Sonicstage Backup Tool Problem

[stevecole]

I have a problem with the "Sonicstage Backup Tool" on my home PC. It crashes at the point when it tries to calculate the amount of space required to perform the backup. To begin with, my music files were stored on an external USB harddrive, due to lack of space on the system drive. I wondered whether the USB drive was causing the problem, so I installed another internal drive set as 'Slave', and got Sonicstage to move my music files onto this drive instead, but still get the same error.

As a test, I made another installation of SS on my work computer, imported a CD, and then found that the Backup Tool ran successfully, with the music files stored on the system disc, and a USB memory stick as the backup destination. I then transferred the music files onto a USB memory stick, and although I didn't go as far as doing a second backup, it was at least able to get past the point where it crashes on my home PC.

At the moment I have Sonicstage CP version 4.3.01.14050 installed. The home PC has XP Home Edition SP3, the one at work uses the XP-Pro. I need to get the backup tool to work soon as I believe this is the only way to migrate to a much-needed new home computer. Can I re-install this same version of SS in the hope that the backup will work, without this process destroying my music collection? Any help and suggestions welcomed

[sfbp]

Forget the backup tool.

1. Decrypt the files using File Conversion Tool

2. Copy the resulting files (the encrypted ones will now have been changed from .oma to .OMA)

3. Import the entire folder (containing all the album folders from your music collection) into the new version of SS.

Should work fine.

I noticed this a while back, the "available" space is computed on some drive attached to the system, not necessarily the drive you actually have imported files sent to by Sonic Stage. I bet you will see that SS shows the "available space" close to 0.

It's possible you might fix this by clearing out your C drive. But what I said above will work.

[stevecole]

Hi SFBP, many thanks for the rapid reply.

I'm at work at the moment, so have taken the opportunity to try out the File Conversion Tool on my 'Test' installation of SS, and sure enough I see the change from 'oma' to 'OMA'. However, before I try anything on my Home installation, perhaps you could clarify things further. Just imagine that my Work PC is my 'New' machine - are you saying that if I do the Decrypt with the conversion tool on my home machine, and then copy the whole lot onto my USB Hard Drive, that I should be able to Import all the music onto my 'new' PC? If I do this, will the music files on the old machine remain undamaged and still be accessible to SS, as well as being usable on the 'New' machine?

Forget the backup tool.

1. Decrypt the files using File Conversion Tool

2. Copy the resulting files (the encrypted ones will now have been changed from .oma to .OMA)

3. Import the entire folder (containing all the album folders from your music collection) into the new version of SS.

Should work fine.

I noticed this a while back, the "available" space is computed on some drive attached to the system, not necessarily the drive you actually have imported files sent to by Sonic Stage. I bet you will see that SS shows the "available space" close to 0.

It's possible you might fix this by clearing out your C drive. But what I said above will work.

[sfbp]

Exactly

[stevecole]

Sorry SFBP, still not quite there. As I said yesterday, I tried the File Conversion Tool on the SS install on my Work PC, and the .oma files changed to .OMA, as you said they would. However, I should admit that it took me two attempts to get it to do anything. On my first try, I had 'un-checked' the 'Add Copy Protection' box (seemed appropriate), and when I set it off it came back with a message that essentially said that the files did not need conversion. So, for the second try I re-checked that box, and the conversion took place. I then copied these new .OMA format files and Imported them into SS on my home PC. The Import appeared to be OK, but none of the files will play - I get the message "Cannot play this track because its licensing information cannot be retrieved..." Any further suggestions?

[sfbp]

Yes. You must ALWAYS uncheck the copy protection box. If the files did not need conversion, then they were (for whatever reason) already unprotected. By checking it you guaranteed that they were encrypted, and hence that no one except the original PC could ever play them.