Sansa Clip files do not show up on Win7 computer

I have a Sansa Clip 4Gb model that works just fine except for two things:

  1. The files do not show up on my Win7 computer in either the regular win explorer file listing or the media player.  There are files on the clip - I can play them and scroll through them on the clip but I cannot edit them (move or delete) on the computer.  The clip is getting full and I would like to delete some old files but can’t see them!  I’ve tried all USB settings and also have updated the firmware.

2.  When I download a book, I get all chapters twice in reverse order.  I use the transfer function from OverDrive Media Console.  Works fine in my iPod and an earlier 2Gb Sansa Clip I had. 

Thanks for any help.

As to files not showing up on your computer:

When your player is connected to your computer under USB MSC mode (set under the player’s settings/USB Mode), your computer only sees the files that had been transferred to the player when the player was connected under MSC mode.  Likewise as to MTP mode.  Regardless, all the files show up and are playable on your player, under whatever USB mode setting.

A good reason why some people prefer to set the USB Mode on their player to either MSC or MTP:  on the Auto setting, the player tries to connect under MTP mode but then will fall back to MSC mode if the MTP connection does not work; the result being, you may have a mix of MSC and MTP mode transferred files on your player, making some of them not visible on your computer without switching to the other USB mode. 

Because MSC mode is more universal (playing with a broader range of operating systems, including Linux and on Macs, and without a need for Windows Media Player on the computer), some people prefer MSC mode.  However, note that DRM (digital rights management) files need MTP mode–they will not transfer sufficiently (the DRM license will not transfer) under MSC mode. 

To “correct” files not appearing:  set your Clip to the other USB mode, transfer the Clip’s files to your computer, set your Clip to the other USB mode (the mode you’re going to keep your Clip set to), and transfer the files back to your Clip from your computer.

I’ve tried all of your suggestions but still cannot see my files.  For the year or so that I have owned this Clip, it has always been set on USB Auto Detect.  At your suggestion I tried looking for the files in both MTP and MSC but they do not show up on the computer.  There are file folders but they are empty.  The Clip, however, is practically full of audio books which I would like to delete.  Do you have any other suggestions?  I don’t want to reformat as there are some things on the Clip that I do not want to lose.

Thanks you.

Having the exact same issue with on my Windows 7 laptop. The files do appear in Rhapsody, which I installed last week after I purchased the Clip4GB…also had success at work, with another operating system (Vista) . I can see all my files at work but no success on Windows 7. I thought it might be because of Rhapsody so I installed it and still no luck. Annoying as hell to say the least. Rhapsody and switching computers is a work around but still a long way to go for a seeming simple solutions. Let me know what anyone finds.

I’ve gotten the impression that when you connect your Clip to an external computer, the storage (whatever the mode) is not always mirrored correctly, and that’s a problem that as a user you probably cannot solve.  For instance, in MTP mode I had two Playlists folders with identical contents for a while, when viewed on my computer.  That’s something that should never happen.  I’ve also deleted files and folders on the computer and not have them go away on the Clip.  Running in Auto mode probably exacerbates this problem and may account for your difficulties, @vconover.

For what it’s worth, I’m mostly working in Linux and now use MTP mode in Linux as my main way of managing my Clip+.  Under Linux, mtpfs is your friend.

@mrwashingtondc wrote:

Having the exact same issue with on my Windows 7 laptop. The files do appear in Rhapsody, which I installed last week after I purchased the Clip4GB…also had success at work, with another operating system (Vista) . I can see all my files at work but no success on Windows 7. I thought it might be because of Rhapsody so I installed it and still no luck. Annoying as hell to say the least. Rhapsody and switching computers is a work around but still a long way to go for a seeming simple solutions. Let me know what anyone finds.

Is it the MSC/MTP USB mode issue mentioned a few posts above? 

Might sound uprofessional, but try with an other USB cable. I had the same issue (Win7 didn’t see SansaClip+). I think I used initially the cable provided with the player (can’t tell for sure, as I have so much stuff around and don’t know which is which), but after using an other USB cable, now it works like a charm on both my PCs. Give it a try.

Zaga

I just updated the firmware in my Clip + and overdrive couldn’t detect it nor could I see the files on the internal drive. I went into settings and turned back on autodetect under setup and it fixed the problem for me. Hope that helps someone. Teach me to upgrade!

When one upgrades, the USB setting gets reset.