Sansa Clip 8GB - USB mode getting me down

Hi all,

I’ve bought a Sansa Clip 8GB, now that thing is driving me crazy. It’s impossible to plugging the Sansa, copy songs on the player, plug it out and listen to the music …

Firmware version: V02.01.32F

Environment I: Windows XP sp3 incl. wmp11. The Sansa Clip is in MTP transfer mode.

Copy some music via Microsoft explorer to the sansa clip … Music is found and can be played.

Copy some music via Microsoft wmp11 media sync (whatever it is called) …  Music is found and can be played.

… But MTP doesn’t work with my Linux and the files can’t been seen in msc mode!

Environment II: Windows XP sp3 incl. wmp11. The Sansa Clip is in MSC transfer mode.

Copy some music via Microsoft explorer to the sansa clip … Music is not found and can’t be played.

Copy some music via Microsoft wmp11 media sync (whatever it is called) …  Music is found and can be played.

Environment III: Ubuntu 9.04. The sansa clip is in MSC transfer mode.

Copy some music via terminal or whatever to the sansa clip … Hey it works! Music is found and can be played.

I don’t want to play a USB mode disc jockey! It’s a unacceptable condition, that all files transferred via MSC mode can’t been seen via MTP, and vice versa! I don’t get it, it’s the same file system and there are no hidden folders or something. - Or am I wrong?

Message Edited by murloc on 08-05-2009 09:52 AM

@murloc wrote:

Hi all,

I’ve bought a Sansa Clip 8GB, now that thing is driving me crazy. It’s impossible to plugging the Sansa, copy songs on the player, plug it out and listen to the music …

 

 

Environment I: Windows XP sp3 incl. wmp11. The Sansa Clip is in MTP transfer mode.

Copy some music via Microsoft explorer to the sansa clip … Music is found and can be played.

Copy some music via Microsoft wmp11 media sync (whatever it is called) …  Music is found and can be played.

… But MTP doesn’t work with my Linux and the files can’t been seen in msc mode!

 

Environment II: Windows XP sp3 incl. wmp11. The Sansa Clip is in MSC transfer mode.

Copy some music via Microsoft explorer to the sansa clip … Music is not found and can’t be played.

Copy some music via Microsoft wmp11 media sync (whatever it is called) …  Music is found and can be played.

 

Environment III: Ubuntu 9.04. The sansa clip is in MSC transfer mode.

Copy some music via terminal or whatever to the sansa clip … Hey it works! Music is found and can be played.

 

 

I don’t want to play a USB mode disc jockey! It’s a unacceptable condition, that all files transferred via MSC mode can’t been seen via MTP, and vice versa! I don’t get it, it’s the same file system and there are no hidden folders or something. - Or am I wrong?

 

 

Your best bet is to stick with MSC mode…remove the music from the CLip, switch to MSC mode, add your music again, and you’re all set. MSC and MTP don’t cooperate…anything you add in one mode, you can’t see in the other. So stick with MSC. And avoid the “auto-detect” at all costs…that will drive you nuts!

And remember that any files that aren’t tagged won’t be visible on the player.

Thanks for the fast reply, but the problem is still the same…

I’m using MSC mode and copy one identic mp3-file from my NAS to the Sansa Clip. If the copy method is via Ubuntu, Windows Media Player 11 or Winamp Portable Device Management, the file is been found by the Sansa Clip. When I copy 1:1 the same mp3-file via Drag and Drop (MS Explorer), the file isn’t found by the Sansa Clip. Especially that is the point I don’t understand - only the copy method differs.

@donp: Is there a special must have tag format? Like it needs to be ID3v2.

EDIT: Last but not least, the MD5 hash of the testfile is at all copy methods identic, that brings me to the reason that I’ve absolutly no idea anymore… :-/

Message Edited by murloc on 08-04-2009 06:36 PM

An odd circumstance–your Clip is not showing files transferred in the most common way, MSC drag and drop.  I can’t figure why that would be the case, as MSC drag and drop usually is the method that people will default to when all else fails (and that many of us use as the standard and reliable solution).

One thought:  do you get the same result if instead of dragging and dropping, you select the tunes and then copy (right click on them and choose copy; or ctrl + c) and then paste (right click and choose past; or ctrl + v)?

Otherwise, at least you know the transfer methods that will work for you, and you can adopt one as your “universal” method.

@Milkerman: Your thought describes exactly my problem. Maybe it’s a production fault? I’ve never had an comparable problem like this.

