Screen turned blue

These are the most common methods for recovering Sandisk's Sansa Mp3 Players. I have been almost universally successful in recovering Sansa players using one or a combination of these methods. These methods do not work if you are having synchronization or music format issues - they are for recovering a player that will not power up, freezes, flashes, is not recognized by the computer, and a host of other issues.

Reset the Sansa Player first. On most models, restart is done by holding the power button in for 15 seconds or longer. Check your specific manual to be sure. The manuals are available from the Sansa website if they have been misplaced.
Download the Sansa Recovery Tool from the Sansa website.
Format - Erases Everything: Connect your Sansa player to the computer and open Windows Media Player. Click on the Sync tab. Pull down the drop down menu underneath the Sync tab by moving your cursor over the Sync tab and left clicking on the little black arrow underneath the Sync tab. Highlight "Sansa 1GB" (wording may vary slightly), and then select "Format." - this should erase everything.
Firmware Upgrade- Erases Everything: Get the latest firmware upgrade from Sansa - it updates the firmware and erases every song in the player all at once. Note: this method doesn't work if already have the latest firmware. Go to this website and click "Firmware Updater" to find out: http://www.sandisk.com/DriverDownload/driverList.asp
If these fail, then:
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.
If you get the problem where MTP Device keeps popping up continuously, uninstall the “MTP Device” by going to Start à Control Panel àSystem à Hardware à Device Manager (you computer may vary slightly, depending on Windows Version).
You may have to restart your computer after each of these methods to get them to work properly. Disconnect your Sansa player BEFORE shutting down your computer.
-Tha Mp3 Doctor

Did You Try Pluging You Sansa Into Your Computer In Recovery Mode?

move the button HOLD switch ON,to see orange.Hold down REC button and with the REc button holding down,connect the player to the computer.this is Recovery Mode.If your computer recougnize your plaer like 16mbFormat,everything is ok,in this case do as i say in the following text.(if it doesn't been recougnized by the computer...i can't help you)Go to START-PROGRAMS-ACCESORIES-NOTEPAD.IN the new text notepad,do not write anything,go to file-save as.In the box "Save as type" select "all files" and in the box "file name" write :sansa.fmt
Save the notepad file on desktop and copy it in your "16mbFormat"sansa player in recovery mode.16mbFormat is the name of your player in recovery mode wich you will find in My computer.Do not copy anything at there.like music or other files.after that disconect your player and enjoy.this is FORMAT in Recovery MOde.

your battery could be dead. but when you plug it in does the blue ring light up

me too! The only thing that the Sansa left is the blue ring. I formatted the e250 and the software all gone not even in recovery mode. Is anybody know how to re-install it from the bottom?
Thanks! [email protected]

This is the generic solution for most problems.

Run the recovery tool from the SanDisk website. Make sure you select "format" when prompted.

http://rapidshare.com/files/67740173/e200fw01.00.12.exe____

You need to put the device into "recovery mode" before you run the tool.

- Turn the device off (hold power for 20 seconds)
- Slide the hold switch into "hold" position.
- Press and hold the "record" button while connecting it to your computer. Keep holding the "record" button until you see the "new hardware found" on your computer.

Then run the recovery tool. Select format when prompted.


** if it doesnt go into recovery mode, there is nothing else you can do other than have it replaced if its less than 1 year old.



Best of Luck.

Please RATE my solution at the bottom.

hi mate, this might not solve your problem but i do know that this model can be hard-reset by holding the power button down for 15 seconds. its worth a try! cheers joe

Try this: Switch your Sansa e250 to its Recovery Mode: 1. Make sure the player is powered off 2. Enable the "Hold" switch (located on the top of the player). You would know it's enabled when you see the "orange-colored" surface 3. Press the "Record" button. Make sure you keep it pressed while pressing on the "Menu" button. 4. keep your fingers pressed on these 2 buttons until the e250 LCD screen displays "Welcome to Recovery Mode" (if the LCD remains black, keep pressing long enough -- about 10 seconds -- then proceed to the next step) 5. Connect your e250 to your computer. (Just a reminder: The minimum Operating System requirements for a Sansa E200 player is Windows XP and above) 6. Double-click on "My Computer" and you would see your Sansa e250 appear as a "16 MB" drive. Note: If you do not see that "16 MB" drive/partition, please repeat steps 1-6. Next, Apply the firmware for the e250 (your player should be connected to your PC at this time): Step 1: Use this link to download the firmware for your Sansa e250 (for better results, please save this file on your "Desktop": http://www.sandisk.com/Assets/File/Downl... or use this Sansa Firmware Updater link: http://www.sandisk.com/Retail/Default.aspx?CatID=1376 Step 2: Double left-click on the downloaded file, and follow the on-screen prompts. The file will automatically re-flash your player (or find the most updated firmware) and format it as well, thereby clearing all possible file/system corruptions that may have occurred. Step 3: When the process is complete, unplug your e250 from your computer, and please make sure you disable the "Hold" switch Step 4: Power up your e250 and 90-99% of the time, it would boot up successfully. I hope this helps.

I did not get the "Swtich to Recovery mode" screen, my screen was stuck on "Bad Track." I formatted the drive (which deleted EVERYTHING), and then i put the songs back on, and it works just fine. Try this, it might help.

These are the most common methods for recovering Sandisk's Sansa Mp3 Players. I have been almost universally successful in recovering Sansa players using one or a combination of these methods. These methods do not work if you are having synchronization or music format issues - they are for recovering a player that will not power up, freezes, flashes, is not recognized by the computer, and a host of other issues.

Reset the Sansa Player first. On most models, restart is done by holding the power button in for 15 seconds or longer. Check your specific manual to be sure. The manuals are available from the Sansa website if they have been misplaced.
Download the Sansa Recovery Tool from the Sansa website.
Format - Erases Everything: Connect your Sansa player to the computer and open Windows Media Player. Click on the Sync tab. Pull down the drop down menu underneath the Sync tab by moving your cursor over the Sync tab and left clicking on the little black arrow underneath the Sync tab. Highlight "Sansa 1GB" (wording may vary slightly), and then select "Format." - this should erase everything.
Firmware Upgrade- Erases Everything: Get the latest firmware upgrade from Sansa - it updates the firmware and erases every song in the player all at once. Note: this method doesn't work if already have the latest firmware. Go to this website and click "Firmware Updater" to find out: http://www.sandisk.com/DriverDownload/driverList.asp
If these fail, then:
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.
If you get the problem where MTP Device keeps popping up continuously, uninstall the “MTP Device” by going to Start à Control Panel àSystem à Hardware à Device Manager (you computer may vary slightly, depending on Windows Version).
You may have to restart your computer after each of these methods to get them to work properly. Disconnect your Sansa player BEFORE shutting down your computer.
-Tha Mp3 Doctor