INTERACT FORUM

More => Old Versions => Media Center 11 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: silencematters on January 16, 2004, 08:05:45 pm

Title: File relocation
Post by: silencematters on January 16, 2004, 08:05:45 pm
So when i move my folder full of Mp3's to a different location (not copy it) on my Hard Disk cause i am re organizing,...  
so, here is the problem,.. and i am not sure how to get around it.
.... I have to re-import my music data, and then i have a library that has a non functioning copy of each file next to the newly imported one.

could you please help.
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: KingSparta on January 16, 2004, 08:08:41 pm
Use the "Move" Or "Rename" Options within MC9\MC10

the rename fuction allows you to not only rename the file, but move it at the same time.

========================

If you do it the way you did you will need to use the library Update fuction

file, Library, Update Library
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: Nolonemo on January 16, 2004, 09:12:02 pm
My personal preference is to move stuff in Windows Explorer, then run Update Library and then reimport from the new location.  I'm just not comfortable using the move/copy function in Library Manager.

I do have a question though, when I move things my way, don't I lose anything in the database associated with the files?  That has not been a problem so far, since everything I care about is stored in the tags, but might be in the future....
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: silencematters on January 16, 2004, 10:29:57 pm
yeah,.. i  do have to say that i have sat here trying to "untie knots" in my library, since the big move. i would have thought that the information about my library would be easy to move. can i just drag the DATA folder to a new location? And is that where my Library has created a directory file ?
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: hit_ny on January 17, 2004, 01:31:13 am
Why not just drag n drop in the My computer tree within MC ?

It moves and updates library all in one.
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: Zarius on January 17, 2004, 08:25:13 am
Once you've moved files outside of MC, you -can- update MC with that info... I do this myself, because if I use 'update library' I'll lose all my data as I don't store the info in tags, just the library.

To update MC's filenames you can do a search and replace on the 'filename' field... select all the files you want to update the location of (I'd -test- this with only a couple first,) rightclick and select 'Library Tools\Find and Replace'.  Click on 'Select None' then scroll down the list on the left and tick the box of 'Filename'.  In the 'Find What' box type the old directory: eg "D:\stuff\music" and type the new directory in the 'Replace' box: eg "X:\otherstuff\newmusiclocation".  Then you have to click off the song (either changing view scheme, or just clicking on another song) and MC will update all the files (and since the old files aren't there anymore, it can't move them and just updates to the new location).

You can also use this same method -before- you move the files, as if the files are still at the old location MC will move them itself... have a play around with this before using it on a lot of files, but it should work fine :)
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: KingSparta on January 17, 2004, 08:39:48 am
My personal preference is to move stuff in Windows Explorer, then run Update Library and then reimport from the new location.  I'm just not comfortable using the move/copy function in Library Manager.

I do have a question though, when I move things my way, don't I lose anything in the database associated with the files?  That has not been a problem so far, since everything I care about is stored in the tags, but might be in the future....

as long as the tags are saved to the media file you will not lose any tags.

Number of plays, last played will be set to "0", because it must be reimported as a new file.
 
what you will lose is playlist info.

I prefer to use MC10 to move files

 
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: dragyn on January 17, 2004, 08:49:05 am
Moving files is alright if they don't have the same name. Once MC starts asking to overwrite, then look out because it can't handle it. Files get lost and you would have to reimport anyway.

I hope this will be fixed in v10. I've ran into this so many times now that I don't move anything anymore.
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: KingSparta on January 17, 2004, 09:01:59 am
i think it was fixed if you use rename and move, because it now adds (1), (2) etc... to the file name when you rename.

now when it is moved using move\copy i am not sure
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: silencematters on January 17, 2004, 05:00:37 pm
so what i have done  (is get my self in a real mess....)

i had a great library on drive C, and a second hard drive that has music files that are waiting to be organized and put into folders with names,.. etc..

well I was messing around and i ended up selecting the all of the music in MC, and going to --  LIBRARY TOOLS  \  RENAME FILES FROM PROPERTIES..  because i was having to go into media center and play files inorder for me to see things like artist, album and clues as to what these file are about. I was not able to see these attributes in the windows explorer window for some reason.

so i ended up clicking on the RENAME FILES FROM PROPERTIES..   and now i have a mess.  My original library is full of folders that are empty, on the first HD, and the second HD has the same folders but full of music.

I think there is a way the MC will allow me to move my files from one drive to another without copying them right?
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: KingSparta on January 17, 2004, 05:12:59 pm
I failed to see the problem, other than you need to remove the empty folders using windows explorer.

if you did not wish to move the files you should not have enabled the move option.

Quote
I think there is a way the MC will allow me to move my files from one drive to another without copying them right?

they are moved, if the orginal folders are empty.

MC9 does tend to have a problem in not always removing the orginal folders (sometimes) even if they are empty.
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: pat1066 on January 17, 2004, 07:49:18 pm
hit_ny
Thanks for that good advice.
I changed my folder names in MC and it changed my Windows ones for me and changed all the filepaths in the database.
Cool! I could get carried away with that power!
Wonder if it can do Chinese...
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: silencematters on January 20, 2004, 05:09:42 pm
ok,.. so i know i have been a little slow to learn,..  but i still do not understand  if there is an easy way to get all of these music files organized into one folder.
right now they are spread out amongst 2 drives,.. and in numerous folders. i have sections of the library that are in Folders by artist, then by album (which is how i would love to have all of them,...) and i have some that are just in a long list with in folders.

can i import everything then tell MC to put all files in the library within one folder, and make sub folders out of the artists and then sub folders out of the albums?

can i atleast move everything to one folder and have MC delete the duplicates?

i apologize for not getting this the first time around....

-me
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: bspachman on January 20, 2004, 05:20:01 pm
Why not just drag n drop in the My computer tree within MC ?

It moves and updates library all in one.

It's true, but I can't get the tree to scroll when dragging items to a new place...is it just me?

Brad
Title: Re:File relocation
Post by: silencematters on January 20, 2004, 05:32:08 pm

Quote
Why not just drag n drop in the My computer tree within MC ?

It moves and updates library all in one.
 

hmmmm yes,.. i too have had trouble with dragging but i found that if you play with it,. you can right that right spot where the tree starts to scroll.

however,.. if i were to drag a folder that contained other folders and loose files, and moved them to another location where there will be some duplicates, would it leave the files that are dupes alone, and move/copy the others? might this be a good solution to my problem?