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[Rizlaw]

I have two computers which independently run MC11. Computer 1 is my main computer and the one I use to rip and listen to all my music.  Computer 2 is a backup computer for all my music and used for music listening on an occassional basis. Up to this point, any new music and cover art added to Computer 1,is copied, over my network, to the appropriate MC11 folders on Computer 2. After the copying is completed, I open MC11 on Computer 2 and run File>Library>Import Media to update the MC11 database on Computer 2.

I just purchased "SureSynch", a program that can mantain file sychronization between multiple computers on a realtime basis. The link for anyone interested is http://softwarepursuits.com/suresync/suresync.htm .  It works great, however, while I can set up SureSynch to copy all of the new music tracks and cover art to my second computer, I am still left with the task of running "Import media" on the second computer so that Computer 2's MC11 database logs all the new music and cover art.

So my question is this: can I copy any additional files from Computer 1's MC11 installation to the MC11 installation on Computer 2, which would eliminate the need to run "Import Media" on Computer 2's MC11 installation?

Put differently, in which files does MC11 maintain the active database information for all of the links to the music and cover art, AND can these files be copied to Computer 2's MC11 installation to make BOTH MC11 programs see the idential information?

If anyone knows the answers, I really would appreciate info on which additional files I need to copy over to Computer 2. Thanks.

[jgreen]

I can point you to the authorities on this, and add some (typically) incomplete info.

For getting your second MC to auto import the synch tracks, KingSparta has a plugin that efforts along this line, I'm not sure how it performs.  That and his other excellent plugins are linked under the third party plugins forum.

To hand-carry a library from one machine to another, select file / library / backup library, and back your best library up to the second machine, somewhere you can find it.  It's a ZIP file.  Follow the path to see where MC defaults it.  Presumeably, suresynch would do the same thing automatically, and you would just go to the destination machine and select "restore library" where you had previously selected "backup library".

Marko has posted his own system for syncing libraries, and if you search his stuff you'll also find the registry keys that MC sets for the GUI, so that you can synch / backup that also, should you wish.

[Rizlaw]

Thanks JGreen for your reply.

But, what I am trying to do is use "SureSych" to copy all of the necessary MC11 files from my master computer to my backup computer. I have no problem with copying the cover art files and music files. I also have no problem copying the backup library file from the master computer to the backup computer.

My problem (and question) relates to getting the backup computer to recognize all of the new music files and cover art files that I have added without having to manually start MC11 on the backup computer and execute an Import Media command to have MC11 search for all the newly added music and cover art to the backup computer. Or, alternatively, importing the backup library file from the master computer's MC11 installation to the MC11 installation on  the backup computer.

It is my assumption (and I could very well be wrong about this) that it should just be a matter of copying over additional files from the master computer's MC11 directory(ies) to the identical MC11 directories on the backup computer and thereby replacing the backup computer's MC11 data files with the newer files from the master computer's MC11 folder(s). The question is, what are those additional files?

I hope I am making myself clear about this.  I'm not certain that I need any registry entries copied over.

[jgreen]

I'm pretty sure we're in synch on this, Rizlaw, but since most of the info is from others, I'm going to let you stew on it until they jump in here.  The bit about Reg files was my own, irrelevant addendum.

I'm re-reading your post and I can't figure out what else you're looking for.  The backup file IS the library, and the most direct way of synching your new tracks, that I know of.   The one fly that I can see is if the library path is machine-specific?  Is that the snag?

[JimH]

You'd need all the .jmd files from MC's library, wherever you've stored it.

And the files would need to be on the same drive (C: for example).

It might work but the registry settings would be different and so your configuration would need to be as close as possible on both machines.

[jgreen]

Aha!!  Registry settings!!

[Marty3d]

Hm...could it be that you're looking for a function that monitors your music folder for new files and add them automatically, like in WMP10? I think KingSparta has made such a plugin, don't know though how it works...

[Rizlaw]

I'm pretty sure we're in synch on this, Rizlaw, but since most of the info is from others, I'm going to let you stew on it until they jump in here.  The bit about Reg files was my own, irrelevant addendum.

