How to Transfer ATRAC files from old PC

[daisor88]

Hi Folks,

Can anyone tell me how to transfer the ATRAC/OpenMG Audio files i have recorded (from vinyl records) using MZ- H10 and stored on an old PC, to my new PC?

I have tried the following:

1. Copying the old files to the Sonicstage Packages file folder on the new PC, and

2) Installing the old harddisk on my new pc as an additional harddisk, and then using the file import function in Sonic Stage,

but Sonic Stage would refuse to playback those files.

Your help is much appreciated !!!!!

Edited November 12, 2007 by daisor

[A440]

You need to use the SonicStage on the old computer.

Under Tools in SonicStage, open File Conversion Tool.

It will scan the database and tell you how long it will take to convert.

Un-check "Add Copy Protection" and it will scan again. Then run it--it will take a while. That will remove copy protection from the files and you can play the converted files on any SonicStage.

[Avrin]

Welcome to the forums!

First of all, you have to make sure the files are not copy protected. I assume MZ-H10 actually means MZ-RH10. The copy of SonicStage that came with it is version 3.0, which copy protects all files, and there is no way to disable this. Install a later version (at least 3.4, but 4.2 is recommended), then use its File Conversion Tool with the Add Copy Protection box unchecked. The files will not be converted in terms of recoding, but copy protection will be removed, and the files will have OMA extension instead of OMG (you may keep the original OMG files if you want, by unchecking the respective box). You may then copy these OMA files to any folder on your new computer, but don't forget to import this folder into SonicStage (it won't recognize files if they are simply put to the Packages folder).

Alternatively, you may try using the SonicStage Backup Tool, but it is known to be glitchy and cause problems.

Edited November 12, 2007 by Avrin

[daisor88]

You need to use the SonicStage on the old computer.

Under Tools in SonicStage, open File Conversion Tool.

It will scan the database and tell you how long it will take to convert.

Un-check "Add Copy Protection" and it will scan again. Then run it--it will take a while. That will remove copy protection from the files and you can play the converted files on any SonicStage.

Thanks for the advices which seem make sense. One problem, the motherboard on my old pc had dropped dead that's why i purchased a new PC. So there is no way for me to use it to convert the old ATRAC files again !!!

Am i doomed ???

[A440]

The problem is that the encryption in Sonicstage is somehow coded to the original hardware, and it may have something to do with the motherboard.

I don't know how much you can fool around with the setup of the new PC, and I have no idea if it would work, but could you make the old hard drive the C: drive and try again?

If it's a lot of time and trouble, it's probably not worth it because there is little chance it would work, but if it's easy, why not.

Save the files anyway on a disc. I am hoping, probably irrationally, that when Sony finally dumps ATRAC completely--it's in the process now--that it will give up its stupid encryption codes.

[raintheory]

Save the files anyway on a disc. I am hoping, probably irrationally, that when Sony finally dumps ATRAC completely--it's in the process now--that it will give up its stupid encryption codes.

I actually sent an email to Sony support asking about this (in regards to CONNECT store being phased out) but I haven't gotten a response... It's been about a week.

[1kyle]

Hi Folks,

Can anyone tell me how to transfer the ATRAC/OpenMG Audio files i have recorded (from vinyl records) using MZ- H10 and stored on an old PC, to my new PC?

I have tried the following:

1. Copying the old files to the Sonicstage Packages file folder on the new PC, and

2) Installing the old harddisk on my new pc as an additional harddisk, and then using the file import function in Sonic Stage,

but Sonic Stage would refuse to playback those files.

Your help is much appreciated !!!!!

Provided you haven't set the copy protection or you haven't got any "purchased" music tracks on do the following.

1) use Sonic Stage on the OLD computer to backup your music library to a USB external disk or another hard disk.

2) on the NEW computer RESTORE the library also using Sonic Stage.

Note you will need to be connected to the Internet to validate the music library. If you haven't got any purchased music tracks then you won't have any problems. After the validation you can disconnect from the intenet.

3) after restore has completed you can using the tools in SS set the library files to where you did the restore to. Then your library will be fine.

Note : IF YOU USE THIS METHOD ANY EXISTING MUSIC LIBRARY ON THE TARGET SYSTEM WILL BE DELETED.

This is in caps since I'm not going to be responsible for people losing their music.

Cheers

-K

Edited November 13, 2007 by 1kyle

[Avrin]

Try the following (I am not sure that it will work, but at least it is worth a try).

1. Make sure that the original (old) hard drive has enough space to back up your old library.

2. Connect this drive to the new PC as the first (C:) drive. Disconnect all other drives. Also disconnect the computer from the Internet.

3. Start Windows in Safe Mode. Thus you will avoid most, if not all of the missing drivers and configuration change problems. Let's hope Windows does start (there may actually be problems related to activation, since the motherboard is different).

4. Start SonicStage Backup Tool, and make a backup of your original library on the hard drive. The Backup Tool works in safe mode, so let's hope it will save the original authentication data.

5. After the backup is complete (may take some time), turn off your computer, restore the needed configuration, connect the old hard drive with the backup to any available connector, connect to the Internet, and try restoring the old library from the backup. Don't forget that any new library you may have created on the new computer will be completely deleted in the process.

