Loading several mp3 file in to 2.74 playlist

[Mike41]

I have been trying to load a group of selected files from my WindowsMe Mp3 directories and version 2.74 starts multiple versions of Winamp.(one for each selected file). Yes, I have unchecked the "allow multiple instances" box. If Winamp is already running there is usually no problem doing this. I went back to version 2.73 and there is no problem. Any ideas on how to make 2.74 behave like 2.73 with this action?

Preferences (Ctrl-P) > Options > UNcheck "Allow multiple instances" > Close

[Mike41]

I've already done that. I've removed 2.73 completely and loaded 2.74 clean with no extra plug-ins and it still happens. I also get the error message dialogue box with each extra loaded winamp that says some other device is already running. When I delete the extra versions that are running, I get down to the one that is really playing a file. I really think it's a new wrinkle in the new version that is not compatible with my system. I'm running a Soundblaster Live Mp3 sound card but I set the Winamp mp3 input plug-in to wavemapper in both versions as recomended. My drivers are up to date. I read the other threads on the error dialogue box and I don't think I have the same problem since I can start one file playing with no problems. It's only when I select more than one file that I have a problem.

Mike

[Anssi]

Mike, I've been having the exact same problem with 2.74... (And not with any of the earlier versions, or at least I haven't noticed)

Or more specifically what happens for me is that it first opens as many WinAmp.exe processes as there were files (or folders) in the selection, starts playing the first file, and then closes the other processes and adds "their songs" into the first process... (The songs that all the other WinAmp's were opening up)

This would be fine and all, except that EACH PROCESS CONSUMES LIKE 1.5 MEGS OF MEMORY(!)
My 256 megs doesn't even have a chance to voice out a whine before some 1500 megs of WinAmp copies is slammed on top of 'em... Not to mention my poor ol' hard drive, begging for mercy until I get tired of waiting for something to happen and I'm forced to hit reset...

Of course it also uses all your processing power up until all the songs are nicely in the playlist. And it doesn't take any dual-CPU whining into account either

This is with Windows2000, SB live, DX8, etc etc...

Do notice that you propably won't even notice it happening before you try to load up like 700 songs or directories (the song count INSIDE directories doesn't matter, it's still one process per directory), so could other people please try this out too? You can notice it happening with just few files if you have Windows Task Manager open. An interesting row of WinAmp's going in and out the list...

Enqueueing (as if that was a real word(?)) songs does the same thing...

I think what happened with you Mike was that you closed the first process, wondering why there was just one file playing, and then WinAmp just opened up the rest of the processes fully, and tried to play them simultaneously (which your driver setup didn't happen to allow)

Pleasepleaseplease fix this as soon as possible, it's preventing me to use the latest version

[JonnyMac]

The problem might be a SB plug-in for Winamp with the file name "gen_nomad.dll". It has been causing various problems for Winamp users. With Winamp closed, go to your Winamp\Plugins folder and delete the gen_nomad.dll plug-in, or disable it by adding ".off" to the end of the file name (eg. gen_nomad.dll.off).

Some more info. here...
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=44996

Good Luck!

[Mike41]

Ansii,
Yes, I have responses similar to what you describe. It's not quite the same because it won't ever close the extra processes and add the other files to the first process. It just stops but I've only tried adding 12 to 15 files at once. I tried running the output through the Direct Sound plug-in and all the processes start running at the same time. I realy think the problem is in the mp3 input plug-in but I haven't completely isolated it.

JonnyMac, I don't have the gen_nomad.dll in the 2.74 plug-ins.

I hope some technician at Winamp will check this out give us a fix or an updated version. Meanwhile, I'm running 2.73 with no problems.

Mike

[Anssi]

Nope. don't have gen_nomad.dll... But so are you Johnny saying that for you WinAmp doesn't temporarily open multiple copies of itself when you start playing multiple songs simultaneously? I mean through file association of course...

Mike, any tips about where to get 2.73....? Didn't find "older versions"-section from here, and the previous I have in store is alot older...

[. - .... .- -. ....]

http://www.winampheaven.com

[. - .... .- -. ....]

Also, go to your winamp folder and make sure that winamp.ini isn't set as read only. If it is then any shanges you make to the checkboxes in Winamp (or any other winamp setting) won't be saved.

[Mike41]

Ansii,

You can get old versions of winamp at http://213.65.8.94/~winampheaven/new...dversions2.htm

Mike

[Anssi]

Thanks "Mikee" :^)

[JonnyMac]

Originally posted by Anssi
...so are you Johnny saying that for you WinAmp doesn't temporarily open multiple copies of itself when you start playing multiple songs simultaneously?...

I was just making a suggestion of what the problem might be. Before, I have never tried playing several files simultaneously in Winamp 2.4 from a directory.

However, I did try this out. Started several files form a Windows Explorer directory simultaneously and I got the same problem, multiple instances of Winamp 2.74. I can not duplicate this problem by loading files within Winamp. Drag & Droping file in the the playlist works ok. "Allow multiple instances" is not checked and Winamp.ini is not set at read-only.

<Edit: Added last sentence>

[Edited by JonnyMac on 04-17-2001 at 06:35 PM]

[Anssi]

Ok, so it's happening to others also...

And yesterday I also tried out the older WinAmp's, but it seems like it happens with them also! (Mike, please check out your process list once more with 2.73. Do you see multiple winamp.exe's going in and out? Keep the refresh rate high at the task manager
I didn't try THAT old ones, something like 2.6something was the oldest I tried out, but I can't anymore tell if this hasn't always happened... It could be just a coincident that I have never tried to open so many multiple files that WinAmp would choke my computer... (I've used playlists in the past maybe or something...)

Regardless if it has always been there or not, I'd treat this one as a bug... Is there anyone of the WinAmp team listening? In a nutshell the bug would be;

"Opening multiple files or folders through file association into WinAmp opens multiple copies of it temporarily. This can totally choke a computer until you are forced to reset, and sometimes it can happen that all the multiple copies get opened fully even if they were intented to be temporary"
(Happened to me last night... 20 songs playing on top of each others and HD trying to keep up.... doesn't sound nice

[Mike41]

Hi, Ansii,

I have absolutely no problems with 2.73. Be sure to uninstall 2.74 completely (delete the Program files/winamp directory) after you do the uninstall 2.74. I think I had the same problem when I just installed 2.73 over 2.74.

Mike

[Anssi]

WinAmp behaves the same way at work for me... And there's older version there, I never updated to 2.74...
And yes I also tried a clean install.

See for yourself if WinAmp temporarily opens up multiple copies for you... Maybe the bug you are experiencing is something in 2.74 that sometimes doesn't close the temporary WinAmp's? And what I'm experiencing is intented behaviour, just not very nice behaviour since it can crash your computer...

Also the last time it crashed, it messed up the windows icons... Removing ShellIconCache doesn't seem to help... (Gonna try that again though... You never know

[Mike41]

Well, I finally got rid of the problem. I re-installed Windows Me a couple of days ago and now loading multiple files from a folder works just as it did in 2.73. I guess I should have tried that a couple of weeks ago. Hope you resolved your problem.

[Anssi]

f-f-f-f-fu**
No I'm not going to reinstall my Windows =)
Shite... Besides, if I've got the same problem both at work and at home.. Weird... I've got Win2k in both places... Can some people with Win2k tell me if they've got the same problem? And may I point out that the problem exists for me with few older versions of WinAmp as well...

[DJ Egg]

Try Winamp 2.75 Lite Std Full

Changes:

* avs 2.4.9 (interface improvements, speedups, new dynamic movement effect)
* made skin installing do better renaming (removes [1], etc)
* some new sample avs presets (thanks to Zen-X and Marco Muraca, Frank Nagel)
* MASSIVELY optimized directory scanning and removed multi-add bugs
* fixes to in_mod and in_midi.
* fixed some NT/2K uninstall issues.
* updated winamp agent with full color icon
* temporarily removed in_asfs from full distribution (security issue)

[Anssi]

Didn't help, it still behaves just like it used to... Opens up multiple winamp.exe's and chokes if there's too many...

I tested it and it went like;
Selected 770 .mp3 -files, right-clicked, and selected "Play in Winamp". Keeping a close eye at task manager then, it starts to open up winamp.exe -files... Lots of them, one by one... It's reaching something like 320 copies of it in the memory before it's seriouly starting to stall. Memory consumption jumps sky-high, soaring at around 700 megs after a little while. HD going nuts.

Two copies of Winamp opens up fully, and starts to play different songs (The other one plays the first song from the directory, and the other one the second song.. .Both have lots of songs in their playlists). I stop the other one. The other one keeps up with playing somewhat, just stopping now and then as it runs out of CPU power or HD can't provide the data...
After a while it starts to open winamps fully one by one, they just keep coming and coming (Each one playing the next song in the directory. And each one has lots and lots of songs in their playlists). When I get tired of waiting, I'm forced to reboot. (Windows would run out of resources anyway and crash)

You don't have to crash your computer to test it though, just run about 10 files and look at your Task Manager task list(refresh speed "high")

But are you DJEgg saying that this doesn't happen to everyone or not? I still haven't figured that out
If it isn't happening to everyone, I guess what is causing it could be something in Windows behaviour? Like, some of the many updates or hotfixes that I've installed could be causing it...? (If someone wants a list I can provide it)
Especially if Mike got rid of the problem by re-installing... (Careful with those updates now

[DJ Egg]

Have you tried:
Winamp Prefs -> Filetypes -> check "Enqueue as default action"
Or has this already been mentioned?

Personally, I think it's a WinME/2k related issue (they're both still very buggy), 'cos this doesn't happen to me on either of my pc's {one's Win95c OSR2.5, the other = Win98SE}

Another option is to use the Add -> Add Files button in Playlist Editor.
You can select multiple files by holding down Ctrl key b4 clicking,
or by holding down Shift key & using cursors.

[Anssi]

Well, enqueue does the same thing, like if you enqueue multiple directories (or files), it does just the same...

Although of course it doesn't do it if you drag'n'drop files into playlist or instert through Winamp (like you suggested)... Just file-association stuff makes it happen.

Anyway, I suppose it's something in Win2k and WinAmp not liking each others, but it'd be nice if it got fixed, one way or another...

[Krugger]

All the computers at work do this as well. they run on NT so it isn't ME or a 2K thing. I also think its some sort of bug.
-Krugger

EDIT:/ nevermind, it's already known as a bug. withdrawn. /

[Edited by Krugger on 08-04-2001 at 10:27 PM]

[Anssi]

It's already known as a bug? Cool... Is it getting fixed?-)

Cheers
-Anssi

[DJ Egg]

The Official Winamp 2x Bug List

Everything listed in here will hopefully be fixed in time for the next release.

Yes, it would seem that Justin is very busy at the mo