So my studio computer is having some issues and can't get online anymore. Although I usually keep it offline, I plug a USB wifi adapter into it periodically to get updates from trusted sites from which I've bought DAW-related items. After extensive troubleshooting, it's looking more and more like I need to reinstall windows (10 Pro, 64-bit), and all of the 3rd-party software that I have along with it.
 
My big, giant, paralyzing fear about doing this is that I will lose many (if not all) synth patches and plugin settings in all my projects, especially for third-party software. I accept that I will have to reinstall and re-authorize my whole plugin collection piece by piece, but I'm worried about not being able to recover the settings and losing sounds forever. So for anyone that has had to do this before, please tell me:
 
HOW DO YOU SAVE AND RESTORE PLUGIN SETTINGS ACROSS A WINDOWS REINSTALL?
 
Thanks in advance

You can do it through plugin manager

Thanks gustabo
 
I've never seen this feature in there before (and I've dealt with the PIM a LOT). Where is it and what is it called? Does it work with 3rd party plugins or just Cake's? Do you know if there are any plugin format limitations?

I think I lost a bunch of Kontakt multi-rack stuff in multiple projects once, when I reloaded Windows, and I still have scar tissue.
 
Since then, anytime I tweak presets in any synth, I always save that new/altered preset to a sub-folder within my Cakewalk Project folder, or to a User-Preset type folder for whatever synth it is for (most have somewhere they use for saving and loading of user-defined presets).
 
I think one of those user-built Sonar utilities performs some sort of building of an inventory list of everything used in a project, but I do not know if it saves off preset info. 
 
In addition, I am not sure if any Sonar awareness of plugin settings would be maintained across a Windows reload, though I am hoping folks chime in with ways of your accomplishing the saving of such info prior to your reload.
 
Bob Bone
 
 

Rockscientist
Thanks gustabo
 
I've never seen this feature in there before (and I've dealt with the PIM a LOT). Where is it and what is it called? Does it work with 3rd party plugins or just Cake's? Do you know if there are any plugin format limitations?

Select a plugin, and if it has presets you can export, the Export button will become available.

Thanks again gustabo, I found it. Seems like a pain that you apparently have to do every single plugin one by one instead of just being able to export all under the name of the .vst files (AND, you have to save each plugin instance as a preset before you can even export). As it is, this will take me HOURS.
 
Bob - I was wondering that myself, about Pro Channel EQ settings mostly (which I do nearly all my EQing with). I suppose I could save each channel/bus as a preset, but again, giant PITA.
 
If anyone else has a better idea, please let me/us know!

I do as Bob said, save presets according to project and I also save ProChannel presets the same way.
Once bitten, twice shy!
 

i thought when I upgraded my OS from 32 to 64 bit that some of the songs/synths migrated their settings, and others did not... i named some tracks after the patch name which i thought would be easy to re-load,  but turns out with a synth with 20 different banks of 50 patches each, it was a stupid idea!  Now i do what was said above...  save the patch as a preset... and also make sure I bounce the midi to an audio file... have lots of old songs w midi and no clue about the original patch. 

Thanks everyone. After weeks of troubleshooting, I was able to get my studio computer to reconnect to the internet, so I won't have to go through the windows re-install process anyway, but this is all good info to have for next time I build a new DAW!

I'm using the Sonar Professional series,  trying to save a couple of my own presets for an equalizer or compressor so I don't need to re-enter the settings each time and can't seem to get it to stay.  I've tried "adding" to the device and using the "preset manager", but can't seem to get them to stay saved.  I'm trying to do this in the browser files for plugins, through Cakewalk, Sonitus:fx, then the EQ or Comp, Reverb plug-in.  Any ideas or tricks I can use?