Frequently Asked Questions
- iPod, Vista with UAC and Helium Music Manager 2009
- Why is the font small in the MIB/Rightsidebar?
- Why are my albums split into two parts?
- Problems using EvilLyrics
- Small pictures shown in the Internal Player
- How can I move files from volume A to volume B?
- Problems with adding a path to a specific volume
- How to ensure your issues get appropriate attention
- Files that do not work with Helium Music Manager
- I am unable to login to the User Area
- Does another program interfere with Helium Music Manager?
- How do I change my registration information (email)
- Problem with Library/Volume Filter
- MDAC related issues
- Where are my templates & databases stored?
- I get errors when I use the CDDB plugin
- I get no results from CDDB/FreeDB
- Which tag-frames are supported for which tags?
- Helium Music Manager does not start
- Cannot load BASSWMA.DLL
- How can I move files from one album to another album?
- What do the different Release Types mean?
- How can I run Helium on limited user accounts in Windows XP?
- What's the difference between Preference and Rating?
- How can I access data in Helium's database?
- Using External Applications in Helium Music Manager
- Other Languages For Helium Music Manager
- Helium Music Manager seems to sort files incorrectly
1. iPod, Vista with UAC and Helium Music Manager 2009 |
| Please note that the first time you use your iPod device(s) with Vista (UAC active) you must run Helium Music Manager as an administrator (Run As Administrator). As soon as Helium Music Manager has seen the device i.e. it is listed in the Music Explorer, you can close Helium Music Manager and start it normally. This needs to be done once for each new iPod that you wish to use with Helium Music Manager. |
2. Why is the font small in the MIB/Rightsidebar? |
| Helium Music Manager is using a embedded version of Internet Explorer to display HTML content such as the Music Information Browser and Now Playing/Summary in the Right Sidebar. The embedded version of Internet Explorer shares settings with Internet Explorer itself, so if the font size somehow is small in Internet Explorer it will be small in Helium Music Manager also. To correct this, follow the steps below: 1) Close Helium Music Manager 2) Start Internet Explorer 3) From the View | Text Size menu, select Medium 4) Close Internet Explorer 5) Start Helium Music Manager |
3. Why are my albums split into two parts? |
| Helium Music Manager is generally good at identifying which tracks that belongs to one single record, but there are times when an album is split into two (or sometimes more), seemingly identical albums, where some tracks end up in the first and some in the second (or third etc). The problem is most often caused on records which includes multiple discs and should be easily solved by making sure that the criteria below is being met:
These are the basic rules for making multiple disc records end up in the same album in Helium Music Manager. |
4. Problems using EvilLyrics |
| Question
When I'm trying to use the EvilLyrics plugin to download lyrics, the only result I get is a message saying "Unable to initiate EvilLyrics". How can this be solved? Answer EvilLyrics is a external application, not developed by Intermedia Software, which Helium Music Manager communicates with using COM. So, what you need to verify first is that the most recent version of EvilLyrics is installed. If you are unsure if you have the most recent version installed (or doesn't have it installed), download EvilLyrics from: http://www.evillabs.sk/evillyrics/download.php If the above message still shows up after you have updated/installed EvilLyrics, the communication between Helium Music Manager and EvilLyrics could not be properly initiated. This often depends on machine specific details, and the best way to get it to work is to contact us for a deeper analysis with our internal testing tools. Contact us using: -User Area (registered users, http://www.helium-music-manager.com/reg_login.php) -Contact form (unregistered users, http://www.helium-music-manager.com/sup ... tactus.php) |
5. Small pictures shown in the Internal Player |
| Question
When I am listening to MP3's in the internal player and I am double clicking on the album cover the player it will sometimes open a full-size picture in the assigned external application (Windows Viewer for example) but other times pictures are only shown as small previews without opening the external application. Why does it work like this? Answer When you are double clicking a picture in the Internal Player, Helium Music Manager will lookup the original picture for the album, a link stored in Helium Music Managers database when the album picture was added. If this file no longer exists (the file can have been deleted, renamed or moved), Helium Music Manager will show the album thumbnail picture associated with the album. (Stored as a 128*128 pixels thumbnail in Helium Music Managers database). To be able to show the full-size picture, you will need to "reconnect" the album picture. The most simple way to do this is to right click the picture in the Internal Player and select Add/Update picture... |
