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[soylent::black]

I know I'm not gonna like the answer to this but:

When I started up MediaCenter today there was some weird message like "Old version of MediaCenter library detected.  Do you want to use the old version?"  or something like that.

I didn't know what the hell it was talking about so I *Canceled* it.  An now everything in the database is GONE!

Before I start all over again (I haven't backed up in 4 months), is there anything I can do to recover the library???

James

[xen-uno]

Do a system level search (on all drives) for *.jmd. The main library should be called mediafiles.jmd and it belongs in the MediaCenter\Data directory. Should be at least 500 kB in size if you've got a couple thousand media files. If you can't find it (other than the default you have now)...then your screwed. Playlists and smartlists are kept in smaller (& seperate) jmd files.

10^-27

[soylent::black]

As I suspected, all those jmd files are very small and empty.  I think once I hit that "Cancel" button I was screwed.  But...

While looking around for those files I did notice a new "C:\FOUND.000" directory on my computer.  (Anyone who's run Windows for a couple days knows what this is, right?)

In that directory was "FILE0033.CHK  2,496 KB".  A file so large it was obviously meant to be "mediafiles.jmd".

Looking at the other files with a text viewer turned up "playlistx.jmd".

I renamed these files and copied them to the Data directory and Success!   I may not have gotten back 100% of the database but it's better than losing 4 months of painstaking categorizing and sorting (don't ask).

I leave this story for all future numbskulls along with this advice: "BACK UP YOUR LIBRARY!!!"

[jleerigby]

..But if you set MC to always update tags then loss of library is no big deal.  You just reimport the files.

[KingSparta]

In that directory was "FILE0033.CHK  2,496 KB".  

scandisk did this, it is done when it finds a bad cluster on your hard drive.

you may be starting to have a hard drive falure.

this also happens if your writing to the disk and the power is turned off.

this will corrupt your drive.

in the early days this would sometimes corrupt the drive to the point of it needing to be formated and OS reinstalled.

windows XP with Windows NT formated hard drive may help (it works better).

[soylent::black]

That's interesting JLee.  Does it save the playlist information also?

Because that's what I was concerned about.

[Doof]

Nope.

Nor your view schemes.

[LisaRCT]

That's interesting JLee.  Does it save the playlist information also?

Because that's what I was concerned about.

Under 'Files' the drop down menu includes and 'Export Playlist' option . . .  that may help.  Only thing is I never have figured out how to re-import those playlists  ?

BTW Soylent, glad ya got your library back  
and YES backups are important & worthwhile . . .  valuable lesson learned and ya got off rather cheaply YAY!   
cost me several thousand files to learn the same.