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[cebalaw]

While I have been JRiver for years, never bothered to notice that when Media Server is running, my NAS will never sleep. Looking at Windows Process Monitor, it would appear Media Server is constantly scanning the Music share. How do I configure to not run constantly and only when media is requested to be played?

[JimH]

Try setting up auto import.

[cebalaw]

Ok, I turned off auto-import, so will see if that helps. Not sure why that constantly works my drives, as other library scanners (e.g. Plex, Emby) allow the drives to sleep.

[JimH]

If the drives sleep, it just means that no software is accessing them.  They sleep on their own.

JRiver doesn't tell your drives to sleep.  It may be trying to access the files for various reasons.  Thumbnailing, audio analysis, auto-import, etc.

[cebalaw]

Ok, but Media Center is constantly accessing the shares, which I assume prevents them from ever sleeping. I opened ProcessMonitor (with a filter on the Media Center process) and immediately get non-stop hits (I attached a brief snippet).  Auto-import has been off for about 20 hours. Again, I ask is there something I have configured wrong, or is this just the way your software works?

[cebalaw]

Apologies, my last post contained the wrong screenshot as that was showing Media Center process, but not those affecting the drives in question. I reran (for about 5-10 minutes) with the proper filter and have attached.

[JimH]

Is it trying to create a directory called Podcast and unable to do so?

[cebalaw]

I don't use Podcasts. It does look like its looking for that directory (see attached setting), but I have no podcasts and cannot find a way to delete the directory in Settings.

That was one process, in my last screenshot it looks like there is another operation,  QueryFullSizeInformationVolume, occurring every minute. Is that related to podcasts?

[RoderickGI]

Interesting.

MC is trying to check the free space in "\\AUX-Data\My Music\Podcast\" and can't because it doesn't exist.

I expected the setting under "Options > File Location > Audio (CD rips and Podcasts)" to be at fault. I've never downloaded Podcasts onto this PC I am using, so I still have the basic value of "F:\Music\" for that setting, which is where my CD Rips go.

Looking further, I see that there is indeed a setting for Podcasts under "Options > Podcast > Podcast Directory" which is set to "C:\Users\[UserID]\Music\Podcast\", which I have never set. In fact, when I click on that setting to check it, MC drops the "Browse for Folder" dialogue back to "C:\Users\[UserID]\Music\", because the "C:\Users\[UserID]\Music\Podcast\" directory doesn't exist, and that dialogue only allows a user to select an existing directory, although a user can also create a new directory and then select it.

So Cebalaw, the fix for your issue is simply to change the "Options > Podcast > Podcast Directory" setting to a valid existing directory, and MC will check that new directory for free space and complete the task. That should allow your hard drives to sleep.

EDIT: It looks like you found the problem. Now that you have changed the "Options > Podcast > Podcast Directory" setting to "\\AUX-Data\My Music\", has that error gone away? The setting would have changed when you clicked on it, and if you clicked OK to exit the dialogue, it should have saved and fixed the issue. You will have to check again if the QueryFullSizeInformationVolume task is still happening for the "\\AUX-Data\My Music\". That could have been happening because of the Podcast directory issue.


I have no idea when that "Options > Podcast > Podcast Directory" setting was added to MC (couldn't find it in the Release Notes back to MC19), but I think that it is in the wrong place. It is inconsistent with using the one central "File Location" group of settings, which makes such settings so much easier. Also, the fact that it defaults to a non-existent directory, which MC then tries to use at least to check free space, is a bit of an issue. Some refinement may be a good idea. The name of the "Options > File Location > Audio (CD rips and Podcasts)" setting at least will also need to be changed, if in fact podcasts are no longer downloaded to that directory.

[RoderickGI]

I just downloaded a Podcast to confirm MC does indeed download them using the "Options > Podcast > Podcast Directory" setting.

[cebalaw]

Thank you changing that setting worked (I hope; I ran Process Monitor for >5 minutes and nothing!). Not sure when that setting was ever set; I have been using Media Center since v11 (through v20), but do not remember exactly when Podcasts came in.

I suppose I should have paid more attention to the monitor and made that change first; I just kept thinking it was the other processes. In any event, thank you for taking the time to help.

[RoderickGI]

I had a bit more of a look around and that setting has been there since 2006!

But there have been changes around Podcasts of late, so maybe the default value changed, or was set for the first time, or MC started trying to check for free space at the default locations, or some change like that happened recently. Certainly, my disks and PC have been sleeping no problem since 2013, but I thought this may have been a recent change which could be affecting my HTPC as well, so it was worthwhile spending time to check what was going on.

I'm glad it did fix it for you.

[JimH]

I don't think any recent changes could have caused that.  Podcasts were just moved in their location in the program, not on the disk.

I think the folder where the podcasts were to be written didn't exist and couldn't be created.

[RoderickGI]

I realised after I posted above that it seems Cebalaw is still on MC20 anyway, so recent changes would have no effect. Unless they were Windows changes.

I've never set the Podcast directory correctly on my HTPC, and it has always slept as required. So it is a bit of a mystery, unless there were fixes between MC20 and MC24.

Anyway, solved.