Jim:
Thanks. When it does not Play it's not there. A file locate shows path as either a network machine name path, or a LAN IP path, neither of which is in the import settings. That's one problem, the other is the library keeps reverting to a meerl fraction of the folder in the import path. I have tried (more than a half a dozen times) to either create a new library, or restore an older one. When the library restores...it is the small size. You can see auto import start up and the size, artist and album count start increasing. Once complete, I guess within 5 minutes, it's back to the fractional size. Pretty odd, and likely a setting somewhere. I've been using MC since v. 18 and have never come across this.
Since I've tried both restoring and creating a new library, I don't know how to get around this. I am certain however, the problem was caused by an attempt to use either: hard drive via a network connection to another PC in the house, which was running it's own copy of MC, or again using another PC with MC, attaching to the MC server running on this machine., not as a player, but by building a library on the remote machine. Although I'm usually careful, I found the library on MC for the machine with the problem empty. Sure I wacked it but unsure how. Cannot restore or build a library now on the machine I was connecting to. Songs always play (and I'm certain are present) if you say play in MC from Windows file manager. If that song is not one of the few the library retains, it will be dropped in short order (a few minutes).
I have stopped short uninstalling and re-installing MC and testing that, as I was hoping to avoid loosing all my settings.
I'm aware this version is retired. I think the issue is this user and hope someone can get me around my dilemma.
Thanks
Larry