Audacity Forum

This started with 2.0.6, it was working good in 2.0.5. Now, when I import a file, do some work on it, export it to a new file, and close it... it doesn't fully close in the operating system (Windows 7). That is, I can't delete the original file until I completely exit Audacity. I get "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process." error when trying to delete it. Is there a place for bug reports, or is this help forum it?

In "Edit > Preferences > Import/Export", which of the first two options is selected?
Does it make a difference which is selected?

I can confirm the bug. I always import copies and recently I've had just this problem, deleting an imported file with no dependencies was blocked. Thanks for mentioning it, I almost forgot.

username2 wrote:This started with 2.0.6, it was working good in 2.0.5. Now, when I import a file, do some work on it, export it to a new file, and close it... it doesn't fully close in the operating system (Windows 7). That is, I can't delete the original file until I completely exit Audacity. I get "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process." error when trying to delete it.

Thank you, but I can't reproduce that yet on Windows 7 x64, Audacity 2.0.7-alpha (logged in as admin). I tried MP3, then WAV (copying in the files or not, and exporting over the same file or not). I used Windows Explorer to delete files, but I do have xplorer2 installed.

I think I may have seen something like this once on Windows 8.1, but given the way files can get locked on Windows, I did not think much of it.

Users have been known to complain that if you import a WAV using "read directly", that you are allowed to delete it, therefore destroying your project. I can do that easily today. We decided we could not easily lock the file.

So can you and Robert give exact steps to reproduce? Exactly what format of file, exact file names, the Import / Export settings Steve mentioned, exactly how you "close" the file in Audacity. By the way, you never really open the file in Audacity. You make a copy to lossless PCM, but if you read a WAV or AIFF file "directly", data is only copied in for sections that you edit.

username2 wrote:Is there a place for bug reports, or is this help forum it?

You can either send bug reports to our feedback address or write on this Forum if you are already a member.

Thanks,


Gale

steve wrote:In "Edit > Preferences > Import/Export", which of the first two options is selected?
Does it make a difference which is selected?

It's on "Read uncompressed audio files directly from the original (faster)"
I just now changed it to "Make a copy of uncompressed audio files before editing (safer)" - made no difference to this issue.
Now, I am working with compressed video files, and not uncompressed audio files... I will try that next.

Gale Andrews wrote: Thank you, but I can't reproduce that yet on Windows 7 x64, Audacity 2.0.7-alpha (logged in as admin). I tried MP3, then WAV (copying in the files or not, and exporting over the same file or not). I used Windows Explorer to delete files, but I do have xplorer2 installed.

I think I may have seen something like this once on Windows 8.1, but given the way files can get locked on Windows, I did not think much of it.

Users have been known to complain that if you import a WAV using "read directly", that you are allowed to delete it, therefore destroying your project. I can do that easily today. We decided we could not easily lock the file.

So can you and Robert give exact steps to reproduce? Exactly what format of file, exact file names, the Import / Export settings Steve mentioned, exactly how you "close" the file in Audacity. By the way, you never really open the file in Audacity. You make a copy to lossless PCM, but if you read a WAV or AIFF file "directly", data is only copied in for sections that you edit.

The exact steps are...
1 - open audacity (obviously)
2 - file, import audio, select a file. (I'm using a mp4 video file.)
3 - I run Compressor effect on the entire track
4 - file, export audio, using default name and directory. type is m4a (aac) files (ffmpeg). Advanced mixing I leave alone (2 channels), hit ok. I leave metadata empty, hit ok.
5 - wait for export to finish, file, close. Save changes before closing? No.
6 - I use another program, mmg (mkvmerge gui) to mux the mp4 video with the new m4a audio into a new mkv file.
7 - (in command prompt) del file.m4a (success)
8 - del file.mp4 ("The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process." error)
9 - (in audacity) file, exit
10 - del file.mp4 (success)


Now, interestingly, I tried the above steps with a WAV file instead of an mp4, and it successfully deleted it at the end without exiting audacity.

To narrow it down further, I have done these steps:
1 - open audacity (obviously)
2 - file, import audio, select a file. (I'm using a mp4 video file.)
3 - file, close. Save changes before closing? No.
4 - del file.mp4 ("The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process." error)
5 - (in audacity) file, exit
6 - del file.mp4 (success)

Maybe this is an issue with ffmpeg?
I'm using ffmpeg-win-2.2.2 in its default "Ffmpeg For Audacity" directory.

username2 wrote: The exact steps are...
1 - open audacity (obviously)
2 - file, import audio, select a file. (I'm using a mp4 video file.)
3 - I run Compressor effect on the entire track
4 - file, export audio, using default name and directory. type is m4a (aac) files (ffmpeg). Advanced mixing I leave alone (2 channels), hit ok. I leave metadata empty, hit ok.
5 - wait for export to finish, file, close. Save changes before closing? No.
6 - I use another program, mmg (mkvmerge gui) to mux the mp4 video with the new m4a audio into a new mkv file.
7 - (in command prompt) del file.m4a (success)
8 - del file.mp4 ("The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process." error)
9 - (in audacity) file, exit
10 - del file.mp4 (success)

Now, interestingly, I tried the above steps with a WAV file instead of an mp4, and it successfully deleted it at the end without exiting audacity.

To narrow it down further, I have done these steps:
1 - open audacity (obviously)
2 - file, import audio, select a file. (I'm using a mp4 video file.)
3 - file, close. Save changes before closing? No.
4 - del file.mp4 ("The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process." error)
5 - (in audacity) file, exit
6 - del file.mp4 (success)

Maybe this is an issue with ffmpeg?
I'm using ffmpeg-win-2.2.2 in its default "Ffmpeg For Audacity" directory.

OK, thanks for the steps. Yes, it happens if FFmpeg imports the file, even if it's a WAV.

It doesn't happen in 2.0.5, but you can't use FFmpeg 2.2.2 in 2.0.5 so there is no easy test.

It doesn't happen on Mac in 2.0.6. It could be some specific of how the FFmpeg 2.2.2 build for Windows was made. The source of the FFmpeg 2.2.2 builds for Windows is "Zeranoe" but the FFmpeg 0.6.2 for Windows that Audacity 2.0.5 used was built elsewhere. I'll ask on the Zeranoe forum just in case they can shed any light on it. I do see reference there to an old file-locking issue on Windows https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/commit/ad8173eb but that is now fixed.


Gale