Q1 : Do I need to install a driver from the CD onto my computer in order to use my new MP3 player?

A: In most cases, no. Modern operating systems, including Windows ME, 2000, XP and Mac OSX 10.3 onwards, have the required drivers already installed. If you are using an older operating system, such as Windows 98, you may need to install the driver from the CD.

Q2 : I’ve plugged my MP3 player into the USB socket – how can I “see” it on my computer?

A: The first time you connect your player, you’ll need to wait for a minute or so for the New Hardware Wizard to finish. Then open up My Computer or Windows Explorer, and you’ll see a list of available drives. This list varies according to your computer’s configuration, but you’re looking for something labelled Removable Disk followed by a letter, such as E or F. This is how your computer sees your MP3 player. If you click on this drive, you’ll see any files (music or otherwise) you have stored on your MP3 player.

Q3 : I’m new to this whole MP3 thing – how do I get music onto my computer?

A: There are two main methods of doing this:
(i) Copying your own CDs onto your computer. To achieve this, you will need some CD “ripping” software, the most popular of which is Windows Media Player. Your computer probably came with this already installed, so open it and follow the instructions. Make sure that you haven't ticked the "Copy-protect music" box (Tools > Options > Rip music), or you will not be able to listen to the music on your MP3 player.

(ii) Downloading music from the internet. You’ll need to visit an online store – you can then choose songs to purchase and download. However, please note that many of the online stores use software called DRM (digital rights management) which will allow you to listen to downloaded songs on your computer, but will not allow you to transfer them to your MP3 player unless it is one of the latest DRM-compatible models. Please make sure that your player is compatible before subscribing to any download service.

Q4 : OK, I’ve got the music onto my PC, how do I transfer it to my MP3 player?

A: There are two options:
(i) You can copy tracks in My Computer or Windows Explorer. Firstly, locate your music – this is normally in the My Music subfolder contained within the My Documents folder. Then select the track(s) you want to copy, and paste them into your MP3 player drive (see Q2).

(ii) You can use the Sync facility provided in your music management software, such as Windows Media Player.

Q5 : When I check the capacity of my player, it seems to be a little less than it should be – where have my missing megabytes gone?

A: Your player’s operating system (firmware) takes up about 10MB of memory, so, for example, a 128MB player will have around 118MB of usable storage space.

Q6 : I’ve transferred an album to my MP3 player, but the tracks seem to be all jumbled up, and not in the same order as on the CD – why’s this?

A: Details such as track number, song title and artist are stored in what's called the file's ID3 tag. Normally, this information is downloaded automatically from the internet when you copy a music CD to your computer. However, on rare occasions the online database may not have any information on your particular CD, and sometimes it might just be plain wrong. In this case, you'll need to edit the ID3 tag yourself to ensure that the information is correct. There are numerous ID3 tag editors available for download, but most music management programs have a basic editor already built-in. For example, right-clicking the track in iTunes, then clicking Get Info will take you to the ID3 tag info boxes. Similarly, in Windows Media Player 10, you can right-click the track then hit Advanced Tag Editor, and you'll be on the right track there too.

Q7 : What’s the difference between MP3 and WMA files, and what do I need to know about bitrates?

A: MP3 is the original format for portable music devices, and as such is widely compatible with nearly every player on the market. WMA is Microsoft’s newer proprietary format, which is less compatible with older players. Bitrate refers to the amount of compression given to a file in order to make it small enough for storage on a portable audio player – the higher the number, the better the sound quality, but the larger the file-size. Most users find that 128 is the optimum bitrate to use, giving satisfactory sound quality and acceptable file-size, but if you’re an audiophile, you might want to experiment with higher bitrates, whilst sacrificing the amount of music you can fit on your player. WMA file-sizes are smaller than the equivalent MP3 files, and as such are preferred by many users.

Q8 : I’ve heard a lot about Apple’s iTunes software – can I use it to manage my MP3 player?

A: Yes – iTunes works fine with MP3 files, but not WMA. Also, please bear in mind that the iTunes Music Store only sells tracks in Apple’s own AAC format, which is only compatible with their iPod-branded players, so if you want to purchase music over the internet, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Q9 : When would I need to download new firmware to my MP3 player, and should I do this regularly?

A: You should only replace your player’s firmware as a last resort, if all other attempts at rectifying a problem have failed. There are no new features or performance enhancements contained in the firmware downloads on this site, so if your player’s working fine, please don’t attempt to download firmware. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Q10 : I’ve accidentally changed the language on my player to one I don’t understand – how do I change it back to English?

A: Switch the player on – once the start-up logo disappears, press and hold the rocker/select switch to access the main menu. Use the same switch to select the System icon on the far right, then the Language (En) icon third from left. You can then scroll to English (US) – select this option, then press and hold the switch again to return to the main menu.

Q11 : I've transferred some songs from my computer to my MP3 player, however they won't play - the display says "Format error!" and "WMA000" - what can I do?

A: The most likely scenario is that you have transferred copy-protected (DRM) music to your player. If it came from a CD you ripped to your PC, make sure that the "Copy-protect music" or similar box is not ticked in your CD-ripping software. If you downloaded the music from an online retailer, please see Q3.

