[magictriangle]

is there a way to store your music on a micro SD card and have it show up in the music library?

[Jmh89]

I installed a micro sdxc 64gb card, synced music to it using the terrible Windows 8 app, and it showed up under the music app. When I used WMP to sync music, it was terribly laggy, and just a bad experience, so I deleted everything, and used the Windows 8 app again. It works much faster on the phone, but the app on the computer is just plain stupid....

[Vallos]

is there a way to store your music on a micro SD card and have it show up in the music library?

http://winsupersite.com/article/wind...ro-apps-144658http://winsupersite.com/article/wind...ro-apps-144658

[dkp23]

The links provided will help you do that with some issues. THe music will stop if on sleep and your folders may show up in your photos folders which is more of a annoyance, but not an issue.

I just gave up and will just move over music from my card if needed and move back over if need more space.

[erasure25]

This is a better method than the link above. It might be a little more work, but just follow the instructions to the letter, and you'll be able to use your microSD as if it were just an extension of your hard drive.
Team Radicus | Surface and SD Card

[woodbane]

This is a better method than the link above. It might be a little more work, but just follow the instructions to the letter, and you'll be able to use your microSD as if it were just an extension of your hard drive.
Team Radicus | Surface and SD Card

Why is this better than the method on winsupersite? I've done it that way and it appears to work perfectly. Just wondering what the issue is?
Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express Pro

[erasure25]

Why is this better than the method on winsupersite? I've done it that way and it appears to work perfectly. Just wondering what the issue is?
Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express Pro

I just saw all the comments about the photos not updating correctly (maybe it was user error, I dont know). I didn't have any problems with the junction points.

[msdugn]

+1 on the junction point approach. It worked better for me than the Paul Thurott site approach.

[ynight]

I better try see which fits you better, the junction point one I used failed to show some certain pics..

[kane4fire]

And my approach:
How To: MicroSD to Windows RT Music, Picture, Video Library | Rashed Talukders Little Place on the Net

[shlomo80]

Are you sure any of these work after a reboot?

I had to go through an incredibly convoluted process for it to work reliably every time, involving VHD's and auto-mounting scripts.

[msdugn]

Whichever of the three processes you try, the real trick is to make sure 3rd party apps can see the files.

After trying each of these, I've installed a large number of 3rd party apps that are wrongly coded to look only on the explicit path for Music, Movies and Pictures on the local memory on the device. I've sent feedback to a number of these developers. But until they make the necessary changes to look into the appropriate libraries - not just an explicit directory path - many of them won't be able to see the media you've placed here and make use of it.

[shlomo80]

Libraries is how it works. That's fine. The problem is more with Windows and indexing than the way third party apps work, since they all (and MS's own apps as well) work the same. The solution isn't junction points. It's a location that can be indexed. Junction points means squat in that respect. The next time the Surface reboots, it'll be gone and it won't index anymore.

Folders in a VHD can be indexed - so your best bet at this stage is to create a VHD that takes up all of the SD card (which obviously needs to be formatted as NTFS), and then create folders in the VHD which you then include in the appropriate Libraries. You'll also then need to mount the VHD on boot with a Scheduled Task. A massive hassle for something that should be simple, but this is the only way I could figure out to get content indexed properly even after a reboot.

Now, the follow-on question is, since I've formatted my card as NTFS and have all my files on a VHD, wouldn't there be problems with file interchange? In many cases, yes. Which is why you'll need to enable the Server service and access the Surface via your LAN and then share the folders in the VHD, which is a useful thing to have anyways (and set power settings for the Surface to not sleep when on AC - though good luck getting that to stick ).

Even then, the MS Music app is crap at displaying changes in the indexed content. The Windows 8 music experience really is a steaming heap of turd, something that makes iTunes 10 look like a work of genius...

... and I'm paying 10 bucks a month for it, when they should be paying me to Alpha test this pile of crap.

[Mandos]

I have used the VHD method, but the only thing I can't get to work is the mounting of the VHD on boot. Do you have any good tips or resources you can point me to for this?

[shlomo80]

You'll need a DISKPART script file.

select vdisk file=“full path of vhd file”
attach disk

Then you'll need a batch file that's called as a Schedule task on bootup which has

diskpart /s “full path of above script file”

in it.

