MPC 2000 zip format on Mac 8.6

Here's a long list of issues. But, the most important point is probably just point numbers 1 to 4. I had a friend with an Ensoniq MSR that also imported .WAV files. We only got it to work when we renamed the files to be PC-compatible (point #1). I hope this works out for you. The other additional points are just extra information in case you get into some seriously involved investigation of what's going on.

1) make sure the filenames match the old-fashioned DOS name compatibility.
This means no more than 8 characters per name, and don't use anything other than the alphabet, numbers, and dashes/underscore. It's probably safer to only use capital letters too.

2) make sure that the wave files are first stripped of their resource forks, and do not include a custom icon. There are many freeware utilities designed just for this.

3) Also, make sure that your mac Zip program doesn't do anything like convert to MacBinary or something like that. In terms of the the mac Type code for a normal zip file, it is "ZIP ". Notice the space. "ZIP " applies to most normal mac zip formats. However, some programs such as iCAB create a typecode of "ZIP•" (option-8=bullet) for their cabinet archives. iCAB zip cabinets aren't normal zip files because when decompressed they don't contain all of the information. Also, MacZip and StuffIt dont treat ZIP files exactly the same. I think the fault lies in StuffIt, because MacZip and SmartZIP work together just fine. StuffIt might even convert mac files to .SIT and/or .HQX before compressing them to .ZIP, so be wary of using Aladdin/StuffIt products for ZIP archives. StuffIt also seems to get confused with .GZ pc archives, which are not compatible with ZIP files. Sometimes .GZ refers to .GZIP, but not always. GZIP is not the same as ZIP. Hopefully, this has nothing to do with your MPC 2000. On the PC, there are different flavours of the ZIP format, so if you do start messing with PC ZIP programs, be aware that some of them refer to PKZIP compatibility, but not others.
Typically, a program that refers to standard ZIP deflation/inflation is best.
This is most likely not an issue for your MPC 2000, but as I said, if you start experimenting with PC's for ZIP compression in DOS or Windows or UNIX, then it could become an important detail.

4) Make sure your wave files have no extra header information in them.
The .WAV format isn't entirely standardized like AIFF is, but both formats
suffer from variations from program to program. A good program for keeping files in standard minimal format is SoundHack. SoundHack can read and write WAVE, AIFF, and Sound Designer files. It can also be used to modify the headers of files. Multitrack formats of WAVE or AIFF don't always translate well between programs. You are better off dealing with exclusively stereo .WAV files.

5) In your system folder, make sure you have the extension files for ISO 9660 Access, Foreign File Access, and maybe even Sierra File access.

6) see if you can get a working copies of a disk editor and a file managing program that can display and copy/rename/delete/unlock invisible files.
DiskTop is good for a lot of that, but it doesn't seem to work on MacOS 9, even though it works on MacOS 8.1 Another similar helpful program are Greg's Browser, but it also doesn't work on OS 9, and can't do nearly as much as DiskTop. DiskTop is great because it's a desk accessory instead of a program. Therefore you can install it INSIDE of another program, and then quit the Finder. It can be used to do almost anything the finder can do, so it's really worth it. Make sure you get an up to date version of DiskTop for more stability. If you have an older version of DiskTop, like from a freeware collection in a book, then you can try just installing the updated version of CE Toolbox. That way, you can upgrade DiskTop for free. I make all this fuss about DiskTop because you can unlock and delete a few things that you can't in other programs. For example, in Disktop you can delete the Desktop Folder, Trash Folder, make Temporary Items visible, create an alias for an invisible folder, etc. You can also mount and unmount disks.

You might need to delete the Desktop files and Desktop and Trash Folders and other mac stuff. This kind of thing can only be done in a program such as DiskTop while the Finder isn't running. You can force the Finder to quit using AppWatcher or Peek-A-Boo. (Try Peek-A-Boo, since it has CPU priority control as an extra benefit) I noticed that when I loaded up mac disks on the PC, they still had the desktop file. Disktop lets you unmount the disks before the Finder can complain that they don't have desktop files on them if the Finder isn't running yet.

If you can't find DiskTop, at least get Substitute (not Mini Substitute) and you'll have a least one Finder substitute. Substitute Pro can be helpful, but you'll probably need to acquire other programs to run from it.

7) If you have Norton Utilities, try using the Norton Disk Editor to see if you can find the hidden presence of .ZIP data. Any other disk editor could be used for that. I can't think of any others right now, but i haven't looked that well.

8) Try using DiskCharmer to format your PC ZIP. Disk Charmer seems to be able to format MS-DOS (PC) disks in a manner different than the MacOS used to.

9) See if you can download some upgrades or other tools for your Zip drive.
My Dad just got a new Zip drive, and it seems that the Iomega software has
changed quite a bit.

10) Make sure you have the PC control panel. I think it's either PC Setup or PC Exchange. Make sure you have a current version of it too. While your at it, make sure you have the updated version of Apple CD Rom driver. You can download this kind of stuff from Apple Support.

11) If you are using an older Memory control panel, make sure that Modern Memory Manager is turned ON. If your Memory control panel doesn't show this, then it is either more up to date, or it's preferences are corrupted. This could happen if for example, you installed from your Restore CD an older version of the Memory control panel. Since Modern Memory Manager allows access to larger disks, without it, the reported disk space is incorrect or limited.

12) Even if this issue has NOTHING to do with the memory manager, it sure sounds a lot like the MPC formats PC disks as FAT12 or FAT16 instead of FAT32. Each number indicates an increased capacity. FAT32 is the most recent version. If the MPC utilizes some form of disk compression, then it will essentially hide the files from you inside the 1 disk compression file. I don't know you'd get to that without some PC software.

13) Maybe you can only read that kind of PC disk if you are running SoftPC or some other Windows PC emmulator. There are many subtle flavors of PC disks, and ZIP disks are even trickier. You might have to use a PC or PC emulation software to get down to business. Emmulators aren't usually worth all of the trouble. PCx is now freeware. Maybe it will allow you to use your Zip drive instead of the CD-Rom drive or something. At least it's free and emmulates DOS with some success.

14) Try using a newer version of DiskCopy or ShrinkWrap to first create a disk image of the zip disk. Sometimes DiskCopy formats disks differently than the MacOS. Also, there are many internal formats that DiskCopy can read. You can see more of them if you open up the PC SetUp/Exchange(?) control panel and select the DiskCopy application. ShrinkWrap is almost identical to DiskCopy, so I maybe try it too. Personally, I find DiskCopy to be more stable than ShrinkWrap. Older versions of DiskCopy used to be able to make a data image of any disk even if the Finder choked on it.

15) Make sure the .ZIP files also have the resources fork deleted. Some Mac Zip programs create special mac-compatible ZIP archives which aren't likely so PC compatible. SmartZip and MacZip are pretty simple to use, so maybe try those instead of DropZip or whatever.