TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS (FAQS)
Resetting a Sansa player My Sansa Player is freezing up. How do I reset my Sansa player?
If your Sansa player is freezing or not turning on, the first thing to try is a reset. This will clear any temporary condition that may cause the player to freeze or not shut off completely.
Resetting a Clip Sport 1. Press and hold the Power/Center Select button for approximately 20 seconds. 2. Release the Power/Center Select button. 3. Press the Power/Center Select button again to turn on the player.
Resetting a Clip Jam 1. Press and hold the Power/Center Select button for approximately 20 seconds. 2. Release the Power/Center Select button. 3. Press the Power/Center Select button again to turn on the player.
Resetting a Clip Zip, Clip+, Sansa Fuze+, c200 series, e200 series, or e200R series player: 1. Press and hold the Power/Menu button for approximately 20 seconds. 2. Release the Power/Menu button. 3. Press the Power/Menu button again to turn on the player.
Resetting a Sansa View, Fuze, or Clip player: 1. Slide and hold the Power switch up for approximately 20 seconds. 2. Release the Power switch. 3. To turn the player on, slide the Power switch up then release instantly.
Sansa player is NOT turning on Why doesn't my Sansa player turn on anymore?
STEP 1 - Reset the player. This will reset a player that may be frozen. This will NOT delete any content from the player. Most Sansa players can be reset as follows: - Press and Hold the power button for 20 seconds, or - Slide and Hold the power switch for 20 seconds
STEP 2 - Make sure the player is working when connected and being charged properly If the player is still NOT powering on properly after reset, it is possible that the battery is drained while the player was in a frozen state. 1. Connect the player to the PC. - The player should turn on, show connected on the screen and indicate it is charging. - Some USB ports may NOT provide enough power, try the back USB ports if it's not working.
2. Make sure the computer detects the player.
NOTE: - If the player is not detected or turning on, force the player to MSC mode, then connect it to the PC again. - Clip Sport is already in MSC mode by default
3. Leave the player connected for approximately 2 to 3 hours to charge. - The computer CANNOT be in sleep or hibernation mode while charging.
4. Disconnect the player from the PC. 5. Verify if you can turn on the player. 6. Reset the player if necessary.
Enabling or forcing MSC mode on your Sansa player How do I connect my Sansa player in "MSC Mode" or force the MSC mode on my Sansa player?
The steps below will force your Sansa players to connect in MSC mode to your PC. This is typically done for troubleshooting computer connection problems and problems with the player not turning on. If you want to change the default connection mode on your player, refer to Changing the USB Mode of your Sansa.
Sansa Fuze+ 1. Turn device OFF. 2. Press and hold Volume Down button. 3. Connect device to PC while holding Volume Down button. 4. Once the Fuze+ connects in MSC mode release Volume Down button.
Sansa Fuze 1. Turn device OFF. 2. Slide the Hold switch down to Lock (orange color showing). 3. Press and hold the left button ( |<< ) while connecting the device to the PC.
SanDisk Clip Sport The Clip Sport is an MSC only player therefore it is always in MSC mode
Sansa Clip Zip 1. Turn device OFF. 2. Press and hold the center select button while connecting the device to the PC. Sansa Clip+ 1. Turn device OFF. 2. Press and hold the center button while connecting the device to the PC.
Sansa Clip 1. Turn device OFF. 2. Slide the Hold switch down to Lock (orange color showing). 3. Press and hold the center button while connecting the device to the PC.
Sansa View 1. Turn device ON. 2. Slide the power switch down so an orange color would show putting the device on Hold. 3. Facing the scroll wheel, press and hold the left button (left side of the scroll wheel) while connecting the device to the PC.
Sansa Express The Sansa Express player does NOT have Force MSC. Refer to Resetting the Sansa Express for player recovery steps.
Sansa e200v2 1. Turn device OFF. 2. Slide the hold switch to the direction of the headphone jack so an orange color would show putting the device on Hold. 3. Press and hold the ( |<< ) button while connecting the device to the PC.
Sansa e200v1/e200R The original Sansa e200 series do NOT have Force MSC. Refer to Connecting Sansa players in Recovery Mode for player recovery steps.
