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[jleerigby]

First I removed the 'Store image inside files if possible setting' then I selected about 3200 MP3 files and 'Update Tags From Library'.  MC only managed to update about 1700 of them.  I got a message at the end saying that 1500 files had failed to update and a list of them.  Windows chucked out a message in the sys tray to say that 'Virual memory was minimum too low' and that it was adjusting the size of my paging file.

I have 1GB DDR333 ram and the paging file set to a fixed 1534 MB on the system drive.

I hard booted the PC and continued through the rest of my library but this time only selecting about 1000 files at a time.  After the third selection this message appeared again.

I wonder if it's a memory leak?

Media Center Registered 10.0.64 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\

Microsoft Windows XP 5.1 Service Pack 1 (Build 2600)
AMD Athlon 2146 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 1048 MB, Free - 482 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82 (xpsp1.020828-1920) / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1276 / Shell32.dll: 6.00.2800.1233 (xpsp2.030604-1804) / wnaspi32.dll: 4.71 (0002) , ASPI for Win32         DLL, Copyright © 1989-2002 Adaptec, Inc. / Aspi32.sys: 4.71 (0002)

Ripping /   Drive F:   Copy mode:Normal   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: LITE-ON  LTR-52246S         Addr: 1:0:0  Speed:24  MaxSpeed:52  BurnProof:Yes
  Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: Yes
  Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None

[jleerigby]

The more I try the worse it gets.  Haven't had the windows messages since but each time I do a few hundred files I get some failures.  Have to close and reopen MC between each tag update.

[jleerigby]

My whole PC is running like an absolute dog during and after running this process (the process whereby MC creates a .jpg in the cover art folder from the embedded art).

Page file usage is showing at over 1GB.  Physical RAM available out of 1GB is only about 18KB.

It's a pity because this is a very long drawn out task.  Ideally I'd like to select the whole library and Update Tags from Library and leave it running overnight but I doubt it would run for much more than an hour.

[Marko]

I get that page file warning everytime I reboot and run MC for the first time, usually within 10 minutes of opening it. It is a little frustrating, and after digging around, I've learned there's nothing we can do about (apparently). It's a bug basically.

I have 1gb RAM and a page file set to a minimum of 100 mb and a max of 500 mb.

Media Center Registered 10.0.62 -- C:\Program Files\Media Center\

Microsoft Windows XP 5.1 Service Pack 1 (Build 2600)
AMD Athlon 1606 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 1048 MB, Free - 503 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82 (xpsp1.020828-1920) / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1400 / Shell32.dll: 6.00.2800.1233 (xpsp2.030604-1804) / wnaspi32.dll: 4.71 (0001) , ASPI for Win32 (95/NT) DLL, Copyright © 1989-2002 Adaptec, Inc. / Aspi32.sys: 4.71 (0001)

Ripping /   Drive P:   Copy mode:Normal   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
  Drive Q:   Copy mode:Normal   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
  Drive R:   Copy mode:ModeSecure   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
  Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: No /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
  Eject after ripping: No /  Play sound after ripping: No  

Burning /  Drive Q: TDK      DVDRW0404N         Addr: 2:0:0  Speed:16  MaxSpeed:16  BurnProof:Yes
  Drive R: PLEXTOR  CD-R   PX-W1610A   Addr: 2:1:0  Speed:16  MaxSpeed:16  BurnProof:Yes
  Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: Yes
  Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None

[jleerigby]

Hi Marko.  Yep, that sure sounds like a bug.  

However, I think your page file is set too low for the amount of RAM you have.  The recommendation is 1.5 times.  Also, if you have sufficient HDD space I would apply a custom setting with the min and max values the same.  This stops windows from constantly adjusting it and fragmenting your HDD.

It sounds like MC is hogging memory but I've never really been affected before as I have plenty of RAM and Page file.  I do remember, however, that when I ran a diagnostic with SiSoft Sandra a few months ago Sandra very kindly suggested that I take a look at the Media Jukebox.exe program as it was a big drain on RAM!

[Marko]

ah yes. the old 1.5x rule and the arguments that surround it still rage on. I used to have it fixed for the defrag reasons, and I've also tried letting windows manage it, but seriously, a page file of 1.8 gigs is way too much, especially when there's 600 mb of ram sitting doing nothing.

I run many varied applications here and the only one guaranteed to pop this warning everytime it runs for the first time is MC, and for the record, the pagefile settings have no effect on this anyway, if I were to double the pagefile size it would still pop the warning.

-marko.

[Matt]

MC shouldn't take that much memory.

If it is, something else is wrong.

Try with an empty library and / or no third party plugins.

[jleerigby]

I already tried without any third party plug ins running.  I don't really see how I can replicate the problem with an empty library.  My problem occured when I tried to Update a load of tags from the library.  Because I'd just removed the 'Store inside files if possible' setting MC was trying to create a new jpeg in the cover art folder for all tracks.  I could only do about 1500 files at a time. I sat and watched MC swallow all the physical RAM and then go to town on the PF.  The PF rose gradually to 1.41GB on a selection of 1900 files.  As soon as I closed MC the PF usage and [edit]available used Physical RAM dropped dramatically.

I've done the job of extracting all my cover art from inside files now but it was really painful as i had to do it in manageable chunks and close MC between each chunk.  It would have been great to select the whole library and leave it running.

Maybe you can replicate the problem?

[Matt]

Sorry, JLee.  I was talking about Marko's problem in my last post.

What you saw sounds like the same thing as the old analyze audio crash.  We think there may be a timing-type leak in the MP3 tagging system that causes this.  It's so elusive that we also think it could possibly be a hardware glitch.

[jleerigby]

It's so elusive that we also think it could possibly be a hardware glitch.

Do you have any suggestions on what I could try to prove this one way or another?  Benchmarking?

[JimH]

JLee,
We have chased the audio analysis problem that is similar, but never been able to duplicate it.  I suspect it has something to do with a bug that is triggered by something unusual in an MP3 file -- or something equally obscure.

If we can't reproduce it, we can't fix it.

Jim

[jleerigby]

So have you tried to replicate this particular problem?  I'd be interested to know if I have a hardware problem or if you can replicate what I'm seeing.  To replicate:

Switch off 'Store image inside files if possible'
Select 1500 files with cover art inside file.
Select Update Tags From Library
Open Task Manager and observe Available Physical RAM and PF usage before, during and after the update.

[JimH]

So have you tried to replicate this particular problem?  

No, but we think it's the same problem as audio analysis.  We've done that many times.

Some people could duplicate it.  Many couldn't.