500GB External Hard Drive works!!!
#26
i will try on the new c class...
I've read that many people tried to connect external hard drives through USB port in the glove compartment but didn't have much success with it. After several trial and errors, I managed to make it work. I know store all of my mp3 music on Iomega 500GB hard drive and it works flawlessly in my car.
The trick is to format the entire drive as FAT32. Windows doesn't allow to format more than 32GB in FAT32 so you have to use 3-party software to format the entire drive. I used HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool 2.2.3 (available FREE) and it worked great.
Give it a shot if you have a large music collection and want to store it all in your car. I know that iPod offer much better music experience but my music collection is 400GB in size and 160GB iPod won't be sufficient for me.
I now wonder if our cars support lossless audio codecs like .flac, .ape or ALAC? I may give it a shot tonight.
The trick is to format the entire drive as FAT32. Windows doesn't allow to format more than 32GB in FAT32 so you have to use 3-party software to format the entire drive. I used HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool 2.2.3 (available FREE) and it worked great.
Give it a shot if you have a large music collection and want to store it all in your car. I know that iPod offer much better music experience but my music collection is 400GB in size and 160GB iPod won't be sufficient for me.
I now wonder if our cars support lossless audio codecs like .flac, .ape or ALAC? I may give it a shot tonight.
Thank you, i will try on the new c class because after a windows quick format it tells me NO READABLE FILE.
Hope this is the reason...
#28
MBWorld Fanatic!
#29
I've read that many people tried to connect external hard drives through USB port in the glove compartment but didn't have much success with it. After several trial and errors, I managed to make it work. I know store all of my mp3 music on Iomega 500GB hard drive and it works flawlessly in my car.
The trick is to format the entire drive as FAT32. Windows doesn't allow to format more than 32GB in FAT32 so you have to use 3-party software to format the entire drive. I used HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool 2.2.3 (available FREE) and it worked great.
Give it a shot if you have a large music collection and want to store it all in your car. I know that iPod offer much better music experience but my music collection is 400GB in size and 160GB iPod won't be sufficient for me.
I now wonder if our cars support lossless audio codecs like .flac, .ape or ALAC? I may give it a shot tonight.
The trick is to format the entire drive as FAT32. Windows doesn't allow to format more than 32GB in FAT32 so you have to use 3-party software to format the entire drive. I used HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool 2.2.3 (available FREE) and it worked great.
Give it a shot if you have a large music collection and want to store it all in your car. I know that iPod offer much better music experience but my music collection is 400GB in size and 160GB iPod won't be sufficient for me.
I now wonder if our cars support lossless audio codecs like .flac, .ape or ALAC? I may give it a shot tonight.
#30
Senior Member
I've always used these tiny compact 32GB USB:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SanDisk-...-/251053896296
It barely stick out from the USB port & doesn't snag other items in the glove box.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SanDisk-...-/251053896296
It barely stick out from the USB port & doesn't snag other items in the glove box.
#31
In order to keep the initialization time short,
do not store data other than music files on
the USB device.
Up to eight directory levels with up to 1,000
tracks are supported.
Do not use a USB extension cable or
adapter. These may impair functionality.
Playlists are searched for in the
background on the USB device and, if
available, are offered beside folders in a
separate category.
RYou can only use USB devices formatted
with the file system format FAT (File
Allocation Table).
i Files protected with DRM (Digital Rights
Management) are not supported by the
Media Interface."
#34
. I have1000GB connected to my 2010 E350 ,trick is I made 3 partition. So I can have all storage space utilized.
#35
Junior Member
#36
#37
#38
Junior Member
#39
MBWorld Fanatic!
I have an old 8gb iphone 3 in the glove box for music storage. I know it's not a lot of songs with only 8gb but even with that I find it takes a few moments to load song titles when searching. The bonus is the iphone is a backup cell phone for emergency dialing.
#40
Junior Member
#41
#42
Junior Member
#44
Junior Member
#46
Junior Member
I've read that many people tried to connect external hard drives through USB port in the glove compartment but didn't have much success with it. After several trial and errors, I managed to make it work. I know store all of my mp3 music on Iomega 500GB hard drive and it works flawlessly in my car.
The trick is to format the entire drive as FAT32. Windows doesn't allow to format more than 32GB in FAT32 so you have to use 3-party software to format the entire drive. I used HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool 2.2.3 (available FREE) and it worked great.
