Souce file deleted after conversion Error

[Jappa]

I recently installed dMC 16.5 Reference on Windows 10 Pro (64), 1803, build 17134.285, and I am working on adding ReplayGain to my Albums (all Flac-files). In Windows Explorer I right-click files, select 'Convert to', set Flac-options and DSP ReplayGain. Sometimes conversion fails and the Music Converter window reports: Error converting to FLAC, '...' and: Error overwriting file '...'.
When I click 'OK'-button the SOURCE-file is deleted. Nothing in Windows Recycle Bin... I can restore the source-file from a backup.
Sometimes Windows Media Player was open and so a file was open at the moment I tried to convert it with dMC. OK, I need to be careful with 'open files'. But: am I correct to think that deleting a source-file is a bug of dMC?

[mville]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

No file conversion is required at all. Just download and install the Replay Gain utility codec and select it on conversion, instead of converting to flac with the ReplayGain DSP.

[Jappa]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

No file conversion is required at all. Just download and install the Replay Gain utility codec and select it on conversion, instead of converting to flac with the ReplayGain DSP.

Thanks for your reply. I installed the utility. It offers a better procedure, safer and with more options!
Nevertheless dMC should NEVER delete a source file after an Error (conversion/writing/opening).
I did a test this morning on my old Windows 7 PC with dMC 15.3 (registered, Single PC): source files are NOT deleted after an Error. (Yes, I hate Windows 10)

[mville]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

Nevertheless dMC should NEVER delete a source file after an Error (conversion/writing/opening).
I did a test this morning on my old Windows 7 PC with dMC 15.3 (registered, Single PC): source files are NOT deleted after an Error.

To confirm, when you get an error in dBpoweramp R16.5 on Windows 10, the source file is deleted, but in dBpoweramp R15.3 on Windows 7, the source file is not deleted?

[Jappa]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

Correct, in Windows 7 no problems even when a file was open in Windows MediaPlayer.

[mville]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

Correct, in Windows 7 no problems even when a file was open in Windows MediaPlayer.

Please can you describe the exact steps taken and provide the exact error message(s) when converting in dBpoweramp R16.5 on Windows 10 and the source file is deleted?

Spoon, any ideas as I have never encountered this and I am unable to re-create this scenario?

[Jappa]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

Procedure in detail:
1. Windows Media Player: Choose album, Play album, at last Title: Stop playing.
2. Windows Explorer: select files, right-click: Convert To
3. dbPoweramp-window: set encoding Flac + verify written Audio, Output: Source Drive:\Source Path\Source Filename, DSP Effects: ReplayGain (Album Gain)
Click button: Convert >>
4. dbPoweramp-window: Confirm File Replace, Click Button: Overwrite
5. dbPoweramp-window: Conversion Errors:
Error converting to FLAC, 'E:\Muziek\test\Midori\Dvorak; Violin Concerto, Op. 53 [Mehta]\03 Midori - Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53; III. Finale.flac' to 'E:\Muziek\test\Midori\Dvorak; Violin Concerto, Op. 53 [Mehta]\03 Midori - Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53; III. Finale.flac'
Error overwriting file 'E:\Muziek\test\Midori\Dvorak; Violin Concerto, Op. 53 [Mehta]\03 Midori - Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53; III. Finale.flac'
6. Click button: OK
7. Windows Explorer: shows the 'Error-file' without title-information etc. ;
Mouse over 'Error-file': dbPoweramp popup: 'unable to read track details, file corrupted or not supported'
8. Close Windows Media Player: in Windows Explorer the 'Error-file' disappears

notes, I did some testing:
1. Made a new cd-rip in case something 'funny' was going on with the flac-files (permissions etc.). No effect.
2. Using the ReplayGain-utility: no warnings when finished but the file that was last opened in WMP (running) is NOT updated. Luckily the source file is not deleted.
3. When I use 'Groove music' for reviewing an album: no issues at all. I can even play a Title AND Convert the same file. Only then Groove music stops playing and reports about another App that has opened the file... Nice, including an errorcode 0x80070323

Some background info: I use a single PC (Intel NUC7i5BNH), Sometimes I use an old PC (windows 7) in my home network. I am the only one using these PCs and my logon-account has always administrator-rights. Most of the time I build my own PC and I have been using Windows for the past 25 years.

[mville]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

Are you certain the source file is deleted by dBpoweramp, as you state the file disappears on closing WMP, which has it locked and is why dBpoweramp cannot update it?

Solution: do not use WMP. Many issues reported in these forums when using WMP.

If the source file is being deleted by dBpoweramp, I think Spoon will have to comment on this issue.

[Spoon]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

We will look into this, to see what is actually doing the deletion.

[Jappa]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

We will look into this, to see what is actually doing the deletion.

It seems WMP is deleting the file but I do not know how processes are handled by windows.
Procedure point 7: the source file is corrupted after dBpoweramp finishes
Procedure point 8: if I do not close WMP but just continue, select another album, play it, and then return to Windows Explorer: the source file is gone=deleted.

Bottomline: indeed, avoid using WMP. (but when reviewing about 200 albums WMP is quite useful&*8230
Still, maybe some extra verification by dBpoweramp could prevent corruption and deleting of a source file?

[Spoon]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

It is not dBpoweramp which is deleting this file, our overwrite method does this:

Writes to [filename].flac.tmp
after encoding it performs a system 'MoveTo', which would normally replace the file 1:1, but if the file is in use this call fails, no action is taken, we do not delete the source file.

Potentially Windows Media Player is picking up this .tmp file, then trying to add it to the library and replacing the real file it had open in the library with the .tmp file (which is removed by dBpoweramp).

[Jappa]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

It is not dBpoweramp which is deleting this file, our overwrite method does this:

Writes to [filename].flac.tmp
after encoding it performs a system 'MoveTo', which would normally replace the file 1:1, but if the file is in use this call fails, no action is taken, we do not delete the source file.

Potentially Windows Media Player is picking up this .tmp file, then trying to add it to the library and replacing the real file it had open in the library with the .tmp file (which is removed by dBpoweramp).

If 'MoveTo' fails then what is the option 'verify written Audio' for? (procedure step 3, flac encoding options).

[Spoon]

Re: Souce file deleted after conversion Error

It decompresses the FLAC and verifies that it is without error (from flac compression routines)>