sfbp

You'll need a disk in the RH1 before you will see a legacy (MDLP) disk in SonicStage.

The guy probably has an RM-MC40ELK. But you can get into the menu using the menu button on the RH1. If that's no good you can get a partial menu by long-pressing mode(I think) on the RM-MC38ELK.

You are absolutely right, both of you (and thanks to you each). I have found that the only foolproof way to know what you're getting is to follow the development of the ATRAC chip. Take the example of the MDS-JE530, after looking it up at minidisc.org. Looking through the schematic you will see that the version of I121 (on pp 41-42) is CXD2656R. This being one of the last SP-only decks made by Sony, and the requirement for MDLP is that you have CXD2662 or better. 2664 is the last revision of those chips, being the addition of Type-S to the playback (although the recording side is unchanged relative to 2662). In portables the story is slightly different (because the chip is included in a monster ASIC that has other functionality too, but the chip name at IC801 still starts with CXDnnnn). There are a lot more portables with MDLP. The last listed portable without MDLP being the MZ-B50, it has the chip number CXD2660. At least there on the outside the "MDLP" is prominently written (or not). All HiMD units are automatically Type-S (which includes Type-R). All non-HiMD units have prominently written on them whether they are Type-R or Type-S, so you can generally look at a picture and tell.

Date doesn't do it unfortunately. If you stick around you will know I hate the word "just" - it usually indicates an unwillingness to solve the actual problem. Here the problem is to find out something that's actually quite well documented. The systems are listed in approximate order on minidisc.org, too.

Service manual is here: good luck. http://minidisc.org/manuals/sony/service/sony_MZ-R5ST_service_manual.pdf

That's weird. Unless you're using some third party tool to "wizard" the install.

As a last resort you can lie to the firmware exactly as you suggest. But not recommended. Liable to lead to premature laser burn out.

Just to clarify: you can install that driver multiple times for multiple different units. Each time you'll have to select it, I think. But only one actual copy of the driver .sys file. Same with the 64-bit one. Glad you nailed it :)

It works AFAIK. I have that exact combination installed, I think. Are we talking real or virtual XP? This driver? It's possible that you might have to get rid of existing Sony NetMD drivers. (look at all oem<nn>.inf in the \windows\inf directory for text Sony NetMD) It's also possible that you might have to override the STOP! message when Windows discovers the driver hash doesn't match properly. It's possible that you have BOTH of the above problems.

You cannot align the unit without a CD. That's why it's stuck. The MO alignment DEPENDS on the CD one it does first.

Philippe - squirrels bury nuts (like us!) in the ground. Hence "squirrelled away" (note english spelling of US idiom). Bruce - point taken about x2, but honestly it's not that great a feature, has at least a possibility of throwing away good music.

The solder bridge is the last resort and has been implentable on all models since the beginning. Certainly for any model that does not respond to key presses correctly. I have used it, but not on this generation of machine (I had a recalcitrant E909).

https://elektrotanya.com/aiwa_xr-md200_201.pdf/download.html Looks like it's the last generation before MDLP. So I don't think so. The chip is the CXD2652 (MDLP was 2654 2662).

Does one try putting the headphone jack of the radio to line in? I still have no idea whether he wants to move music TO or FROM the minidisc.

"Download" meaning PC to NHF800?

Sure. But I was referring to "that which Roger stuck paper on to". Not the case for the case.....

I love the appearance. But I feel obligated to throw up a flag here. If the (sticky) paper ever got stuck in the very delicate shutter mechanism, it seems to me that one such disk would have the capacity to wreck multiple MD recorders. I've had some problems over the years with sticky labels. This "full paper jacket" approach seems to my (perhaps too fussy) eye to have the possibility of breaking the spring at the very least. Or worse, to jam the disk in the mechanism which is delicate at the best of times. I well recall a unit that had been ruined by someone, probably in a classroom, forcing an MD in the wrong orientation (there are 7 wrong ones and only one right!) and busting the OW head and more. Now if one could 3D-print an entire new MD case that would be another matter :) But perhaps I have misunderstood the nature of the modifications....... Kind regards

You have to get rid of all oem<nn>.inf files that contain the string "Sony Net MD" from the directory C:\Windows\inf This is all the standard drivers which will NOT work with 64-bit Windows (if you had 32-bit windows you would never have seen the problem).

Hey Philippe, M-Crew was originally designed for Windows 98. Not many Apple products with that sort of longevity.

It (the MDS-JE770)'s one of the only decks that supports M-Crew (given a suitable PC with a CDROM). You must have a real copy of XP, though, as Virtual XP will never work for the digital extraction from CD. Earlier ones didn't have it except in Japan, later ones either had keyboard but no USB, or USB built in which is also a pain. Until and unless we get the gracenote fiasco sorted, none of these will find song titles unless they're already on the CD.

IIRC, the clue to function is this: with LP2 (not on the D3, granted) you can only copy X2 and LP4 you can only copy X1 (ie X4 for LP4). However I think the D400 is actually different (looked at circuit a while back and I *think* I saw the double data rate provisioning). The only one that *really* does a native ATRAC copy ie compressed to compressed is the MDS-W1.

Sadly, it's overwhelmingly likely there is a one-bit error which would be enough to invalidate the entire disk. If I'm right it would make sense to hook the disk up as a mass storage device with standard drivers and take a record of anything that's there. However you must write protect the disk, which absolutely guarantees that it will not be READable by any Sony HiMD device :) You have two options (if Philippe's suggestion of another unit isn't correct): 1. Study the code in the QHiMDtransfer project and try to make it somehow ignore all errors. 2. Contact Sony who (at least historically) have offered the service of disk recovery for a mere $50 It seems likely that they may have ceased doing so, however if the recording is very valuable it's certainly worth a try.

zzzz zzzz zzzz zzzz (who's been sleeping in MY porridge?)

You have to register for the Buyee site. You will have no problem bidding on the PCLK that's there right now. If you can't make Buyee work, there is also FromJapan which does the same service.