VST scan problem - regular fixes don't work

After updating Win 7 including the optional updates and updating my video card and motherboard, I uninstalled X3 and reinstalled it. VST scan crashed on Vsampler, so I uninstalled Vsampler with the uninstall option of clearing the registry. I deleted it's speedsoft directory also and deleted Vsampler.dll from the Cakewalk VST folder. . Then the VST scan started crashing on RXP, which is a Cakewalk DXi pluggin.
 
I tried all sorts of variations in Preferences/VST settings of reset, with and without the checked boxes (scan failed pluggins, etc) It kept either stalling on scanning RXP or crashed. I also tried several variations of excluding RXP in the DXi part of pluggin manager. I'm now running X3 and installing it using the "run as administrator" option.
 
I tried reinstalling X3e, then uninstalled X3 in control panel and reinstalling X3a and unchecked RXP (this may have been a mistake), then installed  the patch for X3e, During all of these installs listed above I chose the option "run as administrator". After all of this, it's still crashing on scanning RXP. I'm at my wits end.
 
My previous install of X3 was problematic with VST scan but reset easily solved it and I had no issues at all with RXP. I really don't think it's properly resetting anyway, because I'm not getting these notices for things like "this pluggin is only for use in Sonar". When I did reset in the past I got these notices windows popping up that I would hit OK.
 
I do have X1 and 8.5 also installed, so RXP is likely not uninstalled by simply unchecking it during the X3 install. It seems 2 solutions I can think of is how do I uninstall RXP? Or how do I clear the VST scan registry info so it does clearly reset and start all over. I can't find any info about completely uninstalling X3 including deleting registry items and directories, so I can do a clean install. It seems that may work also.
 
Any other suggestions?

Anderton
Three questions:
 
Are you running 64- or 32-bit Sonar?
Do you have a 32-bit VST plugins folder, 64-bt VSTplugins folder, or both?
Does an RXP folder show up in your VSTplugins folder(s)? If so, which one(s)?
 
You mention that RXP is a DXi plug-in, but the RXP .DLL for my install of Sonar X3 is in the 64-bit VSTplugins folder. Perhaps Sonar X3 wants to see the 64-bit VST plug-in but instead sees the DXi plug-in and then crashes.
 
 
 
 

You may be on to something. Let me give you some background. When X1 first came out I got it and tried to use it with Win 7 and had some serious Echo driver problems with my Layla 24, so stopped using it and used 8.5 with XP until 4 months ago when I found I could use Win 7. So I reverted to this old image file that had 8.0 and 8.5 as 64 bit Sonar installed and 8.0, 8.5, and X1 installed as 32 bit. I haven't even tried the 64 bit programs in years.
 
IN my (x86) Program files RXP is not in any VST folders only a DXi folder. But in Program files for 64 bit Cakewalk I do see RXP in the VST folders just like you said. I looked closely in Pluggin Manager and perferences VST settings and it is only scanning (x86).
 
I'm not using any 64 bit Sonar programs quite yet, because I want to get the 32 bit working fine for X3 first. Unless I see a compelling need to change this plan. You may be correct when you suggest  Sonar X3 wants to see the 64-bit VST plug-in but instead sees the DXi plug-in and then crashes.
 
Now a few days ago before I uninstalled X3 and reinstalled, I didn't have this problem with RXP, but i did have a problem with Vsampler, which I had to uninstall and reinstall. In my dabbling today I did see Vsampler show up in the pluggin manager DXi folder, but it was an excluded pluggin. I went ahead and re-enabled it and then excluded it again to see if that would help and a window came up saying that Vsampler was not installed correctly and if I wanted to delete it from the registry - I answered yes.
 
So I wonder if this somehow corrupted my registry, since that's when the problem with RXP started.  This is why I wonder if the solution is to clean the VST scan info from the registry
 
 
 
I have a 32-bit VST plugins folder, no 64-bt VSTplugins folder
an RXP folder is not in my VSTplugins folder
 
You mention that RXP is a DXi plug-in, but the RXP .DLL for my install of Sonar X3 is in the 64-bit VSTplugins folder. Perhaps Sonar X3 wants to see the 64-bit VST plug-in but instead sees the DXi plug-in and then crashes.

mudgel
If you don't have Sonar installed as a 64bit program, then the 32bit version won't be looking for RXP 64 bit. Also Dxi's don't have. .dll files they have. . ax extensions

This is my RXP file - C:\Program Files (x86)\Cakewalk\Shared DXi\RXP\RXP.dll
 
As you can see it is a .dll. So is this a bug I need to report, that VST scan is thinking RXP DXi is a VST?
 
