Software to Identify Device and RAM
 

After a lot of false starts and crushed hopes, I found a piece of software that saw right through the hacked memory and correctly identified my MP3/MP4 player as having only 2GB instead of the 16GB advertised. It also confirmed that my player is by Action Semiconductors and uses the AK1025 chip. It's a piece of freeware that lists every device on the computer, so it gave me a lot of useful info about the rest of my system as well. The MP3/MP4 player must be plugged into the system before starting the program. You can find it here:

Unknown Device Identifier - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

My remaining frustration is trying to figure out how the cotton-pickin' playlist function works. I want most of my music to be played in a specific sequence, not just alphabetically or at random. Getting that accomplished has put me in such a state that my kids are threatening to send me to an asylum for a long rest. I've tried syncing with several different media players,including (ugh) the Windows Media Player. Also, Songbird, Real, and Winamp plus a couple of others, but the the device doesn't recognize their playlist formats. I read somewhere that most of these devices use AL3 playlist format, but searching Google for a player that uses that format has been unproductive.

Ah, well. I will keep trying.

Charlie