Update: I solved my sync problem by changing the path for Classical music to be the same as for all other music. Not sure why that was causing music to download that I didn't want (not all of which was Classical genre), but at least it's working correctly.

I'd still like to know the purpose of those "Other Media" checkboxes, though.

Can anyone tell me the purpose of Tools/Options/Portable Device Sync/Configure [my desired device]/Options/File Locations/Other Media Files? A pop-up tag says they are "other directories that should be scanned for media."

I want to sync only files from a single desired location that I have selected on the Auto-Sync (-->Device) tab. I do NOT want any of those "Other Media Files" locations scanned or synced, but if I deselect them and save the device configuration, they're selected again next time I open it.

Files are syncing to my mobile device that I don't want to sync, so I'm exploring all possible reasons and I'd appreciate an explanation of this one.