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Author Topic: Moving main library from USB Seagate drive to...?  (Read 1942 times)

Tgterm

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Moving main library from USB Seagate drive to...?
« on: August 09, 2017, 10:41:28 am »

Hi -

I apologize for the newbie questions, but I'm not a heavy user.

I am running MC 23 on a Windows 10 laptop. My main library is located on a USB Seagate drive attached to my Netgear Nighthawk router. I am replacing this router with one that does not support USB hard drives (Orbi), so I am wondering what the best strategy would be to move main library access in MC 23.

Should I:

1) copy my music files from the Seagate drive onto a laptop, then teach MC to look in a different place for it?

2) attach the Seagate to a laptop and teach MC to look there for it? Not sure this is possible...

Any advice is greatly appreciated...thanks!
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JimH

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Re: Moving main library from USB Seagate drive to...?
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2017, 06:20:29 pm »

Either is possible.  You could read about Importing files on our wiki.

https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Import
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RoderickGI

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Re: Moving main library from USB Seagate drive to...?
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2017, 08:00:46 pm »

Actually the Rename, Move, and Copy Files tool is a better solution than the Import tool, as you don't really want to re-import your media and set up the library again.

Brian has explained the process several times, so a search for post by "blgentry" regarding moving files to a new drive should find lots of information.
Here is one: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,107416.msg745855.html#msg745855
Another: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,107781.msg748068.html#msg748068

Do read the RM&CF Wiki article and understand what it does, and do make sure you just use the "Update" mode, as per Brian's posts. Also test on small a number of files before doing the full library update.

Then choose whether you want your music on your laptop drive, taking up precious space, or on the external drive, and update MC to look at the new drive letter.

Keep the directory structure identical if you copy to your laptop, so that only the simple update is required.

Also, be aware that Windows will sometimes change drive letters for attached drives, particularly if you plug it into a different USB port. So use the same port if you choose the external drive, or search the forum or Google the internet for how to make a drive always get the same drive letter in Windows. There is a neat solution for that, which I can't remember off the top of my head.
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

Tgterm

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Re: Moving main library from USB Seagate drive to...?
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2017, 09:30:48 pm »

Either is possible.  You could read about Importing files on our wiki.

https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Import
Thank you!  What I ended up doing was copying the files to my laptop.  It has a ton of hard drive space on it and is essentially dedicated to running MC through my Parasound Halo Integrated amp's USB connection.  Then, I reimported the files into a New Library I created and it plays just fine.

The only question I have is that I still have the Main Library in MC which is what I used with the Seagate drive.  I tried to figure out how to remove this library so that when I decommission that drive, it will no longer be in MC.  The Main Library was greyed out when I selected it under 'Delete Library', so I think I must be doing something wrong....thoughts?

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Tgterm

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Re: Moving main library from USB Seagate drive to...?
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2017, 09:35:39 pm »

Actually the Rename, Move, and Copy Files tool is a better solution than the Import tool, as you don't really want to re-import your media and set up the library again.

Brian has explained the process several times, so a search for post by "blgentry" regarding moving files to a new drive should find lots of information.
Here is one: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,107416.msg745855.html#msg745855
Another: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,107781.msg748068.html#msg748068

Do read the RM&CF Wiki article and understand what it does, and do make sure you just use the "Update" mode, as per Brian's posts. Also test on small a number of files before doing the full library update.

Then choose whether you want your music on your laptop drive, taking up precious space, or on the external drive, and update MC to look at the new drive letter.

Keep the directory structure identical if you copy to your laptop, so that only the simple update is required.

Also, be aware that Windows will sometimes change drive letters for attached drives, particularly if you plug it into a different USB port. So use the same port if you choose the external drive, or search the forum or Google the internet for how to make a drive always get the same drive letter in Windows. There is a neat solution for that, which I can't remember off the top of my head.
Thanks for your reply!  I did read a few of the posts you provided, but it was slightly above my experience level.  I could not find the Rm&cf functionality in MC.  Like I said, I'm a light user...

Please see my response to JimH post, above.  I appreciate any additional input!
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RoderickGI

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Re: Moving main library from USB Seagate drive to...?
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2017, 12:37:23 am »

You can't delete the default MC library, which is the library stored locally on your laptop at a location something like "C:\Users\[UserID]\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 23\Library". The new library you created will be stored somewhere else. You can see where it is by clicking on the library name under "Playing Now > Playing from [PC Name] Local Library > [Name you gave your new Library]", top left corner of MC in Standard View.

But as you are a light user, if you aren't fussed about the old library just staying there, since it isn't very big, then just go to;
Tools > Options > Startup > Library, and untick "Always load default library". Then you just need to open your new library once, if it isn't already open, and from then on MC will open the last library that was open, which is your new library. There are other things you could do, but that is easiest.

Also as a light user, I assume you haven't customised anything in MC, so you didn't lose anything by reimporting the files. If you did lose some functionality you wanted to keep, like customised views, then speak up and I will help you fix you old library that still holds that functionality.

What I would need to know is;
Was the old drive that was connected to your router accessed via a drive letter? If so, what was it?
Which drive did you put the media files on to on your laptop? The C: drive?
Did you just copy the whole directory structure from the old drive to the laptop drive, or make some changes to the structure?
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What specific version of MC you are running:MC27.0.27 @ Oct 27, 2020 and updating regularly Jim!                        MC Release Notes: https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Release_Notes
What OS(s) and Version you are running:     Windows 10 Pro 64bit Version 2004 (OS Build 19041.572).
The JRMark score of the PC with an issue:    JRMark (version 26.0.52 64 bit): 3419
Important relevant info about your environment:     
  Using the HTPC as a MC Server & a Workstation as a MC Client plus some DLNA clients.
  Running JRiver for Android, JRemote2, Gizmo, & MO 4Media on a Sony Xperia XZ Premium Android 9.
  Playing video out to a Sony 65" TV connected via HDMI, playing digital audio out via motherboard sound card, PCIe TV tuner

Tgterm

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Re: Moving main library from USB Seagate drive to...?
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2017, 09:21:28 am »

You can't delete the default MC library, which is the library stored locally on your laptop at a location something like "C:\Users\[UserID]\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 23\Library". The new library you created will be stored somewhere else. You can see where it is by clicking on the library name under "Playing Now > Playing from [PC Name] Local Library > [Name you gave your new Library]", top left corner of MC in Standard View.

But as you are a light user, if you aren't fussed about the old library just staying there, since it isn't very big, then just go to;
Tools > Options > Startup > Library, and untick "Always load default library". Then you just need to open your new library once, if it isn't already open, and from then on MC will open the last library that was open, which is your new library. There are other things you could do, but that is easiest.

Also as a light user, I assume you haven't customised anything in MC, so you didn't lose anything by reimporting the files. If you did lose some functionality you wanted to keep, like customised views, then speak up and I will help you fix you old library that still holds that functionality.

What I would need to know is;
Was the old drive that was connected to your router accessed via a drive letter? If so, what was it?
Which drive did you put the media files on to on your laptop? The C: drive?
Did you just copy the whole directory structure from the old drive to the laptop drive, or make some changes to the structure?
I think that what you are suggesting re: setting MC to not always load the default library should work for me.

As far as leaving the Main Library as is, I only have about 2000 files in there.  So, perhaps it is reasonable just to leave it be...

Thanks for the help!
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