Why doesn't Windows Media Player 12 remember non-default folders added to libraries

Question

In Windows Media Player 12 on Windows 7 files folders that I add to the Music and Videos libraries, other that the built-in C:\Users\Username\Music and C:\Users\Username\Videos folders, disappear from the music and video collections in both WMP and the Media Streaming Service (as seen from my XBOX 360), between reboots. So for example I've added a folder called 'C:\Users\Username\Podcasts' to my Video library, expecting the videos podcasts it contains to show up under videos in WMP and on the XBOX. Unfortuantely, the video files only appear on the XBOX interface when I've loaded WMP on my PC and allowed it to rescan my libraries.

The only way that I've so far found for these items to be restored is to start WMP. It then rescans the Music and Video libraries and re-adds the missing files to the list. Often when doing this files are added to the list twice.

This was a problem in the release candidate (build 7100) and, as it turns out, the final version of Windows 7.

Is this a known bug? Is there a workaround? Has anyone else experienced the same problem?

Answer 1

I've found a reasonable solution to this. By adding a symbolic link from the built-in Videos folder to the Podcasts folder the videos in the Podcasts are remembered between media player sessions. The command to do this is (from the Videos folder):

mklink /D Podcasts C:\Users\Username\Podcasts

You also need to be running your command prompt as administrator to do this.

Answer 2

I've not seen that behaviour before, but I'm also not putting the folders in the \users folder - that is reserved for storing user profiles and related information. If you put them in the root (c:\Podcasts) or in the "Public" profile.

I wonder if the location is causing some fun permissions issues. Its all I can think of off the cuff. I've got a computer acting as a media center, and two others pulling media from the first - but all the media is on its own drive.