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[scatrd]

JRiver Media Player Version 20.
Windows.
Installed on a Portable HDD, as a portable version.

Music installed on the same drive.
Music is located in an iTunes folder on this portable HDD, and the one file is accessed by both iTunes and JRiver.
Bought two new albums today from HD Tracks.
Copy these to the relevant folder structure within iTunes.  Import music into iTunes, play, it works.
Close iTunes.
Open JRiver, and import new albums into JRiver library, and it immediately will not located files.
Using Windows Explorer check files, yes they are still there.
Open iTunes....play these files, no problem.

I have deleted the albums from the JRiver library, and imported them fresh again, for the immediately reoccur.

Never had this issue with JRiver 17, 18, or 19.  Version 20 is not seeing a number of songs that iTunes does.

[marko]

So many lines spring to my fingertips here... I shall resist most of them.

Is iTunes also a portable installation?

From your post, it is unclear Whether or not you have the files in your MC library, but, as you say you removed them and reimported, I guess they must be being added to the library, but playback of said files is the problem, am I correct?

If I am right, then when you have the files in you library, what is being recorded for them in the [filename] tag, and is that recorded filename correct?

I get your frustration, but please, try to relax a little. If you prefer to keep using iTunes, that's fine, let us know and we'll all move along, or if you want, you could work out what the problem is with a little help from the forum, and if it's found to be a bug with MC20, that's reproducible, it'll most likely get fixed and you'll be happy again. Your call.

-marko

[JimH]

I removed the frustrated remarks.

[scatrd]

Firstly my preference is to use JRiver, and the ONLY reason I use iTunes is for syncing the apps, movies, songs, photos and contact/calendar transfer across to the iPhone.

Files are not in the MC Library, they are located on the Portable HDD, but in the iTunes folder structure, such as G:Jason Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\Artists\Album\
I have configured JRiver to locate the music files in the above folder structure, when ripping and when playing.
The recorded filename is correct.
iTunes is not installed as a portable, but I do keep the database file on the portable HDD so that when I use iTunes, at home, at work, or whilst travelling, then the database and media library is always the same.

My music is either purchased on CD, or via HD Tracks.

I did create a log file that is on my work desktop, if you are interested in that.

[scatrd]

Something strange I just noticed.
When you have the curser over the song info it will show Song name, time, file type and file location.

So the filename should be displayed like this:
(Install Drive):\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\+44\When Your Heart Stops Beating\01 Lycanthrope.m4a

For the songs that it does not want to location correctly, (re: will not play or locate) it does this:
G:nstall Drive):\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\28 Days\Upstyle Down\03 Sucker.m4a

It would appear that there is a corruption happening during importing.

[scatrd]

I have mentioned this several times, I am not a fan of forums, and part of me has now figured out why.  It feels impersonal, and I have a perception of a lack of service.  (Please read carefully what I have written there....it is "MY" perception).

[CountryBumkin]

Under Tools>Options>File Locations>Audio - what do you show?
Under Tools>Options>Library & Folders [in the "folders to watch" box] what do you show?
Also, if you open "Explorer" in Media Center (under Drives & Devices) and find the new music, can you right click it and select "import into Library"?

[JimH]

I have mentioned this several times, I am not a fan of forums, and part of me has now figured out why.  It feels impersonal, and I have a perception of a lack of service.  (Please read carefully what I have written there....it is "MY" perception).

Open your mind.  Give it a chance.  You won't be disappointed.

[scatrd]

> Under Tools>Options>File Locations>Audio - what do you show?

G:\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\

> Under Tools>Options>Library & Folders [in the "folders to watch" box] what do you show?

There is no "folders to watch" box
What I do have is a box :Run auto-import in background"
... Configure auto-import...
... Manage Library Fields...

> Also, if you open "Explorer" in Media Center (under Drives & Devices) and find the new music, can you right click it and select "import into Library"?

Yes I can import the file, but it is still making the mistake with the filename as "G:nstall Drive):\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\The Pineapple Thief\Magnolia (Special Edition)\01 Simple As That.m4a"

Also when viewing these songs it is incorrectly naming the file at the front end with "G:nstall Drive):....   where as the files it is correctly playing are "(Install Drive):.....

