6. Conclusion

In short, Connect is a mess. Its repeated tendency to format a connected player and refusal to allow for multiple PC users renders it practically unusable. SonicStage is better, far more stable and less likely to leave you without music though it is still far from perfect.

Despite teething issues during installation of both GYM and MP3FM, the combination of both is far preferable to either of the solutions described above. It's important to take the time to backup before installing both, though that should be a given.

While it might seem more cumbersome to make use of the combination of GYM and MP3FM, the benefits in usability are obvious. While Connect didn't support transfer from multiple machines, MP3FM is a polar opposite. Installation to the player itself means that transfer from any machine is quick and easy.

Of course, I have to add the disclaimer that nobody involved with this article will take any responsibility if anything above causes any damage (otherwise there'd be legal trouble afoot). All I can say is that through experimentation, I've managed to do no worse than force myself to copy music back and forth between a Walkman and a PC for a few hours before getting everything to work.

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