Folder layout for music on usb

[Cyker]

Hey guys, try this one; Had success with it with my xcarlink...

http://cyker.net/Public/CopyInOrder.zip

(As with all exe's, check it for viruses before running it!)

 

[Wayne2015]

Check it for viruses???? Eeeek! 

[Cyker]

It's just good practice; The Internet is a giant cesspool of crap and it's always a good idea to check exe files that random people post before running them!

(That said, it shouldn't have any viruses as I only uploaded it an hour ago )
 

[Wayne2015]

cool

downloaded now - hopefully my anti-virus/malware is working :)

Will test tomorrow ...

[Wayne2015]

Here goes...fingers crossed!

 

[Wayne2015]

OK

Before I nip out to see if CopyInOrder works I noticed the following:

1. Whereas all the previous attempts where either me (a) trying to edit filenames, titles, track no on the USB stick (b) sort in FAT storage on USB stick...

CopyInOrder forces me to recreate all MP3s(and subfolder) in a new folder 

2. This meant I wiped out my USB stick and start from scratch

3. I noticed the new MP3s have nothing changed in tag properties:

Original

 

CopyInOrder

 

 

According to DOS

The creation dates not changed???

Original

 

CopyInOrder

 

 

DOS order looks same as before (order correctly alphanumerical) but still play in random

 

 

Strange that the WINDOWS does show NEW creation dates

This is the first song and earliest creation date :)

 

This is the song that used to play at no.3 in my previous attempt (now with a later creation date) - might not mean anything as before it did NOT play in order of creation date :( :( :(

[Wayne2015]

As I mentioned before, my only working solution seems to be copying each MP3 manually in the order I want to play/view

 

If CopyInOrder has done that for me automatically - then it should work :)

 

DOS order was a red herring - well for my stereo anyway. The WINDOWS mp3 creation date was better to judge by ...for my stereo only

 

Fingers crossed that each MP3 I wanted in a particular order is re-created by CopyInOrder in that order and essentially for my stereo the solution maybe:

1. To name MP3s (Song, Artist, Album) - then use MP3tag

2. To order the MP3s - use CopyInOrder

 

 

Moment of truth coming next!....

[Wayne2015]

 

 

[Wayne2015]

Right

Want to check that copying MP3s individually can order it..

 

My stereo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sample files:

1. Copy original files one by one (prefix by numbers)

2. Order same files (with numbers removed) and ordered by CopyInOrder

[Wayne2015]

er.....

 

 

As someone mentioned, maybe the NUMBER prefixes does have a bearing on it

Even though I manually ordered by certain MP3s (and removed number prefixes in the filename) - the MP3 Title also needs to remove number prefixes....

[Wayne2015]

Sample ordering WORKED!!! 

 

NOW, for the full monty!

[Wayne2015]

OK

It 'seems' for my stereo that my original method worked all along (for now):

1. Right mouse click PROPERTIES of MP3 file in windows

2. Go to DETAILS tab

3. Edit the following:

 - CONTRIBUTING ARTIST

 - TITLE

 - ALBUM

4. Just use WINDOWS to copy and paste to USB stick

 

My ordering ONLY works because I prefix the TITLE with a number.

Having said that my ordering initially didn't work coz I started with a LEADING ZERO (like 01). 

With no leading zeros, all my numbering are correctly displayed AND ordered on my car Stereo 

 

But certainly using MP3tag makes naming MP3 much easier 

 

 

Great thread this

Thanks all for help

And hope everyone else found their own solution too 

[Wayne2015]

 

 

 

 

[Wayne2015]

Forget what I said!

It's not worked! 

 

Last time copied 66 MP3s it worked

So deleted it all.

Copied everything back on USB (66 MP3s + all subfolder) and now even the 66 MP3s are random..

 

Give up (again)!

[Wayne2015]

There is just no logic to my stereo..

Stuck same USB to a friend's Maxda 5, and it S ordered correctly! 

 

 

My cars stereo : Order of MP3s within one album (20 is out of sync)..

 

 

But order of MP3s for all files (including sub folders) the "20" mp3 is in the correct order (as are all the mp3 S)????...

 

My main folder are out of sync (the 66 mp3 S that worked before, but not now)..

 

 

 

 

I think rather wasting time trying to do the lot in one go...I may just copy folder by folder...also to ensure all MP3 S has unique number prefixes....

[Cyker]

Sir, may I commend you for going above and beyond the call of duty, sanity and sheer !Removed!-mindedness in attempting to bring a world of sorted MP3 folders to Touch2 users everywhere.



I shall now kudos all your posts as a mark of respect.



 

 

[Wayne2015]

Thanks bud 

 

It benefits me the most! 

But then again, tis what forums are for - to help each other 

 

I am pre-booking the local mental asylum just in case though...

[Wayne2015]

Right

So many ups and downs, 

Hopefully this is it!

...maybe 

 

OK

I have named all the MP3 TITLES uniquely

All 400+ of them (and 200 of them belong to my kids! !)

 

If my stereo is purely only reads the TITLE to order by, then there is no confusion in the TITLE now (fingers crossed - again!)

