My HiMD Walkman has gone insane

[elroy3000]

I've searched the FAQ, I've searched the entire Internet for something relating to my problem. Sony itself tells me that my HiMD Walkman MZ-DH710, which I bought from Musician's Friend in 2006, is a Latin American model (I'm not kidding -- try this!), so there's no support there.

You're my last hope, Obi-wan. Wherever you are....

So. I have not dropped my MZ-DH710. My "Hold" button is slid back to "off." Everything is as it should be, and how it was when it worked. Which it used to do. Beautifully.

So why can I not transfer files to my discs?

Not only will it not transfer files to my discs, it will completely and utterly ruin (as in corrupt, as in $7 down the toilet forever) the HiMD 1 GB discs. SonicStage will not recognize them as Sony-formatted discs. And, no, you can't re-format them either.

It will at least pretend to work in Net MD mode. That is, you'll hear the funny metallic sound it makes when it begins recording and stops recording, and the song will show in the transfer window.

Pull out the USB, though, and you've got a blank disc.

It will read discs, by the way. But don't leave them in for too long while hooked up to the PC. It erased my best workout disc. And until this issue is resolved, I can't make more.

My OS is Windows XP Media Center Edition with SP 2 -- on a Sony VAIO, at that. I'd read about Hotfixes and updates from Microsoft that are inimical to SonicStage, so I reinstalled Windows. A whole day down the drain, and all for nothing.

Is it possible the hardware has a virus lodged in its native software? Yes, I've even tried transerring from SonicStage on another computer. Same deal. The transfer goes on and on and on and when it stops, the track disappears from the transfer window. Moreoever, I have to take the battery out and reinsert it just to get the machinery to stop and release the disc. I'm certain this is an issue native to the MZ-DH710 itself.

Has anyone else had this problem, or am I all alone? At this point, with a fresh 10-pack of MDs and a couple of 1GB HiMDs now sitting useless, I'm willing to try anything.

Thanks so much for your time.

[Richard]

* Moved to Hi-MD section

[Strungup]

It is possible that the memory and format system of the unit is corrupted , if the firmware is corrupted it has to go back to Sony , Musicians friend wont take it( I don't think .... you could try . If there was a glitch in the USB connection ( Voltage spike , Bad Data transfer, ) it might explain it , Voltages aren't always steady and the rare occasion where something can happen , apparently happened to you . If Sony said it was a Latin model it might have been made in China and at substandard conditions , in which case you could verify and then approach MusiciansF' and get a new one, maybe .......

[elroy3000]

Thanks for replying. "Firmware" was indeed the word I was searching for, as it does seem that the memory and format system of the unit are at fault, not SonicStage. My poor MZ-DH710 might not write, but it certainly can read -- and erase!

My best guess as to the cause of my problem is that I had left the MZ-DH710 connected to my PC while I ran upstairs to take care of something or other. My screensaver kicked in while I was gone and the burp in power and jolt in RAM to the already notoriously unstable SonicStage 4.2 sent bad mojo up the USB cable. Your comment about the "glitch in the USB connection" concurs with this scenario.

As for getting Muscian's Friend to take it back, it's been well over 18 months since purchase, let alone a year (though not quite two years, alas), and just about every site I've looked at, including Musician's Friend, insists their customers send their defective units to Sony.

Sony...ah, Sony....

Man, they were really something back in the day, weren't they? I've got a 1995 Trinitron in my bedroom that was dropped by movers three times across two continents and its color and picture still rival most modern non-LCD/HD/plasma TVs you'll see at Best Buy. As for their MiniDisc Walkmans...well, you've heard it all, I'm sure. Just look at them the wrong way and they'll break. There are no "authorized Sony dealers" in Colorado Springs which will touch my players, either. The Sony Web site, however, will take my player back and exchange it for a refurbished unit...for a $100 fee. And that's that. No repairs. No tech support. I can't even get a blasted service manual with which to attempt repairs myself!

The heartbreaker is that I really love the sound these things put out. So much so that I spent the last two days scouring the Web for a replacement. Here in the anything-you-want-we-got-it-right-here-in-the-USA, MiniDisc players are well on the way of the Betamax. You won't find them in the brick-and-mortar stores. You can't find so much as a disc anymore.

After many Googles with all the search parameters I can think of, I found only one place that sells my MZ-DH710 -- and I was given the impression that this was the last one in stock. (My old DH710, by the way, is marked as "Made in Malaysia." Which is where everything electronic that isn't made in China is made, so there you go.) I didn't want to spend money on the exact same unit, so I found a more recent unit, the so-called "entry level" Sony MZ-NH600D Hi-MD, refurbished and repackaged by Sony for (wait for it) $99 plus $7.95 shipping and handling. That's right, for a little more than $100, I get a Sony-refurbished unit *and* I get to keep my old one, with an eye towards searching for a cure. (Yeah, I know. Lotsa luck.) Meanwhile, it still plays fine. So I'll use the refurbished Sony MZ-NH600D Hi-MD for recording only. And this time I won't leave it plugged into the computer when I have to get up and do stuff around the house.

But that ain't all. On Amazon I found a Sony MZ-N420D Net MD Walkman for $44.77 plus shipping and handling. Given that a new MZ-NH600D would have cost me nearly $180 total I jumped on that deal. It's the transfers that crapped out on my last two units, so I'm going to make the best possible discs I can for all possible purposes and then sit on 'em. Come this time next year there will be no MiniDisc players available in the US for any amount of money.

But I suppose you knew that, and the reasons why to boot. It's a sad state of affairs. If you've gotten this far into my rant, thanks for your indulgence. And thanks again for the insight.

If anyone else out there has any ideas on how to fix the problems described with my MZ-DH710, I'd appreciate them greatly. As MD players are well on their way out in the States we're going to have to learn some serious DIY. And I say DIY before iPod! I never could get past their flat, tinny sound compared to my two transfer-impaired Walkmans.

Edited November 30, 2007 by elroy3000

[Strungup]

Well!................. that was a mouthfull , .. but a 600 for a buck , that WOkrs for me ! good job dude , dont be overly attached to the 710 , you will see better things come your way . MD isnt Dead , until WE are ! swaps and trades , will continue .

by the way , I was reading a manual at Sonys manual archive , and it specifically stated "Do NOT let the computer go into sleep mode , either by accident or manually with the HiMD connected" Also stating " Do NOT connect the HiMD with the computer in Sleep mode , we will NOT gaurantee the perfomance or against damage if you do so "

Edited November 30, 2007 by Guitarfxr