Number of music files (XP SP2)

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Hi everyone! I have been working on this off and on for a couple of weeks and now it’s time for the experts. I posted a question regarding a similar issue before but this is more detailed. With no hidden files, I right click on MY MUSIC and it shows 1357 files and 148 folders. I used Musicmatch forever (now Yahoo! Music Jukebox) and my count always matched or I was able to figure out why. Now using Winamp I show 760 files and using Windows Media Player 11, I have no clue how many files I have. I have noticed in both MY MUSIC and MY PICTURES that some files seem to be in there twice but if I delete one – both are gone! I like having one jukebox that lets me print my library, keeps count of my songs and sounds good. Oh, that was Musicmatch. Any suggestions – it’s driving me nuts especially when it does it to the pictures too!
Thank you, as always, for your time.
Cherie

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I’m not an expert – but I’m happy to offer a non-expert’s suggestion.

Have you done a search of your ‘My Music’ folder just for wma and mp3 files(or whatever media formats you use)? I wonder whether you have some ‘non audio’ files included in the raw file counts for ‘My Music’.

For example, if you have associated DRM files for downloaded media, these may be included in the ‘right -click’ file count, but would not be counted as ‘media’ files within MusicMatch.

It’s a bit like whether you include the auditors as part of the headcount of people working for the company.

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(Edited by cashirey on 04-Nov-07 11:42. Updated info.)

Thanks for your suggestion. I tried to search my computer for all music files that ended in mp3 and didn’t get any! Then I tried to search My Music folder directly and I got the same answer – 0! I then removed the Winamp program and was able to do the search again. What I am finding is some type of ghosting. For example, if I search for one specific song, two icons come up and the information associated with them matches exactly. If I delete one, both go. If I go into the Recycle Bin, it shows only one of the files and when I restore only one comes back. What could this be?
Second question: what extension should I look for album art under? I manually deleted tons of it but when I went to copy My Music to a DVD for safekeeping it showed more album art!
I tried to read about DRM – I basically get the idea of its purpose but I am not understanding how it affects my music files.
Any and all help is appreciated.
I went in and searched for the song mentioned above and guess what? Search brings up two copies again!

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… guess what? Search brings up two copies again! …

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[/indent]Ahd WHERE does it show the files are located, i.e. directory name? The reason I ask is the comment about ghosting (cacheing) that I mentioned in your “other” thread. You should be able to set WMP so it will show you directory names and it would make this whole detective work a slight little bit easier (maybe?)…

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(Edited by cashirey on 04-Nov-07 11:58. )

I did enable file extensions and when I put the mouse over the file and the file information comes up, it is identical! Example attached.
It seems like this should be simple; I’ve never had this problem until recently!
Thank you for your help; I am paying attention!
Cherie

*** This is from the Search screen. ***

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Well, it’s plain that I don’t know the answer either, Cherie, so I’m hunting and pecking with you. What I was talking about is within WMP, not a search screen. If you are in Library and go through the various elements in the left pane, each time looking at the files on the right side. If you have set the displayed columns as I have, you should be able to see where the files are located AND whether there are multiple copies of same. Have you given a look like mine?

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Hi Cherie

Chuck a few more ideas at you:

In the playlist, click the [-] minus button, then Remove -> Remove duplicate files

Alternatively

A small Duplicate Music Files Finder

If it finds no duplicates, that narrows it down to possibly the dat file but let’s try the top two here first

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I have changed to view to show where the files are located and they are all located in the correct space as far as WMP is concerned. I ran the duplicate file program and it found lots and lots of duplicate files but, of course, before I emptied the recycle bin I checked randomly to see if the files were still in My Music and quite a few of them were gone so I took them out of recycle. I had Musicmatch fix broken tracks but now I am about 100 songs less than I should be in Musicmatch and about double in the My Music file.
I am really confused. I do not even have an idea of what to do next.
As always, thanks for all of your assistance. Any more ideas?
Cherie

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How maddening.

If you haven’t so already can you make all files visible

1) Tools | Folder Options
2) Click the View Tab
3) Select “Show Hidden Files and Folders”
4) Deselect “HideExtensions for known file types”

Now go to your folder where the files are kept; can you see another additional file in there, possibly ending in .dat

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Hi Jerry and all,
I did that awhile ago when I first started this project (nightmare!) but I think we are getting somewhere. I found .dss files, Photoshop Elements music in the .mp3 format, Roxio DVD .mp3 files and even system files in the .mp3 format. I would like to move my “real” music into a folder of its own – is that possible? Or even, get the invaders out of My Music file. Another strange thing though – when I search *mp3 only 3 songs come up and they are system files. The only way I could even get to the .mp3 files is to search the entire My Music file and sort by type. Now what am I doing wrong?
IS THERE A WAY TO PRINT THE SEARCH??? You can see by my capital letters, I am getting desperate. If I use my screen print program, it takes about 17 pages as it treats the screen prints as photos.
Thank you for sticking in here with me on this.
Cherie

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Hi Cherie

Sorry, pedant alert, pedant alert

It may just be a typo bbbuuuttt..

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…when I search *mp3 only 3 songs come up…

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Can I confirm you are searching for *.mp3 (note the period between the * and m) this should bring up the MP3 files. If you search this way you can isolate the music files and copy them to a new folder as back up and seperate the others.

BTW the dss files look like it is a codec file for your player

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Oh Lord, was I scared. However, I have a shot of the search and the results!

Cherie

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And the other:

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Karen’s Directory Printer is a free utility that lets you print the contents of a folder. You can specify that you want to list specific file types only, and that all subfolders should be included. You can also export the listing to a text file.

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Hans,
Many, many thanks for leading me to Karen’s Directory Printer. It’s already downloaded and I have installed it. I am especially glad to have this program; there have been many times I have resorted to many, many screen prints!!! Now, back to work on the problem I have turned into an all day project!

Cherie

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Hans,

Thank you so much for that link to Karen’s page! I came on today looking for a way to create a spreadsheet of the names of the tens of thousands of images I have in a folder and this is perfect!

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Great! It’s a very nice utility, especially since it’s completely free!

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