While opening PVD always asks for missing drive & corrupts pvdconf.ini [SOLVED]

[afrocuban]

The missing drive is H:, so I always have to have some drive with the letter H assigned to it, in order to open my database, or else, blank new database is opened. The actual location of my database is drive D:.

I noticed that my personalized pvdconf.ini becomes corrupted (rather reset to default), so I have to stick the H: stick, open PVD and again personalize it, exit it, open my database, backup pvdconf.ini, and get it back whenever I forget to stick H: before opening PVD.

I tried to clear all H: references from pvdconf.ini, but no luck. It's like H: information was written somewhere in the darkest corners of my .pvd database, regardless of what is defined in pvdconf.ini.

Any suggestions?

[rick.ca]

Check the search path setting at Preferences > File Scanner.

[afrocuban]

Thanks for an idea, but no luck. The search was already unchecked and search path was empty in File Scanner.

The message is "Documents data folder could not be found!" during opening PVD. I mean, there it is, at drive D:?!

Any other idea, please?


P.S. http://www.videodb.info/forum_en/index.php/topic,1773.msg8307.html#msg8307 was the place when the problem was first mentioned. Meanwhile, obviously I found a workaround, but is there a solution?

[rick.ca]

Let's review the basics. This is how I believe the program is working on my Win 7 computer...

On starting, it looks for pvdconf.ini in the Windows Application Data folder – C:\Users\Rick\AppData\Roaming\Personal Video Database. It will then try to open the [Database] recorded in pvdconf.ini. If there is no pvdconf.ini in that location, it will create a default one. The default database location is a subfolder of the Windows My Documents folder – C:\Users\Rick\Documents\Personal Video Database. The database can be saved anywhere; the actual location is recorded in pvdconfig.ini when the database is 'manually' selected from the file menu (e.g., mine is at C:\Users\Rick\Data\PVD).

If you walk through this for your own computer, you may discover why the program is having trouble. If not, the easy solution is to run the program in portable mode (maybe this the 'workaround' you're already using). Running the program with the -portable switch simply forces the program to look for pvdconf.ini in the installation folder, and to write it there if there isn't one. It will do the same with the database, but you can still open any existing database using the file menu (and then the location will be remembered next time).

[afrocuban]

Of course my pvdconf.ini is at corespondent location (C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Personal Video Database), and the recorded database location is - D:\Documents\_Multimedia\Personal Video Database. It seems PVD in a way doesn't look for (or see) pvdconf.ini there upon startup? These are drive references in my working pvdconf.ini

Code: [Select]

[DataBase]
Network=0
FileName=D:\Documents\_Multimedia\Personal Video Database\MY MOVIES Testing v1.0.0.0 bez ID.PVD
Mode=0
RecentFiles=D:\Documents\_Multimedia\Personal Video Database\movies.pvd
RecentTypes=0;, and

Code: [Select]

[Folders]
SameDirOpts=0
InitDir0=D:\Documents\_Multimedia\Personal Video Database\
InitDir1=
InitDir2=D:\_Movies\_Rezanje\7\05901. Travellers and Magicians (2003)\
InitDir3=D:\_PVD Backup\Covers\
InitDir4=D:\Temp\1\
InitDir5=D:\_PVD Backup\
InitDirType0=0
InitDirType1=0
InitDirType2=0
InitDirType3=0
InitDirType4=0
InitDirType5=0
FindFolders=
RepFolders=
I do use -portable switch as a workround, but would like to figure out the solution. Thanks for your time.

[rick.ca]

I noticed that my personalized pvdconf.ini becomes corrupted...

I'm stumped, but it might be helpful to know exactly how the file is 'corrupted'.

And a last straw to grasp...You might verify that your AppData location hasn't changed (I can't imagine why it would) by checking HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders to see if AppData = %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming.

[afrocuban]

I'm stumped, but it might be helpful to know exactly how the file is 'corrupted'.

As I said: it is reseted to default. My personalized pvconf.ini was overwritten by another one generated by PVD opened upon clickin OK on a "Document data folder could not be found" error message.

And a last straw to grasp...You might verify that your AppData location hasn't changed (I can't imagine why it would) by checking HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders to see if AppData = %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming.

Now guess what? AppData location wasn't changed. But, look what I found there? I removed H: entries, restarted laptop and now it works like a charm! Thanks for your time! [SOLVED]

[attachment deleted by admin]

[rick.ca]

Interesting. 'Personal' is 'My Documents', so that explains the error in trying to find/use the default database location. It's still not clear to me why it would not use the correct path in your pvdconf.ini. 

[afrocuban]

Maybe this is question for nostra. It was impossible to do anything in PVD in such case. You could try to open existing database - you wouldn't see data entries. You could try to create new one - you wouldn't see data entries, until provide H: drive.