I use a Mac and in order to get some of those great Windows VSTs on my Receptor, I bought Virtual PC. That allows me to install Windows VSTs that have a Windows installer. If the VST was just a .dll, I could just use my Mac and drop it in place. Well, I noticed that some of the presets (whether they were .fxb, c5i or .glo didn't matter) wouldn't get transfered because of "invalid filenames". The transfer would stop at point. It would stop at "+" signs or "!" or "[" or with filenames with double dots. It's very annoying to have to rename presets when there's hundreds of them. So, I decided to leave those presets out of my install. Well, Windows has no such restriction. It will transfer the files without any issues at all! So, it must be the AppleTalk that's doing it. I can't remember this ever being an issue in the years I've owned a Mac. Is there some bug in the Linux version of AppleTalk? Or has there always been a filename restriction in AppleTalk?
Anyhow, Mac owners should be made aware of that bug.
The only thing I didn't try was to create a .fxb file on my Mac and try to save it to the Receptor drive and not locally. I'll try that, tonight and report back. Is that works then there's something wrong with transfering files and not just naming them, if you follow my reasoning.
Another file issue for Mac's is that there are hidden files that cannot be seen via AppleTalk but you can see them in Windows (if you have the "see hidden files" check box selected in your File Explorer). I had an issue once that I couldn't delete a directory with my Mac but fired up Windows and deleted it with no problems. It was because of that hidden file. There's a couple (or more?) of .xml files that get created when you install via the un-supported method. At least one is hidden from a Mac's Finder. It's none of my business what those files are for but it can cause problems if you have no way of getting rid of those hidden files and try to re-install a VST in that directory.
Dan, Rick, Ben or one of the other Musers can correct me if I'm wrong but this is what I've learned for installing un-supported VSTs.
1. Empty your mixer window and turn Z-load off.
2. Reset your Receptors cache with the "multi" button down and three clicks on the power button, hold the mutli button down until you see the "loading...." display.
3. If possible, use a Windows box to install the VST to it's default directories.
4. Start the VST in a Windows Host (there are several free ones) and verify that it works or HOW it works. Take note, if it has a fancy GUI, try to use it on your Receptor without it to conserve resources (Rick told me about that trick).
5. Make a folder in unsupported folder with a name that helps you organize them (i.e. Nebula M42).
6. Only install ONE VST AT A TIME!
7. Start Remote up and check the box for unsupported directories.
8. Click install.
9. Go to your Reports directory and view the system.log file for errors if it failed.
10. If it failed, you might want to contact Muse but be patient with them. You're using an "un-supported" method and there's thousands of VSTs out there! They can't be experts at all these things. Or post a message in here, asking for help. Be considerate when posting.
11. Don't go back and rename directories AFTER you've sucessfully installed a plug-in. Leave it alone and just go play some music with it.
Some of this is a repeat of what others have written. I thought I'd share my experiences with other Mac users. I have a feeling that I'm a minority. If you are a Mac/Receptor owner and need help, don't be afraid of PM'ing me. I'll try to help based on what I've learned but the official source is the guys at Muse. I'm in no way trying to trump what they say or advise. I'm ONLY posting what has worked for me.
Hope that helps.
Cheers.