[scatrd]

Attached is a screen capture file that will show you how it is corrupting the (Install Drive) link in a filename

The album shown here was played in earlier versions and did so without any problem.  Not sure why it corrupted some filenames, and not others??

[glynor]

There is no "folders to watch" box
What I do have is a box :Run auto-import in background"
... Configure auto-import...
... Manage Library Fields...

Click on Configure auto-import, and report on the folders listed.

Once we get that fixed, you'll probably want to select all of the broken files and remove them from the Library.  Then, re-import them.  Somehow those got imported incorrectly.

If that is going to be disastrous for some reason, there are other options, but since I think the import happened relatively recently, it shouldn't matter now.

[scatrd]

Click on Configure auto-import, and report on the folders listed.

There are no folders listed

[glynor]

Click on Configure auto-import, and report on the folders listed.

There are no folders listed

Okay.  I'm not sure how you got those imported in the first place, but something went all sideways.

Can you provide the full path on disk to one of those files, including the drive letter?  Is it G:\etc\etc\etc?

[scatrd]

I didn't import them with version 20.  This was done with an older version, which I think the first version I started with was 17.

Attached is a picture/screen capture and the strange way it is seeing the "Install Drive" when you view it via the "Device and Drivers" "Explore"

[glynor]

I didn't import them with version 20.  This was done with an older version, which I think the first version I started with was 17.

Curiouser and curiouser.

I saw the previous screenshot, and I get generally what is going on.  However... Where did that drive come from and how is it formatted?

[scatrd]

It is the same drive I have been using since Version 18.

However I just tried something a little bit different.
By viewing all the tags in the "Tag" window.
Then in "Filename (path) I edit "G:nstall Drive):\...." to "G:\....." and the song location, and filename corrects itself and is able to be played.

Wierd???

[scatrd]

The portable HDD is a 1TB Toshiba.
Originally it was formatted as NTFS, but this year I reformatted it to FAT32 so that it could be seen by Windows and Mac OS.

Could this be the problem?

[glynor]

When you reformatted, did you do so "in-place" or did you erase it and then restore the contents from a backup?

In place filesystem conversions are dangerous.

[scatrd]

Before formatting I backed up my music library to another drive.

Then formatted the drive, which wiped it (well there was nothing I could re-use on the disk).
Then I copied all the media library back onto the drive.  I had to re-install JRiver, which was version 19.
It all worked fine then.
Update to Version 20, my first install worked ok.  But when I performed the update using MediaCentre200017.exe is when my problems occurred.

[glynor]

By viewing all the tags in the "Tag" window.
Then in "Filename (path) I edit "G:nstall Drive):\...." to "G:\....." and the song location, and filename corrects itself and is able to be played.

Yes.  That's how I was planning to tell you to correct it all along.  Though there is an easier way you can do them in bulk.

You have basically two choices:

1. Fix the existing Library
2. Remove the offending files and re-import them.

Since I now know it is a longstanding, existing Library, I'll assume you want to do #1.

First, before you do anything else, make a Library Backup.

Next, you might be able to restore from a Library Backup (one you made before manually, or one of the automatic ones) from before the issue occurred.  This is likely to be the simplest solution, and the one guaranteed to not cause any issues in the future.  If you know it worked at one point three days ago, there is probably a Library Backup that MC made automatically that you can restore.

When you choose to restore a Library Backup, the drop down lists the current Library Backup location contents, so you can just look there.  You can also browse and locate them on disk manually.  If you didn't change where MC saves them, they should be in your My Documents folder, inside the JRiver folder there.

However, if you don't have this luxury for some reason, you can fix the existing Library using the Find & Replace tool.

