More > JRiver Media Center 23 for Mac
Fixing Paths and Filenames with special characters (Accents, etc.) Mac/PC
tangolovers:
Regarding your Reply 23 & 24:
I have Fix Broken Links set to "Yes (Protect Files on Missing Drives).
In Options > File Locations > Other Video I changed the folder from "H:\..." (which was complete wrong anyhow) to /Users/susiemelo/Movies/ since that's all I have for now - here are a couple of insignificant movies in there now. I did not do this in auto import configuration. I'm not sure where I'd do this specifically for movies.
I like your suggestions about Conversion Cache, I just made the changes. FYI, I think MC defaults to putting it in the Media Folders, which was never my idea and I never liked. Since they always seemed empty I often deleted them. :o Won't do that again.
I don't ever remember "Loading" any file, because I was unaware of this possibility before... unless my fast fingers accidentally did it unknowingly. Is it considered good practice to have "Always load default library" checked (given I'm only using 1 library for now)?
Yes, this newly loaded Main Library is the Real McCoy!! I will assume I keep moving and come back to Step 6.
All steps completed & my new Backup is named "MC Library Backup (Main Library - 2019-12-01).zip" just like you said! WHEW!!!
I've attached a screenshot of my updated File Locations as well as the final "Playing for Main Library screen".
Now, if we can just delete the Bad Main Library and port this puppy to my PC I'll be in hog heaven!
RoderickGI:
--- Quote from: tangolovers on December 01, 2019, 04:51:56 pm ---I have Fix Broken Links set to "Yes (Protect Files on Missing Drives).
--- End quote ---
Good.
--- Quote from: tangolovers on December 01, 2019, 04:51:56 pm ---In Options > File Locations > Other Video I changed the folder from "H:\..." (which was complete wrong anyhow) to /Users/susiemelo/Movies/ since that's all I have for now - here are a couple of insignificant movies in there now. I did not do this in auto import configuration. I'm not sure where I'd do this specifically for movies.
--- End quote ---
I missed that H:\ drive path. Good catch.
--- Quote from: tangolovers on December 01, 2019, 04:51:56 pm ---I like your suggestions about Conversion Cache, I just made the changes.
I've attached a screenshot of my updated File Locations as well as the final "Playing for Main Library screen".
--- End quote ---
Your image shows that you still have "/J River/Conversion Cache/J River Conversion Cache/" in the path. You might want to simplify that to, for example:
"/Users/susiemelo/Library/Application Support/J River/J River Conversion Cache/"
Note that you could still have separate conversion caches for each media type, just don't have them under the media storage location, as they could then be imported. So these would be acceptable:
"/Users/susiemelo/Library/Application Support/J River/Music/J River Conversion Cache/"
"/Users/susiemelo/Library/Application Support/J River/Video/J River Conversion Cache/"
"/Users/susiemelo/Library/Application Support/J River/Images/J River Conversion Cache/"
Those would be fine, because, for example, your audio files will be under "/Users/susiemelo/Music/", and that is where Auto Import should look for new music, so it won't find any cached files.
Also note that I have set my Audio cache to "None", as I don't want to keep audio conversions created when I sync music to my phone, since I don't like the way MC handles those cached files. If a cache is set to "None" MC still creates intermediate files, but puts then in the Temp folder, which later gets emptied. But if you don't use the Handheld Sync capability, no harm in having the audio cache.
--- Quote from: tangolovers on December 01, 2019, 04:51:56 pm ---Is it considered good practice to have "Always load default library" checked (given I'm only using 1 library for now)?
--- End quote ---
Yes.
--- Quote from: tangolovers on December 01, 2019, 04:51:56 pm ---Yes, this newly loaded Main Library is the Real McCoy!! I will assume I keep moving and come back to Step 6.
--- End quote ---
Wow. I should have asked you to load that Library and check if it was your original earlier. It could have saved a lot of work!
At least now you have backups of both Library versions, and I hope a better understanding of how Libraries work in MC.
I still don't know how to delete those unwanted Libraries on a Mac. On Windows I would delve into the depths of the Registry and fix this. But on a Mac I've forgotten how to do such things. Digging around in the bowels of an Operating System is high risk anyway, so should only be done if really required. Maybe a Mac user could speak up and provide an answer?
--- Quote from: tangolovers on December 01, 2019, 04:51:56 pm ---All steps completed & my new Backup is named "MC Library Backup (Main Library - 2019-12-01).zip" just like you said! WHEW!!!
--- End quote ---
Excellent.
--- Quote from: tangolovers on December 01, 2019, 04:51:56 pm ---Now, if we can just delete the Bad Main Library and port this puppy to my PC I'll be in hog heaven!
--- End quote ---
I suggest that you use that Mac library for a while, and make very sure it is the one you want to use, has everything fixed in it, and you are ready to move it to your Windows PC.
