Folder Names changed on Clip Display???

Im really happy with the SansaClip+, but theres one thing that really pisses me off:

Some folder names are changed when shown on the devices display. There seems to be a hidden name for some folders in the system, because when I change a folders name, or create a new one and change its name from “new folder” to “folder XY” the clip still displays it as “new folder”.

The folders are even displayed with there correct names, when I look at the device per Windows explorer, but on the clip display its still the same.

I really dont get it…and sandisk support just doesnt answer.

Example

Folder in Windows: “1998 - Album Title”

Folder on Clip display: “00000059_1998 - Album Title”

Folder in Windows: “New Folder” >changed to “KYUSS”

Folder on Display: “New Folder”

Hope anyone can help. I think this crys for a firmware update…

It looks like your Clip+ is in MTP, or “Media Transfer Protocol” mode.  For some reason, which I’m sure someone else here more knowledgeable can expound on, in this mode, characters are added to folder names.

 

You can switch your Clip+ to MSC, or “Mass Storage Class,” mode, under “Settings” => “System Settings” => “USB Mode” => “MSC.”  After which, when you connect your Clip+ to your computer, it and your microSD card will both appear as normal flash drives, each with their own letter.

Do note, if you change USB modes, your computer will only see what had been transferred to the Clip in the mode that the computer is then connected to your Clip under.  Hence, a good reason to consistently use only one of the USB modes (and to avoid Auto, which can switch between modes). 

If you’re changing USB modes now and already have music on your Clip, transfer the music to your computer; disconnect the Clip and change USB modes (and reformat under the Clip’s settings if you didn’t delete your music earlier); and then transfer your music back to the Clip.  Viola!

Knew I forgot something.  Thanks, Miikerman!

Ah, yes, changing the device into MTP mode was one of my first ideas. I just didnt do it, because I think this is just avoidance and not a solution.

BUT, I think I will do it that way. Ill tell you if it worked as soon as I had the time to reorganize the clip!

What exactly is the difference between the two modes, except the way it is displayed in windows??? And why arent MTP and MSC folders usable/visible in both modes?

(excuse possible grammar mistakes, Im not a native english speaker ;) 

Message Edited by Magic_Peat on 07-08-2010 10:06 AM

Message Edited by Magic_Peat on 07-08-2010 10:07 AM

Magic_Peat wrote:

 

What exactly is the difference between the two modes, except the way it is displayed in windows??? And why arent MTP and MSC folders usable/visible in both modes?

 

Message Edited by Magic_Peat on 07-08-2010 10:07 AM

Only SanDisk knows…other players that offer both modes don’t behave the same way.

Performance-wise, MTP mode is needed for DRM-protected files.  Also, in MTP mode, some extra info. (such as battery charge level) displays in a Win7 screen when you connect up. 

That said, I still prefer MSC mode, for its well-functioning manner.

In MTP mode, the extra characters added to the filenames are used in the parsing process of the database refresh.  This speeds up the refresh time, as the Sansa has its own “notes” on the files.

If you are using MTP mode, you’ll note the difference in refresh time can be surprising.  The downside, I’ve seen, is that the logic behind which files get the wee addended character string is elusive.  When first browsing the device memory from the PC, I thought that perhaps my coffee was a little too strong!

MTP mode is a necessity for secure media (DRM).  In this mode, the Sansa is seen as a media device rather than just a flash drive; the assumption is that a media manager application or client is controlling the read / write from the PC, which will ignore the added data on display.

Though you can control the transfers yourself via Windows Explorer, for example, those added characters can make for a real adventure at times.  As MTP is a virtual “layer” on top of MSC, these occasional complexities can make one go “crosseyed” figuring out that “missing” occasional file.

The tradeoff in using MTP is that the database refresh only occurs when files are actually transferred in the last communication session, so you can plug / unplug and go right back to listening after a recharge, opposed to MSC, where one must wait for the refresh.  MSC is nice if you are managing transfers via cut / paste or drag / drop (depending upon your preference when Mouseketeering those files about).  (Who remembers the days if pip or removing the rubber bands from a card stack or TTY roll?)

