Toshiba Gigabeat F20: Not recognized by computer

[wildrice]

Hey guys, I've got a problem I've been trying to solve.  When I try to connect my F20 by USB, nothing happens on the computer.  The usb connection icon is on, on the gigabeat screen but the computer doesn't seem to know that the player is connected.

I've already tried to force it into disk mode using the gigabeat recovery procedure listed in the wiki.

I think It may have something to do with some corrupted files on the player itself.  There is a folder I put on there with some music that I cannot delete.  The player itself works flawlessly though.

So in a nutshell, If I cant get my computer to recognize that the player is connected, I can't format,delete, or add files or otherwise manipulate those files.

I'm hoping its not a hard drive failure.  If anyone has any advice that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Bobby

[AlexP]

It is always worth trying a different cable, and a different port/computer just in case.

[wildrice]

Thanks, I've tried it on another computer already, and the cord works fine with other gadgets.  Using a different cord also produces the same results.

[Llorean]

Forced disk mode means you don't have a disk connected to the player at all when you start... how could corrupted files on a detached disk cause a problem?

It sounds like your Gigabeat's USB port (or other hardware) has been damaged.

[burkjavier]

(I'm assuming you are using Windows)

Hard drive failure would be a different problem, imo.  I think it's either a USB problem, or possibly a problem with the OS itself.  Given that the USB disk mode is showing up on the player, I'd look at the OS first.

Suggestion:  Try another computer first (or, if you don't have another computer, maybe a Linux LiveCD).  If another computer works, then you know the problem is on the OS / hardware of your computer.   If a LiveCD works, then it's probably your OS.  What's also nice about a LiveCD is that you can run this on the terminal, after you connect:

dmesg

This will show whether the player is connecting, and any error messages if there's a problem.