'Folders' item removed from Music Library menu in SBC

[jdalgas]

About a day ago, I discovered that the SB Controller "Folders" menu item has suddenly disappeared from Music Library menu. I am almost always using either the "Folders" or the "Random Mix" menu items, and I have been using the Folders menu item probably as recent as 2, max 3 days ago.
It is very very strange how this change has occurred, because I have made no real changes to my Squeezebox setup around that time, neither to the SB Duet nor to the SqueezeCenter. (Although I have scanned music library - complete scan, and I have changed the suspend timeout, because I found out that it is actually only half the configured value)
It is some time ago, about a month, that I updated to the then just-released final v.7.3.3 of the SC, and I have been using the Folders menu item almost daily since.

Have anybody else seen such problems?

I have the following setup:
- two SB Duet Controllers – 7.3 r6038
- three SB Duet Receivers – FW 62
- one SB Boom – FW 47
- SC on a laptop PC – SC 7.3.3 - 27044
All are updated to latest official software release (not a nightly build)

The “Folders” menu item is missing from both my SBCs, and regardless which player I am atached to.
I have tried turning off and on the SBCs, SBRs and SC, but no joy.
I have tried re-downloading firmware on one SBC, but no joy.
The other SBC had actually been sitting unused and turned off, from before my update to SC 7.3.3, so when I turned that on, it prompted for FW download, which I did, but again no joy.
I have tried to re-scan my music library (complete rescan) - again no joy.

So how can a change in the SBC menu system be affected without a software update occurring?
How is the menu system defined? Locally on the SBC, I hope? Or is it controlled from the SC? Or maybe all the way from the Slimdevices/Logiteck download site, like the SBC firmware seems to be (via SC)??

This issue is not only very annoying, but it also erodes my already not too firm confidence in the SB Duet product.

[jrichardson]

if you Reboot the SBC, does the menu item come back?

[jdalgas]

As I wrote above, I already tried rebooting SBC, as well as SBR and SC, but still no Folders menu item.

[jdalgas]

I opened a support ticket on this, but have not yet heard back.
However, being the impatient sort, I tried various experiments to possibly fix the problem.
- I tried reboots of all entities, including the router, without any difference.
- I tried re-installing the firmware on SB Controller (same version, FW 62), but no difference.
- I tried some changes to configurations, but no difference.
- I tried a full rescan of my music folders, but no difference

Finally, I just now tried a complete re-install of SqueezeCenter (with same version: 7.3.3 official release), and THAT apparently did the trick!
Now the 'Folders' menu selection is back in the 'My Music' menu on the SB Controller.

However, such instabilities in the SB system are worrying!
Especially when, like here, an official software release is used.
And especially when it, like here, can become persistent and not be mitigated by a reboot.

It is also interesting that the menu system on the SB Controller apparently depends on what lies on the SqueezeCenter on the PC. Is the SBC design such, that the SBC is continuously fetching its menu scripts from the PC???
Does anybody know how this works?

[jdalgas]

Yesterday, the missing "Music Folder" menu item problem occured again on my SBC/SC. This time I fixed the problem by clearing the cache directory (without clearing the preferences).

However, note that clearing the cache (and/or preferences) is not that easy, because WinXP refuses to allow deletion of these.
My SqueezeTray does NOT contain any option to stop the SqueezeCenter, and just selecting exit on the SqueezeTray apparently does not also stop the SqueezeCenter!
In WinXP task manager, I could see that the following two processes were still running:
- squeezecenter.exe
- mysqld.exe
Only after I removed both these in task manager were I able to remove the cache directory.

In the FAQ search I found some help with clearing the cache. Two links:
1) http://logitech-en-amr.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/logitech_en_amr.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=8377&p_created=1210632920&p_sid=ojZE*NDj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX 3Jvd19jbnQ9MTYsMTYmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0 mcF9jdj0mcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1jYWNoZQ**&p_li=&p_topview=1
2) http://logitech-en-amr.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/logitech_en_amr.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=11923&p_created=1243446436&p_sid=ojZE*NDj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX 3Jvd19jbnQ9MTYsMTYmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0 mcF9jdj0mcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1jYWNoZQ**&p_li=&p_topview=1

However, both links seem to expect that a "stop squeezecenter" option exists on squeezetray, but this option does NOT exist on my squeezetray.