I'd do the following:

0. Really, seriously, make the Library Backup.
1. Go to Drives & Devices in the tree, as you've done in the screenshots.  Select the root of the drive (G).
2. Check BOTH the Show Files in Subfolders and Show Only Files In Library boxes in the View Header.
2a. It might help to have that "G:nstall Drive):\" text on your clipboard.  You can edit the Filename tag for one of them and just copy that portion to the clipboard.
3. Select all of the files with Control-A.
4. Right-click and choose Library Tools > Rename, Move, and Copy Files.
5. In the Rename, Move, and Copy Files dialog, choose Update database to point to a new location as the Mode (the dropdown on the upper left).
6. Uncheck both the Directories and Filename boxes.
7. Check the Find & Replace box.
8. In the Find What box type: G:nstall Drive):\
9. In the Replace With box type: G:\

Apply the change.

Next, I'd recommend you also change even the ones that do work, but which are imported as (Install Drive):.  So, with all of the files still selected, go back into the Rename, Move, and Copy Files dialog and then do:

8. In the Find What box type: (Install Drive):\
9. In the Replace With box type: G:\

And apply the change.

That should fix you up.

[glynor]

Update to Version 20, my first install worked ok.  But when I performed the update using MediaCentre200017.exe is when my problems occurred.

Interesting.  You could try to restore the automatic Library Backup from before you updated rather than go through all of that hassle above.

There could be some kind of bug in the current build that doesn't handle those weird (Install Drive) paths properly.  You shouldn't have those anyway, though, especially if you're using an external disk.

One question though... Do you have MC itself installed on the G drive, which I assume is an external drive?  You should not, especially if that C drive is an SSD.  MC can use media stored on the external disk, without itself being installed on the external disk.  The two concepts aren't related.

The only time MC should be installed like that (outside the regular Program Files directory on C) is if you're using a Portable Installation.  If you said that above and I missed it, sorry.  If so, then are you actually using the MC install on multiple computers?

[glynor]

Another tip: FAT32 is much less resilient than NTFS, and is really...  Old and crusty.  It tends to be particularly troublesome with external disks because they're often not unmounted properly, and FAT doesn't like to be unmounted improperly.  The issue itself could be caused by corruption on the FAT32 volume, especially if you have your Library files stored on the external disk.

(Note: Also don't do that.)

You might have much better luck if you reformat that disk (again) to NTFS and use software on your Mac to allow it to read-and-write NTFS.  I do this on my Macs with essentially all of my external disks.  NTFS is a much better filesystem than even the default Mac HFS+ filesystem, in most ways (CoreStorage is cool, HFS+ is a crusty pile of hacks ontop of hacks), and is miles ahead of FAT32.  I realize it'll be a pain to reformat and do it all again, but you might be much happier in the end.

I use Paragon Software's NTFS for Mac OSX.  It is absurdly cheap, hardly ever needs updates, and It Just Works.  NTFS disks show up and work just like HFS+ formatted disks (and can even be handled, and repaired if needed, in the regular OSX Disk Utility application).  Strongly recommended product.

[scatrd]

2. Check BOTH the Show Files in Subfolders and Show Only Files In Library boxes in the View Header.

When I check "Show Files In Subfolders" it goes into working...and I am waiting, waiting, waiting.
If I check "Show Only Files In Library"  then it doesn't see the drive at all

[scatrd]

I use Paragon Software's NTFS for Mac OSX.  It is absurdly cheap, hardly ever needs updates, and It Just Works.  NTFS disks show up and work just like HFS+ formatted disks (and can even be handled, and repaired if needed, in the regular OSX Disk Utility application).  Strongly recommended product.

Thank you for this tip, I wasn't aware such a thing existed.

[scatrd]

JRiver is installed as a "portable" on the Portable HDD.  This same portable HDD has my library on it.  Along with the iTunes database file.

[scatrd]

How is this for WEIRD!

Going through to the "Rename, Move, & Copy Files"
checking Find and Replace.
Find what "G:nstall Drive):\iTunes"
Replace with "G:\iTunes"

and this is what it details
Original "G:nstall Drive):\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\Artist\Album\Song"
New "G:\nstall Drive)_\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\Artist\Album\Song"

So for now I won't be doing that.
Also going through 12,954 songs to find the ones that got their path name corrupted it no small task

[glynor]

JRiver is installed as a "portable" on the Portable HDD.  This same portable HDD has my library on it.  Along with the iTunes database file.

