Sony NW-A55 (USB mass storage): sync overwrites files that already exist on the SD card, and duplicates tracks whose pat

[koji]

Hello,

Short version: when I sync a playlist to my Sony NW-A55 (USB mass storage, SD card already filled by another program), MediaMonkey overwrites files that already exist at the same path on the card (same size, new modification time), and copies again as duplicates the tracks whose path differs slightly. Is there a way to make it skip existing files, or to sync only the playlists?

Environment: MediaMonkey for Windows 2024.2.2.3222 (Gold Lifetime), "Sony A40/A45" profile v1.2, 512 GB microSD (FAT32), about 10,300 tracks already on the card in \MUSIC\<Artist>\<Album>\<NN>_<Title>.flac.

Questions:
1. Is there a setting to skip (not overwrite) a file that already exists at the target path on the device?
2. For USB mass storage devices, how does MediaMonkey decide that a track is "already on the device" (path, tags, size, or sync history)?
3. Is there a recommended way to sync only the playlists so that they point to files already on the card?
4. Can I preview what will be copied or overwritten before the sync starts?

Example of the overwrite (PowerShell Get-Item): I:\MUSIC\Steely Dan\Aja\07_Josie.flac, 28786838 bytes, LastWriteTime 2020/06/15 13:12:40 before the sync and 2026/10/24 15:11:38 after it. No confirmation dialog appeared.

Details (settings I used, in case they help):
- File location mask for Music: first \MUSIC\<Album Artist>\<Album>\<Track#:2>_<Title>, later \MUSIC\<Folder>\<Filename>. "Enforce use of the sync mask for files already on the device" unchecked.
- Sync list: only one test playlist (1 track) checked; "Delete other files and playlists from the device" unchecked; "Show confirmation dialog" is grayed out.
- Auto-conversion: all rules unchecked; FLAC added to supported formats.
- Tagging tab: all options unchecked (artwork to folder/tag, first genre/artist only, force re-sync).
- Playlists: M3U8, relative paths, forward slashes, UTF-8, no extended M3U, destination \MUSIC\.
- Auto-sync on connect: off. I had deleted the \MediaMonkey folder on the card before testing, so there was no sync history.
- With the default mask (\Music\<Album Artist> - <Album>\...), existing tracks under a different path were not recognized and were copied as duplicates (e.g. \MUSIC\AI - DREAM\01 AI - xxx.flac next to the existing \MUSIC\AI\DREAM\01_xxx.flac).
- Tracks whose path differs only slightly (";" instead of "-" in a folder name, an extra space after the track number, decomposed vs. composed dakuten in Japanese file names) were copied again as new files.
- Two other tracks overwritten the same way earlier: AI - 01_xxx.flac and Ayumi Kouketsu - 01_This I Dig of You.flac.

Thank you very much for any advice.

[Lowlander]

How exactly did you start the Sync itself in MediaMonkey?

[koji]

Thank you for the reply.

I started the sync with the "Sync Now" button ("今すぐ同期" in the Japanese UI), not with "Send to" or drag and drop. The steps each time were:

1. In the media tree: Devices and Services > the card (shown as "Sony A40/A45", later "MUSIC_SD").
2. On the "Sync List (Library -> Device)" tab, I checked only one test playlist under Playlists (1 to 6 tracks). "Music" and the other top-level items were unchecked, and "Delete other files and playlists from the device" was unchecked.
3. I clicked "Sync Now".

No confirmation dialog appeared at any time ("Show confirmation dialog" is grayed out).

So it is the normal sync-list sync, not "Send to". Please let me know if you want me to try another way of starting the sync, or if a log would help (tell me which one and where to find it).

Thanks again.

[Lowlander]

Are you sure there haven't been any tag changes to those files? That would cause files to be overwritten.

[koji]

Thank you for the follow-up. I can't be 100% sure about the tags, so here are the facts from my latest test.

Setup: The card was freshly rebuilt with rsync from a backup copy of its earlier contents. In the sync list I checked only one playlist (26 tracks). All "Tagging" options were off, "Force re-sync when the source file changes" was off, "Delete other files and playlists from the device" was off, and no format conversion was enabled. I started the sync with the "Sync Now" button.

Result: After the sync, 20 of the 26 tracks had their modification time changed to the sync time (Oct 26, 9:13-9:14). One track failed to copy with an error, and the other five do not appear to have been touched.

I then compared one overwritten file and one untouched file against the library originals. The overwritten file (modified at sync time) is byte-identical to the library original, while the untouched file differs from it at byte 45. So in my case, overwriting does not seem to depend on tag differences. Is there another criterion, such as file dates, file size, or the sync history stored on the device?

For now I will keep managing the player's card with another tool, but I would like to understand this behavior for future use.

Thanks again.

[Lowlander]

Does the next Sync do the same or now skip the files?

[koji]

Thanks. Yes, the next sync overwrote the same files again (modification times changed to the sync time), even though the files were byte-identical to the library originals. I have decided to manage the card with another tool for now, so no further tests from me. Thank you for your help.

[Lowlander]

Please capture this in a debug log (step 4b) and attach the log to a Support Ticket: viewtopic.php?t=86643

This will allow a developer to analyze why files resync on your setup.

[koji]

Thank you.
I am using the regular MediaMonkey 2024.2.2.3222 (Gold).
Which debug build should I install for this? Is there a debug version that matches 2024.2.2.3222, or do I need the latest beta debug build?

[Lowlander]

There is a link to the 2024 debug build in the instructions: https://www.mediamonkey.com/support/kno ... diamonkey/

If you're willing to test with the latest 2027 debug build it would be best, but that's your choice.

[koji]

Thank you.
I will use the 2024 debug build and send the log through a Support Ticket. It may take me a few days.

[koji]

Thank you.
I sent the debug log through a Support Ticket (#18836).