Can't Read SD Card Anymore / Can't Turn It On?!

[ckao]

I have used this Sansa Clip Sport for over a 1 year with a 32gb micro sd card. Several issues for your help:

1. Many songs (mp3) saved on the SD card are now showing on Sansa Clip Sport. I’ve simplified the routes to the files–which helped show/get to some of the mp3 files. However, there are still many songs not displayed.

I recently update to the latest firmware (1.29). Other two issues that happen this week: 

1. My Sansa Clip Sport now is not even reading the sd card at all. It keeps showing the error message “Disk Error! Please re-plug SD Card.” 
2. My Sansa Clip Sport is becoming very difficult to turn on. I have to hold the button for about 60 minutes to turn it on, and sometimes it even can’t be turned on!

Can someone help!!!

[dfeld2005]

While the player is turned Off, try ejecting the SD card. Then turn the player On. Will the player act normal and recognize and play all the audio files in your internal memory?

      IF YES, then maybe you need to check the SD card for file errors using Windows Drive Tool (Properties tab).

      Maybe best to repair the SD card using a micro SD card holder inserted into the SD card slot in your computer.

[ckao]

I ejected the micro sd card, and the files saved on the internal drive are played properly on Sansa Clip Sport. 

Then I used my micro sd card holder to read the micro sd card from my computer. All the files are fine and can be played from my computer. Does it mean that the card is fine?

So now what might be the reason that the micro sd card can’t be read by Sansa Clip Sport? Thanks!

[dfeld2005]

1. What is the gb capacity of your SD card?

      I think the Clip Sport works best with 4 gb - 32 gb micro SD cards (SDHC) formatted as FAT32

     

2. Maybe try using Win Explorer -> Properties -> Tools -> Error Checking on your SD card?

3. Maybe you have do not have enough free space on your SD card to allow the Clip Sport to create the MUSIC.LIB file ??

4. Maybe your MUSIC.LIB file is corrupted?  You should always use the Eject Command to allow the Clip Sport to properly compile the MUSIC.LIB file after each audio file copying session.

      If nothing seems to make this work. Try deleting the MUSIC.LIB file from your SD card.

[dfeld2005]

1.  Are you aware of the 2000 audio file limit (for internal memory and SD card memory) with FirmWare 1.27 and 1.29?

.  

 2  Maybe your MUSIC.LIB file is corrupted?  You should always use the Eject Command to allow the Clip Sport to properly compile the MUSIC.LIB file after each audio file copying session.  If nothing seems to make this work. Try deleting the MUSIC.LIB file from your SD card.

[jk98]

Is the card class 10 or faster? Sandisk players have issues with cards that are faster than class 4. Try using a class 4 microSDHC card.

[miikerman]

@jk98 wrote:

Is the card class 10 or faster? Sandisk players have issues with cards that are faster than class 4. Try using a class 4 microSDHC card.

SOME Sandisk players have SOME issues with SOME cards that are faster than class 4.    ;)      Personally, as far as I am aware, I have not had this issue, and other users have reported similarly–it seems to be user/equipment specific.

[ckao]

Where can find this music.lib file? I don’t see it on the card. Thanks.

[ckao]

@dfeld2005 wrote:

 

1.  Are you aware of the 2000 audio file limit (for internal memory and SD card memory) with FirmWare 1.27 and 1.29?

.  

 2  Maybe your MUSIC.LIB file is corrupted?  You should always use the Eject Command to allow the Clip Sport to properly compile the MUSIC.LIB file after each audio file copying session.  If nothing seems to make this work. Try deleting the MUSIC.LIB file from your SD card.

Where can I find the MUSIC.LIB file? I don’t see it on the card. Thanks.

[ckao]

@miikerman wrote:

---

@jk98 wrote:

Is the card class 10 or faster? Sandisk players have issues with cards that are faster than class 4. Try using a class 4 microSDHC card.

---

SOME Sandisk players have SOME issues with SOME cards that are faster than class 4.    ;)      Personally, as far as I am aware, I have not had this issue, and other users have reported similarly–it seems to be user/equipment specific.

Thanks for your feedback. The card is 32 GB micro SD class 4. The card has been working fine with Clip Sport until last week.

[dfeld2005]

Here is a screen shot of my SD card directory.   Do you have these files on your SD Card? 

Maybe you could think about backing up all the audio files on your SD card and then reformatting the card?

Then when you insert the card into the player and turn it on, the player should automatically create all the required default folders and files.  Then you can copy audio files back into the card.

[tapeworm]

@ckao wrote:

---

---

Where can I find the MUSIC.LIB file? I don’t see it on the card. Thanks.

You might to need to turn on “Show hidden files & folders” in your Windows Explorer Settings.

[jk98]

Never insert or remove a card while the player is on.

