Author Topic: What is the difference between Windows 10 app and Windows 7/8/10 software?  (Read 3217 times)

larsonDigital

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Hello all,

I'm upgrading from a Windows 7 computer with MusicBee to a Windows 10 computer, and I'm wondering if I should install the software or the Windows 10 app.   What is the difference between the two?  Would I be losing or gaining features and/or functionality by going to the Windows 10 app?  Will my customizations import into Windows 10 app?

Can somebody help me please?

Thanks,
James

phred

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If by "Windows 10 app" you're referring to the Windows Store version, the differences are huge. If you're referring to some other "Windows 10 app" you might be looking at a fake (there have been some circulating around.) If that's the case, please PM me with the link to what you've found.

First of all the Store version doesn't get updated with bug fixes and enhancements nearly as often as the Installer and Portable versions do. It's also more difficult to move the Store version from one PC to another, or from one drive to another.

The Portable version is the best choice since it gets patch updates pretty frequently (see my signature for the latest patch.) Backups are a breeze. Just copy the directory where MB lives to a flash drive or another drive on your PC and you have your backup. The Installer version gets the sames patches as the Portable does, but it's not as easy to backup or relocate it.

I (strongly) suggest getting the latest Portable version from the downloads page of the website or the Latest Version forum topic. Then apply the latest patch following the instructions in my signature.
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

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larsonDigital

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Thanks phred, for your quick reply!

So if I'm moving from Installer version on Windows 7 to Portable version on Windows 10, am I losing any functionality or features?  Can I backup/save my settings/configuration/etc. in the Installer version and import/migrate them to the Portable version?  I really love everything I can do in the Installer version, so I don't want to loose any of that, and my setup is pretty customized.

Thanks again,
James

phred

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As long as the version number is the same, there is no difference in functionality between Portable and Installer. They are exactly the same except for how and where they are installed. I suggest that when "installing" the Portable version, keep it outside of the Windows controlled directories. If you have more than one drive letter/partition, do -not- put MB on C:\. If you only have C:\ then create a new directory C:\MusicBee and "install" MB there.

This was current as of 3.0, but it will give you a good feel for what you need to do with your current Installer version in order to back it up for restoration on the Portable version.
https://musicbee.fandom.com/wiki/Backup_%26_Restore?so=search

You should also be able to find some information by searching the forum.

I also suggest that the paths to your music files should be the same. If not, you'll have to relink the library to the new file locations.


I'm still curious about your reference to "the Windows 10 app." What exactly are you referring to?
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

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The FAQ
The Wiki
Posting screenshots is here
Searching the forum with Google is  here

larsonDigital

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Thanks phred for the explanation.

Yes, I was referring to the Microsoft Store version when I said "Windows 10 app".

My music library is located on my home server, so the only thing on my computer is the MusicBee software.  I just checked and I'm currently running Installer v.3.3.7367.  I do have more than one drive, so I could install the portable on D:\.  What advantage do you see in doing that?  Does MusicBee do a lot of reading/writing?

Thanks,
James

phred

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Before making your backup for moving MB to Win10, update to the latest patch version. Follow the instructions in my signature. The version you're running now is more than a year and a half old. Patch first, then back up, then restore on new installation.

The advantage to keeping it out of a Windows controlled directory is that you don't want to have to deal with User Account Control when you want to change something in the installed directory.

Read/writes are dependent on a number of variables such as how large a library you have, is MB set to scan for new files continuously, etc. You've been on the forum since 2018, and I suppose you've been using MB at least that long. Have you noticed an excessive amount of R/W?
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

----------
The FAQ
The Wiki
Posting screenshots is here
Searching the forum with Google is  here

larsonDigital

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Hi phred,

No, I have not noticed excessive R/W from MB, I just wondered if that was on of the reasons for moving MB to a different drive.

I think this is how I'm currently setup ...
Installation folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\MusicBee
AppData Folder: C:\Users\James\AppData\Roaming\MusicBee
The most current Library folder (I think): \\home-server\Users\James\home-server
All my music files located here: \\home-server\Music

I'm guessing that I update MusicBee by downloading the zipped file (patch) and unzipping the contents to the above installation folder, right?  Should I backup anything before I do that, or is it not necessary in this case?

I'd like to keep MusicBee usable on my older Windows 7 computer, and I'll be doing as you suggested and install the portable version on the new Windows 10 computer.  I guess there isn't any way to keep these two computers in sync, right?  My Library folder seems to be on my home-server, but I'm guessing I'll need to keep the Library files for the new portable installation in a different folder.  Maybe with the portable version, it would be better to keep those Library files on that computer rather than on the server.  What do you suggest?

