Ted’s catalog method on his Archos is efficient, but it almost assumes you know what is in the catalog. It isn’t very easy to browse. I wanted to create a list of what was on the Archos to scan the contents.

When I archive files to CD, I use Catfish, a catalog utility, to create a text list of the directories and files. I then keep the text file in My Documents under an @Archives directory. That way, if I’m looking for an old file, I can search the archive text listings.

Since the Archos acts like a hard disk when hooked to the PC, I ran Catfish against it to generate this file.

Having the list in a blog makes it easier to see what is on the disk from wherever I may be. In fact, I just discovered it has a fine U2 collection and an @Downloads that is worth putting on shuffle play. (Kathy thinks having some downloads and listening to them in shuffle mode is the same as recording songs off the radio.)

Did Ted’s @Downloads lead to any music buying? I know in our case my Tom Waits collection of paid CDs has filled up thanks to Limewire test drives.

I also plan on buying all of Eva Cassidy’s CDs thanks to NPR and Limewire.

iTunes has a “Join CD Tracks” feature which is not intuitive (but in the help file.) I’ve used it for Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. Neither of those CDs have real breaks in the tracks. Each song flows one into the other.

If you highlight one or more tracks on a CD prior to importing, an Advanced menu choice is available: Join CD Tracks.

This creates a single large file. You lose the individual track names and numbers after import, but that’s a small price for breakless listening.