playlist generator failed to initialize

[swoggby2]

i have the exact same problem with the playlist generator. i noticed though, for me it will start to activate the songs on step 4 and when it gets through about 6000 songs it then gives me the repeating error just like described above.

i really would like to use this plugin please advise when fixed.

[Juanus]

You need to delete the Playlist Generator database and start a new scan from fresh.
With Winamp closed, delete the following 2 files:

Winamp\Plugins\Gracenote\cddbplm.pdb & cddbplm.idx

The path will either be the %AppData%\Winamp or %ProgramFiles%\Winamp folder.
The error message should not occur again after this.

Now, it has to complete the scan for the first time before it can make the playlist. So I suggest doing it manually.
go into Prefs -> Plugins -> Media Library -> Playlist Generator (ml_plg) -> config
Click on the scan button there and wait till it is done.. Then close all the windows and do the right click option.

[sunk818]

Don't forget elists.db as well.

[pghots]

I have the same problem but when i go to look for the files you guys mentioned i didnt find them...all there is are files ending with *.dll

[jazzs3quence]

is it possible to prevent this from happening? i get the playlist generator working fine for a few days and then, suddenly, not, and i get the "failed to initialize" error. i have over 30k files, so rebuilding the database is time- and resource-consuming, in addition to being annoying. now, my files are all on an external usb hard drive, so i understand if there are some environmental issues but, at risk of sounding overly obnoxious, itunes genius never did this...(no, in itunes, the entire library would get corrupted...)

[jerybis]

Same error with 29K files and 150 Gb

Hi,

I have got the exact same error. It is several month I am trying to make it work but always the same error : playlist failed to initiate.

I use winamp 5.56, 30k files and around 150 Gb. The external hard drive is connected through USB. I get an error with the computer connected with USB as well as with any computer network connected.

Would be great to get it solve.

Cheers,
Jer.

[jazzs3quence]

Re: Same error with 29K files and 150 Gb

Originally posted by jerybis
Hi,

I have got the exact same error. It is several month I am trying to make it work but always the same error : playlist failed to initiate.

I use winamp 5.56, 30k files and around 150 Gb. The external hard drive is connected through USB. I get an error with the computer connected with USB as well as with any computer network connected.

Would be great to get it solve.

Cheers,
Jer.

I think maybe that's our problem -- the USB drive thing. possibly if there's a glitch in the connection between the computer and the drive, it knocks the database out of whack.

actually, the fact that you have a similar environment gives me a couple ideas -- I'm going to see if the drive shuts itself off automatically or if there's anything else that might be intentionally (at least as far as the computer is concerned) causing a break in the connection with the drive...

[jazzs3quence]

here's what i just tried. time will tell if this works...

(note: i'm using windows 7, which may be pretty similar if you're using vista, but anything less and i don't know if you'll have these options but it might send you in the right general direction....)

1.
open my computer, right click the usb drive, left click properties. select the Hardware tab, click the USB hard drive (for me it shows the description of the Western Digital HDD that is inside a USB enclosure), then click Properties. In the Device Properties, select the Policies tab.

I have two options: Quick removal (default) and Better Performance. Better Performance enables write caching but requires the "safely remove hardware" feature -- since i generally leave this drive on and connected all the time, I switched to Better Performance.

This change requires a reboot.

2.
Check the power settings for USB devices -- make sure it is not set to turn USB devices off. For me, under Win 7 this is located in Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power options. click Change plan settings, then Change Advanced Power Settings. Under USB settings I have a USB Selective Suspend setting which was Enabled. I switched this to Disabled.

[aliteralmind]

I'm having the same problem. Vista, winamp version 5.56 x86, about 14,000 songs.

After about two HOURS, it gets all the way to halfway through step 4 of 4, and then crashes. I'm pretty sure it's after it passes about 6,000 songs, as I've seen mentioned. This has happened about six times. Really frustrating.

This STINKS. It's the only reason I'm still using iTunes. In iTunes you don't have to think about this feature at all. It just works...and it's one of the most prominent features in the software. Just press the Genius button.

Even when the playlist generator does work properly in winamp, it is so strange that such an amazing feature--one that a direct competitor is trumpeting so loudly and SUCCESSFULLY--is so buried in the preferences. What is it, like six-to-ten clicks to get your playlist scanned?

There should be a auto playlist generator button in winamp, just like the genius button. I didn't even know winamp had this feature before last week!!!

Anyway, off my soapbox. :' )

[jazzs3quence]

yeah, of course the problem with iTunes is you have to add new music to the library manually, wheras you can tell WinAmp to watch specific folders. I've had it working successfully for days, which only makes it more frustrating when i open it up and it doesn't work anymore. I'm still praying that someone will write a Pandora WinAmp plugin that uses Pandora's Music Genome Project to create playlists from your library based on a specific artist or song...so, like the Advanced Playlist Generator just not limited by Gracenote (which doesn't always find all the related stuff and sometimes finds stuff completely *un*related) and uses Pandora's engine instead.

[k2u]

Hi,

if you try to scan more than about 6000 titles, the database will get corrupt.

The reason is: Winamp gets bigger and bigger and it arrives a amount of 1,6 Gib, which is the maximum for a 32bit application.

The workaraound:

start the scan, use a alarm clock ;-)
after lets say 3000 files, pause the scan, close winamp, restart winamp and restart the scan for the next 3000 files.

Alternatively you can open the taskmanager and look after the amount of memory, winamp is using.

The solution: I don´t know, but perhaps somebody here has contact to the coders...

[jazzs3quence]

Originally posted by k2u
Hi,

if you try to scan more than about 6000 titles, the database will get corrupt.

The reason is: Winamp gets bigger and bigger and it arrives a amount of 1,6 Gib, which is the maximum for a 32bit application.

The workaraound:

start the scan, use a alarm clock ;-)
after lets say 3000 files, pause the scan, close winamp, restart winamp and restart the scan for the next 3000 files.

Alternatively you can open the taskmanager and look after the amount of memory, winamp is using.

The solution: I don´t know, but perhaps somebody here has contact to the coders...

that works every time? it doesn't get corrupted again some time later? if that works, i'll totally make the extra effort to get it to work and be stable.

[k2u]

Originally posted by jazzs3quence
that works every time?

I don´t know...

But till now, it works.

You can backup the files, in case of another corruption, just copy it back.

[mzpresto]

Same Here

I am a massive fan of Winamp, but this bug sucks

Firstly I couldn't figure out how to use it and it crashed just doing the scan, then I had to task manager out of Winamp and when I restarted it did the scan.

It worked but I didn't have much in my media library so I added more files. I tried to use the feature on the new files but couldn't figure out how to get the Gracenote plugin to scan them? Is it supposed to be automatic for new added files?

Eventually I got the dreaded fail to initialize error, so deleted the files mentioned above and I'm currently rescanning everything from scratch! Shame cause it could be really cool!

[aliteralmind]

This is the biggest problem with WinAmp. Especially considering that I'm only still using iTunes at all because of Genius.

Fix this already!