New Fuze seized and failed to work

The quick start guide was likely the cause… See, in the full manual online, I read AFTER the problem that if you disconnect the device during music transfer, the device can do what it did: Die!!

Now, I didnt really know that it had not completed the transfer. Nowhere did it tell me done, or not done… Whatever progress meter was running, if there was one, was not running anymore, hence I had no indication of transfer status.

Could the issue have been that it was charging while it was transferring? Or is this perfectly normal.

Im getting a replacement shipped, so if someone can advise me how to avoid this again, please let me know…

BTW, I was using Media Player 11s Synch feature, and it immediately starting transferring my albums… Then, somehow, the status got lost, and I disconnected it… Ooops…

thanks for any help.

Message Edited by boostm3 on 06-18-2008 09:55 PM

It is safe to unplug you Fuze while charging.

A couple of things my restore your player to service. First is a power reset. Turn the player on, then how the power switch on and hold it on until the player turns off.  This may take 30 seconds.

Release the switch and turn it on normally. Tell us if it now turns on or not.

Hi Tweet. The rep at Sandisk walked me through that earlier … Both that, and turning on the hold button, pressing the 9 o clock part of the dial, and plugging into usb port on pc… He said that forces the pc to connect, and he tried to get me to reformat that way… But because it really seems dead, neither the 30 second soft reset, nor the other method worked at all.

Im getting a replacement sent to me. But I want to make sure it doesnt happen with the new one. All I know is, I was plugging into the pc for the first time after having turned it on , seeing that it worked, and noting the battery charge was about 3/4 full. So, I plugged it in, the charging started, and at some point, I started MediaPlayer 11, selected sync, and it started syncing and downloading my albums from my Library. The problem seemed to happen then, as it all of a sudden gave me no more indication of the download status… So, I figured it must have completed and I unplugged it. After that, it was dead as a doorknob.

Any hints for next time? Also, Ive read on forum that it seems to have problems with the artwork… Not to raise any red flags or anything as I really do like the Fuze player, but, I can see what the iPod fans mean when they say it just seems to work right, ie, no album art problems, no sync problems, etc, etc.

If i can get some advice how to load it up so my albums as theyre stored in media player library can transfer over without incident including the artwork for the album covers, Ill be happy. Im a little confused about the use of playlists also, as it seems it doesnt use the exact same paradigm as the Media Player 11. .For instance, if I choose NOT to use playlists, and just want all my albums copied over just as they appear in my media player library, is that an issue?

Thanks much… I really want this to work and if it does, I know Ill be a big fan.

Message Edited by boostm3 on 06-18-2008 09:56 PM

I wouldn’t think that a failed transfer would damage the Sansa.  It sounds more likely that the device failed first, and the Media Player froze mid-transfer.

In the future, if you run into a corrupted or partial file transfer, a soft reset should get the device running.  Next in line, should a problem exist with the firmware, connecting as described should allow a fresh copy of the firmware or a format operation to “clear the decks”.

On the ubiquitous “the iPod just works” issue, remember that there are few options when it comes to interfacing the iPod, and most users are running iTunes.  If all the restaurant served was Cheerios, there’d be few complaints about the menu.  What you see is what you get: one size fits all.

Welcome- to the real world (cool line from the Matrix) !  With the Sansa, all control is yours, using Windows Media Player, Media Monkey, MSC drag and drop, Napster, Rhapsody, your CD collection, or wherever you find your favorite music.  With the many choices available comes a wee bit of complication of course.

If you run Rhapsody, the integration is seamless, without the requisite credit card bonk for each song (unless purchasing individual tracks is your thing).  I’d say that the integration in this pair is above the iPod / iTunes par for sure.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

Message Edited by neutron_bob on 06-19-2008 01:49 AM

Bob, this is a really useful post, since I have a friend whos recently turned into a real apple fan-boy.  I countered his argument about having to buy the iPod because I really wanted fm radio as part of my device… I like to use the radio from time to time when Im in the gym and want to check new available tunes, or, when my player’s playlist has gotten a little stale, or whatever. I enjoy being able to check the news or weather when Im out and about, and it just seems to me that combining functionality of fm radio with an mp3 player is a great idea.  For the last couple years, having just ordered my Fuze, I made do with an arm band attached fm radio. So, giving it up just to have the iPod wasnt an option.  Plus I didnt like the way Apple implemented their ‘optional’ remote radio as an addon to the iPod… In the gym those few extra feet of cable length is all Id need to strangle myself… besides, 50 bucks for that tiny addon seems unconscionable.  So, Fuze it was.  Of course, when my first music transfer attempt resulted in a dead as a doorknob Fuze, you can just imagine the ‘I toldya sos’ that radiated from his end. 

