Yesterday 14,980 songs in Hoster songs...Today 3,173.

[admin]

Originally Posted by michbabe

Ok Question now....is it safe for me with this dumb ole vista to go ahead and start reloading my discs?
I have updated to the 3.320 hoster ..
I will save onto my external hard drive daily, unstead of waiting until I have completed.
Hate to do this more than twice!!! LOL or should I wait for the 3.321 to come out??

The safest thing I can recommend with 3.320 is to follow the steps in this page for Upgrading on Vista. It requires moving your KMA and Playlist files to entirely new folders, or for KMA - using an external drive. BUT... not using the default folders you may now be using within C:\Program Files\Micro Technology Unlimited\Hoster\Songs (or \Playlists). These folders are OFF LIMITS for Vista users. Our instructions above are prepared for 3.321, but will work very well for you now. Read and do them.

Best solution: import new KMAs to an external hard drive, or if an internal drive, C:\MTU\KMA Files folder that will be our default in 3.321 and 4.0xx for Win 2000, XP and Vista.

[michbabe]

Thank you !!!! The support sure helps!!! Everything seems to be going ok. Of course I still have not found the 254 discs that disappeared. I did buy the program you suggested spinrite. But I haven't had the time to figure out how to use it now. I was hoping for an easy job, but it's a little more than I could figure out at the time. So 89.00 later, ha.. I just need some time to spend on it I guess.
But thank you thank you for all your help..
Can't wait to get your program up and running.
Will probably be paying alot of visits back here...

[admin]

Read MTU's final analysis of what has been going on, and what to do to prevent loosing files in the future.

[barrp]

Originally Posted by admin

One of our Beta Testers talked to an HP representative who said HP is not expecting Vista to be ready for public use for 2 more years. HP is allowing users to replace Vista with XP. That's an interesting tidbit.

Is this for new purchases or current users and how do we go about this upgrade hee he? I am now fighting with the disappearing kma files along with another non related problem and wishing I was running xp. I have lost everything except for the brand names from p too z.

[admin]

3.321 Released March 11, 2008 at 6:00PM

Come and get it!

[Karen K]

I simply cannot believe this is happening to me. I have AGAIN completed reloading my CDGs (the 5000 or so songs that took a hike into cyberspace a couple of weeks ago). I am now going through and randomly querying for a song to bring it up. First song I query, ERROR! No SONG! So, I load the disc, it says all songs are imported.

I guess what I NOW have to do is go through every single disc, try and play every song, and make sure they are REALLY AND TRULY imported.

I'm so fed up with this - anybody want to buy a PC shuttle loaded with 15,000 songs (maybe ... maybe not 15,000 songs - maybe looks like 15,000 songs but only 11,000 actual songs...) and a keyboard, mouse and monitor???? This whole experience has been enough for me to forget about computer conversion EVER....The prospect of sitting in front of that computer with two disc cases and trying every single one of them for a good import is just nauseating...

Karen

[admin]

Originally Posted by Karen K

I simply cannot believe this is happening to me. I have AGAIN completed reloading my CDGs (the 5000 or so songs that took a hike into cyberspace a couple of weeks ago). I am now going through and randomly querying for a song to bring it up. First song I query, ERROR! No SONG! So, I load the disc, it says all songs are imported.

I guess what I NOW have to do is go through every single disc, try and play every song, and make sure they are REALLY AND TRULY imported.

Karen, your core problem is the software you used from the Paratologic site (which is a "link farm" site, not selling their own products... very dangerous to use anything from these sites). Who knows what the Paratologic software did to your NTSF. It clearly has placed entries there that "indicate" a KMA file is present when it's not. I suggest the following:

First, make a backup of the songs you have at this time. This backup may contain problems, but make it anyway. After the steps below, you will probably make another backup, overwriting this one.

Second, run Windows CheckDisk (click Start > Run > "chkdsk" and press Enter). This will help clean up your damaged file system. It will help, not hurt.

Third, run Windows Defragger (click Start > Run > "defrag" and press Enter). This will get your files back in consecutive order on the hard drive so they are not fragmented all over the disc.

At this point, you SHOULD only see KMA files that are really there. If this doesn't work, see my final instructions at the bottom.