You probably shouldn't be doing this, and it is especially dangerous on a FAT32 volume.

Why are you doing this?

Bear in mind... I don't care at all about where the media files are stored.  I care about:

* Why MC itself needs to be installed as a portable install on the disk.
* Why the Library (the database, not the media files) needs to be stored on the disk.

The portable MC functionality is designed to be a handy accessory to your "real" installation on the computer (which is required to even make and license the portable copy).  I get that you're sharing it with an iTunes installation on a Mac, and switching it back and forth between those computers, but why does MC need to be a portable copy?

Are you using MC on different Windows computers, where it isn't otherwise installed already (and where you can't just install it normally)?

[glynor]

Going through to the "Rename, Move, & Copy Files"
checking Find and Replace.
Find what "G:nstall Drive):\iTunes"
Replace with "G:\iTunes"

and this is what it details
Original "G:nstall Drive):\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\Artist\Album\Song"
New "G:\nstall Drive)_\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\Artist\Album\Song"

Take a screenshot of this please.

[glynor]

When I check "Show Files In Subfolders" it goes into working...and I am waiting, waiting, waiting.
If I check "Show Only Files In Library"  then it doesn't see the drive at all

You need to do both of these for it to work.

Show Only Files in Library will hide any irrelevant files that MC hasn't imported.  That's what you want.  You can't re-tag files that aren't imported.  If you check this, with the root selected and Show Files in Subfolders disabled then it is expected that it would show no files at all.

Show Files in Subfolders under Drives & Devices may take a VERY long time to show all of the results, especially with a large, slow, external disk.  The Drives & Devices part of the tree doesn't use MC's fast internal database in the same way, but actually browses the files on the disk itself.  But, in this case, that's the easiest way to get a view that shows all of your files.

Then, the Find & Replace thing should work, if you get it all set right.  Certainly use the preview, though.  If the preview is wrong, then don't apply it.  It wouldn't be a terrible idea to select just a few broken ones and try to fix them first, before you do it en masse.

[glynor]

I do think, however, you should probably heed this:

Next, you might be able to restore from a Library Backup (one you made before manually, or one of the automatic ones) from before the issue occurred.  This is likely to be the simplest solution, and the one guaranteed to not cause any issues in the future.  If you know it worked at one point three days ago, there is probably a Library Backup that MC made automatically that you can restore.

The only problem is that I don't know if the portable version makes automatic Library Backups, or where they'd be stored.

After you get restored back to a working Library, I'd strongly consider still fixing the way those files were imported.  But I don't know what got the Library into that corrupted state, and the results you got in the Rename, Move, and Copy Tool are worrying (unless there was a typo or something unexpected in there).

[RoderickGI]

How is this for WEIRD!

Going through to the "Rename, Move, & Copy Files"
checking Find and Replace.
Find what "G:nstall Drive):\iTunes"
Replace with "G:\iTunes"

and this is what it details
Original "G:nstall Drive):\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\Artist\Album\Song"
New "G:\nstall Drive)_\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music\Artist\Album\Song"

So for now I won't be doing that.
Also going through 12,954 songs to find the ones that got their path name corrupted it no small task

I think you put too much information in your Find and Replace. Try just putting in exactly this:

Find what "nstall Drive):\"
Replace with "\"


EDIT:
In case you want to know why;
It looks like MC has automatically put a "\" in after the "G:", as it knows that a \ is required after a drive letter and colon.
Then MC has decided that everything after a drive letter, colon, and a \ must be a subdirectory name, so it thinks "nstall Drive):" is a subdirectory name. MC automatically replaces a ":" in a subdirectory name to a "_" as a colon is an invalid character in a subdirectory name.

I suspect that the original insertion of "(Install Drive)" into the location name is something to do with the portable installation, which possibly got messed up by a change in the way it is handled in MC20. Or an oversight by a programmer, who forgot to allow for this feature. After all, if you are using a Portable Installation, and just plugging the drive into any computer to run MC, then the drive letter for both the application and the media will change on every computer it plugs into. Using "(Install Drive)" instead of a drive letter makes more sense in that sort of installation.

