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[pscott]

I suspect this would be simple if I knew how, but I don't. I've used MC for several years and it's worked well, but haven't needed to change much until now.

My server music files are stored on an external SATA HDD connected via an adapter to a Mac thunderbolt/usb-c port. It stores all of the music I use use for my MC music server.

This drive is pretty old and might be failing, or needs a firmware update. In any case, it's too old to bother fixing, near the end of its life.

I bought a 2TB Samsung SSD to replace it, and copied all of my music onto it, with the same folder structure as my original MC server library. I want to change my main library to this new drive with the exact same library interface display, which is organized in a folder structure.

I don't remember how I did this originally, but vaguely recall it seemed tedious at the time, and I'm no smarter now (maybe less) so I'd like an easy way to just copy and use the same organization for this library. How can I do this?

Thanks to anyone who can help explain this to an old man.

[JimH]

What happens if you disconnect the old drive and connect the new drive?

[Richard Martin]

If you disconnect the old drive and then assign the same drive letter to the new drive (do Macs have drive letters) it should just work.

[pscott]

Thank you both for your replies.

What happens if you disconnect the old drive and connect the new drive?

I have disconnected the old drive and connected the new drive. Disconnecting the old drive did prevent the crashes that I'd been having with MC33. MC still shows my library but the library is not actually connected now with the music. So I can't actually play any files that I can see on the library. MC replies with an error that it can't find the music file.

If you disconnect the old drive and then assign the same drive letter to the new drive (do Macs have drive letters) it should just work.

Mac does not have drive letters and I don't know how to point the library to the new hard drive so that it can find the music files on that library.

I feel like I've made progress by confirming that my crashing problems have been caused by a failing hard drive for my library. But since I don't have drive letters I can't reassign the new drive to the music library. Do either of you have any suggestions for accomplishing that on a mac?

[Richard Martin]

The library must have (what is referred to in Windows as a path and would have begun with a drive letter) a way of knowing where the files are. Within the Mac os, rather than in MC, you should be able to assign the same path to the new drive that the old drive had.

[pscott]

SOLVED! Thanks for all suggestions. The solution was as simple as I'd hoped, not as hard as I feared. I will documents the steps, though I'm not sure the last was necessary:

1. I disconnected the failing SATA HD. This immediately stopped the MC 33 crashes, confirming that the drive was failing and crashing MC. I could see my library but could not play audio files.
2. I connected the new drive that contained all of my library files that I'd backed up on it, but I still could not play files.
3. I renamed the drive partition to be exactly the same as my old drive, but didn't test it yet.
4. I reconnected my new drive to the same thunderbolt/usb-c port I'd used for the old drive.
The last step might have been unnecessary, renaming could have fixed the library, but I hadn't tested that. The previous port was not thunderbolt so this port has a higher maximum transfer rate.

So I'm good now. My MC 33 library seems fully functional, using the new SSD. Thanks again your suggestions!


 

[Richard Martin]

Glad you got it fixed.
I think step 3 is what I was trying to say

[JimH]

Thanks for posting the solution.

[pscott]

Nothing is truly fixed after all.
MC 33 still crashes after a minute or two, through it seemed to be working for an hour or two.

I have run first aid on my startup drive and on my library drive, and rechecked permissions on the the library drive and its folders.

What's left to check? Anyone have any ideas? 

[JimH]

If you haven't done so, turn off auto-import.

[pscott]

Where can I find this option? I need to be quick to do this before the program crashes so I need know just where to look.
Thanks!

[JimH]

Options > Library

[pscott]

Thank you, JimH. It's working... so far. I'll reply again if it crashes again on me but that seems to have been the problem.