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Decomissioning & long-term storage?

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petertkalec

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SO – I’m probably not the only one. I’ve gone to a more convenience-based solid state media player with buckets of storage, no DRM issues, etc.

I have a few MD players (portables) which I still love and very occasionally use for field recording. But basically they are sitting in my drawer and have been for a couple years. I think it’s time to put them into a more deliberate & long-term storage spot.

I took out the batteries and coiled up my AC adapters. I plan to throw in CD with SillyStage and other MD software so that if/when I want to bring my gear back to life I will be able to. I will likely throw in a silica gel packet or two for good measure. A MD with my current fav’s might be fun for when I pull the players out from time to time.

Can anyone else think of any good ideas for retiring my gear?

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SO – I’m probably not the only one. I’ve gone to a more convenience-based solid state media player with buckets of storage, no DRM issues, etc.

I have a few MD players (portables) which I still love and very occasionally use for field recording. But basically they are sitting in my drawer and have been for a couple years. I think it’s time to put them into a more deliberate & long-term storage spot.

I took out the batteries and coiled up my AC adapters. I plan to throw in CD with SillyStage and other MD software so that if/when I want to bring my gear back to life I will be able to. I will likely throw in a silica gel packet or two for good measure. A MD with my current fav’s might be fun for when I pull the players out from time to time.

Can anyone else think of any good ideas for retiring my gear?

This is a great question as I have often wondered the same thing. It sounds like you've thought of more proctective measure than I have. All I've ever done is remove the batteries...

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I too, have retired/decommissioned my entire MD/Hi-MD portable stash, except for my RH1 units, in favor of my NW-HD5 DAP. But I still use MD in the car, as well as in the studio and at home, as well as for the purpose of uploading to the HD5 through my RH1. I also use Hi-MD as a data storage media as well, as CDs can very easily get scratched or damaged in so many ways.

But as far as my days of MD/Hi-MD-only and nothing else, you can blame the guys over at Head-Fi for the end of that. But however, unlike most of them, I will never stoop to the level of becming one of those dreaded iSheep, and I will also continue to support ATRAC and SonicStage for as long as my HD5's (both the ones I will be using as well as the one designated as parts donors) hold up, otherwise, I can always re-instate my old MZ-NH700's or any of my other units I have stored away.

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SO – I’m probably not the only one. I’ve gone to a more convenience-based solid state media player with buckets of storage

Well I have tried other devices, but I just cant give up on my Hi MD players, I even like SS !!!!!

My son has a Sony 8gb flash MP3 player, but it uses Windows Media Player 11, and I just cant get the playlsts organised, also, I use a Hi-MD player in the car for audio books, it uses an AA battery...BIG advantage , and it wont get stolen, for audio books @ 48KB/S I can get 45 hrs on a disc...so I still genuinely prefer Hi-Md to anything else that I have tried to date, recently I bought a used NW-A1000 (6GB), I replaced the battery, its not bad, but I much prefer my MD players, so it will be a while yet before I reach the place that you are at :-)

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That lends a whole new meaning to the words "Digital Rights Management" :D

You know, Mission Impossible, this software will self destruct in 10 years.... 9... 8... 7... ...

I just spent the whole of yesterday reviving an 11-year old Windows 95 machine (crazy me) one of my kids had managed to crash. The major stumbling block was the updates they did to the core Windows DLLs to cope with the updates they did to the browsers to cope with the IDIOTS out there attempting to hack people's computers. Humans, what a species. All the hardware technology worked fine including 8 year old tapes and tape drive, ancient CD ROM etc etc.

I think Sony's engineering has been pretty darned solid from the very beginning. Cassettes were never as reliable as tape recorders (Sony's original major product) and I am having the most fun I had since I was a teenager playing with Reel to Reel using my various Minidiscs. And being able to zap that persistent whine or hum using computer software - amazing!

I'm buying an external MD changer for my car as we speak. At least noone will steal it or the Minidiscs like they did the CD's a few weeks ago.

Stephen

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if you keep a copy of sonic stage on a burned cd it might erase itself in 10 years or less. you should also keep a second backup copy on a flash drive. just to be safe.

Good idea! In addition, you should also keep a PC with a current Windows version that ist capable of installing/running SonicStage and NetMD/Hi-MD drivers. Who knows whether future versions of Windows will support SonicStage?

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Good ideas, thanks folks. I will add the software to my home server which is relatively disaster-proof. As in, if there is a disaster that causes me to lose data then my copy of sonic stage will be the least of my worries. At that point my focus would turn to food, shelter and my loved ones. ;)

Anyway, for the hardware it sounds like there's not much past taking the batteries out and storing in a cool, dry place. Easy enough.

As for keeping a PC around that can run SS... I have a few old clunkers around, but I doubt that I'd hold on to one specifically to interact with a MD player. Instead I'll roll the dice on compatibility modes and other work-arounds... and I'll probably get burned. haha.

Maybe I should make a list of stuff to review for obsolescence every so often. Damn I'm a geek. I'm thinking of checking old software, hardware every few years to see if it still works, and then scavenging to find a working system from my junk piles or pawn shops or whatever. finding something 3-5 years out of vogue is easy & cheap - finding something 20-25 years out of vogue is much more difficult and pricey.

You're right on Sony's engineering though... I fully expect my MD players to work after 10 years in storage just as my childhood Sony Sports walkman still worked when I found it in a shoe box a few years ago. That would have been 20 years. And it had batteries left inside... leaked all over the contacts etc. I cleaned them up and replaced the mixed tape that was left inside... voila! hissy, high speed-dubbed (probably) songs from the 80s!

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I’ve gone to a more convenience-based solid state media player with buckets of storage, no DRM issues, etc.

I won't even ask what you've upgraded to, but I know you'll be back, otherwise you'd be selling them ;)

Couldn't help but shake my head at the waste of having them lay dormant! Silica gel, storage...

...coffin imagery in my head.

That's no life for MiniDisc!

Such a sad post.

*sniff*

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I won't even ask what you've upgraded to, but I know you'll be back, otherwise you'd be selling them ;)

Couldn't help but shake my head at the waste of having them lay dormant! Silica gel, storage...

...coffin imagery in my head.

That's no life for MiniDisc!

Such a sad post.

*sniff*

Amen to that

Bob

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Hi Guys

The easy way of storing working software for your MD is to create a minimal Windows 2000 or XP installation as a virtual machine and save it on a USB stick.

Install SS and Simple burner together with Nero (or other ISO mounting tools such as Alcohol 52%"

When you want to use the MD fire up VMWARE and boot your XP / 2000 Windows virtual machine from your USB stick (just open as a file from vmware).

Hey presto all the MD stuff including simple burner works fine --you can even run the vm from a Linux machine too.

As for giving up MD's -- not yet for me -- especially the RH1's.

Cheers

-K

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What solid state recorder have you tried that you find more reliable?

I've tried the Edirol R09 and am not impressed with the mic jack. Also, for concert recording, I'm really fond of having a remote. What units are people moving on to for live (concert bootleg) recording, post-MD?

Personally, I'll be with MD for a while: still have to wear out my banged-around NH700, my waiting-in-the-wings NH700 and my RH1. I have the feeling the connection on the remote--the wires at the weak junction right next to the RM-MZ40ELK--is going to go before I wear out the MD units themselves. I have one remote in reserve too, thanks to eBay.

SonicStage is still a profound bummer. I wish there were a 2GB disc that would record a full concert in PCM. But stealthy live (via remote) track marking and that nice quiet mic input are still impressive.

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