Access Denied

[tjlab]

I followed these instructions:
Connect your External HD to your Laptop and BOOT UP to Windows
Click the Hoster Icon to Open Hoster
Click IMPORT to Open the Import Window
Click Save To Folder
Click the DROP DOWN Arrow on the Right-Hand Side of the "LOOK IN:" Box
Click the DRIVE LETTER that designates your External HD
Click the CREATE NEW FOLDER Icon that is to the RIGHT of the Yellow Folder
.......with an UP ARROW on it.
BUT!!!!!!!
When I try to do that last step I get a window that says unable to create the folder, "New Folder" Access is denied.
My external driv ethat I just bought is Plextor 716UF
Until you can help, I can not do the rest :

Type word SONGS and press the ENTER Key
Double Left-Click the new Folder called SONGS
Click the SELECT Button
Close the IMPORT Window

[nreel]

You stated that you did this:

I followed these instructions:
Connect your External HD

But you did this:

BUT!!!!!!!
When I try to do that last step I get a window that says unable to create the folder, "New Folder" Access is denied.
My external driv ethat I just bought is Plextor 716UF

Since when is a CDROM a Hard Drive?

When it states to, "Connect you External HD, the HD means HARD DRIVE.

You cannot make a NEW FOLDER on a CDROM Drive. A CDROM is NOT a HARD DRIVE.

[tjlab]

Okay, so now what? If the Plextor 716UF only burns am I loading songs onto the C/ Drive of my laptop or do I need yet another external drive?

[Beavis]

a CD-RW acts like a hard drive. you can create folders on it.

[tjlab]

okay but HOW!

[George]

I think the issue is getting confused.

A CD-RW is a rewritable CD(disc). It is neither a hard drive or a CDROM drive, and has nothing to do with what you're trying to do, which is import discs into Hoster.

Stick with what NREEL was telling you.

George

[tjlab]

Alright, but I still need to know what do I download all my CD-G discs onto? Laptop? An external Drive and if so, what?

[nreel]

Well, I suppose it would depend on how many songs you have.

When Importing Songs, Hoster converts what is on a CDG Disc (Karaoke Songs that are burned on a Disc) to a KMA file (Hoster proprietary Compressed File).

A KMA File is ~5 MB each.

Take 5MB and Multiply it by the number of Songs that you have to get an IDEA of how large your HARD DRIVE needs to be.

Songs........MB/Song............Minimum HARD DRIVE Size Needed
10 X 5MB (5,000,000) = 50MB (50,000,000)
100 X 5MB (5,000,000) = 500MB (500,000,000)
1,000 X 5MB (5,000,000) = 5,000MB (5,000,000,000) or (5GB)
10,000 X 5MB (5,000,000) = 50,000MB (50,000,000,000) or (50GB)

As you can see, you would need, at least, a 50GB Hard Drive to accommodate only 10,000 Songs.

If your Laptop doesn't have the HARD DRIVE Capacity to accommodate your Karaoke Song Collection, then, you will need to either replace your Laptop Hard Drive or use an EXTERNAL HARD.

It is hard for us to say what you need, SINCE YOU DIDN'T LIST ANY SPECS ON YOUR COMPUTER and you DIDN'T INDICATE HOW LARGE YOUR KARAOKE LIBRARY IS.

Setting the FOLDER where your SONGS will be IMPORTED (SAVED)
Open Hoster
Click TOOLS
Click BUILD SONGS DATABASE
Click SELECT FOLDER
Navigate to the DRIVE and FOLDER where you will be SAVING your Imported Songs
(Right now, we have NO WAY to advise you because YOU DIDN'T TELL US THE SPECS ON YOUR COMPUTER)
But, let's say you have an EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE and this DRIVE is designated as F: and your FOLDER is designated as SONGS.

Then, you should have:
F:\SONGS
listed as a SONGS SOURCE FOLDER.

Click CLOSE.


You will use your EXTERNAL PLEXTOR to READ your KARAOKE CDGs during the IMPORT Process.

Such as:
Open Hoster, if Hoster isn't already OPEN.
Place a KARAOKE CDG into the PLEXTOR Tray and CLOSE the TRAY.
Click Import Tab
Click Import CD Tacks Tab
Look at the SAVE TO FOLDER and make sure that it is showing the SAME HARD DRIVE/FOLDER as was listed in the SONGS SOURCE FOLDER. Our example above was F:\SONGS and if it is NOT the SAME, navigate and MAKE IT THE SAME.
Select the BRAND
Select the DISCID
Select a BOOKID
Click ADD DISC TRACKS TO IMPORT
Verify that the Artist and SongTitle information is Correct.
Click SELECT ALL if all the Tracks do NOT Have Check Marks.
Click PROCESS SELECTED TRACKS

In 10 minutes, or so, the IMPORT of this Disc will complete.

