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General discussion

Temporary Sticky. Formatting your MP3 player.

Mar 25, 2007 2:03AM PDT

Given the number of posts asking about formatting a MP3 player I thought I'd share some advice.

1. Don't do it.
2. Some models shrink in MB when you do that. Hint? They are units that you read about in this article -> http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7595_102-0.html?forumID=71&threadID=159124&start=30

Let me be blunt. If you have some flea market, _Bay unit that does this please go get your money back. The boards are flooded with people asking for help to get the memory back. This will never happen since the memory wasn't there to begin with.

3. READ THE MANUAL.
After fixing more than a few I've come down to simple problems such as not checking the manual. For instance in one mode you must have the folder Media and the other mode the files go in the top folder. Save others from your questions and check that manual.

4. Does my MP3 Player work with iTunes? (It's not from Apple.)
No. For now and today this question has a short and clear answer. I'll remove this post and answer if this changes.

Hope this helps you avoid some pain,
Bob

Discussion is locked

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Update. Syncing non-iPods with iTunes (SyncTunes)
May 20, 2007 1:25AM PDT
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The MP4 PLAYER SCAM.
Dec 23, 2007 10:19PM PST

THE MP4 PLAYER SCAM.

These are those 4 and other GB players that people buy and then are told to install firmware to fix it.

Sorry but that post escapes me so I'm opening the forum sticky for member contributions about this issue.

I'll leave it open from now till late Saturday or maybe longer. To be fair I'll leave the best posts about this in the sticky and then close it again.

->> This is YOUR FORUM. If you have a burning desire to add to the forum sticky or feel like it's time for a great forum sticky just contact me through the forum (click on my profile.)

Bob

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About formatting yer MP3 player
Jan 6, 2008 4:35AM PST

Mine is a flash drive unit.. several computer wizards told me to 'definitely' format it when I had a problem. I did, & not only did it fix the problem, it increased the amount of space on the unit slightly.
My question then is, is this a function of whether the unit is a flash drive unit or an HD one? These guys all work for major entities as computer gurus, and I note they all asked first, "what kind of unit is it - flash drive or HD?"
I'd like your opinion / perspective on this, thanks. I'm definitely not a computer wizard. I use 'em & fuddle thru from A to B with considerable success, so no sarcasm, thanks.

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Frankly?
Jan 6, 2008 4:48AM PST

You were lucky. There are boatloads of scam units on the market (some _BAY thing.)

Count yourself lucky and keep using it.

Bob

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I believe your right
Dec 17, 2008 2:49PM PST

I have 2 FLash players and have formatted them both several times and have found the memory has increased slightly. Then I tried a recovery tool from one's OEM and found the memory went back to original. The difference was a proprietary file that was installed that made the unit perform a bit better when loading files.

So, I agree with you, it must be a flash vs HDD issue and also with the DON'T DO IT lobby.

My 2

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dont do it...
Feb 6, 2008 4:59AM PST

yeah i agree...ive seen and heard too many stories about mp3 players getting messed up when being formatted. im not quite sure why people cant just use the mp3 players the way they are made. most players come with so many different features but yet people just aren't satisfied.

Message was edited by: admin to remove site promotion in post signature which is prohibited in these forums. Thanks! -Lee Koo CNET Community

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Great post
Feb 9, 2008 10:59PM PST
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To winstoncai, I deleted your post.
Apr 28, 2008 8:16PM PDT

Sorry, no advertising in these forums, it contravenes Forum Policy.

That's why I deleted your post.

Mark

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rca pearl th1102 only shuffles a small portion of songs
Mar 16, 2009 3:57PM PDT

I have a rca pearl and in shuffle mode it only plays 30 to 40 songs over and over leaving out 300+ songs. Is there any thing I can do about this. I have the latest firm ware.
Thanks...

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Locked!
Mar 16, 2009 11:11PM PDT

Please post this in the forum. Not here where the topic is about NOT FORMATTING your player.

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Chinese Ipod
Apr 23, 2011 6:30AM PDT

I got one of these on Ebay over a year ago the thing does not work and the company that sold it to me no longer a member. It is stuck in the hour glass mode. Does anyone know if there is a fix for this or is it trash.