MP3 Files Deleted From Library - Why? How?

[MasterJack]

After the latest MM update, I noticed that a good chunk of my music library is missing. The missing files are all in MP3 format - it was all loaded into MM from CD's. Some were loaded to MM in fairly high quality, other files were loaded in the highest quality available. I used the MM search function to look for moved files - but the result of the search did not reveal the missing files. I have no idea where they went - they are not available when I look at the MM folder by using File Explorer, so it looks like the files are not on my hard drive. Why did this happen? Does anyone know how to prevent this from happening again?

It appears that I will have to re-load the music from the CD's again, to make sure they are uncorrupted when loaded into the database. Does MM often make files disappear?

[Lowlander]

Use Explorer to do a search on the whole drive (generally there are no music files in the MediaMonkey folder). You may still be able to find them somewhere.

If they can't be found anywhere on your PC and as they're not in the Library it looks like you've used a method to delete files or Auto-Organize Files with a bad mask (overwriting files).

[MasterJack]

Thanks for the response. I have never deleted any of the files in my library or used a method to organize files that deleted files. There must be some other reason the files were deleted.

[dtsig]

do you have any addons running?

[MasterJack]

No.

[MasterJack]

The problem was that I purchased a new computer and loaded my old files into MM, then loaded more recently. MM apparently used a different file path to store my old files than it used to store my new files. It could not find the old files. I found them, after I had already re-loaded all the CD's.

Now there is a new problem created by MM. When trying to burn a blue-ray BD-R disc containing all of my music files, MM is telling me that massive numbers of files have file names that are too long. Some are too long because they are classical music and have long names on the original recordings. I tried changing the overall mask, but when burning to a disc, none of those changes I made to the database files are in effect when burning a BD-R disc! MM is telling me it will use file names that are the original, long ones. Not good. MM has also put the name of the CD in the file name twice for every one of the titles on many song titles. Why make the file names needlessly long?! Why force me to do all that work of manually changing the file names for every one of the songs that are highlighted by the program as having a file name that is too long? Why not just shorten the file names automatically when burning a disc, if necessary?

I am going to give up trying to burn my files to a disc - I don't have any more hours to spend manually changing file names to accomplish this one time - only to have to do it again next time.

[Lowlander]

Burning data files uses it's own Mask for folder/filename so you'll need to adjust it to prevent the long file path length. You can use options like $Right(): https://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/index. ... ormats/4.0 You can also use <Filename> if you prefer.