A+ Folder/Image Issue in v1.3.1/1057 (Windows 10)

Legacy versions Windows
1

(not sure if these bugs entered in version 1056 or 1057)

[Edit: original post indicated Folder.jpg up-scaling. Meant to write compressed/resized]

I only noticed them when backing up my FLAC directories to a home NAS. The program I use mirrors everything/all file attributes so I was a bit surprised to see thousands of “new” files show up in my latest backup.

Problems:

  1. After syncing a folder from within A+, “Folder.jpg” is no longer visible in the File Explorer (under the album sub-directory), even after I set the “View” properties of that folder to “Show Hidden Items”. I tried viewing from Windows cli (command line) and the file is not detected there, either.

However, if you open File Explorer, you can check for file existence by manually typing out the path at the top of the screen, e.g.,
C:\Users…\Music\FLACs\Cesaria Evora\Café Atlantico*Folder.jpg*

  1. The original Folder.jpg is changed, specifically, it’s resized. For example, if the original Folder.jpg image was 280Kb in size, it’s now compressed to 44Kb. This unexpected resizing/compression can range between 25% to 10%, depending on the size of the original file. While this wouldn’t normally bother most users, having spent considerable time selecting the optimal resolution for my album art (saved as Folder.jpg) then to see it’s compressed or resized whatsoever without my control is a little annoying.

  2. A new, hidden file is also created: “AlbumArtSmall.jpg”. While this isn’t a huge problem as long as the original Folder.jpg is preserved, this new file should be visible. Like problem #1 above it, too, is hidden and inaccessible to the File Explorer and Windows command line. To view it, enter it manually at the top of the File Explorer path, e.g.,

C:\Users…\Music\FLACs\Cesaria Evora\Café Atlantico*AlbumArtSmall.jpg*

You might want to revisit whatever new image logic or plug-in was added to ensure properties of the original art work aren’t changed over time, especially the original Folder.jpg file. Minimally, a pop-up should warn the user and/or the original Folder.jpg should be backed up.

Incidentally, I tried using this program to fix the file visibility problem, but it didn’t work:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17590/automatically-diagnose-and-repair-windows-file-and-folder-problems

Thanks,
M

2

I can confirm this. I have the same issue and I consider this issue to be very serious. I will no longer use A+ for Windows until this issue is fixed.

3

I just want to add that A+ for Windows changed the file attributes of folder art to “system” and “hidden”, in addition to rewriting these files with inferior copies of album art. This is unacceptable!

4

Now that I have had some time to fix my album art, I’m not certain it was A+ for Windows causing the issue. The more likely culprit is the Windows Media Player (it was known for this). Could anyone confirm if this is a problem or not with A+ for Windows?

5

I recently disabled Windows Media Player after becoming aware it was altering my album art in the way you describe. Files I have ripped from CD more recently and have added to the Audirvana library do not seem to have been altered at all so I think WMP may be the culprit here.

Windows Media Player is a truly awful piece of software. Just make sure none of your audio folders are monitored by it. You can check by right clicking on music and going to manage music library. Remove any of your audio folders listed there.

6

Thanks for the confirmation @Jaggy!

Yes, Windows Media Player (WMP) is indeed a truly awful piece of software. I have since implemented the various fixes noted on the internet, including the registry fixes to stop WMP from overwriting album art. I am still deciding whether or not to uninstall WMP completely.

7

No issue here in 1.3.1.

8

You might be right… the problem seems far too similar to a known Windows Media Player issue.

I’ve made some changes to my regex as outlined here, in the hopes my folder.jpg is not resized, though this hack doesn’t resolve folder.jpg being hidden. It only prevents resizing: The Well-Tempered Computer

…will post any new findings the next time I add a new album and covert art (folder.jpg)