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[ChrisRainman]

My library recently shows up a strange behaviour for some files.

MC handles some files as if they were not there in fact they are on the disc with exactly that file path. When choosing locate on disk a message pops-up saying

Header: File Missing
Text:    The file " does not exist

With function ISMISSING() the return values says the file is there. On disk, I can find the file. When I try to play it from disk by double-clicking the file is not played in MC. When I choose play with itunes - it runs!

After deleting the file from MC database and re-importing the file is detected again. But - I have no idea how many files are affected, incidentally I detect one after another...

Has someone an idea how to solve this ?

[AoXoMoXoA]

Local drive or network disc?

I have seen network drives behave like this after a reboot, until I go into explorer and open a folder on the network drive to re-establish/activate the connection. Has happened with both UNC addresses and mapped drives if I recall correctly.

[ChrisRainman]

it's an external usb drive - so no network link.

[Alex B]

With function ISMISSING() the return values says the file is there. On disk, I can find the file. When I try to play it from disk by double-clicking the file is not played in MC. When I choose play with itunes - it runs!

How did you use the function?

The search string:  [=IsMissing([Filename])]=1  should be able to list all files that are in the database, but cannot be found from the disk. You can use it in a search or as a smartlist rule.

Have actually verified the Filename field values? For instance, you can copy the complete string from the field (inside MC) and paste it into the address bar in Windows Explorer. When you press enter it should open the file in the default application. If you copy/paste only the path from the Filename (path) field Windows Explorer should open that folder.

[ChrisRainman]

How did you use the function?

The search string:  [=IsMissing([Filename])]=1  should be able to list all files that are in the database, but cannot be found from the disk. You can use it in a search or as a smartlist rule.

Have actually verified the Filename field values? For instance, you can copy the complete string from the field (inside MC) and paste it into the address bar in Windows Explorer. When you press enter it should open the file in the default application. If you copy/paste only the path from the Filename (path) field Windows Explorer should open that folder.

I am aware of these possibilities and checked both. The thing is the files are really there exact in the way the filename field says it. the ismissing() function confirms this. Anyway, the file cannot be played and I receive the error popup when trying to locate the file.

If helpful, I could send screenshots. In my opinion the reason must be in the database because after deleting it from the library and re-importing it, everything works fine. I'm not happy with this option because I lose my playstats, import date, ...

but even harder is the fact that I cannot identify those files. And it would be good to know how I could run into that trouble...

[ChrisRainman]

bump - No support available on that issue?

[JimH]

Under Options for Library and Folders, what do you have set for "Fix broken links".  Try the option for "protect network files".

[Alex B]

Chris,

Do the "unplayable" files seem to be completely random or do they have anything in common?

I don't know if this can help anything, but you could gather a few of the problematic files into a playlist and export the playlist in the MPL format. An MPL playlist contains all field values and it might reveal something.

Open the exported playlist with Notepad and copy/paste the contents to your reply (you can use the code button to enclose the list in a code box).

Exporting & importing an MPL playlist is also an effective way to merge and copy data between libraries. If the worst case scenario is true and your library is corrupted beyond repair then you might be able to export & import the field values to a new library by using MPL.

EDIT

Assuming the problem is really caused by some kind of corruption in the library files you could try to restore a recent library backup file to a new library. MC creates automatic library backup files to its application data directory. If the problem is not old you may have a working library that would be missing only the most recent additions.

[ChrisRainman]

Do the "unplayable" files seem to be completely random or do they have anything in common?

That drove me to the right trace...
I collected some of these files in a new playlist and then noticed that they all belong to a certain other playlist... (by the way: this led me to a feature request: couldn't you add a library field or a function to show a playlists in which a certain track is? -) - the workaround was to see the playlists via action windows.

And the result was I imported that playlist via MPL file! I had a look in that files and could see that it contains a field called <Field Name="Library Server Info">m01p://192.168.50.23:80/</Field>

I assume that this is the reason for that error as I don't run the files now through a library server!

I don't know if this can help anything, but you could gather a few of the problematic files into a playlist and export the playlist in the MPL format. An MPL playlist contains all field values and it might reveal something.

Open the exported playlist with Notepad and copy/paste the contents to your reply (you can use the code button to enclose the list in a code box).

Exporting & importing an MPL playlist is also an effective way to merge and copy data between libraries. If the worst case scenario is true and your library is corrupted beyond repair then you might be able to export & import the field values to a new library by using MPL.

Yes, surely that helps as it is the crucial point! See the code extract for two files out of this playlist. All these files contain the library server field. All unsuccessfull trials to play the files additionally contain an expression with "LastFailedDate"...

Code: [Select]

<Item>
<Field Name="Filename">M:\01 Audio\01 Albums\Ich und Ich\Vom selben Stern\03 - Ich und Ich - Stark.mp3</Field>
<Field Name="Artist">Ich und Ich</Field>
<Field Name="Album">Vom selben Stern</Field>
<Field Name="Name">Stark</Field>
<Field Name="File Type">mp3</Field>
<Field Name="Genre">German Pop</Field>
<Field Name="Date">39083</Field>
<Field Name="Bitrate">192</Field>
<Field Name="Image File">INTERNAL</Field>
<Field Name="Media Type">Audio</Field>
<Field Name="Last Played">1229958912</Field>
<Field Name="Rating">3</Field>
<Field Name="File Size">6350692</Field>
<Field Name="Duration">258</Field>
<Field Name="Number Plays">1</Field>
<Field Name="Track #">3</Field>
<Field Name="Date Created">1229798526</Field>
<Field Name="Date Modified">1247395854</Field>
<Field Name="Date Imported">1247392937</Field>
<Field Name="Skip Count">3</Field>
<Field Name="Last Skipped">1232386710</Field>
<Field Name="Replay Gain">-14,1182599999999994</Field>
<Field Name="Peak Level">1</Field>
<Field Name="Intensity">4</Field>
<Field Name="BPM">139</Field>
<Field Name="Sample Rate">44100</Field>
<Field Name="Channels">2</Field>
<Field Name="Bit Depth">16</Field>
<Field Name="Compression">VBR (MPEG-1 Layer 3)</Field>
<Field Name="Album Gain">-13,1162710189819336</Field>
<Field Name="Complete Album">1</Field>
<Field Name="Charts">12</Field>
<Field Name="Group">Top100 - 2008</Field>
<Field Name="Preference">5</Field>
<Field Name="Hardness">2</Field>
<Field Name="Recognition">3 well-known</Field>
<Field Name="Scene">General;Radio</Field>
<Field Name="Tempo">2 slow</Field>
<Field Name="Get Cover Art Info">&lt;XMLPH version="1,0"&gt;
&lt;Item Name="LastFailedDate"/&gt;
&lt;/XMLPH&gt;</Field>
<Field Name="Audio Analysis Info">&lt;XMLPH version="1,0"&gt;
&lt;Item Name="LastFailedDate"/&gt;
&lt;/XMLPH&gt;</Field>
<Field Name="Library Server Info">m01p://192.168.50.23:80/</Field>
</Item>
<Item>
<Field Name="Filename">M:\01 Audio\01 Albums\OneRepublic\Dreaming out loud\15 - OneRepublic - Apologize (feat. OneRepublic).mp3</Field>
<Field Name="Artist">OneRepublic</Field>
<Field Name="Album">Dreaming out loud</Field>
<Field Name="Name">Apologize (Feat. Timbaland)</Field>
<Field Name="File Type">mp3</Field>
<Field Name="Genre">Ballad Pop</Field>
<Field Name="Date">39083</Field>
<Field Name="Bitrate">224</Field>
<Field Name="Image File">INTERNAL</Field>
<Field Name="Media Type">Audio</Field>
<Field Name="Last Played">1216584545</Field>
<Field Name="Rating">2</Field>
<Field Name="File Size">5238784</Field>
<Field Name="Duration">184</Field>
<Field Name="Number Plays">1</Field>
<Field Name="Track #">15</Field>
<Field Name="Date Created">1206060115</Field>
<Field Name="Date Modified">1239043820</Field>
<Field Name="Date Imported">1247392937</Field>
<Field Name="Bookmark">116607</Field>
<Field Name="Skip Count">3</Field>
<Field Name="Last Skipped">1234915505</Field>
<Field Name="Replay Gain">-13,8187099999999994</Field>
<Field Name="Peak Level">1</Field>
<Field Name="Intensity">2</Field>
<Field Name="BPM">114</Field>
<Field Name="Sample Rate">44100</Field>
<Field Name="Channels">2</Field>
<Field Name="Bit Depth">16</Field>
<Field Name="Compression">VBR (MPEG-1 Layer 3)</Field>
<Field Name="Album Gain">-14,3653202056884766</Field>
<Field Name="Complete Album">1</Field>
<Field Name="Mix Album">0</Field>
<Field Name="Charts">1</Field>
<Field Name="Group">Top100 - 2008</Field>
<Field Name="Preference">6</Field>
<Field Name="Hardness">2</Field>
<Field Name="Recognition">3 well-known</Field>
<Field Name="Scene">Party Ballad;Radio</Field>
<Field Name="Tempo">2 slow</Field>
<Field Name="Stylegroup">leer</Field>
<Field Name="Get Cover Art Info">&amp;lt;XMLPH version="1.0"&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/XMLPH&amp;gt;</Field>
<Field Name="Library Server Info">m01p://192.168.50.23:80/</Field>
</Item>
Results:
1. I will correct the mpl files
2. Is this an error in MC? I would say yes, there should be another reaction if files cannot be played from server!

Thanks a lot Alex, bringing me on the right trace!