Xircuits

Oh my God! It worked! Thank you thank you thank you! I bought 10 of these off Ebay and for some reason it just never recognized it. This is awesome. :-D

Hi all, So I downloaded the Sharp4xxx.zip file and installed it. I then plugged my Sharp NetMD IM-DR420H(S) into the USB and my computer did not recognize it. I then downloaded the testnewinf.zip file and unzipped it and under Device Manager, pointed the "update driver" to the testnewinf folder I just extracted. And I got this strange message: Windows found driver software for your device but encountered an error while attempting to install it. Net MD The system cannot find the file specified. Attached is a screenshot. Can someone help me?

I am living the past on so many levels that my co-worker laughs at me for it. I buy physical books to read and don't use tablets for reading novels. I use and collect fountain pens and refill my highlighters. I still have 2 boxes vinyls and cassette tapes (originally belonged to my father) and about 6 shoe boxes of VHS tapes. I love "vintage" stuff. In fact, I use the old CD cartridge cases to carry some CDs. --the CD jewel cases used in the first CD Burners, they look like giant versions of minidiscs. What I really liked about recording off of minidiscs was that it made me feel like I was a music producer or editor. I envisioned myself in a booth and would record through my headphones and insert T-marks and type in the titles and artists. Even though these minidisc were for me. I never did record much from CDs, but I used the line in to record from my computer (had just discovered Napster in the late 90s). My first machine was a refurbished silver MZ-R50 my father bought me with about 6-9 74 minute discs. I had a few Music Jack discs and a few of the boring black/grey Sony "recordable minidisc Quick Random Access" discs. I would always be rearranging the tracks or discs for the ultimate listening experience. I don't consider myself a Hipster, but I get nostalgic. Now I will answer the questions after the trip down memory lane. 1. I was 12-13 when my father bought this for me so a surprise from a trip to Hong Kong. 2. I can't use my first player because it got lost in a move, but I now have another that was bundled together from an EBay purchase I made with a MZ-RH910. But the MZ-R50 was so long and using the 2 double AA battery compartment made it even worse. It was always in my bag as I walked to and from school with a ridiculously long headphone cord trailing. 3. I use the discs for music, podcasts, and audiobooks now and I do also collect. I prefer machines with the slide to open type instead of the squishy side plastic button opening. 4. I put anything on these discs. 5. I have about 20 portable machines. No decks. So yeah, more than I practically can use. Favorite is the MZ-NF810 - because sometimes I listen to public radio. To bad you couldn't record straight off the radio. 6. Went away when the iPod/Archos machines came out, but came back about a year ago when I found an old disc that wasn't lost. Found that machines like the N505 were relatively cheap. There begins the addiction. 7. I do associate with find memories. I only saw one other kids in my school with minidiscs. He had a better selection and to me it seemed a better machine to. I think it was a Sharp or Panasonic. Sorry for the long post.

I'm also looking for my first RH1, but I won't agree to the $600+ price tag they go for in America. $400 + whatever it costs F or shipping is as high as I would go. But I need 2 months before I can start looking. (need to pay off my credit card a bit first)

Perhaps. One of them according to the seller has a wonky jog dial. Said it doesn't work all the time.

I completely agree! It's like when a celebrity passes away and suddenly autograph process skyrocketI just hope Sony is paying attention to this popularity spike. Just a notice, I recently lost an auction by $5.50 on Ebay for 2 Hi-md units and about 26 Hi-mds and over 125 regular MDs this past weekend, but just got an email from EBay for a second chance offer and took it. Just paid for it. So happy. :-D After this, I will solely focus on getting my hands on that "Cadillac" and then I'm done. No more shopping for minidiscs.

I troll Craigslist, but unfortunately that infamous RH1/MZ-M200 never shows up. :-( Nor do the Hi-MD discs. I only wanted 1 to keep as novelty. I won an auction on Ebay for 2 Hi-MDs back in November, but they got lost/stolen in the mail. I never saw them, and had to fight Ebay tooth and nail for my money back. It's really disappointing.

