Right after I called it quits for the night, I remembered that my previous sansas would reboot or turn on no matter what after holding the on button for something like fifteen seconds. I tried it, and it worked. I suspect that when it was being held, the on button was also being held, and maybe that put it onto some kind of lock. Whatever it was, it works now.
And, thanks for the help that would have made it work if i had read it before i tried things. :]