Youre giving me some tools to counter his arguments about how Apple stuff ‘Just Works’ kind of thing. 

Ok, I just got and setup my new fuze replacement and Im really liking it. I see the problem when I first tried to load media. WiMP is setup to automatically sync, and when I checked the list of ■■■■ it was planning on putting on there, it included EVERYTHING from my Pictures directory, plus alot of other stuff; virtually everything it could find on my hard disk.

The trick is in WiMP, to rightclick the Fuze device and turn off Auto Sync which unfortunately is the default. Then, set up your sync list and thats all that will go. See, I set up the sync list, but saw it wasnt using it because of the Auto Sync override…

That little default is going to cause alot of crashes and loaded up Fuzes for people who dont understand youve got to turn off the MP auto sync default.  Imagine the shock when youve set up a sync list that might have 2 gb worth of stuff when you get the msg that your Fuze is full and you need to free up 90 mb of space!  Glad I caught that this time.  Wonder why it always asks to free up 90 mb… That seems kind of silly if youve got another gb to go… i dont see what freeing only 90 mb would do in that case.

Message Edited by boostm3 on 06-20-2008 04:42 PM

Glad to hear your back in business.

This nasty habit of trying to dump the entire library on to your device is one of the reasons why many users hate using Windows Media Player.  That’s why I repeat the warning: watch WiMP on that first sync session, as it may try to dump everything but the kitchen sink on to your device- and it will include any songs by Kitchen Sink if you should have that.

Microsoft can really mess up some very basic concepts, even those that are right in your face!  Note that the WiMP interface (since you have synchronized your Fuze, humor me and plug it in)  click the Sync tab and look at the upper right corner: see the cute bar graph showing the capacity of the device?  As you add songs, before synchronization, an additional shaded bar will appear showing the needed capacity.

Uh, so can you tell me why WiMP zorches the entire memory of your device on the first pass?  Time for a wee bit of software repair.  Break out the Diet Coke!!  Nobody leaves the room until at least half of the cubicles have something on the screen other than Tetris.  Sound about right?

Bob  :stuck_out_tongue:

Yup… I think all people really need to always rememember is that, if they like to use WiMP like I do, when they connect their Fuze, they Always need to view the device in either Library or Sync views in WiMP, right click the Sansa device in the left pain, click ‘Set Up Sync’, and make sure that “Sync this Device AUTOMATICALLY” is most emphatically UNCLICKED!!!

Once thats done, disconnect and connect again, just to make sure it ‘stuck’… Mine didnt on first attempt for some reason, and it went out and grabbed a gb of pictures quickly before I even realized it was happening and could STOP the sync.  But, once that  automatic sync button is unchecked, you should be able to connect with impunity from then on with no worries.

Without this Automatic sync to worry about, you can easily construct your sync lists out of albums or playlists or whatever, and rest reasonably assured that youve put an end to the Wild Syncing gremlin that will so often load up your fuze to the point where its unuseable, or in my first case, dead as a brick.

To default to this Automatic sync mode is really a very bad default… The part that really got me was that, if it went out and grabbed everything that you could view in your WiMP library, that would be bad, but at least understandable.  What it did in my case, though, much to my amazement was, in the detail list of all the things it wanted to sync, before I realized I needed to Uncheck the Automatic Sync box, appeared everything in my Pictures directory, and alot of other stuff too, none of which appeared in my WiMP library.  Thats where alot of people are going to get terribly confused. Most of the common users dont understand the relationship between WiMP library, windows file system, and anything of that nature.  When I look at songs to play in media player, Ill look in my library, and thats the general universe of what I expect to play, unless i manually pull in from another source… So, for this sync behavior to automatically go outside the immediate domain of the WiMP library with no notifcation, is one of the poorest design decisions Ive ever seen… But maybe thats just it; maybe it wasnt a design decision, but rather, a conscious Marketing decision. I dont know… Im not sure how that could help Microsoft.  And I dont blame Sandisk either.   Its definitely a design decision within MS to default to an automatic sync scenario.

Well, Im loving my Fuze… Only problem Im having is that the armbands Ive seen are way too small. Listen, im no Charles Atlas, but I do go to the gym, and even with my modest 14.5" biceps, the loosest setting on the arm band velcros is still cutting off blood, and going any looser takes the velcro closure off its contact point where the hook and loop meet.  Armbands are designed supposedly for folks who like to use the gym, so they really should have some larger bands…  I know alot of guys who have arm circumferences up to 18" and more, making my arms look relatively puny.  So, someone needs to address this.

I also love the 30 fm presets… Thats enough to satisfy anyone, and the reception is alot better than the dedicated Coby radio I used to use in the gym.  I also see there is a record function for the FM… I wonder if theres a way to record a song Im listening too and save it in such a way I can put it in my music folder and make just as available as any of my other 500 songs?  

