Member Avatar for Lazarus

Hi all my better half got me a 256 mg mp3 player no name brand I draged 20 mp3s on to it and all was fine then I think I knackerd it :o by formating it instead of just deleating the files now when I put files on it it will show up and play on windows media payer and winamp but just says no files when I try to play it away from the comp :sad: any ideas would bu great

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Dani AI

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Summary of the problem and what's already been tried: reports an unbranded 256MB player that shows MP3/WMA files in Windows (and plays there) but displays "NO FILES" when used standalone. Replies from , and suggest formatting and transfer-method issues; those are useful clues but do not fully diagnose why the player can see files on a PC yet refuses to list them itself.

Why this commonly happens (short): many small/older players do not simply read every file on disk — they maintain a media index, expect files in particular places or a simple filename format, and can be sensitive to USB transfer mode (MTP vs MSC), tag/DRM or unsupported encodings. If files were copied while the device was in a different USB mode or if the player’s internal database was erased or changed by a Windows format, the device may not rebuild the list automatically. (support-en.sandisk.com)

Actionable checklist (try in order):

  1. Copy a single, known-good MP3 file with a simple name (for example 01-Test.mp3), put it in the root of the player (not nested folders), safely eject from Windows, then power-cycle the player and check for playback. This isolates folder/name/tag problems and forces any index rebuild. (usa.philips.com)

  2. If the player has a menu option such as "Update library", "Scan", "Format" or "Factory reset", run the safe update/scan first; if that is ineffective a format from the device menu (not a blind Windows low-level format) will restore the expected filesystem and internal DB — back up first because this erases content. (forums.sandisk.com)

  3. Try switching the USB connection mode (if available) between MSC/mass-storage and MTP, or test on another PC/USB cable to rule out host-driver confusion. (support-en.sandisk.com)

  4. Verify file format and encoding (no DRM WMA, sample rates/bitrates within common ranges). If files are unusual, re-encode one sample to a standard MP3 (128–192 kbps, 44.1 kHz) and test. (voxxintl.zendesk.com)

  5. If none of the above works, look for a model number or chipset printed on the unit or PCB and search for firmware or a recovery tool from that maker; many fixes require the vendor utility or a firmware update. (forums.sandisk.com)

Final note: keep original copies of the music, try the single-file/root test first (fastest diagnosis), and favour the player’s built-in reset/format tool over a Windows-format if a full restore becomes necessary.

Recommended Answers

All 5 Replies

Member Avatar for belama

Have you formatted it with FAT16 file sytem?

Member Avatar for Lazarus

Have you formatted it with FAT16 file sytem?

Sorry I did not get back to you as my health has been bad but back to your question no I formated it as Fat 32 well I think I did as I opened windows then my computer then right klicked then chose format then the problems started I can drag mp3s and wma,s on to it and see them there via the computer and even play them via the windows media player ok but when I unplug the player and press play it still says no files :( so I was at a loss Hope you can help :)

Member Avatar for belama

Mine is formatted with FAT not FAT32. Try selecting the FAT format instead.

Member Avatar for jbennet

On most MP3'S it says NEVER to format it. If you do this you may have knackered it but if you have the disks that came with it the software should eb able to repair it.

Member Avatar for Perren18

In February I bought a 125mb PROline Mp3 player and until a couple of weeks ago it worked fine. Around this time I had problems with Windows Media Player and so changed to using Winamp to play my music and put music onto my Mp3 player. But now when I put music onto my Mp3 player it tells me that music is on there it just won't let me play some of it, only selective songs. Because I changed how I put the music onto my Mp3 player I decided to check and see if it would work with Windows Media Player instead of Winamp but it still doesn't. Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can fix this?

Also about 3 weeks ago the computer couldn't find the device and I was unable to turn it on, even with a newly charged battery or a new one.

Unlike the other person who appears to have had this problem too I haven't formatted my Mp3 player so I'm just really confused as to why it won't work.

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