FAT is corrupted. On Clip+ 4G

Keep getting this error message on my Clip+ after I used it as a subtitue for a flash drive to try out different Operating systems. Figured it would be no problem to download or copy root folders and firmware after I was done but none of the fixes I found on various forums seems to work on my clip and sansa updater wont recognize it as said it would in certain instructions I found. Any idea on what should be done to reset my Clip+ to factory settings?

Can you connect to your computer, right click on the Clip drive, and run an error-check on (or reformat) the drive using Windows? 

Yeah, I’ve done that plenty of times it says no disc errors, and reformatted to fat32 various times.

Reinstall the firmware manually.  Look on the top of the board for a sticky thread that has the firmware download link and instructions on how to do that.  

Since your FAT is corrupted and needs to be recovered, I suggest that you connect your player to the computer by “forcing MSC mode”.  That’s done with the player turned off, and holding down the center button while you connect the player to the computer.  Keep holding the button down until a connection is established. 

Then drag-and-drop the extracted/unzipped firmware file into the root folder of the clip+, unplug the player, and then cross your fingers and say a prayer that it works.   :wink:

I have tried this as well, the main problem being is that I cannot find a root folder. I tried copying the BIN file to the player but that didn’t much and if the root folder is there i have no idea how to access it.

Maybe it would help to mention again that I burned disc images to the Clip+ and when I did that theres wa sa notification that all the files were deleted. Might have to do somethign with it but I’m not sure.

Root Directory (or folder)

http://i42.tinypic.com/ek0x3a.png

Start with the Clip turned OFF.  Slide the power switch down to the HOLD position.  Press and HOLD the center button depressed until it is recognized by the PC- give it a few seconds.

The Clip’s display will state “connected” with the device now in MSC mode.

You can now repair the File Allocation Table (FAT) using Windows’ chkdsk utility.

Open My Computer and find the Clip a listed under “devices with removable storage” as a flash drive.  Let’s say it displays as E: SANSA CLIP for example.  Our assigned drive letter is E:

From the Run box under Start, enter cmd and press Enter.  You will get a DOS window.

Enter chkdsk E: /f and press Enter.  The /f toggle tells the utility to fix the errors.

After clicking on the Safely Remove icon in the taskbar, or right clicking on the Clip and selecting Eject, unplug the Clip. 

Try powering it up again, and see if all is well.

Maybe it would help to mention that I formated and burned a disc image to my Clip+

@marria wrote:

Start with the Clip turned OFF.  Slide the power switch down to the HOLD position.  Press and HOLD the center button depressed until it is recognized by the PC- give it a few seconds.

 

The Clip’s display will state “connected” with the device now in MSC mode.

 

You can now repair the File Allocation Table (FAT) using Windows’ chkdsk utility.

 

Open My Computer and find the Clip a listed under “devices with removable storage” as a flash drive.  Let’s say it displays as E: SANSA CLIP for example.  Our assigned drive letter is E:

 

From the Run box under Start, enter cmd and press Enter.  You will get a DOS window.

 

Enter chkdsk E: /f and press Enter.  The /f toggle tells the utility to fix the errors.

 

After clicking on the Safely Remove icon in the taskbar, or right clicking on the Clip and selecting Eject, unplug the Clip. 

 

Try powering it up again, and see if all is well.

 

Thank You, but it seems I am out of luck the Clip+ doesn’t have a hold button :frowning:

xsmhyrym

Can I just get someone to copy their root and subdirectory folders up load it somewhere then I copy them over to mine?

I doubt that would work. But if you know where these files ‘were’, you have found the ‘root directory’ (or folder). manually install the firmware as previously suggested. Don’t forget you must first extract (or expand) the .zip file before copying the .bin file (located inside the .zip) over to your newly found ‘root’. :wink:

I’m wondering if the OP may have overwritten some hidden/protected operating files.  Right now, it sounds like the player has become little more than a flash drive.

The description for using chkdsk above refers to the original Clip (that description is from Jan '10).  The Clip+ has a slightly different method for forcing a manual MSC connection, since there’s no power “slider” switch.

For the Clip+, simply press and hold the center button while plugging in the device. Be sure that the Clip+ is OFF before plugging in, or it will mount in the previously selected USB mode.

I see from your snapshot above, that we do  have a problem, Houston!  Note that the chosen icon is a CD logo.  The PC is seeing the Clip+ as a CD, a data disc.  The volume label appears correct, but the device descriptor is now a data CD.

By transferring a CD image to the Clip, using it as a flash drive, your utility changed the device descriptor to a data CD.  This is important if you are trying to make the computer recognize the mounted flash drive as a CD.  There are two issues at play when using a portable media device as a flash drive, and burning a complete CD image.  First, it’s changing the description of the device, writing data (as in the volume label, for example) in areas not normally changed when using the device as a media player of memory device.  Second, there is a vital reserved partition where the media player’s operating requisites are stored.

Does the Clip start up normally when powered up on its own?

Bob  :dizzy_face:

SOLUTION FOUND!!!

I could repair it using freeware “Mini tool partition wizard” by deleting the complete drive.

Then i’ve created a fat32 partition with the complete space and set the “create as” field to “PRIMARY”