Video Hoster Not Reading My External HD

[charliebeck]

I started loading my CD+G discs on a 250 GB external drive on my home pc in my spare time. Had to re-format my HD due to some reg. problems I couldnt get working. Sweet MTU gave me another chance with reloading Hoster, but now I can't for some reason get Hoster to reconize my HD. I am going to buy the Full Hoster Prog. to use on my shows on a laptop. Hope I won't have problems getting it to read my external HD. Any Info would be nice.

[charliebeck]

well thanx anyhow....I stumbled over the fix....

[Beavis]

why dont you tell everyone how you did it so they can learn.

sometimes smart people can forget even the easiest things.

[charliebeck]

I opened Hoster Light and clicked on tools. On the dropdown I clicked build song database. A window opened and I typed in the drive and the folder where my CD+G's were located and hit build song database and there you are. It worked for me.

[bobcox- with the Lord]

Murphys Law.
Sorry Charlie. I Just Had To Say It.

[bryant]

I remember the time I had to use my backup computer
and remembered I had to build song database to get the backup lalptop working to the backup external HD, was at a show at the time doing as I had remembered just before showtime to do this. But, I rebuilt the database from the C drive in the backup laptop. Man, did I panic. Luckily, I had taken request slips just before showtime and every file kept coming up saying "cannot find song" or something like that. I thought I was ruined. Had these nightmares of running out to the Blazer, getting my diskplayer and disks and hooking it all up.
Called my g/f who was doing a DJ dance party across town, she said, "Didn't you once tell me to make sure that the default drive matches the actual drive holding the files". Then did it right.
That ever happen to anyone, all of a sudden, you have no songs in database and you think you deleted them all somehow?

[gd123]

That ever happen to anyone, all of a sudden, you have no songs in database

Yes

and you think you deleted them all somehow?

No

Rebuilding the DB is not an option 5 minutes before a show. It takes 15-20 minutes to rebuild my DB.

But, I know the in and outs of Hoster. All that was needed was to open the SONGS.MDB with ACCESS, highlight the PATH Column, and REPLACE the listed DRIVE LETTER and COLON (ex. D:\) with the new DRIVE LETTER and COLON.

For External Drive, if you would rather, you could make a note of the Drive Letter and open up MANAGE/DISK MANAGEMENT and change the DRIVE letter to match.

Most people know how to REPLACE TEXT better than knowing an Operating System. But, then, many don't have MS ACCESS.

Tis the difference between knowing the limitations of Hoster and its inability to correct a simple DRIVE LETTER disgnation, without having to REBUILD the DB, and researching various ways to effect a DRIVE LETTER change, and not knowing the limitations, in which case, the USER's only answer is to REBUILD the DB.

On all my computers, no Laptops, C:\ is the Operating system with Hoster, D:\ is the KMA drive, and E:\ is the Backup of the KMAs.

If D: fails, I open the Songs.MDB with ACCESS, REPLACE the D:\ with E:\, which takes about 15 seconds, and continue the show.

[bryant]

Yes, you're right, it was perhaps more like 10-15 minutes, and that was early in my career. Now I do know the ins and outs of Hoster and would know the exact cause at that time. Don't really rebuild database before shows, but something came up that day and forgot at home and just happen to forget the "need same folder to work" concept when rebuilding. I really did feel that the songs had been somewhere, but panicked for a few minutes before saying "sheesh, what an idiot I am".

[bryant]

I now have my backup HD assigned to F and default folder to same in hoster, but once in a while it changes on me, usually if I plug something in like a usb plextor
earlier w/o the ext. HD. Then I end up reassigning the harddrive back to F.

Pretty much got it downpat now.

[charliebeck]

Thanx guys for all the info. But I know there will be other questions that I come up with while learning the in's and out's of Hoster, so it's good to know you all are hear to help......