Help and best media player to use

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goad

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#74858 9-Jan-2011 03:07

I am currently using Windows Media Player. What media player is best to use?
This is what I am trying to do.....
I placed all my music files on a memory stick (sandisk). I want my music to play from that. When I rip music I have it ripping to that drive.

My problem is that maybe I dont understand syncing.
Is winamp better to use than WMP?
Every time I "sync" I get duplicate files, etc.....
Why cant I just use the memory stick (flash drive). I want it to use that instead of the computers hard drive.....

I am sure I am not very clear but if you can make sense of what I am trying to do ... can you assist me?

Thanks to all.....

Ken

thorax

75 posts

Master Geek

#425364 9-Jan-2011 04:20

By default Windows media player will make a copy of your music in the Media Library, and sync will copy all of your library to your usb.

The only way to have your library go straight to the usb is to do some hacking in the config files for windows media player. You can try un check local media from being copied into the library, maybe that will solve your problem.

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John2010

532 posts

Ultimate Geek

#426192 11-Jan-2011 16:36

Windows Media Player has never been aligned with my mindset (that probably not a fault of WMP though

). I find it easy for ripping but that is all, else I find I just end up with a window full of stuff which I never know what it relates to cos it could be a playlist, a library or just stuff it thinks I want to delete (or is about to be deleted if the wrong check box in the setup has somehow got itself checked - or is that unchecked

?).

So I use WinAmp (free version) for listening; it also has a nice plugin - Amarok - that does book marks for audio books (say), and I rip to a folder and then move, delete, etc with Windows Explorer. That way I find I know exactly where I am, where everything else is and never lose anything.

dontpanic42

1574 posts

Uber Geek

#426287 11-Jan-2011 20:32

I use WinAmp as well. It's a great piece of software.

Following on from John2010, I think what you are trying to do is to only read the files off the flash drive, and not have the files on your computer's hard drive. Is that correct?

If so, all you would need to do is put the memory stick in your computer, and then set it up as a WinAmp watch folder.

You can find this option in WinAmp by going to Options > Preferences > Media Library > Local Media > Watch Folders.

From there, you can specify that you want your flash drive to be a watch folder.
WinAmp will then add all the music on the flash drive to the WinAmp Media Library list, but will not copy it over to the computer's hard drive like WMP does. It will stay on your flash drive.

You can also set WinAmp up to scan watch folders for changes during WinAmp startup, and also at regular intervals. Those options are on the same preferences tab.

Hope that helps.

goad

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#426351 12-Jan-2011 00:34

Thanks guys........
I did end up downloading WinAmp (free version). And it does exactly what I want it to do.
I did set it up to watch my folder which is on the flash drive.

Thanks!!

Kaos36

709 posts

Ultimate Geek

#427518 15-Jan-2011 21:50

VLC Player

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From a readers' Q and A column in TV GUIDE: "If we get involved in a nuclear war, would the electromagnetic pulses from exploding bombs damage my videotapes?"

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#427519 15-Jan-2011 21:59

Kaos36: VLC Player