Also, is the latest patch (link in you signature) for both installation and portable versions?

Thanks,
James
Last Edit: December 30, 2021, 02:29:11 AM by larsonDigital

phred

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Your "library" is not where your music files are. It is where your database is. (Bad choice of terminology when MB first started. It should've been called "database" or something like that. And where the music files live should've been call the library. But it's too late to change that now. )

If your library is named "James" then look for a directory named "James" in the directory where MB is installed. Or open MB, File > Library > Open Library. That will show you the name of your library and the directory in which it's located.

The instructions for applying the latest patch are in my signature and can be used for Installer and Portable. I've mentioned this at least once before.

If your library is in fact on a server then you should be able to keep them there and both installations point to it. Search the forum as this has been discussed many times and I really can't remember the details.

Again, if the library is on the server, when you first start the new installation, hold the shift key down as you launch MB and it will ask you to choose your library. It won't know that you already have one, so select "Create New" and point to the existing library.

It's always a good idea to create backups.
Download the latest MusicBee v3.5 or 3.6 patch from here.
Unzip into your MusicBee directory and overwrite existing files.

----------
The FAQ
The Wiki
Posting screenshots is here
Searching the forum with Google is  here

frankz

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Yes, if you use the same library (*.mbl) file, the two libraries will be in sync.  You just shouldn't have both installs open and writing to the library at the same time. 

If your server is on a windows machine, you can even put the portable install there and then open it from each computer.  That way there's only one set of settings and customizations to worry about, and your MB experience will be the same across all machines.  This is the way I use it (MB portable is in a shared network folder).

But even with two installs, your library and playlists and everything will be in sync if you open the same library file from each machine. 

larsonDigital

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Hi frankz

Okay, so updated my current home computer install version to the latest version, and then backed it up using MusicBee backup so I could migrate it to a home server portable installation: MB > File > Library > Backup Library ...

AppData Folder: MusicBee Settings Folder --> E:\BackUps\MusicBee\Complete\AppData
Library Folder: \\WindowsServer\Users\James\Library --> E:\BackUps\MusicBee\Complete\Library
Install Folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\MusicBee\ --> E:\BackUps\MusicBee\Complete\Installation\

The folder that actually has all my music files in it is on the home server, so no need to back it up: \\Windows Server\Music

Then, I installed the portable version to \\Windows Server\Users\James\MusicBee.

Next, I created new folder inside the portable install folder \\Windows Server\Users\James\MusicBee\Library.

Next, I manually copied my backed up data to the new portable location ...

E:\BackUps\MusicBee\Complete\AppData --> \\Windows Server\Users\James\MusicBee\AppData
E:\BackUps\MusicBee\Complete\Library --> \\Windows Server\Users\James\MusicBee\Library
I can't see anything I need in the installation folder, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Finally, I held the Shift key down and launched \\Windows Server\Users\James\MusicBee\MusicBee.exe on my home computer.

This gave me the option to create a new library or point to an existing one.  I selected to open an existing one:
\\Windows Server\Users\James\MusicBee\Library

However, this last step didn't work.  I got an error about not being to access the file, folder, or library (I can't remember which).  But if I open MusicBee without holding down the Shift key, it finds my old library, which is also on the Windows Server (see above path for original library location), and everything comes up just like I had it.

So I could be done at this point I suppose, but I really wanted to have things a little more neat and tidy and have everything in one folder, except my actual music files, at: \\Windows Server\Users\James\MusicBee, including my Library folder.  Is that not possible or do I need to do something different?

Thanks again for all your help!
James


frankz

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However, this last step didn't work.  I got an error about not being to access the file, folder, or library (I can't remember which).  But if I open MusicBee without holding down the Shift key, it finds my old library, which is also on the Windows Server (see above path for original library location), and everything comes up just like I had it.
I'm no expert on Windows permission, but it seems as if the error is telling you exactly what's wrong.

Remembering which thing it told you it couldn't access is kind of the important part.

Your library is a *.mbl file, not a folder. You never mention trying to open a *.mbl file.

You shouldn't need to move your library if it's already on the server anyway.  Why would you need to move your library if it's already accessible on the network? Neither I nor phred said to do that. That's only going to screw things up.  You shouldn't move your music files either.
Last Edit: January 11, 2022, 03:14:59 PM by frankz

balich

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Thank you very much for this information
Last Edit: January 19, 2022, 11:41:10 AM by balich