Also see http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=connect&message.id=2718#M2718
I recently purchased a couple of these Connects even though I have several e200 series players and still love them dearly 
. I really wanted to try out the WiFi feature, so I read through this forum and particularly this thread. I downloaded everything as outlined by PromisedPlanet and was prepared to do all those extra steps. Well, I don’t know how I managed to get so lucky, but the Recovery Tool worked for me for both players without having to do any of the extra steps. I’ve also converted a couple of videos onto the player and have been pleasantly surprised to see that the files are smaller than the same videos as converted on the e200’s. But I did want to thank everyone in this posting for all of the information and insights, even if I (luckily) didn’t need them. The WiFi music channels are great!
I did get the recovery took to work (had to use a computer w/ XP instead of Vista) but I still do not have Internet Radio as an option on the home menu. Do I need to do something else?
I guess I’m confused - why should some ppl need to use the procedure in this tread and others, recently, do not - has the Sansa supplied download been reverted to include the WiFi capability - also, if your Connect gets the WiFi capability what is in the connect to protect it from viruses, malware and so forth when you are in a hot spot and using the WiFIi?
@missyb70 wrote:
I did get the recovery took to work (had to use a computer w/ XP instead of Vista) but I still do not have Internet Radio as an option on the home menu. Do I need to do something else?
Follow the instructions at the beginning of this thread. Now that you have the recovery tool, you need to use it to install an older version of the firmware which has the WiFi features.
I can’t explain why the previous poster was able to get the WiFi features with the recovery tool, unless he was using an old version of the recovery tool which accesses the old firmware from the Zing servers, and access to those servers has been re-established (see the first post in this thread).
@kingside wrote:
I guess I’m confused - why should some ppl need to use the procedure in this tread and others, recently, do not - has the Sansa supplied download been reverted to include the WiFi capability - also, if your Connect gets the WiFi capability what is in the connect to protect it from viruses, malware and so forth when you are in a hot spot and using the WiFIi?
See my previous post regarding a possible reason why using the recovery tool might now supply the WiFi features directly.
Regarding viruses etc., they are targeted towards operating systems, like Windows. The Connect does not run an operating system. Also, it isn’t a general networking device, it only downloads audio streams and Flickr photos (with the necessary uploaded information only for authentication and to receive the streams/photos).
Hi again,
I think I might have an answer about why I was able to run the Recovery Tool without any of the extra steps. I had forgotten that on the day I downloaded the Recovery Tool, I was unable to access the link provided in the 2nd post in the thread by PromisedPlanet; the page could not be found or was unavailable. I tried several times during that day and then gave up. I did an internet search in hopes of finding it elsewhere, which I did. Well, in comparing the URL for both, it appears that the version of the Recovery Tool that I used appears to be an earlier version or at least it is a different version. The .exe name is different - the URL posted by PromisedPlanet has the file named “…DeviceRecoveryTool.exe” while the one I used is “…DeviceRecoveryTool-no-wifi.exe”. I looked at my Program files directory under the Sansa Connect Device Recovery folder and it has the RecoveryImages folder already created in there. There are two folders in this folder, named 00350000106879abc058f7420300c54f & 00350000106cd9f8f961be4c03005d00, which both have the four files listed by PromisedPlanet that need to be copied as described in the first post. I am assuming that this is why I didn’t have to do the extra steps described. Here’s the link for the Recovery Tool that I downloaded and used:
http://mp3support.sandisk.com/tools/DeviceRecoverySetup-no-wifi.exe
A couple of other details - I used a computer with Windows XP as I didn’t want to hassle with the Recovery Tool program possibly not working with Vista. Also, the program didn’t automatically open, so I had to find the program icon to open the Recovery Tool. I don’t know if this will work for others, but this worked for me, so hope this helps. BTW, I’m a “she” not a “he” 
mscalbear wrote:
BTW, I’m a “she” not a “he”
Sorry! From now on I’ll read “mscalbear” as “Ms Cal. Bear” and not “Mescal Bear”.
So, which one of these recovery tools should I run if I’m starting from scratch? Does the DeviceRecoverySetup-no-wifi.exe enable wifi capability for Connects without it, or does it disable Wifi for players that have it?
I did run the DeviceRecoverySetup-no-wifi.exe and still do not have wifi, although I have not had a chance to do the rest of the steps in the beginning of this post. Not sure why the other person got it to work just by running DeviceRecoverySetup-no-wifi.exe.
4himarks wrote:
So, which one of these recovery tools should I run if I’m starting from scratch?
Any of them. The point is to get the software which will communicate with the Connect and allow you to load the WiFi-enabled firmware.
4himarks wrote:
Does the DeviceRecoverySetup-no-wifi.exe enable wifi capability for Connects without it, or does it disable Wifi for players that have it?
