playlists vanish!

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1

I love my Sansa Express. It’s been my lovely friend for a month, and we were having such fun together. Then yesterday, I emptied it to refresh the playlists before work (as I’ve done a number of times without difficulty), and this time the songs all were there but the playlists weren’t there to hold them together in any order.

I emptied it using the computer device manager, did a hard reset, and sync’ed again

(I made sure to dragndrop the playlists, and not just the songs.)

No luck. The songs, albums, genres, and artists all show up on the sansa, but when I look at the device (whether on the WMP screen or on the computer’s device manager) the playlists aren’t there.

Has anyone else had this problem? I’ve done a mess of searches on the forum and couldn’t find anything similar. I use my little friend at work, and there’s some music I can’t play when we’re open, but want to play while we get ready. Playlists are the only thing making that possible. Thanks for any help… 

2

@peachmcd wrote:

I love my Sansa Express. It’s been my lovely friend for a month, and we were having such fun together. Then yesterday, I emptied it to refresh the playlists before work (as I’ve done a number of times without difficulty), and this time the songs all were there but the playlists weren’t there to hold them together in any order.

 

I emptied it using the computer device manager, did a hard reset, and sync’ed again

 

(I made sure to dragndrop the playlists, and not just the songs.)

 

No luck. The songs, albums, genres, and artists all show up on the sansa, but when I look at the device (whether on the WMP screen or on the computer’s device manager) the playlists aren’t there.

 

Has anyone else had this problem? I’ve done a mess of searches on the forum and couldn’t find anything similar. I use my little friend at work, and there’s some music I can’t play when we’re open, but want to play while we get ready. Playlists are the only thing making that possible. Thanks for any help… 

 

When WMP syncs a playlist to the Express it sends the songs tags and identifies the location of the song on the Express and places that information in the Express’ database. It also converts the default file format from WMP’s “WPL” format to the Express’ “PLA” file format.

 

I don’t think that you can drag and drop the playlists. You will need to create new playlis in WMP and then sync over the playlists to the Express.

 

You can aslo create playlists manually, see the instructions in the attached thread.

 

http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=express&message.id=2496#M2496

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Thanks for the reply.  What I’ve been doing - which worked until this week - was to go to the sync tab in WMP and drag a playlist from the library over to the sync list, then sync.  So, yes, I was creating playlists on WMP. Until this week, both the songs AND the playlist files arrived unscathed in the synch. Now, only the song files appear on the Express when the synch process is finished. .:womansad:

I got very excited about creating a playlist right on the Express until I couldn’t get the same window as the Re: m3u support message demonstrated. I’m in Vista, with WMP 11. When I went to Computer> Sansa Express (J:) Removable Disk> Music… I didn’t see the “more >>” and what’s underneath that in the left-hand frame of the demo graphic. When I do as the author suggests (select a group of songs and right click) I don’t get ‘create playlist’ as an option.

Maybe because I don’t understand the basic MSC/MTP thing (none of these forum posts really explain it - it’s all assumed. I can’t even find out what these things stand for). I tried following instructions for switching to MTP but didn’t get the same prompts the author was assuming. I tried to get as close as possible, and ended up re-installing the driver <sigh>.

Thanks for any further (completely unabbreviated) help you can offer. I do love this little thing, and I know it’s probably me not understanding what I’m doing that’s the problem. I’m just trying to learn.

Peach McD in Durham NC

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@peachmcd wrote:

1.) Thanks for the reply.  What I’ve been doing - which worked until this week - was to go to the sync tab in WMP and drag a playlist from the library over to the sync list, then sync.  So, yes, I was creating playlists on WMP. Until this week, both the songs AND the playlist files arrived unscathed in the synch. Now, only the song files appear on the Express when the synch process is finished. .:womansad:

 

2.) I got very excited about creating a playlist right on the Express until I couldn’t get the same window as the Re: m3u support message demonstrated. I’m in Vista, with WMP 11. When I went to Computer> Sansa Express (J:) Removable Disk> Music… I didn’t see the “more >>” and what’s underneath that in the left-hand frame of the demo graphic. When I do as the author suggests (select a group of songs and right click) I don’t get ‘create playlist’ as an option.

