Avrin

theblueraja, you are exactly right! Most of us do stand behind [Hi]MD, and are going to use whatever devices are available for a long time. Not that SONY is going to give us any serious chance, since even the RH1 is REALLY glitchy (if taken seriously)! Believe a person who's been through all its service menus...

This problem has NOTHING to do with ANY kind of ADAPTER, or any problems with power supply. This is a MECHANICAL problem. I won't suggest the real cause of it, but most probably the deck was subject to a strong shock (the packaging was unable to prevent it, however good it was) during shipping. Try inserting (and removing) a disc about 15-20 times. If this does not help, the only way is to the service center...

Man, SP6a was for Windows NT 4.0, not Windows 2000. My Windows 2000 is updated with all the latest updates Microsoft has (post-SP4). And I have no problems whatsoever with any other applications.

Very unfortunately, there ARE new bugs in SS43. After installing it (I performed a clean install, after completely removing the previous version) I got two BSODs (SS-related), and these were actually the first two in almost two years after I installed the OS - Windows 2000 Professional SP4, which is really stable. After removing SS43, and reverting back to SS42 - no more BSODs, and everything is OK. Looks like SONY paid too much attention to providing compatibility with Vista, at the cost of reliability under older OSes.

Are you connected to the Internet during database authentication?

I was finally able to find some offline installers for SonicStage 4.2 and 4.3 on the VAIO FTP server. The installers include all prerequisites (DirectX, etc.), which makes them 80+ Mb in size, but they do not include any drivers, so I provide separate links to the respective drivers. Also, these installers are called "Upgrades" for some reason. I don't quite know what this means, since they seem to install fine on a clean machine. All these versions feature support for Connect Europe. SonicStage 4.2: English_GB - removed by SONY. Alternate link (press the Free user button and wait for some time). French - removed by SONY. German - removed by SONY. Italian - removed by SONY. Spanish - removed by SONY. Drivers - removed by SONY. Alternate link. SonicStage 4.3: English_GB French German Italian Spanish Drivers IMPORTANT! Security Update for SonicStage 4.0-4.3. IMPORTANT!

I already posted a complete list of web-installers for SS42 here: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=18645 Currently working on getting full installers for SS42 and SS43 from the Vaio FTP.

There is a full installer for the US Connect SonicStage 4.3 version here http://sonicstage.connect.com/SS-US.zip (88.4 Mb).

Just tested my RH1 with The Beatles' "Love" (78:21 or 799.20 Mb) - about the longest CD I have: Download - 12:51 Upload - 27:17 EDIT. Of course this was done over a direct (no hub) USB 2.0 connection.

Remove power.

My MZ-RH1, purchased just two weeks ago, has firmware version 1.090. The corresponding menu item shows only 1.0, but the service mode (right after entering it) displays 1.090. The service manual shows 1.000. What do you guys have?

From what I was able to find out: 1. Avoid fully draining the battery. When the indicator just starts blinking - it's time to charge. 2. If you got into the LOW BATTERY situation - disconnect the unit from the computer, or from the adapter, wait a few minutes, and then connect the adapter (not the computer). Insert the adapter connector firmly. 3. If this does not help - try removing and reinserting the battery before reconnecting the adapter. 4. All this is utter craziness.

I don't know, but most probably it will work for the RH910 and the RH710 also, since their firmwares are quite similar.

What do you mean by "resets itself to 1"? If this means that the unit resets to the first track, then the Eject buton was inadvertently pressed a bit - not enough to eject the disc, but enough to reset the unit. As for the battery length - try leaving the unit charging overnight.

You'll have to get in touch with a service center in your area - they can order one for you. And I advise you that you'll let them install it too, unless you have enough experience in microelectronics repair. Just checked with the service manual - the screen in not available alone, only the entire board. It is called SWITCH UNIT ASSY, and its part number is A-1104-960-A for black, and A-1108-437-A for silver, blue and orange, though I suspect that the only difference is the color of the jog dial.

