Trouble copying files to SanDisk m230

Beef · External Since: Nov 07, 2005 Posts: 31

This is a 512MB MP3/WMA player recently bought at Radio Shack.

I have been ripping my CDs at 48kbps, and copying the MP3 files to the
device.

Linux reports that there is still space on the device, yet complains
"device full" when I try to copy another file:

df -h /mnt/TELECHIPS/
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sdb1 493M 350M 144M 71% /mnt/TELECHIPS

cp ./01_Assassine_album.mp3 /mnt/TELECHIPS/

cp: cannot create regular file `/mnt/TELECHIPS/01_Assassine_album.mp3': No
space left on device

Any ideas whqat I can do to find out why, and rememdy this?

Beef.

Robert M. Riches Jr. · External Since: Apr 19, 2004 Posts: 1289

On 2006-04-23, Beef <beef DeleteThis @no_SPAM_here.zz> wrote:
> This is a 512MB MP3/WMA player recently bought at Radio Shack.
>
> I have been ripping my CDs at 48kbps, and copying the MP3 files to the
> device.
>
> Linux reports that there is still space on the device, yet complains
> "device full" when I try to copy another file:
>
> df -h /mnt/TELECHIPS/
> Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
> /dev/sdb1 493M 350M 144M 71% /mnt/TELECHIPS
>
> cp ./01_Assassine_album.mp3 /mnt/TELECHIPS/
>
> cp: cannot create regular file `/mnt/TELECHIPS/01_Assassine_album.mp3': No
> space left on device
>
> Any ideas whqat I can do to find out why, and rememdy this?

I'm tempted to state that the root cause of the problem is
most likely because it was bought at Radio Shack. Aren't
you glad I resisted the temptation to say that? Smile

What kind of filesystem is on the device? Does that kind of
filesystem have a limitation on the number of files, like
the inode limit on Unix-based filesystems? Unfortunately,
that's the extent of what I'm likely to be able to help
with, because I don't know much more detail about filesystem
internals.

--
Robert Riches
spamtrap42 DeleteThis @verizon.net
(Yes, that is one of my email addresses.)

Vladimir Florinski · External Since: Jun 12, 2004 Posts: 69

On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 00:38:48 +0000, Beef wrote:

> This is a 512MB MP3/WMA player recently bought at Radio Shack.
>
> I have been ripping my CDs at 48kbps, and copying the MP3 files to the
> device.
>
> Linux reports that there is still space on the device, yet complains
> "device full" when I try to copy another file:
>
> df -h /mnt/TELECHIPS/
> Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
> /dev/sdb1 493M 350M 144M 71% /mnt/TELECHIPS
>
> cp ./01_Assassine_album.mp3 /mnt/TELECHIPS/
>
> cp: cannot create regular file `/mnt/TELECHIPS/01_Assassine_album.mp3': No
> space left on device
>
> Any ideas whqat I can do to find out why, and rememdy this?

This can happen if you pulled the stick out while it was still mounted.
This messed up the filesystem which is now unusable. All you can do now is
copy the files from the stick to a safe location (if it still
works for reading) and reformat the drive.

--
Vladimir

Beef · External Since: Nov 07, 2005 Posts: 31

On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 04:23:34 +0000, Robert M. Riches Jr. wrote:

> On 2006-04-23, Beef <beef DeleteThis @no_SPAM_here.zz> wrote:
>> This is a 512MB MP3/WMA player recently bought at Radio Shack.
>>
>> I have been ripping my CDs at 48kbps, and copying the MP3 files to the
>> device.
>>
>> Linux reports that there is still space on the device, yet complains
>> "device full" when I try to copy another file:
>>
>> df -h /mnt/TELECHIPS/
>> Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
>> /dev/sdb1 493M 350M 144M 71% /mnt/TELECHIPS
>>
>> cp ./01_Assassine_album.mp3 /mnt/TELECHIPS/
>>
>> cp: cannot create regular file `/mnt/TELECHIPS/01_Assassine_album.mp3': No
>> space left on device
>>
>> Any ideas whqat I can do to find out why, and rememdy this?
>
> I'm tempted to state that the root cause of the problem is
> most likely because it was bought at Radio Shack. Aren't
> you glad I resisted the temptation to say that? Smile

>
> What kind of filesystem is on the device? Does that kind of
> filesystem have a limitation on the number of files, like
> the inode limit on Unix-based filesystems? Unfortunately,
> that's the extent of what I'm likely to be able to help
> with, because I don't know much more detail about filesystem
> internals.

