Sansa c240 USB connection

[Steff]

Hi, I know this is sooo newbish but,
When i connect my Sansa c240 to the computer with the usb cable,
rockbox shows a pic of a usb, then restarts in  the original firmware.
This is fine, but it doesn't actually connect to the computer, making it impossible to add new stuff on without removing rockbox, then reinstalling it.

Can anyone help me??

Steff

[saratoga]

You either use the original firmware to transfer files (which is why it reboots to it when you plug in USB), or update to the current build which has USB.

[Steff]

No, but that's the problem...
when it reboots in the original firmware, it sits there, doing nothing.
It doesn't recognise that the usb is even plugged in!!
Also, I am using the latest build!

So, what do I do?

[saratoga]

If you're not using Rockbox USB its really a question for Sandisk.  That said, did the USB port ever work on the player?  Could be a problem with your Sansa or your PC.

[Chronon]

Cables go bad sometimes too.

[Steff]

It's not hardware...
It had always worked before I installed Rockbox.
Yesterday I deleted the .rockbox folder while running rockbox to get it to work again and it did. then I reinstalled it and it went back to not being found by the computer.

[saratoga]

Probably a coincidence.  Having any particular folder on your player is unlikely to make the OF decide to stop doing USB.

[Steff]

No, i deleted the rockbox firmware and it worked again.
But with rockbox on, it doesn't

Got a solution?!?

[saratoga]

No, i deleted the rockbox firmware and it worked again.
But with rockbox on, it doesn't

I think you're overlooking something. 

How are you removing rockbox?

[Steff]

by deleting the .rockbox folder

[Chronon]

So, you delete the .rockbox folder and then manually boot into the original firmware?  (The Rockbox bootloader is still installed.)

[Steff]

Yep, and i was able to get to both the Internal Memory and the Micro SD card memory.
Each were listed as separate drives because I've put it into MSC USB mode like you need to.
Once I had put some music on, i reinstalled rockbox.
I was able to still access the drives until i rebooted, into rockbox.

[Chronon]

I still don't understand why you think the presence of the .rockbox directory matters.  I still think a hardware problem provides a better explanation so far.  Just because you have observed a correlation between absence of the .rockbox directory and the OF properly connecting via USB doesn't exclude the possibility of flaky hardware.   Flaky hardware can behave randomly.  Flaky hardware at least gives an explanation for why it works sometimes but not others.  I cannot see how the existence of a directory containing files that the OF doesn't care about would affect how it functions. 

You would be better off looking for patterns in connectivity that depend on hardware, or at least in how the OF gets launched (manual boot to OF, detection of USB by Rockbox leading to reboot into OF, automatic booting of OF by Rockbox bootloader due to presence of USB cable).  I don't see other people having the same problem as you so I really don't suspect Rockbox here -- it seems like some factor that's peculiar to your particular setup.  I think flaky hardware gives the simplest explanation for what you have described so far, but you're the only one who can really perform further testing.

I assume that you have now removed the .rockbox directory and have gotten a USB connection.  You could always remove the Rockbox bootloader and test the USB functionality of the OF for the next few days before trying to reinstall Rockbox.  This should give you more info about the reliability of your hardware.

[Steff]

Ok, I admit, there might be a fault somewhere with the hardware,
Because when i tried to connected a few more tiimes without rockbox, it didn't work.
I was able to get it to work eventually still.
I'm sorry...
I still feel that rockbox contributed somehow... Maybe the booter??
Does that sound plausable?
Thanks for opening my eyes,

Steff

[Chronon]

I can only trust what you report, but I can see no reason at all for what you have told us.  Why not remove the Rockbox bootloader for a few days and see if you suffer any USB issues during that time?

Sorry, but that's all I can really offer right now.  Maybe someone else will have some helpful advice.