MicroSD with vanishing files.

SanDisk MP3 players Sansa® Clip | Sansa® Clip+
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Hi, I hope someone can help as I’ve nearly driven myself crazy today trying to figure out what’s going on! I just purchased the Sansa Clip+ 8gb. I purchased a sandisk 32gb microsd card to go in it - I listen to audiobooks, and wanted to be able to store all the books at once on the device.

I updated the firmware to v01.02.18a using the updater and began transferring files. Long story short, no matter where I put the files on the HD card (in the MUSIC folder, the AUDIOBOOK folder, the root of the card, it came up [empty]. This is regardless of MTP or MSC mode, always empty.

Then I saw some suggestions about installing Rockbox firmware having helped with files not showing up - this I did, and my files began to show up, excellent I thought. So, I moved over some more items. I ensured, while still connected to my laptop, that all my files were on the SD card. I safely removed the device, as I have been doing the whole time. Then, I browsed to the files on the Clip+. Some of the files had disappeared. The folders they were in were present. But the contents were gone. When I connected the device to my laptop, sure enough, the folders were empty. It seems to be completely arbitrary as to what vanishes. All I know for sure is it’s driving me crazy! I really hope someone knows what to do, look forward to your suggestions!

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All the listings on the Clip–uness you go all the way down the Music scroll to Folders–are taken from ID3 tags, the electronic labels in the files. If those are incorrect or missing, the Clip doesn’t list them. 

First go down to Folders and External SD Card and see if you can find the files there. It should have them in a directory tree, with folders and subfolders, like Windows.

If they are in the folders, then the Clip can’t find or can’t read the tags.

You can fix tags–best done on the computer before sending them over–with the free software mp3tag. 

http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html

When you install it, allow it to add itself to context menus. Open it when you install it and go to Tools/Options/Tags/Mpeg. Change the Write option to ID3v2.3 ISO-8859-1. Make sure you save that. 

Then go to your Audiobooks folder (or whatever) on your computer. Right-click on a book folder, choose mp3tag from the options to open it. Look at the tags. If they are ID3v.1, then the Sansa doesn’t read them. It may also have trouble with ID3v2.4. Anyway, highlight all the tags, make sure Audiobooks is in the Genre field on the left side–or put it in–and under File, Save the tags. mp3tag will make them ID3v2.3–your default–and the Sansa should read them. Transfer one over and see how it works. 

Assuming that works, I’d suggest taking the books off the card, running each one through mp3tag–open, highlight, save-- and putting them back. 

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I have exactly the same problem, using any type of file there’s just nothing there, not even any folders. The best bit is, this happened yesterday for no apparent reason and I have been using the uSD card up to now with no problems. Tried formatting etc and firmware install but still the same. The card works perfectly on my 3 PC’s.

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If you are using a large card, there is a limit on how many files it will display. The database–the index made from info in the mp3 tags–has a size limit, and if the card is filled up with a lot of small files that limit is exceeded. SanDisk didn’t plan ahead well for larger cards.

Rockbox doesn’t have that problem. www.rockbox.org But only if you are comfortable with computer geekness 

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I’ve tried single mp3, wav, flac files but nothing, even in a folder. Total space used 20meg, capacity cant be the problem but thanks for the suggestions.

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Hi everyone, thanks for replying!

Okay - BlackRectangle, I followed all your instructions - firstly, and perhaps vitally, you said

"First go down to Folders and External SD Card and see if you can find the files there. It should have them in a directory tree, with folders and subfolders, like Windows.

If they are in the folders, then the Clip can’t find or can’t read the tags."

I booted into the standard firmware (instead of rockbox) by powering on while pressing << - in answer to your question, the files are not there. Not visible. On the card when I checked on my laptop, but the clip+ can’t see them. Says [empty]

I went ahead and changed all the tags just in case. Tried again. Still nothing.

Tried booting into rockbox instead - the folders are on the SD card - open up the folders - two of the three are now empty. Open them on my laptop - yep, the folders are empty. Its like the contents have been deleted.

Suggestions would be awesome!

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Paulkebab, stick to mp3. FLAC and WAV files don’t have tags and are huge, and you’re just going to confuse the Sansa even more. Get rid of the FLAC and WAV and look at the tags of the mp3 files. 

Skazz, that’s totally bizarre.  I hope you are just cut-and-pasting onto the card instead of going through Windows Media Player, which might be doing some weird sync.

For both of you, it’s not ideal but I’d suggest starting from scratch. Clear off the card. Format it to FAT32 if you want to do that quickly, or just delete everything via your computer.

Make sure the files are properly tagged by looking at them with mp3tag (remember, the Sansa can’t read ID3v1 tags so if you see those in mp3 tag you’ll have to change them). 

Then copy-and-paste 10 or 20 folders at a time, put the card in in Clip, see if it’s reading them. I’d use the original firmware, at least to get started.  Then add some more. If or when it fails, you’ll have an idea of where the trouble is: whether it’s just too many files, whether it’s a corrupt file, etc. 

Also, one other thing. Make sure you are not sending over proprietary Apple files–m4a, m4p, aac–that the Sansa can’t read. It only reads .mp3, .wma, .flac and .wav.  

