McLies

Thank you both for replies. I appreciate it. I was assuming that if the software really could access the sony server it would quickly confirm what it wanted to know ( or do ) and carry on booting up and let me use it again. I'll have a look for the database files and see if I can make progress with that solution. What I'm trying to achieve here is a permanent functioning system to work with all these old sony devices, reliably. I'd had many re installs and clean starts ( I actually have one of the very early retail versions of XP [well pre SP2] which doesn't enforce on line activation ). The clean starts are the only way I've been able to use SS. It isn't long before something makes it give me grief though. I've found different PC hardware configurations make it behave slightly differently, that is, it's refusals to run, not it's working processes when it works ok. I'm tempted right now to wipe the drive on this PC and do a fresh start, but I know it'll only be a matter of time before something stops SS working again, and that's not really achieving my objective of a permanent working system for these old sony players and minidisc. Thanks for the tip to use the file conversion tool BEFORE I have trouble. Presumably I'll have to keep on using it every time I rip or otherwise introduce fresh audio to the database/software. I have thousands of audio files on external hard drives. less than a tenth of it is copyrited music. I just tried Sony MP3 File Manger with a NW-HD5 player. It's very simple and trouble free but has an annoying quirk too. Once the visible window where I must drag files or folders to has filled up, there is nowhere to drag files to without dropping them inside pre existing folders. The files do actually play ok on the HD5 though, so that's a plus. There is another sony software file manger I haven't yet tried. VAIO Music Transfer. The experimenting continues.....

On the JB980 speed thing, Yes, I do find that transferring SP mode audio to disc is almost as slow as it would be to record in real time. As I don't have any netMD portables, I didn't realise it could be any faster. I also have a CMT-M373NT mini hi-fi with netMD but I haven't noticed it to be any faster. The main frustration with that unit is that I don't hve a driver to get the PC remote control functions working. I've even asked sony for it and was told they can't find software for a product that 'mature'.

This morning I've tried again with SonicStage. It installed ok but when I booted it up this massage halted the process; Then the restore tool says this; I don't even know why SS says "the selected music file" because as yet it's a fresh install with no database. The system it's running on is Windows XP SP2. I've had this experience several times, hence previously giving up and trying JSymphonic. The posts above encouraged me to try again because of your success in making contact with a sony server. I assume that this PC still has references in the registry somewhere that the software is finding and adopting as settings parameters ? Perhaps the historic "hate" wasn't really about SS but was about not being able to use it. I actually like it, when I can get it working properly.

I've seen the file (mp3) conversion software and downloaded it but not yet installed it to see how it might be of use. I agree that the Sony software is great, but only until I run into a brick wall with it. I can well understand their thinking in those days. They were busy hoovering up most of the music business at the time and obviously had an eye on complete control over the whole scene. Some boffin inside the company probably had a "plan". I doubt that boffin is still in the same position. Meanwhile, a few very good sounding pieces of hardware went under that bus, and I'm just getting around to discovering some of them. My respect goes to the people who set about bringing common sense back into the mix by doing their best to make JSymphonic fix the situation. It nearly succeeds, and still could, if Sony would support the idea. Anyway, that's my soapbox bit over with. I think the bulk of the troubles people had with Sonic Stage was due to there being different hardware configurations all lumped together under "Windows PC". I know from experience that some PC systems won't play nice with some new kit. I used to own a Yamaha SW1000XG midi soundcard. It was, for the time, a stunningly good card for making music and usually worked perfectly but there were some vicious complaint from some people who had terrible luck with it. It turned out that there was a problem with some PC hardware configurations, usually associated with AMD motherboards. I've had a few shocking 'blue screen' disasters using Sonic Stage while trying to transfer audio to minidiscs in my MDS-JB980 deck. The thing is, it only happens with some of my many old PCs. The worst is one based on an Asrock AMD motherboard. The most trouble free is a tiny little HCL netbook with a screen so small I can hardly see what I'm doing. I wish, while I was reading those many blogs full of anti Sonic Stage ( and especially Connect Player ) rage, people would have recorded what their PC configurations were. I'm progressing slowly with a faith in this notion that once I have a proven PC configuration, things will get easier. I still think the Sony OCD about copy protection is a big downer though. It makes me want alternatives to their software. Unlike the way I feel about their hardware which has a warm smooth sound that suits the kind of chilled music I tend to listen to the most these days.

I'm glad there is a bang up to date conversation going on here about Sonic Stage. Thank you. I'm getting into the old Sony A series players. They are so sweet, but horribly nobbled, it seems. I have several old PCs here to experiment with. I've tried Connect and Sonic Stage and also the Java 'outsider' called Jsymphonic. The sony software is great until I do something silly like plug a different HD into a USB socket. I'd come to the conclusion that Sony had long since taken the registration service off line, leaving me permanently at the mercy of the over paranoid copyrite protection quirks of the software. I'm surprised and pleased to hear there is still a response from their server. I don't actually understand what you mean by "backup", I must still not quite be up to speed with the manual. However, I've found the JSymphonic software to be very reliable with no nasty lock outs. There's just one niggle, it does something that causes the A3000/1000 to pause while refreshing it's database and display the 'connect compliant software' notice. It then goes on to complete it's task and seems to work fine after that ( but without any of the fancy functions like artist link or the ratings system. I assume I'd have to using Connect player for those to work, and the online connect service would have to active too? Any tips and advice are very welcome.