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[stricko]

As in an earlier thread (with no responses), I'm having trouble getting Auto-import to work. MC14 is running on an HTPC, with my media on a server. Server locations (\\server\etc) are included in the auto-import list, and all of the files loaded into the library, and play fine. Both HTPC and server are now running Windows 7.

But, MC14 doesn't seem to want to automatically pick up any changes or additions to the media. I've added audio albums, changed tags, added video, all outside MC14, but nothing seems to trigger auto-import.

In MC14, I have the auto import box ticked, the external changes box ticked, etc etc, but it still doesn't work. BUT if I manually select Auto-import now, hey presto, everything works and the file/tag additions and changes all appear in the database.

So a thought occured to me, is Auto-import in background dependent upon the media server running. In "Tools>options>Startup>windows startup" I have Media Centre 14. Should this be the last option Media Centre 14 and Media Server?

Or any other suggestions would be much appreciated. 

[MrHaugen]

It's not dependent on the Library Server. I've run Auto import since MC11 and have had no problems. If it runs normally when you select the Run Auto Import now, then I'm clueless. Can it be a simple bug in one of the builds?

[Matt]

But, MC14 doesn't seem to want to automatically pick up any changes or additions to the media. I've added audio albums, changed tags, added video, all outside MC14, but nothing seems to trigger auto-import.

Windows doesn't allow monitoring changes on some network drives.  So if your content is on a network server, you may have to manually run the Auto-Import after changes.

[stricko]

Used to work a while back, can't really remember when it stopped. I know at some point in the past I used mapped drives, rather than network addresses.

Typically I've just loaded a new TV episode video from my main PC, and the wife expects to see it the next time she fires the HTPC up. Alternatively is there a way to trigger a Run Auto-import from within Theatre View? More radically, could I run Library server on the Server PC (which would be monitoring it's own drives....) and just use the HTPC as a dumb playback machine. But if I'm using network addresses (to ensure consistency across all the PCs, will the Windows monitoring problem still cause problems? I'll have a ply with some options on my main PC, before messing up the HTPC.

Thanks   

[Matt]

You can start an auto-import with:
Normal: MC14.exe /MCC 23020
Silent: MC14.exe /MCC 23020,1

You can add Theater View buttons to run programs.

You might make a test library on your C:\ drive and watch a single folder there.  See if auto-import works in that case.  My guess is your network drives aren't watchable.  We have a Linux file server here that isn't watchable over the network.

[stricko]

Not much time (or energy) to do testing, but I set up the same folders on my main PC, and MC14 was happily finding changes made externally and applying them to the database. But the changes to the server files were being made from the main PC, so it's not like for like. I'll do some more tomorrow. But thanks for the tip on the external programs, I can think of a few things that will be useful for.....

Paul

[stricko]

OK, I've done some more testing.

Seems like the problem is something to do with how the directories are checked AFTER the HTPC resumes from standby.

(In the examples below, all the changes to media files are made directly on the server, not via the HTPC).

If the HTPC (and MC14) is running when changes are made to media, then they are picked up OK.

If the HTPC is in standby (S3 in my case), and changes are made to media, when the HTPC is resumed, the changes are not picked up, AND, no further changes are picked up, even if the HTPC is running when the changes are made.

If I then run Auto import, the previous changes are picked up, and subsequent changes are picked up automatically.

It's almost as if going into standby, puts the drive and MC14 out of sync and an Auto import is needed to reset it.

Sooooooo

It would be nice to know if this is something that MC14 could do automatically, or whether this is a Windows/networking bug.

NB, in the past I have made a feature request, for there to be some options for how MC behaves after resume from standby. At the time, I wanted just to clear the playing now queue and go back to the Theater View Start menu. Maybe this is something else that could be added if this was ever done. If this has already been done, and I've missed it, I'm going to feel really stupid......

In the meantime I'm going to write a little batch job to run the auto import at resume from standby, and as a button under Theater View. Did I hear someone say belt & braces......   

[Matt]

Interesting information.  Thanks for the testing.

I would expect Windows to nicely restore any waiting handles when resuming from standby.  But it may turn out we need to manually reinitialize folder monitoring after a resume from standby.

[stricko]

Bit of an update. The batch file is working fine from Theatre View. I'm having a bit more trouble with running it after resume from standby. I've tried a couple of approaches suggested elsewhere on the net.

There is a suggestion that you can run a scheduled task triggered by workstation unlock, but this didn't seem to work for me. I've got the default user set (control userpasswords2) and no display of logon after resume, so maybe it thinks the workstation isn't locked at all!!

I'm still playing with the MediaCentre Standby Tool (MST) With a bit of registry editing, you can apparently get jobs to run both at standby and resume.  Not had much luck with this so far, but I've got a thread open on the MST forum

http://www.degroeneknop.nl/forum/index.php/topic,6086.0.html

I keep you posted