Security , Windows Vista issues, Low mode, UAC Virtualization.

Note: The following information only applies to Windows Vista and later. Windows XP does not have the "Low mode" or "UAC Virtualization"

Turbo Play is Vista/Windows 7 security aware and can exploit security options to ensure the security of your data. Turbo Play runs as a normal user which allows it (and its VST plugins which may be suspicious) only to manipulate your files. System-wide data cannot be touched. Most of the VST plugins you will load will run fine with this default option.

However, some VST plugins might not work or some might want write access to C:\Program Files (yes I know- totally bad design but that's life), or some might want write access to C:\Windows\System32. Some of the plugins might be very dangerous or evil or stupid and might start corrupting Turbo Play or other VSTs.

Your security options are these:

• Load a VST in external host. You can do this with the Ctrl+L dialog (for more, see VSTs) and you can load the VST in a different address space. That way, you ensure that the VST will never be able to touch Turbo Play or any other VST. The worst that the VST can do is to destroy itself.
  

• Load the VST in external host in LOW mode. Or alternatively, start Turbo Play itself in low mode. This denies write access to all the files in the system except in a specific directory and if you suspect that a VST is really evil, you should start it in that mode. It won't be able to touch anything, including your own files. But do note that many VSTs will not work if loaded in that way.
  This mode is primarily available for Internet Explorer (so any malicious code in pages cannot harm your system) but it can be used by any application.
  
  
  
  
• Enable UAC Virtualization. The VST might want to write to C:\program Files and UAC virtualization is a feature available in Windows to trick an application to believe it actually writes to c:\program files (or c:\windows or any other special folder) while in really the actual destination folder is different. For those plugins that can't be loaded in normal mode, usually enabling this will allow them to run fine.
  
  
  
  
• Run Turbo Play as Administrator. This is the worst you can do if the plugin does not want to load. Loading TP as an administrator exposes your entire system to faulty/malicious plugins.
  
  

In Windows XP, the default user account is administrator and if you haven't changed it, TP will run as administrator. However if you do not run as administrator, the plugin might not be able to work because UAC virtualization is not available in Windows XP.