Windows Media Player cannot see files on your Sansa mp3 player.
You connect your Sansa mp3 player to your computer, start your music sync software, but the music you know to be on the player cannot be seen by your sync software or your computer via drives/devices in My Computer.
In this example Windows XP is the OS, Windows Media Player is the synchronizing medium, using the Sansa m240. The fix should work for other Sansa versions and some other players. This problem probably would not have happened using Linux as one would have unmounted the device before disconnecting it. Which leads us to what I believe may cause this problem, at least sometimes.
Possible Cause
Just because Windows Media Player says “you can now disconnect the device” does not mean you can just rip it from the computer. Your mp3 player goes through a process of updating its library after it is properly and safely removed from your system via the ’safely remove hardware’ located in the Task Bar in the lower right of your desktop. Look at you players screen after you safely remove it and it will tell you “please wait - updating library”, or something to that effect.
The Fix That Worked For Me
1. Close all software and connect your Sansa m240 (whatever model) to your computer.
2. Navigate to My Computer and locate your Sansa device.
3. Right click the device and choose Properties. Click on the Tools tab, find the error-checking option and click Check Now. Choose both options - Automatically fix file system errors and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors, then click Start.
4. When the scan has finished, close out and you will still be in My Computer. Right click your Sansa device and choose open. You should see something like the image below.
5. Select all files and choose Copy. You may or may not see the Music folder; this is not important as we will be creating a new music folder on the device once this process is finished. You cannot avoid re-synchronising your music. You may as well leave the Music folder behind.
6. Paste, move or otherwise copy these files to a safe location.
7. Close the Sansa device and stay in My Computer. Now right click the Sansa device and choose Format. There will only be one file system option and it will be the devices default (probably FAT).
8. Once your player has been formatted navigate to where you stored your Sansa files. Then copy these files (all but the Music folder). Get back to My Computer, Right click your Sansa device and choose open. Copy your old files back the the device and then create the Music folder.
6. Safely remove the device as described above, give it time to run through any process before pulling it from your system.
That’s it. You should be able to connect your mp3 player, open your sync software and re-synchronise your music.
As always your questions and comments are welcome.
Tim Valentine
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