backup KMA files

[ddouglass]

If you edited the "Hide in Songs" prior to version 4.09 then no this information is not saved in the KMA headers. This was not corrected until that version. So yes you would have to go back through them again.

...is there a difference between importing hard drive files and adding song database?

If you are moving/copying KMA files from a back-up you cannot use the Import from Hard Drive to add them to your Songs database. Adding the song database does not restore the KMA files.
Does your current Songs Database build the songbook without the songs marked as Hide in Songbook?

[captnkarl]

Yes Dale, on my laptop that I think is starting to fail, none of the "Hide in Songbook" songs will be included. I just backed up all my songs on an external HD in the middle of August. That backup I saved is the one I used on another "backup" computer where I just pull off of the ext. HD. I had to "Add songs to database" so Hoster knew where they were coming from and when I try to create a songbook without "excluded items", I get all the songs.

Hope you can follow what I'm saying here. My show computer (the songs are on internal HD) puts my books together just like I need them, but the backup computer (songs on ext. HD) includes everything.

I just thought of this...maybe I'm not running the newest version of Hoster on my backup and thats why it won't recognise the header "hide in songbook??? The backup computer has the version with the volume slidebar, but I know they took that away for a while and then put it back.

[ddouglass]

I understand now what you are trying to do.
As I said, if you edited those to "Hide in Songbooks" before 4.09 then the information was not added to the KMA header. If you still have one computer that will show the songbook correctly (without the "Hide in Songbook" songs) and it is running 4.09 (if not upgrade to it) then you should be able to correct this by doing the following.
On that computer open the Edit Songs tool. choose Select Multiple button. Next put a star (*) in the search window and click Find. This should list every file you have in the database (may take a few seconds). Then Highlight all of them and click on Apply Changes. This will take a while but it should rewrite every headedr with all the information stored it the database including the "Hide Songs"
Then recopy those KMA files to your Back-up and to the Laptop (Rebuikld database on laptop). That should fix it. It doesn't matter which version 4 (later ones) that you have on the laptop as long as the information for Hide gets into the database from the KMAs it will print correctly.

[captnkarl]

If I do that, they will all be saved the way the first one is saved won't it?? if I highlight all of them and apply changes, won't they all be changed to whatever has been checked in the boxes "hide in songbook" etc.? That would reset all my songs to the same settings, wouldn't it?? I almost did that until I looked at the hide in songbook and it was unchecked, then all my songs would not have the header of Hide.

let me know if I'm wrong please.

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by captnkarl

If I do that, they will all be saved the way the first one is saved won't it?? if I highlight all of them and apply changes, won't they all be changed to whatever has been checked in the boxes "hide in songbook" etc.? That would reset all my songs to the same settings, wouldn't it?? I almost did that until I looked at the hide in songbook and it was unchecked, then all my songs would not have the header of Hide.

let me know if I'm wrong please.

Nothing will change except any field that you fill in. If you don't fill any fields then they will save exactly as they are in the database. In other words if in the database a file's informations says it isn't hidden then that is what will be saved in its KMA header. If it has Hide in the database then that file will save as being hidden in the KMA header for that file. This was also a change done in 4.09 so if you went in and changed the language for a group of files it would not change any of the genres, mux, duet, or hide for all those files. Only the item you edit is changed. If you do not edit anything then they will all be resaved with whatever is registered in the database.

[mindonstrike]

Originally Posted by ddouglass

I understand now what you are trying to do.
As I said, if you edited those to "Hide in Songbooks" before 4.09 then the information was not added to the KMA header. If you still have one computer that will show the songbook correctly (without the "Hide in Songbook" songs) and it is running 4.09 (if not upgrade to it) then you should be able to correct this by doing the following.
On that computer open the Edit Songs tool. choose Select Multiple button. Next put a star (*) in the search window and click Find. This should list every file you have in the database (may take a few seconds). Then Highlight all of them and click on Apply Changes. This will take a while but it should rewrite every headedr with all the information stored it the database including the "Hide Songs"
Then recopy those KMA files to your Back-up and to the Laptop (Rebuikld database on laptop). That should fix it. It doesn't matter which version 4 (later ones) that you have on the laptop as long as the information for Hide gets into the database from the KMAs it will print correctly.

I almost suggested this but wasn't sure if it would cause him to lose that info, I didn't have time to double check.

At the very least he should make a copy of his songs.mdb that he he can go back to in a worst case scenario.

Backup, backup, backup. A tenet of murphy's law is that the one thing you don't backup will be the one thing you end up wishing you had.

Been there. Done that.
Sam

[captnkarl]

It takes about 5 hours to backup, but right now I'm defragging because of a slight glitch in the music. at times it seems to kind of like skip or slight miss, so I'm updating all my drivers and defragging...hope it isn't my HD goin bad (only 10 months old). This is why I'm so concerned that my backups will be exactly like what I have on my show computer in case it is my HD failing.

I will be doing this tomorrow after everything else is done and will post the results so it may help others that need to know this info.

BTW what are mdb files...everything is saved as a kma file I'm sure???

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by captnkarl

It takes about 5 hours to backup, but right now I'm defragging because of a slight glitch in the music. at times it seems to kind of like skip or slight miss, so I'm updating all my drivers and defragging...hope it isn't my HD goin bad (only 10 months old). This is why I'm so concerned that my backups will be exactly like what I have on my show computer in case it is my HD failing.

I will be doing this tomorrow after everything else is done and will post the results so it may help others that need to know this info.

BTW what are mdb files...everything is saved as a kma file I'm sure???

What Sam was saying is back-up the file in C:/MTU/Hoster called Songs.MDB. That would be where the Hide information is store and this will only take a few seconds.
The MDB (not MTB) files are Access database files. This is where all the information from the KMA header (part of the KMA file for each song) and the location of each KMA file is stored so you can Search and add song files to your playlist. Rather than having to search through a list of lots of KMA files (in your case 39,000) to find the exact one you want the database is much faster.

[captnkarl]

Dale, I was right....what you had me do erased all my "hide in songbook".....PEOPLE DO NOT FOLLOW THOSE INSTRUCTIONS. Now I will be spending the better part of my free time over the next month hiding songs ..