Spinup the disks (09x-7)

[PeterSt]

Hi Johan,

The other day I looked at the "Start Engine3 during conversion" parameter, which seemed the cause for reading from your external drive(s), but could find nothing. Today, by pure coincidence I run into a situation of which I said at first "hey, how come I see those external drive letters in the log files ?!" but ...

We forgot about one thing : This only works when playing from Galleries !!
... and this is what I did not do this time. Now, I bet you don't do as well, occasionally.

Similarly to your remark (IIRC) "but the files are all on the local disk" in relation to the Pause etc., this is not enough ! That is only the files, and not the data about the files (could be .cue data, coverart). So, the data about the files is stored -locally !- in the Galleries.

Apart from the Pause thing, can we conclude and agree that it is solved now ?
Btw, you'd have to agree, because I can't find anything else ! haha

Peter

[JohanZ]

.....the "Start Engine3 during conversion" parameter, which seemed the cause for reading from your external drive(s), 

I have never said that. I have the impression that you made that suggestion so that i get rid of that hickups. I did not use that option because i sometimes mis the Title and first track information during unattended playback. Without that option i have the same external drive problems. I have the impression that the option reduces the hickups in the sound.

We forgot about one thing : This only works when playing from Galleries !!
... and this is what I did not do this time. Now, I bet you don't do as well, occasionally.
 

I can't follow you. Please can you give me a more clear explanation. I always play from the Gallary (internal drive)!

So, the data about the files is stored -locally !- in the Galleries.
 

...but after a play command and the option copy to....then all data and files are on the internal drive. What is the reason to read again from the external drive when you give a play after a pause command? I have the impression that after the pause command XX don't works correct. Reading several times the external drive during one track. (unattended / copy to ..drive)

Apart from the Pause thing, can we conclude and agree that it is solved now ?
 

 

The OS is now Windows 7 on SSD and i still hear sometimes external disc activities during playback.

[PeterSt]

I have never said that. I have the impression that you made that suggestion so that i get rid of that hickups. I did not use that option because i sometimes mis the Title and first track information during unattended playback. Without that option i have the same external drive problems. I have the impression that the option reduces the hickups in the sound.

Then I ask you politely to pay attention better ... *I* concluded that. Read back. If you are not even using this information, we'll NEVER get there.

What is the reason to read again from the external drive when you give a play after a pause command? I have the impression that after the pause command XX don't works correct.

Why ask this for a second time, while I just answered that. You are NOT going to solve it by repeating questions like this.

Dear Johan,

I explained to you how the log file should look like when all is right. Now, if you hear clicks from whatever it is, it is you who can look in the log files to check whether indeed the data is coming from the external drives. You don't even need to wait for clicks because you just can check the log files. But WHEN that happens, it is you who must think what he now does differently from before. I can't help with that, and I did my best sufficiently enough at this moment.

This is NOT about Pause for now. I just asked you to leave that out. So DON'T come back on it (again). It is another problem.

If you don't wish to coorporate with this, also fine.

Did I just sound irritated ?

[PeterSt]

I was just thinking ...
Since you didn't help me much with your previous post, can you please try to pick from the below small list (more are allowed to be true) :

1. When I play an album -and sure never used Pause/Play- external disk activity can occur. 100%.
2. When I hear disk activity, the log files show that I am using the external disks. Always.
3. When I used Pause/Play the newest log files show that I am using the external disks.
4. When I hear disk activity, the log files show that I'm using the local disk.

This denotes where the files come from :

Take the X3 log file. Here's an example :

08:02:24.8700000 Trackload started
08:02:24.8730000 Get file for track
08:02:24.8730000 XXDat0000.dat exists
08:02:24.8730000 Not read twice
08:02:24.8730000 Continue here with XXDat1
08:02:24.8730000 Implied track sequence number : UnicodeTrack0001.wav
08:02:24.8730000 Reading XXDat0000.dat
08:02:24.8740000 Track Name : G:\WAV\PS\10CC\MEANWH~1\02-WON~1.WAV

At the 8th line (the last shown here) at "Track Name : " the location of the track/file is shown. In this case an external drive.

08:01:34.4280000 Track Name : 01-WOM~1.WAV

In this case, since there is no drive letter, it is taken from the local disk (actually, the disk where XX resides).

20:27:30.6280000 Track Name : UnicodeTrack0001.wav

Again local.


One more thing, now we're in the mood again :
What I said in my earlier post about not using the Gallery and then it can't work, now appears to be a mixture of the truth and something which may be wrong. I mean, when I try to copy that behaviour now I can't do it and the tracks show as local. Earlier though (and I still must have that log file) it showed as external. This can not be related to using the Galleries or not, because the Copy to XX Drive should always make it local. I only want to say, I guess I had an example myself (which coincidentally initiated outside the Galleries -> I didn't have that album in a Gallery yet).

In the end it is all a matter of "when does it happen", and this is not random. It is related to what you do, and what the source is (e.g. a FLAC behaves differently from a WAV because a FLAC always goes to the local drive (converted version) ... but there are many more (complex) examples).
Because it is related to what you do, a "Pause" thing should not be mixed up with the general problem, unless it *is* the problem. See before list to choose from, and see my earlier post.

