Portable HDD compatibility with i30?

Aztron · **July 02, 2008, 07:34:37**

Greetings everyone!!

I've purchased a Black SLX CRDi manual and while trying to be patient (without much choice) I've busied myself trawling the internet looking at mods and accessories due to an expected delivery date towards the end of August. I'm sure a few of you have a similar story to tell! I thought I'd pop my forum cherry with a question.

I've read a thread on the Hyundai forum (http://www.hyundai-forums.com/t27538-usb-audio-limitations.htm) regarding portable hard drive compatibility and was hoping someone could perhaps clarify this subject a little?

Can anyone provide some advice / trouble shooting?

E.g. Whether to format the portable drive in NTFS or FAT32? Suggested file name structures with the best head unit outcomes? e.t.c...

Thanks in advance!

*crosses another day off the calendar, sighs*

Shambles · **Reply #1: July 02, 2008, 07:57:39**

Hi Aztron welcome aboard

As you've been to H-F you might also like to have a ganders at this thread on there, particularly tjaliwalpa's (ouri30, Bob)'s comments

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/index.php?showtopic=25329

Aztron · **Reply #2: July 02, 2008, 08:28:22**

Cheers Shambles!

Had a read, seems the posts relate to external hdds as opposed to portable hdds??

Nice choice of avatar, best team in the world! Did you watch the UCL final? Can't believe Ronaldo is considering leaving!

i30Dave · **Reply #3: July 02, 2008, 08:50:27**

I use a Western Digital 160gb portable drive. Cost around $110 (AUD). Never formatted
it and just dumped a pile of folders of music straight onto it and it has no trouble
finding the files. Takes a while to load depending on how many songs you have. The only
downside is when you turn of your car it doesn't remember what song it was up to.
Other than that it works like a treat.

Dazzler · **Reply #4: July 02, 2008, 11:15:28**

Welcome to the club Aztron.. interesting avatar... like it (adds a bit of colour)

There's heaps of info and pix on the site (some tops go to 3 pages long) so that should help fill in some time...

Rgds,

Dazz

**Reply #5: July 02, 2008, 11:25:15**

Welcome.

The i30 will not recognise NTFS as far as I can determine. Also, the drive would need to be partitioned into 32gb maximium partitions. Unlike others, I found no issues with the i30 reading the files. I also found it would continue where it left off, at the same track and even mid song. Can't work out why others were having issues.

Bob

alias tjaliwalpa (on hyundai-forums)

Thumper · **Reply #6: July 02, 2008, 11:28:20**

Yup, as i30Dave has said, I also have a 160GB laptop drive in an external case (So no need for separate power, it runs from the USB)

Leave it FAT32. (I'm sure you will not have any MP3 files larger than 2GB)

Only issue is, it does take a while for the stereo to index the entire HD every time you start the engine. (Also it will not remember the last file played, unlike a 8GB USB memory stick, where it will remember the last file played)

Also, for ease of navigation, only drill down ONE folder deep. (But have as many folders as you like in the root directory)

Aztron · **Reply #7: July 03, 2008, 02:09:55**

Thanks everyone for your replies!

Seems to be a mixed bag of results especially in regards to the HDD resuming play at the last point after returning to the car.

Bob, what brand/make is your hard drive?

Great forum you've all got going here, as you said Dave, great way to fill in the time!

So how may people here have the i30 in manual?

**Reply #8: July 03, 2008, 11:26:48**

I have been trying to think about the reasons others have issues with HDD not resuming where it left off. Not sure, but I will explain my setup and it may reveal the reason to someone else. I have formatted an 80gb drive into two partitions, one formatted as a 32mb FAT32 and the remainder as NTFS. The NTFS is not recognised by the i30 sound system, but the FAT32 is. When first plugged in it doesn't take long to read the files and begin playing. I have left it plugged in and it resumes plaing when the car is restarted.

Drive is a Samsung MP0804H 2.5" drive in a Noontec PH02B case which I sourced on eBay about 18 months ago.

