I wanted to bring these handy tools to everyone's attention. They are particularly useful for large USB/SD folder trees. The problem is that Pioneer HU's (and probably others) do not assign folder numbers alphabetically; instead, the HU assigns the folder number based on the order each folder was added to the drive. The effect was particularly annoying in my old FHP-8000BT that did not have WinCE or a large touch screen.

 

In a WinCE environment the HU does follow normal alpha rules in list mode. That's a big improvement and another reason I’m happy with my upgrade decision to an F700. However, folder numbers are still assigned incorrectly. Therefore, when you insert and initialize your USB or SD media, the HU begins playing folder #1 which could be Aerosmith, Metallica or ZZ Top. If you are like me and find this illogical, here are a couple of tools to solve the problem. Both resort the folders/files so that the HU assigns folder numbers starting at the top of the folder tree, usually the letter A. Or you can choose descending order and start with Z if you prefer

 

DriveSort - http://www.anerty.net/software/file/DriveSort.php

 

FAT Sorter - http://www.fenux.net/story/fatsorteroneohfour

Note: FAT Sorter requires .NET Framework 3.5, a 200MB+ install.

 

Of the two I prefer DriveSort. Lightweight (~50KB) and does not require install. Sorting takes only seconds.

 

Hope these help!