Your playout VM is a full Windows Server machine, so it inherits a few Windows behaviours that don't always play nicely with 24/7 playout. Here's what to know.
Windows Update and your sound device
Windows Update occasionally resets or renames audio devices, especially after a cumulative update. If your playout software suddenly stops outputting sound after a reboot, the first thing to check is that it's still pointed at the correct output device in its own sound settings — Windows may have quietly switched the "default" device or added a duplicate entry. This is a known quirk across Myriad, PlayIt Live, and most other playout software — not something specific to your VM.
Time zone
Your VM is set to UK time (Europe/London) by default, which keeps scheduled logs and clocks correct. If your station broadcasts on a different clock, this can be changed in Windows Settings → Time & Language — but check your playout software's own scheduling first, as changing the OS time zone after a log has already been built can shift scheduled items by an hour.
Screen lock and sleep
We configure playout VMs not to sleep or lock automatically, since that would interrupt RDP reconnection and can affect some playout software's audio engine. If you notice your VM has started requiring a password to "wake" after being idle, or the screen has locked, let us know — it usually means a Windows Update reset the power plan, and we can correct it from the host side.
Windows activation watermark
All our Windows Server VMs are properly licensed. If you occasionally see an "Activate Windows" watermark in the corner of the desktop after a reboot, it's cosmetic and resolves itself within a few minutes as the VM re-validates against our licensing server — it doesn't affect playout and isn't something to worry about.
Antivirus and your music library
Windows Defender is enabled by default and can occasionally scan large audio libraries or flag playout software's own cache files, causing brief stutters. If you're seeing intermittent slowdowns, ask us to add an exclusion for your playout software's audio store/cache folder — we can do this from the host side without disabling protection entirely.
Something not covered here? Contact us and we'll take a look.
