Can't Change Build Songs Database Destination Folder

[bjswaim]

I just upgraded to 3.005. All my kma files are on an external drive. Hoster now can't find my files, therefore I was going to rebuild the songs database. So, I start to rebuild the database and the destination folder is for the C drive. I want to change it to my external drive but I can find no way to change the destination folder. Does anyone know how to do this now. I don't want my destination folder on the C drive but on my external drive. That is the way I have had it on all versions previously.

[bjswaim]

Never mind. Found my own answer in the manuel. Go figure :-). Can't change the destination folder any longer. Will have to deal with it.

[admin]

Yes, we removed the flexibility. There have been a number of support problems, and even problems from our beta testers because multiple Songs.mdb files could exist on multiple hard drives. In some cases, very nasty results have happened.

The killer reason is the Song Book - New Release Pages would not work correctly if the Songs.mdb was not on the default drive. It's a judgement call, but all new customers won't have a problem. Existing customers as yourself, have lost a flexibility, but one that you can live with once you realize its not a major loss. The averted problems is worth giving up that past flexibility.

[bjswaim]

I agree admin. The loss definitely can be lived with. Hoster is awesome and continues to get better. Thanks.

[Beavis]

MTU i think you are going to run into some bigger problems down the road for advanced hoster users.

just my .02

[mikedomi]

david why dont you still let them change it just make it an op in the tools menu

let hoster default it and then let them go to tools

as you can see there are already posting about this
and you just released it

[admin]

FACT: Many and various problems have been reported for a long time because of this extra flexibility. Most Karaoke users DO NOT understand Databases and are getting themselves in trouble with this flexibility. Even some of our Beta Testers were confused by having multiple Songs.mdb files.

There is a Prime Directive in product development:

Flexibility is the Bane of Ease of Use

The more flexible a product is, the harder it is to use. We "perceive" that Hoster 3.005 now prevents a few power users from doing what they MIGHT ONE DAY want to experiment with, and protecting the MAJORITY of the users from dangers they know nothing about, nor need to be worried about.

After 35 years as a professional product developer, including one that AB Dick Co. sold over $1 billion dollars worth of, I have proven this truism many, many times.

If anyone wishes to post a REAL need to be able to move the Database to any drive/folder, and please include any possible events that you think of that might happen as a result of it not being in a single location, then I'm all ears. However, general complaints that we have limited the product, without any substantiating facts will not get my attention. We carefully considered the sales and support impact of this change, that was required for technical reasons. The problems with the New Release Pages track counter ended when we added this limitation. So, tell me why we are wrong... if you can.

[Beavis]

just a thought


what about when you use an external hard drive for your database and every once in a while the drive letter changes when you add hardware. how ill you direct the database to see the new drive letter ?

ps: i think you should change your screen name to "The King" not admin! i even liked dougc better !

under it it should say "Super Moderator"

[dlessnau]

You are being rude again!

[Beavis]

lighten up !

[Wallymeister]

I think you can set your external drive to be the same Drive letter everytime on whatever system you connect with. If you set your drive letter assignment to a higher letter that won't interfere with any system you are using it on there should be no problem. I have mine set to K: (get it, Karaoke)
I know that if you are using it on a system that you've never used it on before you would have to assign that letter initially. You could pick drive Z: if neccesary and surely no other system that you would be connecting to would already have something assigned to that letter.

Wally

[dlessnau]

Beavis:

I see in other posts you are complimentary to Doug (he deserves it) so it seems I took your remarks the wrong way, and you meant them as a compliment rather then a dig.

I apologize.

[Beavis]

hey wally,

im speaking for the people (not me) who have little knowledge about computers. the Newbies !

oh and DL
everything i wrote about doug in this thread was a compliment!


All is good

[Wallymeister]

Yeah Beavis,
I think I knew that you were pretty darn puter savvy, that's why I didn't address you personally, but thought that a way to solve the problem may be read by some of those that aren't so savvy.

I believe that if people are going to use a computer for their Karaoke they should try to become as savvy as they can and one way to that is to read in this forum and other forums to help understand some computer basics.
e.g.
file sytems (paths, drives, naming, etc)
folders (pro's & cons)
some basic Access knowledge would help too

Wally

[MTUSUPPORT]

This change is for ME.

The reason for this is to Eliminate the main phone calls that I now get about this. I have many times told people how to set this up, when they need to rebuild their Database. I got tired of them placing the Database in the Song Location, and not building it correctly.

It seems that everyone makes this mistake at some point, and I get lots of calls about it.

So if you need to copy your songs.mdb to your external HD, then go to the C:\Program Files\Micro Technology Unlimited\Hoster\Databases\ directory and copy it. Then paste it onto your External Drive. Most people who are pretty knowledgable with the computers, will have no problems doing this.

I am sorry about this, to the ones of you who don't like it, but it will save me alot of time.

[Beavis]

its ok with me bryan....

[dlessnau]

Doug:

I don't use an external hard drive except for back up, but someday I might. I have printed and saved your instructions about copying and pasting the database into your external drive.

Does this mean that if I need to use my backup to play songs instead of the songs on my laptop, I have to paste the database FOLDER into my external drive before I can use it to play songs?

[quaizywabbit]

just a bit curious......

why would it be desirable to have the songs.mbd on the same external drive with the music?

is it so there can be different "sets" of music available to each system?

Why not add the drives serial number into the "properties" of the songs.mbd it matches, and perhaps compare its "last modified" property against each song in the drive to verify there are no new additions(if there are newer songs that the database, it would show as "not current")

This concept would allow hoster to ignore songs.mbd's that have no songs currently connected.