FYI, I removed over 3000 normally hidden database files, which were previously deleted from the main library, without any problems.
I guess the deleted files will never get removed from the database automatically if the cleaning functions in the import dialog are not used.
I made some smartlists for making the manual cleaning easier in the future:
- a playlist group named DBs and into it:
- a smartlist named DB Main, uses ~d=m
- a smartlist named DB CD, uses ~d=c
- a smartlist named DB Playing Now, uses ~d=t
- a smartlist named DB Explorer, uses ~d=e
- a smartlist named DB Delete, uses ~d=a and an exclusion of the other DB smartlists: "Not Playlist: DB Main, DB CD, DB Playing Now, DB Explorer".
The playlist group DBs shows all files in the library including the normally hidden files and the DB Delete smartlist shows the files that can be safely deleted.
One question though, what is the purpose of the Explorer database? It seems to be empty all the time.
EDIT
I think I got it. The Explorer database keeps information about the files that have been browsed with Drives & Devices during the current MC session. This db gets cleared on exit/restart (except the browsed files that are in the Playing Now).
EDIT 2 (3/2007)
My current "DB delete" rule looks like this:
DB: All Not Playlist: DB Main, DB CD, DB Playing Now, DB Explorer Not Genre: Podcast
The actual "edit by typing" code is this:
~d=a -playlistid==1000064206,=675452638,=830687242,=883564058,=596886313 -[Genre]=[Podcast]
I addded the "podcast exclusion" because I want MC to keep track of the deleted podcasts. The numbers are references that MC uses internally.