Media Interface and USB

[matt444uk]

Just taken delivery of a 2009 W204 with Comand. The media inteface works well with my iPhone 3GS, but not with USB. With a few albums loaded onto USB it works OK, but load it up with a few more and it fails. The 16GB USB memory stick lights up to show its working, but an error message appears on the Comand screen. This happens with only 10 or so albums, so I can't have reached any limits surely?

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[c43]

Probably doesn't help but I use a 16gb (about half full) stick and get no issues. I would say there are around 15 albums and about 500 tracks...what sort of message is coming up? I assume your PC (or Mac) can play/read the tracks ok?

 

[matt444uk]

Hi C43, yes it does help, because if yours is working, mine should. Error message is 'device not compatible'. Loaded 3 albums and it works with Comand. Loaded 3 more, checked them on my laptop and all is OK. Connect to Comand and get the error message. Put the USB back into the laptop and some files are now missing!. Comand can't be writing to the stick so I assume the stick is a bit dodgy?

 

[st13phil]

...Put the USB back into the laptop and some files are now missing!. Comand can't be writing to the stick so I assume the stick is a bit dodgy?

Sounds like the USB stick is dodgy, that is unless you failed to stop it properly after copying the second batch of albums and before disconnecting it from your laptop?

 

[c43]

Sounds like the USB stick is dodgy, that is unless you failed to stop it properly after copying the second batch of albums and before disconnecting it from your laptop?

Does sound like potentially the USB stick was still being written to when removed, especially as the PC no longer sees them after a reinsertion....is this 2000/XP/Vista/7? That or the stick is a bit unwell....

 

[matt444uk]

Hi c43 and st13phil

I'm running Vista and I'm not sure that the stick is properly closed, so I will try 'ejecting' in before I remove it. I'll also do a full format before trying again. I should confess that the stick cost me less than a dollar from Hong Kong - guess you get what you pay for. Looks like I'll fork out £30 for a decent one. Is there a limit to the size/number of files that can be supported by the media interface?

 

[c43]

Does sound like a case of you get what you pay for. Not a clue on the max amount of tracks - the reason I went from an 8gb to a 16gb was for more space - not hit an issue yet.

 

[matt444uk]

Hi c43,

Would you mind telling me exactly how much space you've used on your 16gb drive? It seems that when I copy a few albums to the stick it is OK but when I copy lots, it doesn't hold them all, even though it's stopped writing.

 

[c43]

Hi c43,

Would you mind telling me exactly how much space you've used on your 16gb drive? It seems that when I copy a few albums to the stick it is OK but when I copy lots, it doesn't hold them all, even though it's stopped writing.

1348 files (tracks) in 35 folders according to Windows. 7.47GB in total.

 

[npuk]

Hi c43,

Would you mind telling me exactly how much space you've used on your 16gb drive? It seems that when I copy a few albums to the stick it is OK but when I copy lots, it doesn't hold them all, even though it's stopped writing.

You may have a fake USB pendrive. Did you get it from ebay? It is the higher capacity drives and memory cards that are most often fakes.

What happens with these fake drives is they are programmed to show a fake larger capacity. When they reach their real capacity they overwrite the existing data.

e.g. say you have fake pen drive that says is it a 4gb but its real capacity is 2gb. You copy 3gb of music to it, once it has copied 2gb over it will continue copying and will overwrite the first 1gb. It wont show an error and it will look as if all 3gb copied over to the drive.

There is software to test the drive to check the true capacity. Google 'h2testw 1.4' or 'check flash' both are free.

 

[matt444uk]

Thanks all.

After deep formatting the drive (which took a lifetime) and slowly installing an album at a time, I reached the limit at about 3.5gb. Having spent far too long on this problem I shelled out £40 on a quality memory stick and the problem is now solved - 3,500 songs to choose from all in the right folders. Only problem now is I've realised I've got a questionable taste in music.....