sfbp

As long as you don't mind losing all your music, then you can clean up and start over. However probably more effective to drop the 4.3 Ultimate download over the top, without trying to uninstall anything. It sounds like you have given up. If you're not in a hurry, don't give up yet.

Look again. Under Drivers and Software?

Did you look here?

It's about 2 months and 1000 units newer than mine. I think the tape over the optical sockets is a pretty good sign. Also the fact you have not got the hassle of the 100V version - a. because 100V theoretically needs a transformer b. because the service manual available to us English-speakers is for the US model with nothing about what you might find on the inside of the Japanese model (esp. the power section). Hope it works out.... S

This is getting more and more involved - but it's the details in life that are fun Replace a file (say foobar.OMA) that plays properly in SS with a DIFFERENT file of exactly the same name by a. rename the old file b. copy another OMA file in (eg one you made by using Sound Forge) and name it foobar.OMA All without touching SonicStage. Now try to play the file from where it shows in SonicStage. It should play, right? WRONG. Stephen PS I have noticed that MANY mp3 software players tend to write stuff to the file (sneaky, and a few other choice words like ill-designed spring to mind). I have a hunch this is what caused non-transfer behaviour, but I manage these days to avoid MP3's like the plague.

I'm not quite sure what you think I am suggesting. I never ever suggested deleting the file from Windows. Also something curious happens when you "update" a file that was previously playing in SS. Try it, you'll see.

No problem. It's about 6am in Japan (Monday morning) right now. This auction has 3 days to go, and it doesn't look too bad. http://translate.google.ca/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fpage8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp%2Fjp%2Fauction%2Fh149385130 It's too bad the D400 cannot talk directly to CDDB or freedb. That's why I wonder if you might be better off with something that does PCLK (MXD-D40, or bookshelf - most of which also allow recording from radio and external sources). S

Sometimes you just have to know that you have it beat, and the computer will surprise you by cooperating

Not sure (yet). Where is the netmd760.sys relative to the other files? You need these all in the same place netmd760.sys netmd760.cat netmd760.inf (filenames are not case-sensitive in Windows) Then tell the installer to look for netmd760.inf. I know the PCLK stuff isn't going to work but I still don't have a 7-64 machine to test anything with. It also needs to get uploaded. So if we can get you working, probably I will do that (upload). S

Hmmm.. I was about to say that I could live without mine as I have in one form or another machines that could do the equivalent. So I decided to do a rather unscientific test. First of all I stuck a CD (piano, soprano and some background accompaniment - variety songs, not pop) and entered the track names, into my bookshelf (CMT-PX3). I copied at highspeed (x4) to MDSP and compared the results. I could tell the difference between the CD and the MD. Then I repeated the process at x1 copying. Much better. Good enough in fact. Now I ripped the CD using EAC, pasted in the track names (there was no CDDB entry) and copied to another (CD-Text) CD-R. Walked with that into the other room with the MXD-D400 and did a high-speed copy. Aaaaaahhhh! This time no difference between before and after (and of course CD-Text --> MD). I admit this isn't very scientific. But it convinces me that Sony kept on improving things (the D400 is about 3 years younger than the PX3). I note that there is doubt about whether the PX3 will copy things at high speed except SP, whereas the D400 says it's no problem. Mind you, the PCLK feature works with JB940 and MXD-D40 but is not included with the MXD-D400. So there still isn't one single unit that does it all. So yes, you probably want one of these. But I ALSO recommend getting an amp with optical in and hooking your JB940 to it. You might be surprised how good that sounds. Stephen Edit: couldn't persuade EAC to put CD-Text info on the disk. Went back and used Nero

Nothing different. As you have worked out, overwrite does not happen all that often. In the situation you describe, the TOC simply has not been written. It's the overwrite head that helps to write the TOC. Up until you push eject, the TOC is in memory and the deck has enough information to read and write stuff on the disk without it (the TOC) getting written. Worth bearing in mind (power loss usually loses everything with no flush). Switching off the deck will flush it too.

I think it's a bit of a stretch to say this is the same problem. TBH you have given us so little detail that it's hard to say what problem you do have. I don't think you can install the current version of Sonic Stage without being online, either. And if your version is an ancient one (2.x or 3.x), all bets are off, Alan.

For portables, at least, the commonest fix is to re-solder the ribbon cable where it broke. However on decks, the real question is whether the problem is mechanical or electrical. Ie is it a matter of joining two wires or is something bent? A positioning problem may be the result of something else. For example on the portables, the overwrite head can get locked into a place where the first inserted MD will quite reliably break it off, by a simple series of actions that include removing the battery when the drive is locked for writing. Sigh. I actually acquired a unit (NH700) that was this way, otherwise brand new. I think the decks are highly reliable, but it could be some other problem has locked the overwrite head in the wrong place. Such as a microswitch that detects disk insertion being jammed or electrically fried. The only one that ever died on me was the MDS-JE510 and it was notorious for exactly this fault. I think you;ve gotten unlucky.

