"Overwrite non-portable installation"

[tbm72]

Was just about to try out today's update but the installer says "Warning: This will overwrite an existing non-portable installation! Are you sure you want to proceed?"

My existing MM5 is definitely a portable install but I've cancelled installing the update for now. Is it OK to continue?

[Lowlander]

What does Help > About show? Maybe at some point you accidentally installed the full version?

[tbm72]

I've only ever installed portable versions of MM5 and it's not in my Win10 Add/Remove list so there definitely isn't a version to uninstall. It's installed directly to my C: Drive as always (C:\MediaMonkey 5)

[tbm72]

I even copied and pasted the C:\MediaMonkey folder to check to "C:\MediaMonkey 5 - copy" and ran the exe directly from it and that opens fine.

[Lowlander]

Strange, I did not see this when updating. I would assume the update would still work as expected.

[tbm72]

I've no idea what's happened but it's all completely messed up now - please help!

So I installed the new (portable) version (5.1.0.2802) and ignored the warning that I was about to overwrite a non-portable version (5.0.4.2690 which I'm sure is a portable version) and installed it to 'C:\MediaMonkey 5'. But just to be safe, before I did this I backed up the whole previous portable folder by copying and pasting the whole folder (now at 'C:\ MediaMonkey 5 - copy').

So now I have the newly installed portable version (at 'C:\MediaMonkey 5') but after opening it, things are displaying as they were probably a few months ago with some old tracks that I've since deleted, old playlists etc. So I quit, and then manually launched the portable version from my backed up copy (at 'C:\MediaMonkey 5 - copy'). This is still all working correctly and as it should be, so I've copied the database from there to my desktop, quit and then opened today's install. I then did a 'restore from backup' and pointed it to the database that I just copied to the desktop. After that, it all looks correct to the eye but when I start playing certain songs, they play a completely different track (different artist, different album etc).

It's as if the imported database is pointing to all the wrong file locations. Whatever song I play, it chooses a completely different one.

I'm worried I'm going to lose my whole library. At the moment, the backup copy is working exactly as it should but the newly installed one is all wrong and I don't want to overwrite or lose my library - please help!

If it's any use, I have a feeling this leads back to a crash I had back in February when I got a blue screen of death. When I opened MM5 my library had gone and it asked me if I wanted to import a MM4 database and settings. I cancelled out and then relaunched and pointed it to my database and it all came back. But something from then seems to have messed it up after today's install.

[tbm72]

I've searched my PC for all files called 'MM5.DB' and it looks like I have one in my appdata/roaming folder:

C:\Users\Simon\AppData\Roaming\MediaMonkey5\MM5.DB (this is 94.37MB)

and also one in the 'Portable' install folder of both the old (correct) and today's install (incorrect) folders:

C:\MediaMonkey 5\Portable\MM5.DB (this is 89.94MB)
C:\MediaMonkey 5 - Copy\Portable\MM5.DB (this is 99.77MB)

So it looks like there are 3 different DB files. The old folder (C:\MediaMonkey 5 - Copy\Portable\MM5.DB) is the version that works as it should so do I need to copy that DB file to 'C:\MediaMonkey 5\Portable\' or do I need to copy it into the roaming folder? Or do I need to do something different altogether?!?

I've backed up all 3 of these DB files just in case but just need to know which one is the right one?

[Lowlander]

Database location: https://www.mediamonkey.com/support/kno ... ini-files/ For Portable Installs this is in the Portable folder. The Roaming folder indicates a non-portable install.

It definitely looks like some old remnants are on the PC.

[tbm72]

Thanks, I did see that page earlier but still not sure how to fix it as it looks like something has been garbled during the last portable install.

So for simplicity I've now deleted today's updated release (portable install to C:\MediaMonkey 5) so I've just got the original correctly working version (now located at C:\MediaMonkey 5 - Copy) which I'm sure is a portable install even though the About box doesn't say it is (as there's no way to uninstall it from Windows and there's nothing else in my Windows Program Files folders.)

I thought I'd already tried copying the database from this version and reimporting it into today's update but that messes everything up. When I go to Manage Database>Backup database I see this:



So that confirms that the current working database is located in my appdata/roaming folder right?

But when I import that same file into a new install it doesn't work correctly and plays the wrong track when I click on any track. I'm confused...

[tbm72]

I think I've partially sorted it. Reinstalled latest update, reimported database from a backup called MM_20230417235150.DB and relaunched and seems to be working OK now.

Only issue I've got now is this error popped up after a couple of minutes but going to restart my PC and see if that fixes it:

[Lowlander]

After running that MediaMonkey and making some tag changes, scan new files in or make a change in a Playlist (for testing you could create a new Playlist with a few files), which mm5.db file has an updated date modified.

It surely seems to indicate the database in roaming is being used.

[Lowlander]

Did you send the log in?

[tbm72]

It seems OK now after a restart. I tried updating some playlists and the MM5.DB file within the C:\MediaMonkey\Portable folder seems to get its timestamp updated which indicates it's hopefully using the correct portable DB file now and not the one in Appdata/Roaming. Also the About box now confirms I'm using Portable:



Just to clarify, is the appdata/roaming folder just for installed programs? So if I were to delete (or at least move and rename) the MM folder that's in my roaming profile, it should clarify whether that location is still in use by throwing an error. I'm guessing it's still there as some kind of remnant from when I used to use non-portable MM4.

Thanks for your help, glad it seems to be working again!

[Lowlander]

Yes, Portable contains everything within the install folder. Thus in Roaming are remnants of a previous regular install.

[Peke]

Hi,
And it is just set to be DB backup location.