Do you have a method for a clean install of X3, which would have me first clean all of X3 from my computer including registry items and folders? OR do you have any more ideas on solving this?

Must admit I don't remember seeing a DX plugin with a dll extension but thanks for expanding my knowledge Craig.
You can create yourself a little reg server utility
For registering a DX plugin do the following.
Create a shortcut on your desktop
Right click, select properties and in the target line type "C:/Windows/System32/regsrv32"
Then just drag and drop any DX plugin that needs to be registered onto it.
Make another shortcut adding the /u switch to your command line for de-registering any DX plugins.

I tried what you suggested and it didn't solve the VST scan crash on RXP problem.
 
I booted the computer. Hit Start button. IN the bottom window where it says "search programs and files" I pasted this text in there and hit ok
regsvr32 "C:\Program Files (x86)\Cakewalk\Shared DXi\RXP\RXP.dll"
A window came up and said
D#Register server in regsvr32 "C:\Program Files (x86)\Cakewalk\Shared DXi\RXP\RXP.dll" succeeded
 
I opened X3 and since I have it set for manual scans, no startup scans happened. I hit preferences/VST settings and both boxes were checked (failed pluggins, etc) I hit reset then scan. It crashed on RXP
 
I registered a few more times, tired checking only failed pluggins and then no checks, closed and reopened X3, tried it once more, crashed on RXP
 
thanks for all the help,
 
After I did all the Windows updates I did make an image file, so for now I'll revert back to that and uninstall Vsampler first then uninstall and reinstall X3 using the run as administrator option and hope this RXP problem doesn't occur again. I'll post back after that.
 
Also if you want me to try something else I did make an image file of this RXP problem, so I can revert back to that for testing purposes

scook
The RXP which ships with X3 Studio and Producer is a VSTi installed in the Vstplugins directory. The DXi version must be from a prior release. Not sure why the VST scanner is even looking at the "Shared DXi" directory.
 
What are the paths defined in "VST scan paths"?
 

 there are 3 paths, all the standard default  (x86) including common files folder. I haven't added any paths. VST scan seems buggy to me and seems to be checking out more paths than it should.
 
It was initially crashing on Vsampler, which it did on my first X3 install. When pluggin manager offered to delete Vsampler from the registry that's when the problems showed up with RXP.  Although it may be that it just hadn't gotten to RXP before i crashed on Vsampler, I'm not sure about this part.

scook
Strange, only 2 paths are standard in an X3 64bit installation:
C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Vstplugins
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Vst3
 
I would expect the 32bit installation to only show:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Cakewalk\Vstplugins
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Vst3
 
 
Prior to X3 there was only one path by default in the VST Scan Path window. The VST3 path is new to X3.

 
there's one other directory under Cakewalk/shared something?/internal it has console emulator in there

gmp
 
there's one other directory under Cakewalk/shared something?/internal it has console emulator in there

AFAIK, the "C:\Program Files (x86)\Cakewalk\Shared Utilties\Internal" path is only exposed in the VST Scan Path box via the Cakewalk Plugin Manager. Cakewalk staff have advised to use the Preferences > File > VST Settings dialog for scanning plug-ins insted of the Cakewalk Plugin Manager.

After reading both this and other thread http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3026687 I see no mention of the recommended reset/rescan http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/kb/reader.aspx/2007013315 when upgrading to X3. Be aware, just like the VST scanner, there is only one version of the VST inventory used by all versions of SONAR on the machine. The reset removes all VST entries in the registry before the rescan rebuilds the list.

scook
After reading both this and other thread http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3026687 I see no mention of the recommended reset/rescan http://www.cakewalk.com/Support/kb/reader.aspx/2007013315 when upgrading to X3. Be aware, just like the VST scanner, there is only one version of the VST inventory used by all versions of SONAR on the machine. The reset removes all VST entries in the registry before the rescan rebuilds the list.

 Actually both threads mention this. I tried that multiple times, in this thread and once in the earlier thread - in fact that's what solved the problem in the earlier thread.
 
Yes I know there is only one version of the VST inventory used by all versions of SONAR on the machine. Maybe the reset is supposed to remove all VST entries in the registry before the rescan rebuilds the list, but I think in my case it's not happening correctly. I wish I knew why.