Forth, download Hoster 3.321 from this link and install 3.321:

1. Run the Hoster 3.321 installation setup program to install 3.321, and then run Hoster.

2. Click the Tools menu > Build Songs Database command.

3. In the list window in the BSD dialog, make sure you add all the folders where your KMA files are, and remove any folders in the list that don't contain KMAs any longer.

4. Click the Build Songs Database button at the bottom.

5. Once the progress bar goes away, your Songs Database is rebuilt.

I believe that KMA files that truly are not there will not be added. This operation should only index those that are present in the Vista NTFS index. If you did the First, Second and Third steps above, you should have a valid NTSF for Vista.

FINAL ADVICE: If you still find bad KMA files, you need to re-install your Vista. Now, you have a decision to make. VISTA is the cause of all your problems. Yes, Hoster was involved too, but we are confident the root problem of files disappearing has been caused by Vista.

HP/Compact Inc. now is recommending their Vista users "downgrade" to XP, and they will provide the XP discs for free. They are saying Vista won't be ready for public use for 2 more years. That says a whole lot right there. Why would a MAJOR Microsoft OEM abandon Vista? Because HP's reputation is being damaged by Vista.

MTU is in the same boat. Vista is damaing our customers, and thus our reputation.

If you decide you want to convert to digital Karaoke like tens of thousands of Hoster customers have since 2001, then you need a computer designed to do that. MTU STRONGLY RECOMMENDS NOT USING VISTA. After the problems you and others have encountered, we will make that VERY CLEAR on our web site.

If you have to reinstall Vista, DON'T. Contact who you bought the computer from, and work with them to get XP (home is fine).

If you decide to abandon digital karaoke and stay with your discs, I will truly be sorry to see you make that decision because you bought a Vista computer.

I can assure you, MTU has been through the worst period of our 31 years in business. We have put all our developments on hold, to study, diagnose and find the cause why files were being lost. Every fact points to Vista. NO EXCEPTIONS. We have successfully programmed applications in Windows since 1989, that's 19 years now. Read these Testimonials and you'll understand what we have done in the past based on Windows (3.1, 98 and 2000 in these Testimonials), and now see Microsoft throwing the world into chaos.

Karen, what you have experienced has broken my heart and spirit, even affected my health. I now KNOW we must discourage customers from using Vista. Earlier this week I DEMANDED we literally prevent Hoster 3.321 from being installed on Vista. It would only take 10 minutes to do it. However, we kept digging for what might make Vista work.

In 3.316, we started supporting Vista. However, we REQUIRED you disable the User Access Control (UAC) bit, which disables all of Vista's stupid "super protection" it forces on you, even moving your files without telling you!

Users who disabled UAC and LEFT IT DISABLED, had no problems. However, Microsoft is unhappy about this. So, we tried to please Microsoft. WRONG THINKING!!!

All the changes in Hoster we have made over the past 3 months are valid. Each one fixes a different Vista created problem.

We kept searching for a FINAL answer. This week, we found a "secret" in Vista. It allows an application like Hoster to run with Administrative privileges as if the UAC were disabled, but it leaves UAC enabled for the rest of the computer. Further, we can set this status when you install 3.321, so you don't have to do anything. PERFECT! Our Beta Testers report this morning that it is working exactly as expected. One even installed 3.321 at 6:30 for his show at 7:30 last night. It performed perfectly.

I truly believe that 3.321 will run on Vista as reliably prior versions have since 2001 on XP/2000.

Now, please follow my instructions above to clean up your system.

[Beavis]

karen i know its a long experience to import, but all the time you spent trying to fix the problem, you could have re-imported all your files.


i would get an XP machine and re-import. once you are up and running you will look back and say thank *** i stuck with it. lugging those cd's around sucked!

ive been using since 2001 and have never had a problem other than a few audio issues that were fixed promply.


hang in there its worht it.


admin, why cant you use the word g0d in the forums?

[michbabe]

Originally Posted by admin

FINAL ADVICE: If you still find bad KMA files, you need to re-install your Vista. Now, you have a decision to make. VISTA is the cause of all your problems. Yes, Hoster was involved too, but we are confident the root problem of files disappearing has been caused by Vista.