IT smart people (smarter than me) may well know how to format USB HDDs into larger partitions than 32gb. Maybe these larger partitions are causing the head unit of the i30 to get confused and want to re-read the FAT every time the drive is activated. Maybe the FAT contains so much information that the head unt takes a long time to read the information and organise it when the partition is above 32gb.

Anone got any thoughts? Why does my setup work and others have problems?

Bob

foxey · **Reply #9: July 03, 2008, 12:22:49**

Bob, your HDD is formatted as FAT32 and 30gb, and I suspect that is why yours works as it does.. the total drive space available is enough for the i30 to index it and retain it's buffer information.
I have a 160gb 2.5" HDD in a NeXstar External case, no psu required, and I've formatted it for Mac Journaled, the i30 reads the whole 160gb with no problem, but it does not resume from the last song when restart the engine.
If I format and partition it to 32gb then it does resume. - I haven't bothered formatting it with Windows, as Mac format works very well.
However, at the end of the day, I've decided a HDD is a waste of time/space/effort etc, and I've now gone to an 8gb USB Key, which you can buy for as low as $30. This is more than enough to hold a packet load of songs, and if not then just get some more and use them like a library, ie.. Country Key , Rock Key, Easy Listening Key, Classical key etc..

**Reply #10: July 03, 2008, 12:34:29**

Foxey and others,

If you search out my posts about this topic you will realise I do not currently use my HDD as my music storage in the i30. I did so initially and the comments in the posts above refer to the earlier experiences and experiments I have had with a HDD. It became such a drag removing the HDD (which I use at work) and plugging it in, that a decided to purchase a 16gb flash drive instead. This stays in the i30 all the time and works a treat. I posted the info about the HDD as there was a query about using the HDD.

I'm with you foxey, the flash drive is much more convenient and can hold all the music I need plus more.

Bob

Shambles · **Reply #11: July 03, 2008, 16:40:23**

Don't take this as insulting in any way, but do you guys in Oz have didgeridoo music on your drives?

Just thought I'd ask...

Dazzler · **Reply #12: July 03, 2008, 23:34:45**

I'd be surprised if many did... although one of my favourite musicians Troy Cassar-Daley who is part indigenous uses a bit of digeridoo in some of his songs.

He is country singer but I like most sorts of music....Might have to email you a track Shambles to show you what I mean...

**Reply #13: July 04, 2008, 08:58:35**

Shambles,

Can't say I have any. One of my kids has a CD of songs she is learning for her school choir and it has some digeridoo backing on it. Apart from that, no.

But if I open the window as I'm driving to work, I hear some natives playing occassionally.

Bob

foxey · **Reply #14: July 04, 2008, 10:31:16**

It's often too hard to hear the natives playing from the thud thud thud of the kangaroo's jumpng around the city..

Shambles · **Reply #15: July 04, 2008, 13:09:26**

Looks like I'm missing out on so much in life

dani · **Reply #16: July 10, 2008, 22:24:23**

WD Passport II 160GB

MRH130 · **Reply #17: April 06, 2009, 14:24:29**

How's this for a bump! Nearly 12 months!

I wish I had read this far back in the history of the forum before lashing out on my 320GB Western Digital portable hard drive. Naturally being the way I am I had to buy the 320GB one despite the fact that now having ripped nearly all my CDs and adding all my MP3s I have just over 20 gig.

The i30 has no problem reading the drive (which is in FAT32) but does have the other problem that has been mentioned in this thread, that of forgetting where it was up to when the vehicle is switched off. Much to my chagrin, it even forgets if I switch the car from ON to ACC and then restart it. My cunning plans of locking the key in the car while I go to pay for petrol fell flat because the cut in power to allow the engine to start is enough to kill the stereo's memory of where it was up to.

I talked to my brother in law (who is one of those annoyingly successful IT types) and he is of the opinion that this happens because the drive has a physical drive in it and it needs to be spun up and read by the car every time it starts. So from the stereo's point of view the drive is effectively being plugged in anew every time the engine is started. That doesn't really explain the posts in the forum where someone had a proper portable drive that worked properly with the car, unless perhaps it started faster and the car was able to find where it was up to...?