I wondered if that might be the case.

It is a FAT filesystem, and with encoding at 48kbps, I have put 166 songs
on there. According to the device itself they occupy 492MB, leaving 133MB
still free.

I seem to remember that the File Allocation Table (FAT) is a fixed size,
determined when the filesystem is created; the size partition divided by a
block size (called a cluster?) determines the number of entries in the
FAT. Have I got that right?

So if the designers intended the 512MB to be used to hold files of around
1.8MB each, they might have set up the filesystem to have a FAT with
around 284 entries. If my 166 songs have filed the FAT, that means the
block size is set around the 3MB mark. That seems too high.

Beef.

Beef · External Since: Nov 07, 2005 Posts: 31

On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 16:30:33 +0000, Beef wrote:

> On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 04:23:34 +0000, Robert M. Riches Jr. wrote:
>> What kind of filesystem is on the device? Does that kind of
>> filesystem have a limitation on the number of files, like
>> the inode limit on Unix-based filesystems? Unfortunately,
>> that's the extent of what I'm likely to be able to help
>> with, because I don't know much more detail about filesystem
>> internals.
>
> I wondered if that might be the case.
>
> It is a FAT filesystem, and with encoding at 48kbps, I have put 166 songs
> on there. According to the device itself they occupy 492MB, leaving 133MB
> still free.
>
> I seem to remember that the File Allocation Table (FAT) is a fixed size,
> determined when the filesystem is created; the size partition divided by a
> block size (called a cluster?) determines the number of entries in the
> FAT. Have I got that right?
>
> So if the designers intended the 512MB to be used to hold files of around
> 1.8MB each, they might have set up the filesystem to have a FAT with
> around 284 entries. If my 166 songs have filed the FAT, that means the
> block size is set around the 3MB mark. That seems too high.
>

I suppose what I wrote just above sounds pretty silly to anybody who knows
how FAT works... At least I imagine it does, after looking with parted at
the filesystem on the device.

# parted /dev/sdb1 check
Partition number? 1
Warning: File system doesn't have expected sizes for Windows to like it.
Cluster size is 16k (8k expected);
number of clusters is 31542 (63069expected);
size of FATs is 124 sectors (247 expected).
Ignore/Cancel? i
Information: Don't forget to update /etc/fstab, if necessary.

Beef

Beef · External Since: Nov 07, 2005 Posts: 31

Continuing my experiments with this device, using parted.

Initial report from the device.

# parted /dev/sdb1 check
Partition number? 1
Warning: File system doesn't have expected sizes for Windows to like it.
Cluster size is 16k (8k expected); number of clusters is 31542
(63069expected); size of FATs is 124 sectors (247 expected).
Ignore/Cancel? i
Information: Don't forget to update /etc/fstab, if necessary.

# parted /dev/sdb1 print
Disk geometry for /dev/sdb1: 0kB - 517MB Disk label type: loop
Number Start End Size File system Flags 1 0kB 517MB
517MB fat16 Information: Don't forget to update /etc/fstab, if
necessary.

So, copied the device's setup folders and files to computer, and
reformatted the device as follows:

# parted /dev/sdb1 check
Partition number? 1
Information: Don't forget to update /etc/fstab, if necessary.

Disk geometry for /dev/sdb1: 0kB - 510MB Disk label type: loop
Number Start End Size File system Flags 1 0kB 510MB
510MB fat16 Information: Don't forget to update /etc/fstab, if
necessary.

When I disconnected the USB cable, the device displayed: Please, wait.
Disk format

As if the device is reformatting itself.

After a while, a message "Plz ..." that appeared so briefly I had time to
only read the first word.

The device claims to have 166 songs, but only one appears and it is
unplayable.

Try again...

Copied the setup folders and files back to the device, sync'd and
unmounted. Device claims to hold no files.

Copied MP3 files back to the device. Managed to fit 165 files, for a total
of 232.8 MBytes

The files play fine; selection by Artist, Album, etc. works.

So I ripped two CDs of Bach, and encoded as MP3s at 256 kbps. I deleted
three files from the device, and copied one new file, for a total of 163
files and 247.6MB. Then found room for another small file, so I had 164
files for a total of 248.8MB.

For some reason, the device is only allowing me to use half of the
supposed 512MB capacity for storing my own files...

