More > JRiver Media Center 21 for Windows
Tags: Lost tags when moved media
dreandre:
The Setup:
I use a PC computer with multiple drives/drive letters to manage my media files. Recently I've had to expand my capacity which means adding more drives and moving files around. When I moved my media files (mostly Video), they all lost all of the custom tagging that I had done over the years (this is my year for loosing data apparently).
What I think I understand so far, from the research that I have done, is that tags can be stored in the file itself, or in the library used to manage, organize and display the file. It seems that files are typically copied to you computer in "Read-Only" status. Concerning the file, you would want to make sure that you (your windows login profile) has full write privileges to the file, and that the file is not marked as read-only. In addition, you want to make sure the settings are set properly in your library program (in my case, JRiver) to tag the files properly. It seems that once you have organized and tagged your files in JRiver, you then want to use the command "Update Tags (From Library)" to ensure that the tags make it to the actual file and not just the library.
In JRiver, there also seems to be an alternative called a sidecar XLM file that will house your tag information in the event that the tag information is not contained in the file itself.
The Questions:
1. Is my basic understanding correct so far? Am I missing something crucial?
2. Since I have to retag everything, how can I do this so that my files remain tagged properly if I need to move the files or change the drive letter or path?
3. How do you properly use "Update Tags (From Library)? Right now I keep getting the error, "# files updated (# failures)" where the # is always the total count of files.
4. Is there an advantage to use a 2nd program (I have mp3tag)? How do they work together if I have to go that route?
Thanks for your answers to one or all of these questions. Maybe refer to them by number so that I can follow you better when you answer! Thanks!!!
Andre!!
dreandre:
There's one more thing I can add related to question 3.... while playing around a bit and using the panes set up with Pane Tagging enabled, I decided to try to "Update tags (From Library)" for each video file type. The results were:
3gp = Got error
avi = Got error
flv = Got error
mp4 = Got error
mpg = Got error
wmv = All files updated
Any insight??
blgentry:
--- Quote from: dreandre on November 17, 2015, 06:11:46 pm ---It seems that files are typically copied to you computer in "Read-Only" status.
--- End quote ---
I don't know why that would be the case. Files should be read/write as long as you have permissions in the target directories and you haven't set the files to be read only on purpose.
--- Quote ---2. Since I have to retag everything, how can I do this so that my files remain tagged properly if I need to move the files or change the drive letter or path?
--- End quote ---
You shouldn't have to retag. Did you move the files manually? If so, you can go back to a database backup where MC thinks the files are in the OLD location WITH all of their tags intact. Then you can use the Rename, Move, and Copy tool to tell MC that the files were moved. You tell it the new drive letter, and it will update all of the database entries. Use the "update database" mode of the RM&C tool. That way, you won't lose your tags. MC makes automatic Library backups every few days. You should be able to restore to a date slightly before you moved the files. File > Library > Restore Library
I'm going to table the rest of your questions for now because the "big deal" is getting your files set back up:
A) With read/write status so they can be worked with.
B) The Library restored back to the old tags, and updated to the new file location.
Brian.
RoderickGI:
Did you use the Rename, Move, and Copy Files function? You should have, and then any Sidecar files would have been moved with the files, and your tags would still be there.
There are some caveats. Read the Wiki article carefully. You may need to move the Sidecar files manually now if you used an external application to move the files.
1. I think you are obsessing over the "Read-Only" status of files a bit, but yes, you need write access to be able to write tags into files. In a normal windows environment if you are copying files to disk, you should have access to read and write to them. They shouldn't be copied to you computer in "Read-Only" status, but that will depend on the source. If they are, change the status.
You will have external Sidecar XML files if you have set the "Store tags in external sidecar files if the file type does not support tagging: Video" in the Options/General, and the file type can't store tags, or MC can't write the tags to the files.
If you lost the Sidecar XML tag files, you could run "Update Tags (From Library)" to update or recreate the sidecar files. But MC should already know about the tags, particularly if they were written to the files. For most audio file formats, tags will be written into the files. For most video formats I'm not sure they are. See below.
2. Always use the "Rename, Move, and Copy Files" function in future. Read the Wiki carefully. Do not leave the "Move all files in folder" flag set unless you really understand what it means, and need to do that. Now that you have moved the files, you may be able to find the Sidecar XML files that have all your tags in them and move them to the same location as the files you moved, and get all your tags back.
If you moved the files outside MC, you will have needed to run, or have running in the background, Auto-Import with the "Update for external changes" flag set. If you did move the files externally to MC, and let Auto-Import run without that flag, then changing the flag now and manually running Auto-Import may get all your tags back.