Double check Indexed Locations after a reboot. If the folders have stuck, success. If not, you're doing something wrong.

[Gken]

^^^^yup these guys know what they are talking about, but for the average joe this is going to be impossible for them to do. Hopefully MS fixes indexing so we don't have to do this massive workaround that does not cause normal people's heads to explode.

[shlomo80]

Forgot one thing: When making the Scheduled Task, make sure you have 'Execute only on AC' turned off, as it's on by default.
(i.e. if you reboot the Surface on battery power, it won't re-mount the VHD)

[woodbane]

Isn't all the stuff with VHD and scripts a bit unnecessary? I'm pretty sure when I tried the way from thurrot's site, after I'd mounted the SD card I also went to indexing options under control panel and made sure the new library locations were listed as indexable. I even tested by adding new files to the libraries, and although it wasn't instantaneous, the music app did update with the new music after a few minutes.

[shlomo80]

Reboot your Surface and see if it'll still see any changes made to your library from the SD card. (or go back into Index and see if it's still there)

[woodbane]

Reboot your Surface and see if it'll still see any changes made to your library from the SD card. (or go back into Index and see if it's still there)

Unfortunately I've returned my Surface. Great device (with some shortcomings), but I'm going to need full Win 8 and not RT. I thought I could do without legacy apps but there are a few that I still need and there aren't likely to be RT equivalents due to the restrictions of the RT OS.

Having said that, pretty sure I rebooted my Surface after an update and library was still working but could be wrong.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[shlomo80]

Let me put you at ease in that case. You didn't check it after you rebooted (if indeed you did).

And yes, all the above seems ridiculous. And that's because it is.

[woodbane]

Let me put you at ease in that case. You didn't check it after you rebooted (if indeed you did).

And yes, all the above seems ridiculous. And that's because it is.

I hear what you're saying but I'm almost positive the mapped SD card remained in my library locations after a reboot. Admittedly I DON'T think I then added music and checked if the music app updated.

Honestly, you'd think MS would have got this sorted out by now, especially given the fact that most everyone will be using the microSD as storage for media.

Would it be possible to list all of these steps for doing the VHD and mounting via script and Task Scheduler in one post? Maybe we could then get a moderator to sticky it to the top of the Windows 8 tablet forums (as I'm guessing it affects all, not just the Surface?) so everyone can benefit?

I for one would be grateful to be able to refer back when I get a subsequent tablet.

[johninsj]

I hear what you're saying but I'm almost positive the mapped SD card remained in my library locations after a reboot. Admittedly I DON'T think I then added music and checked if the music app updated.

Honestly, you'd think MS would have got this sorted out by now, especially given the fact that most everyone will be using the microSD as storage for media.

Would it be possible to list all of these steps for doing the VHD and mounting via script and Task Scheduler in one post? Maybe we could then get a moderator to sticky it to the top of the Windows 8 tablet forums (as I'm guessing it affects all, not just the Surface?) so everyone can benefit?

I for one would be grateful to be able to refer back when I get a subsequent tablet.

The mappings survive a reboot if you use the winsupersite approach. I just rebooted and checked, my library links to the SD card mounted into a directory in C:\users\me were there.

[shlomo80]

The mapping of course survive a reboot - that's what they're supposed to do. But look in your indexed locations.

The relevance is not that junction points don't work. It's that the locations are no longer indexed after a reboot.

[shlomo80]

I hear what you're saying but I'm almost positive the mapped SD card remained in my library locations after a reboot. Admittedly I DON'T think I then added music and checked if the music app updated.

Honestly, you'd think MS would have got this sorted out by now, especially given the fact that most everyone will be using the microSD as storage for media.

Would it be possible to list all of these steps for doing the VHD and mounting via script and Task Scheduler in one post? Maybe we could then get a moderator to sticky it to the top of the Windows 8 tablet forums (as I'm guessing it affects all, not just the Surface?) so everyone can benefit?

I for one would be grateful to be able to refer back when I get a subsequent tablet.

I'd really like someone else to figure out a simpler way. Or ideally "app" it and then publicly make fun of MS that they had to do it (if it's negative press, there shouldn't be any problems having it being picked up by the Mactard tech-press-at-large). Because the steps are ridiculous and in general Microsoft needs to work on this whole Music and storage mess. Stat.