What you mean by "restores"?
File > Library > Restore Library
Also, how are the cover art files named?
Mostly all are named the same as the file itself which is the movie title.
Do you use a certain system or is the filename more or less arbitrary?
No system yet.
With a video file the actual cover art file is not used much. MC creates a cached thumbnail image for display purposes and this is used in MC's thumbnail views.
I think i undertand, i have noticed the duplicates being created and named in numbers. Im assuming these are the images that MC is actually using. After the restores failed I switched the default setting to my speciified location; as displayed below.
I suspect your thumbnail cache was modified or cleared. Did you load a different library before the restore?
Yes i beleive i may have once or twice.
To be safe in the future, you should back up both your library and your thumbnail cache.
How do you backup your thumbnail cache?
How do you store the movie files?
I have all movie files in 1 sinlge folder on my external HDD, all movie covers in 1 single seperate folder.
Here is a rough example of how i would like my library/view setup:
I forgot to mention with my original 'full restore' some, not many (roughly 5%) of the images were linked to the wrong file/movie. After trying the same restore 2-3 times later almost every movie/file was displaying the wrong cover/art.
I have been testing the Library Backup/Restore again tonight. I attached roughly 20 images using the same procedure and it seems to be effectively restoring 95% correctly, with the reamining 5% showing up as wrong images/cover art.
For example: the movie '6th Day' is linked to the image of the movie '300'. When i fix the error by switching the image to the correct one and then > File > Library > Backup, then Library > Restore the images are switched now the movie '300' displaying the image of the movie '6th day'. As seen in the above image. Upon further inspection i have discovered MC is saving over the thumbnails with the other different image.
For example: when i attach the cover art for the movie '300' MC autosaves its own duplicate (file name - 4_22_2007) in my specified folder. Then when i attach cover art for the movie '6th day' MC autosaves its own duplciate with the same file over the cover art for the movie '300'. This is why MC cant save the two seperate cover art images. The same error seems to be occuring with the remaining 5%.
Not sure why it only happens with a select few, what would you suggest?
Thanks for your quick resonses and help, i work long hours and may not be able to reply until next weekend.
Cheers
Baker