I was browsing through Gumtree and I wish I could offer them loads of cash just to get my hands on one of those RH-1/MZ-M200 machines (saw one going for 250 Pounds --something I could afford more than the prices on Ebay). Then I thought, how come there isn't such a site available in America? Then I realized, right, America wasn't interested in this format. *slumps down*

I bought 2 MZ-RH910 and 1 R700 for $122 on Ebay last year that were being sold "as is". I didn't know if they were going to work or not and there were no accessories. When I got them, I was worried because they looked like they had been through hell. The face, though not the display had multiple scratches. I don't own any Hi-MDs, but I put in a regular MD praying that one of the RH910 players would work. The motor was loud and it cranked and cranked, but it played eventually. After a few days of using it to and from work on the subway, they power up no problem and play and even get recognized by my computer. I guess they were rusty. I probably should open them up and use some canned air on them. They even convert regular MDs to "Hi-MD" data discs. I've been using the R700 (I really don't like the design and it's an ugly lime green colour), but recently it's started to skip and there's some strange clicking noise when I play my discs. I also bought 10 Sharp 1Bit players off Ebay. They were also being sold "as is". They all work, but unfortunately I can't get them to be recognized by my computer. Does anyone know about this?

Thank you PhilippeC! This is very helpful. That minidisc on Ebay! Sadly they are not shipping to America. :-(

*pulls out wallet as fast as possible* --Also insert obligatory Futurama Fry "Shut up and take my money!" image.

Hey all, it's me again. I love reading the topics and I keep coming back to see what everyone is talking about. I'm hoping everyone can help by telling me the various companies that used to make minidiscs. Not the players, but the actual discs for recording. I'm compiling searches on Ebay to see if I can find the best deal. So far I have a saved search for "TDK minidisc" and "Maxell minidisc" etc. I did have a search for "minidisc lot" and that's run dry and now the prices are pretty inflated. I was lucky enough to have discovered that shortly before it turned into "10 discs for $24! Huge Lot!". I'm also on the hunt for some of the fun looking minidiscs. I bought myself a brand new and still in the package Hello Kitty minidisc. I don't ever intend to use it, but it's nice to have around. Thanks all!

Jim, you are absolutely correct. I have the R707 and R505 and the button ejection system is very squishy. Awesome list! Thanks! If Panasonic or Sharp makes better ejection systems, I'm all for it. Doesn't have to be Sony. What I like about the NF810 is that I can single-handedly open it and swap out the disc with ease with the other hand. I look really clumsy swapping out discs with the N505/707.

I'm looking to collect some minidisc players that have the "sliding eject" button rather than the push buttons. I find the push buttons to be rather flimsy and just asking to be broken one day. So far my favourite md player has been the MZ-NF810 I found on Ebay. It came with the original remote too so I can listen to the radio at work. I wish Sony made an option to record the radio using their MD players, but alas, no realized. If anyone has a list of players/recorders that have a slide eject button instead of a push button, that would be helpful. I did find the MZ-N10 to also have a slide eject button, but they're going for something like $75 or over on Ebay. :-( Thanks all. Happy New Year!

Memorex makes the worst labels in the world to remove on minidiscs!!! I've been sitting here with Goo Gone and only able to remove 2 labels every 10-15 minutes. It sucks. TDK and Sony are much easier to remove. I wan to scream right about now.

@Azureal -- I had no idea the NF810 was one of the last made. I feel very lucky to have found one on Ebay then. It seemed to have come with everything except for the AA compartment --but that's an easy fix. The rechargeable battery still holds about 2 days worth of power. I got it for $56.49 --I've seen a few of this model on Ebay, most recently a blue version. Here's the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SONY-Mini-Disc-Walkman-Great-Working-Cond-Many-Accesories-NO-RESERVE-/130786145378?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&nma=true&si=HWVserZejAEH%2F5E5I%2FiKas2SRMg%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc I guess I'll keep waiting for a good Hi-MD. I just want one just to say I have one. I probably won't use it much, but for some reason, they look better than the Net-MDs I've seen on Ebay. The one thing I really like about the NF-810 is the way you open it. I like that "mechanical" slide button thing that just pops the disc open. I'm not to happy with the N707 or N505 because they have this flimsy plastic squishy button. @PhilippeC -- I've been looking through the pictures of his discs. I'll have to contact him about how much he's willing to part with. I recently acquired 70 MDs of various 74/80 mins on Ebay. Still on the lookout for more.

