[nmatheis]

+2

So tempted to put +3 :wink_face:

 

[soniccircle]

   
I'm primarily a Mac user as well, but I tend to forget that not all Mac users have a Windows BootCamp partition or virtual machine available on their Mac. The solution to show Windows hidden files on a Mac is quite simple:
 
1. Open Terminal (under Applications/Utilities).
2. In the Terminal window, type the following:
 
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles 1
 
2a. Close all Finder windows and issue the following command in Terminal to restart Finder:
 
sudo killall finder
 
2b. Once Finder has restarted, open a new Finder window and continue with the steps below.
 
3. Connect the X3 to your Mac via USB cable with the X3 configured in Storage mode.
4. Open the 'X3' drive that appears in Finder or from the desktop icon that appears. You should now see any Windows hidden files as 'ghosted' or 'greyed-out' in the Finder window - see the picture below.
 

 
5. Select the file usrlocal_media.db and move it to the trash and then empty the trash.
6. Close all open Finder windows.
7. In Terminal issue the following command to re-hide the normally hidden files:
 
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles 0
 
8. Eject your X3 (and any other storage drives mounted with your X3) and then do a manual rebuild of the database from the X3 menu.
 
Hope that helps explain it. If rebuilding the database doesn't solve your problem it is almost definitely a corrupt file or file that the X3 doesn't support that is giving you problems, or perhaps bad ID3 tagging. Let me know if there are any questions.
 
Dale

Hi Dale,
 
I tried doing this and got to the point where I typed in the sudo command.  It's asking me for my password, which I'm attempting to type in but it's not allowing me to type it in.  I hit return and it asks me for it again.  After 3 attempts it automatically defaults to asking for a command, in which I start the process all over again. Any ideas?

 

[tjw321]

Hi Dale,

I tried doing this and got to the point where I typed in the sudo command.  It's asking me for my password, which I'm attempting to type in but it's not allowing me to type it in.  I hit return and it asks me for it again.  After 3 attempts it automatically defaults to asking for a command, in which I start the process all over again. Any ideas?

That command is just restarting finder. You can do that from the force quit dialog on the menu under the apple at the top left of your screen. Or rebooting will probably also work.

 

[AgentXXL]

 

Hi Dale,

I tried doing this and got to the point where I typed in the sudo command.  It's asking me for my password, which I'm attempting to type in but it's not allowing me to type it in.  I hit return and it asks me for it again.  After 3 attempts it automatically defaults to asking for a command, in which I start the process all over again. Any ideas?

That command is just restarting finder. You can do that from the force quit dialog on the menu under the apple at the top left of your screen. Or rebooting will probably also work.

 
Just as tjw321 said, it's probably just as easy to use the 'Force Quit' menu item under the Apple menu in top left corner of your screen. Choose Finder from the Force Quit dialog that pops up:
 

 
Or again, as tjw321 said, just reboot and continue the steps from there. The 'sudo' command means run the command following as 'root' or 'administrator' so you have to type the 'root' or 'administrator' password that you usually created when you first started up your Mac. If you've forgotten the 'root' password, try googling 'how to reset root password on Mac OS X 10.x' - replace the '10.x' with your version of OS X (found in the Apple menu under 'About this Mac').
 
Dale

 

[MrScratch]

That command is just restarting finder. You can do that from the force quit dialog on the menu under the apple at the top left of your screen. Or rebooting will probably also work.

 
Nope, the root/admin password isn't needed to restart the Finder. The command "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles 0" has the purpose to show hidden files. Since system files are hidden by default and protected with admin rigths, a root password is required to show 'em.
Soniccircle still requires to relaunch the Finder in order to see the changes made by the previous command.
 
As Dale pointed out, force quitting the Finder is just 2 clicks away.
 

You need to restart the Finder too in order to see or hide immediately the hidden files. You can type in terminal:

killall finder

Or you can press Command, Option and Escape (cmd+alt+esc) and restart it from the system UI.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  Hi Dale,
 
I tried doing this and got to the point where I typed in the sudo command.  It's asking me for my password, which I'm attempting to type in but it's not allowing me to type it in.  I hit return and it asks me for it again.  After 3 attempts it automatically defaults to asking for a command, in which I start the process all over again. Any ideas?

