[bookport] Re: FILESYSTEM MUSINGS
- From: "David Tanner" <david-tanner@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 21:29:48 -0500
I think you are probably on the right track there. I have also had good luck
with PNY, but not so sure about the rest. I have never used a Kingston CF
card, but with the number of years they have been in the memory field I would
guess that they are pretty good too.
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Bennett" <david382@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 12:45 PM
Subject: [bookport] Re: FILESYSTEM MUSINGS
: Since learning to come to terms with CompactFlash cards a few years ago,
: I've found that they are not created at all equal. If I stick with Sandisk
: I'm ok, and if my frugal tendencies lead me into buying a bargain item by
: some other brand, it isn't. I just go with Sandisk and have a near 100%
: success rate. Maybe our equipment is more sensitive to inequities than
: digital cameras and the like, or maybe other people do have these issues and
: I just haven't taken the trouble to notice.
:
: David Bennett
:
: ----- Original Message -----
: From: "David Tanner" <david-tanner@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
: To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
: Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 12:26 AM
: Subject: [bookport] Re: FILESYSTEM MUSINGS
:
:
: >I think I have had to reformat 1 card a couple of times. But, I am
: >wondering if another thing that may be involved is that I have noticed that
: >certain brands of memory cards seem to have more issues with having to be
: >reformatted occasionally.
: >
: > For example, I have gotten to the point that I hesitate to purchase Lexar
: > memory cards or thumb drives because I have seen their memory have more
: > chances of having problems with files becoming corrupted.
: >
: >
: >
: > ----- Original Message -----
: > From: "Robert Carter" <r-carter@xxxxxxx>
: > To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
: > Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2005 2:46 PM
: > Subject: [bookport] Re: FILESYSTEM MUSINGS
: >
: >
: > : Hi All,
: > :
: > : I have had one flash card go bad. It would not work in a pc or camera
: > : or anything after it failed. I doubt that the Book Port is causing
: > : these problems as I, like Joni, am a very heavy user and almost never
: > : have to format a card.
: > :
: > : Robert Carter
: > :
: > : At 02:39 PM 10/25/2005, you wrote:
: > : >For what it may be worth, which may not be much, I am an extremely
: > heavy
: > : >user of the Book Port and have used it since May 2004 and have never
: > had to
: > : >reformat a flash card. Now I know I have jinxed myself and will be
: > doing it
: > : >tomorrow.
: > : >
: > : >Joni
: > : >----- Original Message -----
: > : >From: "Richard Ring" <ring.richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
: > : >To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
: > : >Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2005 10:56 AM
: > : >Subject: [bookport] Re: FILESYSTEM MUSINGS
: > : >
: > : >
: > : >The only issue I would take with your assumption is this. I have had
: > to
: > : >reformat a card twice in the past two years. Why then, do I not
: > : >experience these same problems that some (not all) Bookport users seem
: > : >to report?
: > : >If I did in fact have to reformat a CF card every six weeks, I would be
: > : >quite unhappy, so if this is the behavior that the majority of Bookport
: > : >users are experiencing, then the problem is a severe one.
: > : >
: > : >
: > : >-----Original Message-----
: > : >From: bookport-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
: > : >[mailto:bookport-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Brian Buhrow
: > : >Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2005 10:50 AM
: > : >To: bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
: > : >Subject: [bookport] FILESYSTEM MUSINGS
: > : >
: > : >
: > : >Hello. I've been reading this list for a couple of months, and
: > : >have
: > : >noticed what seems to be a somewhat common thread which appears to
: > match
: > : >my
: > : >experience, and which, if it's true, raises issues which I think should
: > : >be
: > : >addressed in order to make the user experience for the bookport an even
: > : >happier one.
: > : > From what I can tell, there are a number of users who purchase
: > : >their
: > : >bookports from APH, get them home, load them up with data, read from
: > : >them,
: > : >and are completely happy with them. Then, after a month or two of use,
: > : >when books have been cycled through the unit, and the user is feeling
: > : >more
: > : >comfortable putting more and more on the Bookport, he begins
: > : >experiencing
: > : >difficulties when transfering data to the Bookport. Flash cards fill
: > : >unexpectedly during transfers, users encounter file coruption during
: > the
: > : >reading process, or weird errors just happen, seemingly from no where.
: > : >the advice on this list, generally, seems to be that flash cards
: > : >get
: > : >corrupted, and they either have gone bad, or need to be reformatted
: > : >before
: > : >they work again for another month or two.
: > : >My experience coincides with this description. I have had my
: > : >Bookport
: > : >for about four months, and have had to reformat the flash card I use
: > : >most
: > : >often at least once. It's now been about six weeks since I last
: > : >reformatted my flash card, and I'm now beginning to see anomolous
: > : >behavior,
: > : >which I suspect will go away if I reformat my card yet again.
: > : >All of this is to say that I think there is a subttle filesystem
: > : >bug
: > : >in the Bookport which no one yet quite understands. On clean, i.e.
: > : >newly
: > : >formatted flash cards, things work well. Then, as material comes and
: > : >goes
: > : >from the filesystem on the flash card, some of it written by the host
: > : >computer, some by the Bookport itself, the filesystem becomes "dirty"
: > in
: > : >the way that most filesystems become "dirty" over time. Directories
: > : >become
: > : >fragmented as items are deleted and inserted, disk block allocations
: > : >become
: > : >fragmented as well, and the efficiency of the filesystem on the flash
: > : >card
: > : >becomes less over time. All of this is normal, and should be expected.
: > : >The rub is that the Bookport appears to not deal well with this loss of
: > : >efficiency, and as a consequence, becomes very fickle in its operation
: > : >as
: > : >the filesystems on its flash cards age.
: > : >While, as someone suggested, running defragmentation programs
: > : >against
: > : >the filesystems on one's flash cards for Bookport might aleviate the
: > : >problem, I'm not convinced this will totally help because I don't think
: > : >defragmentation programs zero out blocks they free up on the
: > filesystems
: > : >they fix. The behavior I observe with my bookport leads me to believe
: > : >that
: > : >the firmware makes certain assumptions about what is in its various
: > file
: > : >buffers, and reuses them without necessarily properly cleaning them.
: > : >For
: > : >example, I have an MP3 file on my bookport right now which reads fine,
: > : >except if I query the percentage status while the file is playing, and
: > : >I've
: > : >read more than 50% of it. If I hit the 8 key when the latter half of
: > : >the
: > : >file is playing, I get an FS buffer panic, followed by a bunch of audio
: > : >file read error messages, accompanied by choppy sound until I either
: > : >stop
: > : >the bookport, or it comes to the end of the file in question.
: > : >Let me stress, though, that I'm not trying to suggest that I
: > : >know what
: > : >the problem is, or how to fix it. However, I believe there is a
: > : >problem,
: > : >and that it should be looked into. The bookport should be able to deal
: > : >with filesystems which pass chkdsk or scandisk, but which aren't
: > : >necessarily pristine in terms of not having been used, and users
: > : >shouldn't
: > : >have to regularly reformat their flash cards in order to preserve
: > : >usability.
: > : >I love my bookport, but this issue, what ever it is, certainly
: > : >adds to
: > : >my level of frustration using it, and makes it downright inconvenient
: > at
: > : >times, while I cajole it into working.
: > : >-Brian
: > :
: > :
: >
: >
: >
:
:
:
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