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More => Old Versions => Media Center 11 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: blafarm on October 07, 2003, 10:42:29 pm

Title: Deleting Offline Media References
Post by: blafarm on October 07, 2003, 10:42:29 pm
Is there an easy way to delete offline media references?

For example, you decide that you don't like 12 cds in your collection, so you delete them in Windows. MC9 displays them as files with a red "X" in the lower right hand corner.

Is there anyway to instruct MC9 to simply delete the references to media that no longer exist rather than having to manually delete the entries?

And, while we're on the topic, is there anyway to instruct MC9 to delete duplicate references to media?
Title: Re: Deleting Offline Media References
Post by: Marko on October 08, 2003, 01:39:32 am
Not sure about the dupes, but if you do your deleting from inside media center, select files, press shift+delete, press enter, the files will be gone from your HD and your library will be updated. You will also be given the opportunity to clean up any empty folders left behind.
Title: Re: Deleting Offline Media References
Post by: LisaRCT on October 08, 2003, 07:15:39 am
If you have already deleted the files from Windows rather than within MC, you can click on:
File
Library
Update Library

then choose:
"Remove files that do not exist"

This will remove the files that are no longer available.
(there is even an option for network drives)


As far as duplicate files Use CAUTION . . .  there has been a long-standing issue with MC showing duplicate library entries for the SAME FILE . . .   in other words there are 2 library entries for the SAME SINGLE FILE.  Thus deleting the 'duplicate' from the drive within MC will cause you to lose the actual file completely.  (if you look in your windows folders for the duplicates you will find they do not exist, there is only really one copy of the file yet two entries in MC)

Title: Re: Deleting Offline Media References
Post by: Matt on October 08, 2003, 07:18:02 am
Quote
there has been a long-standing issue with MC showing duplicate library entries for the SAME FILE . . .   in other words there are 2 library entries for the SAME SINGLE FILE.


We've never seen this.  Please provide the steps to reproduce it if possible.
Title: Re: Deleting Offline Media References
Post by: blafarm on October 08, 2003, 07:18:03 am
Thanks Marko, but what I meant was is there a way to select *all* the songs - and to instruct MC9 to delete only the references (pointers) to media which are offline (or simply don't exist). That way, I could hopefully avoid scrolling through tens of thousands of songs and having to ctl-select the ones whose media had been deleted in Windows sometime after it had been imported into MC9.

If there was a "Columns to Show" option that allowed me to sort by whether or not the media was online or offline I could at least make the process quicker, but it doesn't appear offline/online is a column choice - and the closest I can get is "File Size" but there doesn't seem to be a way to update that field -  it remains the same even if you delete the media in Windows that the pointer refers to.
Title: Re: Deleting Offline Media References
Post by: LisaRCT on October 08, 2003, 08:05:00 am
Quote


We've never seen this.  Please provide the steps to reproduce it if possible.


Matt:
I do not know how to reproduce this, BUT
it has been reported on a number of occaisions by myself and others that erroneous duplicates are shown within MC.  
I do still come across this but have become so used to this being this way and over time have become accustomed to "filtering it out mentally' . . .
in other words, I ignore it as it has been pretty much ongoing for some time.
If I go to my "Auto Smartlist - Task -- Possible Duplicates" I can find several entries showing this condition (all fields/tags and filename/folder are identical for each of the pairs of two files shown as duplicates, yet if I open the folder in Windows there is ONLY 1 file in existence . . . yet  MC's library database shows two identical entries.)  

I have also seen triplicates . . . . and even using 'Rename files from properties' does not remove the duplicate entry even though we know there CANNOT be more than one file with the same name.

I am fairly certain others can confirm this behavior as I have seen it mentioned in the past and do not remember it being resolved.
Title: Re: Deleting Offline Media References
Post by: blafarm on October 08, 2003, 08:26:04 am
>LisaRCT,
Thanks very much, that was exactly what I was looking for.
Title: Re: Deleting Offline Media References
Post by: LisaRCT on October 08, 2003, 09:35:24 am
Quote
>LisaRCT,
Thanks very much, that was exactly what I was looking for.


;)
You are quite welcome.  Glad I was of help.