What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Beta Testing for Windows Products and plugins

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MusicBringer
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What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by MusicBringer »

I have just downloaded the latest MM4 beta 1625 and installed it as a portable version - in a sep folder away from my regular MM4 files.

The beta is naturally without the customisation I have applied to my regular MM4.
Please tell me what settings files [ini?] and script files, I need to copy where in order to make the beta look, and behave, the same as my regular MM4.

Thanks,
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nohitter151
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by nohitter151 »

Assuming Windows Vista, 7, or 8:

Copy MM.DB and MediaMonkey.ini to the portable folder.

Copy the following folders:
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\MediaMonkey\Extensions
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\MediaMonkey\Plugins
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\MediaMonkey\Scripts
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\MediaMonkey\Skins

to the root folder of the install (eg. \MediaMonkey\)

Unfortunately registry settings are going to be very complicated to port over. It would probably be easier just to re-create those (eg. re-do the layout in MM itself) than trying to port the registry settings to a new MediaMonkey.registry file.
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MusicBringer
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by MusicBringer »

thanks nohitter151,

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear I want the beta installation - in its own folder - to deal with its own library in its own space.
I do not want my main library involved.

This beta Portable installation should mind it's own business and leave my regular mm.db alone.
Straight-away it has ignored the folder of beta files and dashed over to my main folder and impacted my main mm.db.
Fortunately I am able to restore a back up, but that's not the point.
This has made me very cross indeed. :x
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Lowlander
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by Lowlander »

Did you copy the ini over to the beta Portable Install? If you did you may have set DBName in the ini which is why it was using the regular install DB.
MusicBringer
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by MusicBringer »

Umm, yes :(
How can I specify the DBName in the ini ?
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Lowlander
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by Lowlander »

See: http://www.mediamonkey.com/support/inde ... ticleid=46

However if DBName wasn't used in the old ini it shouldn't have happened (is my understanding).
MusicBringer
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by MusicBringer »

Add the following line to the [System] section of the .ini file:
DBName=full pathfilename.DB
I do not have the above added to my [System] section of the .ini file.
In fact, being cautious, I ran a "Find db" and a "Find mm" before I reopened the beta MM.
It found nothing of course.
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nohitter151
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by nohitter151 »

If you installed MM in portable mode, then it won't affect your current installation at all.

In your first post you said you wanted the MM4 portable version to look and feel like your current 4.0.7 installation, doing exactly what I said in my first post will do that. You are only copying the files, so the installations will not affect one another, even if you copy the DB. Anyway if you don't want to copy the DB, then don't. You can still copy the other files/folders.
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MusicBringer
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by MusicBringer »

thanks nohitter151, that's exactly what I thought.

I followed your (clear) instructions, but without touching my 4.0.7 DB. It was left alone. In fact it is on another drive. As I was only copying files I expected the installations not to affect one another.

That's not the truth of it. Portable beta did not behave in the way you prescribed.
It immediately hooked onto my 4.0.7 DB, and without warning added the whole damn library (its huge) which means that the beta did affect my main installation by writing over and updating my 4.0.7 DB. I could see the mm.db file date was updated.

Yes, I made sure I was running the exe from the portable folder in Admin mode. I use Win7x64. I did not touch the registry.
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Ludek
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by Ludek »

If you install MM 4.1 as portable then all MM data are stored wihin the Portable folder in selected MM install directory as nohitter said.

If you want to use your MM data from MM 4.0.7 then just install the 4.1 version as non-portable (standard) version and your existing 4.0.7 will be upgraded to 4.1

I would _NOT_ recommed to copy MM data files (like MediaMonkey.ini, MM.DB) between portable and non-portable versions, because it can cause unpredictable issues. Although I believe that copying just MM.DB should work without issues, it cannot work for all MM settings, for example Windows Registry are stored in a file for portable version.
MarkODD
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by MarkODD »

My experience is similar to MusicBringer.

My music and the MM 4.0 DB are on a NAS. I set the DBName in the .ini file.

The first time I installed a beta 4.1 in portable mode I copied the database and put it in the same directory. Later I discovered MM 4.1 was accessing the DB on the NAS. I do not know how it found it or why it ignored the copy in its own directory. The only explanation I can think of is that it is somehow using the same .ini file as the 4.0 installation.
MusicBringer
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by MusicBringer »

MarkODD wrote: ...I discovered MM 4.1 was accessing the DB on the NAS. I do not know ...why it ignored the copy in its own directory. The only explanation I can think of is that it is somehow using the same .ini file as the 4.0 installation.
You're right MarkODD, and once this so called portable version has embedded its teeth into the NAS/4.0.7 DB - it will not let go.
As you and I have found to our cost, the portable version does not reliably use the ini in its own folder.
And of course the developers' answer will be: it is still in beta can cause unpredictable issues.
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Ludek
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by Ludek »

Are you saying that you installed MM 4.1 as Portable to another directory and that it taken the DB path from NAS?
I guess that you had to include the DBName in the /Portable/MediaMonkey.ini , isn't it?

Or maybe you copied MediaMonkey.ini from 4.0.7 over the /Portable/MediaMonkey.ini ?
You should _NOT_ do this, because the info that MM is portable is stored within /Portable/MediaMonkey.ini , by replacing it you made from Portable a non-portable version !!
MarkODD
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by MarkODD »

Hi Ludek

I downloded 1625 to double checke this again.

I made a new folder in the root of C and told MediaMonkey to do a portable installation there. At the end it launched MediaMonkey and I immediately got a message 'Your library is being updated to the latest version...'

When this was complete there was my complete music library (which is stored on the NAS) available to use. I did not at any stage copy or modify the .ini file.

I then opened the /Portable/MediaMonkey.ini file to have a look and somehow the path is already in there;

DBName=\\QNAP-NAS210\Qmultimedia\Media Monkey\MM.DB
Ludek
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Re: What files make beta Portable look same as regular MM4?

Post by Ludek »

That is strange, I have done the same test with different results.

1. Edited C:\Users\Ludek\AppData\Roaming\MediaMonkey\MediaMonkey.ini
to include
DBName=C:\Temp\MM.DB

2. Verified that it takes MM.DB from there

3. Installed MM 1625 as portable to new folder (C:\MediaMonkeyPortable\) and run
=> it runs with empty DB and the Welcome Wizard is shown (as expected)
C:\MediaMonkeyPortable\MediaMonkey.ini does NOT include DBName=C:\Temp\MM.DB (as expected)


Are you sure that it was not a test error, are you sure that you really run the portable version?
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