MP3's protected from being put on MP3 player?
 

Wasn't sure if this belonged here or in tech talk, but I'm having a problem with some MP3 tracks that I ripped from a CD. When I try to transfer them, my MP3 player says they do not exist in that location. But I know they do, I can play them on my computer with winamp. Is this some kind of copy protection? I don't understand why I could put them on my computer and yet not transfer them to the MP3 player. Any ideas? I've never run across this before. The CD in question is Josh Groban's "Closer".

Please allow a Luddite like myself to chortle snarkily to himself.

<--- chortles.

This is actually one of the few discs I own I haven't put on my player. I have it because I gave it to my grandmother as a Christmas gift a couple years ago, then she passed away a few months later, so I took it back to remind me of the kind of music she liked.

Anyway...

In light of your problem, I went ahead and tried it myself. No problems. Ripped fine, then transferred to my player fine. It might help to know what kind of stuff you're using. My player is a Creative 40GB Nomad Zen Xtra, and I used the Creative software that came with it to rip, then transfer to the player. Pretty simple.

It might have something to do with the fact that "Closer" is an enhanced CD. I had a problem with a couple other enhanced discs I have. I used to use EasyMP3 to rip discs, and it worked ok with regular discs, and still does, but it couldn't seem to grasp enhanced CD's. Creative's software seems to get around all that stuff with no problem.

So, what are you using?

First, if the files really are MP3, then there is no DRM issue because MP3s cannot be protected.

Second, you stated that the error message is that the files are not in the selected location. That appears to indicate that you're not indicating the right path for the files. Maybe do a file search and double check to see where the files are located.

I have a Rio Carbon 5GB player, I use the software it came with to rip tracks, its called RealPlayer. I used to use cdex, but that would cut the beginnings off of songs, so if there is some other software out there I should try, maybe it will work.

Well, the program that transfers songs to my player scans the HD and brings up the songs, and I checked that it is the right location.

Real Player may be the included software, but it is not an exclusive program to Creative, and it can rip in many different file formats... some of which may not be compatible with your player. I would go find the files manually (through My Computer or Windows Explorer) and make sure Real is ripping them as MP3s and not Real Audio files or something else.

Either way, Real IS capable of ripping into MP3s, so it is probably just a matter of changing some settings around.

Man, that's odd. I have an older RIO (forget which model), but the software it came with wasn't RealPlayer, it was Rio's Music Manager - and I never had a problem ripping CD's and then transfering them to the player. You might also want to check with Rio's online help center, to see if you can find some answers there. It may also be a matter of updating your firmware or drivers - something that is also free via RIO's website - and which you should be able to link to when your player is connected to your computer.

It was a pretty decent little player, too - but I gave it to my wife when I decided that 1.5 GB just wasn't enough space for me anymore. I then graduated to the same player as The_Infidel has - and quite enjoy it, too.

I think Rio has been suffering with the iPod and Creative players competing against them. Their original RiO was revolutionary but even it was not all that great of a player. I think once they got some real competition, that was it...