Re: WMP 11 Erased all my custom tags

Thanks for the replies. Could I get added help?

Please read what I see as having been already discussed, because I'm needing
to understand what all's been said here.

11-28-06 Daniel J. Mount wrote -
WMP 11 Beta initialized an automatic upgrade to WMP 11 today. I went
ahead with it. However, it wiped out all the custom tags I had stored, all
my album art, the play counts, and everything else. Is there any way to
restore this information?

11-29-06 Steven Hopper wrote -
Yes, recoverable but maybe not for all your data. Recovery reportedly
involves rolling back player, saving certain files, reinstalling desired WMP
upgrade and somehow introducing those saved files back into the upgraded WMP
files.

Options for recovering lost data from WMP11 upgrade are reinstalling OS from
backup, or using system restore, or rolling back the WMP upgrade to previous
WMP version, then in saving certain WMP files for use in re-introducing them
back into the upgraded WMP version's files. As for saving which files and
how one re-introduces them into the user's subsequent upgraded WMP remains to
be addressed in this issue's posted strings.

11-29-06 Daniel Mount commented -
'Is this typical, is it normal, that there is no respect for user data when
another program, and is this all users can hope for?' Mike replied that
'data losses are common with version changes in MS software, and no, there is
no MS update respect for user's earlier data'.

Note that the issue's string has yet to address which files need to be saved
(before upgrading), nor has it yet been stated how those saved files are to
be re-introduced back into the WMP upgrade.

11-30-06 Zachd commented -
'When the database is corrupted, it's pretty much generally unrecoverable.'

That comment simply injects into the string a likely cause for data loss
during an upgrade. Not a lot in the postings, address which files need to be
saved (before upgrading). Again, how are (what) saved files are assumedly
re-introduced into operating system after WMP upgrading to v11?

11-30-06 Mike Williams commented -
'Yes it's poor behaviour on programmer's part, sad news and old news.'

That comment injects into the string, the confirmation that users are
experiencing data loss during upgrades, isn't really helping us determine
which files need to be saved (before upgrading), nor do/did I see clearly how
saved files are to be re-introduced back into the WMP upgrade.

11-30-06 Zachd commented -
'interesting level of some database or library corruption, can nothing be
done' and inquired if there might be 'some MS articles on lost WMP database
files and if so, might KB272116, etc., need enhansement.'

So, assuming the earlier library is NOT corrupted, nor is it corrupted
during upgrade, if and when an upgrade still results in missing data (album
art, star ratings, custom tags, etc.), can be restored, but how it done is
still a little fuzzy to me.

It seems the missing data is restored into WMP11 using v11's , but exactly
which files need are to have been backed up and how they're supposed to be
re-introduced into WMP11, if at all possible, should might well have also
been mentioned, no?

The following is what one might say is the ‘hard data’ mentioned in posts to
this string:

Reset v11 *RTM* lib. Kill reg value. Run process. Run wmdbexport or
reinstall WMP11. In some cases you may also want to rename/reset the
wmdbexport.xml file present in the Media Player library directory, since that
will necessitate a reimport from v.x. Note that that will require a v11
player reinstall, though, and not just the wmdbexport trick. In your
c:\windows\wmsetup.log should be several references to wmdbexport.exe - what
are those lines? They may contain slightly more data.

Please might someone confirm that the above steps are in their correct
chronological order and also kindly comment on any of the following, as I'm
unfamiliar with much and some of it is lost on me?

"Reset v11 *RTM* lib" (seems to relate to the wmdbexport.exe and/or
wmdbexport.xml files? What has writer said, or tried to say here?)

"Kill reg value." (briefly how one does that)

"Run process." (run v11 update or open v11 player?)

"Run wmdbexport or reinstall WMP11." (How is 'wmdbexport' run?)

"..you may also want to rename/reset the wmdbexport.xml file present in the
Media Player library directory" (How do we access the "Windows Player
library directory" so as to remane/reset that .xml file? Is maybe
renaming/resetting the file name, simply a means to if need be, identifying
it? Or why might one "want to" rename/reset the .xml file?).

"the wmdbexport trick" (what's the trick and Would it constitute or relate
to re-setting v11 *RTM* lib'? Copying v11's wmdbexport.exe file, to do what
with?)

"wmdbexport.xml" and is as I understand it, this file is the export file for
the old library? And this file's usually stored where?)

"c:\windows\wmsetup.log" (Is a significant file perhaps useful in achieving
the goal of restoring missing album art, star ratings, custom tags, etc.?)

"restore from your offline backup." (any comments here appreciated)

Assuming that rolling back restores the mentioned offline content, how is it
that as I understand it, 'after restoring WMP to it's earlier version, users
presumedly can thereafter save certain recovered files', but I'm getting lost
as to how the files are accessed or used.

"c:\windows\wmsetup.log" was mentioned (seems my 'WMPsetup' is version
'9.0.0.2980' and my log only reflects about the week or two's several logging
sessions, and it bears no unusual remarks, but it seems I'm still lost as to
how and what s file/s are useful in restoring missing album art, star
ratings, custom tags, etc.)

Seems running wmdbexport.exe a key aspect of gathering up the old data and
plugging it back into v11's library involves the wmdbexport.hml, but I'm lost
as I assumed it automatically runs during v11 installs.

And last (yeah) but not least, I read somewhere that the reset "MigratedXML"
registry (should be located under
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences ) to 0 and then
re-run wmdbexport.exe.

So does it look like I wrote that down right, if so, I missed the usefulness
or reasons to perform that check.

Sorry for the ninth degree here, but I sure am hoping that when I can do my
v10/11 upgrade, I too want to be able to recover missing data (album art,
star ratings, custom tags, etc.)


--
My best to all and happ-e-trails,

Steven
.

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