Ok - I've had my '06 Mustang for almost 2 years now and just got around to attempting to play an actual data CD with a couple dozen MP3 files on it.
The CD plays just fine in the drive of my computer.
However, in the Shaker, it keeps spitting it out saying 'Bad Disk' after several seconds of saying 'Reading Disc'.
Warranty issue?

 

try this link, it helped me to do my cd's.
http://www.cherod.com/mustang/HowTo/ShakerMP3.htm

 

Thanks!
I will definitely follow this process with another CD this evening.

 

Assuming your own formats are up to date, the Shaker is probably behind or (stupidly) using a limited format range.

Does anyone know if the Shaker unit is firmware upgradeable?

 

did you "finalize" the cd?

 

+1 did you "finalize" the cd ? I had the same problem a while back until I realized I didn't finalize the cd.

 

Use the Windows XP built-in CD burning utility. I used Nero and the Shaker wouldn't recognize the last song for some odd reason.

Up next: Audio receivers that take USB flash drives. USB flash drives can hold well over 4 GB, are MUCH faster, do not skip, and are easier to manage than CD/CD-RW.

 

Depending on what version of Nero you use, you may have to play with the settings. It's a more powerful app than the WindowsXP burner, but because of that it can be tricky to get right.

If the XP burner works for you, go with it. I can't remember what the stats are on the built-in burning software, though. With Nero, you might get a better burn with better sound options, but not all of those tweaks may work in the stereo. If you're really hard-on about it, you can always burn a bunch of CDs with different options and see which ones work and which don't.

 

My Aiwa CDC-MP3 from 2001 reads Nero-burnt CD-RWs without issue, but my Shaker 500 only accepts CD-RWs burnt using XP's utility. I use CD-RWs because I can re-use the disc.

 

Never had a problem with Nero.

Consider 2 things when burning a CD for the Skipper 500: brand and burn speed. My deck doesn't work with Imation AT ALL but likes Fujifilm just fine. Find a brand that works for you and its probably safe to stick with it.

As far as burn speed goes, a CD burner works by literally burning a layer of organic dye by focusing the writing laser onto it. The laser burns a sequence of dots that replicate the 1's and 0's of the data and when the CD player hits it with its own weaker laser (that won't affect the dye) it recognizes the dark spots and reconstructs the data. Problem is the faster you burn the CD the less time it has to burn the dye, so the dots won't be as dark and the CD player's laser won't read them so well. Burn on a slower speed and the burn spots will be darker and more defined. I.E. your Skipper 500 can read them better. I have the best luck with 16x on mine.

 

Again, I am not using CD-Rs but instead I utilize CD-RWs. Nero just won't finalize them the way the Shaker 500 wants it to be finalized, thus preventing the last song from being played. I can burn the CD-RW at any speed (1x up to 16x) without affecting the reliability. My Aiwa, OTOH, doesn't care if I use Nero or XP's utility.

I just assumed that the majority of Shaker users aren't computer experts, and thus tried to put myself in the shoes of "Joe Sixpack" trying to make the Shaker read MP3 discs properly. The built-in XP utility seemed logical, as most PC users have access to XP and a CD-RW drive.

 

Fords with the Sync option already have that. I had a rental Fusion last week and it had the USB port in the center console. Worked very well...

"Play artist rolling stones"

and it did! I was quite impressed with how easily it worked. id3 tags even displayed on the screen. You can fit a LOT of music in a 16GB thumb drive...and bigger ones are comming out all the time.

 

Another note--the Shaker doesn't seem to like MP3s that have been encoded using Variable Bit Rate (VBR). Make sure when ripping your music to encode it in a constant bitrate (160, 192, 224, or 320).