Problem downloading Sonicstage ... it has been discontinued !

[Grungytoto]

Hello,

Today, my computer has been re-installed with windows 7, and I wanted to download sonicstage to give a second life to my MZ-NH700. And I'm surprised that Sonicstage is not downloadable anymore !

The information come from Sony : http://www.sony.fr/support/fr/product/MZ-NH700/news/sonicstage_termination

I'm very angry about that...

Please do you have any solution ?

Thanks a lot for your help.

Grungytoto

[UK-MD]

I think if you go to the download section of this site there is a version there that you can use.

[freddyjollo]

wow makes u feel old and obsolete?

[Jimma]

I would say that's pretty poor customer support from Sony. Obviously there's no problem if you're aware that SonicStage is available from this site, but if you've bought a new MD unit in the last few years, which considering Sony supposedly still manufactured the RH1 until 2011 must be quite a few people, then Sony supporting the software your expensive new recorder uses would seem to be a reasonable expectation.

It's bad enough there was never any official update for Windows 7/8 but removing it from the support site all together seems a bit out of order to me.

[Arr-Nine-Hundred]

I would say that's pretty poor customer support from Sony. Obviously there's no problem if you're aware that SonicStage is available from this site, but if you've bought a new MD unit in the last few years, which considering Sony supposedly still manufactured the RH1 until 2011 must be quite a few people, then Sony supporting the software your expensive new recorder uses would seem to be a reasonable expectation.

It's bad enough there was never any official update for Windows 7/8 but removing it from the support site all together seems a bit out of order to me.

I think Sony should at least consider the MiniDisc format as now "community supported" and include links on their official site to forums like ours.

I'll try and email the webmaster of the Sony support site with this idea.

[Speed495]

This version is not working properly. Can't even upload no music files.

[sfbp]

This version is not working properly. Can't even upload no music files.

What?

"Even" is a strange word. Depending on your hardware, "upload' is the pinnacle of MD achievement. I'd suggest perhaps trying to download some music TO the device first. We generally talk about UPload as being from MD to the computer, if you are confused by my response.

I'm here to help you but bright blue statements of complaint before my morning coffee don't do anything rather than annoy. This software works. Please avoid coloured statements, they simply amplify that you have an unusual problem... which you don't.

To support your problem, we need (from the top) a lot more technical detail.

What version of Sonic Stage?

What unit?

What version of Windows (and what bitness, ie 32- or 64-) ?

What hardware (eg some people are running on a Macbook that happens to run WIndows) in a virtual machine? This is Windows software. Trying to run hosted on MacOS or WINE (Linux) will cause enormous grief.

Thanks for your understanding. AND NO MORE BLUE TEXT please.

[PhilippeC]

Stephen, why the http://forums.sonyinsider.com/files/category/1-programs/

link is broken ?

[sfbp]

It's not. Looks like someone with a bad temper, for whatever reason, who couldn't get it to work, flagged it it as bad.

[taffstuart]

Just downloaded 4.3, since my 3.4 version, first from disc and then from this forum, gave me the same error when I try to start it up - something about a bad music track and a repair needed. I run the repair nothing happens and I close down - back to square one. Does Sonic stage leave stuff behind in memory when you de-install it? Re-installing solves nothing - it just seems to have picked up the error from the last time it actually opened and did something. I should state that last Friday - Jan 3rd - Sonicstage 3.4 was working perfectly well. Saturday it started giving me this startup problem which is insurmountable. As I say I tried re-installing 3.4 from the link here and got exactly the same problem.

So I came on here again and installed 4.3. This time I don't get the same problem - I get a different one. A window pops up with 'Sonic stage has stopped working. Windows is looking for a solution' and of course Windows being windows never finds a solution. So again Sonicstage is unusable. I'm running Windows 7 by the way, but 3.4 when it worked, did ok with Windows 7 as long as you 'run as administrator'.

It's a shame because when it worked, Sonicstage was a bloody good jukebox. An excellent organisational tool and was excellent for creating Playlists and burning them to cd - so easy. However, I am now running out of patience with it and will probably revert to iTunes.

Unless somebody on here can offer me some ray of hope that I'm not far away from success, I'll de-install it (again) and chuck my 3.4 install cd in the bin.

Sorry if I've bored anyone. Happy New Year.

Taff

[sfbp]

Never bored (or board ie supine) here. We should get you working.