[ckao]

@dfeld2005 wrote:

 

1.  Are you aware of the 2000 audio file limit (for internal memory and SD card memory) with FirmWare 1.27 and 1.29?

.  

 2  Maybe your MUSIC.LIB file is corrupted?  You should always use the Eject Command to allow the Clip Sport to properly compile the MUSIC.LIB file after each audio file copying session.  If nothing seems to make this work. Try deleting the MUSIC.LIB file from your SD card.

To your point 2, I found my MUSIC.LIB file. Is it okay I delete it as you suggested? Would a new file be recovered by itself?

[dfeld2005]

So after all these days your Clip Sport is still not properly playing all the audio files on your SD card?   Really sorry to hear this news…

I do know that the Clip Sport will automatically create a new MUSIC.LIB file on a newly formatted SD card.  Also, the Clip Sport will automatically recompile the MUSIC.LIB file each time you eject the player from the USB port of your PC.

     I always use the Eject Icon in the “show hidden icons” area of my Task Bar (Win 10) after I have copied files into (and out of) my Clip Sport.  This gives the player a chance to complete all file transfers and then recompile the MUSIC.LIB file.

[ckao]

@dfeld2005 wrote:

So after all these days your Clip Sport is still not properly playing all the audio files on your SD card?   Really sorry to hear this news…

 

I do know that the Clip Sport will automatically create a new MUSIC.LIB file on a newly formatted SD card.  Also, the Clip Sport will automatically recompile the MUSIC.LIB file each time you eject the player from the USB port of your PC.

     I always use the Eject Icon in the “show hidden icons” area of my Task Bar (Win 10) after I have copied files into (and out of) my Clip Sport.  This gives the player a chance to complete all file transfers and then recompile the MUSIC.LIB file.

 

Today I backed up the files on both internal memory and sd card, formatted both of them, and saved the files back to both. On the sd card, there are below 2,000 files. I still have two issues: 

1. Very difficult to turn it on: I can successful turn it on on an average of every 20 tries. Each try I would hold the button for 30-60 seconds. 
2. Still not reading the card: After “occasionally” I could turn on the Sansa Clip Sport, I was still getting the error message asking me to re-insert the SD Card. I followed it and it was still not reading the card.  

I wonder if I should buy a new one. Although not perfectly, my Sansa Clip Sport had worked for the past year and a half. Maybe it is reaching its life-span? It’s very frustrating… Any advice? 

[dfeld2005]

       I am sorry to read about your SD card problems.

From all your descriptions it appears to me your SD card is the problem not your Clip Sport. Is your Clip Sport working well with FirmWare 1.29 when your SD card is not inserted in the player??

If this is true, then I suggest you buy a new micro SD card with 16 gb size and Class 4. (Not all Class 10 will work with SanDisk players.)  The player does not really need to use a more expensive 32 gb card with the 2000 file limit in FW 1.29.

       Insert the new card while the player is turned off.  Then turn it on and hopefully you will be back to normal.  

[ckao]

@dfeld2005 wrote:

       I am sorry to read about your SD card problems.

From all your descriptions it appears to me your SD card is the problem not your Clip Sport. Is your Clip Sport working well with FirmWare 1.29 when your SD card is not inserted in the player??

 

If this is true, then I suggest you buy a new micro SD card with 16 gb size and Class 4. (Not all Class 10 will work with SanDisk players.)  The player does not really need to use a more expensive 32 gb card with the 2000 file limit in FW 1.29.

       Insert the new card while the player is turned off.  Then turn it on and hopefully you will be back to normal.  

 

 

 

 

The SD card is 32GB Class 4. It has worked for a long time until I updated Clip Sport with Firmware 1.29. The SD card works fine with my laptop too. 

Yes, my Clip Sport works fine without the SD card when I am able to turn it on. But it is very difficult to turn on my Clip Sport now–it wasn’t the case until recently. Now I can turn it on successfully once after about every twenty attempts.

Do you suggest that I buy a new SD card or a new Clip Sport, or an MP3 play of another brand? The sad thing is that Clip Sport appears to be the best non-iPod music player that is available at the price level. 

 Thanks.

[dfeld2005]

I am sorry all my suggestions did not help you. And sorry for your Clip Sport troubles.

I have not tried FW 1.29 for myself (still using 1.28 from Sept. 2015).  FW 1.28 is no longer provided by SanDisk website.

Before you abandon your Clip Sport maybe try to install FirmWare 1.27 into the root folder of your Clip Sport.

FW 1.27 is still available for download on the SanDisk support website.

      http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/SanDisk-Clip-Sport/SanDisk-Clip-Sport-Firmware-1-27-released/td-p/340602

Follow the installation instructions using the manual update method after you download the “hex” file.

Best Wishes.

[siltsunrise]

Same problem here. I put the SD card in a PC, everything shows up correctly there, and deleted that LIB file. Put it back in the player, and all is good again.

Good news.