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[druid]

I'm sorry about the title, I wasn't sure how else to phrase it.

I keep all my music on a portable drive (and yes I keep it backed up elsewhere , so don't worry!).  Sometimes I may not have the drive connected, but I may use Media Jukebox to playback certain audio files not relating to my music collection.  Preferably, I'd like to have auto-import on.  I also like it to remove from the library files I delete, because I do sometimes delete music files.

So; drive is connected, auto-import runs, updates, everything is good.
But when I disconnect my drive, then run MJ, what happens internally?  Does it remove all files from the audio library?  What about ratings etc. that are stored in the library only, not in the files?  What happens if I let MJ complete auto-import, close it, reconnect my drive, and run MU again?

I'd like to know more about this process.  I'm hoping that MJ might .. well .. maybe if if finds files and subdirectories missing, it adjusts, but if it actually can't find the directory/s added to auto-import from, it assumes it's disconnected unless told otherwise, and doesn't automatically edit library information to do with that directory.

[StFeder]

In the past I had to do a DJ-Job at a big ballroom event. I got the music I needed on CDs, ripped them to an external drive, setup a clean windows-system, imported everything to MC and tagged all the files. After doing so, I did a backup. I went to the dancehall and set up my system. Everything fine. It should start the next day at 10 o'clock in the morning (I never got how to use am/pm...). It would have been enough to be there 15 minutes earlier, but I thought it would be good to be there an hour before. For my luck: the library was cleared and I took me even more than half an hour to figure out why.

To answer your question:
It’s no problem to have MediaCenter(MC)/MediaJukebox(MJ) managing files on an external drive. But there is one option you have to set. If you sometimes start MC/MJ without your external drive connected you must set the option under Tools -> Options -> Library & Folders -> Fix broken links: to No. If you don’t do this, you need a backup, because MC/MJ deletes all library entries for files it cannot find eg. files stored on your disconnected external drive.

This setting is not compatible to this:

I also like it to remove from the library files I delete, because I do sometimes delete music files.

Maybe there is a smartlist which can help to detect lost files...?!

[druid]

Well, I accidentally found something in the help file:

If  some files are on a network or removable media, select Yes (protect network files). This ensures that when you lose the connection to the network or remove your disk, the files are not removed from the database.

Now this interests me!  How does this work?  What about my case?  How does MJ/MC know what is stored on a removable device, and what is not?  This might help me determine if I can leave auto-import on or off!

[Alex B]

I think it checks the root of the file location. If the root is not accessible it will not touch the files. It should work fine with network locations and removable drives.

You can create a fresh library backup file and test how it works. If it didn't work correctly you can restore the backup file. (Alternatively you can create a cloned copy of your library with Library Manager.)
Please report how it went.

[druid]

Aha!  I should've thought of backing it up and testing it.  Sorry for the large delay; I have had glandular fever which has prevented me being capable of using almost anything at all, let alone a computer.

I took the drive off, ran MJ with auto-import in background off, but I explicitly ran the auto-import now function.  It updated 0 files.  You are right.  This is exactly what I was hoping for; to not have it update unless it actually WAS connected and could be read first, or .. you know, something like that.

Wonderful, thanks.  That is one fear allayed.    (I think allayed is the right word...)