BTV - forces files to be Read-Only?

[reedmikel]

Why do recorded, or even worse - scanned files, get set as Read-Only by BTV? This really causes problems with other media software/hardware which cannot delete their own recordings. If BTV did not create the file, why does it mess with a files' attributes? Not a good programming practice in my opinion...

TIA

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by reedmikel

If BTV did not create the file, why does it mess with a files' attributes? Not a good programming practice in my opinion...

That's how they decide weither files should be deleted or not, when the system runs out of hard drive space... Never really liked it myself...

[merrypig]

Actually it was changed to be that way because the previous scheme of keep until/delete as needed was real hard to work with.

If you don't want read only files, simply change your default recording setting so that it can be deleted as needed, not keep until I delete.

You can toggle the read only flag on a file to change the setting real fast for hundreds of files. I like it personally.

[reedmikel]

Hmmm, I guess it might be OK in some very limited situations.

But so mark all my recordings/files as Read-Only, when they were created by an application other thasn BTV makes zero sense to me. Now these other applications cannot even delete their own files

As a programmer, it seems like a real kludge to me...

Thanks for the tips, I will change my BTV file management settings...

[reedmikel]

>>If you don't want read only files, simply change your default recording setting so that it can be deleted as needed, not keep until I delete.<<

Can anyone clarify exactly where in BTV you set this option? I have a funny feeling I have to do it thru the web interface as opposed to the GUI? Why aren't ALL menu options available in both the GUI AND the web interface? Did a programmer get tired?

My best guess, going thru the web interface, is to modify the settings for EACH Video Folder . Change the "Automatic Folder Management" to Enabled? Then do I have to check the Expiration Manager too? But Expiration Manager only lists the local PCs hard drive - it does not list the netwrk drive of my networked Video Folder. What a confusing topic - and I'm an IT guy

What about a Video Folder that is located on a shared network resource? How do I set BTV to leave all the files that it scans on this network Video Folder just as they are - do not make them Read-Only?

Thanks!

[reedmikel]

Anybody?

[merrypig]

Hmm,I just looked. I can't find a default setting for this which is somewhat odd.

You can set it per recording job - its called "Create fixed content" in the web admin.

However, the closest I can find for a general default is to turn of the expiration management options for the disk (expiration manager settings) or the folder (video folder settings). I'm not sure that actually will turn off the 'read only flag' settings though.

[TimW]

As far as I can tell, BTV sets the 'read only' flag for any file that's placed on the drive that didn't get created by BTV. I imagine it does this, so it's not deleting files that it didn't create, when the drive space gets low. It may not be the best way of doing it, but it's a catch all. If you aren't using a dedicated media drive, it be a mess if BTV started deleting your "My Documents" and such....

Tim

[merrypig]

My memory is telling me that there was a setting as to whether to mark imported files (ie external content btv finds rather than creates) as read only or not. I couldn't find the setting in the settings.xml file so it may not be there now.

I think after they changed it to this read only flag rather than an xml entry per file, this option disappeared since you can ust select all the files and make then read/write in the explorer in one go. (instantly changing them all to keep until space needed etc.

And BTV only ever deletes media files in it's directory. It won't go rampaging around your disk.

[enigma9o7]

I've been searching for a solution to this problem and all I can find is this really old thread.

How do I stop BTV from marking files in other folders read-only? I added another folder that I'm not recording to, I just want to play back from it... but don't want BTV messing with files or attributes...

[nanook105]

If you add files to BTV it probably "thinks" that it owns the files

What problem is it causing ?

[Kilrsat]

Open the Web Admin.

Settings

Advanced Settings

Miscellaneous Settings

Manage External Videos


Set that to enabled, and Beyond TV won't flag the other videos as read only.

[enigma9o7]

Kilrsat, is that safe? I dont want BTV doing anything with my external videos, if I tell it to manage it, is there any risk it will delete or modify things? To me telling BTV to manage them is the exact oppisote of what I want to do, I don't want BTV to do anything with this folder, other than let me play videos from there.

Originally Posted by nanook105

If you add files to BTV it probably "thinks" that it owns the files

What problem is it causing ?

Two problems. The first is sometimes it marks the file read-only while I'm still writing it to my media folder (the folder I added so I can play from BTV) - sometimes I'm copying large video files thru wireless or internet that can take an hour or more, and if BTV marks it read-only in the middle, it messes up the copy, have to start over. This is the biggest problem.

The other problem is I sometimes can't delete files or sub folders, can't even remove empty folder, windows says it's "in use" by something else.

[enigma9o7]

Kilrsat, I looked into that setting, it's described as "If enabled, Beyond TV will expire video files found in its video folder that it did not create. If disabled, Beyond TV will mark these files "Keep Until I Delete".

Doesn't expire mean delete? I'm afraid to test it cuz I'm afraid it'll delete something... My normal BTV recording folder is always full (I have BTV set to leave 20GB free) so every time a show is recorded, older ones are deleted.... I really wouldn't want BTV to delete stuff from my media folder under any condition.

[Kilrsat]

The setting only does something if you have that video folder set to allow Beyond TV to manage it.

If you disable the automatic folder management setting for that folder, the files will also not be marked read-only.

Here's the breakdown:

1. If you have automatic folder management enabled, and you're dumping external videos in. If the setting is disabled, Beyond TV will mark the files as read-only so it will never delete them.

2. If the setting is enabled, Beyond TV will leave the file alone, but if space is needed it may delete the file.

3. If you have automatic folder management disabled, Beyond TV will leave the file alone.