Transfer music from e260 to new computer?

I did all of my playlist transfers onto my e260 on an older computer using Windows XP and an older version of Windows Media Player.

I recently purchased a new computer which has Windows 7. I did not transfer my music here but it is sitting on a separate, portable drive.

I now need to update my e260.

Here are my questions:

  1. Is it possible to transfer my music from my e260 to my computer? I’ve tried connecting the e260 to my new computer but it doesn’t show any music folders…only VOICE and FM and something else.

  2. If I can’t copy it over, do I need to copy all the songs from portable hard drive to my new computer or can I create playlists based on music on the portable drive (or will that be too slow)?

  3. Will my current playlists be wiped out once I transfer from the updated Windows Media Player or do I need to wipe out what’s on there now? If so how would I do that?

Any help would be appreciated!

Windows 7 is such a breath of fresh air, isn’t it?  Lots of new things to rediscover.  If the e260 is a v1 device, the Music folder may be hidden.  There are two levels of “hidden” in this case, actually.

The first hint of change is that you mention an earlier version of Windows Media Player. If it was Windows Media Player 9 or earlier, you were most likely communicating with the PC in MSC mode.  Even Windows XP, as originally packaged, had WiMP 9.  Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), where the Sansa is recognized as a Media Device, began with WiMP 10.

Files transferred in one USB mode (MSC or MTP) are not visible with from the PC, when connected in the alternate mode.  On the device, go to Settings > USB mode and have a look.  Try switching manually to the alternate mode and see if your music is visible. 

In MTP, you will only see the files that were generated on the device, this being the Record folder.  If you transferred your music in MTP, let’s “unhide” the MUSIC folder and see if this was your previous mode.

Ah, but wait!  That’s not all.  The MUSIC folder is hidden by default on the earlier e200.  You can transfer with Windows Explorer. In Win7 this is the handy “Folders” icon in the taskbar.  Open this window, and let’s navigate in the new interface.  Click on the Organize button in the upper left when looking at the Sansa.  Select, in this drop down menu: Organize > Folder and Search Options > Click the View tab > Check the button for Show Hidden Files and Folders.  Your music folder will now be visible.

Try looking for your music in MSC and MTP modes.  I’ll bet they were transferred in MSC; in MTP, however, playlists are in pla format which is much easier. 

Using Windows 7 has another treat for you, Windows Media Player 12 , a good player, but Microsoft keeps changing functionalities around.  To import your playlists, click on the Sync Tab with teh e260 connected, and you can transfer your media plus playlists from the device to your new PC.  It takes a little experimentation withso many changes, but the process is very similar to WiMP 9-11.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

Thanks for your help!

I got as far as copying the music files from my e260 to the computer so that I can see it Windows Media Player but I couldn’t figure out how to transfer the playlists, so here are my questions:

  1. If I can’t transfer playlists, how do I delete the old playlists off my e260 if I can’t see it on WMP?

  2. I’ve also got a new problem and I don’t know if it’s related to me trying to sync but it just appeared tonight…the menu on my player continuously cycles through at lightning speed as soon as I touch the blue ring. It’s nearly impossible for me to select music or settings when it’s cycling that fast! Any ideas on how to fix this?

@barney3 wrote:

 

  1. I’ve also got a new problem and I don’t know if it’s related to me trying to sync but it just appeared tonight…the menu on my player continuously cycles through at lightning speed as soon as I touch the blue ring. It’s nearly impossible for me to select music or settings when it’s cycling that fast! Any ideas on how to fix this?

You might have some gunk inside on the scroll wheel contacts. You could try blowing some compressed air into it (they sell small cans of it). There was some nice directions on disassembly and cleaning, complete with picutres that someone posted on his website, but I just checked and the site is down now. You might google around to see if you can find any others.

Thanks to you both for your input. Playlists and music have finally been added (it’s so much easier now). The cycling is still taking place, particularly after I’ve connected the player and updated it.

Hello, try musconv tool if you want to transfer your tracks and playlists across various services.