The code was rewritten so that it will simply skip files that aren't valid MP3 files. This is to prevent certain "bad" files from locking up the unit (as they have done in the past). Perhaps this new code is too stringent, and it is interpreting a file with minor frame troubles as being fully bad.

Do you have copies of at least some of these files on the PC? If so, there are some things you can check on them.

1) Do they have ID3V2 tags in them? Some player software won't support ID3V2, interpreting those frames as invalid.

2) Open the files in MP3Trim (click to get the software if you don't already have it) and look at the various properties under the "Advanced Info" button. Does it show any frame errors or truncated frames?

If you can find out exactly what it is about the files that's causing the player to choke on them, perhaps you can feed that information to Empeg. Maybe even send them a copy of one of the offending files (for diagnosis purposes only, of course).

Another possibility is that you could be having hardware troubles with the Empeg hard disk. Empeg folks, can you give tips on diagnosing hard disk problems on the unit?

Tony Fabris
Empeg #144