Give it a shot if you have a large music collection and want to store it all in your car. I know that iPod offer much better music experience but my music collection is 400GB in size and 160GB iPod won't be sufficient for me.
I now wonder if our cars support lossless audio codecs like .flac, .ape or ALAC? I may give it a shot tonight.
The trick is to format the entire drive as FAT32. Windows doesn't allow to format more than 32GB in FAT32 so you have to use 3-party software to format the entire drive. I used HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool 2.2.3 (available FREE) and it worked great.
Give it a shot if you have a large music collection and want to store it all in your car. I know that iPod offer much better music experience but my music collection is 400GB in size and 160GB iPod won't be sufficient for me.
I now wonder if our cars support lossless audio codecs like .flac, .ape or ALAC? I may give it a shot tonight.
Last edited by BMerc1; 02-09-2017 at 01:58 PM.
#48
Junior Member
I've read that many people tried to connect external hard drives through USB port in the glove compartment but didn't have much success with it. After several trial and errors, I managed to make it work. I know store all of my mp3 music on Iomega 500GB hard drive and it works flawlessly in my car.
The trick is to format the entire drive as FAT32. Windows doesn't allow to format more than 32GB in FAT32 so you have to use 3-party software to format the entire drive. I used HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool 2.2.3 (available FREE) and it worked great.
Give it a shot if you have a large music collection and want to store it all in your car. I know that iPod offer much better music experience but my music collection is 400GB in size and 160GB iPod won't be sufficient for me.
I now wonder if our cars support lossless audio codecs like .flac, .ape or ALAC? I may give it a shot tonight.
The trick is to format the entire drive as FAT32. Windows doesn't allow to format more than 32GB in FAT32 so you have to use 3-party software to format the entire drive. I used HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool 2.2.3 (available FREE) and it worked great.
Give it a shot if you have a large music collection and want to store it all in your car. I know that iPod offer much better music experience but my music collection is 400GB in size and 160GB iPod won't be sufficient for me.
I now wonder if our cars support lossless audio codecs like .flac, .ape or ALAC? I may give it a shot tonight.
what make & modle is your Benz
I have a 2008 gl450 & at the other end of the iPhone 4 cable is a Ethernet male end
#49
Junior Member
I've recently been looking up this information as well. Here are some tidbits from the "COMAND Operating Instructions" from my car, a '14 E550. (Funny thing, when I downloaded this from the MB site, it gave me the 2015 version: Order no. 6515 7871 13 Part no. 172 584 58 00 Edition B-2015.) Emphasis is mine.
Inserting an SD memory card
The first 100 MP3 tracks are loaded. The first MP3 track is then played. Further tracks are loaded in the background; this is indicated by an hourglass symbol.
Connecting a USB device
Electrical consumption at this connection must not exceed a continuous current of 500 mA.
Selecting an active partition (USB mass storage devices only)
You can select this function for USB mass storage devices when the storage device is partitioned. Up to 5 partitions (primary or logical, FAT, FAT32 and NTFS) are supported.
Notes on MP3 mode
Permissible file systems
FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS for SD memory card and USB storage media
Notes on MP3 mode
File structure of a data carrier
A folder may also contain subfolders. The disc may contain no more than eight directory levels. Files beyond the eighth level will not be recognized by the system.
COMAND loads up to 15,000 tracks from an SD memory card or USB storage medium.
Notes on MP3 mode
Track and file names
COMAND uses these names accordingly for the display. Folders that contain data other than MP3 or WMA tracks are not displayed by COMAND.
If MP3 or WMA files are stored in the root directory itself, the root directory will also be treated as a folder.
Notes on MP3 mode
Permissible formats
COMAND supports the following formats:
-MPEG1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)
-Microsoft Windows Media Audio V8 and V9 (WMA) without copy protection
-Microsoft Windows Media Audio V2, V7, V8 and V9 (WMA)
-additional music files in AAC format with the file extensions .aac, .mp4, .m4a and .m4b, but not copy-protected iTunes music files with the extension .m4p.
If, in addition to MP3 files, there are other music files in these audio formats stored on the disc, the loading process may require a longer time before the first track is played.
MP3 player instructions
General information
Up to 30,000 tracks per medium are supported.
