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PSP music files are "corrupted data"?

I know this might have been answered before.. if so all I need is a link thank you. But I read your answer on transfering music to the Sony PSP and the music went on the PSP. But when I play it after about 15 seconds it'll stop and say file is corrupted. The music is in mp3 format. The PSP firmware version is 2.60. Please help. thank you.


Dave's Answer:

I see this question with some frequency and have determined that there are two main reasons this occurs, and the solution to one is so simple you won't believe me:

Replace your USB cable with a newer one.

I'm a scientist and have a background in various engineering disciplines so I am the first to admit that this makes no sense to me, but over the last few years of helping people out with the Sony PSP, I have time and again heard from people with corrupt data who found that replacing their USB cable with a new, better quality one eliminated their corrupt data problems with music.

Even the top-end fancy cables aren't much more than $10, too. For example: this USB cable at Amazon.com is $12.99 which is well worth it if you think about it as an investment in your sanity! In fact, Amazon's reselling it for Target stores, so you can probably just pop into your local Target and buy it for the same price and have it now, not in a week.

I should note that issues of video files that can't be played are usually a different problem, one that's more likely caused by the fact that the PSP is extraordinarily fussy about video formats, even with its latest firmware upgrade that supposedly fixed things. I have found that even with my favorite DVD conversion software (AnyDVD, commercial app), sometimes I just end up with a video file that won't work on the PSP, even though I've used 100% identical settings to others that work just fine.

The other reason is that you might have a bad or counterfeit memory card. I talk about this problem at length here: Why cant' I format my PSP memory stick?

Anyway, if you're seeing corrupt file data on your Sony PSP, my first recommendation is to replace the USB cable and, while you're at it, make sure your USB port on your computer is working perfectly too (or just switch to another one). If that doesn't help, then check out your memory card and make sure it's not messed up or a fake. For that matter, I recommend that you don't buy memory cards off eBay, however much they may seem like a great deal. Better to pay another $20 and get something that'll work reliably!



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Comments

I've run into this issue and I don't think it's the cord, although I'll try a new one just to be sure. I was trying to merge mp3 files from an audio book CD (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, actually). If I transfer the individual tracks, the PSP plays them just fine. If I merge all of the tracks together with a utility (I've tried 2), I get the corrupted data message on the PSP; can't even begin to play it on the PSP. The merged file, however, will play just fine on my PC. I'm chalking it up to the PSP being fussy about the file type and that the merging utilities don't format the merged file 100% the way the PSP likes them to be.

Posted by: Michael Pierce at December 29, 2006 8:47 AM

It's not th cord, it's usually the files aren't encoded using a good program...I get this error all the time after I split large files using an mp3 spliter I find that if I take a file that's corrupt and re-encode it using cooledit it works perfectly.

Posted by: Roman at January 19, 2007 10:03 PM

hey dave taylor,

i just recently purchased a ceramic white psp with a TA-082 motherboard. its firmware was 2.71 but silly me upgraded it to 3.10. i have been looking at dark alex's 3.10 OE-A update so i can play homebrew but im not shure if i can update it to 3.10 OE-A because it is 3.10 with a TA-082 motherboard. could you PLEASE tell me if i can update to dark alex 3.10 OE-A. thanks heaps.

Posted by: aaron at March 10, 2007 9:43 PM

I did all the things you need to do in able to transfer music onto my PSP. but when i go to look and listen to the music it still says THERE ARE NO TRACKS.

Posted by: sam at March 17, 2007 4:32 PM

i'v downloaded a psp game demo and i'v put it in the psp.when i go on to it...it says data corrupted....can u help me?
tks

Posted by: stefan at April 14, 2007 2:45 PM

I have downloaded some demos for PSP. I followed all the instrustions but when I went to play the demos it just said corrupted data. What do I do?
Thanks Leah xx

Posted by: Leah at May 28, 2007 8:38 AM

Hi i found that i was getting this problem with a memory stick pro duo 4GB.

I got the card from ebay for about £20.

Thhe music, video and downloaded games file will be corrupt because your card may be fake.

the way to tell is:

insert your memory card into the psp and turn it on

highlight memory stick on either the music or video tabs and press triangle for a menu then choose information and press X

you should have a screen with:
user capacity
free space
magicgate

look next to magicgate and if it says unsuported or unknown you know you have a fake memory card.

but if it says supported all is sweet.

i had this problem the only advice is dont buy cheap memory cards from ebay.


Posted by: Jistvinez at September 22, 2007 11:48 AM

No need to buy a new cable!!
just when you remove the psp just remove d cable n dont do tht safely remove hardware thing!!!!