So after getting rather bored of hearing the same song EVERY TIME I START THE CAR, I lashed out on a 32GB memory stick (under $100 on eBay) and now she remembers where she was up to.

And I have a used 320GB hard drive I paid too much for.

So sorry to everyone for the bump, but I think it's a topic that bears bringing to the attention of newer members. The rule of thumb seems to be if you want the car to remember where you were up to in your music, get a solid-state hard drive or memory stick.

ozsnowman · **Reply #18: April 06, 2009, 22:50:04**

Quote from: Shambles on July 03, 2008, 16:40:23

Don't take this as insulting in any way, but do you guys in Oz have didgeridoo music on your drives?

Just thought I'd ask...

While this is bumped lol....

Yep, I have a heap of Xavier Rudd songs on my USB stick, and he uses a didg quite extensively

Shambles · **Reply #19: April 06, 2009, 23:08:40**

Way to bump oz

**Reply #20: April 06, 2009, 23:22:26**

Yeah I came to the same conclusion when I tried my USB HDD and found it would take 5 minutes (a slight exaggeration) to boot up and then start at the first song every time. In the end I grabbed some cheap 4G USB sticks and have loaded them up with various genre's of music and depending on my mood I plug one of them in. Mostly though I just leave the main one in called "Various" and put it on random play.

YOSOYPEPO · **Reply #21: April 07, 2009, 00:14:30**

i've got a lacie 160gb HDD and it's work nice

MRH130 · **Reply #22: April 07, 2009, 03:43:41**

Quote from: ozsnowman on April 06, 2009, 22:50:04

Quote from: Shambles on July 03, 2008, 16:40:23
Don't take this as insulting in any way, but do you guys in Oz have didgeridoo music on your drives?

Just thought I'd ask...

While this is bumped lol....

Yep, I have a heap of Xavier Rudd songs on my USB stick, and he uses a didg quite extensively

I had lots of didgeridoo music on mine, but a dingo stole it while I was putting some shrimp on the barbie.

**Reply #23: April 07, 2009, 09:51:49**

Quote from: MRH130 on April 06, 2009, 14:24:29

How's this for a bump! Nearly 12 months!

I wish I had read this far back in the history of the forum before lashing out on my 320GB Western Digital portable hard drive. Naturally being the way I am I had to buy the 320GB one despite the fact that now having ripped nearly all my CDs and adding all my MP3s I have just over 20 gig.

The i30 has no problem reading the drive (which is in FAT32) but does have the other problem that has been mentioned in this thread, that of forgetting where it was up to when the vehicle is switched off. Much to my chagrin, it even forgets if I switch the car from ON to ACC and then restart it. My cunning plans of locking the key in the car while I go to pay for petrol fell flat because the cut in power to allow the engine to start is enough to kill the stereo's memory of where it was up to.

I talked to my brother in law (who is one of those annoyingly successful IT types) and he is of the opinion that this happens because the drive has a physical drive in it and it needs to be spun up and read by the car every time it starts. So from the stereo's point of view the drive is effectively being plugged in anew every time the engine is started. That doesn't really explain the posts in the forum where someone had a proper portable drive that worked properly with the car, unless perhaps it started faster and the car was able to find where it was up to...?

So after getting rather bored of hearing the same song EVERY TIME I START THE CAR, I lashed out on a 32GB memory stick (under $100 on eBay) and now she remembers where she was up to.

And I have a used 320GB hard drive I paid too much for.

So sorry to everyone for the bump, but I think it's a topic that bears bringing to the attention of newer members. The rule of thumb seems to be if you want the car to remember where you were up to in your music, get a solid-state hard drive or memory stick.

Don't think the physical drive needing to be spun up is in fact correct. I tried several experiments early on and partitioned a drive into a FAT32 and an NTFS, the latter for my work files and the former for the music. It worked fine, and continued playing the track from memory without reverting back to the first song. I can't remember what size the partition was, but it it was not the maximum of 32gb allowed in with Windows XP. However, when I formatted the total drive using a 3rd party FAT32 utility, then it always re-read the drive and started from scratch.

