Track number not saved correctly

Hi, I have a strange problem. I have a bunch of MP3 files, and I used the auto-number tool to change the track numbers. It looks fine, but then I opened Windows Media Player, and I realized that some of the track numbers were wrong. Some of them were right, but suddenly there would be a string of tracks where the numbering would jump back by a fixed number of tracks, then there would be some correct ones, then there would be some that were off by another fixed number and so on. Strange. At first I thought there was a problem with WMP, but then I right clicked, and saw that the wrong track numbers were actually visible in the details tab.

In the end I edited the track numbers by hand in WMP, and saw that this had changed the numbers in MP3tag (I use leading zeros in MP3tag, so I could tell there had been a change) and I verified this by right-clicking. I then use the auto-numbering tool to insert the leading zeros, but after deleting and adding to the library in WMP again, the problem was back.

But then I tried another audiobook with a similar problem. There editing the tracks in WMP did not change what I saw when right-clicking.

I ran MP3val, and they checked out OK.

Any suggestions? I have discovered that two more audiobooks have the same problem, and I don't want to have to edit them manually in WMP.

Thanks!

Helmer

This is weird. I decided to do one more experiment. I ran all the files through Super, which gave me a new set of MP3 files with no tags. I reset the library in WMP, and used the autonumber wizzard. But still the track numbers came out wrong in WMP!

What I have decided to do is to simply delete the track numbers, and hope that my MP3 player will sort it based on the file name or title, both of which are numbered.

Helmer

What kind of tags do your files feature? Only mp2 V1 & V2 or also other kinds like APE?
If this is so, then delete the APE tags.

It says ID3v2.3.

Sometimes WMP is a bit slow with updating its own database. And the Extended Tag Editor then does not show the file properties but the entries of the WMP database.
The only way to get the up to date track info is either to delete the whole WMP database and start from scratch (ususally not a feasible approach) or play each of the tracks for a while as WMP only then re-reads the file info.
(the APE adventure from my last post was an idea as APE tags overwrite MP3 tags....)

No, it's seriously weird. I deleted the WMP database. I then used MP3tag to blank the track tag. I then watched as the files appeared in the WMP library without tracks. I then used autonumbering, and immediately the WRONG track numbers started appearing in the WMP library right in front of my eyes!

Did you try auto-numbering the tracks before you add them to WMP?

Do you have the WMP automatic internet lookup turned off?

Yes, I believe I've tried all different combinations, and I have internet lookup turned off. Anyway, this is an obscure Norwegian audiobook, so I don't think it would help.

The thing that confuses me the most, is that the problem persisted even after converting with SUPER. That seemed to produce an mp3 file with no tags. My theory is that there is something wrong with the tags, but mp3eval does not complain.

Thanks, anyway!

Try scanning the files with MP3 Diags to see if anything shows up.

Dear Stanman,

Thanks for the suggestion. MP3 Diags seems like a very powerful program, but it didn't solve my problem this time.

However, I did manage to solve my problem myself. I use leading zeros when I use the auto-numbering tool. Just as an experiment, I decided to not use it, and then the numbers came out right in WMP! Then I added leading zeros while keeping WMP open, and right in front of my eyes the wrong track numbers came back. Very strange, but at least I solved my problem.

Thanks to all of you!

Helmer

I can confirm this issue on mp3tag v2.55a.

Autonumbering with leading zero's causes windows 7 explorer to misread the track numbers.

Autonumbering without leading zeros causes it to appear correctly in folder views and in WMP.

This is a deficiency of windows explorer. Surprised no patch has come through after all these years of explorer having problems correctly reading all mp3 tag formats.

Apparently WMP interprets 3-digit-numbers with leading zeros as octal string ...
So either numbering with 4 digits or 2 digits does the trick... or inserting a default "1"

Thanks for explaining this!