Oh yeah, the installer only knows what it has built and whatever gets done manually to a hard drive will never automatically be reflected in the registry.
 
One thing I find strange about those entries, they look like 64bit version of SONAR entries. Notice the "Cakewalk VST X64" in one of them and "BitBridge" in two of them. These are not part of a 32bit installation. I though this was a 32bit X3 install.

Is there a possibility that all these mixed versions have driven the registry insane?

I don't know what to say at this point. That's a lot of updates to happen all at once...even under the best of circumstances Windows strikes me as a bit of a house of cards. At this point it's probably Cakewalk tech support time if scook doesn't have a solution.

 
Unfortunately the clean install deleting registry keys didn't help at all. VST scan crashes on Vsampler and under preferences VST settings the check boxes for scan failed pluggins and scan existing pluggins are greyed out. Even though Vsampler has been uninstalled. It apparently is only looking in the registry and not what's actually on the C drive. Vsampler also shows up in pluggin manager as an excluded pluggin.
 
Here are the registry keys below I'd think would get rid of the problem. Note also that even though I manually deleted Vsampler.dll from cakewalk/vstplugins, it still shows up in the registry.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\ExcludedPlugIns

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR Producer\Cakewalk VST X64\Inventory\c:/program files (x86)/cakewalk/vstplugins/VSampler3.dll

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\FX-MAX\BitBridge\VoLEffect\c:\program files (x86)\cakewalk\vstplugins\VSampler3.dll

HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-3235901495-1408207914-819435497-1004\Software\FX-MAX\BitBridge\VoLEffect\c:\program files (x86)\cakewalk\vstplugins\VSampler3.dll
 
It seems to me that I need some guidance on what keys are safe to delete in the registry or how I can uninstall VST scan and then reinstall it. I really don't think reset is working correctly. IN the past I noticed several popup boxes that came up during the reset procedure, none of those happen now.

DeeringAmps
Gerry,
I'm thinking you have to get back to an image made BEFORE your Windows update AND the original install of X3.
In reviewing your "Event Viewer" data the VSTscan.exe is v5.0.6.352.
v5.0.3.0 is what I have for X2. My guess is that the uninstall of X3 left the newer version of vstscan in place.
I've rolled my office system back to when it was working properly with X2.
My "problem" projects seem to be only ones that were started on the office machine and moved out to the studio.
AND started AFTER the most recent rounds of Windows Updates.
I know this heresy flies in the face of "keep your system up to date" but I've been "leary" of MS updates for ages.
Goes back to XP, maybe Win98se.
I'm kind of an "If it ain't broke" guy.
HTH; with the caveat that I am no expert.
T

Yes Tom, I've definitely thought about going back to the pre X3 image, which is the pre Win update image. What I'd try to do is uninstall Vsampler first, do the Win updates, then install X3 and hope Vsampler reacts ok with the reset and rescan. During my very first X3 install, Vsampler was installed, VST scan crashed on Vsampler, I uninstalled it and hit reset rescan and all was well.
 
After getting no response to my 3rd post in this saga:
VST scan not resetting - Can it be manually reset?
I went ahead and emailed tech support. It seems to me that all this can be fixed with clearing the VST scan registry data and any other VST scan data in files to effectively uninstall and reinstall it.
 
In the mean time I went back to the image file I did right after resolving the VST scan problem which has the Win updates. I had 2 crashes during the first day with this image, but it's possible those 2 crashes were the result of Win Media Player being 64 bit and X3 being 32 bit and my sound card getting confused.
 
Bob Bone gave me the very helpful suggestion of using Win Media Player and Control Panel / sounds to my on board sound driver, which has worked great and for the last 2 days I've not had a crash, so far. THis latest saga of me uninstalling and reinstalling X3 was because I was leary of those 2 crashes I had were because my initial installation of X3 was unstable without those updates.
 
I've been leary of Win Updates also and never use auto updates, I only do them whenever I think I need them. I noticed Cakewalk recommends doing all the updates including the optional ones. that makes better sense to me, because I've always wondered about whether to do the optional ones.
 
I guess if everyone is doing that then the programmers can be better prepared for problems with the updates and make changes. So I think I'm going to be more on top of the updates, but keep doing image files before I do any. I'm also an "If it ain't broke" guy.