Microsoft Security Essentials and TS2010

So I was about to start downloading all my favourite locos and wagons off the DS, and my freshly installed TS2010 seems to have a problem with it.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm more than computer savvy (programming for 30+ years), so I'm not new to this nonsense.
But I'm hoping someone with a similar experience will be able to save me some "Trainz Time".

I've done the obvious by using the MSE settings page to exclude all the files in the installation folder.
This allowed the launcher to run, but when I either try to run the game or Content Manager from the launcher, I get one of two errors.

One error states that I need to enter a valid TS2010 key, and the other error is a standard Send/Not Send Windows crash error.

I don't really want to spend the next hour or two trying to track down the problem (I'd rather spend it building Newport to Cardiff), so I'm hoping this is a problem that's already been solved, and you can save me some time.

Any help much appreciated.
Smiley.

The first error may be permissions related - check that you've entered your details in the Trainz Options box.
The second one may be an OpenGL issue - run TrainzDiag in the <trainz installation folder>/bin folder. In addition to this, make sure your DirectX 9.0c files are up to date - use my DXInstallHelper tool if you want a simple way of dealing with that.

Shane

Yeah, all my DirectX and everything else is up-to-date.
I make sure of that, because I have to keep an up-to-date Dev environment.

I know it's Microsoft Security Essentials related because if I disable the real-time protection, then everything works as it should.
But if it's enabled, my CD-Key is asked for, and the entry that should already be there, isn't.
When I disable MSE again, the CD key that I originally entered a while back, is recognised again, so Trainz is obviously having trouble reading and writing to some areas, as well as to and from the registry when MSE is enabled.

I suppose I could disable it when I want to download content with Content Manager, as I do have other protection.
Surprised more people haven't had a problem with it.
And it's definitely only when real-time protection is on.

I was hoping that there was maybe another folder that needed excluding from protection.
I'm going to try and add each of the executables to the File Exclude as well.
I would have thought that they'd have been included in the Folder Exclude, but you never know.

Smiley.

I would suggest excluding the whole of the TS2010 folder in that case and see if it's got an option for subfolders.

Incidentally though, quite a few of the antivirus tests I've seen done have rated MSE as one of the lowest ratings.

Shane

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend MSE as the only protection on a PC, but it does have some merit, and serves well as an extra layer.
It's over-zealous protection can sometimes be a pain, like now, but it's also one of it's strengths IMO.
As long as you can get it's Excludes to work, that is.

And yes, the first thing I did before creating this thread was to exclude the TS10 folder and all it's sub-folders, which was why I was surprised it didn't work.

I think I've cracked it though.
I've added all relevant processes to the exclude list now, and the game starts up, as does content manager, so it should be fine now.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Hopefully this thread will help anyone else that uses MSE, as very little turned up in the forum search.

Smiley.