 
For security purposes, it may seem it doesn't respond to keyboard inputs at this point but I can assure you that you are able to type in your password. Just make sure your current account has admin rights on the machine.

 

[beachpea]

Thanks to all who offered help my X3 problems - sonic circle, agentxxl, tjw321, mrscratch, et al! I am writing to report that, following your instructions, I think I have finally solved the freezing problem. So far, so good, though I haven't added back all the files yet. At least I am encouraged now and am reconsidering selling the X3!
 
Thanks again for your kind help and cheers to you all!

 

[JamesFiiO]

  Thanks to all who offered help my X3 problems - sonic circle, agentxxl, tjw321, mrscratch, et al! I am writing to report that, following your instructions, I think I have finally solved the freezing problem. So far, so good, though I haven't added back all the files yet. At least I am encouraged now and am reconsidering selling the X3!
 
Thanks again for your kind help and cheers to you all!

 
thanks for your understanding and supports to FiiO, I am very sorry that X3 is far far away from perfect and bring you a lots of trouble, but I believe that there are not any company will keep improving the firmware to solve the problem of customers as FiiO.

 

[beachpea]

Thank you, James, for your personal note. I have been purchasing FiiO products for years now and have been very happy with all of them. I do recognize and appreciate the fact that you continue to develop solutions and improvements for the X3 through firmware upgrades. I have added each firmware upgrade to my X3 each time there has been a new one available. The difficulties I've had have been with the most recent upgrade to version 3.0 with frequent and repeated freezes. I have since reverted to version 2.1 and have rebuilt the database with the help of HeadFi members advice. This seems to have solved the freeze-up problems, so things are working properly now. I would, however, like to upgrade to version 3.0 again to take advantage of the sound improvements I've been reading about that it offers. Will there be another firmware upgrade soon to solve these new bugs that seem to accompany version 3?

Thanks again for your due diligence with the X3. I, too, am sorry that it has had more than its share of bugs, but do very much appreciate your continuing efforts to fix them, to polish the product, and to please your customers!

Cheers!

 

[JamesFiiO]

Thank you, James, for your personal note. I have been purchasing FiiO products for years now and have been very happy with all of them. I do recognize and appreciate the fact that you continue to develop solutions and improvements for the X3 through firmware upgrades. I have added each firmware upgrade to my X3 each time there has been a new one available. The difficulties I've had have been with the most recent upgrade to version 3.0 with frequent and repeated freezes. I have since reverted to version 2.1 and have rebuilt the database with the help of HeadFi members advice. This seems to have solved the freeze-up problems, so things are working properly now. I would, however, like to upgrade to version 3.0 again to take advantage of the sound improvements I've been reading about that it offers. Will there be another firmware upgrade soon to solve these new bugs that seem to accompany version 3?

Thanks again for your due diligence with the X3. I, too, am sorry that it has had more than its share of bugs, but do very much appreciate your continuing efforts to fix them, to polish the product, and to please your customers!

Cheers!

 
thanks, we will keep upgrading the firmware for X3 till the end of this year, and I think most features should be added and most bugs will be fixed too.

 

[beachpea]

Final chapter - I hope!
 
The problems with my FiiO X3 reappeared and persisted despite all the attempted solutions suggested here on HeadFi. So, just before the one year warranty expired, I sent the unit back to MP4Nation for repair or replacement. They evaluated it quickly and sent me a brand new unit complete with the most recent firmware (V.3.0) installed. I'm happy to report that it is working perfectly and sounds great! I'm equally happy to commend MP4Nation who was great about the whole customer service process, offering excellent personalized communication, decisive action, and speedy, upgraded return shipping, all at no charge! I'll surely do business with them in the future and recommend them to others here at HeadFi.
 
Thanks again to all who helped me with this prolonged process. It seems to have come to a happy ending. Hooray!