Sansa c200v2 1. Turn device OFF. 2. Slide the hold switch to the direction of the REC button so an orange color would show putting the device on Hold. 3. Press and hold the left ( |<< ) button while connecting the device to the PC.
Sansa c200v1 The original Sansa c200v1 series do NOT have Force MSC. Refer to Connecting Sansa players in Recovery Mode for player recovery steps.
Sansa m200 1. Turn device OFF. 2. Facing the hold switch slide it to the right so an orange color would show putting the device on Hold. 3. Connect the device to the PC.
Sansa c100 1. Turn device OFF. 2. Slide the hold switch so an orange color would show putting the device on Hold. 3. Connect the device to the PC.
Sansa player NOT recognized by the computer Why is my Sansa player NOT being detected by my computer when I connect it?
This may be caused by one of the following: 1. Minimum system requirements were not met 2. Corrupted drivers 3. Computer restrictions 4. Power issue 5. Bad cable
To resolve this issue, try the following solutions:
NOTE: If the Sansa is frozen or hung it can prevent the device from being recognized by the computer. First try resetting your Sansa to ensure it is not frozen.
SOLUTION 1 - For brand new player or first time connecting to this computer.
For Windows XP users: verify the following operating system requirements are met. - Windows XP SP2 or higher - Windows Media Player 10 or higher
Download and install the latest Windows Media Player if it's not installed.
For Windows Vista users: If the player is seen in My Computer when using MTP mode, but not showing in Windows Media Player. - Download the hotfix from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/939211. - Run the hotfix.
For Mac users, see Sansa player not recognized by a Mac OS
For Windows 7 & 8 users: Proceed to Solution 2
NOTE: If you are trying to connect to a Computer at work that is part of a network, there may be user right restrictions that are set to disable access to new hardware or stop any program installations. You may need to check with your IT administrator to see if this is causing the problem.
SOLUTION 2 - Check Cable
When connecting the Sansa to the computer if the screen comes on but does not show "Connected" on the screen the port is providing power however the data connection is not working. This could be due either to the Cable, PC, or a defective device. Please try using a different cable and connecting to a different PC. If the Sansa still connects and charges but never shows connected on the screen even after trying different PC and cables contact SanDisk support to check warranty status.
SOLUTION 3 - Refresh the driver
STEP 1 - Connect the Sansa player to the PC The screen on your player should turn on, show 'Connected' and indicate the battery charging or full.
- If the player does NOT turn on try other USB ports or on another computer if one is readily available. Ensure you are connecting directly to the computer USB port and not to a USB hub. - Refer to "MTP Device Cannot Start code 10" if you get this error message - If there is nothing showing on the screen and the player does show up in as a storage device in an explorer window, then the screen is just NOT working. - If you receive the error "USB Device Not Recognized" on the computer, the player is most likely failed. Additional troubleshooting is unlikely to correct the problem.
Note: If you experience either of the 2 issues above the issue is likely hardware related. Contact SanDisk technical support to check warranty status.
STEP 2 - Check under Device Manager 1. Open the Computer Management Console Accessing the Computer Management Console 2. Click Device Manager on the left pane.
NOTE: Sansa MP3 Players can connect to your computer in MSC or MTP mode. Exceptions are Sansa Connect and Sansa Express which only use MTP mode. MTP mode is the recommended and default method for Sansa Players when used with Windows OS.
The Sansa player will show up on Device Manager's right pane as: 1. USB Mass Storage device (if the player is set to MSC) 2. Portable Device (if the player is set to MTP mode)
If there is a yellow exclamation point (!) or question mark (?) beside the device, try to refresh the drivers.
STEP 3 - Refresh the drivers 1. Right-click the entry with the error mark, select Uninstall. 2. On the top menu, click Action then select Scan for hardware changes.
NOTE: If a device with yellow exclamation point (!) continually appears and disappears, then the player is most likely failed. Additional troubleshooting is unlikely to correct the problem.
SOLUTION 4 - Connect using MSC mode Connecting in MSC mode will help determine if there is a problem with MTP mode or with the Auto Detect mode feature of the player. You can use Forced MSC mode or switch the player settings to MSC.