6. How can I move files from volume A to volume B? |
| Question
How can I move files from volume A to volume B? Answer Helium Music Manager is using a automated library and volume system where each path is connected to a specific volume. This system is described in detail here: http://helium-music-manager.com/help/in ... olumes.php The easiest way to move files from volume A to volume B is to move the files physically using the "Move files" function in Helium Music Manager. Using the File Rename Wizard you can achieve the same result. Move the files/folder from the source location into a folder contained in volume B (either the root folder, or a subfolder in volume B). The files will be automatically moved to volume B when the operation is completed. |
7. Problems with adding a path to a specific volume |
| Question
When I try to add a directory to a volume, I receive the following message: You cannot add the selected directories to the the selected volume because that would cause a violation of the data integrity. The following root paths already exists in the following volumes: (...) How can I add this folder to the selected volume? Answer Helium Music Manager is using a automated library and volume system to prevent adding of duplicate files to your database. This system is described in detail here: http://helium-music-manager.com/help/in ... olumes.php The most common reason to the problem mentioned above is that the path (or a parent path) already exists in another volume. You can inspect which root paths that is connected to a specific volume the following way: 1) Open the Media Library 2) Expand the Library\Volume node 3) Navigate to the specific volume 4) Rightclick the specific volume and choose "Properties..." From the volume properties dialog, review which Volume Root Paths that are connected to the volume. Remove any unnecceary root paths from this volume to be able to add the specified directory again. NOTE: To be able to remove a root path from a specific volume, the volume cannot contain and files which are located under the root path. After you have removed the root path, try to add the files again. |
8. How to ensure your issues get appropriate attention |
| If you have discussed a bug or feature request with other people in the forums to the point where a clear description of the issue can be written then the best way to ensure the issue gets looked at is to submit a well-written summary/report via the Customer Center (preffered method for existing customers) or from Support | Contact Us for evaluation users. Everything reported via the Customer Center or the contact us form goes into a database that Intermedia Software sort through and prioritize. Reporting something via the Customer Center means it is not in danger of being overlooked like a standard forum post might be. While Intermedia Software do tend to read and reply to the forums it is neither sensible nor efficient for Intermedia Software to drop whatever they're working on every time something comes up here, except for major issues. Reporting a summary of the issue via the Customer Center or the contact form ensures it goes into a database and isn't forgotten about once the current work is done and it's time to decide what to do next. Submitting a well-written, appropriately detailed and polite report, rather than a vague or demanding rant, means it will be easier for Intermedia Software to pick up, understand and address the issue in a timely manner. Intermedia Software do quickly release fixes to serious problems, like crashes, often within a week of them being discovered. Sometimes these updates will also contain some nice-to-have enhancements which address things people have mentioned recently in the forums but it would be wrong to expect this all the time. Please don't abuse this good will by demanding immediate updates to add minor improvements to issues which have only recently been brought up in the forums. If a bug involves another program, have you spoken to the authors of the other program as well? Compatibility issues are often caused by programs assuming that Helium Music Manager will behave extactly the same as iTunes/Tag & Rename/MediaMonkey/Windows Media Player/Winamp/dbPoweramp. While Intermedia Software have added many workarounds to fix issues that aren't their fault it is still best to fix problems where they are rather than complicate other programs with workarounds. This isn't to say that compatibility issues are never Helium Music Manager's fault but please don't assume they always are, either, nor assume that it's Intermedia Software's responsibility to fix problems in other people's software. If you are using an "unofficial/internal build" Helium Music Manager version or patch and things aren't working then make sure it also exists in the most recent official build before reporting the problem to Intermedia Software. We often offer existing customers to test unofficial released (previews) to verify a specific reported issue. These unofficial versions may work well but some features/issues may be open and therefore not always work as they should. If you're reading this forum then chances are you like Helium Music Manager and want it to be as good as it can be so let's all work together towards that. |
