

If I have Sonar set to scan for plugs at startup, maybe that is why it always seems to pick up name changes?  And I wonder if the names displayed in the FX bins are stored within a project or always populated upon being loaded?

I just want to avoid a situation that leaves a bunch of chaos inside the registry or Sonar.  Even if renaming "appears" to work Ok, that doesn't mean it might not leave internal chaos that could cause other/future issues.   So the thinking is, before I do anything large scale it would be good to try and understand the implications better.
 
Sonic