S545 help deciding what to get after issues with other brand players

[keke646]

My computer has issues with mtp players. My os is Windows 7 home premium. I had previously purchased a creative zen mozaic however it wouldn't work or update drivers because mtp usb device couldn't be found after trying several things to resolve that problem I've decided to buy a different mp3 player.

I'm leaning towards the sony nwz-s545, however I don't know if this player will work on my laptop so I was wondering if some of you could tell me. Does this player work as a msc or ums? Will it work on my laptop? Have any of you had problems with mtp devices and have been able to successfully get this player to work and appear in the my computer folder?

[CrowdAds]

[skip252]

Welcome to ABI.

Sonys are MTP players. However they can be used in MSC mode on Windows machines. You'll need to cause the machine you connect it to to see it as an MSC device. It's fairly simple the instructions are here. The change of drivers on the computer doesn't change the player itself but how the computer addresses the player. It sees it as a drive letter not a portable device.

I do this with my NWZ S639. Not out of necessity, my computer sees the player just fine as a MTP device. I just prefer to manage my music files on and off the player with programs that need a drive letter to function. Changing the driver allows that.

The biggest drawback for me is that I haven't found a way to create true playlists in MSC. My player doesn't support .m3u lists and I haven't found a program that will make .pla lists the Sony recognizes from files added in MSC mode.

It's not a big deal as far as I'm concerned. I just create folders named Playlist 1, Playlist 2, Playlist 3... The Sony has both tag and folder browsing. When it builds it's database it sees the tags so If I care to make a playlist from say 80's Jazz I select those in the main screen. If I want to use a "playlist" from the files I placed in "Playlist Folder 3" I just navigate to that folder in the file browser and select that. Not quite as simple as true playlisting but I've become accustomed to it.

You say you've tried a number of solutions to your Windows machine not connecting to MTP devices properly. Is it every MTP device that doesn't work or just the Zen Mozaic? I ask because if it's just the Creative player there's good chance a Sony will connect. I've had mine connected to several machines, some of them fairly old. My home machine sees my player as a drive but all the other Windows machines see it as an MTP device. As long as WMP 11 or better was installed it's hooked up reliably.

My experience with Sony players has been very good. They sound excellent to me and have a nice range of sound enhancements. If you can get one from somewhere with a good return policy I would. The return policy is not because I think you'll be disappointed in the player but as a safeguard against the chance your computer won't connect with it. Once you get hooked up I think you'll really enjoy it.

[meetooman]

Welcome to ABI keke646.

Sony NWZ Walkman series are dual mode MSC/MTP devices. But this is an automatic selection by the OS, not an option on the device configuration menu. On windows you can follow these instructions to tell your OS to manage your Walkman as a disk drive.
I think you can choose a Sony without fear, it could even work well in MTP...

[lestatar]

Welcome as well...

I exclusively use MTP and Winamp under WinXP to manage my Sony E345. Zip problems across the board. Playlists are a snap, song/file management is just as easy. It is nice to be able to choose MSC/drive letter mode on your PC as well.

skip252 said it best and I will only add that IMO, the Sony E remains one of the best value DAPs out there. I only have minor quibbles with my own E345 and still, I am very much eyeing the newest version of the Sony E which adds much better battery life and some more features/sound enhancements. The Sony E sound is very very good and the enhancements sound great and actually work.

Were it not for my Rockboxed Fuze, lack of Sony E uSDHC support, the E would remain my daily player of choice. While mostly I am using my Fuze, around 30-40% of the time I am using the E.

Cannot go wrong with the Sony E IMO.

cheers,
-les

[meetooman]

Originally Posted by skip252

The biggest drawback for me is that I haven't found a way to create true playlists in MSC. My player doesn't support .m3u lists and I haven't found a program that will make .pla lists the Sony recognizes from files added in MSC mode.

Even files added via the MSC connexion can be put inside your MTP playlists. But you must switch to this mode to create them and need a tool to translate the m3u file content into a MTP command. What you see as a .pla file on your player is much more a link than a true file. You can't edit a .pla file, but you can delete the playlist on the device using this "handle".

[keke646]

In regards to skip252's question, I should have been more specific, I honestly don't know if every mtp player has issues on my laptop. I just know that my mozaic did. However my mozaic would run perfectly on my bf's pc running windows xp. I had an RCA Opal m4204 before and that worked fine on here but idk if that is mtp or not.

Just want to say thanks to everyone for all the advice, I appreciate it! It's settled this weekend I will be going to purchase my new sony mp3 player, I will write back and let you all know how it worked out. Thanks again everyone!

[skip252]

Did you know that your MTP drivers are part of Windows Media Player? Reinstalling WMP might just straighten your MTP issues.

Hope it all works so that you can enjoy your tunes without any more problems. Be sure to let us know how it goes.

[lestatar]

Again, to echo skip252....

If you wish to avoid installation of the most recent version of WMP, you can check out MS MTP Porting Kit [Google]. This is the what I use to manage my Sony E on all my WinXP Pro SP2 PCs, that have, at best, WMP9 installed.

Read through the Sony E "requirements" section of the manual. They state that a relatively recent version of WMP is "required". Again, in my case, I have been able to circumvent this issue by installing MTP Porting Kit. But YMMV....

cheers and good luck...indeed, the Sony E, I repeat, is IMO, a superb value that you will enjoy...
-les

[keke646]

It would seem that the very thing preventing me from using mtp devices is the same thing preventing me from not being able to put this player in ums mode.
"USB mass storage device. The system cannot find the file specified" which is the same thing that would happen when I tried updating it as mtp as well.

[stonecaper]

This Is What Happened When I Connected My S545 With W7Ux64

1.Instantly it was detected as a Device
2.W7 Downloaded Somnthing and On the Device page every thing Was Present,Sync option,Explore Option (Even the Pic ).Ridiculously easy

[meetooman]

Bravo stonecaper! I wish it could be the same for everyone.

[rohit3192]

I have Windows 7 and used different players with it like Samsung T9,T10,P2,R0
and Philips Ariaz ,Sansa Clip and never faced any issue. I like Windows 7 so much that never would like to go to Xp.I don't know if your windows is corrupt.
Back to the issue, install the provided software(sometimes it is stored in players root directory) to manage your player well ,it will also provide you option to upgrade firmware for enhanced compatibility.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by stonecaper

This Is What Happened When I Connected My S545 With W7Ux64

1.Instantly it was detected as a Device
2.W7 Downloaded Somnthing and On the Device page every thing Was Present,Sync option,Explore Option (Even the Pic ).Ridiculously easy

It was the same for me with my S545 and E345 with W7Ux64.