EDIT: Brian's suggestion may work as well, although if external changes were made, I'm not sure the RM&C tool is the best option. Auto-Import with the "Update for external changes" flag set would seem more logical, but it may be too late for that if you have already imported without the correct setting. Restoring an earlier database and running Auto-Import with the "Update for external changes" flag set would definitely recover all tags for files up to the time of the backup. You could try Auto-Import without a restore first, no harm in that. If you didn't get the tags back, restore a backup, set that flag again, and run Auto-Import.
3. I don't know why you are getting that error, unless you haven't set the "Store tags in external sidecar files if the file type does not support tagging: Video" in the Options/General, and MC is unable to save the tags to the files. I don't get the errors, but I have that setting.
Test using only a few files of each type, and use Undo if you need to. Do not select every file of a particular type unless you understand exactly what is going to happen. In fact, it is never a good idea to select a large number of files to make changes all at once, at least until you have tested your settings properly with a few files.
4. No. Okay, some people like to use certain other programs to change tags. But if you do that, you need to understand the consequences for MC, and at a minimum you will need to run "Update Library from Tags", and if you do that, you had better be very very sure that you have all the tag information you want in the files, ready to update the library.
If you take a look at the attached image, see where the text "AVI - 40:43 - 350 MB" is, when the tag Action Window is open? Click on the equivalent text for your file, and the Action Window will change to display the tags actually stored in the file, rather than in a Sidecar XML file. I only have a few WMV files, and they all have tags in them. None of my other video files have tags in them. I have set in Options/General both the "Update tags when file info changes" and the "Store tags in external sidecar files if the file type does not support tagging: Video" flags.
I should look into why tags don't seem to be stored in most Video files, because I thought they should be for many formats. But for now I rely on the external sidecar XML files to store tags for Video.
dreandre:
Thank you Brian! This seems to be a solution to my problem... However, I need a bit more instruction.
--- Quote ---You tell it the new drive letter, and it will update all of the database entries. Use the "update database" mode of the RM&C tool.
--- End quote ---
How do I tell the RM&C tool to go the new drive letter, but then update the files according to the folder structure? (see capture1). Right now, without adding any expression commands, it wants to update directly into the root folder. (see capture 2)
Thanks!
******UPDATE AFTER NEW POST******
Thanks Roderick, Here's my response to some of you feedback:
While you were responding, I was in the middle of following Brian's instructions. I made a current back-up of the library as it exists now, and I then went and restored back to a previous backup and all the tags were there. I did not execute any changes, so I have un-restored and now I am back to my current state. Roderick if your feedback doesn't work, I think i have Brian's feedback as a last resort.
--- Quote ---Did you use the Rename, Move, and Copy Files function?
--- End quote ---
I did not. I manually moved all files and folders from one drive to the other using Windows Cut & Paste. I have not mastered the RM&C wiki but I will now before I go forward.
--- Quote --- I think you are obsessing over the "Read-Only" status
--- End quote ---
Well, most of what I expressed was somewhat of a summary of what I have been reading in other posts. I tried to research and check out everything that I found on my own before posting. Just to be sure, I did go through and confirm that the files were NOT marked as read-only (I also seem to recall warning messages from time to time while tagging, letting me know that some files were marked read-only, so that should be ruled out now).
--- Quote ---You will have external Sidecar XML files if you have set the "Store tags in external sidecar files if the file type does not support tagging: Video" in the Options/General, and the file type can't store tags, or MC can't write the tags to the files.
--- End quote ---
I double checked and that setting is checked. I will admit before today I never understood the purpose of those files, and I have deleted some of them on occasion. That probably explains the errors that you responded about later in your post. If there were any sidecars that had not been deleted manually by me, they would have been copied over since I moved the whole file structure over from the old drive to the new drive.
--- Quote ---let Auto-Import run without that flag, then changing the flag now and manually running Auto-Import may get all your tags back.
--- End quote ---
I had been thinking along these lines, so when i moved the files to the new drive, I did run Auto-Import. Update for external changes was checked, but when the import was finished, the tags were missing. I had also removed the old watch folder paths and added the new paths in the configuration window so that it would find the new location. Taking your advice, I just re-ran Auto-Import without the flag, and again with the flag but no change.
--- Quote --- the Action Window will change to display the tags actually stored in the file, rather than in a Sidecar XML file.
--- End quote ---
You are right. Hardly any of my files have any tag data in them.
NEW QUESTION: Is it possible to generate new sidecar files? From a back-up perhaps? or will the back-up look for the old drive locations and try to put the files there?
NEXT STEP: Study the Wiki before I proceed. I will comment again before I try anything! Thanks!!!
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version