Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Rizlaw]

I pretty much fed up with trying to figure out how to fix an issue I've had for about several generations of MC (23,24,25,26,28).

My computer always runs Ubuntu LTS, currently 20.04.3 LTS.
My music library is located on a 1TB Samsung PRO NVME drive.
I recently upgraded to MC28 (having skipped MC27 because it still doesn't have MPRIS support, but then again neither does MC28).

The problem: when I click on OPTIONS > FILE LOCATION > PROGRAM FILES > LIBRARY BACKUP and try to change the library backup location (which insists on remaining at "JRiver Media Center 22") to JRiver MC28, I get a pop up error message: "Audio file location cannot be read-only". MC28 (and earlier versions) refuse to let me enter a new backup location. Manually deleting the MC22 location doesn't work; the folder just keeps getting automatically recreated every time I restart MC28.

I have followed Awesome Donkey's post/instructions and removed all previous traces of all earlier MC installs, files and folders via the terminal.
The permissions on my NVME drive and music library folders are NOT set "read-only".
The JRiver WIKI provides no information on the error or how to set the library backup location.
I also tried deleting my entire current library (after making a backup) and that had no effect on the problem.
I'm not even sure if I nuke the entire MC28 program, perform a fresh reinstall and start with a fresh library (not my backup) that the problem would be solved. To boot it would probably take a few days to get everything back to where I had it. So this is only a last resort option for me.

Suggestions?

[Scobie]

Also ensure that the user MC is running as has RW access to the filesystem. MC runs as the currently logged in user.

[Rizlaw]

Scobie,
Thanks for the reply and the permissions observation.
Apart from the system "root", I am the only logged in user on the system and both I and MC28 have full R/W permissions. So, I don't believe that's where the problem lies. I think somewhere along the years of updating MC 22-28 via "deb" files and/or JRiver repositories, the program wrote the wrong info to some location which only the programmers of MC xx  would have knowledge.

[mwillems]

If you open up "Options-->File Location"  What does the "Audio" filepath entry say?  Is it a reachable/existing location?  I've gotten a similar error before because one of my file locations was pointing to a non-existent path (using a windows path on Linux, etc.).  JRiver won't let you change any of the other file locations if one of them is invalid for whatever reason, and the error message suggests something is wrong with your Audio entry and that's blocking your changes to the library backup entry. 

So try having a look at your Audio entry under Options-->File Location (or maybe post a screencap of the entire Options-->File location panel?)

[Awesome Donkey]

Can't say I've ever encountered this before. Have you tried using a completely clean install without importing a library backup to see if it works correctly with a clean install? If so it could mean there's an issue with the settings you're importing from the backup.

[Rizlaw]

If you open up "Options-->File Location"  What does the "Audio" filepath entry say?  Is it a reachable/existing location?  I've gotten a similar error before because one of my file locations was pointing to a non-existent path (using a windows path on Linux, etc.).  JRiver won't let you change any of the other file locations if one of them is invalid for whatever reason, and the error message suggests something is wrong with your Audio entry and that's blocking your changes to the library backup entry. 

So try having a look at your Audio entry under Options-->File Location (or maybe post a screencap of the entire Options-->File location panel?)

I provided an answer to your question in my original post, but you may have missed it or it may not be clear enough.

My problem is not an invalid file path. The file paths displayed are correct in the sense that they actually exist on the system (apparently MC28 keeps recreating them on each start up). Even if I delete them outside of MC28, in a terminal, when I reopen MC28 it automatically (and I don't understand how) recreates the exact same directory path. Within MC28, if I click on the problem file path in "Options>File Location" and point to a different location, MC28 accepts and shows me the new location, but when I click on OK to complete the change I get the error message pop up that the audio file path can not be read only.

At least one problem I have is that once the initial file paths are entered in MC, the program provides no way to delete any and all file paths listed in "Options>File Locations" and enter NO file path at all. It only allows for substitution of file paths. If, as you state, the program won't let you change a file path if any other file path is invalid, then that, in my opinion, is a programming error and should be fixed since it means you can't change a file path that is changed or no longer exists.

Thanks anyway.

[mwillems]

I provided an answer to your question in my original post, but you may have missed it or it may not be clear enough.

My problem is not an invalid file path. The file paths displayed are correct in the sense that they actually exist on the system (apparently MC28 keeps recreating them on each start up). Even if I delete them outside of MC28, in a terminal, when I reopen MC28 it automatically (and I don't understand how) recreates the exact same directory path. Within MC28, if I click on the problem file path in "Options>File Location" and point to a different location, MC28 accepts and shows me the new location, but when I click on OK to complete the change I get the error message pop up that the audio file path can not be read only.

At least one problem I have is that once the initial file paths are entered in MC, the program provides no way to delete any and all file paths listed in "Options>File Locations" and enter NO file path at all. It only allows for substitution of file paths. If, as you state, the program won't let you change a file path if any other file path is invalid, then that, in my opinion, is a programming error and should be fixed since it means you can't change a file path that is changed or no longer exists.

Thanks anyway.

Sorry I misunderstood, your original post didn't mention trying to change the Audio path specifically, which is what the error is referencing.  I assumed you were only trying to change the backup location, not all of the locations. 

When I saw the issue you're seeing, updating my Audio path specifically fixed it, but it sounds like that's not working for you.  I think Awesome Donkey's suggestion is a good one; try a clean library and see if you still see the error.  If there's no error with an empty library that's new information.

[Rizlaw]

Can't say I've ever encountered this before. Have you tried using a completely clean install without importing a library backup to see if it works correctly with a clean install? If so it could mean there's an issue with the settings you're importing from the backup.

Regrettably, I think you're right and I need to do a completely clean install.

What is your recommendation on how to totally remove all bits and pieces of MC28 so that I can do a full clean re-install.

My inclination is to do: sudo apt-get purge mediacenter28 but I'm not sure if this is the best way to get scrub every last bit of MC from the computer.

UPDATE: I performed a complete clean install after first using the "purge" command and then performing a search for any and all lingering MC28 files or folders (there were a few) and deleting them.
It appears everything is working correctly and the default file path for backups is now correct. Now to spend endless hours rebuilding.

[Rizlaw]

Sorry I misunderstood, your original post didn't mention trying to change the Audio path specifically, which is what the error is referencing.  I assumed you were only trying to change the backup location, not all of the locations. 

When I saw the issue you're seeing, updating my Audio path specifically fixed it, but it sounds like that's not working for you.  I think Awesome Donkey's suggestion is a good one; try a clean library and see if you still see the error.  If there's no error with an empty library that's new information.

Actually, I did try removing the existing library and restarting with a clean library. Strangely, I got the same problem.

[bob]

dpkg --purge mediacenter28 will remove all of the program files.

It sounds like you had corrupted settings files.

Do a library backup first. Then you could try removing just those settings files.

rm -rf ~/.jriver/Media\ Center\ 28/Settings

To remove all of the user files
rm -rf ~/.jriver

If you have library backups in your Documents folder (which is where they normally go) you can restore the library from that backup.
If you do this you should probably choose not to restore the settings files from the library backup, you'll then have to redo your settings.