Get invalid file error when using winamp as player [#12697]

[staff]

Hi,

most programs I use are installed as portable editions. I did this too with MM and Winamp.
When choosing Winamp as external player I get an error for every music file I want to play.

Config:
Options > Choose Player > Winamp 2 or 5 > C:\portableapps\winamp56\winamp.exe

Error window:
Invalid file name - %s.

I tried MM 4.0.7 and 4.1.5 and an old Winamp 2.x with the same result.
I am not sure, but I think it worked in an older MM Version on XP.

OS: Win7 64bit,

[Guest]

Usually means there's an invalid character in the path (from Windows point of view)

Search for MediaMonkey.ini on pc and look under [System]. Check that the Winamp path is correct there.

[MMFrLife]

Can you give us an example of a complete file path for a problem file?

[staff]

Thanks for the help!
Here some further information. I couldn' t figure out a solution.

Mediamonkey.ini
[System]
WinampPath=C:\portableapps\winamp56\winamp.exe

dir for winamp.exe
C:\>dir C:\portableapps\winamp56\winamp.exe
13.12.2013 03:47 2.326.624 winamp.exe

...complete file path for a problem file.
some examples - none is working:
\\diskstation\public\ts\CLASSIC\audio\musi1\MNO\m83\M83 - Wait.mp3
\\diskstation\public\ts\CLASSIC\audio\musi1\ABC\Beatles\Yesterday.mp3
C:\portableapps\_data\audio\test\Echosmith - Cool Kids.mp3
C:\portableapps\_data\audio\test\EchosmithCoolKids.mp3

[MMFrLife]

What is the path for MM?

[staff]

C:\portableapps\MediaMonkey415
or
C:\portableapps\MediaMonkey

[MMFrLife]

Something to try/test if you want before heading to the debug:

Shut down MM and WinAmp (check task manager process to be sure)
1. Take out your MM and WinAmp databases (and MM .ini and .registry). Place them in folder somewhere for safe keeping but not on the desktop.
pref on another drive.
2. delete the 415 at the end of MM folder (use the setup file as a reminder for that).
3. Move the MM folder to the desktop (don't nest it inside of anything other than being on the desktop).
4. Move your Winamp folder to the desktop (same idea as above).

aside: Is portableapps\_data\ a path you created or a program created it? I'm guessing you created the rest, but what about the first part?

if you created all of it, then:

5. open MM and scan that path to MM.
6. choose Winamp > see what happens when trying to play file.

- forget the \\diskstation\ for now.

[staff]

Thanks MMFrLife - this helped.
Astonishingly enough it worked for the other portable MM installations.
This made me curious. I spend quite some time comparing ini files, registry settings (portable installation is writing to the registry in HKCU), deactivating by renaming dirs in C:\Users\S\AppData\ etc.

Finally I found the problem:
If there is no folder C:\Users\S\AppData\Local\Mediamonkey\ you get the error (my usernam is S). Just create the folder and the problem is gone - without restarting MM.
MM creates a file playit.m3u in that folder and is not creating the folder if it does not exist. With procmon (sysinternals processmonitor) I traced the error and the operation "CreateFile" resulted in a "PATH NOT FOUND".
IMHO this is a little bug. The portable installation should not write/read to AppData and if a program wants to write a file and the path does not exist it should create the path.
BTW, yes I created the path portableapps\_data\

[MMFrLife]

Great, sounds like you are on your way!

Thanks MMFrLife - this helped.
Astonishingly enough it worked for the other portable MM installations.
This made me curious. I spend quite some time comparing ini files, registry settings (portable installation is writing to the registry in HKCU), deactivating by renaming dirs in C:\Users\S\AppData\ etc.

That's odd that it would write that. I don't have that path on mine and have never seen it on the forum (the regular install has a similar path to Roaming).
The portable isn't registry free. It does write some user entries. I don't understand how it's rewriting your path, though.

Have you ever had the regular install on your machine?

Finally I found the problem:
If there is no folder C:\Users\S\AppData\Local\Mediamonkey\ you get the error (my usernam is S). Just create the folder and the problem is gone - without restarting MM.
MM creates a file playit.m3u in that folder and is not creating the folder if it does not exist. With procmon (sysinternals processmonitor) I traced the error and the operation "CreateFile" resulted in a "PATH NOT FOUND".

So, there is ....\Local\playit.m3u ? Odd. Something might have gotten corrupted during install.

IMHO this is a little bug. The portable installation should not write/read to AppData and if a program wants to write a file and the path does not exist it should create the path.Again, not sure why it wrote to AppData.

Again, not sure why it's doing that?

Did you try deleting the new .db, .ini. .registry and dropping the old ones back in?

[staff]

Just installed a plain vanilla MediaMonkey_4.1.5.1719 portable to c:\mediamonkey. Before that I removed or deactivated all MM registry keys or folder in the userprofile.
You get the same error and it is gone if you create the folder C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\MediaMonkey\
And, everytime MM is started it creates the empty regkey HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MediaMonkey\Interface\V4\Toolbars

I don't think I ever did a regular install on this machine and I could not find it in system control uninstall programs.

[MMFrLife]

Just installed a plain vanilla MediaMonkey_4.1.5.1719 portable to c:\mediamonkey. Before that I removed or deactivated all MM registry keys or folder in the userprofile.
You get the same error and it is gone if you create the folder C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\MediaMonkey\

Yeah, I guess. I'm not sure why it does that.

Did you try deleting the new .db, .ini. .registry and dropping the old ones back in?

Did you try deleting the new .db, .ini. .registry and dropping the old ones back in?

And, everytime MM is started it creates the empty regkey HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MediaMonkey\Interface\V4\Toolbars

Reg. key regeneration is fairly common with programs (so not surprised).

[staff]

Did you try deleting the new .db, .ini. .registry and dropping the old ones back in?

Just did that, but I don't know what you aim to using the old config files.
Same behavior, it works but only til you delete the folder C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\MediaMonkey (I created before manuelly).
Also a MM restart does not create the folder and results in the known error.

[MMFrLife]

Did you try deleting the new .db, .ini. .registry and dropping the old ones back in?

Just did that, but I don't know what you aim to using the old config files.
Same behavior, it works but only til you delete the folder C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\MediaMonkey (I created before manuelly).
Also a MM restart does not create the folder and results in the known error.

Because I'm looking at at least 3 different scenarios:

1. Is there a problem with MM?
2. Is there a problem with your database?
3. Is there a problem with the interaction between MM and your database?

You indicated that there is a problem with MM (until you fix it) but you never really said that you put your previous database, etc.
back in. If your old database works, it tells me there isn't also a problem with that as well (and you don't have to start over with it).

Glad to hear everything is going again, though. Happy Monkeying!

[staff]

1. Is there a problem with MM?

Yes,it is a problem with the MM installation, because as I wrote a plain vanilla installation already has the problem.

[MMFrLife]

Yeah, I got that you did another install.

I just wanted to then know "after" you did all the clean stuff and everything was ok after you fixed the install issue, did "another" problem present itself after dropping in
the old files.

I just didn't know if after the vanilla install you also put your old files back in or you decided to start over - "vanilla" makes it sound clean in totality (new db, etc.)

Either way all is good, well almost all.