RoderickGI:
By the way, can I ask why you don't just use your Mac as a MC Server, and then use the Windows PC as a MC Client? That way you wouldn't have to worry about Library transfers from OSX to Windows.
Sure, it would mean that the Mac would have to be turned on, or able to be woken, whenever you wanted to play stuff on the PC, but it would be simpler.
MC's Client/Server functionality works pretty well. If you do all your MC maintenance on the Mac, and not on the PC, that should work fine.
Something to think about. Perhaps read up on "Media Network" and "Media Server" in the Wiki.
tangolovers:
--- Quote from: RoderickGI on December 01, 2019, 05:47:20 pm ---Your image shows that you still have "/J River/Conversion Cache/J River Conversion Cache/" in the path. You might want to simplify that to, for example:
"/Users/susiemelo/Library/Application Support/J River/J River Conversion Cache/"
--- End quote ---
I had too much trouble getting the J River Conversion Cache to point to the right folder and it kept creating new folders, so I set it to none. I hope I don't regret it, but sounds better. I've attached a screenshot of all the J River Conversion Cache folders I now have in Finder. Is it safe to delete them manually - outside of MC?? THey're all over the place, in my Media folders, in my Application Support folders etc... see screenshot.
I'm ready to move everything to the PC now! I do not wish too make any more changes to the Library itself until it's on the PC.
BTW, I used to go back and forth (between PC & MAC) all the time and had zero issues. I finally posted my process for others to see. I was very pleased that I finally figured this out on my own (of course with some help from the forum). But suddenly (after 2 years of going between MAC & PC), I am unable to migrate to either of my PC's (Windows 7 & 10). I don't know if has to do with updates to MC, Windows or something else. Here's the link to where I posted my process (that used to work): https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,111695.msg771944.html#msg771944.
As for using MAC as a server, I want to be able to take the PC anywhere without having to depend on the MAC. Once I have it working on my PC, I plan to use my PC as the master, doing all the work there instead. However, I will still want to occasionally port it to the MAC to keep the MAC up to date, but it's not critical since I don't use it for playback (right now).
Ultimately, I think would like to have all my music on an external HD along with an image of MC so I can run it from anywhere (not sure if this will work on a MAC), but at least on any PC in case we're traveling and we want to use it I won't need my whole computer. I've heard of this being done successfully. But I'll tackle that after I have it running well on my PC.
p.s. I'll be out most of the day on Monday, so won't be able to read/respond until late afternoon/evening PST.
RoderickGI:
The "/J River/cache/" is normal and is used by MC for other stuff. Don't delete that one. I think it will just be recreated anyway.
If you have set all cache setting to None, you will probably want to turn it back on for video, where transcoding during streaming is more common. When you set a cache folder you need to Browse to an existing folder, or to the parent of where you want it and create the cache folder in the dialogue. You can't just type in the path you want to use. If you did, that could be why MC kept making new cache folders. But maybe they were just typos, or the result of previous changes? With and without the space. With and without the "/J River" prefix.
Anyway, if you have any cache settings set to a folder, keep that one. The others can be manually deleted, especially the ones in your Media folders.
I don't know what broke your transfer process, but if you have always been on MC23, it would seem it was an Operating System change. Certainly, Windows 10 has had many changes that could have broken the process. It also could have been a settings change that MC remembered, such as the "Replace slashes in expressions" setting in the RM&CF function.
I can understand why you don't want to use Client/Server now. As you wish to use the Windows (Windows 10 PC, rather than Windows 7?), then I suggest that you do a transfer to the primary Windows PC, fix it so that it works correctly as a Windows PC, and then only the transfer to the Mac needs special handling. This makes much more sense as you have two Windows PCs, and Library Backups can be used between them without any special process.
Just on the topic of transferring from the Windows PC to the Mac in future, MC25 has new functionality which allows a Library from a PC to be restored to and used on a Mac. I referred to that functionality in this post to you on one of your other threads: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,123138.msg853048.html#msg853048
What I suggest that you do is get MC23 working on your Windows PC, then upgrade all copies of MC to a MC26 licence, which will work with the latest versions of MC25. With MC25 installed, your transfers to the Mac should be painless, or at least much easier than your previous process. Of course, I haven't tested that new functionality, because I don't have a Mac, but others seem to be using it, at least for moving a Mac Library to Linux. If the new functionality doesn't work, JRiver will fix it, or should, as it is very new and they want people to use and improve new functionality.
I'll do a new post to talk about the transfer you need to do now from the Mac to the PC.
For your ultimate goal of having all of MC and your music on an external hard drive, and running it from there, MC has a custom installation process called a "Portable Install". You could build that from a Windows installation, and then run it on any Windows PC. I don't think there is an equivalent for creating a Portable Installation on a Mac, and a Windows based Portable Installation won't run on a Mac.
To create a Portable Installation on a PC you just need to run the MC installation program and select a "Custom Install", then tick the correct box and answer the prompts. Again, I haven't built one of these, but other people are using this functionality.
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