Q12 : The specification for my player lists a very long battery life - I seem unable to achieve this. Is there something wrong with my player?

A: Almost certainly not. The battery life quoted is under ideal conditions (repeat play, half volume), using a premium-brand alkaline battery. Several factors will reduce the real-world life of a battery, including skipping tracks, use of the backlight, transferring music from your PC, high volume settings, etc.

Q13 : How do I get the small-size CD-ROM to fit in the full-size tray on my PC?

A: If you look carefully, you'll see an indentation in the full-size CD tray - this is where the mini-CD sits. However, please make sure that you actually need to load the drivers from the CD - unless you are running an old operating system such as Windows 98, the drivers are already built into your computer, and trying to install additional drivers may make your computer and/or MP3 player malfunction.

Q14: I can't see a drive letter corresponding to my MP3 player in My Computer or Windows Explorer (or mounted on my Mac's desktop) - what can I do?

A: There are several reasons this might happen - here are a few things to try:
(i) Make sure that your computer has the latest version of its operating system by running Windows Update or Mac Software Update - this fixes 90% of these types of issue.
(ii) Check Device Manager for any errors (yellow triangles). You may need to manually update your USB card's driver.
(iii) If you are using Windows 98 or SE, you will need to install the drivers supplied on the CDROM, or downloaded from this site.
(iv) Try disabling any firewall software (e.g. Norton, Zone Alarm, McAfee, etc.).
(v) If you are using a DRM-enabled player (such as Play Pro or i-scream IC-series) on a Mac, you must set the Online Device mode to USB Disk.

Q15: I get a Windows error message when I try to connect my player or transfer music.

A: The quickest solution is to type the exact error message into Google (www.google.com), as it's almost certain that someone else will have had the same problem. Your MP3 player is seen by Windows as a standard USB disk, so you'll find lots of help and tips available on the internet.

Q16: I've tried to add some music to my player, but it says that it's full, even though I'm sure that it's not - what's wrong?

A: It sounds like maybe you've accidentally partitioned the player - you can set it up to have one part for music, and another for documents. If you run MP3 player disk tool (which is on the CDROM, as part of the MP3 player utilities), you'll see the option Partition and Encrypt. You need to make sure that the slider bar is all the way to the left, so that encrypted disk capacity is at 0MB.

In the unlikely event that this isn't the solution, you can try formatting the disk. To do this, right-click on the drive letter in My Computer which corresponds to the player, then select Format (using FAT, not FAT32).

Q17: The songs on my player only play for a few seconds before skipping onto the next track.

A: It could be that you have the Intro feature switched on.

To check, whilst playing music, press the "select" switch. This will bring up the Repeat menu. Press the "select" switch again, and then use the rocker to select Normal.

Q18: When I switch my player on, it turns itself off after a few seconds.

A: Check to make sure that the Auto-off setting in the SYS menu is not too short.

Q19: My player seems to be behaving strangely. Sometimes I can't transfer music, or it appears to be full, and sometimes it locks up - what can I try?

A: It could be that the player has become corrupted. You should perform a format - to do this in Windows XP, right-click on the drive letter corresponding to your player in My Computer, select Format then follow the instructions. You should use the FAT format (not FAT32). You will wipe any files you have on the player, but this will correct most issues.

Q20: Why can't I put more than 99 tracks on my player?

A: The maximum number of tracks you can have in the single default folder on your player is 99. If you want to have more songs than this (particularly on higher capacity players), you should create separate folders for your music using Windows Explorer. Each folder can contain a maximum of 99 songs, although many people use a new folder for each album to make finding tracks easier.

Q21: When I try to install the MP3 Player Utilities software, I get an warning message about Windows Logo Testing - is it safe to install the software?

A: The error appears because we have not yet certified product drivers in Microsoft's voluntary logo program. This program is not an industry standard. We have a rigorous quality assurance program and all of our products are tested above and beyond the requirements of any Microsoft or similar test programs.

You can ignore this error without concern for your system. Simply select "Continue anyway" at these prompts. 

Q22: There seems to be a delay of a few seconds when I skip tracks on my player - is this right?

A: If your player is compatible with DRM (copy-protected) content, which means that you can playback music from commercial download websites, then you will experience a delay of a few seconds when changing tracks. This is due to the player having to check the licence of the track to make sure it is valid, and as such will not occur when skipping tracks transferred from your own CDs, only on tracks from commercial download sites. More information is available by clicking here.

Q23: I have a DRM-compatible player, but I seem to be having trouble transferring tracks I have downloaded from a commercial download site to my player. I'm using the website's own media player.

A: There are certain compatibility issues with the proprietary software used by several music download sites. It's recommended that, after downloading music from your chosen site, you then use Windows Media Player 10 or higher to transfer the music to your player. More information is available by clicking here.

Q24: I'm getting an error message on my DRM-compatible player, saying something like "Unable to obtain licence" - what does that mean?

A: It means that the player has been unable to verify the licence information for the track you are trying to play. This could be because your subscription with the content provider has expired, or you are using an unregistered player. Please contact your content provider for more information.