Richard

Couple of thoughts - possibly relevant possibly not... The service for the DB Access Services basically points to: C:\Program Files\Sony\MD Simple Burner\mdrcdb.exe Check you have this file. You could install this as a service manually, but I wouldn't recommend it. Couple of shots of my registry setting for Simple Burner, compare with yours and see if there any major differences: Notice in the main MD Simple Burner branch (see my attachment 1) - (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Sony Corporation\MD Simple Burner) there is a key called DB User Path which points to another sub key (see attachment 2). [attachmentid=575] [attachmentid=576]

What format are your tracks in? MP3? Does your unit support MP3 direct playback. If not you need to convert them to ATRAC. In the transfer settings button make sure the settings are set to "Standard Transfer Mode" or "As is". Then click on the Advanced button at the bottom and change to "Ask each time" so that when a track cannot be transferred directly in its native state you will be asked what you wish to convert it to.

I woudn't recommend using the ni-cad either. What you could do is get a couple of 2300mh AA rechargeables like the ones used in Sony stills cameras. These can be picked up quite cheaply. Charge up before you go and use them in the external battery pack. (Assuming you manage to find it)

Hmmm I'm fast running out of ideas Only thing I can think is uninstall Simple Burner: Backup the following key (in case you need to roll back) by exporting it HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Sony Corporation\MD Simple Burner Then delete that from the registry taking care not to delete any thing else under the Sony Corporation folder. Uninstall Simple Burner Reboot Re-install from downloaded version from MDCF

Yes exactly same as mine (Open MG module also) What version of MDAC did you install? 2.8?

Can you also confirm what version of Simple Burner you are running: the latest I believe is 2.0.04.18080 This can be downloaded from the downloads area here

Administrative tools is also in the control panel on my machine (classic view), but anyway it's strange you only have the one service in there... My normal MD Simple Burner service only runs as local system. It is the other one that requires a user logon.

In case you haven't seen yet, he has another batch up for sale again.

You should just be able to change it via the services applet. Go to start => run and type "services.msc" from the prompt (without quotes) Find the service called "MD Simple Burner DB Access Service". Double-click on it. Go to the log on tab. Change Local System account to "This account." Browse for an account & type in manually the password twice. Click apply. You may get a message saying the account has been granted "log on as service rights" Say OK. Exit the simple burner icon in the system tray Right click on the service and say restart Re-launch simple burner Try this and let me know how it goes

Thanks for the comments The red unit looks real nice as well - not sure if anyone here has one though as it's a Sony Style JP Exclusive...

MS Simpler Burner is dependent on 2 Windows services: These are "MD Simple Burner DB Access Service" and "MD Simple Burner Service". Using the servcies applet in Control Panel make sure these are started. The first of these services requires that you specify a Windows account for the service to login as. This is done after you first install (or if you have re-installed). If you right-click on the icon in your system tray there should be in the context menu an option for "Windows Service" or something similar. Once this has been configure it disappears from the menu. Here you can enter the usrname and password - give it an account with local admin credentials on the machine.

"aviator?" do you mean avatar?

I'm working on it - Hopefully in the next couple of days!

