Member Avatar for V_W

Has anyone been successful in getting a SanDisk Sansa model MP3 player to work with a Mac? I changed the player's USB mode to Mass Storage Class, but Mac does not recognize it. Am using OS X, 10.3.9.

  • 6 Contributors
  • 8 Replies
  • 2K Views
  • 4 Years Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by dfxgrid12

Dani AI

Generated

If you are on OS X 10.3.9, the only USB mode that will mount a Sansa on the desktop is Mass Storage (MSC). Macs never added native MTP support, so if the player is in Auto or MTP it will appear to charge but not show up in Finder. Set USB mode explicitly to MSC. That is why saw no joy when the player defaulted to newer, MTP‑leaning firmware. (en.wikipedia.org)

First, confirm whether the Mac even sees the USB device layer before worrying about the filesystem. Plug the Sansa directly into a rear USB port (no hub), then check:

system_profiler SPUSBDataType | grep -i sansa
diskutil list

If it shows up in System Profiler but not as a volume, use the player’s own Settings > Format to rebuild its FAT volume (avoid formatting from Disk Utility). If it doesn’t show up at all, try a different data‑capable cable.

Model‑specific nudges: on Sansa Clip, you can force MSC by sliding Hold on, then connecting while holding the center button. On Fuze or e200v2, slide Hold on and connect while holding the |<< (left) button. Release after it mounts. This works even when the on‑screen USB mode is stuck. (support-de.sandisk.com)

If an e200 still won’t mount, and you have the older e200 v1, Recovery Mode can reinstall firmware without Windows: set Hold, hold Rec+Power to enter “Recovery mode,” then copy the correct firmware file (PP5022.mi4) to the small 16MB‑FORMAT volume; do not format that volume or delete version.txt. Creating a blank file named sansa.fmt there will trigger a self‑format on disconnect. Note that e200 v2 devices do not use this recovery path. (en.m.wikibooks.org)

Finally, once it mounts (as noted), use clean ID3v2.3 tags; these players rely on tags for album/track order rather than filenames, which avoids the “wrong order” headache. (en.m.wikibooks.org)

Recommended Answers

All 8 Replies

Member Avatar for John A

From what I can tell, the SanDisk Sansa player is supposed to be supported on Mac OS X. SanDisk has a special forum dedicated to the Sansa, and has a subforum for Mac and Linux. You might want to post your question there if you have difficulty getting your Mac to recognize the player.

Member Avatar for V_W

Wow! Thanks! I did try to search for an answer but did not find that forum.

Consensus there seems to be that firmware version matters and the latest cause problems. Too bad. It's a nice product.

Member Avatar for John A

If only the latest firmware version causes problems, I'd think it is safe to assume that the problem should be corrected in future firmware updates.

Member Avatar for V_W

joe,
Your reasoning is logical, however....

This is what I have found out, as I understand it. First version released was compatible with Mac/OS X and worked well. After a couple of firmware revisions people started having problems connecting, synching etc. Some reverted to older firmware versions and continued to use them without problem. Now, there have been several firmware revisions and they do not work at all. The older firmware is no longer available (that I can find) and even if it were, one would need to connect to the computer to install it.

The player is a nice product but do not understand why a company would ignore/write off a significant - and growing - share of the market. Have sent a message to SanDisk inquiring about all this. If I receive any useful info will post it.

Member Avatar for lealsprinter

For those of you trying to find out how to make your e250 or other sansa mp3 players work on your mac os x (10.3.9) just follow these easy instructions.


before connecting to your computer, switch the USB mode to MTP
Now connect to your computer ( it will do Nothing)
Now disconnect the mp3 player(just unplug it)
Now change it to MSC mode
Now connect it and bualla, it works!!!

i dont know why but it does. and if doesnt work for you then you suck

you can always just downgrade but you need a windows computer to downgrade.

Member Avatar for mpeters13

I purchased a Sansa Sandisk player (2gb e250) via , mid-November. This device mounts as a removable storage device in OS X. As such, I simply drag and drop songs from iTunes to the desktop, and then into the "Music" folder on the device. Works great. :D

Member Avatar for suburbnhomicide

i dont think that it works on the sanza clip help anyone? I've tried all the selections and it isnt doing anything that is helpful so i need some suggestions?

Member Avatar for dfxgrid12

Who uses SanDisk anymore?

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.