You can twist your Fuze in a t-shirt sleeve, Ford Fairlane style, for the time being…

FM recordings can be converted from wav format to MP3 while your PC is connected, rename the file with an ID3 tagging utility, and there you go!  

I prefer to Google the lyrics for a portion of the recorded song, and then locate the original via Rhapsody.  What’s more cool than that?

Enjoy your new toy!

Bob  :smileyvery-happy: 

Hi Bob,

I started a thread about the units failure to work with my car radio’s USB connector… I posted to Sandisk tech support and this is what they replied:

"…We need to change the mode of your player to MSC so that it would be detected properly by your car stereo. But we need also to transfer music to the player using MSC mode so that the songs would be recognize by your car stereo. Since your car stereo can only detect Mass Storage Class (MSC) device in which the player will be detected as a regular flashdrive while the Media Transfer Protocol (MTP)device in which the player will be detected as a portable device or can accept music subscription.

Files that are transferred to MSC mode cannot be viewed on a computer or car stereo if you are using MTP mode and also vice versa.

And its normal that you can see the screen connected on the player whenever its connected to your car stereo and it will be also charging but you won’t be able to access its menus.

Mass Storage Class Devices with more than 2GB of capacity should be formatted with FAT32 file system but if its below 2GB then its FAT instead…"

Would this mean if I deleted all my music, switched to MSC mode, and transfered the music directly from the files in Explorer, Id be in better shape to have the car receiver which is meant to play MP3 files recognize the device? That would pretty well preclude any more Media Player syncing, correct? Ill have to manually manage the additions and deletions, correct? Lastly, what about this formtting they tell me. Do I need to reformat the device in any special format, or, can I just delete and retransfer the music in MSC mode?

Thanks.

>>I prefer to Google the lyrics for a portion of the recorded song, and then locate the original via Rhapsody<<

true, but u have to pay for it that way :D 

Message Edited by boostm3 on 06-21-2008 04:19 PM

The USB interface for car stereos is a new thing.  Systems like the Sync system in Ford vehicles may prove popular…

The problem is that protected content may be an issue (DRM) and the mode used for file loading on the device (MSC versus MTP) hides the music from view.  Of course, this is confusing, as the Sansa finds those files wherever they are. Car stereo manufacturers are thinking of basic USB flash memory “sticks” I think, and not a capable player on the port.

On the FM front, you can convert the wav file to MP3 and tag (ID3 v2.3) the file for reference later. 

Rhapsody To Go is great, I think of it as cable TV for my ears- I don’t have to purchase the individual songs unless I want a 256KB/s higher resolution copy.  The Rhapsody tracks are 160KB/s wma.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy: 

For what its worth, Sandisk tech support says the Fuze will work with my car radio’s usb connector, but first I have to delete everything I loaded in MTP mode, switch the fuse into MSC mode, and reload the music.  Then the radio will be able to interface, in just the way it would, I guess, with my usb flash drive.

IM going to test my flash drive with it tomorrow… I have a few mp3 files loaded both in root and subdirectories. IF the radio sees them all, I wouldnt think it would be any different when I present the fuze to it in MSC mode after the music is copied to it in msc mode as well. 

Remember that deleting everything in MTP mode is only necessary if the same song file exists in both modes, as there will be doubles of everything.

You can go ahead and load say, 10 tracks, in MSC mode, just to see if they are recognized.  No need to wipe evything clear, as you can see if it works properly, then clear the files on the MSC side.

I load data in MSC mode often (diagnostic data files) while using MTP for music and books.  The irritating “hiding” of files from view is quite convenient in this use, as it separates everything from confusion.

My best recommendation, if the MSC mode works well, is to get a Cruzer drive from SanDisk.  No need to have cables dangling about in the car, unless a quick charge on the go is your need. 

Bob  :stuck_out_tongue:

>>Rhapsody To Go is great, I think of it as cable TV for my ears- I don’t have to purchase the individual songs unless I want a 256KB/s higher resolution copy.  The Rhapsody tracks are 160KB/s wma.<<

I ripped all my music using the default 128kb/sec… Looking at a frequency chart, I see that 128kb/s gives a pretty good faxsimile of the cd copy, and is balls on accurate (very technical term) too … All my music is ripped at 128kb/s…  So, I would think the unpurchased  Rhapsody track would be more than adequate.  Does this mean you can download as much Rhapsody content at 160kb/s quality as you want?  How??

You can try Rhapsody with this 30 day free trial.  Currently, Rhapsody To Go is the version in the trial, plus the “To Go” version is $14.99 per month, for full access to a “royal boatload” of new (and classic) music.  The Rhapsody Unlimited version is actually for using on the PC only, without porting over to the Sansa.