And if you used a Mac or iTunes to rip something, make sure you are not sending over folders named MACOSX, which are filled not with audio files but with  finder files even though they end in .mp3, with names like ._01-Track1.mp3. They are 0kb in size and obviously aren’t playable.  

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One of the main reasons why I bought the clip was

a) it had an expansion slot

b) it can play flacs

I have all three formats on the clip’s internal memory with no problems. I’m getting the feeling its a port fault.

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As I said I’ve tried all formats in single file (the mp3 has a tag) but nothing. I dont, and will not ever, own anything Apple. What I dont understand is that the uSD card has worked great for 10 days then nothing.

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@paulkebab wrote:

As I said I’ve tried all formats in single file (the mp3 has a tag) but nothing. I dont, and will not ever, own anything Apple. What I dont understand is that the uSD card has worked great for 10 days then nothing.

What size and speed class is the card you are using? Class 10 cards have always been problematic with Sansa players. Class 4 is optimum.

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I just remembered–there is a quirk with FLAC files. On the external card, they need to be inside a folder called Music. 

Don’t ask me why. One of those things. 

http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/Sansa-Clip-Sansa-Clip/FLAC-files-ok-internal-memory-not-on-the-micro-SDHC/m-p/316689/highlight/true#M45873

On the other hand, my external card has a whole lot of mp3 albums in the root directory with no problems, so that doesn’t explain your mp3 difficulties. 

And the absence of tags in FLAC means you’ll always have to use Folder navigation. 

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Hi there, I’m using a Sandisk 64gB class 10 card, previously it was formatted to default (exFAT), I formatted it to NTFS and had no problems.

Yesterday I installed Rockbox but that didn’t pick up the uSD card either. Installed the Sansa firmware and all is back to as it was, nothing on the card. I’m currently formatting the card back to exFAT (full format not quick) and I’ll see what happens with that. I did run the test software downloaded from a link on this site and it returned no faults on the card.

Theres no information anywhere at POS to suggest there might be a problem with this card; if the above doesnt work I’ll create a single 32gB partition and make the other 32gB unallocated. If that doesnt work then the player and card will go back to Amazon, I havent decided on a refund or replacement.

The player is fine on its own internal memory, as I said the card HAS worked for about 10 days then nothing.

If I don’t post back here then it’s safe to assume I wasn’t successful with the above methods and I’ve returned the player and card to Amazon.

Thanks for your help.

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Good news, all is working again.

Formatted the card to a single 32gB FAT32 and it worked, so extended it to the full 64gB and it’s all ok. Plays everything I’ve thrown at it, just like it used to!  The player reported correctly the memory card size, used and free space in both instances.

Not sure you can buy 64gB cards in anything less than UDHC class 10 format, but it works.

One thing I DIDNT do is use Windows to carry out the partitioning and formatting, I used the free and excellent MiniTool Partition Wizard - maybe that’s the issue?

Happy Days!

Paul

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Yes, the format was the problem. You need FAT32. I don’t think the Clip reads NTFS and it definitely doesn’t read eXFAT.

For others who may have this problem, depending on your version of Windows you may need third-party software to format to FAT32.

And if you fill up that 64GB with mp3 files you will probably exceed the database limitation on the Clip, so you might want to turn to Rockbox.

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The bizarre thig is, the Sansa read the card when I first got it, supplied formatted to exFAT so I just used it straight away, then I formatted it to NTFS and it still worked.

Maybe it was a quirk, I don’t know, but I hope this helps anyone else with this problem; maybe a Sandisk mod could make a ‘sticky’ out of this thread? 

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Black-Rectangle wrote:

And the absence of tags in FLAC means you’ll always have to use Folder navigation. 

My FLAC files all have tags and I never use Folder Navigation. In fact, on my Clip+ (and the 32GB card installed in it) FLAC is the ONLY format used.

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The post about FLAC that I linked to said the Clip formats the external card–maybe it did that. 

Interesting about FLAC tags, Tapeworm. Maybe my FLAC ripper isn’t making the right kind of tags. What do you use to make your FLACs? 

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@black_rectangle wrote:
Maybe my FLAC ripper isn’t making the right kind of tags. What do you use to make your FLACs? 

I use EAC. Although come to think of it, I believe there is an option somehwere in there to add ID3 tags or not. Maybe (if you also use EAC) yours isn’t turned on?

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I have a clip+ and an 8gb card, about 1yr old, and have a new problem.  I a message on my Mac that says ‘not enough memory’ to download, even after I have ‘deleted’ old song on both the disk and the card from my mac. The card now shows 285mb (1 auto book), and 70mb on  the clipp and still the message- not enough memory for either. Do I have unseen files, that I haven’t erased?  In the past I have had a little trouble with ihe clip, but this is a new problem with the card, I have taken off old auto books and had sucess in puting new ones on until now, what can I do and where, on mac or clipp.  thanks, theodora

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What does the Settings/System Settings/Info say on the Clip? 

If you’ve recently switched from Windows to Mac, the Clip may be connecting in a different USB mode. There are two, MSC and MTP. The computer can only see one mode at a time.

If you have access to a Windows computer you could also try checking the disk, which may be failing. In Windows Explorer, right-click the driveletter of the card, Tools, Error-Checking .It might fix the problem.