The car audio system struggles to identify certain folders stored on your USB flash drive.
The car audio system struggles to identify certain folders stored on your USB flash drive.
Hey there, I just joined the group. My first message brought up a concern – I need assistance. My car’s Kenwood KMM-BT305 stereo performed perfectly until today. I use it for hands-free calls and streaming music from a SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB (FAT32) USB drive. So far, nothing else has been connected. Recently, I moved more music to the drive and removed some old files. Previously, when I connected it and started my car, it would usually scan the entire drive, which sometimes took 3-5 minutes. This time it started playing right away, no matter what I did. Unplugged and plugged back in – same result. I tried moving files manually, but there are no other folders except the one currently playing. Here’s what I’ve done so far:
- Checked Kenwood’s file and folder limits – well under them
- Reformatted the drive (FAT32) and re-uploaded music
- Updated the stereo’s firmware
- Performed a factory reset via the stereo menu
- Used the hardware reset button on the back of the display
Additional notes:
- Only MP3 and JPG files are present
- Deepest folder is four levels down
- No hidden files or folders except “System Volume Information” (can’t delete yet)
- All folders and music files are accessible
Tested on both Linux and Windows. I’m unsure what else to try – it seems the system doesn’t initiate a full scan when starting. No option to force a re-scan appears. Any suggestions? I might test another drive, but I’d rather not switch again since it’s working.
P.S. I prefer Bluetooth and my phone over using it as an alternative. Thanks ahead!
Sure, I can test it using songs you’re familiar with. Then we can check if the new files are causing any problems.
I encountered some odd problems with USB drives and radios. My first suggestion is to run fatsort on the drive. I posted about this on a 370Z forum, sorry for the external link. Then I noticed some strange issues when files show "correct" creation dates or missing data. Finally, you might want to try MP3diags on your music files to check for file problems.
I'll attempt the process again, though the older folders on that storage before formatting aren't functioning either. I'll also try it now using a different flash drive with one of the problematic folders on my regular music drive. It worked well then. Switching back to the original drive puts me stuck in that folder again. I might delete that folder and see if it then identifies the others.
This makes me think the nested folders aren't working well, or fatsort might be the better solution.
I experimented with additional steps: - fatsort didn't alter anything - removing the "System Volume Information" folder under Linux didn't help - MP3 Diags detected no issues with the files (they function correctly on Clementine and MusicBee too) - reformatted again (this time on Linux with a newly set up msdos partition table) - transferred the folders excluding the one I was restricted to Now the radio shows "READING" as it would with a fresh drive, but it didn't complete after over ten minutes, which is much longer than usual. I might need to switch temporarily to Bluetooth until someone comes up with better solutions.
I completed the repair by copying everything to my laptop and overwriting the entire drive with zeros using dd on Linux. After switching back to Windows, I reformatted it again, opting for a full format (disabling the quick format option). This step is quite risky—careless and you could erase your operating system. That’s why I didn’t elaborate on it further. If anyone wants a more thorough breakdown, I can prepare it later; just let me know. Car radio checked the drive briefly and everything is working now. Note: I omitted one folder with an odd character “ÿ,” possibly because it didn’t render properly. The manual mentions unusual characters might not display correctly, so I’ll verify that part and update the post once confirmed. EDIT: The issue was indeed that folder containing “ÿ.” It seems UTF-8 support is limited in 2021... *sigh* Appreciate your suggestions.
I faced the same issue. I inserted my flash drive into the Kenwood KMR-M328BT to store music. When I connected it again, half my files stopped working and the search didn't navigate the file system. After many attempts, it became clear this was the problem. Queensrÿche. The "ÿ" character caused all the trouble. Switching to a standard "y" fixed everything. If anyone has similar concerns, avoid using special characters in file and directory names.