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baralbion
Contributor I
October 27, 2016

Music Library Items Greyed Out on Manage Tab

  • October 27, 2016
  • 7 replies
  • 1815 views
The Manage tab on the controller on my Windows Vista PC has a number of items greyed out, including Library Music Settings and Update Music Library Now. These would presumably allow me to play my iTunes music on my Play 1, but, without them, I’m unable even to find out. How should I proceed, please?
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7 replies

Tom B
Tom B
Retired Sonos Staff
November 7, 2016
Hi baralbion, welcome to the community. Windows Vista is no longer fully supported by Sonos due to the age of this operating system. This means you cannot access the settings you need to set up the music library directly on the PC. What you can do is share the music folder over the network on the PC and then use the Sonos app on another device such as Android, iPhone, iPad to point Sonos to that folder. Here's an in-depth guide from Microsoft on how to go about sharing a folder in Vista.

I'll give you some guidelines on how to do this but refer back to that guide if you aren't sure about anything.

  • Find your Music folder in Windows Explorer
  • Right-click on it, select Properties. Go to the Sharing tab
  • Click on Advanced Sharing, tick the option to 'Share this folder'
  • Click on Permissions, click Add.
  • Type 'eve' in the box that comes up and press enter
  • This adds 'Everyone' as a user. Tick to allow 'Read' access.

This should now have shared the music folder from the PC to be available for reading over the network. Next, we need to point Sonos towards this. To do that, we need to know the computers name. You can find this out by opening a command prompt window (Run -> Type 'cmd') and typing 'hostname' in there. The name which comes up is the PC name. You will need Sonos running on a mobile (iOS or Android) device for the next bit.

  • Open the Sonos app, go to Settings
  • Go to 'Manage Music Library', then 'Music Library Setup'
  • Hit 'Add a folder'. The path will be '\\PCNAME\Music'
  • A username and password should not be required

This should then add the folder to Sonos. It will index the library for a while and then you should see your music available in Sonos. If you get stuck with any of this, the best thing to do is call support, who can help out with remote assistance into the PC. You can find our number at www.sonos.com/contact
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    Nanuq
    Nanuq
    Contributor I
    October 24, 2018
    Hi Tom B, thanks for the detailed reply. I have a similar problem.

    I am able to see and index my music with the Desktop Controller, and I am able to control and play music from my iPhone. But the IOS app (downloaded this week) does not have "Manage Music Library" or "Reindex" as a menu item.

    Any ideas? Thanks.
    John B
    October 24, 2018
    You need iOS 10 or higher for full functionality - do you have that? If so, then try tapping the More.. button, then Settings, Manage Music Library (I think it's the same as Android, which is all I can check)
      Nanuq
      Nanuq
      Contributor I
      October 24, 2018
      I have IOS 9.02 and up until last week the Sonos app was fully functional; I didn't even have the Desktop Controller program.

      I ran into trouble after deleting my music share, and part of the resolution was to download the newest version from the Apple App Store... and now it's busted. Rats, I hoped there was another solution.
      John B
      October 24, 2018
      Is your phone running the latest OS it can? Do you have a PC or Mac onto which you can download the desktop controller? If you cannot do either you may have to upgrade your phone, or consider a small, cheap Android tablet such as those made by Amazon or Lenovo.
      Nanuq
      Nanuq
      Contributor I
      October 24, 2018
      I like the idea of an Android tablet as a Sonos controller. That gives me a portable solution, and I do have the Desktop controller installed now and working. I was just curious about the missing features from the IOS app, when I had full features last week.
      Airgetlam
      Airgetlam
      October 25, 2018
      The iOS and Android apps should be the same, assuming that they're both the same version (9.2 and 9.2.1 right now). But, running the current version does require a supported OS to be on the devices, since Sonos can't support software on devices that the OS isn't supported anymore.

      You can see supported OS (and devices) here

      There is some substantial advantage to having a controller be mobile, IMHO. I tend to prefer it on my iPads, rather than my phone, but I've also got it installed on my Macs, for when that's necessary. The more, the merrier.
      Bruce
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