Sansa FAQ

General Questions

When will Rockbox be released for other Sansa models?

WE DO NOT ESTIMATE RELEASE DATES. Seriously. Because Rockbox is an open-source project developed by volunteers, there is no set timetable for any release. The only answer that we can give you is that it will be ready when it is ready. People work on it when they have the time and inclination to do so.

Which Sansa models does Rockbox currently support?

Rockbox works with audio playback on the Sansa e200 series players (e250, e260, e270, e280), the e200 Rhapsody models (e250r,e260r,e270r,e280r) and the c200 models (c240, c250).

For all of these, Rockbox only works on the V1 model. The V2 version has yet to be ported.

To determine your model, view the firmware version of the Sandisk firmware. From the menu in the original firmware, go to Settings > Info.

Version 01.xx.xx = V1
Version 03.xx.xx = V2

Will installing Rockbox damage my Sansa?

Rockbox comes with no guarantees, but we have never heard of a case of a user permanently damaging their Sansa by installing third-party software such as Rockbox. However, not following the instructions during install can force you to undergo a lengthy recovery process.

How do I restore my seemingly broken Sansa?

This is already addressed in SansaE200Unbrick.

How do I start the original SanDisk firmware?

Shut the device down by holding power/menu. Then, press power/menu to boot the Sansa. Immediately after doing this, hold down the |<< (left) button. Alternatively, when you plug in a USB cable while the Sansa is off, the bootloader will detect this and boot the original firmware so that you can charge and upload files to your Sansa.

How do I get back to Rockbox from the original firmware?

Shut the device down by holding power/menu. Then, press power/menu to boot the Sansa. The Bootloader will start Rockbox automatically.

How do I update the original firmware without breaking my Sansa or my Rockbox install?

Note: this will temporarily remove the ability to access Rockbox on your Sansa (between steps 2 and 3). None of your Rockbox settings or music will be removed or altered in any way.

1. Download the latest Sansa Updater from the SanDisk website and follow the directions to update your Sansa (make sure the USB mode is MSC)
2. When instructed to unplug your Sansa, hold down the previous track (|<) button when you see the SanDisk logo in order to boot into the original firmware so the update can complete.
3. Follow the instructions in section 2.2.4 of the Rockbox manual to reinstall the Rockbox bootloader.

Functionality Questions

Does USB work?

USB currently isn't implemented for the Sansa. Rockbox can detect when the USB cable is connected but doesn't currently do anything with it. When you plug in a USB cable while the Sansa is off, the bootloader will detect this and boot the original firmware so that you can charge and upload files to your Sansa. Native Rockbox USB support is a current Google Summer of Code project and hopefully will be integrated in the not too distant future. If you plug in the USB cable while Rockbox is running, Windows will pop up a "Drivers not found" window which should be ignored.

Can I disable the Sansa firmware's obnoxious database refreshing?

Yes. There are two ways to do this:

• Download the latest version of sansapatcher and any version of the Sansa original firmware below v1.03.XX. You can use the one dated October 20th, 2007 here. Now connect the Sansa to your PC (make sure it's in MSC mode) and execute the following commands in the command line (Start -> Run -> cmd for Windows users). Make sure that the filenames are correct and both sansapatcher and the .mi4 file are in the same folder. After you are done, SAFELY remove your Sansa. Database-refresh will only be deactivated when you boot into the OF via USB-connection with no microSD card inserted.

  sansapatcher.exe -of PP5022.mi4
  sansapatcher.exe -d 
  sansapatcher.exe --install
  

• Note that this is only known to work on e200 models: When booting up after a firmware upgrade, you'll be presented with a language selection screen. When this happens, don't select any language. Instead insert the USB cable, let the Sansa connect to your computer (this will be done in MTP mode) and then disconnect again. You'll now be in the main menu, but without explicitly having selected a language. Switch USB mode to MSC and shut down. After these somewhat convoluted steps, the Sansa will boot to the language selection screen and wait there (or enter USB mode, if the USB cable is inserted), without refreshing the database. If you've already selected a language, you can do a manual install (i.e., download and extract the firmware files to the root of the player), though I think you'll need a different version than the currently installed one for it to work.

How can I listen to music while charging?

By holding down the select button (the circle in the middle of the scroll wheel) while you plug in the USB cable you can charge your player without connecting to your computer via USB.

Do the Sansa dock and remote control work?

Right now Rockbox does not communicate over the serial/dock or remote port. Because of this, any accessory, such as a remote or stereo mount, that can actually control playback on the Sansa will not work.

Which microSD cards can I use?

All standard microSD cards up to 2GB work with both Sansa and Rockbox firmwares. The newer microSD SDHC cards up to 32GB (when available) will only work with Rockbox firmware. As USB does not yet work when booted into Rockbox, you will need to upload your files to the card before putting it in the Sansa. For the cards up to 2GB, this can be done using the original Sansa firmware (in MSC mode); for cards with higher capacity you'll probably have to use a PC with a card reader.

