Trouble copying files to SanDisk m230

Continuing my experiments with this device, using parted.

Initial report from the device.

# parteddev-sdb1 check Parbreastion number? 1 Warning: File system doesn't have expected sizes for Windows to like it. Cluster size is 16k (8k expected); number of clusters is 31542 (63068 plus 1expected); size of FATs is 124 sectors (247 expected). Ignore-Cancel? i Information: Don't forget to updateetc-fstab, if necessary.

# parteddev-sdb1 print Disk geometry fordev-sdb1: 0kB - 517MB Disk label type: loop Number Start End Size File system Flags 1 0kB 517MB 517MB fat16 Information: Don't forget to updateetc-fstab, if necessary.

So, copied the device's setup folders and files to computer, and reformatted the device as follows:

# parteddev-sdb1 check Parbreastion number? 1 Information: Don't forget to updateetc-fstab, if necessary.

Disk geometry fordev-sdb1: 0kB - 510MB Disk label type: loop Number Start End Size File system Flags 1 0kB 510MB 510MB fat16 Information: Don't forget to updateetc-fstab, if necessary.

When I disconnected the USB cable, the device displayed: Please, wait. Disk format

As if the device is reformatting itself.

After a while, a message "Plz ..." that appeared so briefly I had time to only read the first word.

The device claims to have 166 songs, but only one appears and it is unplayable.

Try again...

Copied the setup folders and files back to the device, sync'd and unmounted. Device claims to hold no files.

Copied MP3 files back to the device. Managed to fit 165 files, for a total of 232.8 MBytes

The files play fine; selection by Artist, Album, etc. works.

So I ripped two CDs of Bach, and encoded as MP3s at 256 kbps. I deleted three files from the device, and copied one new file, for a total of 163 files and 247.6MB. Then found room for another small file, so I had 164 files for a total of 248.8MB.

For some reason, the device is only allowing me to use half of the supposed 512MB capacity for storing my own files...

Could it be that the device lets me upload 250MB of MP3s, and then converts them to an internal format before I can play them? This would seem to be one possible explanation.

I wonder what parted will report now. Has the device reformatted itself as before, with the "peculier" cluster and FAT size?

# parteddev-sdb1 check Parbreastion number? 1 Warning: File system doesn't have expected sizes for Windows to like it. Cluster size is 16k (8k expected); number of clusters is 31542 (63068 plus 1expected); size of FATs is 124 sectors (247 expected).

# parteddev-sdb1 print Disk geometry fordev-sdb1: 0kB - 517MB Disk label type: loop Number Start End Size File system Flags 1 0kB 517MB 517MB fat16 Information: Don't forget to updateetc-fstab, if necessary.

Yes, it seems to have done so.

Beef.