What am I doing? Using Windows Explorer, because Media Center lacks functionality to synchronize files and preserve a hierarchical naming scheme. I consider this a horrible limitation in an otherwise stellar product.
I have an Archos Jukebox 20 Recorder which functions as a 20GB disk drive (USB). I manage my MP3 collection on my PC's hard drive.
The Archos UI is a file browser; you navigate up and down the file menus, and push a button to select. (Actually I use Rockbox, but the Archos firmware works the same way.) So I keep my files organized in the typical hierarchical form, with separate directories for Artist/Album.
I use Windows Explorer to copy & paste files from one hard drive to the other (Archos). I have to keep a list of changes to be applied on the Archos: new directories, renamed / deleted files, etc.
(I've experimented with various Windows file synchronization tools, and so far I haven't found one that is a) powerful and b) easy to use.)
Unfortunately, I haven't found any features of Media Center that help with this workflow.
What I want is something like Media Center's
synchronize files that would take a property mask like [Artist]/[Album]. Alternatively, I would like to have a
copy files command that would work like
rename files. Enhancing the synchronize command would be ideal, since it works off a playlist; then I could control what subset of my PC collection would be copied over.
If anyone has any other suggestions, I would be most grateful. Thanks!
/kmc