Posted by: dhruv dandia at November 9, 2007 2:31 AM

i got a psp with the game Monster Hunter Frredom 2 i was playing it as usually but today it didnt work anymore the game does but my saved game doesnt! 0_o it sais: load failed the data is corrupted (80110306)
is it able to recover that data so i can jus play it without having to restart a new game?

Posted by: mhf2 psp at January 2, 2008 3:23 AM

buddy few months around 3 months back i got a psp memory card 4gb for about 1900 rupees (INR) and i am experiencing a problem of data corrupt in it ,what may be the problem?? the shpokeerper says i cant do anything your card is spoiled or its card format is damaged . IS he right?? when i put some data in it like few mp3s and videos (mp4)ofcourse it reads but after certain limit it says data corrupted,he says it cant be repaired buddies is that right .?? plz assiat what to do??plzz i am waiting.

Posted by: PANKAJ at February 5, 2008 8:46 AM

had "corrupted data". got a new memory stick. no problems since.

Posted by: bryce at February 21, 2008 5:04 PM

Click here for another solution:
http://www.toxigon.com/psp-mp3-music-files-are-corrupted-data-124.html

Posted by: Toxigon at March 23, 2008 4:52 PM

Thanks for the reminder, guys: I just tweaked the article to reference the other common cause of corrupted data: a bad memory card. I've written about it elsewhere on the site, but sometimes don't go back to the earlier articles and add forward references. :-)

Posted by: Dave Taylor at March 23, 2008 5:15 PM

I have to defend Dave on this one. For those who thinks the problem is not the cable but the memory card or the encoding method of the MP3, I tell you, I have a 4GB Sony original memory stick. I bought it from Sony Store, so it cannot be fake. If I am only uploading a few folders, I would have no issue with it. They would play perfectly in my PSP. But when the PSP go into sleep mode, the transfered files will be corrupted. So first, I turn off the power save. But somehow, I still get corrupted file or zero track problem. In fact, once one of the file is corrupted, the subsequent transfered will also be corrupted. One of the ways to create corrupted file is to transfer more than one folder at a time. Try select multiple folders and move it over to the PSP and you will be able to make corrupted files. Once the files are corrupted, the only way to remove them is to reformat the MS. I originally thought that this is a problem with the operating system of the PSP. I will have to try the new cable method.

Posted by: Bruce at March 28, 2008 9:55 PM

Some new discovery. I have a song that I already transfered to my PSP. I listened to it once and the file turned into a corrupted file. I now think it is a software bug in the PSP operating system either it is unstable or it cannot handle memory stick larger than 2GB. I only have problem with this 4GB stick.

Posted by: bruce at March 30, 2008 11:14 PM

Thank you dude! i switched to another usb port and now it works perfectly! i owe you one

Posted by: Rayan at October 9, 2008 10:57 AM

mine its different, i download everything (games, update) and i follow all the steps like create a folder name ISO and then put the games in there like create another one named UPDATE and put it on the game folder but when i go to my psp its allways say DATA CORRUPT and by the way my memory stick its original what can i do!!

Posted by: Frederick at January 14, 2009 6:40 PM

It is not because of any bad usb cable or memory sticks. my pirated 8 gb MS works fine for all things. This is because of wrong info in the song's id3 tag like if a song is of 2 minutes and the pc displays it as 6 minutes, then it is the problem of your mp3 convertor or the mp3 file. believe me it works because PCs can play all kinds of files with .mp3 in extention even if the info is missing, but psp is not like that.

Posted by: Shaurya at January 15, 2009 12:18 AM

you can go to settings on you´re psp and there should be a ''network update'' you press X with that and wait you can ypdate the latest version 5.02. but if thath dosnt work then you can download ARES 2.0.9 there can you download music... for your psp... but you must go to settings on ARES there must you write your Nicname. buth som people can have your nick then you must to write another my nick is (auðgamér_plísss) :D you must just try... AND ITS FREE!!!!! I know becous i dont have a creditcard becose i just 13 years old.. and i just learning english.. :D :D :D :D

Posted by: mark at January 15, 2009 2:38 PM

LOL, the USB cable is not it at all, it might be the way the mp3 file itself is formatted.

Posted by: lol at March 27, 2009 12:07 AM

I have a ? 4 u i downloaded da music to my psp but when i go to my music it doest work it says no tracks and then when i go 2 my memory stick it say corruppted data please HELP!!!!!!

Posted by: chris at April 1, 2009 11:53 AM

To those whom may stumble here through google,

Do not buy the 16gb memory stick pro duo off of ebay. If it's cheap, then it is probably counterfeit.

The problem is if you put any files past 4gb of space on the memory stick, any further files will become corrupted. So, it only functions as a 4gb stick.

Posted by: John at October 20, 2009 4:29 AM

I have a lot to say, but ...
Starbucks coffee cup I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!











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