Here's my report. I have a 3G 40 GB iPod connected by Firewire, running Win98SE. Explorer assigns the iPod drive L. I have run the Apple 2.1 updater restore and have initialized it since build 10.0.65.
I prefer to keep all of my music on the iPod to spare hard drive space, and therefore import everything from the subdirectories of "L:\iPod_Control\Music\". If I upload more files manually, then try to import again, I will always get duplicate listings in the media library, with identical file names and locations shown. I've tried using the update library tool and checking "update database fields from file tags", but it doesn't help. I have 522 songs currently after recently uploading 23 songs, and performing an import caused over 200 new listings. I think duplicate listings can pop up in the media library by merely playing songs, all the way through or not. Maybe a "last accessed" file attribute is being applied to the files whenever iPod loads each song and if MC could ignore this, the problem would go away. It's such a useless thing in Windows, though, because if you check the properties of any file, it says it was accessed in the same day. To work around this, I simply clear the library and import fresh.
I started using build 64, and at least since then, clearing the library erases any smartlists and playlists. The recently imported, recently played and top hits lists remain, however.
Since at least 9.1.316, if I change a rating using the iPod, MC detects the new rating when I look at the changed songs under Drives & Devices, but even if I clear the library and import again, the old rating remains. It affects smartlists sensitive to ratings; for example, I have a list for just 5 star songs and I changed some ratings from 5 to 4 in the iPod and under L, it shows 4 stars, but in the library, the changed songs still show 5 stars. I don't know about any build of 10, but in 9.1.316, uninstalling or performing a "rebuild database from iPod" seems to remove several, if not all of the ratings that were made using the iPod (resetting them on the iPod as well). Synchronizing and checking "sync data to MC" is the only way I know to remedy this.
Synchronizing in build 65 was a vast improvement over MC9 for me, as synchronizing does not create anymore duplicate files. However, since build 66, unless I just got lucky with 65, sometimes after a sync, the iPod would have no playlists. I've found that just sticking the iPod back in the dock without closing MC and waiting around, the lists somehow just show up after a while.
When tagging mp3s, clicking in the Name field causes dramatic slowdown. This goes away if I click on Yes to clear database fields when clearing the library.
In the action window, the text and icon for "handheld player" flickers constantly whenever MC is busy performing an action.
I don't know if this was ever addressed, but in 9.1.316, if I delete a file on the iPod through the media library, it leaves a missing file hole with the iPod database, only fixable by performing a rebuild database from iPod.
The "eject iPod" command never worked for me in any version of MC. I always use the tray icon to disconnect. Ejecting under "My Computer" never worked either, however.
Right-clicking on L and selecting "import iPod data into MC" always gives me an error reading "Some handheld files are not in MC database and could not be updated." Below that message is a long, jumbled listing of song titles, album titles and artists.
http://members.aol.com/robobum/mc10error.gifOne more thing, but it's just a pet peeve. The standard windows colors have the tool-tips shown with black font on yellow background. I have my settings to show a white font on blue background, but for some reason, tool-tips in MC are blue background, black font, which I have to kinda squint to read.
Keep up the good work. I appreciate the progress being made.
Author
Topic: Media Center 10.0.67 beta available (Read 3003 times)