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[tony22]

How do I keep MC18 from automatically updating the time and date on my album folders? I have all my music on a NAS and have periodic backup routines to a separate backup drive. I tested importing a couple of albums and noticed that after reading them into MC18 the folder timestamp changed. this will mess up my backup routines if I go about importing my entire collection. How do I stop this from happening?

[MrC]

Folder timestamps change by Windows through the act of:

   - modifying, deleting, or adding a new file to the folder
   - renaming a contained file

MC might do any of the following, which would trigger folder timestamp changes:

   - add cover art
   - add or update the media's tags (file modification)
   - add or modify sidecar files

You can disable tag writing, audio analysis, and downloading cover art, but this changes the way MC behaves in several suboptimal ways.

As an aside, your backup program should not be concerned with folder timestamps.  It might use those to interrogate files in the folder tree, but as the basis for making decisions, it is flawed.  File timestamps, size, and content differences must be examined.  Maybe a better backup program or technique is required?

[tony22]

Folder timestamps change by Windows through the act of:

   - modifying, deleting, or adding a new file to the folder
   - renaming a contained file

None of which was done by MC18 when I added the folders to the Audio library, yet MC18 changed the timestamp of the folder. I already have the options which modify contents (including embedding cover art) disabled. I complained back in MC17 that the default options for MC should be to not touch anything on the music drive. It should be considered sacrosanct. The user should choose to utilize an option which would alter the content of his or her precious music files.

My backup strategy is driven by what is available through my NAS. It is, IMO, irrelevant. What I find to be a real issue is an otherwise great program defaulting to alter the content of the very files/drives which should be left alone at all costs... unless the user chooses to change that behavior. Every other music server program I've used manages to do its job leaving my source untouched. This is the one thing about MC that I do not agree with. As I said, it is otherwise a great program.

[MrC]

Mount the filesystem read-only then.

[tony22]

Yes, I had considered that after I saw what happened. I guess if I can't change the MC behavior it's what I'll have to do.

[MrC]

So I just went and tested this to remove any uncertainty or doubt.

I set all timestamps on files and folders to 1/1/2013 12:01pm (see Timestamps.jpg).

I disabled all the relevant options (see Import Options.jpg), and configured the test music folder tree.

After import, no time stamps were affected - they are all exactly the same as I set them.

(free music from Starbucks, btw).

[tony22]

I believe what you've got there, but I have no way to explain what I'm seeing here. I have nothing else accessing my music drive. When I did the import into MC18 it was with the same options you have, after it was done the folder timestamps changed to the moment the import was done and the files in those folders retained their original timestamps.  ?

[MrC]

Antivirus software?  Some create alternate file streams to support faster scanning times (such as Kaspersky).

I suppose you'll have to create some test cases to figure this out.  Speculation followed by blame might be dismissed by the devs...

[tony22]

Agree. I'll have to look at this some more.