Sansa Clip Zip keeps crashing when plugged into PC

[AMJF]

I've used Rockbox with great success on a Sansa Clip+ in the past, but recently I got a Sansa Clip Zip for its colour screen and have just about managed to install Rockbox v3.13 on it. The Sandisk firmware is v01.01.18a.

The thing is, Rockbox on the Clip Zip works fine, but most times when I plug it into my PC to transfer files and so forth, it will crash after being removed, usually with the USB plug image on the Zip screen. To solve the problem, I find I have to boot into the original Sansa firmware, then that problem goes away. But then I have to put up with the "refreshing your media" wait that is unnecessary with Rockbox.

So why does it crash? I'd ultimately like to never use the Sansa firmware ever again, and also to use Rockbox to hide the internal drive, as I've managed to on the plus, finally.

Any version of either firmware, or installer, I should use instead?

[saratoga]

Theres some bug in the USB driver on the Zip.  I don't think anyone has figured out what it is.

[AMJF]

Oh well, no software is without bugs, however great it is. 

It's no great hassle to boot into Sansa to use the USB by holding down Left when pressing Power, but I'd prefer not to power it on and off so much, back and forth.

[electric_indigo]

It's well known issue and it seems to be theme-related. For example, the crashes are almost absent with my “6four” theme, whereas with my other theme “Doppelgaenger” they occur very often.

[Carson Dyle]

This happens to mine a lot.

Right now I'm dealing with a Clip Zip that appears to be bricked. I plugged it in to USB last night and saw a gray screen saying something to the effect of "Undefined". In the past there's been a more detailed message with an address displayed.

This has happened before, and it seems to (somehow) eventually break out of its brain death, but this time something tells me that it's more serious. I've tried connecting it to USB (Windows never sees it), disconnecting, power button, remove card, insert card. So far, nothing.

Any other ideas of how to unbrick the Zip?

[Carson Dyle]

Theres some bug in the USB driver on the Zip.  I don't think anyone has figured out what it is.

Until this is resolved, is there any chance of reverting back to the old behavior of (IIRC) always booting into the OF when USB is connected? I recall that it wasn't much of a big deal to do that, before USB functionality was prematurely deemed stable.

[Carson Dyle]

I saw a recommendation elsewhere in these forums to just disconnect the Clip from USB and let it sit for a couple of days. That seems to have broken it out of being dead.

But I ask again... If USB connectivity is jacked, please just remove it. Beats the hell out of dealing with constant crashes and dead devices and it also beats having to remember to boot into the original Sandisk firmware.

[richq]

I have a clip zip. I copy files on to it every day via USB. Or at least connect it to a PC to charge. I see crashes regularly, but probably less than once a week. Both the "undefined" white screen and the hang-on-usb screen problem, though this latter one is rarer.

Every time I can turn the device off just by holding down the power button for ~60 seconds. Really it does take a while - just when you think it won't do anything, the device turns off. This makes the hangs less annoying. Certainly things would be worse if there were no USB support at all!

FWIW I haven't booted the original firmware since installing rockbox over a year ago. I don't know why you think you need to do that.

[nick_p]

I see crashes regularly, but probably less than once a week.

FWIW I haven't booted the original firmware since installing rockbox over a year ago. I don't know why you think you need to do that.

I think you answered your own question.

[Carson Dyle]

Well, I figured out a way to eliminate 1/2 of the crashes: Power the Zip off before disconnecting the USB cable.

[richq]

I think you answered your own question.

I don't understand the point you are trying to make. Booting the OF doesn't fix the rockbox crashes. Having to wait ages while the OF runs the "checking for new files" thing at the start is far worse than the minor inconvenience of the RB freezes.

[[Saint]]

You say that now...but, wait until you stop being lucky (if it hasn't happened yet, with the usage described, it is indeed pure luck) and end up trashing your filesystem because of this.


[Saint]

[richq]

Meh, I run fsck every now and then. I'm an adult.

[dreamlayers]

Does anyone have addresses from these crashes?

When first connecting to a PC running Linux 3.11, I had a crash at 300BFC98 in Rockbox 3.13, which is start of usb_stack. I also got a crash earlier, the first time I connected to Windows 7 SP1. I cannot reproduce these crashes.

The only reproducible problem is connections in full speed instead of high speed mode if connecting while the Clip Zip is off. I also notice Linux logging "device descriptor read/64, error -71". This may be unrelated to the crashes.

[youthful28]

I had same trouble, but I found solution.

Try this way.

Boot in original firmware (push both power butten and rewind butten)

and connect with PC.

please try and reply~ ^^