Synchronize message--can't get rid of it

I am a new Fuze user with a question.  I only use the Fuze for audiobooks, and I took out all the pre-programmed music.  I do not have a subscription to Rhapsody or any other music service, but the message always comes up to “synchronize my music” and does not let me listen to the book I have downloaded.  Is there a way to eliminate that message?  I have tried everything!

It’s a misleading message.

What it actually means is that that you have files “protected” with digital-rights garbage–your audiobooks–that need permission from your computer to play. You need to find out what kind of audiobooks they are–NetLibrary, Audible, whatever they are–and look at the provider’s help files. You probably  have to transfer the books through a player on your computer that also passes along the digital rights info, which is hidden from the user. You can’t just copy the files over, as you have discovered.

The reason for the confusing message is that Rhapsody works the same way, with protected files, and someone at SanDisk wasn’t thinking about other digital-rights uses.

I also use my fuze for audiobooks.  Most I check out as boxed CDs from the public library.  I rip them using Windows Media Player to mp3 format and have no problem DRM.

After you get past your DRM problem, I would strongly suggest RockBox to use with audiobooks.  It saves multiple bookmarks and you can easily switch back and forth between audiobooks, radio, music without loosing your place in the audiobook.  Rockbox is a complete new OS for MP3 players.  After installing Rockbox on the Fuze, you can still boot into the original Sansa OS by holding down the left wheel button (|<<) while powering up.

Find Rockbox at www.rockbox.org.  It is an open source actively developed freeware software.

Another software product you might want to check out is Aimersoft DRM Media Converter.  This is a software package that you have to purchase, but it is not too expensive.  The output tracks have the DRM removed because, I think, it “fast plays” the tracks and records them.  You have to have the DRM to play the tracks in order for it to work.  For example, If you dowload a digital audiobook from a public library that has a limited (7 day) check out time,  You have to run the Aimersoft converter during that 7 days that you have the digital rights.  You then can copy the converted mp3 files to you Fuze and use them.

I find that the Sansa OS works better at some things and the Rockbox OS works better at others, especially for listening to audiobooks.

Thank you so much for the reply!  I will try your solution!

Thanks for all the information!  I will try Rockbox first to see what happens!

You still need the digital-rights permissions with Rockbox, which means you still need to find out how the audiobook provider wants you to get the files on to the player. Rockbox cannot break the digital rights encryption.

Before you start messing around with Rockbox, get the files to play with the original SanDisk firmware.  Once they are playable, have fun with Rockbox.

Rockbox will not work with DRM-encrypted files. Period! Never have, never will.

Will Rockbox be able to play songs I’ve bought from on-line music stores?

 

Not if they are DRM-encrypted. Firstly, this would be extremely difficult to implement legally - Rockbox is not legal entity as such, and therefore is unable to enter into license agreements with providers of DRM technology. Secondly, Rockbox is open source, which would mean that any DRM technology we incorporated into our codebase would suddenly become visible to the whole world, completely defeating its purpose. Remember, DRM achieves part of it’s security through obscurity, and publishing the keys necessary to decrypt DRM crippled media would essentially render it useless. And finally, the members of the Rockbox community don’t like DRM, and we see no reason to encourage its use by allowing our firmware to read it.

The Rockbox developers and community will not assist in removing DRM or in using the resulting files - please do not ask. If you choose to do this you are on your own. If however, your music was from the iTunes music store, you can upgrade to a DRM-free higher quality file for $.30.

Besides, Rockbox is used in MSC mode only. MTP mode is required for DRM fils.

Additionally and as a warning, installing Rockbox on some players have been know to break the DRM capability of these players so that even after un-installing Rockbox, you may not ever be able to use DRM files again on it.

I agree that Rockbox should not try to become usable with DRM media since it is open source.

I do not generally listen to music much except for the CDs I have purchased and ripped to be able to listen on my FuzeV2.

Mostly, I listen to freely downloadable podcast of news, religion, science, etc. (mostly from NPR).  These podcast are sometimes 1-2 hours long on a single track.  The original Fuze OS does not remember where in the track you where when you go back to a different Podcast and restarts from the beginning of the track.  Rockbox keeps bookmarks on every album (Podcast, or Audiobook) so you can switch between them and restart where you left off.

For using DRM free Podcast and Audiobooks, I think Rockbox is a must and I really appreciate the work volunteer programmers have done to create it.  I also contribute financially to the Rockbox team because it is so useful to me.

I have never tried to use DRM songs (because I do not have any) by booting into the Sansa OS mode, so I do not know if that will work for the DRM songs that you might have.