Avrin

Adjustments may help, though addresses will obviously be different (you need to check the service manual, and the service mode itself). AFAIK, the G755 even has a variable resistor next to the laser, which can also be used for power adjustments. But, as always, you need to know what you are doing, otherwise it is more than easy to damage the unit.

It looks like only the "new" Speed Control mode is available in Hi-MD models.

You need to download cc_x86.msi (the smallest file of the three).

39 will be OK. And yes, it does change the laser power.

SYNC REC is actually required to accept trackmarks from CDs (not sure about DATs). In any case, don't forget that a PCM copy recorded by an RH1 via optical in will not be bit-perfect (there will be a slight drop of highest frequencies, leading to rounding errors and decreasing the quality). The only way to get bit-perfect PCM on a Hi-MD unit is via USB.

So, the problem now is how to fix SS in its current state (since some of your files may still have copy protection and can't be moved to another installation). Running Omg2to1.exe probably won't do any harm. But before doing that, check system MDAC components using Microsoft Component Checker: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=8f0a8df6-4a21-4b43-bf53-14332ef092c9

Is it Desktop.ttt or Desktop.htt? The latter is a Windows file, while the former shouldn't be there and smells like a virus. In any case, the faulty memory has probably led to some OS files and settings becoming damaged and/or invalid. So, even now, when the memory is OK, the system won't work properly. The best way is to do a complete reinstall. But I'm still not sure what to do with the SonicStagee database. A complete re-rip from original CDs on a properly working machine may be a good solution.

Something tells me that this is the best solution.

Forget about gapless playback. It's an atavism like ATRAC and SonicStage. More fancy screens and flashing LEDs is what the general user wants, and SONY won't disappoint them. If several disappointed users worried about gapless playback and sound quality stop buying SONY products - this won't change anything.

You can set whatever mode you like on your Hi-FI. Disabling effects and setting the level to 29/30 on the RH10 itself provides the best input signal to the Hi-Fi, where it can be processed in any way. I personally prefer flat unprocessed signal, while many people like various effects provided by equalizers and amplifiers. And the 29/30 level applies to any make of any SONY model with a digital amp and no line out.

Looks like there is a serious problem. SonicStage can be glitchy, but actually crashing the computer is a bit too much. For a start, you need to make sure that everything is OK with the database. Do you have Microsoft Access installed? If yes, try using it to repair the database, which is located in the "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Sony Corporation\SonicStage\Packages" folder and is called MtData.mdb. If you don't have Microsoft Access, you may try running the Omg1to2.exe file located in the "C:\Program Files\Sony\SonicStage" folder. The file is actually designed to convert the database from previous versions, but it recreates it even if the version is already current. In either case, backup the original database manually before doing anything to it.

The more I look at the problem, the more I see a very simple solution, which could possibly be implemented by SONY at almost no additional cost. The "tagging" approach used by Apple is outright stupid, and requires additional processing algorithms (determine borderline frames, decode the first file to the end, while simultaneously decoding the second file from the beginning, then stitch these two files at their borderline frame in some buffer - and all this could possibly lead to clicks and glitches, since the compression algorighm is lossy). The correct approach is really simple, and is similar to that used by SONY in ATRAC devices - encode music as one continuous stream split by files, and do not restart the decoder at the beginning of each file. This way everything will be perfectly gapless without any additional processing. Continuous files can already be produced by LAME, or SONY can create a simple "Gapless Ripper" program, using whatever encoder they like, provided that it can encode continuously. And the "no restart" mode will also work with non-continuous files. While not making them gapless, it will not lead to any clicks or glitches, since such files always have silence at the beginning and at the end. Anyway, the function can be made user-switchable (ON/OFF), like gapless playback in ATRAC CD players.

I don't know about the N710, but both the NF610 and the NF810 have the TOSHIBA TA2131FL analogue amp. A practical advice for connecting the RH10 to a HiFi: disable all effects (EQ, etc.) in the unit, and set its output level to 29/30 - this will give you maximum quality (setting the level to 30/30 leads to a serious increase in noise and distortion, while setting it below 29/30 only decreases the volume). But when connecting an analogue amp unit to a HiFi, set the level to 30/30 (or switch the unit to the LINE OUT mode, if available), since the amp has an ample output level reserve.

There is no padding in SP "downloaded" from a PC. It's even worse - SonicStage downloads ATRAC3 @ 132 kbit/s, which is then converted to SP by the unit (lossy to lossy). But the result is not padded ATRAC3, it's standard SP ATRAC, playable by anything.

The analogue amp is much better for listening though a good external Hi-Fi amplifier with a wide frequency response. But it may also sound better than a digital one through good headphones.

Just having Type-R is not enough for a unit to sound good. A good amp is also required. Preferably of the analogue kind, e.g., TOSHIBA TA2131FL used in some pre-HiMD units (NH600/NH700/NHF800 are equipped with TOSHIBA TA2131FLG).

This reminds me of SONY's DCR-TRV460 and DCR-TRV461 Digital8 camcorders, the only difference between them being a Memory Stick included with the latter.

Welcome to the forums! The latest available set of drivers specifically designed for Vista is http://sonicstage.update.sony.net/v4400/JP/download/installer/pa_driver.zip - but it no longer supports decks. There is an older driver for decks: http://rapidshare.de/files/48630376/Deck_Driver.zip.html - but it is not specifically designed for Vista. But it may work with a 32-bit version (there are no drivers for a 64-bit version at all).

The best Hi-MD units for playback through a good Hi-Fi are those with the analogue amp (NH600/NH700/NHF800). They also sound really good through good headphones. ONKYO decks are probably also good, but I've never heard one.

Yes, it is possible to transfer PCM to any Hi-MD unit. WAV files are imported into SonicStage, and then transferred to Hi-MD. Actually, this is the only way to get a perfect copy on a Hi-MD, since optical recording changes the original signal to some expent.

SonicStage contains no settings for CD-TEXT, it just writes it, if possible. I've tried it today (titled some artificially generated tracks, and recorded them to an Audio CD in SonicStage), and it works with my burner (not the most modern one). My set-top Panasonic DVD player detects and displays the titles.

SonicStage burns CD-TEXT information (Album, Artist and Titles) to Audio CDs, if your CD-writer supports it. Updating the CD burning engine from http://kb.roxio.com/content/000070GN may help improve CD-TEXT burning support on some drives.

Downgrading SonicStage always leads to problems. The newer version is not fully removed, leaving some libraries and/or drivers behind, and the older version is unable to work correctly. Remove the older version, OpenMG and everything related, and then install SonicStage 4.3 "Ultimate" (found in the Software Updates section of the forums). If the problem persists after that, other things need to be checked, such as system clock source (some AMD processor based systems require that it be set to PM timer instead of the CPU).

Does anyone have a service manual for the B140 series?

I was able to force it to load HiMD and NetMD libraries through registry manipulations. Still, the program doesn't see any HiMD or NetMD units. I am not going to test this version anymore, since it installs a new version of Java (which is always a sign of new and powerful glitches), while I need an older version for my work.