 

I have use MP3tag (thanks to a members recommendation on this thread ) to named the TITLEs. And ordered by TITLE within MP3tag to check they are correct

 

 

 

Next I copied all MP3s from the main folder first - to the USB

Then copied each folder one by one.

The copy to USB was in this order (hoping the creation date is not important, but the TITLE is, as my preferred "1101" was created AFTER "1106" ):

 

 

WINDOWS confirmed "1106" is created before "1101" on USB.

If tomorrow S test in my car list "1101" BEFORE "1106" then it should proof my stereo does not recognise order of CREATION DATE, but order of TITLE names (BUT then I had so many false solutions/red herring already, haven't I???)

 

 

A final check with MP3tag to confirm the USB TITLES are ordered correctly ):

 

 

 

 

Let's see tomorrow, if:

1. Is my stereo order USB MP3s by CREATION DATE?

2. MP3 TITLES?

3. or it's just orders erratically AND differently each time u copied to USB???

 

 

 

PS: I dare not play with MP3s on CDs in my car too - eeek!

 

PPS: it's just me isn't it? I thought I read others on this thread has found their own solution to ordering MP3 S on USB???

[Wayne2015]

 

 

 

Neither my 1st MP3 I ordered,

Nor the 1st MP3 copied to USB...

Are listed first???!!!

 

 

 

 

 

I can't think of any explanation, 

Apart from that my stereo just orders MP3 randomly and INCONSISTENLY ....

[Wayne2015]

Found on ToyotaNation, sounds the most plausible explanation so far...

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/152-venza-forum/503130-has-anybody-figured-out-usb-sitck-file-structure.html#/forumsite/20543/topics/503130?page=1

 

• Has anybody figured out the USB sitck file structure??

  Ok this is driving me crazy! I have loaded up a USB stickwith a bunch of cd's each in it's own folder. what I am trying to figure out is how to get the radio to play the songs in each folder in CD track order. IE in a folder play track 1 then 2 then 3 etc etc just as you would expect. Instead it seems to have an order of it's own that i can't seem to figure out. I have tried numbering the song by title, tried adding A.B.C.D in the title. tried doing the same things by file name. tried editing the metadata...no luck... The ODD thing is that SOME folders will play the songs perfectly in order. and I cant find a correlation between the folders that work an the ones that don't? The folders that play out of order. always play in the same out of order fashion. for example if it plays tracks 5-3-7-9 it will always play those tracks in that same out of order fashion. But i have no idea why?? Maddening!

   

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•  

  dragonflower77

   

  Apr 12, 2013 - #2

   

  Hi, Naming the files in alphabetical order will not help since car audio players read the files off the USB stick in its raw format file name from the order that they were allocated to the sectors of the USB stick. On a computer, the OS has a database and sorts the file in alphabetical order for you. If you selected and copy a folder with multiple files over to the USB drive, those files will be randomly written and allocated to sectors that are free on the USB key, so it doesn't mean the first file you see in folder on your computer will be the first one written to your USB key and read by the car audio player. The files that play perfectly in order could have all been allocated to a sector on your USB stick that had room. If you delete one file and still leave all the other files on the key, then, there's a free space in that sector and the next time you copy a file over, it may be allocated to that spot, so the player won't necessarily read it as the last file the USB stick. The only way for you to listen to the music in the order that you want it to be, would be to format your USB key, create a folder and copy one file at a time over to the USB key, which can be tedious. So basically, copy one file at a time. That's the way I do it when I really want mycar audio player to play the music in the order I want. I'm not sure if the player supports playlist as I've never bothered creating one. That could be your other option to have the music play in the order you want. I think there are some software out there that will let you see the order the raw files are written to the USB stickand reorder them to your liking, but I have not had any success with them.

[Wayne2015]

Right

Will give the following a go (sigh):

1. Format USB then copy

2...playlist

[Wayne2015]

Good news! 

But I am HOLDING my breath until more thorough testing...but for now:

 

1. Experiment (1): Playlist

 

 

 

BEFORE it was random:

 

Now, with playlist it's in CORRECT order (and I not changed the USB apart from adding the CarUSB.m3u playlist file! )

 

 

 

 

Will need to sample test the sun-folders too (as not going to do the FULL 400+ mp3 files test again - eeeek! )

 

 

 

WATCH THIS SPACE!

 

[Wayne2015]

2. Experiment (2). Format USB

 - thought about it, then think too much effort to copy each MP3 individually....LEAVE

 

 

 

3. Experiment (3). RoboCopy

https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,79667.0.html

 

This was promising! It sounds like the IDEAL solution. But after some tests - results were some sub-folders were ordering MP3s correctly, but some weren't ....LEAVE!

[Wayne2015]

Which leaves my best solution (ONLY for my stereo) is...

The PLAYLIST! 

 

Back to more tests - now with subfolders ...

 

 

Works perfectly fine :)

 

 

 

 

Will have to (sigh) to create a FULL playlist of the 400+ MP3s I got - eek! 

Will finally prove it works consistently! 

 

Think I will create a playlist per folder/album...

[Wayne2015]

Right

After a think, I think I might give RoboCopy another go (as I didn't format the USB prior)

 

But will also continue to do one full test on Playlist (as backup if it's the only solution for me...)