Peter

[PeterSt]

I just found one reason for the external disks to be accessed ... when there is no main coverart available ... (the situation that the large X shows).

That won't be your case, will it ?
(leave out the Pause thing !)

If so, that will be solved in 0.9y-5 I guess, because I have to solve that for another reason.

[JohanZ]

Hi Peter,

Today after a fresh start of XX a small detaill of the X3 file  after I hear external disc activities:

20:03:32.4345703 Track Name : I:\Music\Jazz\MARCBI~1\2009-L~1\02-LAT~1.WAV20:03:32.4345703 Data Parameter : 00;290:DATA:I:\Music\Jazz\MARCBI~1\2009-L~1\02-LAT~1.WAV:TIME:7:16.13:BITRATE:1411:TYPE:WAV:START:00:00.00:CV:C:\Galeries\Jazz\MARCBI~1\2009-L~1\folder.jpg:CB::VL:-6:IV:1:SB:1:SM:1:OS:1:FN:I:\Music\Jazz\Marc&spBischoff\2009&sp-&spLater&spIs&spToo&spLate\02&sp-&sp&spLater&spIs&spToo&spLate.wav

Do I see external disc activity? I am not familiar with interpreting the log files. But all after unattended, copy to C:, only wav files, playing from the Gallary,...All cd's has a coverart,......

Regards Johan

[PeterSt]

Do you recall what you did last before this ? This is important ! For example, you could have had this (track/album) in the Playlist Area before, and somewhere underway stopped listening. This can have gone by means of Alt-S (or remote) or by means of Alt-X and click stop.

Keep in mind : In the Alt-S situation (Alt-E, Pause the same) the start of XXHighEnd (even days later ) is not "fresh" as such and it re-uses the local data.
This only disappears when XXHighEnd is started and Quit without playing something. So after that the start would be "fresh" indeed. Even in that case though, there's the Playlist Area contents and the data in there too is used to "not re-do things".

I hope we are getting closer !
Peter


PS: What about posting the X3 (and XX) log files from just *before* that situation ? You just preserved the date/time of the "wrong" situation, so you will be able to find it !

[JohanZ]

Hi Peter,

Yesterday i only did a start without any other action.

I am sorry but  i don't have the log file's anymore.

Today a fresh start with the same album Marc Bischoff "Later is too Late" nice album by the way.

I still have the impression that there where disc activities during playing unattended. I didn't touch XX after the play command. See log files from today. Am i right about the disc activities? The last time when i listening i am more focued on the music then the disc activities. I had the impression that you were working on it to solve this problem.

What I noticed working on this reply when i activate the <browse> button for an attachment is that it also activate the external disc....I have noticed this before. Could it be possible that when during play back XX loading tracks from the internal drive is automatic triggers the external drive? Is this Windows behaviour?

Johan

[PeterSt]

Hey Johan,

You are definitely right about the access to your external disk(s). As the earlier log line shows ... I:\
But not the one from today.

Could it be possible that when during play back XX loading tracks from the internal drive is automatic triggers the external drive?

Yes, but once the I:\ is shown in the X3 log file it is for real (and 100% sure caused by me myself and I ).
The question is : when does it happen ? I can't see it in the code, but the code is complicated (meaning : it can easily go wrong without me being able to see it).
Maybe I can apply a backdoor solution, like afterwards (just before real playback is initiated) notice that the drive where the track is coming from not is the "XX Drive" while Copy to XX Drive is ticked. That may be better than both you and me looking forever when it goes wrong.

Ok, I think I will do just that.
Peter

[PeterSt]

Johan ...

I have been reading most of this post to be sure I found the right one to respond to (there were 3 similar others as well) ...
So for your reward(ding) :

I ran into a situation at working with the LAN dynamically Off (thus Keep LAN - Not Persistent) that no Coverart would show; I know this for about a year and a few days ago I finally saw the reason : how can the Coverart be obtained from wherever the data is - Original or Gallery - when this is not on the local (OS) disk, where it is never (in any normal situation) ... that storage where the Coverart is (LAN) being shut off.

In this topic I also talk about obtaining the tracks form Cue Files "and how to do that from the local disk". However ... this (all in this topic) assumes that the Galleries are local. So on the OS disk.
This is at least not so in any "music from the LAN" situation, although it could be. So notice that in my case (and many years and versions further) the Galleries are behind the LAN as well.

I just solved this after a small two days of work (well, almost, but the hard part has been done now to know that it will be OK) and if NOW still any "external disks" wake up, then I'll eat a hat.

Of course, what it implied without me realizing it, is that with the LAN always On, at each next track the Coverart had to be downloaded over the LAN.

Summarized, whether people don't use Galleries or whether they do but don't have them stored on the OS disk, that disk somewhere else had to wake up per new track;
Quite some reports have been there that "something" happens close to the end of a track and I now think this has been this.

So, solved in the next version - also when no Galleries are used. Only 5.5 years later ...


Regards,
Peter

[JohanZ]

 

I've red the hole story again..pffff. 

Regards johan.

P.s this was an evening with a lot of stops is windows 8. I'm still thinking to go back to 7.