Starting with the introduction of Windows Vista and subsequent operating system releases, Microsoft added a significant amount of additional security to these operating systems.
Generally referred to as UAC (User Account Control), the sum of these changes dramatically affect named users who might be categorized as "standard" or "general" users. Areas that previously had been quite open, allowing these users to modify, create and delete items like files and registry entries are now protected as default. Users with standard rights and privileges on these systems are now as a default prevented from making changes in such areas as the Program Files folder, the Windows folder and in the Windows registry area known as HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
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XStudio Voice Tracker does not use the Windows registry during normal operations. The only information stored in the registry is created when installing XStudio Voice Tracker and is used if you later decide to remove the software from the system. |
In addition, Microsoft published numerous guidelines and usage information regarding these changes. Some of the guidelines would cause applications who require the end-user to be able to modify preference settings, etc., to place files in several locations on the PC. While these changes do enhance the overall security of the operating system, having files and information for a specific application spread all over the system in places not intuitive or easy to find creates a significant support burden for IT managers and the application vendor.
Over the years, we have chosen to try to keep all of our application's files, including those that store preferences, files containing run-time information like exception logging and activity detail, and small database files, in one location for ease in troubleshooting and housekeeping.
For these reasons, our applications are generally placed in a folder other than the Microsoft-recommended Program Files folder. As a default, these other folders historically have been "wide open" in the sense that any user could read, write and modify files.
However, depending on how tightly-secured a system is when running Vista or a later operating system, issues may arise that relate to user rights. The following points may assist you in locating problems with XStudio Voice Tracker when running one of these operating systems and the user reporting issues does not have administrative privileges.
1.Make sure that user having trouble with XStudio Voice Tracker has read, write, modify and delete privileges in the folder in which XStudio Voice Tracker is installed. These privileges might be assigned to an individual user but more commonly are assigned to a user group of which the user is a member.
2.If you are placing files in a location other than the XStudio Voice Tracker folder, file locations that are set up in the Preferences area, ensure that the named user has read, write, modify and delete privileges in that folder location.
3.One way that some issues can be overcome is to modify any XStudio Voice Tracker shortcuts to cause the application to be run under administrator privileges. [Right-Click] on the shortcut and select the menu item "Run as Administrator". A negative of this approach is that the end-user will more than likely have to enter an administrative password, which defeats the concept of administrative security as you'd have to provide the user with the password.
Another approach some people use is to disable UAC. While this action more or less returns user accounts to the sort of status they had in previous versions of Windows, this too defeats the idea of enhanced operating system security.
4.If an application uses the registry, particularly the portion known as HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, you may have to extend rights to specific keys that the application modifies or creates during normal usage. In order to add permissions to the registry, you will need to use regedt32.exe, the extended registry editor.
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In order to extend additional privileges to a user or user group, either in the file system or registry, you need be be logged on to the operating system as an administrator. |
apt-X™ Issues
The apt-X encoder/decoder uses a software protection scheme that can be tricky to get working under Vista and later operating systems. A hidden file is created by the software, generally placed in either the Windows directory or the root folder of the boot-up drive. Additionally, registry entries are created and maintained in several places in the Windows registry, many of which are normally restricted in in later operating systems.
When setting up XStudio Voice Tracker, the apt-X installation, registration, etc., is done by a user with administrative privileges, so no problems occur initially. However, as soon as a user with "normal" privileges tries to use apt-X, errors occur because the underlying apt-X security system is trying to make changes in these prohibited areas.
Audio Engine Issues
Unlike the main XStudio Voice Tracker application, the audio engine service does use the Windows registry to store and retrieve settings. Thus, it is important that the audio engine service's log-on user account have read/write privileges in specific parts of the registry. See the topic on the audio engine registry for information on specific locations and keys.
