Jim,
Please post your system info from MC/Help and copy your message above to a new thread. You may have a Windows stability problem that is not entirely MC.
Updating your Windows OS from IE/Tools/Windows update would be a good place to start.
Okay, here goes --
My original message:
I've primarily done one thing with MC 9 -- rip CDs and move them onto my iPod. Generally speaking I have been successful, the iPod xfer works great. However, overall this is one of the buggiest pieces of software I've ever used. And MC 9 is not considerably worse in the things I've experienced than MJ 8, so that worries me a bit (and keeps me from purchasing).
Basically, the program crashes itself or my computer VERY often. I finally figured out that I can't really do anything else on the computer while I'm ripping, that helped. But, for instance, when it can't find CD info on YADDB, it will get caught in a loop of analysing devices and flips on and off of a CD interminably -- playing the first few seconds of a track and then going to analysing devices, then playing the first few seconds of a track, etc. If I can jump in and start ripping or pop the CD out, it will stop, but often closing and reopening MC 9 is not enough to stop this and I have to reboot the machine.
After ripping several CDs, it often just freezes or freezes the computer and requires a reset (with the reset button).
On my Win98SE machine, if I open the Properties window, I can only change one item, then I have to close Properties and reopen it to change another item -- or at least click out of the window and then back in. This doesn't happen on a WinXP machine.
I've been hesitant to use a lot more features -- to try burning or creating playlists or anything, because I'm afraid it's just gonna come crashing down. Also, I'd be happy to start adding to the YADDB, since I'm amazed at some of what is missing, but I can't really see how to do that.
A stupid question -- if I have the Properties window open, is there some way to scroll through from one track to the next (like when I need to manually add the track names)? When I press the forward arrow -- this seems like the obvious icon to do what I want -- it goes to playlist. I don't even understand what that is for. . .
Thanks.
Here's my system info:
Media Jukebox 9.0.88 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\
Microsoft Windows 98 SE
Intel Pentium III 498 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 261 MB, Free - 62 MB
Resource Info: System - 36 %, GDI - 63 %, User - 36 %
Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.50.4916.400 / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1106
Shell32.dll: 4.72.3812.600
wnaspi32.dll: 4.71 (0001) , ASPI for Win32 (95/NT) DLL, Copyright © 1989-2002 Adaptec, Inc. / Aspi32.sys: N/A
Ripping / Drive F: Copy mode:ModeBurstBigBuffer CD Type:Auto Read speed:Max
Digital playback: Yes / Use YADB: Yes / Get cover art: Yes / Calc replay gain: No / Copy volume: 32767
Eject after ripping: Yes / Play sound after ripping: Yes Soundfile: chord.wav
Burning / Drive F: SONY CD-RW CRX100E Addr: 0:0:0 Speed:4 MaxSpeed:4 Lib:2 GHS:1 Use MJ Engine:No
Test mode: No / Eject after writing: Yes / Direct decoding: Yes / Two second gap: No / Write CD-Text: Yes
Use playback settings: No / Normalization: None
My system is as up-to-date as can be according to Microsoft -- I've installed all the updates they had available at least about a week ago. Also, the general instability with MJ 8 and MC 9 I have experienced on this machine, my machine at work (also running Win98SE, but only 350 mhz) and to a lesser extent on the WinXP machine that is my roommate's.
If you see something off that I can fix on my end, I'd be thrilled. I think MC 9 is an excellent program and I'm very frustrated by the instability.
Thanks.