Bob

MRH130 · **Reply #24: April 07, 2009, 12:28:54**

Quote from: ouri30 on April 07, 2009, 09:51:49

Don't think the physical drive needing to be spun up is in fact correct. I tried several experiments early on and partitioned a drive into a FAT32 and an NTFS, the latter for my work files and the former for the music. It worked fine, and continued playing the track from memory without reverting back to the first song. I can't remember what size the partition was, but it it was not the maximum of 32gb allowed in with Windows XP. However, when I formatted the total drive using a 3rd party FAT32 utility, then it always re-read the drive and started from scratch.

Bob

Excellent info Bob, the theory about spinning up the drive was just that (a theory) and if you've made it work I guess that's the answer!

Now that I've bought the memory stick, I'll try it with the hard drive again!

Dazzler · **Reply #25: April 15, 2009, 12:38:40**

Quote from: ouri30 on July 03, 2008, 12:34:29

It became such a drag removing the HDD (which I use at work) and plugging it in, that a decided to purchase a 16gb flash drive instead. This stays in the i30 all the time and works a treat. I posted the info about the HDD as there was a query about using the HDD.

I'm with you foxey, the flash drive is much more convenient and can hold all the music I need plus more.
Bob

Hi Bob,

I bought a 16gb Lexar Firefly flash drive the other day from Officeworks for "just" under $50 (best value large capacity drive I could find locally).

I am still trying to fill it up before testing it in the i30 (the way i'm going will fit my entire MP3 collection on it)

Up to 215 albums (around 3000 songs) and still got 3GB more to fill

**Reply #26: April 15, 2009, 13:47:51**

Quote from: dazzling_darryl on April 15, 2009, 12:38:40

Hi Bob,

I bought a 16gb Lexar Firefly flash drive the other day from Officeworks for "just" under $50 (best value large capacity drive I could find locally).

I am still trying to fill it up before testing it in the i30 (the way i'm going will fit my entire MP3 collection on it)

Up to 215 albums (around 3000 songs) and still got 3GB more to fill

Dazz,

I haven't added any to my 16gb stick lately - too busy I guess.

Interestingly, I got 2 memory sticks for my daughters for Xmas (Sony) on eBay. Paid arounf $20 each for them (8 Gb). When they arrived, they turned out to be 32 Gb. What a bargain! Should have ordered a few more.

Bob

Shambles · **Reply #27: April 15, 2009, 14:01:27**

I got stung once buying an 8gb pendrive off eBay. Turned out it was a re-engineered 2gb drive that had software compression built-in. It crashed when more than 2gb was being loaded onto it. Got my ££ back and got told to keep the drive. I binned it.

Now I'm off topic again

Dazzler · **Reply #28: April 16, 2009, 10:31:10**

Quote from: ouri30 on April 15, 2009, 13:47:51

Dazz,
I haven't added any to my 16gb stick lately - too busy I guess.
Interestingly, I got 2 memory sticks for my daughters for Xmas (Sony) on eBay. Paid around $20 each for them (8 Gb). When they arrived, they turned out to be 32 Gb. What a bargain! Should have ordered a few more.
Bob

I'm still ripping my favourite CD's so I can fill it up a bit more (still havent tried it yet)

A M8 picked up a 32GB drive from his friend for $50 2nd hand (I thought that was cheap) but then he left it sticking out of the front of a computer and tipped it up to adjust a rear cable ..

Whoops .. one stuffed thumb drive...

Sampain · **Reply #29: June 12, 2010, 12:04:01**

Sorry if this is a little off topic, but after reading this thread, I bought a 16GB USB pen drive.
I simply added a number of MP3s that I already had on my PC to test it, but the car reads the USB drive as empty.
Do I need to format in a particular way, or have MP3s of a cetain size or create some sort of folder on the pen drive?