Hope this works. If it does, the first thing you should do after restoring the library is to convert all files removing the copy protection, so you won't face this problem in the future.

Edited November 14, 2007 by Avrin

[lrvdb]

Welcome to the forums!

First of all, you have to make sure the files are not copy protected. I assume MZ-H10 actually means MZ-RH10. The copy of SonicStage that came with it is version 3.0, which copy protects all files, and there is no way to disable this. Install a later version (at least 3.4, but 4.2 is recommended), then use its File Conversion Tool with the Add Copy Protection box unchecked. The files will not be converted in terms of recoding, but copy protection will be removed, and the files will have OMA extension instead of OMG (you may keep the original OMG files if you want, by unchecking the respective box). You may then copy these OMA files to any folder on your new computer, but don't forget to import this folder into SonicStage (it won't recognize files if they are simply put to the Packages folder).

Alternatively, you may try using the SonicStage Backup Tool, but it is known to be glitchy and cause problems.

This is EXACTLY the information I need! Thank you so much! I'm going to try save MY recordings tomorrow. I have been confused by reading two different processes for recovering such files: file conversion and backup/restore. And I'll certainly ditch my old version of Sonic Stage, but how do I get version 4.2? I've located only versions 4.0 and 4.3.

[raintheory]

4.2: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=17769

[lrvdb]

Welcome to the forums!

First of all, you have to make sure the files are not copy protected. I assume MZ-H10 actually means MZ-RH10. The copy of SonicStage that came with it is version 3.0, which copy protects all files, and there is no way to disable this. Install a later version (at least 3.4, but 4.2 is recommended), then use its File Conversion Tool with the Add Copy Protection box unchecked. The files will not be converted in terms of recoding, but copy protection will be removed, and the files will have OMA extension instead of OMG (you may keep the original OMG files if you want, by unchecking the respective box). You may then copy these OMA files to any folder on your new computer, but don't forget to import this folder into SonicStage (it won't recognize files if they are simply put to the Packages folder).

Alternatively, you may try using the SonicStage Backup Tool, but it is known to be glitchy and cause problems.

Well, I tried this on my files, but sadly of 265 tracks I had in "My Library," only 58 were optimized. I can't see any commonality to those it chose to optimize. These are all recordings I made of a choir I sing with, some on my old MZ-R50 and others on my MZ-RH1, all of them uploaded to my PC using the SonicStage ver 3.4 software that came with my RH1. I had been under the impression that ver 3.4 did not create copy protected files of its uploaded MD recordings, but, like so many others, when I replaced my hard drive and copied over my SS recordings, none of them would even play, much less burn to CDs or anything else.

I'm a beginning beginner here, but there weren't lots of options in the conversion utility; I don't see where I went wrong. I was using the original files, original SS software and original hard disk (which I had re-installed). Maybe I'd be better off using the backup tool. Or am I way off base, and something else entirely is going on here? Might there be some other reason that my recordings would not play after being transferred to my new HD. (I noticed that all my original "packages" had OMA extensions, never OMG.) I was assuming, from all I've read in these forums, that it was a copy protection problem.

Obviously, I need help. Any suggestions you have would be deeply appreciated!

L

[Avrin]

You may actuallly try using the backup tool from the original hard drive to see if it works. If it does not - upgrade SonicStage to 4.2, and try the File Conversion Tool again.

[lrvdb]

Provided you haven't set the copy protection or you haven't got any "purchased" music tracks on do the following.

1) use Sonic Stage on the OLD computer to backup your music library to a USB external disk or another hard disk.

2) on the NEW computer RESTORE the library also using Sonic Stage.

Note you will need to be connected to the Internet to validate the music library. If you haven't got any purchased music tracks then you won't have any problems. After the validation you can disconnect from the intenet.

3) after restore has completed you can using the tools in SS set the library files to where you did the restore to. Then your library will be fine.

Note : IF YOU USE THIS METHOD ANY EXISTING MUSIC LIBRARY ON THE TARGET SYSTEM WILL BE DELETED.

This is in caps since I'm not going to be responsible for people losing their music.

Cheers

-K

This is scarey! On my whole system?? I have two hard drives in my system, one which has lots of SS files including my backup file. I would hope the music files on this drive would remain intact, and only whatever files might still be found on the TARGET drive on which I would restore the backup would be lost. Is that correct, or does it search my entire system and delete old SS music files on both drives? Hard to imagine, but not impossible I guess.

[lrvdb]

You may actuallly try using the backup tool from the original hard drive to see if it works. If it does not - upgrade SonicStage to 4.2, and try the File Conversion Tool again.

Yipppeeee!! I got them back! Thank You! I imported my converted files into ver 4.2 and this time everything is working properly. Don't know what the glitch was, but I'm not complaining. But, maybe I'll consider it a "lesson learned" and look at something else to handle my music library and CD burning. Thanks again.

[bobt]

glad it worked out, I'm trying to do something similar with a crashed hard drive, hopefully luck will prevail

Bob