MP3's and Windows 7 on home computer

[fjrchooser]

I came to this site hoping for some input cuz I know you guys are into this stuff.

I've had a song running thru my head all morning, was finally humming it out loud and singing it while doing other things with the words slowly coming back. It was making me crazy trying to fill in the blanks so came to the computer to play it.

New computer running Windows 7, I had downloaded my iRiver HP-120 mp3 files to it for backup maybe 4 months ago. Other computer hard drive took a dump taking the 11 gig of mp3's with it.

Anyway, go to access the new system just now to chase down the song and and they are gone !

The iRiver backup folder is still there but its empty, says modified 1/30/2010 @7:26 am. I haven't accessed these files here in a couple of months so WTH ?

I had stored these in three different file locations with one of them never touched. The other two locations I played & added, manipulated, extended certain tunes etc. They are gone too and the file locations just state empty and "This folder is unavailable".

I'm afraid to hook up the iRiver to this computer again in case the system erases it too. Could this be a licensing thing - Microsoft cleaning my computer for me ? :angry2: Any ideas ?

The only songs left on here now are the 3 lame sample songs Windows comes with. Any help/input would be appreciated.

 

[johnny80s]

Do a search for *.mp3 on your windows machine. All the .mp3 files will show up. Make sure you check the boxes that say to look in hidden folders and files and system files. That way it check everything and you will see if it is still there.

This is why you should always have a back up. It doesn't exist if it is not in two places.

 

[wfooshee]

Music is stored by login profile. If you're logged in as a different user your "My Music" folder will not be the one you're looking for.

Same applies for pictures and documents, if you have multiple logins, each user gets their own folders for these.

 

[fjrchooser]

As soon as I add *.mp3 to the search box it comes back with no items match. Also, I noticed maybe 3 weeks ago when the wife was running some tunes on here that they sounded strange.

Like generic bands performing instead of the original artists. It took several songs in a row before I thought that don't sound right. I have multiple versions of some songs by several different artists but not that many.

Was busy doing other things so I didn't examine closely, plus my hearing sucks anyway.

Now all of sudden all are gone from several different folders. This was my back up for the iRiver(ipod type device). Putting 11 gigs to CD-R wasn't high on my list.

I'm the only one that messes with files on this computer and I haven't done that in some time. Those music files are precious to me and I'm very careful with them.

I think I've been hacked by my own operating system, just wondering if anyone in the know knows something about the capability of Windows 7, Media Player etc to something like this ?

This is a legal operating system that came with the new computer. Although many of the songs were downloaded from Kazaa many years ago or converted to mp3 by the iRiver(it can do that) from various analog sources( records, tapes, fm recordings etc.) I already owned.

I run the iRiver in the car stereo through a cassette interface adapter so I know I still have them there. My concern is that my computer may be waiting to pounce on that too if I hook it up here to restore the missing back up files.

Anyone run into this before ? None of my other operating systems (Win 95,Windows 2000,Win XP, etc.) did this. This is probably the 4th or 5th computer these songs were ported to.

 

[fjrchooser]

Thanks wfooshee. Only one user log-in for the computer that me and the wife both use. No kids at home to scruff it up for us anymore.

I can still see the 3 folders I set up , they're just empty. All except for the 3 sample songs Windows 7 came with. :angry2:

 

[Zorlac]

PC Linux OS ver 10 is out in a beta ver, maybe give the live CD a spin.

Rips MP3's fine and isn't DRM anal.

 

[DaSpyda]

How did you back them up? Did you use the iRiver software?

I don't own one, but I've been reading that the software is needed to convert files from this flash-based device to your PC.

https://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/iriver...7-30889082.html

 

[fjrchooser]

I've got one of the older ( and prized ) iHP-120 iRivers that is the size of a pack of cigarettes and is all metal. It has a 20 gig mini hard drive and a usb port. Plugging it into the computer, its recognized as just another hard drive by it.

I then make a folder on the computer C: drive and copy everything there including the iRivers operating system from the iRiver but into separate files for music & operating system. The music is already in mp3, wav, orb(?) ,I forget the names but many different formats.

The iRiver takes them all in stride but Media Player doesn't except for mp3 and a few others. I can play those directly from the computer using playlists or picking them one at a time. They all used to sound great on either the computer or the iRiver.

Wife says I was mistaken about the source of the 'generic' sounding bands, says it was coming from my iRiver. Makes sense as I was driving and didn't want to be distracted by messing with the SRS/WOW features while underway which I thought may have been its problem at the time. I only use it on the bike or on long car trips.

It may have already been 'got to' by whatever cleared the music I loaded to this new system as I was uploading it for my backup. I don't know, I haven't messed with the iRiver since discovering my backup was gone.

Would Microsoft would do such a thing over digital copyrights with Windows 7 ? I dunno and thats basically what I was asking here Spyda.