9. Files that do not work with Helium Music Manager |
| Question
I have one or more files that are not properly read/cause a crash when they are used with Helium Music Manager. Is it possible to do anything about this? Answer We would like to have a look at a file that causes this error to be able to solve this bug. Please upload a file using following form: http://www.helium-music-manager.com/upload_file.php Please don't forget to type your name and e-mail as well as a reference to this discussion in the comment field. Note Registered users can upload files to us from the User Area (http://www.helium-music-manager.com/reg_login.php) for further analysis. (Prefered if you are registered) |
10. I am unable to login to the User Area |
| Question
I am unable to login to the User Area. How can I get the login to work? Answer There may be several reasons to why you cannot log in to our User Area. Please read the following text to be able to log in. You may be denying cookies on your web browser. To be able to access the User Area you will need to enable cookies (at least for our site). We do not use regular cookies but so called session cookies (which only lasts while you are logged in to the registered user area, and ends when you close your web browser). Please review your settings under the TOOLS | INTERNET OPTIONS menu under the PRIVACY tab. Please make sure that helium2.com is not in your deny list (on SP2 click the SITES button, otherwise click the EDIT button under WEB SITES) and that you are not blocking all cookies (click the ADVANCED button). Also make sure that your privacy settings is not higher than MEDIUM. You may also be running a too high security level in your browser. In Internet Options in Internet Explorer, please enter the SECURITY page. Click on DEFAULT LEVEL if you are unsure of these settings. You should also review your firewall-, virus- and/or anti-spam software settings, since they can sometimes prevent users from certain web sites. Check that your systems date and time is correct. If your systems date and time is invalid you might be unable to log in since the cookie our server tries to create may have expired before it has been created. Now you should be able to log in using your e-mail address and serial number. |
11. Does another program interfere with Helium Music Manager? |
| Question
I would like to try and see if it might be another program on your system that interfere with Helium Music Manager. How can I do that? Answer Please follow the instructions below to start your computer with as few processes running as possible. Firstly we would suggest starting your computer with as little programs running as possible. Please follow the instructions below to do this. Click Start and Run. Type MSCONFIG and click OK (on Windows Vista, just type MSCONFIG in the Search box under the Start menu and press ENTER). On the Services page, click the "Hide all Microsoft Services" checkbox to only show third party services running. Make a note of all services with the select box enabled and then disable all (at least the ones that is not really vital to be able to start your computer). On the Startup page, make a note of all selected programs and then deselect them all. Now click the OK button and restart your system. We would suggest pulling your network cable out of you have disabled any anti-virus program or such. We do recommend you to disable as many programs as possible the first time you start your computer since this will make it easier to find a possible cause. The process of disabling unneeded startup applications is most often something of a health cure for your computer. Many programs you install will add auto-starting applications which is very often entirely unnecessary to have running and which are taking precious performance from your computer. By following the advice above your computer may start and respond more quickly than before. |
12. How do I change my registration information (email) |
| Question
How can I change my email address that I registered Helium Music Manager with? Do I need to contact you? Answer You can change your user details from the User Area: http://www.helium-music-manager.com/reg_login.php If you have changed e-mail address or are unsure of your latest serial number or are unable to unlock the program you can always log in to the User Area to see your current serial number. It should always be up-to-date from there. Please remember to set a password in the User Area if you have not already done this. This will let you log in even if you have lost your serial number. |
13. Problem with Library/Volume Filter |
| Question
My Library/Volume filter does not work properly in the Music Library/Album Browser/Artist Browser. Can I do something to get it to work? Answer Try to go to My Computer > Properties ("System Properties") > Advanced > Performance / Settings > Data Execution Prevention and change it from "Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select" to "Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only". You can also add helium2007.exe to the exclusion list on the same page. Now reboot your computer and see if the problem persists. |
14. MDAC related issues |
| Question
Helium Music Manager does not properly start because of "some" problem with MDAC. I have the proper version of MDAC installed. Answer Windows XP with Service Pack 2 contains MDAC version 2.81, which is currently not available for download at the Microsoft Web site as a standalone installation. If you try to install MDAC 2.8, which is the latest available standalone download of MDAC, you will receive a message that you already have a newer version of MDAC installed. Therefore, under Windows XP SP2, you must manually repair MDAC 2.81 as outlined below. How to Repair MDAC 2.81 under Windows XP with SP2 1. Open the folder C:\Windows\inf and locate the file mdac.inf. Note: Your Windows folder could be named differently, e.g. C:\WinXP 2. Right-click the file mdac.inf and click Install. 3. When prompted for a location, point to C:\Windows\servicepackfiles\i386 4. When prompted for the file handler.reg, either point to C:\Program Files\Common Files\System\msadc, or put the Windows XP CD in your CD-ROM drive. This reinstalls/repairs MDAC 2.81 under Windows XP SP2. Below is a link to a 3rd party tool from Microsoft which will help you analyse and verify your MDAC installation: MDAC Component Checker http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... laylang=en |
15. Where are my templates & databases stored? |
| Question
Where are my templates & databases stored? Answer From version 2007 of Helium Music Manager , these files are stored under: C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Application Data\Intermedia Design\Helium 2007\data (in Windows XP) C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Roaming\Intermedia Design\Helium 2007\data (in Windows Vista) |
16. I get errors when I use the CDDB plugin |
| Question
Each time I try to use the CDDB plugin I get various error messages. Answer Your CDDB control may have been broken. First, I would like you to download an updated CDDB control from here: http://www.gracenote.com/developer/update After you have downloaded and installed this patch, please go to the "Internet & Proxy" page in Settings in Helium and set the "Port" to "0" (zero). Now try to download information once again and see if it works. |
17. I get no results from CDDB/FreeDB |
| Question When I use the CDDB/FreeDB plugin, I won't get any results. What do I do wrong? Answer The most important things to think about when trying to download information for records from the internet using Helium Music Manager is the following: 1. Download and install the latest CDDB and FreeDB plugins from our web site (http://www.helium-music-manager.com/plugins.php). 2. Launch Helium Music Manager and browse to the tracks from one single album (you can browse using any view - Music Explorer, Album browser etc). 3. The order of the tracks must be in the same order as they appear on the original record (i.e. first Track 1, then Track 2, etc). Try to sort by the filename column for correct results. If this does not work, you may need to manually sort the files by dragging and dropping them in the correct order. 4. Sselect all files (correctly sorted from first to last track) from one album at a time and launch the Tag Editor (CTRL-E) or the Tag Editor (sheet) (CTRL-SHIFT-E). 5. Click the Download button at the bottom of the Tag Editor. This will launch the Download Information dialog. 6. Make adjustments as needed and click OK to search for information. If you won't receive any results, it may be because this album is not listed in any of the online databases. It is also important that all tracks on the album have the same length as the tracks on the original audio CD. |
18. Which tag-frames are supported for which tags? |
| To see which tag-frames that can be used with which tag formats, please click the link below:
Tag compatibility reference |
19. Helium Music Manager does not start |
| We recommend a clean install of Helium, by cleaning the registry and folders. Please follow the instructions below:
1. Uninstall Helium Music Manager from Windows Add/Remove programs. 2. Remove any remaining folders (usually located in C:\Program Files\Intermedia Design). 3. Download, unzip and run the following registry file: http://www.helium-music-manager.com/_pr ... ttings.zip 4. Reboot your computer (THIS IS IMPORTANT!). 5. Download and install the latest Helium Music Manager version from here: http://www.helium-music-manager.com/_pr ... m_2006.zip or log in to the User Area to download the latest beta (if available): http://www.helium-music-manager.com/reg_login.php 6. Install Helium Music Manager. 7. Make sure that as few applications as possible are running in the background (please stop all programs running in the system-tray in the lower right of your screen). 8. Run Helium Music Manager. If this does not help, you can try to follow the steps as described on the following web site: http://www.macropool.com/en/download/repair_mdac.html Important notes: Some registry cleaning utilities removes essential registry keys for Helium Music Manager. If you are continuing to experience problems, please try to avoid using registry cleaning utilities to see if Helium Music Manager operates successfully. If you are using a custom Window Manager such as Window Blinds, try to inactivate that temporarily and see if it helps. Some window themes may generate issues. If you are still experiencing problems, please contact us through our web forms at: [url:3kcel75q]http://helium-music-manager.com/support.php[/url:3kcel75q] for trial users and: [url:3kcel75q]http://helium-music-manager.com/reg_login.php[/url:3kcel75q] for owners of Helium Music Manager. |
20. Cannot load BASSWMA.DLL |
| Question
When I try to play a file I receive an error message telling me "unable to load BASSWMA.DLL". Answer For WMA replaying in Helium Music Manager you need to download and install the Windows Media Format modules. These come with Windows Media Player version 9 or higher or can be installed separately. You can download the WMFDist from the following URL: [url:2kjlgsod]http://www.un4seen.com/download.cgi?wmfdist.exe[/url:2kjlgsod] |
21. How can I move files from one album to another album? |
| Question
How can I move files from one album to another album? Answer To move items from one album to another, select the tracks in the tracklist that you would like to move to an album. Then, rightclick and select "Send To | Existing Album (move)". Select the album you would like to move the tracks to from the dialog. If you are working in the Album View, you can achieve the same functionallity by selecting the tracks in the tracklist and then drag 'n' drop them to the album which you want to move the tracks to. |
22. What do the different Release Types mean? |
| Question
What do the different Release Types mean in Helium Music Manager? Answer There isn't a definitive answer to this question but although there are different opinions on this, the preferred meanings used by Helium Music Manager are: Album: Normal album (eg. by one artist) Anthology (Compilation): "Best Of" from one single artists (not Various Artists albums) Audiobook: A digital audiobook Bootleg: Unreleased/Not officially released/Pirate mix/recording etc. Compilation: Various Artists (V/A) albums. Often "Now! Dance, Absolute Music" etc. (See note below) DVD: A DVD disc Live Performance: Recorded during live performance Sampler: Various Artists (V/A) albums. Often "Now! Dance, Absolute Music" etc. (See note below) Single/Maxi/EP: Maxi CD/Single CD/EP (Mostly one (with or without remixes) or a few tracks only) Sound Effects: Record containing sound effects Soundtrack: Record from a movie ("The Lord Of The Rings", "Matrix" etc.) Video: A Video release Note Alternate meanings for the following three entries are preferred by some users: Anthology: "Best Of" from one single artists (not Various Artists albums) Sampler: A sample from one Artist - maybe 2 or 3 tracks from a forthcoming Album Compilation: Various Artists (V/A) albums. Often "Now! Dance, Absolute Music" etc. At the risk of stating the obvious, you should ensure that (whatever the definitions you use), they are consistent across you music collection! |
23. How can I run Helium on limited user accounts in Windows XP? |
| Question
How can I run Helium Music Manager on limited user accounts in Windows XP/Vista/2003? Answer Helium Music Managers will work on any Windows account without any special tricks. Just make sure that you install Helium Music Manager (and related 3rd party tools) on a administrator account. |
24. What's the difference between Preference and Rating? |
| Question
What's the difference between Preference and Rating? Answer Preference and Rating are both custom tags. Preference was originally created by MusicMatch JukeBox. Preference contains 6 values; Bad Taste, Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent The content can also contain user specific data; you can therefore enter any text that you want in Preference. The Rating field is a value based tag; which can have Rating values between 0 and 255 (Helium Music Manager uses constants for its ten different ratings). If possible, Helium Music Manager will auto convert Preference to Rating. Preference will be converted like this: Excellent = 5 Very Good = 4 Good = 3 Fair = 2 Poor = 1 Bad Taste = 0.5 |
25. How can I access data in Helium's database? |
| Question
I would like to be able to access the data in Helium Music Managers database to create my own reports/web interface etc. Is this possible? Answer Yes this is possible. Helium Music Manager supports three different database formats; -Microsoft Access -Microsoft SQL Server (SQL Sever Express) -MySQL You can easily access these databases (but with care!) to extract/use the data you need. |
26. Using External Applications in Helium Music Manager |
| Question
How can I use external applications in Helium Music Manager and what purpose do I use them for? Answer Using External applications lets you work with any other application from within Helium Music Manager. The applications can be anything from other players, audio tools or to something as simple as Notepad. Listed below are examples of useful applications (including descriptions) with instructions on how they can be invoked from within Helium Music Manager. To configure your external application(s), open settings and select the "External Applications" node. Add a new External application by pressing the "Add button", give it a name, identify the EXE file that should be started and fill in the parameters. Important Note: The Parameters %files% and %wafiles% are designed to work with several files (not a single file), therefore they will not work as a doubleclick action from any of the tracklists. QCD-Player Delete playlist, add one or more files and play directly %files% Add one or more files to the playlist /ADD %wafiles% Foobar2000 Delete playlist, add one or more files and play directly %files% Add one or more files to the playlist /ADD %files% Delete playlist, and play directly (also doubleclick) "%directory%\%filename%" Add one file to the playlist (also doubleclick) /ADD "%directory%\%filename%" sending files to Foobar and create a new playlist %files% /command:"Playlist/Create New Playlist" Thanks To Lego MP3Gain Single Files, without correlations /r /c %files% Album Gaining /a %files% Single File (also doubleclick) "%directory%\%filename%" Goldwave open this file "%directory%\%filename%" Audacity open the file "%directory%\%filename%" Sonique Audio Player Add one file to the playlist (also doubleclick) -appendonly "%directory%\%filename%" Add files to the playlist and play the first directly -appendonly %files% Play Song (also doubleclick) "%directory%\%filename%" MPCscan Scan one or more MPC files %files% QuickPar "QuickPar is a utility for creating Parity Volumes using the Reed Solomon algorithm. Parity Volumes may be used to verify that a set of files have not been corrupted, or to reconstruct damaged files (providing that you have a sufficient quantity of Parity Volumes to match the missing or damaged files)" Create a new PAR-volume with selected files /create %files% Transcoding of Audio Files with dbPowerAmp Music Converter This set of three scripts enables you to invoke dBpowerAMP from Helium 2005's External Applications button to convert music files to: * MP3 Lame * OggVorbis CLI * FLAC Thanks to Henc Test FLAC files Target: C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe Parameters: /k "C:\Programs\FLAC\flac.exe -t %files%" This assumes that you have downloaded and installed the FLAC windows implementation from http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html Now all you have to do (from within Helium) is to select your FLAC file( s ) from the Track list and then click 'FLAC Test' from External Apps pulldown 
Thanks to Henc |
27. Other Languages For Helium Music Manager |
| Question
Are there any other languages available and/or planned for Helium Music Manager? Answer Helium Music Manager is released with English, German, French and Italian language. We are currently working on a Swedish language file. If you are interested in helping us to translate Helium Music Manager to your language, please feel free to contact us: [url:2a5n1chx]http://www.helium-music-manager.com/support.php[/url:2a5n1chx] |
28. Helium Music Manager seems to sort files incorrectly |
| Question
The Artist, Album or Title sorting does not work (or seems not to work) in the database view. Answer The sort order is probably being affected by the the tag contents of the additional sort order fields: Album Sort Order Artist Sort Order Title Sort Order These fields are used for sorting in several places within Helium Music Manager. The track lists use all of these fields when you click on a column to sort the data. If the fields are empty, they will be sorted using the "master" field, for example if "Artist Sort Order" is empty, sorting will use the data stored in "Artist" instead. In the Album Browser, Album Sort Order is used when you are in Album mode and Artist Sort Order is used in Artist Mode. The only exception to this is when the files have "Album Artist" set. In this case, "album Artist" will be used to sort the list in the Album Browser (Artist Mode) in preference to the sort order or master field. Example: Artist: "The Rolling Stones" 1) Artist Sort Order field is empty: => sorting: ... -The Beatles -The Rolling Stones -The X-Rays ... 2) Artist Sort Order field is set to the artist name without "the" => sorting: .... -Robbie Williams -The Rolling Stones -Ronan Keating ... Another Example is the sorting of files which start with a number: e.g. "10cc" can be sorted as "Ten cc" |
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