 

3.) Maybe because I don’t understand the basic MSC/MTP thing (none of these forum posts really explain it - it’s all assumed. I can’t even find out what these things stand for). I tried following instructions for 4.) switching to MTP but didn’t get the same prompts the author was assuming. I tried to get as close as possible, and ended up re-installing the driver <sigh>.

 

Thanks for any further (completely unabbreviated) help you can offer. I do love this little thing, and I know it’s probably me not understanding what I’m doing that’s the problem. I’m just trying to learn.

 

Peach McD in Durham NC

 

I think it is a simple problem, hopefully it is also simple to fix.

 

1.) If your player is showing as a letter drive such as “j:/” instead of as “Sansa Express” then it is connecting in MSC mode and not MTP mode. That is most likely the source of the problem with your playlists not syncing and also why you do not have the option to create playlists directly on the player.

 

3.) MTP is Media Transfer Protocol. A Microsoft proprietary protocol for media files, music, videos, etc…   As related to your Express, you will need MTP to sync with WMP, to use subscription music services, to download audiobooks or listen to any files with DRM licenses.  MSC (or USB or UMS) mode is typically used for data file transfer and is the exact same as if you were connecting a flashdrive to your computer. Your Express is a MTP device. It will default to a MSC connection if the computer does not have MTP capability, such as connecting to a Mac or a Windows 2000 computer. Or, if you manually force a MSC connection.

 

4.) The instructions in the link you gave are instructions to manually force a MSC connection not MTP. Follow the instructions again, except at step 7 select MTP instead of USB. After doing so, check Windows Explorer to see if your player is shown as “Sansa Express” instead of a drive letter.

 

2.) After you have changed back to MTP mode, try to sync your playlists again or try to create playlists manually.

5

Thanks for the explanation of MTP and MSC, Professor - that helped! I wish fixing my Sansa problems were that easy. I went back to the Device Manager and plugged in my Sansa. When I opened Portable Devices, I saw TWO Sansa Expresses! (Also a USB CF Reader, MS, SD and SM Readers). When I removed my Sansa from the USB port, BOTH of those Devices disappeared from the manager.

They are both called Sansa Express in the Device Driver. When I’m in Windows, and click on Computer, among the Devices with Removable Storage that show up are “Sansa Express (J: )” and “Sansa Express (K: )” My Express is plugged into J.

So, back to the Device Driver, and try to follow your instructions to put the device into MTP mode. I right clicked the top Sansa Express in the Device Manager, and selected ‘Update Driver Software’.

Instead of a question I could answer ‘not this time’, I had a choice between “Search automatically for an update driver” or “Browse my computer for driver software.” That seemed more like the option in the message, so I chose that.

The new screen was “Browse for driver software on your computer”

Steps 5 & 6 were: “5. Select: Don’t Search. I will choose the driver to install, Next.” and

“6. Be sure to check the box beside Show compatible hardware.”

I didn’t see anything remotely like what the writer was telling me to do. What my computer wants me to do at that point is Browse for driver software in the Documents folder or “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer. This list will show installed driver software compatable with the device, and all driver software in the same category as the device.”

Choosing that brings me to a window where I can choose to install the Microsoft File System Volume Driver. I already did that. It didn’t help, and I don’t think I’m back in MTP mode.

So I came back here. I do appreciate your help, or anyone else’s who can help me get a .pla file to stick to my little Sansa. Thanks!!

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Please reply to this message, so the email will be sent. I forgot to check the dratted box.

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Look for the Express under the Universal Serial Bus Controllers heading. Do not modify the disk drive drivers. 

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Oh, frabjous day! thank you, Mr. Moose! That not only fixed it, but taught me how to fix it if it happens again! Bless your cotton sox… :womanvery-happy:

peach mcd in durham NC