iRiver stuff is great...if it works

[Groovecake]

Listen, as far as I can tell, with all the trouble some folks (myself included) have had with getting their PC's to recognize the h10 20gb, the issue is that sometimes iRiver products just don't work and iRiver doesn't know why. Of course, they sure as hell aren't going to advertise this, "Hey...our stuff is awesome! (when it works)" So, as consumers, it's buyer beware as always.

My h10 5gb works fine with my computer, but I went through tons of crap and jumped through many hoops to try to get an h10 20gb to work and all to no avail. It went back to Best Buy.

I have read through countless threads on this board from people with the same problems. There are some great folks on here with some great suggestsions...some that have worked...and some that haven't. There seems to be no clear rhyme or reason as to why the h10 20gb works for some and not for others. And the thing is...iRiver support seems just as clueless, if not moreso, than the users on this board.

So as I said, sometimes their stuff doesn't work and they don't know why. Kind of sad, really.

[Flying Burrito]

Reluctantly, I have to agree. I had an H320 which gave me fits. After a few months, I sold it to a friend who never had any problems with it.

[caramelsoul]

It is a shame that people are having problems with their players. It really should just work out the box no probs. Most people do have a happy ending though...

[hottshot104]

It all depends on your computer and its configuration. iRiver can't say "Our product will work all the time on EVERY computer" because all computers are made differently. Granted I don't know why so many people here have all these H20 problems, but sorry guys, I just think a lot of you aren't adept at using your computer. I have an H20, my friend does, and another, and both of them own a H10 6GB, and neither one of us have had problems, at all.

[Flying_Hellfish]

I did notice a few threads on this, and I saw that many people were either on older motherboards or newer boards with either mismatched chipsets or the VIA chipset. So I have 2 possible ideas....

1... older motherboards that are not USB 2.0 complient may not be able to handle the communtication between the iriver and the motherboard. I know that things are supposed to be backward compatible still but 2.0 has been the standard for a while and it's possible that the 20GB isn't backward compatible.

2.....newer motherboards with the VIA chipset have been known to cause a lot of different problems (that's why i replaced mine with an nforce board, but that's another story). Many of the problems were said to be solved with SP2 for windows XP, if you have a H10 that will not connect and you have Win XP Pro/home try upgrading to SP2. I know a lot of people don't like it, but MS fixed some of the host controller drivers so that they would be more compatible with the VIA chipset. It's possible this may fix it with the VIA as well as other chipsets.

3...... if #2 fails, format and reload with a slipstream version of Windows XP SP1. I know people hate reloading, but I do it ever 6 months to a year it's not that big of a deal.

These are just a few ideas i've been thinging about the last week or so. I personally have no problems and I don't have a PC older than about 2 years availiable to me at home. I know it's a lot of work to go thru just to try to get an MP3 player to work but if someone has the time an energy, I think this might be a good place to start.

[Groovecake]

Originally Posted by hottshot104

It all depends on your computer and its configuration. iRiver can't say "Our product will work all the time on EVERY computer" because all computers are made differently. Granted I don't know why so many people here have all these H20 problems, but sorry guys, I just think a lot of you aren't adept at using your computer. I have an H20, my friend does, and another, and both of them own a H10 6GB, and neither one of us have had problems, at all.

Wow, Hotshot. Do you work for iRiver customer service? Nice job of making assumptions. Well done. And considering I have had no problems getting my
h10 5gb to work might mean that there is an issue with the player, not the user.

Oh...and perhaps iRiver should rethink the whole "Plays For Sure" sticker.

[ManchesterUnited4Life]

It's simple; if you have a temperamental unit still under warranty (be it via the shop or the manufacturer), then return it. There's no reason why anybody should have to change their PC's internals for a brand spanking new peripheral (unless the PC is ancient i.e. pre-2000) ...

[Flying_Hellfish]

Originally Posted by ManchesterUnited4Lif e

It's simple; if you have a temperamental unit still under warranty (be it via the shop or the manufacturer), then return it. There's no reason why anybody should have to change their PC's internals for a brand spanking new peripheral (unless the PC is ancient i.e. pre-2000) ...

actually that's not entirely true. even tho iriver says it works doesn't mean they tested all environments. Also people do have to tweak hardware all the time to get new programs and hardware to work. I do it all day long.

