HELP! Weird ". _" prefix attached to mp3s - won't play files except over computer!

I ripped some mp3s from CD today and the Fuze refused to place them in alphabetical order, instead placing a weird “. _” prefix in front of the mp3s so they are listed on top of my other files. I’m unable to edit the file names to remove the prefix because it doesn’t appear on the file names when the Fuze is connected. The prefix only appears when the Fuze is disconnected. While that’s irritating enough on its own, the worst part is when I click play while listening via headphones, the files with this prefix refuse to play. Yet, when I connect the Fuze to my computer and doubleclick the tracks from the Fuze file folder, they play fine. The mp3s are 192kbps so they are within the range the Fuze can play.

Does anyone know what this problem is and how to fix it? 

EDIT:  I am using a Mac (although I do have a PC but it’s on its last legs and I hate using it). I also have the latest Firmware update.

Message Edited by jimduggins on 08-12-2009 03:38 PM

Message Edited by jimduggins on 08-12-2009 04:01 PM

Message Edited by jimduggins on 08-12-2009 05:57 PM

Message Edited by jimduggins on 08-12-2009 05:58 PM

Haven’t encountered this yet. If you have backup copies on your computer, try formatting the Sansa Fuze, reload your songs and test it again.

Firmware update might help as well. 

Are you using a Mac? It sounds like you are trying to play navigation files. Format, update the firmware and reload.

This is what happens when CDs are ripped for Mac OSX (and maybe other Apple operating systems, I don’t know). It rips the mp3 files and also creates files with the same name and the _ prefix  that are tiny–just a few kb, possibly 0. No wonder they can’t play–there’s no music in them.  They may even show up in a folder called MACOSX.

I don’t know how Mac does things, but perhaps they are index listings that lead to the actual music file when you click them on a Mac. 

You should also have full-sized copies of the songs somewhere, separately. You can just delete the _* files from the Sansa. 

When OSX writes to a non-native file system (not HFS), that does not support resource forks, it writes extended info such as finder information into ._file.  The file is hidden in finder so you will need to use a windows machine to delete it.

The “. _” file sizes are around 41 mb (which is about right for 30 minute tracks at that bit rate). There is no MacOSX folder I can find. I deleted the files and tried to put them on again with the same result.

Could somebody could tell me how to rip CDs on a Mac to avoid this problem?

Message Edited by jimduggins on 08-12-2009 06:08 PM

I have no idea what you mean. None of the mp3 files I added via my Mac show up when I look at the Fuze on my PC (and vice versa). This includes both the ones that work fine (that I didn’t rip personally) and the “. _” ones I tried today.

This may help:

Mp3 on Macintosh

@jimduggins wrote:
I have no idea what you mean. None of the mp3 files I added via my Mac show up when I look at the Fuze on my PC (and vice versa). This includes both the ones that work fine (that I didn’t rip personally) and the “. _” ones I tried today.

Ok The issue here is that your mac has to read the Fuze in MSC usb connection mode, but your PC will read it in MTP. If you go to the Settings on the Fuze then go to System Settings, then USB mode, and choose MSC it will connect the same way on both systems. Using it this way will solve the problem of some files showing on the Mac and some on the PC. 

Thanks everybody and especially Tapeworm! That link you suggested did the trick.

ConversionBox: I swear I had the Fuze set to MSC (with no files of Pc origin appearaing on my Mac), but today for some reason I switched it to “Auto-Detect”. Will go back to MSC. 

You should just avoid the auto-detect setting completely (it causes nothing but headaches), and only use MTP if you must (DRM’d tracks have to be transferred in MTP mode for the licenses to be transferred too).

Thanks, gwk1967. You’d think “auto-detect” would be the right choice when switching back and forth between PCs and Macs, but apparently, it’s pretty much useless. So why include it as an option?

Anyway, per my other help thread question’s solution, I deleted everything I had added to my Fuze on my PC while in MTP mode and then re-added the files in MSC mode. Now I can see all my PC-added and Mac-added files at the same time on both my Mac and PC. Nice! 

BTW, I read that the “. _” error is also known as “-50” iTunes error. All the CDs I was ripping were “old” and had no IDtags so that was screwing iTunes up according to the solution. Just thought I’d mention the “-50” error in case someone is searching the forum for that instead of the “. _” error.