We need a few more specifics. I would strongly suggest you wind back to the point before you installed ANY version of Sonic Stage, using System Restore. Hopefully this isn't too long and you have a working system from a week or three ago that Windows is willing to reset its registry to.

There may be possibilities that some update has finally hijacked everything to where SS won't run, but I won't believe that till I actually see it. Once you have done a System Restore (there may be other tools to help you clean up the registry), and checked the registry and disk for any signs of SonicStage, I strongly recommend you try again with the version 4.3 from this site.

It's also possible that you have to decrease some privilege setting. It may well be that, depending on the last time you tried to install SS on any computer, Microsoft has changed the default at which programs run. Especially installation programs.

Make quite sure that ANY install program you run is "Run as Administrator".

That's a start. I'm sure nothing major has changed, people have reported getting it to work with Windows 8. Question: does this machine have any SonicStage music on it, and if so, did any of it get here by connecting an external drive or something like that? Sonic Stage HATES music that came from somewhere else unless you followed proper procedure(s).

My guess is you're being locked out by Windows, not by SonicStage. We need more details, probably.

[taffstuart]

"I would strongly suggest you wind back to the point before you installed ANY version of Sonic Stage, using System Restore."

Not possible I'm afraid. To do a restore would wipe out a lot of other stuff which I wouldn't want to lose. Sonicstage has been on my pc for months but I have been running in a limited 'standard user ' mode which is ok to play existing music but pretty useless otherwise - no importing cds, music files, etc etc. I didn't understand that run as administrator meant right clicking the SS icon and selecting that option - I thought it meant just logging on to a Windows session as Administrator. It's bleedin' obvious now but wasn't at the time.

"...and checked the registry and disk for any signs of SonicStage, "

I have used Regedit before and if I know what I'm looking for I'm quite happy deleting the appropriate registry entries. I cannot understand why completely deleting and uninstalling Soncstage does not give me the chance to start from a clean sheet. It seems to remember a problem I had (last time it was installed, say with a particular track) and re-invokes that problem.

"Question: does this machine have any SonicStage music on it, and if so, did any of it get here by connecting an external drive or something like that? Sonic Stage HATES music that came from somewhere else unless you followed proper procedure(s)."

All music on my pc is now in the My Music folder and subfolders. In the past I have of course imported cds and burned cds with out any problem. But why should this matter to a new installation of Sonicstage? At what point do you tell it to automatically reference your music on the hard drive and build its Library?

Finally I am running Windows 7 Home Premium with Service Pack 1. I don't know what else you need to know. Please let me know.

best regards

Taff

[GrumpyRoger]

I've read this thread with interest and note that not everyone's problem is the same.

We have a customer who is reporting that SonicStage will not install on their Windows 7 computer. I would dearly love to be able to get them up and running and they used to have an NW-A1200 device and like the design so much that they bought one from us.

It was a bit of a surprise to me when I did a quick search of the internet and it states Sony no longer support this officially hence my joining the forum to gain a better understanding.

I have actually just installed version 4.0 from disc onto my Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit machine.

Installation was flawless and operation too.

I have read somewhere that there is a 4.3.02 patch for Windows 7 though I have not had the need to install this.

I will send them a link to this thread and ask them to register and post their specific set up as I am sure this is a formality to get it up and running.

Are there any good valid sources on the net for 4.0 and 4.3 and which version would you recommend is better for a Windows 7 machine so does it vary from case to case?

Many thanks in anticipation.

I hope I am not treading on anyone's toes by posting on their thread.

[sfbp]

Don't even think about trying to load anything except the posted 4.3.

Ignore ANY instructions about patches.

Sorry, Taff, I simply don't have time today, but your request is somewhere in my queue.

[taffstuart]

Don't even think about trying to load anything except the posted 4.3.

Ignore ANY instructions about patches.

Sorry, Taff, I simply don't have time today, but your request is somewhere in my queue.

That's allright - I'm sure you're a busy man trying to support this particular piece of software. Here's my ideal:

I would want to delete Sonicstage off my pc and know that there is not a trace of it left.

I would then want to install either 3.4 from cd - which has worked for me in the past - or 4.3 from the link in this forum.

I would want it not to automatically import any music from my pc so that when I open Sonicstage the Library is empty.

I would then want to import a cd or music file from my 'Music' folder and check that that music plays and that I can create a Playlist or Transfer it to burn it to pc - all the normal functionality of Sonicstage. If that works then I would want to import the rest of my music piece by piece.

