Sansa Clip 8GB+ has large number of problems

It’s difficult to know where to begin.  Initially the problem was that I could not see the contents of the folders when I connected the Sansa Clip 8GB+ to the PC.

FWIW, the PC runs Windows XP Windows Home Edition. I think we have had the Clip since March 2011.

I learned that the problem was that I was connecting to the computer while in MSC USB mode so I switched the settings.  Then I updated the firmware.  Eventually I was able to get the Sansa to connect to the PC, display the contents of the folders, and even add folders containing MP3 files.  So I was back to where we had been continuously since I get it 6 months ago.

Next order of business was to play back the music.  The MP3 player’s display said it was empty, so I again went to the USB settings and noticed they had gone back to “Auto Select.”  Reset to MTS and tried to play back.  Now the device woul only display the Sansa clip logo.  It would not connect to the computer at all.

For some reason this heretofore exquisitely useful device went haywire and it’s been a nightmare.

Appreciate any advice.  Thanks

As to the USB Auto setting:  when you reset your player or reapply firmware, the USB setting resets to Auto; you just need to remember to reset the setting to what you are using.  (Also, the USB setting has no effect on the player’s playback–the USB setting affects the computer protocol under which the player will connect to your computer.)

Not sure why your music is not showing on your player.  Is the music of a type compatible with the Clip? 

Will your player still play?  If so, a sometimes fix-all solution is to reformat the player under its settings–but note, this will delete your content on the player.  Before trying that, first try a reset:  hold the on button down for 20-30 seconds (and some people report needing 60 seconds or more for this). 

If the player ultimately will start and will connect to your computer, I’d also try reapplying the latest firmware–it could have become corrupted.

Good luck!

Sorry, problem now is that I’m only getting the Sansa logo.   I can turn it on and turn it off, but I can’t connect to the PC.  All it ever shows on the LCD is the logo.

(Note: I have to hold the on-off button down for 12 seconds to turn it off).

I tried reseting by holding the on button down for a long time.  After 12 seconds it turns off and stays off.

Another experiement consisted of turning it on, then pressing the menu button while holding down the on button for a long time.  This did nothing at all. 

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I tried plugging it in to the PC and holding down the center button until the PC detected it.  Sansa Updater and Windows XP did not detect it.

It won’t connect when the player is set to MSC mode? 

It did (before it stopped functioning entirely).  However, it would only display five folders in the root directory.  It would not display any subdirectories or the contents of the folders.

As a result, it was impossible to edit the contents of the device.

This was important because the first sign that anything was wrong with the clip was when it stopped playing abruptly and said I had to remove 90MB of content.

When I attempted to, Sansa Uploader urged me to download the new driver, which I did.  After that, the clip’s problems proliferated; it switched over to the MSC mode (I did not understand what that was until reading this forum, and I did not understand that that was the problem with the directory display).

Now, of course, all the clip ever displays is the four petal logo.

“I tried reseting by holding the on button down for a long time.  After 12 seconds it turns off and stays off.”

To perform a reset you need to hold it down for longer than 12s. Did you do this? At least 20s is required, if not a minute or so. Try doing this when it is off as well.

@leptokurtosis wrote:

 

This was important because the first sign that anything was wrong with the clip was when it stopped playing abruptly and said I had to remove 90MB of content.

 

This would have been helpful information to have put in your first post. This message doesn’t necessarily mean what it says. It more often than not means there is 1 or more files are corrupted (usually not the firmware, but possibly). The easiest way to fix it is to format the player and re-load your content (after first verifying that the files themselves are not causing the problem).

You said you tried this before, but maybe you didn’t do it in the right sequence? Start with the player off. Open a Windows Explorer (My Computer) window. Press and hold the center button, then  plug the player into your computer. Continue holding the button down until it pops up in Windows Explorer. This should force an MSC connection so that you can now right-click on it in Windows Explorer and format it. Don’t use the Quick Format option.

@tapeworm wrote:


@leptokurtosis wrote:

 

This was important because the first sign that anything was wrong with the clip was when it stopped playing abruptly and said I had to remove 90MB of content.

 


This would have been helpful information to have put in your first post. This message doesn’t necessarily mean what it says. It more often than not means there is 1 or more files are corrupted (usually not the firmware, but possibly). The easiest way to fix it is to format the player and re-load your content (after first verifying that the files themselves are not causing the problem).

 

You said you tried this before, but maybe you didn’t do it in the right sequence? Start with the player off. Open a Windows Explorer (My Computer) window. Press and hold the center button, then  plug the player into your computer. Continue holding the button down until it pops up in Windows Explorer. This should force an MSC connection so that you can now right-click on it in Windows Explorer and format it. Don’t use the Quick Format option.

Sorry, you’re absolutely right.  There were so many different phases of the problem as I tried different fixes that I lost track of which happened in what order.  The one about the 90MB needing to be removed first was something I forget all about.

I’ve tried holding down the on button for much longer than 20 seconds.  If the device is off, it comes on.  If it is off, it goes off and stays of.  Afterward all it displays is the logo.

Start with the player off. Open a Windows Explorer (My Computer) window. Press and hold the center button, then  plug the player into your computer. Continue holding the button down until it pops up in Windows Explorer. This should force an MSC connection so that you can now right-click on it in Windows Explorer and format it. Don’t use the Quick Format option.

I tried this and it would not connect to the PC.  It just displays the Sansa logo.