MM with external hard drive

[juice16770]

I have an external hard drive with 200+ GB of music. I'd like to use MM to manage and play the music but I listen to the music on 2 different computers. Can I install MM on the hard drive so that MM goes with the music or do I have to have MM on both machines.

I'm still not sure if MM is the right software to play my music but am willing to give it a shot. In the past I used Windows Media Player but was constantly having problems when the external hard drive was disconnected and reconnected.

If anyone can offer help/advice I'd appreciate it.

-Juice16770

[Teknojnky]

I run MM from an external drive as your wanting to do.

The main thing is to decide if you want a shared config/library or not.

The readme file explains how to specify the path of the library/config, which normally stored in your user profile under my documents\my music\mediamonkey.

I personally have a shared database, stored in the mediamonky program folder, and I recently changed my "My Music" folder to the mediamonky program folder also. (using 'tweak ui', I changed my music to J:\program files\mediamonkey\my music")

This in effect gives me shared library database and 'now playing' lists stored and ran on my ext drive.

[Lowlander]

MediaMonkey works well with external drives. It has no problems with connecting and disconnecting the drive. Of course you won't be able to use MediaMonkey if you store the DB on the external drive it that drive is disconnected.

[trixmoto]

I have MediaMonkey completely installed on my external harddrive so I can play my music from any computer. Works like a charm! There's a FAQ that explains everything I think.

[bleeif]

I have MediaMonkey completely installed on my external harddrive so I can play my music from any computer. Works like a charm! There's a FAQ that explains everything I think.

Sorry Could not find script on your site can you point me in direction
maybe leave breadcrumbs!
Thanks a lot

[Lowlander]

It's not a script, you can find the faq on the MediaMonkey homepage.

[heinimuecki]

MM reads the path to its database from an entry in its INI file.
to operate MM on an external disk (including the library) is relativ simple
copy your MM folder from the program files folder to your external hd.
go to the folder "my files\my music\mediamonkey", there is a "mediamonkey.ini" file,
cut it out (Ctrl-X) and add it into the MM folder on your external hd, open the mediamonkey.ini with the editor and change the following entries

[system]
TempDir=.\Temp\
CacheDir=.\VirtualCD\
PreviewDir=.\Previews\
PlayerType=1
IgnoreDriveLetters=AB
CheckForNewVersion=1
ShowTipOfDay=0
StartJustOneInstance=1
DBName=.\Mediamonkey.mdb

then copy the songs, that you want to the hd.
when you now start MM from the external hd, MM uses the database file (MediaMonkey.mdb) from the external hd.
but the archive now is empty. you have to import songs (from the file hp ext).
but there is one thing to remember:
if you connect the hd to another pc on which MM is installed too, MM will use the Mediamonkey.ini file from that pc (my files\my music\mediamonkey). so the best is to rename that file on the foreign computer first.
a second thing is: if you have the gold version and on the foreign computer the free version is installed, you will not be able to use the gold features (auto playlists e.g.)
since the license info is stored in the registry on your own computer.

[Teknojnky]

You should change the name of the database file if you store it in the mediamonkey program folder, because during installations/upgrades it can get overwritten.

[bleeif]

MM reads the path to its database from an entry in its INI file.
to operate MM on an external disk (including the library) is relativ simple
copy your MM folder from the program files folder to your external hd.
go to the folder "my files\my music\mediamonkey", there is a "mediamonkey.ini" file,
cut it out (Ctrl-X) and add it into the MM folder on your external hd, open the mediamonkey.ini with the editor and change the following entries

[system]
TempDir=.\Temp\
CacheDir=.\VirtualCD\
PreviewDir=.\Previews\
PlayerType=1
IgnoreDriveLetters=AB
CheckForNewVersion=1
ShowTipOfDay=0
StartJustOneInstance=1
DBName=.\Mediamonkey.mdb

then copy the songs, that you want to the hd.
when you now start MM from the external hd, MM uses the database file (MediaMonkey.mdb) from the external hd.
but the archive now is empty. you have to import songs (from the file hp ext).
but there is one thing to remember:
if you connect the hd to another pc on which MM is installed too, MM will use the Mediamonkey.ini file from that pc (my files\my music\mediamonkey). so the best is to rename that file on the foreign computer first.
a second thing is: if you have the gold version and on the foreign computer the free version is installed, you will not be able to use the gold features (auto playlists e.g.)
since the license info is stored in the registry on your own computer.

Thank You for your specific details to get started this is what I needed I will try this
Additionally It was not clear to me When I install MM on each computer do I delete the mdb file and INI file on each computer and only USE the one on the transporatable drive.
which leads to .......
Meanwhile I am just trying out the Virtual CD I noted MM created another mdb file on the D:\my music\MM\ directlory
as well as the original mdb file C:\Programfiles\MM\
Does this mean there are More than One mdb files
One for the Main Database and Second for Virtual CD's also INI files

Thanks again
p.s what is the offical protocal not listed in help for retyping/renaming a field directly in the libray window: e.g year or Album I notice if I double click or keep clicking it eventually it turns white then I can type in it
what is the for sure way to type without going crazy clicking to get it to turn white mode!