Is it possible for my microSD card to be displayed in the same directory as my other files in the file view?

No. Unless you use the Database view your files will be displayed in separate folders.

Problem/Troubleshooting Questions

My unit is frozen, do I have to remove the battery to reboot it?

If the Sansa hangs and normal power-off does not work, press and hold the power button until the unit shuts off (this could take upwards of 30 seconds, but it will eventually work). If you put your headphones on you'll be able to hear a "click" when the power shuts off. It is possible for this to happen without any LED's or the backlight being lit, so trying this is also useful if the Sansa seems to be powered off and doesn't react to the power button. Disconnecting the battery is rarely, if ever, necessary.

I'm having USB Connection/Charging Problems, help?

• While running Rockbox you cannot access the Sansa with your computer as Rockbox currently has no USB support. You need to set your player to MSC mode and reboot into the original firmware (by holding down (|<<) or connect the unit while it is turned off (the Sansa firmware should load automatically) to connect the unit.

• Charging via USB or AC adaptor with Rockbox currently doesn't work without this patch.

• If you have a microSD card in your player you must either remove the card on USB plug-in (you can insert it after connecting to write data to the card as long as it's not a SDHC) or boot the original firmware manually first and then connect to USB.

My microSD card doesn't show up when it's plugged in, any helpful ideas?

Try formatting it.

When I run Rockbox Utility / Sansapatcher I get "No Sansa Found", and I'm sure that I've set the player to MSC mode (Windows)

This issue also manifests as "No Sansa Found" in RB Utility, even if you've manually specified your model and assigned drive letter. If you have SanDisk's Sansa Updater installed, uninstall it and try again, making sure to run sansapatcher / RB Utility as an Administrator (right click -> "run as...").

It is also unfortunately possible that you have a v2 version of the player. See the Sansa port page for a description of how to tell if it is.

Where are my music files and the "MUSIC" folder?

The Sansa firmware hides the MUSIC folder every time is starts up so you have to work around it. Two available options are:

• Set the file view to show All files or
• Create a new folder with a different name and put your files in there.

What's that weird static noise during playback?

If you hear a strange static noise while browsing the menus or during the quieter parts of songs, you are not alone. This is the sound of the Sansa "thinking" and is an unfortunate feature of the Sansa hardware. It can therefore also be heard while using the original firmware, although it's slightly quieter according to some.

What's that awful buzzing noise when I'm recording?

The microphone picks up noise from the LCD because of badly designed hardware. You'll notice that when the backlight goes off the buzzing stops, so if you want to have clean audio recordings, simply adjust your backlight settings accordingly.

Nothing is working, how do I unbrick my Sansa?

If you cannot boot into the original firmware by holding |<< at startup or otherwise cannot get a response from your player, see SansaE200Unbrick.

The Bootloader fails, what's up?

If the bootloader does not load Rockbox properly have a look at the return code. The error codes of the bootloader are:

• 0: "OK"
• -1: "File not found"
  • check if OF.bin is located in the SYSTEM folder (if so, follow the instructions in the following section.)
  • check if "rockbox.e200" is located in the root directory of the Sansa (if so, follow the instructions in the following section.)
• -2: "Read failed (chksum)"
• -3: "Read failed (model)"
• -4: "Read failed (image)"
• -5: "Bad checksum"
• -6: "File too big"

I'm getting an "OLD ROCKBOX INSTALLATION DETECTED, ABORTING" error, what should I do?

I installed Rockbox before using the old method (without sansapatcher). Now when I try to use sansapatcher, it gives me the error "OLD ROCKBOX INSTALLATION DETECTED, ABORTING". What should I do?

The sansapatcher tool has detected that you have previously installed Rockbox using the old installation method. In order to continue, you first need to restore the original SanDisk firmware to your Sansa. This can be achieved in either of the following ways:

• Using the SanDisk Firmware Updater: Download the SanDisk Firmware Updater and run it. It should guide you through installing the latest SanDisk firmware on your Sansa.

• Using a PP5022.mi4 file: If you have a SanDisk PP5022.mi4 file with the SanDisk firmware in it, just put it into the root directory of your Sansa. If your Sansa is running version 1.03 or above of the SanDisk firmware you will need to rename this file to firmware.mi4. Now unplug the USB cable and make sure to start back up into the SanDisk firmware again (by holding |<< if you have the Rockbox bootloader currently installed). It should give a message saying that it is upgrading the firmware. If you don't have the original mi4 firmware around, try getting one from here.

Once that's all taken care of, you can go back and complete the bootloader installation.

I'm unable to decrypt the .mi4 file

Did you use mi4code 0.9.30? That's the only one that knows of the keys for the 1.03 version out-of-the-box.

If your question is not answered here it most likely has been dealt with in the main General Rockbox FAQ