MP3 player instructions
Special considerations when using MP3 players
Up to eight directory levels with up to 1,000 tracks per directory are supported.
So what I've gathered from all this is:
- use FAT32 (widely readable and writable from many OSes and platforms)
- use only a single music format (for loading speed)
- don't use a wide (1,000's of files in a single folder--hard to browse) or a deep (more than 8, not supported) folder structure
- limited to 15,000 songs (on your own USB or SDcard) or 30,000 songs (on an MP3 player)
What I have not been able to find is the size limit for an SDcard. The manual says this:
The readable storage capacity depends on the memory card used. You can obtain further information at any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
but I've asked three dealers near me, and none could answer. I'm awaiting shipment of a 32 GB SDcard, which seems a safe maximum size (based on other devices, phones, etc. that support 32 GB but not 64 GB).
Inserting an SD memory card
The first 100 MP3 tracks are loaded. The first MP3 track is then played. Further tracks are loaded in the background; this is indicated by an hourglass symbol.
Connecting a USB device
Electrical consumption at this connection must not exceed a continuous current of 500 mA.
Selecting an active partition (USB mass storage devices only)
You can select this function for USB mass storage devices when the storage device is partitioned. Up to 5 partitions (primary or logical, FAT, FAT32 and NTFS) are supported.
Notes on MP3 mode
Permissible file systems
FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS for SD memory card and USB storage media
Notes on MP3 mode
File structure of a data carrier
A folder may also contain subfolders. The disc may contain no more than eight directory levels. Files beyond the eighth level will not be recognized by the system.
COMAND loads up to 15,000 tracks from an SD memory card or USB storage medium.
Notes on MP3 mode
Track and file names
COMAND uses these names accordingly for the display. Folders that contain data other than MP3 or WMA tracks are not displayed by COMAND.
If MP3 or WMA files are stored in the root directory itself, the root directory will also be treated as a folder.
Notes on MP3 mode
Permissible formats
COMAND supports the following formats:
-MPEG1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)
-Microsoft Windows Media Audio V8 and V9 (WMA) without copy protection
-Microsoft Windows Media Audio V2, V7, V8 and V9 (WMA)
-additional music files in AAC format with the file extensions .aac, .mp4, .m4a and .m4b, but not copy-protected iTunes music files with the extension .m4p.
If, in addition to MP3 files, there are other music files in these audio formats stored on the disc, the loading process may require a longer time before the first track is played.
MP3 player instructions
General information
Up to 30,000 tracks per medium are supported.
MP3 player instructions
Special considerations when using MP3 players
Up to eight directory levels with up to 1,000 tracks per directory are supported.
So what I've gathered from all this is:
- use FAT32 (widely readable and writable from many OSes and platforms)
- use only a single music format (for loading speed)
- don't use a wide (1,000's of files in a single folder--hard to browse) or a deep (more than 8, not supported) folder structure
- limited to 15,000 songs (on your own USB or SDcard) or 30,000 songs (on an MP3 player)
What I have not been able to find is the size limit for an SDcard. The manual says this:
The readable storage capacity depends on the memory card used. You can obtain further information at any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
but I've asked three dealers near me, and none could answer. I'm awaiting shipment of a 32 GB SDcard, which seems a safe maximum size (based on other devices, phones, etc. that support 32 GB but not 64 GB).
#50
Junior Member
I've recently been looking up this information as well. Here are some tidbits from the "COMAND Operating Instructions" from my car, a '14 E550. (Funny thing, when I downloaded this from the MB site, it gave me the 2015 version: Order no. 6515 7871 13 Part no. 172 584 58 00 Edition B-2015.) Emphasis is mine.
Inserting an SD memory card
The first 100 MP3 tracks are loaded. The first MP3 track is then played. Further tracks are loaded in the background; this is indicated by an hourglass symbol.
Connecting a USB device
Electrical consumption at this connection must not exceed a continuous current of 500 mA.
Selecting an active partition (USB mass storage devices only)
You can select this function for USB mass storage devices when the storage device is partitioned. Up to 5 partitions (primary or logical, FAT, FAT32 and NTFS) are supported.
Notes on MP3 mode
Permissible file systems
FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS for SD memory card and USB storage media
Notes on MP3 mode
File structure of a data carrier
A folder may also contain subfolders. The disc may contain no more than eight directory levels. Files beyond the eighth level will not be recognized by the system.
