The firmware is in the Fuze, not on your computer. Your computer uses the basic Windows USB connection to connect in MSC mode or the USB connection in Windows Media Player (10 or above) to connect in MTP mode.
Look at Settings/System Settings/USB mode and change it to MSC–that’s the easier connection–and try to connect.
If you can’t, my first guess would be that the cord is going bad. They can break inside, invisibly. You can get a generic replacement at Amazon for a few bucks and try it.
Like every rechargeable battery, the Fuze battery will eventually wear out. It’s possible yours is at that stage and it’s time to look for a new player. But it’s worth a few bucks to see if a new cord revives it.
Also, you might as well uninstall the Updater. There won’t be any more updates, so you’re just slowing down your computer startup to load it.
If the firmware on your Fuze is 1.02.31 or 2.03.33, that’s the final firmware. You can look in Settings/System Settings/Info.
If not, when you are able to connect again, follow the instructions for a manual update in this thread.
http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/Sansa-Fuze/Sansa-Fuze-Firmware-Update-01-02-31-amp-02-03-33/td-p/139175
Download the All Regions software for your unit (1 and 2 are different hardware), unzip it, drag it over to the Fuze driveletter, and it wil update after you disconnect.
