Author Topic: Please HELP. MB keeps putting my music on my external drive......  (Read 34152 times)

djscottallen

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I am moving to a new laptop. I followed the instructions here: (musicbee.wikia dot com /wiki/Backup & Restore)

Here's my problem:
My old musicbee install on my old laptop shows where the library location is.
Edit/prefs/library and there it is "library location=  c: users/etc..."

The new install on my Windows 8 just says Move Library....
I've tried everything.  As soon as I re install MB and copy over the old library files and copy over the actual music files
It transfers my entire music collection to the external drive.

And of course since MB tells us that we can't keep our music files on a different drive letter, which is RIDICULOUS btw.....
I'm screwed, because MB will NOT keep my files organized if it's not on the C drive.

I've tried to remap the music files back to C: Useres/Music etc...  It doesn't work.
Where is my library location!?!?!?!  This is sooo much harder than it should be.

Can someone please help me?

Zak

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Where is my library location!?!?!?!  This is sooo much harder than it should be.
Everything is hard if you don't know how to do it.

To see the path of the current library, right-click the Music node at the top of the left-hand navigation panel and select Choose Library.

As for why your music is being moved to the wrong drive, it sounds like your Auto-organise settings are incorrect.
Check Edit > Preferences > Library > Organisation and make sure the drive letter and path are correct.
Posting a screenshot of said settings may help too.
Bee excellent to each other...

djscottallen

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Sorry for the late reply, I've been very busy.

First off, let me say that I do know how to find my library location, but in a previous version, the library location path is visible under prefs/library. This is very logical, but they took it out in the new version. A poor choice. That's what I was getting at.

New Update (4th time transferring my entire music collection and entire days of ripping my hair out): 

I decided that moving library's and settings AND actual music files from one computer to another is much too difficult, even for someone as techy and nerdy as me, so I updated my files to make it easy to re-add my playlists. The settings of MB is easy to just redo from scratch.  To alleviate all problems, I uninstalled MB and then did a completely FRESH install. I didn't even copy any settings or other files over. I made sure there were no left over files or folders or libraries or anything else.

I have never ONCE seen the D: drive come up in organization, remap music, or library location.
(Screenshot shows my files being on the D: drive because MusicBee did it as soon as it recognized the files in the monitored folder)

I started a brand new library on first install.  I opened up MB, no files exist at all. No dead links, nothing in the inbox.....

I made sure the auto organize settings were set to auto organize to my C: Drive location
All library settings are correct....

Now, I transferred over my music files to my new computer again.

I then told MB to monitor that folder and auto organize music

I was very careful to check the auto organize location to make sure it always says C: drive / whatever.

It did it again. It move my entire music collection to my external drive ..... I'm in awe. 

Now I have to say this. I've read forums, I've done countless hours of research, I'm somewhat knowledgeable about sound theory and djing and producing, and I'm telling you right now..... MusicBee does a horrible job at organization. Absolutley horrible and very difficult to understand. Don't get me wrong, I love musicbee, but I have like hundreds of suggestions to make it easier to navigate.  There's seemingly endless options which is really great, but the main functions of a media organizer are not what they should be.  MB devs need to devote some serious attention into making backup and restore more seemless and user friendly. A quite a few more of the essential or very interesting functions could use some serious work. Just a friendly observation and some constructive criticism.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/1dlyrye9ur2fd2s/Auto+Organize+settings.PNG
http://www.mediafire.com/view/dp0zhud2tckfmhs/library+prefs.PNG
http://www.mediafire.com/view/tlp22tz2jq12lxy/Library+Location.PNG
Last Edit: March 22, 2014, 07:59:01 PM by djscottallen

redwing

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Look at the bottom of your first screenshot. MB dialog tells you what the reason is.

redwing

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When it says "Move Library", that has nothing to do with your music files. It only means your database and playlist files.
(I suggested a while ago the term "library" be changed to "database" to prevent users' confusion, but it's still used.)

If you want your music files auto-organized, then they should be on the same drive as the one your library database files are stored. So you first have to copy all your music files to C drive. And then add those files to MB.

djscottallen

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I think you helped me before Redwing :) Thanks for trying to help

Music Library = List of songs and the path to those songs.
Location of Media is not the Music Library, I do know this yes
You're misunderstanding sorry.

Every single time I've moved my music from my old laptop to my new laptop using my external drive,
I wait until MB is all ready to go with settings and the music library and everything else.
My library is blank right now, no files.  Brand new fresh install with no copied over settings.

Then, I tell MB to monitor this folder:     [ C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes\Music]

Then, I close down musicbee and copy my media files to  [ C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes\Music]
Then I open MB and it slowing starts putting the files into my library AND MOVING THEM TO THE D: DRIVE!!!!

Once MB puts the files over onto the D Drive, you can't reorganize them back to the C driver, I know this, because I did extensive research on it and found out MB can't organize music on external drives, which is hugely disappointing btw.

It's maddening.
Last Edit: March 22, 2014, 09:56:39 PM by djscottallen

Bee-liever

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You also have 'automatically sweep and organise new files' checked in your second screenshot.

What organisation template are you using there?
MusicBee and my library - Making bee-utiful music together

djscottallen

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You also have 'automatically sweep and organise new files' checked in your second screenshot.

What organisation template are you using there?

Somehow I knew that by the end of this discussion I was going to feel like a tool lol
Yes, that was it.  I was remapping the files from C: users/(username1)/music/itunes/music
TO: C: users/(username2)/music/itunes/music  and I thought that was the problem.
After remapping the file location to username 2, they showed up but they were immediately thrown to D drive.
The regular organize function didn't work, because after they were thrown to D: drive, you can't organize back lol.

