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[topgunn]

I am using Media Center 11. I initialized my main media library and selected an alternate location for the library files.  No problem.  I added multiple thousands of mp3 files to the library. Again, no problem.  However, now I have lost the library completely on two different occasions. This is getting unbearable. 
All I have done is to exit Media Center when the library was active but when I was playing tunes from an alternate drive on the computer, not from the active library.  Later when I restart Media Center the library is gone.  I have had this same library initialized three times now.  When I am listening to it and decide to exit the program I have no problem, the library is right there when I return.  However, as I said earlier, if I am listening to songs found not in the library but on a disk on the computer and I exit from the program directly from the "Playing Now" window, the library is gone when I return!  What gives with that? Am I doing something wrong? I can't figure out how I could be erasing the library.

[JimH]

Can you explain a little more about your setup?

Two PC's?  How are you sharing?  Media Server?

Are you saying the MP3 files disappeared?  Or just MC's database?

If you have a library of files open on one PC, but you're also opening it from another PC at the same time by using Windows networking, that could definitely cause problems, but that's not a recommended use.

Please copy your system info from MC Help and paste it here.

[topgunn]

System Info is:

Media Center Registered 11.0.314 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 11\

Microsoft Windows XP 5.1 Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
AMD Unknown 799 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 915 MB, Free - 567 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2900.2180 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158) / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2900.2713 (xpsp_sp2_gdr.050702-1513) / Shell32.dll: 6.00.2900.2620 (xpsp_sp2_gdr.050225-1820) / wnaspi32.dll: N/A
Ripping /   Drive E:   Mode:Normal  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: No /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
  Eject after ripping: Yes /  Play sound after ripping: No 

Burning /  Drive E: HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GCA-4080N   Addr: 1:0:0  Speed:24  MaxSpeed:24  BurnProof:Yes
  Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: Yes
  Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None

Sorry if I wasn't clear before, I am not using two machines on a network.  Only the library files are affected not the mp3 files.  When the library was created it allows for designation of the location for the library files. I designated as the location my USB2.0 large hard drive, the drive on which the mp3 files are located. I use a laptop and want the mp3 files and library files on an external drive.  I have lost other laptop hard drives in the past and feel my files are more secure remaining on the USB external drive.  This also provides the convenience of moving my library and files to another computer easily.

Thank You for your interest.

By the way the processor section of the system info says the processor is an AMD unknown.  The processor in this laptop is an AMD Turion, a 64 bit mobile processor operating at 1.6Ghz..

[hit_ny]

All I have done is to exit Media Center when the library was active but when I was playing tunes from an alternate drive on the computer, not from the active library.  Later when I restart Media Center the library is gone. 

Since you are using a USB drive to store the library, is the drive letter fixed when you connect back to it ? If it changes then MC won't know where the library is.

Also is  that library set to be the default ?
File->Library->Library Manager shows the library with a yellow arrow to the left.

if you use windows explorer to browse to where the library is designated, do you see the library files ? search for files with the extn .jmd

The interesting thing in your scenario is that you have designated the main library to be stored externally. The default location for the library is
<win-drive>:\Documents and settings\<user>\Application Data\J River\MEdia Center 11\Library

But i don't think it makes a difference where a library is located provided
- MC is aware where its located and it appears at the same location every time.
- is aware what the default library is

[topgunn]

To: hit_ny

Thank You for responding to my inquiry.  In response to your questions, the drive letter for the external USB drive is fixed and is drive F:.  The library definition files are also on the external drive F: and all are present.  I have several libraries and all but the default are defined on the external drive.  When I start MC it attempts to initialize the last opened and active library.

After further experience with this setup I can relate the following.  The problem occurs when the external dirve has not been initiated and hence MC can't find the library files.  This is an error on my part and it is now clear that this is the way this happens.  However, I still feel as though MC needs improvement in this area as externally defined libraries may very well be an important future implementation, what with the explosion in mobile everything.  Let me explain what happens in my scenario...

I start the laptop without the external drives.  Without thinking I start MC and it can not find the library.  It must see that a library of this name has been defined.  I'm thinking this because rather than tell me that no such library exists, which is what I would have expected, it presents the now dreaded import files to your library window.  Apparently it will proceed to redefine and populate the library itself. 

Realizing what I have done I try everything I can think of to correct the situation. First, I initialize the drives, I cancel the import files into the library window and in the menu FILE/Library I select the default library.  It should be defined on C: and be in its pristine condition (i.e. no changes since MC installation).  After that I use the FILE/Library menu to reselect the library on the external drive.  I am doing this in hopes that the internal data structures in MC might be cleared and now with the external drive online MC will be able to find it. No luck.

My next try was to shut everything down, MC, the external drives, the computer, everything.  Then restart.  Only this time I remember to initialize the external drive before starting MC.  To my surprise MC still can't find the library.  Something internal and recorded in the library data structures has logged that this library does not exist.  Not even restarting everything in proper order will not recover the "lost" library.  Up to now the only way to recover the library is to reimport all the files.  This is a real drag when the library contains some three thousand files.  There is one other option and it is my current work around and that is to backup the library with every session and if I goof and start without the library drives initiated, restore the library.

I think that the developers could improve this and make it much more fault tolerant.  After all, in the mobile world, starting your system without all the external drives initiated is not uncommon. Why, if a library has been defined but MC can't find the definition files, doesn't MC simply present an error message which says, "Library not found." and then provide a recovery path.  That would allow for those of us in the mobile computing world who absentmindedly forget to initialize all of our external drives.  Thank You.
 

[Alex B]

I can't reproduce this. If the library files drive is disconnected when starting MC11 naturally the library shows up as empty. However, if I after that connect the drive again before restarting MC the library shows up normally.

Or did you just reconnect the drive without closing MC first? In that case MC probably saved the current situation (= empty library) to the library files when the library location became available.

In case the library files are intact you can delete a broken library entry and add a new library. For the location point to the folder that contains the library files. MC will use the old library files.

[Alex B]

There is one other option and it is my current work around and that is to backup the library with every session and if I goof and start without the library drives initiated, restore the library.

It is a good practice anyway. Sometimes the library can get corrupted if MC hangs abruptly for some reason.

I make backups all the time. Here's how my backup folder looks:



I tend to store several backups because not all mistakes or errors are immediately obvious.