You broke it. I’m telling Mom!!
Just kidding, of course. Sorry I didn’t catch your post earlier. The v2 e200 is quite different from its predecessor, the v1 , so we have to be sure of which version we have. Fortunately, let’s start with one thing common to both machines, the soft reset. To restart the e200, press and hold the Menu / Power button for about 20 seconds, then release the button. Try powering up as usual after this.
Now we can add a little caveat: a dead battery. Again, after resetting the device, you can connect the USB cable to the PC, and it will wake up as soon as it sees power from the USB line. In this particular situation, let the device charge for a while. If the display goes blank as soon as the device is unplugged, and goes dead. The battery, or the battery’s contacts, may be your problem.
To remove the battery module, there are four wee screws on the metal back of your e200. They are easily misplaced, especially over carpet, so be careful. You’ll need a Philips #00 screwdriver, often found in an eyeglass repair kit. Resist the urge to cram a flat blade in there, as a proper tool is your key to happiness. Underneath, you’ll see a genuine battery module just like a mobile telephone. Genius, isn’t it? Remove the module, and clean the contacts with a cottton swab. A toothpick will also work beautifully. Just DON’T use a metallic paperclip, icepick, knife blade, or similar implement, since the plating on these contacts needs to be cleaned, not scratched off.
The contacts may have just a wee bit of corrosion on them.
Let me know if the e200 comes back to life. Battery modules are available all over the Interwebs, just enter “e200 battery” into your search engine of choice.
The v2 device has a unique splash screen when turned on. You’ll see a black background with a cool white SanDisk logo, and a reflection below this. Just below, and to the right, a cool blue sansa logo pops up immediately afterward. I mention this, since the later player is much easier to recover when frozen. If the device freezes, charging isn’t possible, complicating matters quite a bit. This also goes for the v1; charging is one of the duties of the processor. If it has halted for one reason or another, we’re stuck. Use the soft reset first.
For this post, I will stick with the AustriaMicrosystems (AMS) powered v2 devices. These are the later ones with the blue sansa in the splash screen, and with the darker “pewter finish” rear covers, sporting a v2 at the end of the model designation on the back. If you have a refurbished player , beware! There are plenty of refurbished v1 (PortalPlayer processor) machines out there, that were given the shiny v2 rear covers. The key is to remember what that splash screen looked like.
Lastly, give the device an interrupt command when plugging in. The menu/power button is the master control, hard wired into the processor. If the battery is totally d-e-a-d, try holding the menu button while plugging in. As the device sees DC power, it may restart. If successful, try charging, then if hte device dies immediately upon disconnect, all we need is a battery module.
Hey, I have a fresh coffee, and I’m on a roll. There is a second possibility for the v2 device as well. As it is an early Fuze variant hidden in an e200 metal shell, we can try holding the Home key while plugging in. Sometimes, this secondary signal gives the device a kick start, for lack of a better term.
Let me know if you are successful, as a v2 e200 is a real gem, built like a tank, and offering many of the capabilities of the newer Fuze too.
If you have a v1, the splach screen has the classic SanDisk icon with the sunburst to the right. For these, you can bypass the USB controller issue via Recovery Mode, but you MUST BE CAREFUL when using recovery mode and Windows’ commands.
Let me know if your device powers up!
Bob :smileyvery-happy:
