MB2 Upgrade FAQ

[techywarrior 688]

Q: What do I do now? I have my setup just the way I want!

 

A: You can continue to use MB2 the way it is now but it's not recommended. The recommended solution is to upgrade to MB3. MB3 is a completely new system built from the ground up to be faster, better, and more extensible then MB2.

 

Note: MB Classic (the WMC client for MB 3) cannot co-exist with MB 2.x.  This is designed this way to allow for compatibility and ease of migration of existing themes.  You can, however, install the server and get your environment setup before installing the WMC client.

 

 

Q: Can I still use the (X) theme?

 

A: Unfortunately many of the old theme developers have not been around and their themes don't work correctly. You could copy the old theme's DLL file to the new MBC (we'll get to that later) location but some features may not work and crashes could occur. 

 

There are many great new themes that do work with the new system and we suggest you check them out.

 

 

Q: OK, I'll give MB3 a try. Where do I start?

 

A: MB3 is based on a server and clients. They can both run on the same machine but that is not necessary. The first step is to install the MB3 server. Since you are coming from MB2 the client you would need to replace MB2 in Windows Media Center is called MBC (Media Browser Classic). MBC behaves much the same way as MB2 did but it is faster and has lots of new features.

 

Please see the setup guides here.

 

If you have problems search these forums - chances are others have already solved them.  If not, please post in the appropriate forum section and follow this guide when posting: How to report a problem

 

 

Q: I use MetaBrowser or manually made lots of custom meta data. Will I lose that all?

 

A: No, your custom meta data can all be retained. Once you install MB3 server you can change settings in the web client. BEFORE you add your library go to the Metadata section in the web client settings (click cog in top right corner). You can choose to disable internet metadata fetching as well as changing the image saving convention. There are custom settings for each special "type" as well as an advanced tab where you can turn off automatic updates to the metadata.

 

 

Q: I installed MBC but the configurator doesn't have any plugins listed in it. Are there no themes or plugins available?

 

A: Plugins and themes have been moved away from the configurator and into MBC itself. You go into the settings in MBC and there is a section for plugins. Here you can view the themes and plugins that are available. All themes and plugins (as well as supporter codes) are registered and paid for in the web client. From the plugin catalog you can launch a web browser to complete registration of paid plugins and themes or you can just go to the web client on a computer.

 

You can also see all the available themes and plugins available by going into the web client. Go to the settings section (cog in top right). Click on Plugins then click on the Catalog tab and finally MB Classic.

Edited August 31, 2014 by ebr