MP3 Issues

[Moose]

Hey guys, thought I'd put this one out there to see if I can get some ACTUAL help (not the non-help from Tech Support).
I have a SanDisk Sansa e260 MP3 player. After trying to delete some songs three times in a row and having them just reappear on my player, I decided to format it through Windows Media Player (the only program I have that works with it since it doesn't come with proprietary software). After doing so, I can no longer load music on the thing. If I use WMP, it restarts itself over and over again. When trying to copy/paste files through Windows Explorer, it will load about three songs and then tell me it's been disconnected and won't let me load anymore. I've done a hard reset and still no change. Any ideas?

 

[Lafinass]

I've had nothing but bad experiences with SanDisk. The wife has had not one, but TWO flash sticks from them fail on her in the course of a year. That said, my first thought would be to give the firmware a good slap.

[blockquote]How do I upgrade the firmware, assuming that all else is operating properly?
Place your e260 in MSC mode. To do this, firstly disconnect your e260 from your PC. Then on the e260, go Menu | Settings | USB Mode | MSC. Now connect your device to your PC. If your PC has thhe the SansaUpdater installed on it this program will be automatically loaded. Right-mouse click on the red and white SansaUpdater icon that appears in the system tray (bottom right of the screen) and select Manually Update. If there is a new version of the firmware, it will be found at the Sandisk website and uploaded to your device. The program assumes that you are connected to the internet.

How do I restore the firmware when the e260 crashes?
Firstly, place the e260 in restore mode. To do this, follow these steps
1. Push the Hold button on top of the e260 to the right.
2. Hold in the record button
3. Press and release the Menu button
4. The device will now go into Restore Mode. If you have not already connected the USB cable to your PC, it will direct you to do so.
5. The root directory of the device will open up on the PC screen. Now drag and drop the two files Firmware into into the e260 root directory. You will find a copy of the two firmware files zipped up elsewhere on these forums
6. Push the Hold button on the e260 back to the left
7. Unplug the USB cable from the PC. The e260 will now reboot, writing the new firmware images to the correct location.
8. This process will have wiped all your music files. You will now need to re-synch.[/blockquote]

Besides that, I don't know what to tell you. Did you call tech support or try and do it via a forum? The trick to getting good tech support is to be persistent. Not a prick, but persistent. Don't let them get you off the phone until your problem is solved. If they give you a solution to try and attempt to get you to hang up, keep them on the line. Also, always- ALWAYS get a support ticket number. They'll be more helpful if they think you can actually hold them individually accountable.

 

[Flippy the Squirrel]

They probably told you this at the support site, but it sounds like you might benefit from updating the firmware.

http://www.sandisk.com/Retail/Default.aspx?CatID=1376

more info also in the Sandisk Forums

Failing that, it may be that reformatting it removed the software that allowed it to function, although I say that without knowing a thing about how that particular mp3 player works. (I use Creative Labs media players, and have been pleased as punch with them.)

Finally, I also saw mention in the Sandisk Forums that Winamp works well with that player, so you might get some good results that way.

 

[Flippy the Squirrel]

That's totally awesome. It's like Lafinass and I had the same thought at the same time. We should hold hands and skip down the street ... or something.

 

[Lafinass]

Why do I suddenly feel I should be looking for an adult?

 

[Moose]

Scratch that...still having issues...it will download a few songs on WMP, then continue to give me an error message after about the 15th song...

 

[Moose]

Trying with winamp, but it seems to freeze the player...

 

[Moose]

New issue...now it's downloading just fine...but when I go into the player, it says there's nothing on it. Go in through Explorer, it's chalk full of music.

 

[Lafinass]

Sorry man, dunno what to tell you. Sounds like the hardware is fine, but the firmware is unhappy with you. I'm an iPod man myself, so you might want to get with SanDisk's tech support.

 

[chrisbliss18]

Is the player still in MSC mode?

 

[Lafinass]

Ahhhh... good call chris.

 

[Moose]

Nope...just got off the phone with SanDisk. They had me create a .fmt file. Works perfectly now. Thanks for your help again, guys!