Media Monkey and two separate libraries on one PC???

[BatsMouth]

Hi,

Sorry to be a pain, but I am moving house soon and I won't have full access to my PC any more. So I was wondering if I could put my music library on my girlfriend's laptop (or on my external hard drive) and have them as two separate libraries. Is this possible?

Thanks for your help
Ashley

[Lowlander]

There are 2 approaches at the moment:

1) Use one library and filters. With filters you can decide which tracks you want to see.

2a) Use 2 libraries by using 2 windows accounts.
2b) Use 2 libraries by switching inifiles.

[Peke]

3) Move all your music to External HDD within MediaMonkey And do 2b) solution to point MM to load INI file that will load Database off External HDD all should be the same like you were using MM locally except you will not be able to start MM like you used to do until you plug in External HDD.

let us know how you see these solutions in much detail as possible. If you need any help/clarifications feel free to ask more detailed questions thrum example of your MM working habits.

[Foxgirl]

How do you use two libraries by switching ini files? How do you point MM to the ini files? It won't let me view the link for some reason either, it says I'm not authorized to view the forum.

[Lowlander]

How do you use two libraries by switching ini files? How do you point MM to the ini files? It won't let me view the link for some reason either, it says I'm not authorized to view the forum.

This is all the steps I went through to use the copy of Teknojnky's database on my system.

First I need to process the file from Tekno
1) Downloaded new database from the link Tekno provided.
2) Renamed the rar to append a .YYMMDD.HHMM time stamp to the filename. Not necessary, but, it is my standard practice for files which I may have more than one of.
3) I store test databases in C:\MMDATA\... Decided I needed a new area to store databases from other users. Created folders C:\MMDATA\UserDatabases and C:\MMDATA\UserDatabases\Teknojnky.
4) Moved the renamed rar from step 2 from my Downloads folder to the C:\MMDATA\UserDatabases\Teknojnky folder. I will keep this file as a restore point in the event that I need to go back to the original db.
5) Used IZArc to expand the rar into a new folder with the same name as the arc. I now have "C:\MMDATA\UserDatabases\Teknojnky\MM3db.081228.0919\MM3.db" available.

Now I need to set up a custom .ini file for it
1) Go to my base test folder C:\MMDATA\MediaMonkey
2) Copy C:\MMDATA\MediaMonkey\Mediamonkey.ini and rename copy as Teknojnky.ini.
3) Edit Teknojnky.ini -> [System] -> DBName= to read
DBName=C:\MMDATA\UserDatabases\Teknojnky\MM3db.081228.0919\MM3.DB

Now I need to set up a Vista shortcut to use the new .ini file
1) I keep my testing shortcuts in Start Menu -> Programs -> MediaMonkey Testing
2) Open the shortcuts folder
3) Copy my base shortcut for using Current (ie. latest) Program Files\MediaMonkey\MediaMonkey.exe with MMDATA MediaMonkey.ini.
4) Edit properties of new shortcut.
- General->Filename: Change from "MediaMonkey(Current,MMDATA) - Copy" to "MediaMonkey(Current,MMDATA,Teknojnky)
- Shortcut->Target: Change from ""C:\Program Files\MediaMonkey\MediaMonkey.exe" /INIFILE=C:\MMDATA\MediaMonkey\MediaMonkey.ini" to ""C:\Program Files\MediaMonkey\MediaMonkey.exe" /INIFILE="C:\MMDATA\MediaMonkey\Teknojnky.ini""

To use the new entry just select it from Start Menu or the custom shortcut folder.

Bit long winded, but, the devils in the details.

http://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=5036

[Foxgirl]

That is really all I need to do to get it to read the new .ini file? Is there a more permanent way to do it? My intention was to run The 2nd library on my external hard drive and I wanted there to be separate settings so I can take my external and have a portable library but every time I had the external running on my original computer it would use the .ini file of my original library. Will it still read the new .ini file if I plug it in to a new computer? What about if I open it without using the modified shortcut?

[nohitter151]

That is really all I need to do to get it to read the new .ini file? Is there a more permanent way to do it? My intention was to run The 2nd library on my external hard drive and I wanted there to be separate settings so I can take my external and have a portable library but every time I had the external running on my original computer it would use the .ini file of my original library. Will it still read the new .ini file if I plug it in to a new computer? What about if I open it without using the modified shortcut?

Isn't a modified shortcut a permanent solution?

[Foxgirl]

That is really all I need to do to get it to read the new .ini file? Is there a more permanent way to do it? My intention was to run The 2nd library on my external hard drive and I wanted there to be separate settings so I can take my external and have a portable library but every time I had the external running on my original computer it would use the .ini file of my original library. Will it still read the new .ini file if I plug it in to a new computer? What about if I open it without using the modified shortcut?

Isn't a modified shortcut a permanent solution?

That was my question. What if I don't use the shortcut to open Mediamonkey, what if I go directly to where the .exe file is and double click on that instead? Will it still open the program using the 2nd .ini file? I was under the impression that the only reason MM was using the .ini file was because it was specified in the modified shortcut. I was wondering if there was a way I could make it so whenever I open this second version of MM (stored on my external hard drive), it would use that .ini file. I would rather not have to modify the shortcut I use if I wanted to use it on another computer other then my home computer. My original purpose was to have a "portable monkey" but it was interfering with my mediamonkey on my home computer.

[Zeke129]

If you'll be sharing your PC the best and easiest way to go about this would be to simply create a new user account in Windows.

[Lowlander]

what if I go directly to where the .exe file is and double click on that instead

Then it will not use the inifile.

You could create a shortcut on the external drive though.

[Foxgirl]

Alright. Thanks for all your help.