But you were the one that introduced me to the idea that some CD-resident music has the SCMS bit set. Remember? I figure that's what must have happened here. HNY

I have three words for you: "Busted overwrite head". Sorry. You can try and diagnose it yourself but you will probably need a laser power meter. Alternatively come to some agreement with the vendor, keep the unit and use it or something else for spare parts to rebuild whichever is better.

Sounds like you have a HiMD or three. The only way to play music that's on a HiMD through your laptop is WHILE it's connected to the USB. Using Sonic Stage. Don't even get me started on how you will only be able to upload the files on your HiMD's if they were either recorded there, or downloaded from the PC on which you want to upload them to. FCT would have saved you. You may be interested in the linux-minidisc project which despite its name is a cross platform effort to solve these kinds of silly problems. There will be a player for files on MD, I'm working on it myself. So far there are versions for Windows, Linux of various kinds, Mac OS. It WILL allow you to upload most things from your HiMD's. It currently still does not have the technology to WRITE md's. Stephen

Argh what CD? Not a Sony Music CD from about 2005 by any chance? FCT is what will save you when someone eventually mucks up the machine for you. The dreadful irony is that it is too late - the exact thing you can be saved from (by FCT) has already happened, probably. I wish I knew exactly how to save you. But rest assured almost anything you do CAN make it worse. Under NO circumstances should you reformat your computer. Running System Restore MAY put back things to the state just before you inserted that CD. You WILL lose all tracks you uploaded from MD between that restore point and now. First of all look at the files (*.oma) and see if they are playable with Media Player. Go very carefully indeed if there are tracks on your PC you cannot get from anywhere else. Be VERY careful of anything that "cleans up" your registry. There are things in there that only SS knows about.

Bluecrab is the expert. I think you will find that the first generation SCMS copy will show up as counterfeit.

I think they are on all the time. For a LONG time someone was selling NEW ones there (yahoo) for 38,500 yen. But you will surely find something affordable without paying $800.

You might try looking in Yahoo Japan. For example this auction is live right now: http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k137209157&ei=CSomTce-H466sAP0nKzkAQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBsQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmxd-d400%2Bsite:yahoo.co.jp%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26biw%3D1386%26bih%3D953%26prmd%3Divns You're going to need someone to bid for you and send to you, but the price seems pretty good. I heard that rinkya.com offers a decent service Stephen

I don't quite understand what you are doing. At what bit rate to you import the CD? If you choose WAV quality (1411) you will run into the problem I am thinking of. But it may well be that this track is special. Have you tried deleting it from the SS library (and NOT deleting the music file from the computer), then using F(ile menu and simply RE_IMPORTING it?? If that fails, then it's different on the disk. What was the disk? Something commercial or a CD you made yourself? If it works, I have seen this many times, and there is no rhyme or reason to it. Be happy, as now you are in business. But I still think you don't want to rip to WAV or PCM quality directly. Cheers Stephen

They exist - you just missed one here: http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-MXD-D400-CD-PLAYER-MD-RECORDER-MIN-DISC-/330512079589 Great second best would be MXD-D5C which is also MDLP and has a 5-CD changer. The ONLY thing the D400 gives you is Type-S playback (CXD-2664R chip). Increasingly I am convinced that this doesn't matter if you use digital out to your amp. The CXD-2662R in the D5C is the same chip in the JE640, JB940 and my own CMT-PX3. It's the last one before Type-S, so at least for recording purposes it represents the pinnacle of Sony's achievement. Also there are significant limitations to the front panel controls on the combo decks (at least the D400) - no fast forward and back for example - no way to do quite a few things unless you reach for the remote. Your JB940 also has keyboard input doubling for I2C (PCLK) connection. Both these functions are missing from the D400, though keyboard (only) is present on the D5C.

OP says: 1. That he doesn't want to use an older version of Windows 2. That he can't afford a newer version of Windows (unless I have misread the post). This leaves the #linux-minidisc project which has some abilities along these lines. However I don't believe they are currently implemented in a working, shareable piece of software. Conclusions?

SCMS on the (original) disk? Bluecrab knows the details of this. Bruce? PS if you care at all about SQ, you would IMHO be much better ripping to AAL first then converting to WAV from there (I checked just now, this works). This gets a nice slow audio extraction as opposed to using ripping CD direct to WAV which gives fast extraction (and poor results).

I just tested out the JB980 to make sure it is still working (I avoid the NetMD mostly because it means I always have to delete the driver before doing an MZ-RH1 upload, sigh). 1. I transferred a track from SonicStage to a NetMD disk 2. I transferred a track from a CD using Simple Burner to the same disk. Both went fine. I had a small issue with SB that it crashed whilst trying to read the CD. I think this is some sort of error with CDDB, and is nothing to do with the JB980 at all. The problem was that particular disk had no CD entry in the database. So I put one in that was :known: and all was OK. Good luck Stephen