Topic: Sony Hi-MD RH1 Minidisc problems? Access Errors....

[tardis71]

Just thought I would start a thread on this because I didn't find any info that solved my problems.
I love the size of my RH1 and it had served me well for about a year. But then out of the blue it started to give me "Access Errors" in the sonic stage program, when trying to upload recordings from the RH1 to my computer. Anyone know exactly what's going on here? I've already bought a M10 because I've lost a few shows because of it. But it seems like the shows were recorded and the info is on the disc...but I get these "access errors" and sonic stage locks up, RH1 flashes "access error" and just spins the disc. Anyone get these errors and find a solution? I would like to save these recordings if possible. Not sure if it's the Mini discs fault? or the recorder? or the software? Don't know anyone that has a hi-md that I could try the discs out on their machine... Maybe find a cheap hi-md player just to upload? Or is it the discs?..Am I out of luck? Seems to not be the discs tho... Anyone send their recorder into sony to get fixed? Was it fixed? how much? where to send? worth it?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or help! Would love to save these shows!!! ;-)
 

[Ozpeter]

Have you tried it with a different USB cable running into a different PC?

The minidisc community at http://forums.sonyinsider.com/index.php?showforum=23 might have some suggestions too.

[dunebug81]

Sorry to say dude, but you're out of luck on those shows.  I've had that happen once in the 4 years that I've been using me RH1.  I sent the disc to sony to see if they could fix it and there was nothing they could do either. 

I know the show is recorded on my disc because I was listening to the show while driving home and everything was workign fine.  I got home and plugged up the MD to the computer and when I gave the disc a title the player made a weird noise and next thing I know I can not rename the disc or upload the show to the computer.  When I disconnect the MD from the computer and just try to play the disc I get some sort of unplayable audio error.  So I lost half of a Metallica show I taped last year.  Sucks but at least I was able to buy the full show off their website.

[Giant_Rick]

Once upon a time there was a land called Minidisc Community Forum.. you could have found the answer to your question, but this land doesn't exist anymore.
You should try to ask on SonyInsider Forums..

[darktrain]

Once upon a time there was a land called Minidisc Community Forum.. you could have found the answer to your question, but this land doesn't exist anymore.
You should try to ask on SonyInsider Forums..

Yeh, can't find the forum, i just logged in there maybe a month or so ago

[yug du nord]

Kinda hard to sift through (for me at least)....  but there is loads of minidisc info here:

http://minidisc.org/index.php

[dunebug81]

None of the tricks that worked with old mds will work with himds. If you have a disc that fucks up you're pretty much SOL.

[tardis71]

Thanks guys...but yeah, I've looked thought the MiniDisc forums and the Sony forums. Found some info..but no definitive words on what "exactly" is going on and if there is a way to fix it. Some people say batches of MDs are bad. Some people say it's the recorder. I tend to think it's the recorder...and or the sonic stage software. It seems like the info is on the discs..but sonic stage will lock up when transferring the files. The music is there... messing around with it I can get it to play sometimes for 4-5mins at a time. Might be able to piecemeal a show together. But it would be nice if sonic stage could not lock up and just play though...with just a hicup and not lock up... So it's a bunch of starting, stopping, closing, restarting...just to get 30sec-5 mins of music at a time. The music "is" there....
Haven't called sony to talk to anyone about it... It' is a nice super small recorder...wish they could make the same exact thing but just have it use the mini cards like the m10...
Thanks for the thoughts!

[yug du nord]

I recorded on MD for years....  and have some old HiMD files still in OGG or whatever format that Sonic Stage converts to when transferring that I can not convert to WAV format.  I've switch computers a couple of times since these recordings were transferred to my PC.  The files are now on an external hard drive.  The files are there, they just won't convert or play in SonicStage.  My only option that I can think of is to try and convert to wav on the original PC that I transferred the discs to.......  I haven't tried that yet, but it's my only hope I think. 

I'm pretty much done with HiMD at this point (still have my RH10 though), but for future reference, convert your HiMD files immediately when transferring.   

[dunebug81]

What version of sonic stage are you using?  The latest version (4.3 I believe) is the most stable. The problem is more than likely a combination of the software doing something weird and the recorder doesn't know what to do and freaks out and writes a bad TOC and makes the disc unuseable.

[earmonger]

The problem with Hi-MD is that the whole disc is encrypted in one gigantic file--about the dumbest idea imaginable. One little glitch and....Access Error...Best you can do is probably record as much as you can off it in realtime. Or you can try Sony Media Services if it's worth $50 or so to you--they actually saved a disc for me, although other people had worse luck. 

UncleYug, you have better options as long as you have the files still on the original computer and can play them there. At some point SonicStage added the File Conversion tool which changes encrypted .oma, playable only on the original computer, to unencrypted .oma, playable on any SonicStage.

