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[MusicHawk]

I'm trying MC's portable mode. I installed MC 12.0.451 on a portable USB drive. Then I copied music files from my home PC to the USB drive, then connected the drive to a laptop that is mounted in a motorhome. I imported the music files into the portable MC, and... it works!

But...

I got duplicate listings of every file in the library. I copied all the desired music files, about 90mb worth, to the drive on my main MC PC, then moved the drive to the laptop, started MC, and told it to Import the files. It did, except every file is listed TWICE in the library. No duplicate files, just duplicate entries -- no idea why, and I haven't found a way to delete the many thousands of dupe database records. What I'll do next time is delete the library and reimport, but it would be good to understand why this happened, and if there's any less-drastic way to remove dupes from the database without affecting the actual files.

On the wish list:

A way to copy the desired music files IN THEIR FOLDERS to the portable drive via a library or smartlist or view or selection option. (I hope this is not a capability I overlooked; Library > Copy Disk File doesn't also copy paths.) I need selective music file copying because my library is much, much larger than the stuff I actually want to listen to in portable mode, and too large to all fit on a portable USB drive. And, I can't put all the copied files into one folder because among the many thousands there will be filename conflicts (I tried). So, how to get ONLY the desired files copied, in their folders? I came up with a folder\filename rename from properties scheme that let me manually select what I want at the folder level, a combination of genre+rating. By copying folders and files as a set I avoid any filename conflicts; the new portable library is identical to the main MC library, just smaller. Then I put this folder list into backup software to automate updating of the portable drive. It works, but it relies on using this specific folder structure on my main MC PC. The best solution would be a library or smartlist or view option such as "copy selected files with their folders to destination..."

A way to copy carefully-built view layouts to the portable installation, and update them as they change in the main MC. I suppose I could locate the view definitions in the Registry, copy that branch, then import it into Windows on the portable PC.

A way to copy cover art along with music files, JUST art for the music that are being copied to the portable drive. From prior cover art discussions this is a long-shot, but it would be cool.


OR... I wonder if MC's Portable mode is really the right choice for this situation -- a large library copied to a specific second PC? Would it be "better" (preserving more settings and features?) to have a separate MC installation on the motorhome computer, and SYNC the library across my wi-fi-network before driving away? The laptop's drive is too small for the music files, so they'd still have to live on the external USB drive, so the big difference is ease of maintaining the library. Using MC's portable mode I just have to move the USB drive between the two computers. If I use library sync I'll first I'd have to rig a hop or two of my home wi-fi to get it close enough to connect with the computer that is mounted in the motorhome parked some distance away. It could be done, if library sync is the long-term smart solution. Thoughts?

[Alex B]

Your wish has been granted (actually, a few weeks ago after my consistent requests).

The Rename Files From Properties tool has now a new option:
"Copy to new location and update database to point to new location"

Here is how you can use it:

1. Create a cloned copy of your library with Library Manager.
2. Connect your removable drive.
3. Use the above mentioned tool for copying the files and fixing the database accordingly.
4. Create a library backup file and save it on the same drive.
5. Connect the drive with your laptop. (You need to make sure that both PCs use the same drive letter for the drive.)
6. Restore the library backup file on your laptop.

If the library has excess files that were not copied you can remove them at any stage because it is not your original library (or just move them out from the view with a view scheme rule).

The best thing with this is that the playlists, view schemes and statistics will be fully preserved.

The newly created library is not tied to the portable or standard installation. You can restore the backup file on either type of MC instance.

Unfortunately this system does not handle updates. However, if you have a fast external drive it should not be too slow to completely recreate the copied archive from time to time. If you just want to add a few recent albums you can copy them manually and import on the laptop.

[JimH]

Thanks, Alex.  I added your instructions (with minor edits and my introduction) to the Wiki here:

http://wiki.jrmediacenter.com/index.php/Portable_Drive_Installation