002F_86EE Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

OKAY, so I switched the whole thing to MSC today and it worked. Thank you!

This doesn’t solve the problem when using the external uSD card though. I’ve find the solution for this problem.

We want to use MTP mode because this is the only mode that allows drag and drop to the external uSD card in the Sansa. In MSP mode the Sansa appears as mapped drive in Windows explorer, but the external uSD card does not show up.

I found the problem by looking at the folders that it had corrupted the folder name for. I noticed that it only seemed to be th elonger ones. After a few experiments I have found that the maximum folder name length is 28 characters. If it is any longer than this then the Sansa will prefix the name with an 8 digit hexadecimal string followed by a hyphen followed by the next few characters of the folder name.

The problem only happens when dragging folders onto the external uSD card, not for the internal FLASH of the Sansa.

I tried renaming the folders to shorter names on the Sansa drive in-situ (via Windows Explorer) but that didn’t work.

First you must delete all the folders that this has happened to on the Sansa. Next rename these folders on your Windows PC so they have a maximum of 28 characters. I chopped off the end and placed a ‘-’ at the end to indicate they had been shortened.

For example, a folder called “Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy” was renamed to “Jesus & Mary Chain - Psycho-”

Next drag these shorter folders over to the “external uSD card” folder of the Sansa. Note that the “corruption” of the folder names doesn’t occur when the folders are dragged over, but when the Sansa does the “Refreshing your media” process when you disconnect it. Luckily the filenames within folders are not affected.

That should solve your problem!

I don’t know if this is a bug in the Sansa, or a consequence of MTP mode. I suspect the former since dragging to the internal memory works fine, and the corruption only occurs AFTER the dragging operation.

Good luck!

On my computer, with Windows 7, setting to MSC indeed fixes the issue, and the microSD card indeed shows up as a separate drive.  And I believe it should on Windows Vista and XP as well (although you seem to be having a different experience).

@miikerman wrote:

On my computer, with Windows 7, setting to MSC indeed fixes the issue, and the microSD card indeed shows up as a separate drive.  And I believe it should on Windows Vista and XP as well (although you seem to be having a different experience).

Thae card shows up as a separate drive for me both on this 64-bit Windows 7 system, and my old 32-bit XP system.

@neutron_bob wrote:

 

The tradeoff in using MTP is that the database refresh only occurs when files are actually transferred in the last communication session, so you can plug / unplug and go right back to listening after a recharge, opposed to MSC, where one must wait for the refresh.

 

 

I haven’t found this to be true.  I find that there is no “Media Refresh” under MSC if I don’t change anything while the Clip+ is connected to the computer.

I also find that Media Refresh is at least as fast under MSC as it was under MTP.  MSC does demand 90 MB free, though.

There’s another advantage to MSC: since the computer sees it as just flash memory, you can edit mp3 tags on the Clip+.  Under MTP, you have to edit them on the computer and then re-copy them to the Clip+.

Hello, I have just received a clip+ from my gandchildren and I don’t understand much of what you smart people are talking about. I just listen to audiobooks but when I transfer them from audio overdrive I creat a folder name such as the series title then make sub folders for each book in the series so I can read them in order. However the folder names dont show up as I have labeled them on the clip or even when I go back to the computer, they are changed back to new folder or some number. I don’t understand how to switch things around  without loosing my books, which I borrowed from a friend in Florida and don’t have ready access to. Is there someone who can help an old lady please?:cry:

The name problem is just for the books on the little card they gave me that fits in the side. I read what someone said earlier and all the file names are less than 28 characters long.

A few possible issues.

1.  USB connection mode (the communication system the Clip uses to connect to your computer).  Set under the System Settings option on your Clip+ (under “USB mode”), there are 2 different connection modes:  “MSC” and “MTP” (plus Auto, which will try to use MTP mode and then fall back to MSC, if MTP mode is not working out).  When set to MTP, the Clip’s file and folder names sometimes will be changed, including to numbers. 

