MiniDisc TOC ERROR emergency help
for Sony MDS-303 decks

(Some tricks work with other Sony decks as well..., see FAQ)

DISCLAIMER / Please read this first
If you try out any of the actions mentioned below, you do this at your own risk. I don't take responsibility for any (direct or inderect) damages to you or third parties. I've tried out everything with my 303 deck, but I can't guarantee that it'll work for you, too. If you don't agree, please do not read on.
All trademarks (like MiniDisc) and copyrighted material belong to their owners.


I've tried out all five actions with my MDS-303 deck, but I can't promise that they'll work for you as well. When in TEST MODE, don't do anything you're not sure about, as it might damage you deck.

*DO NOT MAKE ILLEGAL COPIES. USE ONLY YOUR OWN MATERIAL

    When should you read this page?

  • If you own a Sony MDS-303 or -503 deck.
  • If you lost a MD walkman recording because of battery failure.
  • If you accidentally erased a recording while editing.

    If you are looking for general information about MD, turn to the unofficial MiniDisc pages.

On a MDS-303 the Table Of Contents (TOC) isn't written to the disc before it is either ejected or turned off. Sometimes after making changes to the TOC you might want an UNDO function which this deck doesn't offer. Simply unplugging it doesn't help, because the changes are kept in the memory and written to the disc, the next time it gets connected again. So you only have two options: Opening the deck and removing the disc, before the TOC is written or this:

How to prevent any changes to the TOC to be written.

This procedure will allow you to remove a disc from a MDS-303 without the TOC being written. So you can undo any changes to the TOC. You will also lose all recordings done since the last TOC update.
  • Press the stop button and hold it until the red "TOC" sign in the display vanishes. This takes about 10 seconds.

  • Press EJECT. The TOC will not be updated.
Thanks to Dirk for this great idea. It's much better than what I had here before....

How to create a new TOC for a blank disc

This procedure will help you to recover a disc you have accidentally erased or that contains a walkman recording that couldn't be completed.

Hint: This trick does not work with the Sony JE500 / JE510 model. It does work with most older and the newer models like the JE520. The same applies to all other TOC cloning tricks on this page.

  • Record on another disc from beginning to the end, so that you have one track that fills the whole disc.

  • Change the disc name to light the red "TOC" symbol in the display.
  • Unplug the deck. (Do NOT write the TOC first!)
  • Wait a few seconds.
  • Hold down the AMS button (track selector) when plugging the deck in.
  • Release the button.
    Be careful! You are now in TEST MODE.
  • Press eject.
  • Remove the disc.
  • Insert the disc you want the TOC written on.
  • Wait a few seconds.
  • Unplug the deck.
  • Wait a few seconds.
  • Plug the deck back in.
  • The TOC will be written.

How to recover one or more deleted tracks

This procedure will help you to recover tracks you have erased accidentally when the TOC has already been written. As the erased tracks are declared as free space, you might have already recorded over the data.
  • Insert the disc where you want to recover tracks on.

  • Change the disc name to light the red "TOC" symbol in the display.
  • Unplug the deck. (Do NOT write the TOC first!)
  • Wait a few seconds.
  • Hold down the AMS button (track selector) when plugging the deck in.
  • Release the button.
    Be careful! You are now in TEST MODE.
  • Press eject.
  • Remove the disc.
  • Insert another disc you don't need any longer.
  • Unplug the deck.
  • Wait a few seconds.
  • Plug the deck back in.
  • Turn it on.
  • The TOC will be "copied" on the other disc.
  • Record anything to fill the free space.
  • When the disc is full, unplug the deck again. (Do NOT write the TOC first!)
  • Wait a few seconds.
  • Hold down the AMS button (track selector) when plugging the deck in.
  • Release the button.
    Be careful! You are now in TEST MODE.
  • Press eject.
  • Remove the disc.
  • Insert the first disc.
  • Unplug the deck. (Do NOT write the TOC first!)
  • Wait a few seconds.
  • Plug the deck back in.
  • Turn it on.
  • The TOC will be written.
  • Now there's one track with all the erased music.
    It might be fragmented. Then you need to puzzle it back together.
  • If the track doesn't play, press pause, forward a bit, release pause.
    (repeat this, until you find music)

How to digitally copy* SCMS protected MDs
using a MDS-303 or 503.

This information is no longer available because of the current US digital copyright laws.

How to fast forward faster


Here are two final useful tips to speed up your MD access. The first one even is in the manual - but who ever reads the section about playback closely? (I didn't and had to find this here out by accident).
You can use the "search forward" and "search backwards" buttons not only in play, but also when the deck is in play pause mode. Of course you won't hear anything, but it is fastest way I know to move forward on a disc without trackmarks.

How to reach the end of a track faster

Are you tired of "searching forward" to get to the end of a track? Then select the REPEAT 1 mode. You can now "search backwards" over the beginning directly to the end.

Thanks to Eric Woudenberg for providing the info on entering the TEST MODE and everyone on the MD-list. If you try this out with other decks or it helps you to recover an important recording, an email would be nice ;)

Back to the MiniDisc index page...


Feb.1st '97 - March 23th '99Minilogo Contact: email-adresse als grafik