Rio Carbon stuck "WRITING"

At best, the hard drive will have come slightly disconnected or seek arm may have become stuck. Try giving it a sharp tap and re-try.

The hard drive may be permanently damaged however.

hi try here

http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/support/rio/product.asp?prodID=215

- Rio Software 2.96 - Rio Music Manager, and Rio Internet Updater (7/26/2005)
- Rio Carbon Firmware Update v1.43 (PC) (1/12/2005)
- Rio Carbon Firmware Update v1.43 (Mac OS X) (1/12/2005)
- Rio Carbon Firmware Update v1.32 (PC) (11/5/2004)

It says "upgrader" because it is looking for a firmware upgrade - you will not be able to get rid of this message without doing the firmware upgrade - go to the rio website and follow the instructions for doing a fimrware upgrade - the msg will be removed, and you will be good to go

-Tha Mp3 Doctor

Hi Allyson,
This is a problem which I have encountered alot with my Rio Carbon.
A solution which always works for me is to hold the player face down in my left hand and then slap the back of it with my right palm a little harder than I would if I was winding a baby.
Best wishes, I hope this works for you as it does for me.

Your Pearl hard drive is probably broken. This is common because they are fragile. Replacing it is the olny solution if it is broken i'm afraid. Read my post: http://www.fixya.com/support/r590688-replace_broken_hard_drive_in_rio_carbon for more info.

Hope this helps,

Mowcius

Stuck in upgrader mode. Try resetting by inserting a small #1 paperclip in the player. Otherwise, go to the Rio website at realnetworks and download the firmware upgrade.

-Tha Mp3 Doctor

Hi Linda, Your Rio Carbon is telling you that something is messed with its firmware and it can be resolved with an upgrade. You have to determine the exact model of your unit and download the firmware from http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/support/rio/. Again you must choose the exact model. There are two ways of updating firmware updater or internet updater. complete instructions are also available. further you would need to connect your Rio to a PC to perform the upgrade. Good luck and pls post back should you need further information. Kind regards.

well i own one too and thats probly the hard drive being stuck...just smack it against something hard , like sorta bump the rubber armor against the heel of your hand or a countertop...worked good for me...ya have to do it a few times...dont worry rio is defunct so theres really no warranty to think of anywayz

UPGRADER is a mode that purges the firmware from the Rio player prior to flashing the unit. Firmware is basically the operating system for the player, so if it is corrupted any number of things can occur. You can enter UPGRADER mode to update the firmware on your player by holding down the MENU button when you power the Rio ON. Flashing the player in this mode erases all content. Try the following to get the unit out of UPGRADER mode, if powering OFF the unit will not correct it. ALL PLAYERS - If you accidentally entered UPGRADER mode, turn the unit OFF and then back ON again. - Download the latest version of the firmware for your player and upgrade the unit. Visit http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/support/rio - It may be necessary to run the firmware update more than once. - This process may erase content from your player. - If the player is detected by the computer, it is recommended that you format the player, which WILL erase content from the player. - Macintosh user's try flashing the player on a PC. FLASH MEMORY PLAYERS - Remove the battery and replace it, this will reset the unit. The Rio Forge, Rio se510, Rio Cali [Black Rio Stick], and Rio Chiba [Black Rio Stick] can lock up causing the player to be unresponsive. If this occurs there are two things that need to be performed to resolve the issue. First you want to remove power from the player this includes the battery and a USB connection for 20 minutes to reset the player. There is a capacitor on the player that stores a charge that holds the player in the locked state. By waiting the duration the capacitor will discharge and the player should function as normal. Second you will want to upgrade the firmware to the latest version and format the player to prevent future occurrences. HARD DISK DRIVE PLAYERS - If you have a Carbon, Nitrus, Eigen, or Karma, use a paper clip to reset the unit. Your Rio will power off automatically when it has been reset. It may be necessary to connect the player to AC power and then reset the player if it will not turn on. If you are still unable to have the player exit UPGRADER Mode, then try it on another computer. UPGRADE FIRMWARE - Connect to the internet - Go to http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/support/rio/ - Click on the appropriate player - Click on the FIRMWARE tab [showing by default] - Click on the latest firmware file [example: RioForge_firmware_133.exe] - Click SAVE when prompted - From the SA