The battery had died. so i plugged it into the computer. It registered and was charging. after 30 min i pulled it out and it turned off. it won’t turn on. I’ve tried the holding onto the power button for 30 sec as well as the middle button. i have then left it plugged to the computer for like 3 hours. nothing. please help!
Since the player turns on when connected to the pc but immediately turns off when disconnecting, I would suggest contacting SanDisk Technical Support as it seems the battery has failed.
If this is one of the original Clips (round scroll wheel, no SD card slot), they were prone to faulty solder joints on the battery wire connections. If this is it, they can be fixed by taking the device apart and re-soldering the connections. There are photos and guides on-line that might help you. At least to determine whether you want to try it or not. 