And the point is, I want to have the luxury using the player without installing any additional software, but it seems that it doesn’t work with my one. And switching the transfer mode isn’t a solution for me, cause the MTP files can’t b listed in MSC mode, otherwise I would do the mode switching monkey …

Any further ideas?

Otherwise I have still 5 days replacement guaranty.

Many thanks from Germany

Did you try the copy-and-paste instead of the drag-and-drop?  I doubt that there would be any difference, but you never know.  There seems to be some issue between your computer and the Clip. 

(If you haven’t, you may want to try drag-and-drop on another computer as well; if it works, it seems that there would be some sort of glitch with your computer.  I haven’t had this issue, on 3 separate laptops–an IBM, Toshiba and Lenovo.  I know that this must be frustrating for you!)

Also:  when you connect to your computer in MSC mode, does your Clip show up on the computer as it should, and as a separate drive?  (I’m just wondering if there’s a drive assignment issue on the computer.)

@Milkerman: Just now I’ve tested all known Windows copy methods again … drag and drop via left click, drag and drop via right click, copy and paste and copy via cmd. Tested all again on another machine (Win XP Home), sadly there is exact the same problem. Maybe I should switch completely to the world of linux… ^^

The drive is detected like any other USB device in MSC mode.

I’ve forgotten to post the firmware version: V02.01.32F (also added in above post)

@murloc wrote:

@Milkerman: Just now I’ve tested all known Windows copy methods again … drag and drop via left click, drag and drop via right click, copy and paste and copy via cmd. Tested all again on another machine (Win XP Home), sadly there is exact the same problem. Maybe I should switch completely to the world of linux… ^^

 

The drive is detected like any other USB device in MSC mode.

 

I’ve forgotten to post the firmware version: V02.01.32F (also added in above post)

So why not just switch to MSC all the time?

This is how you do it, first, remove all the files on your player, so they don’t disappear…then, switch the player to MSC mode…then, add all your files back to the player again. You will then be able to see all of them.

@Marvin_Martian: The point is, the files are NOT been found when copied in MSC mode. I thougt that’s all the thread is about, or is my english such bad? ^^

Okay again, I just wan’t to use the player in MSC mode, not in MTP mode. But it doesn’t work via Windows XP as Client - no song is found by the Sansa…

@Marvin_Martian: The point is, the files are NOT been found when copied in MSC mode. I thougt that’s all the thread is about, or is my english such bad? ^^

Okay again, I just want to use the player in MSC mode, not in MTP mode. But it doesn’t work via Windows XP as Client - no song is found by the Sansa…

@murloc wrote:

@marvin_martian: The point is, the files are NOT been found when copied in MSC mode. I thougt that’s all the thread is about, or is my english such bad? ^^

 

Okay again, I just want to use the player in MSC mode, not in MTP mode. But it doesn’t work via Windows XP as Client - no song is found by the Sansa…

I’m sorry, I misunderstood you…not really your English, just my lack of sleep.

Along the line of what donp was asking you about tags…by any chance are there files on your player that say “unknown” ? Because if the tags aren’t what the Sansa likes, the files could show up that way. 

@Marvin_Martian: Would be nice there were any files with any tag like ‘n00b, I’ll never do what U want!’, but there is nothing except the ‘No Audio’ message. There are quite simply no files found by the player. :-/

Well, sounds like you’ve done all the testing possible.  For some reason, your Clip doesn’t like MSC mode.  The only other thought I had was trying another USB cable or other USB ports (but I can’t see that making a difference, as the current cable and ports work in MTP mode).

At this point, I’d contact SanDisk via phone to see if they have any thoughts and, barring that, exchanging still within your warranty period.  Sorry!  Maybe others will have other suggestions–

 Hm kk, anyway thanks for the fast and productive replies. I’ll send the Sansa Clip back and order another one - or something like this. :wink:

If you go through SanDisk, I think they pay the postage–no reason for you to be out.

I’m not sure if this could be the solution to your problem but the mp3 tags version 1.3 can interfere with these devices and not detect properly. You can use mp3tag to highlight your entire library and set to remove 1.3 tags in the options and then click remove tags. It will remove the tags you reguested and save new ones that you choose to input. Then you save all the changes afterwards. That solved alot of issues for my music tags not showing up properly and the server slow downs I was getting due to the incompatiibilty of v1.3 tags with the sansa. I think you want to stick with v2.3 if I’m not correct. Check around on that and get all the info you need. There are forums on sandisk regarding this. Good luck.