Windows 7 MP3 Meta-Data Is In File, But Not Showing up

[James Thompson]

Hi I am having an issue I use Windows 7 and I use WMP to listen to my music. Recently I noticed that sometimes when I download music in a Zip Drive or just a straight File Download that the Album, Artist, Year, All Meta-Data appears to be missing.

If I add it to my library in WMP, I can edit the info, but it is still blank in Windows Explorer, I also cannot edit it either under properties or at the bottom of the file window.

However the initial info is there as if I do a quick convert of the file, the converted file shows up with all the information.

It is almost as if the details are "hidden".

If anyone can give me fix for this. I have uploaded as many screenshots as possible to help explain this better. It looked up the error message given also (0x8007000D), but didn't find a clear answer.

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you're facing an issue with missing metadata on music files downloaded in Zip Drive or directly. This can sometimes happen due to how metadata is handled by different software. Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try to resolve this issue:

Steps to Fix Missing Metadata in Windows Media Player (WMP):​

1. Rebuild the Library in Windows Media Player:
   • Open Windows Media Player.
   • Press "F3" to open the search box.
   • Type "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Media Player" without quotes and hit Enter.
   • Delete all the files within that folder except for the folders.
   • Restart Windows Media Player.
   • Go to "Organize" > "Manage Libraries" > "Music" > "Add" and select the folder where your music is stored.
   []Edit Metadata in Windows Media Player:
   • Right-click on the blank music file in the library.
   • Select "Find album info" or "Edit".
   • Enter the correct metadata manually.
   • Click "Finish" or "OK" to save the changes.
   []Check File Properties in Windows Explorer:
   • Right-click on the file in Windows Explorer.
   • Go to "Properties" > "Details" tab.
   • Check if the metadata is visible and editable here.
   []Use a Third-Party Metadata Editor:
   • Consider using a third-party metadata editor like MP3Tag to edit the metadata of your music files.
   • MP3Tag is a powerful tool specifically designed for managing music metadata.
   []Convert the Files:
   • As you mentioned, converting the files seems to bring back the metadata. You can convert the files to the same format to restore the metadata.

     Additional Tips:​

     • Ensure your music files are in formats that support metadata like MP3, FLAC, or M4A.
     • Backup your music library before making changes to avoid accidental data loss.
     • Keep your Windows 7 system updated with the latest patches and updates.
     If the issue persists after trying these steps, let me know, and we can explore further solutions. If you have uploaded screenshots, I can take a look at them to better understand the issue.