Thus, the cost of the individual tracks isn’t so bad.  I have six Sansas, four 2GB clips, one 2GB Fuze, and one 8GB e280v2, all happy with Rhapsody.  The math involved is simple, that’s a lot of music, tailored to the family’s individual ears.

Plus, Rhapsody gives you instant access to playlists, and the best feature of all, the Rhapsody Channels.  I have four up on my e280 at the moment, with four hours each of constantly refreshed new music.  Any song I like can be instantly saved to the device list with one button click. And for those songs I want in higher resolution, or to keep (note, 160KB/s wma is very clean already!), I can purchase from the device directly, with a click; the song is sent to my PC’s library on the next synchronization, as an MP3.  In fact, you have a whole range of download options as far as format and bitrate.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

Message Edited by neutron_bob on 06-22-2008 09:33 AM

Thanks for the info, Bob. Re trying to make the connection of the Fuze in MSC mode to my car radio’s usb cable, IVe come to the conclusion, with the help of Crutchfield, that this is not possible… My usb thumb (flash) drive makes a fine connection with it because it appears to the radio as a true Mass Storage Device… Apparently, the Fuze even in MSC mode does NOT appear to it in the same way… Im a little more confident in my assertion that this cannot be made to work with radios expecting to see Mass Storage Devices by this USB connection after reading Crutchfield’s answer to my question to them about it… They wrote:

" … Thanks for your e-mail, and for shopping the Crutchfield web site.

Unfortunately, the USB port on your Kenwood Excelon KDC-X590 was designed specifically for mass storage devices. The MP3 players are actually a different software format than those of a flash drive. I wish I had better news for you there. However, you can add an auxiliary input to the radio and connect the mp3 player that way. This adapter simply plugs into the CD changer port on the back of the radio and allows any auxiliary device to connect to it…’

So, MSC mode wont do it. At least, this will stop me from wasting any more time trying to get this to work, and now move me in the direction of aquiring a second thumb drive to use for just this purpose.

Check out the new Cruzers- they’re very cool!

And they’re small too.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

Unfortuantely, the new sandisk flash drives wont work as a mass storeage device… Check this out from sandisk tech support:

“Regarding the flash drive that will work on your car stereo. Make sure to purchase a flash drive without the U3 technology. I’ve asked already this question to my Senior Technical Agent. And sandisk already stopped manufacturing those flash drives. Since all of our flash drives already has U3 technology on it.”

They’re killing me, figuratively speaking.  Check out the SanDisk U3 FAQpage.  Of primary interest are the last four questions.  I’ll bet the Cruzer will work.

At the worst, it’s a few clicks away to success.  I’ll be reading up on U3, as it sounds like good stuff.  Kind of makes sense to have the capability, as the modern “thumb drive” has more capacity than the “hard drives” of only a few years ago.

Check out the U3 introfor a brief look.

Bob  :stuck_out_tongue:

Message Edited by neutron_bob on 06-23-2008 06:26 AM

Hey Bob…

Now that Ive got my Fuze running like a top, ive been investigating the best way for me to continue aquiring music  so my collection doesnt get stale.  I  love classic rock of which I have plenty, but theres nothing like getting familiar with the new stuff and adding it to the collection to keep it fresh.

At first I was almost ready to subscribe to Rhapsody to go, but it took awhile for me to realize that no matter how much material I download and add to my collection, as soon as I decide I dont want to keep my subscription going, I lose all the music Ive downloaded.  Thats the killer for me. Its not that I can envision discontinuing the subscription, but I just cant get used to 'Renting ’ music when my whole live, Ive done nothing but own my collection.  Im sure folks are wise to this, but still, they kind of bury this knowledge deep within the marketing hype… Clearly they want to hype you on the idea of all you can get for 15 bucks a month before letting you know that youre only Renting!  :frowning:

For me, I think Id rather torrent the stuff over peer to peer technology… The downside of that is you generally can only find the well known stuff via this route… Some of the stuff that came preloaded on my Fuze I really enjoyed… To get complete collections of some of those artists Im going to have to shell out $.99 a song to own  them, although, Im finding many of these, although not any complete albums, are being made free to download.   I even found a site that has substantial numbers of artists whos works are downloadable for free because they take a little longer to download because they want you viewing the advertising material; thats how they can offer it to you free. One such site is called Spiral Fog at:  http://www.spiralfrog.com/index.aspx .  To maintain the stuff you download from them all you have to do is renew monthly your free subscription.  And another downside which I think kills it for me is that it only gives you the content in WMA format, so forget sharing with any ipod owners :frowning: