Zoidborg

I'm running x64, and the dev setup I use isn't for low level stuff. While I used to do more C/C++ nowadays I do mostly cloud based data crunching and business logic. I have installed SQL server dev edition locally and VS 2019 with packages for C++ and C# dev, but nothing super intensive when it comes to the computer. I haven't had to run Windows 7 in a very long time, and I would hate to go through installing a different operating system on this machine because it would disrupt a lot of other things I do. Also note, I've had the same results on my other laptop/tablet which runs Windows 10 Home (this laptop is Professional), and that other computer is not used for dev work. Same results on both computers. I suppose I could dig out my old Core2 Duo laptop that does have Win7 on it, but it hasn't been turned on in ages... Have you run this on Windows 10 yourself? Just curious. Interesting thought on the C runtime, but I never see any runtime related errors. At least not that get to a level that can be seen. If there's something like that going on, it may be buried in the OpenMG subsystems in the Common Files. I've tried setting those exe files to various compatibility modes as well as running as admin or not in the compatibility settings. Also, I did this time allow the original drivers to be installed, but then installed the 760 driver. It took up the 760 driver when the MD device was plugged in. I've never had any driver issues with running the Net MD or Hi MD modes, or with actually importing files to the computer. If I convert them within SonicStage to another ATRAC format and remove copy protection from those converted files, those files will always work. But that is not the same as running the File Conversion Tool. Honestly if I could just run the FCT and it worked then I could work around the problem. The problem seems to be centered in SonicStage's rights management routines. The current workaround may not be pretty, but it works. That is just using VLC to convert the original imported ATRAC files to another format like high-bitrate MP3 or OGG or whatever. Just makes me think twice about continuing to use the MDs for recordings. I love these devices, especially the MZ-M200 I got recently. It's so slick. Maybe I'm just getting old lol. Thought about getting a Sony digital voice recorder, one of the ones they have available now that uses SD cards. They look super easy, and they'd use the same mic I have been using. But I really want the MD stuff to work lol. Thanks.

I've done some tests regarding other media players. If I just import it and play the file in Windows Media Player and VLC both will play it. I can exit SS and both the others will still play it. If I attempt to load SonicStage and get the 00004e2e error, but then I cancel at that point and don't proceed to the system information restore, Windows Media will no longer play the file. However, VLC still plays the file. I can do the restore process, and while SonicStage and Windows Media will not play the file, VLC still does. But if I copy down the icv.dat and maclist.dat files to cure the repeat 00004e2e error, the file no longer plays in VLC and anywhere else. In VLC it is just silent. Only other SonicStage app I saw running was SsDbConnection which only runs when SonicStage is running. I've seen those others, but I bet if I keep them from running or something like that the whole thing won't work. It's odd long as I don't do the copy-down of the .dat files and tolerate the stupid error, I can still use VLC to play and convert the files. Maybe that's what I'll have to stick to. I've imported my live recordings from the SP MD I have been testing with as PCM ATRAC files, then used VLC to play and convert them to 320kbps MP3 files for archival. It's a totally clumsy procedure, but oh well. I'm so glad Sony has made the whole Net MD and Hi-MD concept near impossible to use. I'm starting to think that if I was able to write an application that talked to the codec (which it would appear does all this database authentication and junk in the background) and talked to the Net MD or Hi MD driver, I bet I could get around the SonicStage mess. But I'd have to have the code for SonicStage at least. Hopefully I wouldn't even have to dig into the OpenMG part. Or if there was source for that, maybe I could even simplify the codec to be less quirky. It's a lot of complicated mess, but since the codec functions for other media players, it is likely just modular enough that it might work... Ah well, a dev can dream...

If they were read-only wouldn't it have trouble adding and removing items from the library? And I have to wonder why they would get messed up for me installing it but not anyone else (who is saying anything about it at least)? I'll definitely see what I can find out when I get home if it isn't too late.

I haven't tried anything on the Jet database front yet, I'll look into that. The closest I ever came to getting it all to work was when I would copy down the icv.dat and the maclist.dat files from the Common Files\Sony Shared\OpenMG\restorables folder down to the OpenMG parent folder. Even with an empty library, I would get the 00004e2e error and that whole mess every second time opening the program. After I copied those files down, assuming I did not have my imported tracks, the errors would stop. Any imported tracks would be unplayable with the same error that happens when you go through the 00004e2e authenticate then system-information-restore thing we've already talked about. Copying those files down is the only way it seems to stop the errors. Until the next time you import MD or Hi-MD tracks. I think I still have the registry-spy tool somewhere. I'm thinking, though, based on that experience with those .dat files that it has to do with those files or the executable that performs the system information verification and probably uses those files as part of the process. I'd be surprised if anything much changes in the registry, but I'll try it. Thanks.

There isn't a straight "Off" option in Windows. For AV I only run Windows Defender, and if it is going to stop something from executing it generally pops something up so that I know about it. Let me see about turning it all off, perhaps through the BIOS. It could be something about how SonicStage/OpenMG is verifying that the system information has or has not changed. Which I'm sure has something to do with it making sure it hasn't been copied to another computer or something like that. Could be it's using a weird way of querying system information that used to be consistent but under recent Win10 versions is not anymore. I had tried setting all SonicStage and OpenMG executables, basically everything put in place by SonicStage, to use compatibility mode and also run as administrator. Unfortunately this had no effect either.

Ah gotcha. The DEP setting is already set to the one that turns it on for "essential Windows programs and services only". I can't imagine any of the OMG or SonicStage executables would be under that umbrella. My understanding is that setting means DEP is essentially Off. Is that not correct? Thanks.

Can you clarify what DEP refers to? Thanks.

Ok I did a complete reinstall using the instructions on the "Guide to getting your Net MD Walkman working on Windows 10", but I get the same result. I can import and play the tracks until I exit and re-open SonicStage, or until I attempt the File Conversion Tool. The FCT says that it failed to convert all the imported tracks. The Net MD device driver works perfectly with no issues. Something about SonicStage at this point. I've only set compatibility mode on the omgjbox.exe file this time, and I set it to XP SP3 as instructed. I set the library files to save to my user storage folders, and they save without any problems. I'm running into a wall; I've tried everything I can find here, but the result continues to be the same. I can see that it seems to work fine for others; I can't think of what I may be doing differently at this point. I'm going to try some different things and experiment, but at this point I can't help but be less than optimistic. Thanks.

I haven't been able to get back to this in a few days, but I am eager to find out why I can't seem to get it working consistently. I'm scouring the forums to find any clues that could show anything I've missed. It seems no matter what I run (SonicStage, FCT), if it is a SonicStage component, the database has its rights messed up on every second load. So if I import tracks from MD to PC using SonicStage, I can play them just fine. But when I close and go to FCT, the files suddenly don't work just the same as if I run SonicStage again. For some reason, SonicStage's security checker seems to think my system information changes on every check, so it appears to be locking out access to the imported files that still have rights-management associated with them. I suppose at this point I could attempt a complete purge and re-install from scratch. Of course, I started all this from scratch originally using the driver and SS downloaded from here. I sure appreciate your help; it seems there is just some missing piece that will fix the problem I seem to keep having. As far as the source code is concerned, if there is a way to get to it, it's definitely worth a shot. A lot of work I have done has been to read and decipher old code to create a new system based on it. I've read languages I haven't even programmed in before but could gather enough to learn what the software was doing. My initial thought is that if I can work out the interactions with the Net-MD and Hi-MD drivers as well as the interactions with the codec then that might give me enough to start from. I've had to go through some pretty strange code in the past as well lol.

Something else I learned trying the File Conversion Tool. I am able to play the imported tracks using another media player after importing them then exiting SonicStage. As soon as I attempt the FCT, however, the track no longer plays. I wonder if the same "system information has changed" 00004e2e check that causes the problem within SonicStage happens without notification when the FCT runs? Might explain why it "failed to convert" any of my imported tracks. I do wish there was some way to get a hold of all the source code for this. I would be able to create something much easier just to get the files in at the very least without so much fuss. And I'd leave it open source. It's just maddening the state Sony left this stuff in. :( Thanks again to you guys for all the help.

No luck with the File Conversion Tool. It said it could not convert my imported tracks. The conversion tool had a note saying it could not convert Hi-MD imported tracks, but these are old MD-SP tracks imported in Net MD mode. I tried the process importing as both ATRAC 256 kbps or ATRAC PCM formats. If that won't work, I'll have to import to WAV files and then convert those to some other format. Am I missing something still perhaps? Thanks again.

I was able to play files using other media players as long as I did not go through the 00004e2e error process that includes that restore process. It may be that the one missing part I've had all along is the File Conversion Tool. I haven't run that before only because I didn't think it had any effect on new files. I haven't had any problem with read/write permissions either in my user folders (which have full control permissions for my user of course) or in the ProgramData default folders. But the User folders is of course the preferred location. I went and grabbed the MZ-M200 from home while out on an errand; I'll find out shortly with a completely new install on my other laptop whether it all works! Thanks.

The File Conversion Tool only converts ATRAC files created by earlier versions of SonicStage (according to what the app itself says), is that not correct? Does it do something to the files created by the transfer from MD (even as ATRAC PCM files)? I can try that hopefully later tonight. Big question: does the FCT perform a re-compression of files (leading to possible added lossiness)? Also, one of the replies above mentioned backups: I never used the backup utility at any point just FYI. What I've been able to read says it's more harm than good anyway. Also, my notations about the HKLM registry have been in the WOW6432Node area, which is where the SonicStage (32-bit app) HKLM reg entries live (as has been noted). Also, about the import file storage folders. That was one of the first things I did actually, move the library import folders to my user folder structure. Just based on my experience as a dev and with Windows it seemed like a much better location than system file space. I did try moving it back to the default folders (in ProgramData), but the results were the same either way. To clarify the MACLIST and ICV dat files "fix": the only thing that did was end the cycle of 00004e2e errors ONLY in the case where I had no imported ATRAC files in my library. I would delete the imported files so that there were none in my library (even an empty library) and still get the 00004e2e error every other load of SonicStage. After copying those files down from restorables all was well. UNTIL files get imported. So far, the procedure I have for saving these live recordings is as follows: (1) Import files as ATRAC PCM (they are all MD-SP recordings); (2) Convert those to WAV files; (3) Use a 3rd party program to convert those files to high-bit-rate MP3s for archival. Of course, I have to manually enter track/album information (which I do after step 3 using mp3tag). This procedure is clearly more complicated than desired. Hopefully I can remove a step or two from this. I'm not sure I want to keep archival files as ATRAC format files just because who knows how much longer the codecs will be available. I always loved the concept of using MDs as simple removable storage media. Hi-MD seemed to make this a reality; it's a shame nothing else happened after that. It's really a perfect sized optical random-access storage medium. *sigh* oh well... I still have all this kit, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let it all go to waste! I very much appreciate all the information on this site and your responses here! :)

Thanks, not sure what you mean by on/off admin rights. I have tried to run it as admin, and also not as admin. There seems to be a pattern when I attempt to transfer tracks from MD to the computer where this error starts to happen. I installed it all from scratch using the downloads and instructions I found on this site. I'm not sure how uninstalling and reinstalling it would work. I'll have to try that tomorrow or so as I have not had much time to do a complete uninstall and registry/file purge today.

Thanks. I'm actually a software developer, and what I wouldn't give to get the source code to SonicStage so I could re-write it into something that works! I have only tried the 4.3 Ultimate r2 SS install that I found here. I've used the instructions here to be able to install the Net MD driver here, and the Net MD driver appears to work perfectly well. It would appear I get the error only if I have Net MD uploaded files in my library. I started off with no files at all, just really trying a clean install and not putting anything into my SS library. So after I import tracks from my old SP MD (live recordings), and I've tried this using the ATRAC 256 or the PCM upload modes, then I exit SonicStage and then re-open it, I get the 00004e2e error ("The selected music file cannot be played back because the system information has been changed. Click OK to automatically close SonicStage and open the SonicStage System Information Restore Tool."). So when that tool comes up, it goes to Step 1: Database authentication. I click Next and it performs the authentication (which I cannot imagine what that is). Step 2: Run the restore option. I click OK and the restore option takes almost no time. Then I can re-open SonicStage. I can play any mp3 files in the library, but the imported MD tracks will not play. It says "There is invalid rights information in the OpenMG content (error code 000065f9)." The imported tracks are now useless, and I have to re-import the tracks if I want to do anything with them. Oh, and now after even deleting the errant track, every second time I open SonicStage it gives that error and has to go through the authentication and restore process. Presumably because the messed up rights info about the deleted file is still in the database or something. There is no HomeURL to delete in the registry under the SonicStage/EMD key in both in HKCU and HKLM registry areas. I've gone through and set all the executable files for SonicStage to Windows XP Sp3 compatability mode, and then the OpenMG shared folder execs as well. The results remain the same. I've run SonicStage as administrator and then as normal, same results. I did some testing. I imported only mp3 files into the library. I was able to exit and re-open SonicStage repeatedly with no errors. Then I added some WAV files and encoded them to ATRAC Lossless (which apparently has no DRM). I was again able to exit and re-open SonicStage repeatedly with no errors. It seems to be with files transferred from MDs, which implies it has to do with the DRM mechanism of the ATRAC files created by the transfer process. Even though the Rights tab on the imported track file's properties indicate Unlimited transfers and None on Playback restrictions. I'm kinda at a loss here. Seems like the best way to save my tracks was to import them as PCM ATRAC files then export them to WAV files. I could then also convert those WAV files to lossless ATRAC files which don't seem to have the problem with the 00004e2e error and losing rights info. I'll keep looking into it, but I'm hoping someone has seen this before. I have tried to install all this according to the downloads and instructions I've found on this site, and this computer never had any of this installed before this attempt. Thanks.