[glynor]

I think you put too much information in your Find and Replace. Try just putting in exactly this:

Find what "nstall Drive):\"
Replace with "\"


EDIT:
In case you want to know why;
It looks like MC has automatically put a "\" in after the "G:", as it knows that a \ is required after a drive letter and colon.
Then MC has decided that everything after a drive letter, colon, and a \ must be a subdirectory name, so it thinks "nstall Drive):" is a subdirectory name. MC automatically replaces a ":" in a subdirectory name to a "_" as a colon is an invalid character in a subdirectory name.

I suspect that the original insertion of "(Install Drive)" into the location name is something to do with the portable installation, which possibly got messed up by a change in the way it is handled in MC20. Or an oversight by a programmer, who forgot to allow for this feature. After all, if you are using a Portable Installation, and just plugging the drive into any computer to run MC, then the drive letter for both the application and the media will change on every computer it plugs into. Using "(Install Drive)" instead of a drive letter makes more sense in that sort of installation.

Aha!

That explains basically all of it.

I think: You're using a copy of MC with a Library that was previously a portable install, but is now installed "normally" on the computer (perhaps on the G drive, but not installed as a Portable copy).

To be clear, to make a portable install you must:

1. Install MC20 normally on the computer.  This should almost always be on your C drive in your normal Program Files directory.  Even if you have an SSD and are worried about space, MC's install footprint is quite small in Program Files.

2. Get it licensed and working.

3. Now, run the installer again and install this time by selecting Custom Setup type, and then Portable install.

4. Now you can choose to install it to a USB drive or whatever.

I think you messed up somewhere in this process when installing MC20.

Also, see?  By this very process you can see that it is intended to be an auxiliary copy of MC.  The best use of MC's Portable installation system is something like this:

* Put a copy of MC in Portable mode on a USB thumb drive.
* Set up that same Thumb Drive as a Handheld in your "real" copy of MC, and you can sync a portion of your Library to the drive (and auto-convert them to smaller MP3s or whatever, and have Smartlists that shuffle the selection).
* Set up the Portable copy of MC's Auto-Import to import the files on the disk, so that it updates itself when the files on the disk change as you re-sync periodically.
* Now you can take that drive and plug it into anyone's Windows computer (visiting your parents, at your friend's house, whatever) and you can still use it.

If you're using it to swap back and forth between two Windows computers that you own and control, then that's not the best use of a Portable install, and there would be much better ways to solve your problem.

[scatrd]

On my main PC there is a working copy of MC20 installed, did this first.
Then I installed MC20 on the portable HDD (where my music library is kept).  It updated from a previous version.
I use this portable to play music at work, home, travel, on the entertainment PC.

[scatrd]

Thank you everyone for all your help, input and advice.

What is obvious is that there is something not right here, especially when in previous versions I did not have ANY of these problems.
My problems are still not solved, and this morning (here in Australia) I have already spent a couple of hours trying to get one album to correctly see it.
Manually entering the information is still not fixing it, but creating another set of problems (adding a suffix this time of "(1)" ) and yet the filename remains unchanged on the drive.

As I keep going back to, version 19 and I had NONE of these problems.  And even with all the help above, no solution.
Right now I am not sure about any of this, it is just so damned frustrating (yes I am not happy).

My reasoning for having MC installed as a "portable" install on the same portable HDD as my library was that it kept everything together.  You can tell MC to backup the "library file" to the same partable HDD, thus keeping it all in one place.  And as I pointed out above, it did this fine until the latest release.

[RoderickGI]

All I can suggest from here is to post your problem in the MC 20.0.20 thread as a possible bug, with a link to this thread. Maybe that will lead to a solution.

Hopefully you can in the mean time get back to a working version 19 using a database backup.

[glynor]

It is certainly possible that something is broken in the portable installation with the latest builds.

If you are using the portable install with multiple PCs, then that's an entirely reasonable use.  What I was concerned about is this "reason":

My reasoning for having MC installed as a "portable" install on the same portable HDD as my library was that it kept everything together.