Instructions to connect in Forced MSC mode are listed here: http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/61
Instructions to switch player to MSC mode are listed here: http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/207
If the player is detected in MSC mode but not when set to MTP mode, try to update or reinstall the Sansa firmware
NOTE: Sansa Express and Sansa Connect do not have MSC mode. For Sansa Connect you can try reinstalling the firmware using the Connect Recovery Mode.
Additional troubleshooting notes: If you have replaced the Sansa Player and you still have problems getting it to recognize in the computer, then you may need to try some additional troubleshooting. - Try connecting on another computer. - Try using a different USB cable - Try connecting to the back USB ports which may supply better power. - If only MTP mode is NOT working, try reinstalling Windows Media Player - For Windows XP, install Windows Media Player 11
Sansa player battery will NOT charge Why doesn't my Sansa player charge when I connect it to my computer?
Below are some things to check for when charging your Sansa player:
USB Cable Make sure that the USB cable is properly plugged in and use the original cable that came with your player.
Computer in Hibernation mode Make sure the computer isn't entering hibernation or sleep mode while the device is connected. The computer must be ON in order to charge your player.
USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 Port Make sure the player is connected to a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 port (1.1 occasionally causes charging problems).
USB Port location Try plugging into different USB ports (i.e. USB port in the back of the computer); occasionally the front USB ports have limited power to charge up the device.
Battery Make sure the battery is fully charged. It takes approximately 3 hours to fully charge the battery.
Latest firmware Depending on what Sansa player you have, make sure it's up to date with the latest firmware.
AC charger (optional) Standard USB AC chargers (5 volt, 500-1000 milliamp output), can provide a better charging ability than a USB port.
Chargers and powered USB hubs providing higher current output can also be used and will not damage the player. The player will limit the amount of current used. For example: Android and iPad tablets currently come with 5 volt, 2 Amp chargers. These can be used to charge Sansa players.
NOTE: Upon first time use, it is recommended to condition the battery to maximize the useful life. The player SHOULD be fully charged and then fully discharged before recharging. Repeat this cycle for the first 3-5 times you charge the player.
Sansa Clip Zip supported audio/music formats What audio or music formats does the Clip Zip support?
Sansa Clip Zip supported audio/music formats AAC compatible (DRM-free iTunes) AA (audible) FLAC (16bit) MP3 Ogg Vorbis WMA WMA (secure)
Highest capacity memory card supported by a Sansa player What is the highest capacity memory card my Sansa player can support?
Sansa Fuze+ - supports microSDHC cards up to 32GB
Sansa Fuze - supports microSDHC cards up to 32GB {Class 2, 4} (max recommended for MP3/WMA 16GB)
Clip Sport - supports micro SDHC up to 32GB (max recommended for MP3/WMA 8GB)
Sansa Clip Zip - supports microSDHC cards up to 32GB (max recommended for MP3/WMA 16GB)
Sansa Clip+ - supports microSDHC cards up to 32GB {Class 2,4} (max recommended for MP3/WMA 16GB)
Sansa View - supports microSDHC cards up to 16GB
Sansa Express - supports up to 2GB microSD card
Sansa Shaker - supports SD cards up to 2GB
Sansa Connect - supports microSDHC cards up to 16GB
Sansa e200 - verify the version of the player. To check, go to Settings > Info. For 01.xx.xx firmware (e200 version 1) - up to 2GB microSD cards For 03.xx.xx firmware (e200 version 2) - up to 16GB microSDHC cards NOTE: Firmware is not interchangeable.
Sansa e200R - up to 2GB microSD cards
Sansa c200 - verify the version of the player. To check, go to Settings > System Info. For 01.xx.xx firmware (c200 version 1) - up to 2GB microSD cards For 03.xx.xx firmware (c200 version 2) - up to 4GB microSDHC cards NOTE: Firmware is not interchangeable.
Sansa e100 - supports SD cards up to 2GB
NOTE: SDHC cards are different from SD cards. Devices that support SD only cards does NOT support SDHC cards. However, SDHC compatible devices are backwards compatible and can support SD cards.