At present when I install it (3.4) seems to be referencing music tracks that cause it problems. Installing 4.3 doesn't even get it up and running.

Life's too short to be messing with software that doesn't work. I might just have to use ITunes and Bearshare which both work fine.

If you have any suggestions to do with the above 'ideal' I'd appreciate it.

many thanks

TaffStuart

I would expect it not to complain about

That's allright - I'm sure you're a busy man trying to support this particular piece of software. Here's my ideal:

I would want to delete Sonicstage off my pc and know that there is not a trace of it left.

I would then want to install either 3.4 from cd - which has worked for me in the past - or 4.3 from the link in this forum.

I would want it not to automatically import any music from my pc so that when I open Sonicstage the Library is empty.

I would then want to import a cd or music file from my 'Music' folder and check that that music plays and that I can create a Playlist or Transfer it to burn it to pc - all the normal functionality of Sonicstage. If that works then I would want to import the rest of my music piece by piece.

At present when I install it (3.4) seems to be referencing music tracks that cause it problems. Installing 4.3 doesn't even get it up and running.

Life's too short to be messing with software that doesn't work. I might just have to use ITunes and Bearshare which both work fine.

If you have any suggestions to do with the above 'ideal' I'd appreciate it.

many thanks

TaffStuart

Sorry that was not finished. Meant to say:

I would expect it not to complain about problems encountered with tracks on a previous installation. Also I meant to say burnt to cd not pc!

[taffstuart]

Now here's a funny thing (to quote Tommy Trinder for those who remember him), I came to the pc this evening to see that my wife had been using it and her home screen was showing. There was the Sonicstage icon so I idly clicked on it. Much to my amazement Sonicstage started up successfully and I could browse the Library, which was as it always was. I clicked on some music tracks and each one gave me 'Track cannot be found....'. Every track shown was seemingly not linked to the physical tracks which were in the 'My Music' folder. I imported 1 or two tracks from My Music and they played perfectly. So I could see how to get a working system by re-importing all the music from the My Music folder, after deleting the whole Library first so I didn't have to bother with duplicates. I haven't done it yet but will do sometime.

I exited Sonicstage and logged off my wife's account and brought up my own account. I clicked on the Sonicstage icon and..........of course received the message 'Sonicstage Application has stopped working - Windows is looking for a solution'! I have even run it on my son's account and he is not even an administrator! Shomething shtrange happening here!

It must be because I installed the ******* software from my account and there is something about my account it doesn't like. Sonicstage is software for our time - it is so bloody precious! The slightest thing seems to upset it.

So if anybody on here has the slightest idea what's going on here, I would welcome any suggestions that could get me running.

By the way, I did not 'run as administrator', I just clicked the icon. I did 'run as administrator' for the install.

best regards

TaffStuart

[sfbp]

When it saw the ID match it probably decided to try and "do stuff" like patching up authorizations etc.

Your best move is to IMMEDIATELY decrypt any imported oma files (assuming you have any) using the File Conversion Tool to remove the copy protection. We'll help you along.

Once you have done that to your satisfaction we'll give you best practice information.

Question: is your user name (which is inevitably in the path name of the files the way it defaults) longer and/or containing spaces or other non-alphabetic characters? Longer than your wife's that is? There's a possible problem with long file names (total path + track name .= 256 or even 128).

Strongly recommend copying/moving all your music files to something like e:sonicstageimported files and use that by resetting SS to point to it. In NTFS that won't even generate a copy (if the move to and move from are on the same disk drive). The advantage of this is that any user-specific permissions won't be needed. W7 tries to protect anything and everything in the user tree from other users. Your situation is backwards, not sure why (yet).

Stephen

[Mr. Brian]

you can torrent an offline version.

NOTE by admin: the version in our downloads section IS an offline version. Perhaps the only reliable one.

Edited March 4, 2014 by sfbp
Correcting implied factual inaccuracy

[steveflugal]

Hi,

I'm pleased to find this thread but not been able to solve my own problem unfortunately. I have just had my laptop upgraded to Windows 7 but have failed to get your copy of 4.3 to work; it comes up with the error message: "Installation process for Sonic Stage has been terminated. (2051.20698)"

I have tried clearing out all previous versions, used regedit to delete anything I could find to do with SS and Open MG but no luck. I would be grateful for any help as I need SS for my work having recording music performances and can't really afford to buy some more hardware to replace my MZ-NH700 and microphone. Thanks.

[steveflugal]

I had one more go and it worked! Thanks for making the download available