Keeping it all together isn't a good reason, especially since it will perform so much more poorly when set up in that manner, if you aren't actually using it as a true "portable".  In fact, there are good reasons NOT to keep it all together (lose one drive, lose it all).

If you are, then nevermind.

[glynor]

Since you have an installation of MC19 that is still working, can you make a backup of the Library there, and restore it into the MC20 installation to see if it corrects the issue?

[astromo]

I've been away from home for a week and I loaded up MC20.0.020 to my external, NTFS formatted, 1TB, WesternDigital external HDD.

I'm seeing a similar problem to that described by scatrd. For the record, the WD HDD hasn't been anywhere near iTunes. I'm still able to play music based on the library already set up previously.

Without knowledge of this thread, I thought I'd force an import and then all these broken links showed as described above, with a directory link showing as:

• X:nstall Drive):

where X is the relevant drive letter.

I then cleared the library and ran import. Broken links everywhere with the good old "No Entry" sign. Nothing would play. Cleared the library and restored the old library so I could listen to my tunes. Auto-import ran in the background and started registering broken links but at least the original library files were functional.

Checked some new music using MC19.0.158 and it imported and played back fine.

I'll take the drive home and grab MC20.0.021 and see if that makes a difference.

[BartMan01]

Maybe I missed it but what EXACTLY is the volume name of the external drive?  Is it truly "(Install Drive)", or something else?  If so, I would suspect the use of () to start and end your volume name.  Something is probably getting triggered by that.  If that is your volume name, try renaming it without any special characters (or spaces) and see if that fixes things.

[glynor]

That's a special path used only in Portable Installs. It confused me at first too because I haven't used a Portable Install in a long time.

[Matt]

Next build:
Fixed: Drives were importing incorrectly on a Portable Install.

[RoderickGI]

Next build:
Fixed: Drives were importing incorrectly on a Portable Install.

Way to go Matt!

Scatrd, hopefully you have got back to your working MC19, and when the fix comes out in MC20 you will be able to upgrade successfully.

[marko]

and if it's found to be a bug with MC20, that's reproducible, it'll most likely get fixed and you'll be happy again.

and that's how it works. You're looking for build 20.0.22 or later for the fix. Keep an eye on the release threads at the top of this forum. New releases are always available here a bit before the builds on the main download page.

-marko

[scatrd]

Thanks heaps for the update.  At least now I know I am not going mad

I will try my best to explain what I would like to do, and if there is a better way that you can suggest, then I am all ears.

I use my library on two different desktops, both Windows (one 7, the other 8.1).  One is at home, the other is at work.  I have a USB DAC on each of these PC's.
Ocassionally I use it on a third PC, which is at home.  This is unlikely to happen again as the receiver has network DLNA so I am able to use that (only learnt how on the weekend).

As I like to play through my library, by play count (or number of plays).  Working my way through all my music, using it as my own personal radio where repeats don't happen.
So I was using Portable Install so as to keep the library database with my music library, thus keeping it upto date wherever I would play my library.

Does this make sense?
and do you have a suggestion on a better way to do this?

As a side note.  Yes my library is on a Portable HDD, but I do back this up to another portable hdd, which is kept at home as a backup.  Thus if my drive fails, or is lost, I have not lost my music.

[RoderickGI]

The fix is in!

JRiver Media Center 20.0.22 for Windows -- Available Here

20.0.22 (10/7/2014)

1. Fixed: MCWS/v1/Playback/Zones returns a count after hidden zones instead of before (makes hidden zones work with Gizmo again).
2. Fixed: A typo in television EPG wizard.
3. Fixed: When scanning for television STB channels, automatic filling of the "Channel Number" field (if turned on) did not work correctly.  It copied the entire channel string instead of just the numeric portion.
4. Changed: When a field has a newline in it, enter on it in Theater View will expand it instead of doing a search on it.
5. Changed: The slow motion menu items restore a disabled VideoClock when restoring to 1x.
6. Fixed: Drives were importing incorrectly on a Portable Install.

BTW, I think your use of the portable installation is reasonable. But I don't use it so haven't investigated its use and limitations.