If you decide you want to convert to digital Karaoke like tens of thousands of Hoster customers have since 2001, then you need a computer designed to do that. MTU STRONGLY RECOMMENDS NOT USING VISTA. After the problems you and others have encountered, we will make that VERY CLEAR on our web site.

Good heavens are you saying now we should all first get rid of Vista to run smoothly????

[gduns - with the Lord]

HP/Compact Inc. now is recommending their Vista users "downgrade" to XP, and they will provide the XP discs for free. They are saying Vista won't be ready for public use for 2 more years. That says a whole lot right there. Why would a MAJOR Microsoft OEM abandon Vista? Because HP's reputation is being damaged by Vista

i HAVE HEARD THIS FROM A NUMBER OF SOURCES. Best Buy has told me and others they will change out the operating system on new computers to xp at no charge. They have been pulling their hair out trying to keep computers running with it.

[Karen K]

To reiterate: I am running XP, not Vista.

k

[Karen K]

I will make my backup copy this morning...then follow your instructions above. Thank you.
k

[michbabe]

Well heck everyone!!! I guess I'm going to hang onto my Vista...I'd sure hate to see that you guys went through all that work of trying to make things work on visa for nothing!!!

Some one has to hang around and be the tester!!!

Running defrag, soon as I'm done I'll be loading up that 3321!!!

[bowfishn]

Ok, I am running Windows XP with Hoster version 3.319 and have had all my kma files dissapear twice, today we were using hoster after I had loaded in a new Chartbuster disc and everything was fine. I started a second hoster and shut it down, then when I went to use the one that had been up and running I got an error saying something about not being able to play the WMA file, it was a KMA so that didn't add up and I had to continue to the bottom of the page until I ran out of songs getting the same error message. I shut hoster down restarted it and then got a message that the kma files could not be found. I checked on my hard drive and sure enough all the files were gone. I restarted, still gone , I tried using system restore to an earlier date and still nothing. So again I am copying all the files from one of my back up external hardrives. I will try installing the new 3.321 and see if that helps. Again as I said I do not have Vista I am running XP sp2.
Shane

[Lonman]

There was a problem with 3.318 & 3.319, update to the newest 3.321.
http://www.mtu.com/upgrades/hoster.htm

[Lonman]

Originally Posted by admin

HP/Compact Inc. now is recommending their Vista users "downgrade" to XP, and they will provide the XP discs for free. They are saying Vista won't be ready for public use for 2 more years. That says a whole lot right there. Why would a MAJOR Microsoft OEM abandon Vista? Because HP's reputation is being damaged by Vista.

This is NOT the case, I just contacted HP to see about getting the XP disc & they said they do not/have not recommended anyone downgrade, nor offer XP on any of their systems. Nor do they recommend using a retail version of XP (for whatever reason) to replace Vista as the systems that are coming out with Vista may NOT be compatible with XP (I don't buy that one though).

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by Lonman

This is NOT the case, I just contacted HP to see about getting the XP disc & they said they do not/have not recommended anyone downgrade, nor offer XP on any of their systems. Nor do they recommend using a retail version of XP (for whatever reason) to replace Vista as the systems that are coming out with Vista may NOT be compatible with XP (I don't buy that one though).

That is strange because a few people have contacted them and been told that HP was going to send them XP discs to "upgrade" with. I am wondering if you got the "official" position they are taking to keep Microsoft happy?

[admin]

Originally Posted by barrp

Is this for new purchases or current users and how do we go about this upgrade hee he?

For current users. Call HP's 800 number and ask how to get the XP disc to replace your Vista. Be prepared to give your Computer Serial Number.

[Joe Nieves]

I just lost all my 14,000+ files Plus all my playList files on ver. 3.19 running on XPro. I thoght it was just a Vista problem? I've spent months buiding my playList for many clubs and singers with no way to print a list so I can rebuild if this happans now what can I do.
I was building another playList for a new singer on Hoster program #2, completed and saved my work shut down Hoster 1 & 2 turn off my computer went to do my show and All files are GONE CLEAN NO KMA NO PLAYLIST

[bowfishn]

Joe,
I had the same problem with 3.319 using XP sp2 my other system that was running 3.317 on XP sp2 never gave a problem. I have upgraded to the new 3.321 to see if it will take care of the problem. Yes it seems the problem was not limited to just the Vista users, somthing in the program also deleted files from XP users.