COMAND loads up to 15,000 tracks from an SD memory card or USB storage medium.
Notes on MP3 mode
Track and file names
COMAND uses these names accordingly for the display. Folders that contain data other than MP3 or WMA tracks are not displayed by COMAND.
If MP3 or WMA files are stored in the root directory itself, the root directory will also be treated as a folder.
Notes on MP3 mode
Permissible formats
COMAND supports the following formats:
-MPEG1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)
-Microsoft Windows Media Audio V8 and V9 (WMA) without copy protection
-Microsoft Windows Media Audio V2, V7, V8 and V9 (WMA)
-additional music files in AAC format with the file extensions .aac, .mp4, .m4a and .m4b, but not copy-protected iTunes music files with the extension .m4p.
If, in addition to MP3 files, there are other music files in these audio formats stored on the disc, the loading process may require a longer time before the first track is played.
MP3 player instructions
General information
Up to 30,000 tracks per medium are supported.
MP3 player instructions
Special considerations when using MP3 players
Up to eight directory levels with up to 1,000 tracks per directory are supported.
So what I've gathered from all this is:
- use FAT32 (widely readable and writable from many OSes and platforms)
- use only a single music format (for loading speed)
- don't use a wide (1,000's of files in a single folder--hard to browse) or a deep (more than 8, not supported) folder structure
- limited to 15,000 songs (on your own USB or SDcard) or 30,000 songs (on an MP3 player)
What I have not been able to find is the size limit for an SDcard. The manual says this:
The readable storage capacity depends on the memory card used. You can obtain further information at any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
but I've asked three dealers near me, and none could answer. I'm awaiting shipment of a 32 GB SDcard, which seems a safe maximum size (based on other devices, phones, etc. that support 32 GB but not 64 GB).
Inserting an SD memory card
The first 100 MP3 tracks are loaded. The first MP3 track is then played. Further tracks are loaded in the background; this is indicated by an hourglass symbol.
Connecting a USB device
Electrical consumption at this connection must not exceed a continuous current of 500 mA.
Selecting an active partition (USB mass storage devices only)
You can select this function for USB mass storage devices when the storage device is partitioned. Up to 5 partitions (primary or logical, FAT, FAT32 and NTFS) are supported.
Notes on MP3 mode
Permissible file systems
FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS for SD memory card and USB storage media
Notes on MP3 mode
File structure of a data carrier
A folder may also contain subfolders. The disc may contain no more than eight directory levels. Files beyond the eighth level will not be recognized by the system.
COMAND loads up to 15,000 tracks from an SD memory card or USB storage medium.
Notes on MP3 mode
Track and file names
COMAND uses these names accordingly for the display. Folders that contain data other than MP3 or WMA tracks are not displayed by COMAND.
If MP3 or WMA files are stored in the root directory itself, the root directory will also be treated as a folder.
Notes on MP3 mode
Permissible formats
COMAND supports the following formats:
-MPEG1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)
-Microsoft Windows Media Audio V8 and V9 (WMA) without copy protection
-Microsoft Windows Media Audio V2, V7, V8 and V9 (WMA)
-additional music files in AAC format with the file extensions .aac, .mp4, .m4a and .m4b, but not copy-protected iTunes music files with the extension .m4p.
If, in addition to MP3 files, there are other music files in these audio formats stored on the disc, the loading process may require a longer time before the first track is played.
MP3 player instructions
General information
Up to 30,000 tracks per medium are supported.
MP3 player instructions
Special considerations when using MP3 players
Up to eight directory levels with up to 1,000 tracks per directory are supported.
So what I've gathered from all this is:
- use FAT32 (widely readable and writable from many OSes and platforms)
- use only a single music format (for loading speed)
- don't use a wide (1,000's of files in a single folder--hard to browse) or a deep (more than 8, not supported) folder structure
- limited to 15,000 songs (on your own USB or SDcard) or 30,000 songs (on an MP3 player)
What I have not been able to find is the size limit for an SDcard. The manual says this:
The readable storage capacity depends on the memory card used. You can obtain further information at any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
but I've asked three dealers near me, and none could answer. I'm awaiting shipment of a 32 GB SDcard, which seems a safe maximum size (based on other devices, phones, etc. that support 32 GB but not 64 GB).
I have found that none of the dealers know their *** from a hole in the ground when it comes to tech