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[Mike Rubin]

I maintain my library on a NAS and use MC to manage it.  I use FreeFileSync to mirror the NAS music directories to three backup drives.

My FreeFileSync settings cause files to back up when they have changed in any way, but only if they have changed.  Occasionally, I see that FFS is backing up files that I know I haven’t touched. 

I am trying to figure out what could have caused them to change even when I haven’t even played them, let alone edited them, in a good long while.

Is it possible that MC has changed something in the files on its own or should I focus my troubleshooting elsewhere?

[wer]

Yes, depending on how you have MC configured.

If you have the setting "update tags when file info changes" enabled, MC will write tag changes to your media files when you change tags in the library, like when you rate a song, or change the title (name) of something.  It is also possible for you to configure MC to save tags like "last played" to the media files themselves, in which case MC would write to a file any time you play it.

These things can of course be disabled so that MC doesn't write to your media files at all.

Something like this might be going on in your case.

[Mike Rubin]

Thank you.  I appreciate the response.

It seems unlikely that there would be a reason like one of those that these files have changed.  To the contrary, they seem randomly selected, but, in each case, I did not play them or touch their metadata at all and I don’t rate tracks.

It’s strange behavior.

[RoderickGI]

It could be MC is analysing for HDCD content, if you haven't turned all that off. It only does that for 16bit 44.1kHz files I believe.

I saw some cda files appear in my Removed Database Smartlist today, and then disappear shortly afterward. I have no idea why that happened. I just assume MC is checking stuff, and for certain actions, touching the file changes the Date Modified.

If you can find something consistent between the files, maybe the answer can be found.

If you turned on MC logging and set a large maximum size (don't set an unlimited size - it could get big!), then when you observe a file being synced that you haven't touched, save the log and search for the file name in it. You should find what MC was doing with the file.

[Mike Rubin]

Thank you.  I will turn on logging and see if there is a common thread between them.

[Dawgincontrol]

If you play a file MC writes to the file updating info.  That may be what you're seeing.  You can fix that as explained above.

I suggest you change how Free File Sync (which I also use) updates.  Instead of mirror, use update or go into the custom settings.  That will also keep you from updating a file that may get corrupted for some reason and still have the good back-up.

[Mike Rubin]

Thsnk you. 

I haven’t played any of the affected files in ages, so I don’t think that is the explanation. Also, they are of varying resolutions, so I don’t think the HDCD check issue discussed above is the explanation, either.

Luckily, this happens just every few months or so.

[RoderickGI]

Luckily, this happens just every few months or so.

If it is that infrequent and hasn't happened for a while, it could have been the HDCD issue. When that was initially implemented it analysed all files, and hence would have triggered the sync. There were a couple of other changes that did a similar thing, until the new functionality was "tamed".

So maybe it will never happen again... or until some new functionality touches all files again.