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Overview:

In order to improve compatibility with Windows Vista and later, beginning with SONAR 6.2, we have made core changes to the way we install our applications’ data files and registry entries. These changes will also affect installations on Windows XP.
Under Windows XP, you currently have to be logged in as an Administrator in order to install and use SONAR, but in order to implement support for Vista User Account Control, we modified this approach.
In simple terms, the permission structure in Windows Vista is such that you are never logged in as ‘the’ Administrator.  This causes problems while running in Vista since access to the registry and Program files folder is more strictly enforced.
To understand how the SONAR 6.2 update affects the SONAR 6.0 and 6.0.1 installation, please refer to the SONAR 6.2 Update section at the end of this document.

What is User Account Control?
User Account Control is the term for the feature in Windows that limits access to various resources on your system based on the user account privileges.

Note: although User Account Control is specific to Vista and later, these changes apply to both Windows Vista/7/8/10 and Windows XP.  The benefit in Windows XP is that a user can launch SONAR with a Limited User account.

User Account Control and the SONAR Installer
To install SONAR on Windows XP Professional and Home Edition or Windows Vista, you must be a user with administrative privileges. 
Once you have installed SONAR, you may then log in as a Standard or Limited User and use the application without administrative privileges. You may also choose to log in as the same user that initially installed the application if you prefer.

What Has Changed?

Registry Changes
Various application registry data fields that were previously written to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE have been moved to per user locations under HKEY_CURRENT_USER. The only data that is in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE is now installer-specific information such as folder paths for various tools, etc.

VST Registry Configuration

The VST configuration data is now written to the per-user (per application) section of the registry. The new VST configuration location is HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cakewalk Music Software\SONAR Producer\Cakewalk VST. What this means is that each Cakewalk application and each user will be able to manage their own private list of VST plug-ins without affecting other users/applications on that same system. This is another very useful feature if multiple users are using the same computer.

SONAR installation application data file locations

When you first install SONAR, all application data files and .INI files that were previously stored under the application folder (Program Files), are now installed to the system-specified “all users” application data folders, e.g. all data files will be installed into the following directories:

Windows XP

C:\Documents and Settings
- All Users
                        - Application Data
                                    - Cakewalk
                                                - ACT Data
                                                - Shared Presets
                                                - SONAR 6 Producer Edition
                                                            - Drum Maps
                                                            - menuxml
                                                            - Metronome
                                                            - Pattern Brush Patterns
                                                            - Plug-in Menu Layouts
                                                            - Track Icons
                                                            - Track Templates
                                                            - WMV Profiles
                                                - SONAR Sample Content
                                                - SONAR Tutorials

C:\Program Files\Cakewalk
            - Shared DXi
            - Shared MIDI Plugins
            - Shared Plugins
            - Shared Surfaces
            - Shared Utilities
            - SONAR 6 Producer or Studio Edition
            - Vstplugins
 

When you first install SONAR under Windows Vista, all data files will be installed into the following directories:

Windows Vista

C:\ProgramData
- Cakewalk
                        - ACT Data
                        - Shared Presets
                        - SONAR 6 Producer Edition
                                    - Drum Maps
                                    - menuxml
                                    - Metronome
                                    - Pattern Brush Patterns
                                    - Plug-in Menu Layouts
                                    - Track Icons
                                    - Track Templates
                                    - WMV Profiles
                        - SONAR Sample Content
                        - SONAR Tutorials

C:\Program Files\Cakewalk
            - Shared DXi
            - Shared MIDI Plugins
           - Shared Plugins
            - Shared Surfaces
            - Shared Utilities
            - SONAR 6 Producer or Studio Edition
            - Vstplugins

Launching SONAR the first time

When you launch SONAR the first time, you will see a dialog showing files being copied from the global application data folder (All Users) to the user application data folder (User Account), before the program launches. This is normal and will only happen the first time you run SONAR from an existing or new user account.

Windows XP

When you launch SONAR the first time, using the account you’re currently logged in with, data files from the All Users account will be copied into the following directories:

C:\Documents and Settings
            - <username>
                        - Application Data
                                    - Cakewalk
                                                - ACT Data
                                                - Shared Presets
                                                - SONAR 6 Producer Edition
                                                            - Drum Maps
                                                            - menuxml
                                                            - Metronome
                                                            - Pattern Brush Patterns
                                                            - Plug-in Menu Layouts
                                                            - Track Icons
                                                            - Track Templates
                                                            - WMV Profiles

C:\Program Files\Cakewalk contain the Shared Folders and application files and remain common to any user.
C:\My Documents\Cakewalk\SONAR
            -Sample Content
            - Tutorials

Windows Vista

When you launch SONAR the first time, using the account you’re currently logged in with, data files from the ProgramData account will be copied into the following directories:

C:\Users
            - <username>
                        - AppData
                                    -Roaming
                                                - Cakewalk
                                                            - ACT Data
                                                            - Shared Presets
                                                            - SONAR 6 Producer Edition
                                                                        - Drum Maps
                                                                        - menuxml
                                                                        - Metronome
                                                                        - Pattern Brush Patterns
                                                                        - Plug-in Menu Layouts
                                                                        - Track Icons
                                                                        - Track Templates
                                                                        - WMV Profiles

C:\Program Files\Cakewalk contain the Shared Folders and application files and remain common to any user.
C:\My Documents\Cakewalk\SONAR
            -Sample Content
            - Tutorials

SONAR 6.2 Update

When upgrading from SONAR 6.0 or 6.0.1 to SONAR 6.2, your application files will be moved to C:\Documents and Setting\All Users (XP) or C:\ProgramData (Vista) application data folders. At first launch of SONAR 6.2, files will copied to the user application data folder as outlined above.