Cannot open minimserver

[HardBop]

I've just downloaded minimserver on a Windows PC and the green icon tells me it's running. However, on double clicking the desktop icon the application does not open (nothing happens). I've tried uninstall/reinstall with no success. I believed I followed the download instructions correctly, but I note that the download did not appear to direct me to set up the content directory. Don't know if this is part of the problem?
Thanks.

[simoncn]

Do you see the green minim icon in the system tray or just the green MinimServer launch icon on your desktop?

If MinimServer is running, the system tray minim icon might be in the overflow area of the system tray (accessed by clicking the upward-pointing arrow in the system tray).

You can right-click on the system tray minim icon to get a menu of options. Left-clicking or double-clicking on this icon has no effect.

[HardBop]

The green icon is in both the desktop and system tray. Right clicking on it gives me a few options e.g. rescan, properties, show log etc. But nothing to seemingly launch the application.

[simoncn]

MinimServer is already running. You probably launched it as the last step in the install process. Just set the content directory from the Properties menu option, do a rescan and enjoy the music!

If you can see the tray icon, MinimServer is running. If you can't see the tray icon, double-click the desktop launch icon to launch it.

[HardBop]

Thanks. I now see where the content directory is. I've set the content directory, and re-scanned. It is apparent from the icon (yellow, before turning green) that it is reading the directory. However, when I've looked at the log there appears a range of error messages, which I guess is causing an issue, as I still can't launch the application.

I am trying Minimserver as I read that the tagging options are better than other servers, particularly for classical music. However, I currently use Plex Media Server, and have to say that I have had no problem in using this application to stream music from my PC via my hi-system.

[simoncn]

The application (MinimServer) is already running, so you don't need to "launch" it. You now need to use a UPnP control point and renderer to select and listen to your music. See this page for more information.

[HardBop]

OK, starting to make a bit more sense now...albeit more complicated than I'd hoped! I assume Plex offers a cross-platform option, hence not realising I needed a UPnP control point/renderer? As I understand the terminology, I guess I'm using either my Ipad or Android smart phone as the control point from Plex? I then use Chromecast Audio to "cast" the music to my hi-fi using a standalone DAC.
Grateful if you could therefore provide further advice if possible. For example, am I right in believing than Bubble UPNP only works for android and therefore could not be used via IOS?
Overall, it does sound more involved than I first thought, but I'm happy to pursue, particularly if Minimserver offers better tagging facilities than Plex.
Thanks.

[simoncn]

I confirm that BubbleUPnP only runs on Android. This is a shame as it is an excellent control point and should do exactly what you need, including support for Chromecast Audio.

I haven't used Plex, so I am not familiar with how it works. A quick web search indicates that there is a Plex app for iOS, so this is presumably the control point (probably only working with the Plex server). The renderer (in UPnP terminology) might also be built into the Plex app, using Chromecast Audio as its audio player (I haven't used Chromecast Audio either).

Although I am talking about this using UPnP terminology, it could be that the various components of Plex don't use the UPnP protocols to talk to each other. The advantage of UPnP is that it is an open standard with many devices supporting it. The disadvantage is that doing a "mix and match" of different vendor products is likely to be more complex that using an integrated solution from a single vendor.

[HardBop]

Thanks Simon, appreciate the time you've taken to answer my query. I'll look into the options further and see what transpires. As I've said, using Minimserver would be useful in terms of it's apparent tagging advantages, and generally very good write up it gets across a number of forums.