Mp3 freezing When I turn on my mp3 player a message is displayed "smart scan failed unable to proceed press menu to start recovery".i have done this but it keeps switching on and off displaying same message.

Press the "Reset" button on the back, lower right of the player.

Download the software after you run the link below ....Put check next to converter/firmware update/Manual download...Go to your start menu programs go to sansa choose Sansa updater follow instructions.......(http://mp3support.sandisk.com/sansa/Installer/1082/SansaUpdaterInstall.exe) here is the link After installation connect your sansa......recovery mode lock the sansa hold center button in and push and hold the start/menu button until recovery mode....Also make sure you are connected to a 2.0 usb the back of the computer is best (the motherboard).... USB mode located on the sansa if asked to change to MSC goto menu press enter scroll to settings press enter scroll to usb mode press enter scroll to msc press enter press menu.....Connect should auto start sansa software..... Sansa software/driver Updates firmware follow instructions Downloads manual Downloads converter

First of all, I hope you mad a backup of it's content, becouse there is
no other way, it need to be fomated from it's service menu.

1. Make sure bthat your Zen is turned off and has a full battery.
2. Press and hold the Play/Pause button and Back/Options button simultaneously.
3.The Recovery Mode screen appears when the player, and three menu items are shown: Clean Up, Format and Reboot.
4.Format your ZEN and then do a clean up.
5. When done reboot.
6. Hook it up to your computer an reflash to the latest firmware, you can download the tool here to flash your firmware:
http://ccfiles.creative.com/ManualDn/Applications/PDE/10398/0x8CCCF7FC/CT-RT_PCAPP_2_00_05.exe

Hello,

As you may have noticed already, the player can be switched off when freezing and put on again, resetting the device as next:
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.


Sometimes a firmware update or reinstallation is required, to get the player function normally again, see:
http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/306


Need more help ? Just post a comment.

If this happened after updating your firmware, the Sansa FAQ from here http://www.sansa.com/support/sansa_e200/faqs says try this -

03. "Load image failed" appears after updating e200 firmware Applies to the following Operating Systems:

1. Windows XP, Vista

This error may be caused by the firmware failing to load or the file system is corrupted.
STEP 1 – Reset the player

1. Press and hold the Power button for approximately 30 seconds.
2. Turn the player back on.

If the error persists, proceed to steps 2 and 3.
STEP 2 – Connect the player in Recovery Mode

1. Turn off the player.
2. Slide the Hold/Lock switch on top of the player so an orange color is showing.
3. Press and hold the REC button and connect the device to the computer.
4. A message will appear on the device display screen confirming the connection and a 16MB partition will be viewable in My Computer.
5. Release the REC button.

STEP 3 – Download and update the firmware

1. Download the firmware from the Sansa Forum.
2. Open the zip file
3. Extract all the firmware files to the 16MB-FORMAT drive.
4. Disconnect the player.
5. Slide the Hold switch to the unlock position.
6. Turn on the player

Stuck in recovery mode Zen v
Detach your player from the PC if it is connected, and turn off the player.
If the player stops responding, you can reset the player. To reset the player, gently
insert a thin object into the Reset hole located below the power switch.

2. Press and hold the Play button while powering on your player.

3. When the player displays the Creative logo, release the Play button.
It will display the following options:
Clean Up
Scans the player and removes invalid links from its music library.
Does not affect music files themselves.
Format (All)
Caution! Erases all content!
Save a copy of your player's content before formatting.
Reload OS/ Firmware
Caution! Erases your player's firmware.
DO NOT select the Reload Firmware option unless you have access to a PC and you have downloaded the necessary firmware to install.
Reboot Reboots the device.

I actually had this exact problem a little while ago with my Zen Sleek-- Booting straight to the Recovery menu, and only getting a generic "Harddisk problem" error screen any time I would try to do anything.
Booting straight to the Recovery menu
I decided to open it up to check out the hard drive to see what kind I would need so I could try replacing it. The data plug that attaches to the hard drive itself was partially unplugged. So, I pushed it back in all the way, put it all back together again, and turned it on just to see if something different might happen. (I had it set in my mind that the hard drive failed and I would need a new one, so I didn't expect anything different to happen) And to my surprise, it worked just like new again.

Before you go off and invest in a new hard drive, I suggest opening it up and make sure that plug is in all the way. Since you'll be opening it up in any case, it wouldn't hurt.

press the power/menu button until the player turns off. after than perform recovery mode and try to update the firmware of the player to the latest one which i believe is .18A. :D

if it freezes on start up, after its done turning on hold the power button for 15 seconds.

First switch your USB control to MSC. Then turn off your mp3 player and activate the hold icon. Then turn it on while holding the record button with hold icon still being activated. then it will go to recovery mode. Now plug your sandisk into the computer and wait until it says RECOVERY COMPLETE...PLEASE DISCONNECT or when it just says for you to disconnect. This worked on my sandisk, and it hopefully work for you.