You need to get a current SonicStage if you have an old version. (The Sony Insider minidisc forum, which is where minidisc.org went, has links to an Ultimate 4.3 version by minidisc ace Avrin, or get it from Sony.) Install it on top of the old one. 

When you go to your Start/Programs/Sonicstage menu you'll see File Conversion Tool, which runs outside SonicStage.  When you run it, it unencrypts the files in My Library.  Just make sure you uncheck the (default) copy-protection box when it asks. It will take a while if you have a big library--let it run overnight. But then those files are portable, ready to be saved to a hard drive. As long as you have SonicStage on another computer, you can play them, and you can convert them to .wav or .mp3 as needed.

[yug du nord]

UncleYug, you have better options as long as you have the files still on the original computer and can play them there. At some point SonicStage added the File Conversion tool which changes encrypted .oma, playable only on the original computer, to unencrypted .oma, playable on any SonicStage.

You need to get a current SonicStage if you have an old version. (The Sony Insider minidisc forum, which is where minidisc.org went, has links to an Ultimate 4.3 version by minidisc ace Avrin, or get it from Sony.) Install it on top of the old one. 

When you go to your Start/Programs/Sonicstage menu you'll see File Conversion Tool, which runs outside SonicStage.  When you run it, it unencrypts the files in My Library.  Just make sure you uncheck the (default) copy-protection box when it asks. It will take a while if you have a big library--let it run overnight. But then those files are portable, ready to be saved to a hard drive. As long as you have SonicStage on another computer, you can play them, and you can convert them to .wav or .mp3 as needed.

That's some positive news!!!  I think I've been running SonicStage 3.4 which allows for multiple transfers and sharing.  And never upgraded the software cause v3.4 was doing just fine.  It still is doing fine with current recordings....  it's just the older HiMD files from 2005-07 that won't play/convert.  I'll give the v4.3 a shot if my old computer doesn't help my situation. 

earmonger.....  thank you very much for the knowledgeable input for my problem.  I'll report back when I get a chance to mess around with things.  Great suggestions!!!   

[earmonger]

With your old stored files, you have to put 4.3 on the original computer where the files were uploaded, because they are still tied to it until you run the File Conversion Tool.

4.3 still won't play the files you've stored on hard drive or moved around.

Does 3.4 have the Backup Tool? That's another Sony genius idea that sends a code to some server in Sonyland and theoretically allows you to then back up the files if you have to do a system restore/operating system upgrade. Or something like that.

Here's the Google-cached FAQ, since Sony Insider is down at the moment.

 Complicated enough?


http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:RLAQ8g4wUr4J:forums.sonyinsider.com/index.php%3Fshowtopic%3D3373+sonicstage+Backup+Tool&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Since Sony has discontinued ATRAC (the minidisc format), I don't know if the Backup Tool server is still online, but you might as well give it a try.

Then of course you have to back up the files.

 I never used Backup Tool, but if your 3.4 with the original files has it, I'd use it before installing 4.3 on top of it. As you know, once you make a backup, you never need it, but if you don't make a backup....

I've had no trouble with any SonicStage upgrades since version 2, and neither did virtually anyone on minidisc.org. It was one of the few Sonic Stage non-nightmares. But perhaps because I started using SonicStage in its early versions, I've never exactly trusted it. So run the Backup Tool once you figure out exactly how, then upgrade on the original computer, then run the File Conversion Tool. 

I now run the File Conversion Tool every time I upload a recording. It calculates how much it would take to do the entire library again--because it's unprotected, and it immediately wants to copy-protect everything--and gives you some appalling amount of hours needed. Then you uncheck the copy-protection box and it runs for a short while to convert what you've just uploaded.

You really have to wonder what the Sony software guys were imbibing. Especially since the hardware guys gave them such a nice device until they made it so user-unfriendly.

[tardis71]

Yes, I'm using SS 4.3 that was the first thing I tried...
What's weird is that it never really hangs up in exactly the same spot...so sometimes it will play for 5mins and then stop...but then you can fast forward a bit...to right before it locked up..the last time it played..and it will play though that lock up. But! on other discs it does lock up in the same spot everytime. Oh well...I've felt for a while that my only option was to piecemeal the shows back the best I could...just thought I would start a thread and see if anyone else had any better luck.
Thanks!
a
 

[earmonger]

What's weird is that it never really hangs up in exactly the same spot...so sometimes it will play for 5mins and then stop...but then you can fast forward a bit...to right before it locked up..the last time it played..and it will play though that lock up.

Do you have another MD unit to try? On my NH700 this was a sign of something going wrong with the record head--but you never know, it could also be a glitch on the disc.