Error with some file transfers.

[Arlecchino]

"Cannot copy 03 - Master of Puppets: The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error."

This is the error message I get when transferring about every one in thirty of my music files. Most of them get transferred, but some just won't. It's the same ones all the time for some reason. Like this Metallica track for example. I've tried renaming them, changing their ID3 tags, archiving, copying and then extracting them to my M5L, changing their filename extensions, and scanning and defragmenting the M5L drive as well... Doesn't work no matter what I do with them. Any idea what's up?

All of the mp3's I've transferred or tried transferring so far are ripped, named and tagged following the same standard (UberStandard) - same software (EAC), same codec (Lame), same bitrate setting (--alt-preset standard). I received my M5L two days ago, and it has RockBox installed...

[bernado]

So you got the player then and welcome to the wasteland of the M5 forum. Sorry to hear of your problems. I've never come across that before. Have you tried reripping the tracks in question? Maybe try a different ap to rip if problem remains. The good news is that if it is the same tracks every time it does suggest your player is not at fault. You may have more luck posting this in the X5 forum as this one doesn't see a lot of action.
Apart from the above odd problem how are you liking the player?

[GSV3MiaC]

Au contraire, most of us read all the forums (fora?). There are two possible reasons a track won't copy - it can't be read, or it can't be written .. It is, in any case, more logical that a problem which 'goes with the track' (i.e. always same track causes problem) relates to reading .. but it is just possible that the M5 has a problem writing some particular file name, or data value. We need to find the common link - are these all the long files maybe?

[Arlecchino]

We need to find the common link - are these all the long files maybe?

Both files and filenames of the failing transfers are all kinds of sizes - short an dlong. There does not seem to be a connection. No unusual characters in the filenames or tags either.

Have you tried reripping the tracks in question? Maybe try a different ap to rip if problem remains.

I have now tried transferring some of my other mp3s - the ones that are not ripped following the standard. I still get about the same amount of errors.

Looks to me like this is completely random... Could this be a USB port issue somehow? Mine isn't 2.0, and I've noticed some posts talking about conflicts between the M5 and the old USB.

[Arlecchino]

Apart from the above odd problem how are you liking the player?

I'm loving it more with every moment. It's comfortable, the sound is very good and loud (I'm still waiting for my new headphones to fully appreciate that) and RockBox makes it easy to navigate and does gapless playback as well. With the 20 gigs of memory, I don't need much else. :) No regrets about the purchase so far.

I do hope I find the way around that file transferring. For a music organizer as fussy as me, not having full albums causes a great deal of pain. Many good tracks are still awaiting their chance to be listened to on this player during my commuting trips.

[GSV3MiaC]

To eliminate 'it's the USB port' (or the computer, or whatever) take a CD of tracks, and the player, to some other PC someplace (preferably one with USB 2.0 support) and try it there. If it keeps playing up, then you may have a dodgy unit, in which case best find out soon and get it swapped.

Mine is rock solid (also with rockbox), but that's on a newish USB2.0 compliant PC running winXP SP2 .. you didn't tell us what brand of WinDoze this antique PC is running .. if it is Win9x or even ME, or if it is not fully patched (win2k/XP) then yeah, you could have problems with USB.

I would tell you to look in Event Logs, or device manager, but unless you are running WinXP I'd probably just mis-remember what the answers are suppose to be. I am surprised if it passed a chkdsk scan though, if there are USB related timing problems on the interface.

[bernado]

I have to say my experience of file transfer of all kinds of files using various computers (all USB2) has also been without issue. Hope you get to the bottom of it but nice to see another M5 owner making themselves known. There has been less than 10 posts here in the last 4 months. No doubt coz all M5 owners are happily listening to music - at least most of the time

[Arlecchino]

The system is XP with SP2 and it is frequently updated.

Yup, looks like I have to try another PC. I sure hope it's my USB that's causing the trouble. I definitely don't want to go through the mess of swapping the unit, especially now that I'm not coming back to UK for some time which is where I had my seller.

[bernado]

I noted the ebay reseller does ship europe wide but I guess you better be quick if you think your item is faulty as your gaurantee is with Cowon and not the trader (I know this because I asked him before purchasing). If you can say your product was faulty on arrival then I imagine the trader would have to either replace the unit or refund your money rather than involve Cowon under warranty conditions. He has plenty left and seems to be a very genuine seller so I imagine it would not be a problem.

[Arlecchino]

Worked perfectly fine on my friend's PC. That's excellent, because I don't have to change the unit. I still have to figure out what's causing the conflict on my PC, though. Going back and forth to my friends' places every time I want to add something to my portable collection is going to be a pain.

[GSV3MiaC]

So try another USB cable on your PC, and a different USB port. if you have a virus scanner (especially a NAFF one like Norton) turn it off. Disable all the other startup tasks, just for a trial. Clearly it is PC related .. but that still leaves lots of scope, given how complex PCs are these days.

[Arlecchino]

Turned off the PC security and everything works great. Must have been either Ad-Aware or the Outpost Security Suite that was making all the trouble. Don't see how PeerGuardian2 could have caused this.

So, everything's fine now. "Master of Puppets" is finally on the player along with many other long-awaited tracks, and the M5L is now obeying its master. [biggrin]

Thank you both very much for all the help! [thumbsup]

[bernado]

I'm running Outpost without issue (I find it one of the best in terms of not hogging the processor) so maybe Ad-Aware.
Good call GSV3MiaC

[GSV3MiaC]

Thanks (take a bow). Fwiw for some reason X5 and M5s all show up as 'local disk' (rather than removable) which causes XP (by default) to assign recycle bin on them, set them up for system restore monitoring (pointless, since only .exe type files are protected that way), and flag them for indexing (by the dreaded CISV content indexing service).

All of those waste space (as seen in the recycler, and system volume information folders), CPU time and effort, and may lead to timing conflicts ... best plan is to disable all that nonsense (although as noted elsewhere it doesn't always 'stick' between attachments of the player to the PC .. it may come back in future).