A solution for this:  set USB mode to MSC, which can tend to work more problem-free.  Note that if you use DRM’ed files (that is, files protected from copying by a digital rights management software scheme, such as with music from music subscription services and some audiobooks from libraries), you need to use MTP mode.

2.  ID3 tags.  Under the Clip’s database listings (such as for album, artist, and track) generally used to select a file to play and to display file information on-screen, the Clip uses information embedded into music and book/podcast files to identify aspects of the files–e.g. information as to album/book name, author, track name, genre, and year.  This information is called ID3 tags.  If the files do not have the ID3 tag information filled in or you don’t add/edit the nformation, the Clip will not be able to display the media for you to select (the files will be listed as “unknown” in the Clip’s database categories).

The solution:  you can add/edit the ID3 tags for the files with an ID3 tag editor such as MP3Tag (Internet freeware:  http://www.mp3tag.de/en/)..)  Although a bit intimidating at first, it is very easy to add and edit the information.  You also can add/edit the tags under Windows, by right-clicking on the file(s) and selecting the Properties entry to locate an ID3 tag edit screen (in different locations depending on your Windows version–with Windows 7, it’s under the Details tab).  The your Clip will display this corrected information, for you to select the files by and to display the information when you play the files.

Some exceptions to the need for ID3 tags: 

–  If a file does not have ID3 tags added in, the Clip will display the file names and folder names for the file, if the file is stored under the Podcasts or Audiobooks folders on the Clip.  The same if a file is stored elsewhere on the Clip but the genre ID3 tag for the file is set to Audiobook or Podcast.

–  For the Clip+ (and not the original Clip), there is a separate Folder listing at the bottom of the Music listing, which lets you select music by folder and file name just like on your computer, rather than by using the ID3 tags.

I hope this helps–it’s easy to use, once you understand the system and get used to it.  Really!

A few possible issues.

  1. USB connection mode (the communication system the Clip uses to connect to your computer). Set under the System Settings option on your Clip+ (under “USB mode”), there are 2 different connection modes: “MSC” and “MTP” (plus Auto, which will try to use MTP mode and then fall back to MSC, if MTP mode is not working out). When set to MTP, the Clip’s file and folder names sometimes will be changed, including to numbers.

A solution for this: set USB mode to MSC, which can tend to work more problem-free. Note that if you use DRM’ed files (that is, files protected from copying by a digital rights management software scheme, such as with music from music subscription services and some audiobooks from libraries), you need to use MTP mode.

  1. ID3 tags. Under the Clip’s database listings (such as for album, artist, and track) generally used to select a file to play and to display file information on-screen, the Clip uses information embedded into music and book/podcast files to identify aspects of the files–e.g. information as to album/book name, author, track name, genre, and year. This information is called ID3 tags. If the files do not have the ID3 tag information filled in or you don’t add/edit the nformation, the Clip will not be able to display the media for you to select (the files will be listed as “unknown” in the Clip’s database categories).

The solution: you can add/edit the ID3 tags for the files with an ID3 tag editor such as MP3Tag (Internet freeware: http://www.mp3tag.de/en/)..)Although a bit intimidating at first, it is very easy to add and edit the information. You also can add/edit the tags under Windows, by right-clicking on the file(s) and selecting the Properties entry to locate an ID3 tag edit screen (in different locations depending on your Windows version–with Windows 7, it’s under the Details tab). Then your Clip will display this corrected information, for you to select the files by and to display the information when you play the files.

Some exceptions to the need for ID3 tags:

– If a file does not have ID3 tags added in, the Clip will display the file names and folder names for the file, if the file is stored under the Podcasts or Audiobooks folders on the Clip. The same if a file is stored elsewhere on the Clip but the genre ID3 tag for the file is set to Audiobook or Podcast.

– For the Clip+ (and not the original Clip), there is a separate Folder listing at the bottom of the Music listing, which lets you select music by folder and file name just like on your computer, rather than by using the ID3 tags.

I hope this helps–it’s easy to use, once you understand the system and get used to it. Really!