Presenting my black MZ-DH10P. Enjoy! (All images © Copyright 2005 - Richard H.) Review: Intro Ok, so before we go any further with this review let's get one thing straight. This unit is a download only unit or a player. Not a recorder (contrary to what Sony's website might have you believe), so no optical in, no line-in, no mic-in etc.. Got that? Good ;-) The unit referred to in this review is a Japanese MZ-DH10P, black. The only other HI-MD unit I have is an NH900 so I will make the occasional comparison between the two. Build Quality The build quality of this unit is exceptional. The entire outer casing is metal (not sure what kind), but the overall feel is reassuringly solid. The NH900 for example has a plastic backside (no pun intended). The unit is ergonomically pleasing with a slight curved shape that fits nicely into the hand. The sliding shutter for the camera side is the only major use of plastics on this player together with the right-side panel that incorporates the battery holder. The front side of the unit is for the player and the back is for the camera. The battery compartment door as mentioned before is plastic on a hinge (similar to that of the NH1) and this may be the only weak point structurally, but nonetheless feels much less likely to break than that of the NH900. The plastic on the LCD screen is fairly tough and seems quite difficult to scratch, no major damage after 2 months use, but to be honest I haven't being going out of my way to try. The discs are loaded from the bottom in (ie. The front panel hinges at the top, not the bottom) which was something of a novelty, but the satisfying clunk with which the unit closes reinforces the feel of high quality build. Operation / Menu System The operation of this unit is extremely easy in both audio and photo modes. The LCD display is the star of the show, if you thought the RH10 looked good, then this possibly goes a step further. Photos do not do the quality of the display justice, the white and blue text on black is simply gorgeous to look at. The brightness of the display is extremely good even in sunlight, and extremely easy to read. Go easy on it though as it will eat up the battery. The jog wheel is almost identical to that of the NH900, with the central button now functioning as Play/Pause (as opposed to simply play, with pause being on the stop button on the NH900) which in my view is more logical. Moving the central button up or down jumps between groups, with the volume controls now being on the outer right-hand side of the unit. There are 4 other buttons dotted around the corners of the jog-dial. Stop / Cancel, Search (allowing you to search the album covers, scroll through the groups, or the tracks within a group), Menu (for access to the main menus), and Display to cycle between the different display modes. Mode 1 is track-time, with a progressive bar indicating how much of the track is left together with album art in the top left, title name, and artist name. Mode 2 indicates group name, track name, artist name, album name Mode 3 indicates info about the bit rate, remaining time and date / time from the Release Date tag from the tracks in Sonic Stage. Mode 4 is an enlarged view of the cover art. Menu navigation is the best I have ever seen on a minidisc unit. Organised hierarchically into 3 tabbed pages with each page having options and sub-options , use the jog dial to scroll up and down, left and right to jump in and out of the sub levels and press the central button to select (or just use the central button as a 5-way joystick). Any option is never more than a couple of clicks away. The best is the custom EQ where you a presented with the screen transformed into a six-channel mixer where again you can jump between sliders and crank them up or down by spinning the jog-dial. The photo mode is equally easy to use, especially if you have ever used a Sony digital camera as the short-cuts are all the same. To switch to camera mode simply slide open the lens cover. There are 2 buttons on the top of the unit. The first is the shutter the second is to switch between photo shooting mode and photo viewing mode. Again the 4-way joystick is used as I mentioned with the same shortcuts as most Sony digital cameras. Right for Macro Mode Left for Quick Review Up for flash settings Down for self-timer The quality of the photos is not fantastic, but quite good for emailing and putting on the web. I generally take photos at 1280 x 960 Fine then reduce to 800 x 600 just so they look a little smoother. This is not my primary camera, but it is quite useful if I'm out on the road and need to mail a snapshot back to a colleague or my wife. Playback The most important feature for a lot of people (myself included) is how a unit sounds. The DH10P does not disappoint. The quality is second to none (of the units I have heard). The HD-Digital Amp is present unlike the RH10, but unlike other MD units this does not have the VPT virtual surround settings. This is no major loss however. Using the same phones, same eq settings and same music this unit to me sounds a bit better than the NH900. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just sounds a little clearer, slightly more well-defined. Also worth noting is that this is the only second generation Hi-MD player capable of native MP3 playback through the HD Digital Amp. Anyway I am very, very impressed. Without a doubt one of the best sounding MD units to date. Battery Life Battery life is about 12-14 hrs at HI-SP with a couple of photos ad a little messing around with the menus. The battery is Li-on, but one downside is that it must be charged with the unit in the cradle. You can't plug the AC directly into the unit. The unit when connected via USB will not actively charge, it is merely running on USB power to download. This is good as I don't want it charging every time I connect it to my laptop even if it is a LI-Ion battery. Accessories The supplied accessories with the Japanese unit are an ac adaptor with 110-240V input, an RM-MC35ELK, Kanji-Capable remote, (unfortunately these are not color-coded as per the RH10, so the black & red DH10P still come with a silver remote -Minor niggle) 2 usb cables - -1 long, 1 short, the obligatory pouch, the charging cradle (colored to match the unit), a case for the battery, software discs (SS 3.0 / simple Burner), printed manual, guarantee and other small bits of documentation. Also included is another cord which at first I thought was the drawstring to the carrying pouch that had become detached, but is in fact a wrist strap that hooks through a small loop on the side of the unit. This is useful if you are using the camera and a nice thought. NH1 users will also be interested to hear that the USB cable can be connected to the charging cradle as well as to the unit itself. Conclusion: Overall I am extremely happy with this unit so far, especially the quality of the build and the outstanding playback, not to mention the to-die-for display. In the end though you need to make your own mind up, I just hope this review offers a bit more accurate info for those researching units and this model in particular. Photos:

Not a plug in anyway but they are available here: http://www.audiocubes.com/category/Blank+M...isc_blanks.html

You shouldn't have to worry as kurisu says. I (and other users here I think) have never had any problems. No probs, hopefully you'll get something out of it - the least I could do to support you for your hard work making this forum such a great resource.

I just emailed them quoting my last order no. and mentioned you'd referred me there.

I wasn't aware of that - I'll be happy to do so next time I order. What do I do? Just mention I was referred by MDCF?

2nd that, I've just ordered some TDK Ho & BitClub blanks from them. (Shipping to Europe)

Well I have a "hacked" euro model NH-900 and a Japanese DH10P (2nd Gen). The volume on the NH-900 is measured in steps up to 30 & on the DH10P it's just a progressive bar (no numbers) On my hacked model NH900 26/30 is quite loud, but equivalent to only 2/3's of the total bar on my DH10P. This makes me think that there is indeed a hardware limitation as well in the euro models as discussed here http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=11124 The output on the DH10P unit is absoulutely fierce and just blows the NH900 away completely. The quality of the sound is also outstanding even at high levels. It is a real shame that euro DH10P's & the like are limited to a meagre 2.8mw in europe. Edit: Having said that I rarely need to go beyond 22/30 on the NH900. The advantage of the 5mw on the DH10p is that it elimates the need for a "Line Out" mode in the software. You can also find out the exact output levels of all HI-MD models by looking in the service manuals in the download section.

Take a look at this: http://www.jp.sonystyle.com/Qnavi/Detail/ECM-TL1.html?s=ecat It is an earphone condensor mic for recording telephone conversations etc.. You put it in your ear like an earbud but the outside of the bud is a microphone. You should be able to put it direct to the mic-in of your MD recorder. I have also seen them on sale in Europe.

What you may want to do is install the latest version of MDAC from this location: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...&displaylang=en Make sure you are logged in with an admin account. Once done, reboot. Re-start Sonic Stage and let us know what happens.

Yeah me too- shirt pocket, jacket lapel or even on my tie if I happen to be wearing one.

Try looking at this article: http://kb.sony-europe.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEB...8,Case=obj(573) It talks about Net-MD's not being recognized, but the concepts discussed are equally applicable to HI-MD's. Let us know how you get on.

A lot of headphones have this now - if you pass the the right bud (the longer one) around the back of your head first then put the left one in, they should be at the same level. This way the cord doesn't pass in front of your neck where you can knock it out, it simply hangs down from the left.