I'm re-reading your post and I can't figure out what else you're looking for.  The backup file IS the library, and the most direct way of synching your new tracks, that I know of.   The one fly that I can see is if the library path is machine-specific?  Is that the snag?

I realize that the backup library file is/was the MC11 library at the moment in time the backup was made. I'm just trying to avoid the manual process of opening MC11 on the backup computer to import the "backup library file" from my master computer to the backup computer.  It just seems to me that I should be able to make a mirrior image of all the MC11 data files on my master computer on my backup computer using a file synchronization program like "SureSynch".

[jgreen]

Rizlaw--
You're right, and you helped me learn something, a nearly impossible task at my age.

The CURRENT MC library is stored in "Documents and settings / (Your Login Account) /  Application Data / J River / Media Center 11 / Library / . . .

Set your synch program to take everything under "library", and you should be good to go.  Thank you to JimH for pointing the way (.jmd files).

[Rizlaw]

You'd need all the .jmd files from MC's library, wherever you've stored it.

And the files would need to be on the same drive (C: for example).

It might work but the registry settings would be different and so your configuration would need to be as close as possible on both machines.

JimH,

Thank you for the info. I have two more question regarding your post.

1. If the C drives of both computers have the same path structure for the MC Library files C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Application Data\J River\Media Center 11\Library, what is the liklihood that the Registry settings on both computers would be different enough to cause a problem running MC11 on my backup computer after I have copied all of the MC11 ".jmd" files from the master computer to the backup computer?

2. With regard to the ".jmd" files located at C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Application Data\J River\Media Center 11\Library, should the subfolders under the "Library" folder, "Cache" and "Logs" also be copied with their contents?

[JimH]

On 1, I don't know.  You'll know more than I do the first time you try it.

On 2, those shouldn't be needed.

[Rizlaw]

On 1, I don't know.  You'll know more than I do the first time you try it.

On 2, those shouldn't be needed.

Thanks Jim,

I should be ready to try this is a day or so. I will report the results.

[Bill Kearney]

1. If the C drives of both computers have the same path structure for the MC Library files C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Application Data\J River\Media Center 11\Library, what is the liklihood that the Registry settings on both computers would be different enough to cause a problem running MC11 on my backup computer after I have copied all of the MC11 ".jmd" files from the master computer to the backup computer?

If you're using a profile folder then how about using this form instead:

Code: [Select]

%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\J River\Media Center 11\Library
That should be transportable across different setups.  It might require digging into the registry to convince MC11 to use that path instead of the drive letter based one.

[Rizlaw]

For those interested, I promised I would report back on my efforts to synchronize MC11 media files and cover art from my master computer to my backup computers. My reason for doing this is explained in my earlier posts above.

I can report, that it works. I used SureSync (my new favorite file synchronization program).  I synchronized the following files/folders on my source computer:

1)  C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Application Data\J River\Media Center 11\Library\*.*

2)  C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Application Data\J River\Media Center 11\Library Backups\*.*

3)  C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 11\Data\Cover Art\*.*

4)  E:\Classical\*.*       [including all subfolders]

5)  E:\Pop\*.*              [including all subfolders]

6)  E:\Soundtracks\*.*   [including all subfolders]

with the corresponding destination directories on each backup computer. Note that the drive letter and file paths for items "1", "2" and "3" are identical on all computers.  The drive letter for items "4", "5" and "6" are not identical, although the path folder names are identical.

Since the drive letters for the music files (items 4, 5 and 6) were not the same, I had to use Media Center's "Library > Find & Replace" function to replace all instances of "E:" with the appropriate drive letter on the destination computers (i.e., "L:"). It took awhile for 16,369 tags to be changed. Other than that, everything else worked fine. The MC database on the destination computers found all the  mp3 and ape files and all the cover art associated with the music files.  Had my source and destination computers used the same drive letter for the music files, I wouldn't have had to do a thing to any of the destination computers MC11 databases. A total of 16,369 files (150+ GB) were transferred using SureSync.

One final note. Today, Microsoft release a FREE file synchronization utility called SyncToy. It's not as feature rich as "SureSync", but it is free and it does work.  You can find it here: http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Microsoft_SyncToy/1123084172/1