Final price $350.01 - wow

It seems all the European versions of MD players are far superior than American ones. I've always wondered why things that are popular in Europe/Asia never fully catch on in America.

I'm the one who bid $250 earlier today. I'm actually glad I didn't go any higher. $250 is the tops I will go for a Hi-MD unit --if it's new with box. But if it's used, I don't see why it should be that expensive. That said, there are 2 Hi-MD units and 1 Net-MD unit. The bad thing about this bid is that for all 3 of these units, there is something wrong with each. The RH1 doesn't charge and as you mentioned, it doesn't close properly either. The seller suggests using a rubber band. The Net-MD's headphone jack is messed up, so you can't listen to anything it's playing. The M100 doesn't charge either, but it has a AA battery compartment, but as you said, the OLED does fade. It seems these units have been used and abused. Someone must want these guys really badly to go up to $265, but as for me, I'm finished. I just scored another Net-MD that I'm glad I got. I rarely see any that has FM/AM radio. I'm pretty happy with the MZ-NF810 except that it currently doesn't have a AA battery side compartment. I did buy one off Ebay today (some of the $$ I didn't spend on the 3 units above) goes toward it. I can use the MD player at the office listening to WNYC or playing my MDs. I also scored what I think is a pretty cheap Net-MD machine. It's actually the first I bought off of Ebay and I'm pretty glad I only paid about $25 for it. It's that awful orange/gold coloured thing MZ-N505. I noticed only after I had it in my hands that it doesn't even have a microphone jack! Thanks for explaining the ups and downs of the different players. It will definitely help me in finding my 1 Hi-MD player. I'm only looking for 1 Hi-MD player. The Hi-MD discs are super expensive even on Ebay! I had a few Sparkling MDs (74 min.) discs that were new in the package. I regret to say I recently opened them and recorded music on them. Do you know if they are rare or not? I've seen a lot of the Memorex 80 min discs on Ebay.

I thought the MZ-RH1 was the "Most perfectly realized Minidisc instrument to date." according to the minidisc.org site, plus it's the one that is featured in most videos and pictures. I guess I was wrong? Can you tell me how the NH700, NH900, and NH600 compare to the MZ-RH1? Please excuse my ignorance/inexperience. My first MD player wasn't even a Net-MD ---it predates it. :-( And shortly after my MD player, I went on to iPods.

So I'm thinking of bidding on this: http://www.ebay.com/...984.m1426.l2649 But I just noticed the seller saying that the batteries for both machines either charge poorly or not at all. Is there a double-A battery add-on like other MD players??? I really want me a MZ-RH1d and I'm willing to pay up to a certain point, but am discouraged if there is no alternative to these rechargeable battery sticks. I just scored a MZ-N-707 and it's awesome and it takes a double A battery! I really want a Hi-MD player, but if they don't have a battery alternative, then I'll just have to abandon the machine and stick with Net-MD. I think it's silly that battery alternatives were made for the MD players and Net MD players but not for the Hi-MD. OK. Rant finished. Thanks for listening.

Hey hey, they look familiar. I had no clue that Sony released official albums using their MD line. I've been seeing them all over Ebay and am tempted to buy one of them. Am assuming they cannot be erased and re-recorded.

Thanks for responding. I bought a Net MD Walkman MZ-N505 Type-R. It was really cheap and now I'm starting to get why. This thing doesn't even have a mic jack. Just a line in, headphone, and USB port. I decided to try somethings like running Sonic Stage in compatibility mode, but the program would just crap out even before it starts. I uninstalled SS and re-installed it and now it works great! It's not slow anymore, but with the occasional hiccup, it's working like a charm. I don't know why it works better now than it did before, but I'm happy with it. I can't believe I can fit 76 tracks using LP4 on an 80 mind disc! Unbelievable! Definitely going back to MD player's and yeah, I can hear the difference alright. I was playing a song via my cell phone's audio jack and then I switched over the MD playing the same file and the cell phone sounded very flat, almost like a faint ghost of the original song. Plus, I like popping out the discs --they looks soo cool when you press the eject button.