[bleeif]

You should change the name of the database file if you store it in the mediamonkey program folder, because during installations/upgrades it can get overwritten.

Thanks
Sorry I am not clear
Does you mean the mdb one on the computer or on the transportable drive?
Does MM still require a mdb on the user computer?

[heinimuecki]

Additionally It was not clear to me When I install MM on each computer do I delete the mdb file and INI file on each computer and only USE the one on the transporatable drive.

you HAVE to delete or rename the ini file on the computer that you connect your exhd to. otherwise as i said the MM from the exhd will read the entries from tha ini file.
you can leave the db file on the computer when you have stored the
DBName=XXXXXXX.mdb line in the ini file on the exhd.
by default there is an mdb file on the computer which MM will read in case there is NO DBName entry in the exhd ini file.

p.s what is the offical protocal not listed in help for retyping/renaming a field directly in the libray window: e.g year or Album I notice if I double click or keep clicking it eventually it turns white then I can type in it
what is the for sure way to type without going crazy clicking to get it to turn white mode!

when you mark a line in the library window just hit the F2 key and you can edit it. but you can also hit shift+enter. this will open the properties window of one or more tracks.

Teknojnky wrote:
You should change the name of the database file if you store it in the mediamonkey program folder, because during installations/upgrades it can get overwritten.


Thanks
Sorry I am not clear
Does you mean the mdb one on the computer or on the transportable drive?
Does MM still require a mdb on the user computer?

this is the mdb file on the exhd because if you make an update in the future directly into the folder on the exhd the MM installer will override existing files with newer ones that come with the new version. this depends on the mdb file too (and the ini file i believe) so at least this two files should be saved before makin an update directly into that folder.

i preferr not to let the MM installer make an update into the exhd folder.
i let it update to the c:\program files\MM folder and then i copy it to the exhd. in that case i am asked if i want to override files and i can choose whether to override or not.

[Lowlander]

Teknojnky is talking about the MediaMonkey.mdb in the MediaMonkey program files folder.

If you would install MediaMonkey on the external drive and also put your library in that same folder on the external drive where you installed MediaMonkey, you would have your database overwritten when installing a new version of MediaMonkey.

The case with MediaMonkey is that it keeps a virgin database copy in the folder where it's installed. This database gets overwritten when updating MediaMonkey.

Thus it's better to keep the database in another folder on the external drive and set the ini file to point towards it.

[bleeif]

Teknojnky is talking about the MediaMonkey.mdb in the MediaMonkey program files folder.

If you would install MediaMonkey on the external drive and also put your library in that same folder on the external drive where you installed MediaMonkey, you would have your database overwritten when installing a new version of MediaMonkey.

The case with MediaMonkey is that it keeps a virgin database copy in the folder where it's installed. This database gets overwritten when updating MediaMonkey.

Thus it's better to keep the database in another folder on the external drive and set the ini file to point towards it.

Thanks guys as the song goes
I can see clearer and clearer now
THis is very valuable information
however Will the Monkey not freak out if I create another Directory with mdb file in it?
or this is where the Monkey wants to be calmed down by pointers from the ini to be shown the way. Yes
Hey Guys when will we get the Install WIZARD that prompts me
Do you want to use the Monkey on External Hard Drive
and be prompted for which drive you would like to use?
I dreamng again this must be in Media Monkey Platinum addition
I want to play music when did we all become IT people.
After I get this written all down step by stpe for a begininer I think it would be a great Service to all/most of the Monkey users especaially new comers and save time in Tech support and most of all give the user a positive experience
as Bill would say.
I will have to polish up on my scribe skills and get to it
And post tHis kind of Notice where when you install you could not miss it.

[Lowlander]

Having the database in another location is no problem and the howto is described in the online FAQ, the forum and the readme.

In the MediaMonkey.ini file you will need to add this line: DBName=path\Mediamonkey.mdb


As for installing on external drive, why would you need a special thing during installation. External drives are treated the same as internal drives in Windows. The only difference is that the drives can be disconnected.

[robertiles]

Hi

I'm in a similar position to you lot ... one huge disk on the network with all the songs in it and a collection of PCs and Laptops on which I run MM ... your advise is excellent and I will move the DB to the network server too so that all PCs can share it ... BUT ... sometimes I take my laptops away from here ... how do I get MM to treat the laptop as an "MP3 player" to which I can sync music files and can I then, when away from home, use MM to play those files or should I use something else??

I guess what I'd like is to be able to set the MM config to

1) look for the standard database on the network drive
2) if it fails to find the database in (1) then switch to a second configuration in which it looks for a local database etc ...

Or am I asking too much