Sounds like a driver glitch. See here: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showt...mp;#entry117253

Does it add gaps only when the music is played on the computer? If yes, then update DirectX and audio drivers to their latest versions (if these actually exist for Vista).

Here's a complete list of SonicStage 4.2 web installers for those who may need one. Remember to back up your library, completely uninstall any previous (or next) version of SonicStage, and remove any traces of it, including OpenMG, patches, and drivers, before installing SonicStage 4.2. Its installer does not properly remove OpenMG Limited Patches (it does not contain one - that's why this version is so fast and stable). So, here goes: Japan - removed by SONY. United States - removed by SONY. Canada - removed by SONY. Latin America - removed by SONY. Europe - removed by SONY. Asia & Pacific - removed by SONY. Overseas - removed by SONY.

As for the "Hi-MD disc" display, this is really simple. The legacy volume label of a Hi-MD formatted MD disc is actually set to "Hi-MD disc", so any old deck displays it. The actual Hi-MD volume label (the one you typed for the disc) is stored at a different place, so only a Hi-MD unit can display it. This is quite similar to pre-MDLP units displaying "LP:" before track names when an MDLP disc is inserted. As for the actual playback for 10 seconds - this is really interesting. My assumption (I may be wrong) is that simple test tones (like sinewaves) are really easy to encode, so the encoding algorithm only uses its simplest part (the fixed first-order Fourier component in case of constant frequency tones, or its time-shifting version for sweeps), so there is no actual difference between ATRAC3plus and legacy ATRAC. That's why the decks play the sound. Try this with music or white noise to see what happens. BTW, using sinewave test tones (even sweeps!) may lead to serious overestimation of Hi-MD and MDLP capabilities, since those are always encoded over the full frequency range (20 - 20,000 Hz in SonicStage, and 20 - 19,000 Hz in a Type R or Type S unit). On the other hand, encoding music or white noise clearly shows frequency limitations. For example, the frequency range of LP4 immediately becomes 20 - 13,300 Hz only.

Most probably, one the conductors leading to the heaphone socket is damaged. This can be fixed. You may download the service manual here: http://forums.minidisc.org/downloads/download.php?file=77 But I strongly advise against trying to repair the unit yourself. Things are REALLY small inside those MD units, you know... The problem is quite easy to fix to an experienced microelectronis repairman, who has a suitable small and low-power soldering iron. ADDED: And don't fiddle with the jack anymore - you may increase the damage!

Try cleaning battery contacts in the unit - they are definitely a bit dirty and oxidized after a year of use. Be very careful, not to damage or break anything! Also, clean the batteries themselves before inserting.

Not always up. If the laser power is set too high, then the laser spot on the disc is too bright and wide, and unable to focus on the groove properly. Turning the power down decreases the spot diameter and brightness, and provides proper focusing (and increases the life of the laser). If, on the other hand, the power is too low, then the spot is too weak to read information, and the power should be increased. 15+ years ago, when there were no firmwares, the CD player laser adjustment procedure was simple. The power was adjusted by a resistor. Turn the resistor up until the unit just stops reading (or begins to skip), and mark the resistor position. Then decrease the power, so the unit reads again. Continue decreasing power until the unit is again no longer able to read properly. Mark the new position, then set the resistor exactly in the middle between the two positions, and you're done. BTW, the default (unadjusted) value for the MD reading laser power is actually 0.60 mW lower than what had been set on my RH1. So the laser was definitely emitting too much light.

If you have a 2nd generation unit, like the RH[9]10, and desperately need to record in true SP to give the disk to a friend, or to play it on a standard machine, check out this thread: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=18618 But the RH1 is a much better option.

Sparda, your link is $80 less, but I am not sure about shipment to Russia, and chances of receiving the unit undamaged. BTW my link is already out of stock.

Looks like an intermittent fault of the disc protection sensor switch. Happens sometimes. Requires professional servicing (switch replacement or re-soldering).