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Windows => JRiver Media Center 33 for Windows => Topic started by: The Kitten Abides on April 24, 2025, 02:09:32 am

Title: How to Use Old Library on an External Drive with MC Installation on New Laptop
Post by: The Kitten Abides on April 24, 2025, 02:09:32 am

Greetings, MC Folk -

I had to get a new Windows 11 Home laptop, after my Windows 10 machine gorked, so I'm trying to get MC up and running on the new hotness and need some assistance . . .

I am a radio DJ and have all my music on an external hard drive (D), and that worked great with my previous MC installation on the Win10 laptop . . . how can I point the new MC installation on the new Win11 laptop to use the music on the external "D" drive, like I did with the old setup?

There's guidance around moving a library to the new machine, but I'm not doing that (too much music to store on the laptop itself, hence the external drive) - I just want to replicate the external drive setup with the new laptop.

Any help/info you can share is GREATLY appreciated - thanks!!  ;D

- Lisa the Kitten

Title: Re: How to Use Old Library on an External Drive with MC Installation on New Laptop
Post by: zybex on April 24, 2025, 02:39:23 am

Moving the 'library' doesn't mean moving the actual music files, just the database which is small. Library = database, in this context.
If you still have access to the old machine, the best way is to get an MC Library Backup from it and restore on the new machine:
- on the old machine, create a new backup with File > Library > Backup. You can also find the last backup automatically created by MC under your old My Documents folder
- copy the ZIP file to the new machine or some USB pen drive.
- reattach the music drive to the new machine, make sure it's called D:
- restore the MC backup on the new machine with File > Library > Restore Library

Title: Re: How to Use Old Library on an External Drive with MC Installation on New Laptop
Post by: The Kitten Abides on April 24, 2025, 02:54:22 am

Thanks!  I don't want to move the music files from the external drive to the new machine - I just want to continue using the music files already on the external drive with the new MC installation on the new machine . . . so do I put the library backup on the external drive and then restore it on the new machine?

Will it then find the music files already resident on the external drive that is now connected to the new machine?

 ?

Title: Re: How to Use Old Library on an External Drive with MC Installation on New Laptop
Post by: The Kitten Abides on April 24, 2025, 03:19:00 am

Nevermind!  I think I was able to figure it out . . . though there IS one odd thing that has been vexing me for awhile.  MC won't replay MP3 tracks that I've converted from music downloaded from iTunes.

Anyone know what's up with THAT???

Title: Re: How to Use Old Library on an External Drive with MC Installation on New Laptop
Post by: zybex on April 24, 2025, 03:26:43 am

Bad download or bad conversion, most likely. Do the converted files play with Windows Media Player or any other player?

Title: Re: How to Use Old Library on an External Drive with MC Installation on New Laptop
Post by: The Kitten Abides on April 24, 2025, 04:05:57 am

Thanks, Zybex!  I sussed this out also - file location conflicts . . .

Gah!