Could it be that the device lets me upload 250MB of MP3s, and then
converts them to an internal format before I can play them? This would
seem to be one possible explanation.

I wonder what parted will report now. Has the device reformatted itself as
before, with the "peculier" cluster and FAT size?

# parted /dev/sdb1 check
Partition number? 1
Warning: File system doesn't have expected sizes for Windows to like it.
Cluster size is 16k (8k expected); number of clusters is 31542
(63069expected); size of FATs is 124 sectors (247 expected).

# parted /dev/sdb1 print
Disk geometry for /dev/sdb1: 0kB - 517MB Disk label type: loop
Number Start End Size File system Flags 1 0kB 517MB
517MB fat16 Information: Don't forget to update /etc/fstab, if
necessary.

Yes, it seems to have done so.

Beef.

OG · External Since: Apr 24, 2006 Posts: 1

"Beef" <beef.RemoveThis@no_SPAM_here.zz> wrote in message
news:pan.2006.04.23.00.38.48.120449@no_SPAM_here.zz...
> This is a 512MB MP3/WMA player recently bought at Radio Shack.
>
> I have been ripping my CDs at 48kbps, and copying the MP3 files to the
> device.
>
> Linux reports that there is still space on the device, yet complains
> "device full" when I try to copy another file:
>
> df -h /mnt/TELECHIPS/
> Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
> /dev/sdb1 493M 350M 144M 71% /mnt/TELECHIPS
>
> cp ./01_Assassine_album.mp3 /mnt/TELECHIPS/
>
> cp: cannot create regular file `/mnt/TELECHIPS/01_Assassine_album.mp3': No
> space left on device
>
> Any ideas whqat I can do to find out why, and rememdy this?

Are you dropping all the MP3 files into the root directory? - if the device
has a FAT structure there is a limit to the number of files that the root
directory can hold.

If that is the problem, try organising them into folders.

Beef · External Since: Nov 07, 2005 Posts: 31

On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 23:36:35 +0100, OG wrote:

>
> "Beef" <beef.RemoveThis@no_SPAM_here.zz> wrote in message

>> Any ideas whqat I can do to find out why, and rememdy this?
>
> Are you dropping all the MP3 files into the root directory? - if the device
> has a FAT structure there is a limit to the number of files that the root
> directory can hold.
>
> If that is the problem, try organising them into folders.

yes, that's how this device works.

You have a root directory, containing three other directories and a small
file:
|-- audible
|-- config
| `-- config.tcc
|-- record
`-- sys_conf.dnc

You drop your MP3 files into the root directory. After doing sync followed
by umount, and unplugging the device, it displays a couple of messages
about rebuilding the song lists.

I think it is building tables based on the values of some MP3 Tags, since
it lets me choose songs by title, artist, album, or genre.

I haven't tried sorting songs into folders. The device might not like
that; the instructions specifically state that everything should go in the
root directory.

Beef.

Beef · External Since: Nov 07, 2005 Posts: 31

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 00:03:39 +0000, Beef wrote:

> On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 23:36:35 +0100, OG wrote:
>
>>
>> "Beef" <beef.DeleteThis@no_SPAM_here.zz> wrote in message
>
>>> Any ideas whqat I can do to find out why, and rememdy this?
>>
>> Are you dropping all the MP3 files into the root directory? - if the device
>> has a FAT structure there is a limit to the number of files that the root
>> directory can hold.
>>
>> If that is the problem, try organising them into folders.
>
> yes, that's how this device works.
>
I just looked at the packaging again. I don't think that this is a problem
with the number of files after all.

"120 songs MP3"
"240 songs WMA"

marked on it.

I think that these figures have been pulled out of the air by some
barely-literate advertising copywriter, based on some spurious figures
dreamed up by the marketing department.

Beef.

Beef · External Since: Nov 07, 2005 Posts: 31

On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 04:23:34 +0000, Robert M. Riches Jr. wrote:

> What kind of filesystem is on the device? Does that kind of
> filesystem have a limitation on the number of files, like
> the inode limit on Unix-based filesystems? Unfortunately,
> that's the extent of what I'm likely to be able to help
> with, because I don't know much more detail about filesystem
> internals.

You hit the nail on the head.

After I created a few directories, I was able to put well over 250 files
on the device.

Even with three levels of nested directories, all the files were correctly
found and indexed, and played correctly.

Thanks, Robert and OG for your ideas.

beef.