EAC can't access FreeDB.org anymore

[Poohblah]

Hi guys,
I've been using EAC to rip my CD's for a while now, but about a week ago, EAC stopped being able to access the server - it just returned the message "Error - Server Error" instead. I tried updating the server address, but the address in the settings is exactly the same as freedb.org's website says it should be. I tried updating to EAC v.99b from v.95b with absolutely no luck, among a few other small tweaks to the configuration settings (I made no changes to my config settings when freedb access stopped working).

Needless to say, this is a major pain in the arse.

Can anybody help me?

P.S. I've heard of similar things happening to FooBar recently but not of any solution that I could apply in my situation.

[Ham Sandwich]

EAC, by default, uses an out of spec HTTP request to access freedb. Some proxy servers butcher that HTTP request and cause problems.

This post and thread explains the problem.

There is a secret commandline switch that may get it working for you:

June 1, 2005

As always there were some slight bugs in the first larger release, so here comes directly a new version. Hopefully this will fix most issues with the last version. CDRDAO problems will partly persists (not starting up), perhaps try a differently compiled EXE, any with version number equal or greater to 1.1.9 should work fine.
For those who still have problems with accessing freedb using EAC, please try the command line switch “-http1.1″, you can, if it works for you, enter that directly into the properties of the desktop shortcut (the screenshot shows the german properties dialog, but the changes should be clear).
Hope you will like it

Alternatively you can set the freedb database access settings in EAC to use a different proxy server that doesn't butcher the http request.

[Poohblah]

thanks for the reply. It's nice to see that the issue is known, but could you please explain in english what I need to do? From your post I understand exactly what the problem is, but I have no clue how to fix it (i.e., I don't know how to perform a "command line switch").

Also, what are the URI's of some proxies I could use? I don't know of any.

edit: I think I may have a bigger problem. In EAC's freedb configuration dialog, I can enter the proxy location but not the port number. That is to say, there is a text box next to proxy location but not port. I have the same issue with both v.95 and v.99

[Ham Sandwich]

Right-click on the shortcut that launches EAC and select "Properties" from the menu. Go to the Shortcut tab and add "-http1.1" (without the quotes) to the end of the line that launches EAC (see the attached screenshot).

When I'm in need of a temporary proxy I launch Tor. Install Tor, launch the Vidalia program and set the proxy for freedb in EAC to: proxy server 127.0.0.1 and port 8118.

Another alternative is to run a VPN like Hotspot Shield (Hotspot Shield is a free, ad supported VPN). Launch Hotspot Shield before you do a freedb lookup, no need to change anything in EAC.

I sometimes use an internet connection that is filtered (filtered for pr0n, P2P, etc) and one of the effects of that filter is that it breaks EAC freedb access. Both the Tor proxy and the Hotspot Shield VPN get around the filtering and allow EAC to access freedb.

Easiest method though is to add the -http1.1 switch to the EAC shortcut.

[Poohblah]

Thanks for the help, but adding "-http1.1" to the end of the "shortcut" line did nothing at all. Hotspot shield just added a bunch of crap to my desktop and didn't affect EAC at all.

my freedb dialog looks like the attached .jpg. I don't think that's right.

[Ham Sandwich]

Your freedb settings are correct, the correct server (same server I'm using). I don't have the checkbox set for the retry on a different server.

Freedb is currently up and working. I just did a CD lookup using EAC. I use the -http1.1 switch and all is good (without the switch I get server failures).

The Hotspot Shield VPN should work as well if your ISP is doing something that breaks EAC.

Othwerwise I wonder if some security program or filtering program on your PC might be interfering with EACs HTTP requests? Are you sure your firewall is allowing EAC to access the internet?

[Poohblah]

Yes, my firewall is allowing EAC access. When I installed v.99, my firewall popped open a dialog and I allowed EAC access. Though I wish I could use a different firewall or something because Norton is some of the most horrendous software I have ever used.

FWIW, I installed FooBar2000 and I couldn't get it to access freedb either (by default it connects to freedb2.org, I also tried freedb.freedb.org).

Quite frankly, I don't see what could possibly be the problem since this started happening one day without warning!!

[Ham Sandwich]

I wonder if a recent update to Norton could have broken things?

There was a recent thread on similar freedb problems with EAC: Exact Audio Copy Freedb(Database) problem?

Two solutions/workarounds mentioned there
The EAC Freedb Fixer utility
Using Player to read CD data from Gracenote, export it to cdplayer.ini, then read cdplayer.ini from EAC.

I still haven't given the EAC Freedb Fixer utility a try. I did look at the source code and it is all OK (no funny business going on). I just haven't given it a try yet because the -http1.1 switch works for me.

[Poohblah]

Originally Posted by Ham Sandwich

I wonder if a recent update to Norton could have broken things?

Probably, do you think disabling Norton would fix the issue? according to one of the threads you linked to, disabling a firewall isn't necessarily a solution.

Using Player is a fine workaround solution, though it would be helpful if I didn't have to run a second program to get CD info.

The EAC Freedb Fixer utility seems great but as you can see in the attachment I posted earlier there is no place for me to enter the port in the config dialog and therefore I can't use the utility!!

[Ham Sandwich]

You can try disabling Norton and see what happens.

What are you using to skin Windows? If you disable the skinning you should be able to get to see the edit box for the port setting (it's off the edge of the dialog in your screen capture). Otherwise you can use the tab key to move the cursor over to the port edit box, but you won't be able to see what you are typing.

Here's what the dialog looks like without skinning and at the default system font settings (for Vista)

[fatboy]

Ham Sandwich, your attached jpg helped me so much. I had the same problem as everyone else. I wasn't making sense of the command line comments.
But once I saw your screen shot, and added the -http1.1 into the proper spot, now I am getting data from freedb. I hadn't been for over a month.

In Windows, click on the EAC shortcut, properties. The shortcut tab has a line labelled target. Change the "C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\EAC.exe" into "C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\EAC.exe" -http1.1

That is working for me now. Thanks a whole lot.

[Ham Sandwich]

Originally Posted by fatboy

Ham Sandwich, your attached jpg helped me so much. I had the same problem as everyone else. I wasn't making sense of the command line comments.
But once I saw your screen shot, and added the -http1.1 into the proper spot, now I am getting data from freedb. I hadn't been for over a month.

Woot! And welcome to Head-Fi.

The "-http1.1" command argument is a bit of a secret. The only way to find out about it is slog through a 19 page thread at the EAC support forum, and know how to add a command line option to a shortuct. Hopefully a future version of EAC will enable -http1.1 by default.