Now, repeat the IMPORT PROCESS until ALL your CDG Discs are Imported.

It is HIGHLY recommended that you, periodically, make a BACKUP of ALL YOUR IMPORTED KMA Tracks to a SEPARATE HARD DRIVE. This may result in you having to BUY an ADDITIONAL HARD DRIVE.

Consider that a meager 10,000 Songs, at 15 Trks / Disc, is equal to 666 Discs.

At 10 minutes per Disc Importing Time, you will have invested 111 Hours.

Even if you could work 8 hours per day, keeping work to a 40-hour Week...like most jobs...it would take 2.775 weeks to complete the Import Process of all your Discs.

Realistically, it would take over a Month.

If the HARD DRIVE that you use to STORE your KMA Trks goes BAD, you will need to start over from the beginning.

I have my KMAs Backed-up on FOUR separate Hard Drives...why?...because I know that Sh$t happens to me. And, because I know it, I OVER-Compensate.


Anyway, I'm getting writer's cramp for trying to type what is, already, written in the Hoster Manual.

[tjlab]

I know you folks always think the answers are right in the manual, but you always take it a step further...and that step is exactly what I need. You really took the time to answer thanks very much. Of your four hard drives, what do you like best? Is 7200 RPMs good? Do I need an 8-in1 memory card reader? Do I need a "push button back up?" The Firewire...any specs with the "Firewire" to worry about?


I know this sounds dumb but: I'm thinking the external hard drive stores all the songs. When I play a song, it will be from the external hard drive connected to the lap top? How does this external hard drive read the CD-G or KMA file? I thought that is why I had to get the Plextor 716UF?

[nreel]

All my HARD DRIVES are Western Digital and spin at 7200 RPM and have 8MB Cache.

I don't, and never will, use a Laptop to run a Karaoke Show. Unless the Laptop is a "Top-Of-The-Line," Laptops are to "Fickle," never have enough recourses, definitely do not have enough Hard Drive space, the Keyboards and Touch Pads are a Royal Pain, and are too LABOR Intensive to REPAIR. You cannot get an Internal PLEXTOR Laptop Drive...they don't make 'em.

So, in the end, your taking all this time to Set-Up, Tear-Down, and Hook-UP peripherals that a Desktop Computer already has Built-In. Desktops are designed for the average USER to REPAIR, ADD, and REMOVE Components.

Hoster PLAYS the IMPORTED KMA Files that are STORED ON A HARD DRIVE, which would be what is listed in your SONG BOOKS that your Singers will view, write down, and submit to you to PLAY when it's their turn to Sing.

The PLEXTOR will be used when IMPORTING and when a SINGER brings their own CDG Disc and asks you to PLAY a song from their disc when it is their turn to Sing. You were directed to buy a PLEXTOR because PLEXTOR is the PROVEN Drive of CHOICE when it comes to reading a KARAOKE DISC (CDG Disc) correctly.

So, when you are either Importing or adding a Song from a Singer's Disc, you will have a higher probability of successfully Importing and Reading a CDG Disc Properly...So that the Song Trk PLAYS BACK CORRECTLY.

In sustained throughput FireWire is faster than USB 2.0. FireWire, uses a "Peer-to-Peer" architecture in which the peripherals are intelligent and can negotiate bus conflicts to determine which device can best control a data transfer.

Hi-Speed USB 2.0 uses a "Master-Slave" architecture in which the computer handles all arbitration functions and dictates data flow to, from and between the attached peripherals (adding additional system overhead and resulting in slower data flow control)


For all-out sustained throughput, a FireWire external hard drive will provide the best performance. But for convenience and compatibility between multiple computers a USB 2.0 external hard drive would probably be the better choice (since practically every computer has a USB port).

FYI
FireWire 400 (1394a) data transfer rates up to 400Mbps (or 50MB/sec)
FireWire 800 (1394b) data transfer rates up to 800 Mb/s (or 100 MB/sec)
USB 2.0 data transfer rates up to 480Mbps (or 60MB/sec)