Recovery mode wont work

Hope this helps. See the section about the hot fix first----- If you are using Windows XP: you need the following. Windows XP SP2 or higher Windows Media Player 10 or higher Download and install the latest Windows Media Player if it's not installed. If you are using Windows Vista: 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. Refresh the players driver 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. - 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. Check under Device Manager 1. Right-click My Computer, and select Manage. 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. 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. 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 try also download and install the MTP Porting Kit ......

Hope this helps. See the section about the hot fix first----- If you are using Windows XP: you need the following. Windows XP SP2 or higher Windows Media Player 10 or higher Download and install the latest Windows Media Player if it's not installed. If you are using Windows Vista: 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. Refresh the players driver 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. - 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. Check under Device Manager 1. Right-click My Computer, and select Manage. 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. 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. 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 try also download and install the MTP Porting Kit ........

See the section about the hot fix first----- If you are using Windows XP: you need the following. Windows XP SP2 or higher Windows Media Player 10 or higher
Download and install the latest Windows Media Player if it's not installed.
If you are using Windows Vista: 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.
Refresh the players driver 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. - 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. Check under Device Manager 1. Right-click My Computer, and select Manage. 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. 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.
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 try also download and install the MTP Porting Kit

It may not be anything you are doing wrong. You will have to see how your player is seen buy your computer. Go to your control panel -> System -> device manager --> Look for your player there, does it show up as a Portable Device? NOTE: The player should show up on the 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.) It should sync with Media player if it shows up as a Portable device - but if it shows up as a Mass storage device all you have to do is drag and drop what you want into the right folder on the player.

Hook up your player to your computer and then go to control panel -> hardware manager and Your player should show up under hardware in device manager as a portable device, if it has a yellow exclamation mark or a question mark under other devices delete that device and right click the small computer icon at the top of the tree and chose scan for changes. Then chose portable device. Next Xp or Vista will want Media player 10 or higher to see your player, also you may have to turn off any anti virus programs that may cause a problem. Try hooking up on the back side of your computer, the USB ports on the rear of a computer are set up to power such devices better than the front panel USB ports. Leave it hooked up for a while to be sure it has charged some

What i would recommend you to do is to uninstall the device and reinstall it back...to uninstall it...assuming that you are running windows xp...click on start, right click on my computer and go to properties..you should have your system properties open then click under hardware then device manager...look for the sansa device..it usually located under portable device..if its not showing there i would recommend you to look for under disk drives and see if its there..right click on the device and click on uninstall...after you unintall it unplug your device from the computer....Then follow this link below to download the porting kit...http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=A2E73160-E862-4F19-BB26-C0CAFE798955&displaylang=en .Then check the mode of yuor device to make sure it sunder MTP not msc...To check the mode go under menu, settings and choose usb mode...After you check the mode open up your windows media player click on tools, options and click under privacy...clear the history and caches...after you finish you can plug the device on the back of the computer not the front then windows should recongnize it and it should work properly..if that doesnt solve the problems upgrade your windows media player to 11 even though you have done that already..and try to reconnect your device..make sure you have it connected on the back USB>>>

And if that doesnt work try to obtain the driver for your sandisk device go to http://www.sandisk.com/DriverDownload/index.asp and find the driver for your device..and then connecct the device on the back of your computer...it should work properly..if you are still having any problems..let me know..i would be more than happy to assist you..
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Thank you
Computerre

Try this: disconnect the player from the computer, turn it off, hold in the volume + button, and reconnect the player to the computer while holding the volume + button in. Keep holding the volume + button for an additional 5-50 seconds. Windows should eventually go into recovery mode and revive the player- it will pop up a window that says Found New Hardware Wizard

Once you have it in recovery mode, create a file called "sansa.fmt" and put in on "16mb" (Which is what your sansa shows up as in My Computer when it is in recovery mode). Once you have put the file on the "16mb" disconnect the cable and allow the device to restart unlocking it before it boots back up.

Try this: My computer --> Control Panel --> Portable Media Devices Is the Zen showing up? If not, your Zen has a bad motherboard and you will need to take it to a technician to have it replaced, or find a motherboard and do the replacement yourself.

Same exact problem! Sorry I'm no help > My Sansa e250 has been working fine for about a year. No problems, I can charge and sync it. > Now all of a sudden I have a problem. > My PC does not see the Sansa. Why? > I enter recovery mode. I see: > Welcome to "Recovery mode" Please connect USB Cable. > I connect the usb cable AND NOTHING HAPPENS! > Yes I read all about recovery mode on the internet. I tried it in both MSC mode and MTP mode. > How can I get my computer to see the sansa? > If my PC can not detect the Sansa then I cant get a firmware update now can I?