I updated from Windows 8.0 to 8.1 this week. My computer no longer recognizes my Sansa Fuze. When connected to the USB port all it does is charge the device. It does not show up in Windows Explorer, so files cannot be transferred.
Try going to Settings/System Settings/USB on the unit and switching to MSC. See if it is recognized as a removable drive. The other choice, MTP, depends on being recognized by Windows Media Player and it’s entirely possible WIndows 8.1 has fiddled with those settings. If you can make the MSC connection, then you can start researching what to do with WIndows Media Player.
But if MSC is also not working, the cord may be going bad. Different pins connect the charger and the data connection. You can find a generic cord from Amazon or a cell-phone accessory website for about $5. It has to be for Sansa Fuze (or E200, same cord). Don’t use an iPod cord unless you want to fry the Fuze.
One other approach: connect the Fuze and find wherever WIndows 8 has hidden Device Manager (look in your Help files if necessary). Go to Device Manager and look under USB devices and see if there’s a yellow flag on something. Right-click and uninstall. Then disconnect the Fuze and reconnect. Maybe WIndows 8 has goofed up the driver.
Thanks for the reply. The USB option change did not help. I just tried to connect to a computer with Windows 7, but it still did not work. I just returned from a long trip where I carried the Fuze and cable with me. Perhaps something was damaged in the travels.
The drivers are embedded at the Windows drivers itself. Have you tried to do a Windows update yet? 
