Mp3tag locking processing small number of files (34/1054)

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1

1052 fiiles in a directory.

Converting tags to file names.

Worked fine on a large number of files. Then realised that mp3tag had locked. (34 files remaining)

Some files not changed.

Moved them to another location fine, same issue with mp3tag.

Example file name.

03 - Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - 5A - 108.37.flac

Won't convert to

Example processed

Aitch & Ashanti - Baby (Clean) - 10A - 104 BPM - 2022.m4a

So any of the 32 files left, process one at a time, they lock mp3tag.

Any ideas?

2

If MP3tag works and sometimes it does not then you can assume that it is something local and very hard to analyze from the distance.

I would check...

  • consistency of the files
  • access rights
  • simultaneous access by other programs (like virus checkers, indexers, players)
  • filename length
3

Good call.

I should have been more clear that I had done some of that.

  • consistency of the files

So copied to another drive, they play fine in another player and if I use an analysis program on the file again it renames fine.

  • access rights

I think this is covered with - So copied to another drive, they play fine in another player and if I use an analysis program on the file again it renames fine.

  • simultaneous access by other programs (like virus checkers, indexers, players)

I did think of this, but after a reboot, same thing and I can manually re-name the files and so can another program if I re-run the analysis program.

  • filename length

The files affected are in the middle of the filename range for length, much longer files like.

Afrojack & Black V Neck f.Muni Long - Day N Night (PO Intro Edit - Clean) - 4A - 126 BPM - 2022

have been renamed fine.

Is there a way of turning on logging to see the issue in a log file?

4

If you find that renaming a single file works, and it only fails when you rename a lot of files, then I would still assume that you have some other program running at the same time that blocks the file.

AFAIK there is no special log file to be turned on. There is a file "mp3tagerror.log" - I don't think though, that it logs particular file problems.

5

So just checked.

From this computer it fails if it even tries to rename one of the remaining files.

From another computer accessing the same files remotely it works (but much more slowly)

It then produces an error

File "networkd details" 03 - Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - 5A - 108.37.flac" cannot be renamed to "network details" Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - 5A - 108 BPM - 1985.flac".

So it's a problem with this installation of mp3tag.

However an uninstall / re-install doesn't fix it.

So there does seem to be a bug and I can re-produce it.

Why would one version of MP3tag lock and one correctly display the error ?

6

Where is this file as it's not showing on my computer?

7

either the installation folder or the configuration folder (See File>Open Configration folder)

8

Thanks, found it, but it's zero bytes long.

9

as I said. AFAIK there is no log to note all steps undertaken by MP3tag.
You would have to check your environment what causes the problems.
If you can see that it is always the same file, then perhaps an upload for other people to analyze it, might help.
If you find the problem moves from file to file, then it looks more like a simultaneous access problem.

10

It's 100% not a file access error

As per my other message, it appears this install of mp3tag locks.

The other install on another computer, correctly processes the files and gives an error.

File "networkd details" 03 - Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - 5A - 108.37.flac" cannot be renamed to "network details" Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - 5A - 108 BPM - 1985.flac".

So the error is that the file cannot be renamed.

But the bug is that it's not displaying that error box, it's just locking.

11

I cannot reproduce it:
I just renamed a file, that I named "03 - Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - 5A - 108.37" with Convert>Tag-Filename to "Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - 5A - 108 BPM - 1985" without problems.

You did not answer the question: is it always this file? Or does it happen to a different file all the time?
If it is always the same file, could you supply it for analysis?

12

Hi the problem is not the files. It's the renaming.

There is already a file - Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - 5A - 108 BPM - 1985

So when mp3 tag tried to rename it (and the others?) it can't as the files already exist.

However on this copy of mp3tag, the program just locks.

when I try on another machine is correctly processes the files and comes up with the errors

"Cannot create a file when that file already exists. "

So the bug is why does this version/install not display that error and instead lock up?

I hope that is better explanation?

13

Where does the file reside?
On a NAS?
Locally?
On an external drive?

14

Local hard drive

I've tried moving it to a network drive and another hard drive - same thing.

1 locks
1 tries to process and gives correct error (1 being a different install of mp3tag on another computer)

15

Again: this seems to be a local problem.
You would have to check what the differences are between the installations in respect to ownership and access rights.
I know that you ruled all of that out - but if you have installations that work and others that don't ... who is to tell from the difference what the cause may be if even you cannot find out.

If nothing helps: save the configuration, uninstall MP3tag completely and try a fresh installation from scratch.

16

Is it the mp3tag.cfg or the mp3tagsettings.zip file I need to backup? (or both)

Is there a "completely uninstall" option, as I've uninstalled and re-installed and got the same issue on this machine .

17

See the documentation on how to backup and restore the settings:

If the issue prevails, then it is even more down to you to find the cause locally.
I still suspect ownership (and therefore access rights) to be a good direction to investigate.

18

It's really sometimes a third-party virus checker or even Windows Defender which might block access to the files. If you run any of those, please try to temporarily disabling it.

19

It's 100% not access as I can rename them manually or from another machine.

The bug is a rename bug.

It's when multiple files are trying to be renamed to the same name.

So lets say you have

1 - artist - title.mp3
2 - artist - title.mp3
3 - artist - title.mp3
4 - artist - title.mp3
5 - artist - title.mp3
6 - artist - title.mp3

And they are all the same artist and song, the first gets renamed fine, but the next ones don't and lock mp3tag completely on one computer even after a de-install - re-install.

On the other computer, I get the error message fine.

File "2 - artist - title.mp3" cannot be renamed to "artist - title.mp3".
Cannot create a file when that file already exists.

The only difference is computer that works - windows 10, computer that locks - windows 11.

20

Just to get this straight: the OS manages the file access and returns that status to MP3tag.
So, apparently, your W10 reports back that the new filename already exists, whereas your W11 does not report that back but attempts to access the file and MP3tag patiently waits for the status message - that is what you experience as "lock".
Which means to me: you have to check your W11 installation and possible causes why it waits for the file to become available.