I'm not trying to argue, it's just my .02

[musichound]

In the best case situations they should work out of the box. Unfortunately, as pointed out, there are all different types of computer configurations and combinations that could let something go wrong. The hardest ones to figure out are the ones where there is a fault on both the DAP and the computer system.

As for me, I have been vere lucky. I also have some computer knowledge so that may have helped. I had mine connected to 3 different type of computer systems (Even a pre 2000 one) and had absolutely no problems so far.

[ManchesterUnited4Life]

Originally Posted by Flying_Hellfish

even tho iriver says it works doesn't mean they tested all environments

Fair enough.

Also people do have to tweak hardware all the time to get new programs and hardware to work. I do it all day long.

To be fair, my PC is less than 2 years old and runs WinXP SP2 effortlessly, so I've not yet been forced to 'tweak' it in order for new programs to work properly.

Even my mid-2000 eMachines 866MHz (also running WinXP Pro) can run all of the latest S/W w/o problems - albeit a *little* () slower than my VAIO ...

[KendallJ]

Well, as one of those who has had the troubles with the H10, let me nib some of this bull in the bud. It has nothing to do with my iRiver, but rather with my PC. I bought a Creative Zen and it too is not recognized. My H10 is recognized on other computers just fine.

As Microsoft transitions into MTP, I would expect them to have compatibility issues. The "Plays for Sure" logo is a Microsoft creation, and is associated with WMP, and their bid to try to make WMP the go through app instead of iTunes. The device makers are just following along. If the MTP upgrades in Windows have bugs causing devices that are supposed to work to not be recognized, then I don't think that hte device makers are at fault, and iRiver is not alone.

By the way, my son's iPod ain't all it's cracked up to be either.

Which is why after looking at all the options, I STUCK with my H10, instead of trading it in. There was nothing out htere that fixed my problems. Welcome to the world of computers. Stop bi***ing.

[Flying_Hellfish]

ManchesterUnited4Lif e..... Yeah, older PCs will run XP pro. But here (I work in an IT department) we have a lot of older PCs that will not use the newest harware or software without a little tweaking.


Like I said, I don't have any of these problems with connection issues, but for those who do and would like to try to correct it (even if it's not a quick or eazy fix) that's why I offered those two suggestions.

[hottshot104]

Originally Posted by Groovecake

Wow, Hotshot. Do you work for iRiver customer service? Nice job of making assumptions. Well done. And considering I have had no problems getting my
h10 5gb to work might mean that there is an issue with the player, not the user.

Oh...and perhaps iRiver should rethink the whole "Plays For Sure" sticker.

Before I even reply, stop being so defensive about a comment that is for the most part true.

No, I do not work for iRiver, but that doesn't have any relevence in the topic at hand. When companies make hardware devices, it is physically impossible to sit there and test out the hardware on all types of computer systems, software configurations, BIOS definitions, etc. The different home built PCs, different motherboards, etc. all play a role in the way one device works in compatibility with another. Therefore if there is even something slightly different on your motherboard from mine, the same hardware may not work the same way on my computer as it would yours. Same goes with the iRiver. It has nothing to do with working at the company, or assuming; rather, it has everything to do with having some knowledge of hardware devices and some common sense.

And the H10 5/6GB models are not the same thing as the H20. You may have gotten the H10 5GB model to work, but you may not have done the same things, or the devices may just have completely different coding. I didn't say that you were a n00b, so stop playing the part. I merely said that I am quite sure that many of the troubleshooting problems that most people have on MisticRiver involves a lack of understanding of the computer.

Oh yes, the "Plays for sure" sticker has nothing to do with the mp3 player working on the computer. It refers to the player working in conjunction with WMP 10 and with popular song download services such as Napster.

"Look for the PlaysForSure logo if you're shopping for a music or video device and you want to make sure the digital music and video you purchase will play back on it every time. Match the PlaysForSure logo on a large selection of leading devices and online music stores. If you see the logo you'll know your digital music will play for sure."

Stop making assumptions yourself.

If you're going to have this defensive attitude with yourself making rather crude assumptions, don't post.

[SLITrist101]

it would probably help out alot too
if the instruction manual was better .

[hberagon]

alllll u have to do is UPGRADE the filmware..... gee