One little tick mark and so much trouble.  I can't believe I missed that :P

While this was my fault admittedly, I still believe that MB needs to revamp it's backup and restore functions.

Thank you all for your help!! 

Bee-liever

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...and found out MB can't organize music on external drives...

and that one:

If you put all the drives/folders you want to use into monitored folders, MB can move them around.
e.g. my own set-up is an internal drive W: (my Work drive) that has 3 sub-folders (ie; New Music, Waiting and Tagged) in my 'InTray-Music' folder.
I also have an external drive S: (my Sounds drive) that is in my monitored folders along with W:\InTray-Music\Tagged.

After I listen to 'New Music' and decide I going to keep it, it's 'Waiting' for tagging and then is moved to 'Tagged'.  MB then brings it into the Inbox where I do a final tag check and add replaygain values.  Then it's 'Send To>Music Library' where library 'auto-organise' takes over and moves it to the external S: drive.

I even have music videos and audiobooks auto-organised on another external drive T:, all done by MusicBee.
So yes, you can have them auto-organised on external drives.
MusicBee and my library - Making bee-utiful music together

redwing

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I rarely used "auto sweep and organize new files" feature. I simply thought the feature was intended to help organize inbox files.
But with the OP's trouble and Bee-liever's setup, now the setting seems to have a potential to create a conflict with auto-organized library.
For one, it allows to move files between drives, which is disabled with the main auto-organization setting. For another, if you tick "add to library" for new file action but choose a different folder from your auto-organized music files folder on auto-sweep setting, then new files are not sent to library, just staying in inbox. This is a bug.

Bee-liever

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...it allows to move files between drives, which is disabled with the main auto-organization setting.

But it's not disabled.
That's what I use all the time.




MusicBee and my library - Making bee-utiful music together

redwing

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I did some more tests with those settings and noticed some interesting behavior.

First, this what I said, but it's wrong.

If you want your music files auto-organized, then they should be on the same drive as the one your library database files are stored.

The location of auto-organized music files folder has nothing to do with the location of library files folder. They may be same or different: it doesn't matter.

Regarding this:

found out MB can't organize music on external drives, which is hugely disappointing btw.

It depends on what kind of drive it is. For USB flash drives, it's true because they are only recognized as a device and MB refuses to auto-organize music files on any removable drives. For external HDDs, it's possible. But if you set them as a virtual device, then again MB doesn't allow use it as the location of auto-organized music files.

Now, about the tricky "automatically sweep and organise new files" setting:

What Bee-liever said was all true. Also noticed some interesting results.

- I installed a portable MB on Z usb drive with its library folder on the same Z dirve.

- Set the auto-organized music files folder on C main drive. As mentioned above, no problem auto-organizing them on a different drive.

- Now changed auto-organized music files folder to E external hard disc drive. MB warned those files on C won't be moved to E.

- Went ahead despite the warning. Now what happens? Those files on C drive still remain there and remain in library as well. This library is auto-organized. But the path of those files are no longer affected by any changes on their tags. This should constitute a bug because some files in library are not auto-organized despite the setting.

- Let's move on. I ticked "add to inbox" option for new files action and selected the same auto-organized folder for the auto-sweep setting. Then what happens?  When new files appear in a monitored folder, they are moved to the specified folder following the file naming template. But for some reason there are duplicates of them in the inbox. So if new files are two, you have four in inbox. Send them to library. Only two can be sent, and two remain in inbox. Now right-click on those files. Send to library and inbox options are grayed out, which means they live both in library and in inbox. If you change the auto-sweep setting to a different folder, then this bizarre behavior goes away.

- Now choose "add to library" option for new files and select a different folder for the auto-sweep setting. As I reported in a previous post, new files are never sent to library, staying in inbox forever.

djscottallen

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...and found out MB can't organize music on external drives...

and that one:
...
So yes, you can have them auto-organised on external drives.

I'm going to come back and read this over when I have time.  I've very interested in this!!

1. The last time I did my research, I read an wiki article from a MB rep that said very clearly that organization of media on external drives is NOT supported by MB. Could have been an older article though?
2. When I tick the box "automatically sweep and organize new files"  to my external drive, it tells me "files not on the C: drive will NOT be organized"

Your success with external drive auto organize gives me hope that it's actually possible.  I'm a dj, and you can imagine how important it is to keep a clean, organized library on an external drive.  I don't have time to manually organize all my files.

 I have a brand new ASUS G750JX-DB71 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black) with an SSD main drive.   I use it for PC gaming while truck driving as well as djing. I also use it for graphic design and whatever else.  But the SSD is only 256gb.  I have to use my space wisely.  Throwing my entire media collection of music and HD video mixes leaves me with like 30gb lol. 

iTunes (bad word here i'm guessing lol) is a proprietary monster with very limited options, however, they have a very simple and extremely effective method of auto organizing your music files. Never a conflict in the whole time I used it.  But agian, external drives just can't be used.  Another reason why I moved over to MB.  That why I was so bummed when I thought it couldn't do that.

I would really like to hear this answer from a MB rep or dev to know for sure (officially) if external drives are supported to be auto organized.
That's awesome that you can do it  :o

psychoadept

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1. The last time I did my research, I read an wiki article from a MB rep that said very clearly that organization of media on external drives is NOT supported by MB. Could have been an older article though?

I think you mean this: "the file must reside on the same drive as the music library root folder. If it doesn't, it will be excluded from the re-organisation. "

I'm pretty sure I copied that directly from MB's old documentation, so Steven will have to give us his take on it for more info.
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Steven

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The auto-organiser only moves files on the same drive as the library music folder ie. wont move a file across discs.
The auto-sweep function can move files across drives