I don’t think anyone knows yet. I would think that it would not add WiFi to a Connect that doesn’t have WiFi, and would disable it on Connects that do have WiFi, but one person reported a different experience (getting WiFi on a Connect that doesn’t have WiFI).
If you run the no-wifi.exe and you don’t get WiFi, you can still follow the instructions at the beginning of this thread to add WiFI.
Message Edited by PromisedPlanet on 10-30-2009 12:49 PM
Can ne1 just look at the scripts and determine what they do? I personally do not know the scripting language employed - or perhaps there are other issues - such as the code not being open source -or encoded – idk…
They’re not scripts, they’re Windows program binaries. At least one of them downloads the firmware, the others (the two programs mentioned at the beginning of this thread that you run manually) load the firmware into the Connect.
At some point after Zing was purchased by Dell, the firmware was no longer downloadable from the Zing servers … that’s what caused me to start this thread. I also contacted SanDisk, and eventually they made a new version of the Recovery tool available, the “no-WiFi” version discussed recently. My assumption was that this version downloaded the no-Wifi firmware which is currently being put on Sansa Connects that are being sold on eBay and from retailers like buy.com (model number SDMX8-N-4096K-NOWIFI).
Anyone who doesn’t have the Recovery tool installed, and wants to restore the WiFi functions, has a pretty simple set of instructions to follow. Install the “no wifi” recovery tool and try it out. My guess is it won’t install the WiFi firmware, though someone recently claims it did. If it doesn’t, you had to install the tool anyway in order to get the two programs that load the firmware onto the Connect. Then download the WiFi firmware, as discussed at the beginning of the thread, and use those two programs to load it. Done.
Message Edited by PromisedPlanet on 10-30-2009 11:59 PM
hi it doesnt seem to be working for me im stuck right here
F:\Documents and Settings\My Documents\Sansa Connect Recovery>zsi_fw.exe -w everest_vmlinux_ext_prod_1.1.1.50239.srr.e everest_initrd_ext_prod_1.1.1.50239.srr.e
ZSI FW load starting.
Found encrypted file: everest_vmlinux_ext_prod_1.1.1.50239.srr.e
Found encrypted file: everest_initrd_ext_prod_1.1.1.50239.srr.e
Open USB Device start
found a device!
Attempting to open [\?\usb#vid_0781&pid_7481#5&3aeb49d2&0&5#{184954e0-9128-11db-b606-0800200c9a66](file:///?\usb#vid_0781&pid_7481#5&3aeb49d2&0&5#{184954e0-9128-11db-b606-0800200c9a66)}
opened device!
completeDeviceName = ([\?\usb#vid_0781&pid_7481#5&3aeb49d2&0&5#{184954e0-9128-11db-b606-0800200c9a66](file:///?\usb#vid_0781&pid_7481#5&3aeb49d2&0&5#{184954e0-9128-11db-b606-0800200c9a66)})
Opened successfully.
data completeDeviceName = ([\?\usb#vid_0781&pid_7481#5&3aeb49d2&0&5#{184954e0-9128-11db-b606-0800200c9a66}\PIPE00](file:///?\usb#vid_0781&pid_7481#5&3aeb49d2&0&5#{184954e0-9128-11db-b606-0800200c9a66}\PIPE00))
Opened successfully.
Loading: 1008000 16809984 1754944
Done!
Loading: 4400020 4294967295 1783808
Done!
F:\Documents and Settings\My Documents\Sansa Connect Recovery>zaprecover.exe -t 600000 -f yeverest_zap_ota_rel_1.1.2.65799.tar.gz.e yeverest_zap_ota_rel_ext_prod_1.1.2.65799.sig
ZSI FW load starting.
Found encrypted file: yeverest_zap_ota_rel_1.1.2.65799.tar.gz.e
Found unencrypted file: yeverest_zap_ota_rel_ext_prod_1.1.2.65799.sig
Timeout device not found
i dont really know whats wrong here and the problem is when i turn on my sansa connect it says recovery needed but as soon as i connect the usb cable it says rocovering please wait…any suggestion?
Umm are you sure the Sansa Connect is in a mode to recover as mentioned in the very first article that started this thread - i.e. have you pressed the buttons simultaneously for x secs as recommended?
yea im sure cuz when i turn it on it says recovery needed but as soon as i hook it up to my computer it says recovering please wait on the screen
I have a problem,i did everything you said but my sansa says “enter usb 2.0 MSD mode” when i’m in the recovery mode.How can i do it?
@tedybear123 wrote:
I have a problem,i did everything you said but my sansa says “enter usb 2.0 MSD mode” when i’m in the recovery mode.How can i do it?
I think that’s just the Connect indicating that it is in the proper mode (MSD = mass storage device = removable disk) to proceed with the firmware update.
And how can I put it in the correct mode please?
It already is in the correct mode. The wording is bad ( “enter” versus “entered” ).
