Navigating the Files

[roth]

After much back and forth, I've decided that the X5 is closer to what I want in a DAP than other models currently out there, but only if I can get one cheap enough, meaning probably a used or returned one. But during the period I've been without a DAP, I've played music through my computer from my external hard drive.

My previous DAP was a ZVM, so my music library is organized by Album/Artist/*/*, because I foolishly believed that things would work properly with the Creative software. I chose Album/Artist rather than the more conventional Artist/Album because much of my music is classical, and the irregularities of internet databases in tagging classical music make Album/Artist an easier way (at least for me) to find things.

The result is, of course, that I have the same artist (Beethoven, eg) appearing as a subdirectory in many, many albums.

During the course of playing music from my hard drive, I found that Iwould often forget which albums certain pieces appeared in. Now, I had also organized my library in WMP11 (and it was still maintained in my much-loathed Creative software), so I could look the piece up in either of those by using the "Find" function or simply by clicking on Beethoven as the artist.

The question, then, is whether there's a similar way to locate a specific piece in the X5 display other than by opening each Album folder one-by-one, then every Beethoven subdirectory, until I stumble on what I need?

How do I find the piece I want on the X5 without resorting to hit-and-miss?

Thanks

[dfkt]

I don't understand your question completely... the X5 is a pure UMS device. You look for files/albums the same way you look for them in Windows Explorer.

In opposite to MTP nonsense (like the ZV:M uses), there will never be any duplicates or misplaced files because of ID3 tag problems. Everything on the X5 is sorted by file/folder names, like on your computer. You don't need crappy apps like WMP to sync/sort/transfer... you just drag'n'drop the files the way you want to. And if you look for something, it will always be in the place where you put it.

But if you want ID3-based browsing with a search function, you can install Rockbox, it has both - file/folder based organization, or ID3-based, if you prefer that.

[roth]

Even if I didn't make myself clear, you've answered my question. Thanks.