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MP3 player destroys my life - well, my PC anyway

19:49 / 25.11.05

Help!

I bought an MP3 player last weekend - a Creative MuVo V200 512MB.

I installed the software, but then found the device was overheating (when I put a battery in, it kept saying it had no power and getting really hot). I took it back, and was given a new one - a whole new pack. So far, so good. I came home, uploaded a music CD and managed to transfer it to the device. So far, I was feeling very happy.

But then I put a further four CDs on my PC, went to transfer some of the files - and my PC won't recognise the MP3 player. It just doesn't see it - even though the player itself is glowing and showing a sort of 'data transfer' image.

What's worse, my CD drive isn't working either. I found that out when I tried to put the disk in to have another look at the instructions (it's really annoying to have the user guide on a CD). I've since tried other CDs and no go - the player doesn't even start to whirr and under 'My Computer' there's apparently nothing there.

I've tried to uninstall everything I installed, but still no success, on either the device or my CD drive.

I can, however (thank god) sync my Palm, so it's not like all external things are screwed.

The initial dodgy MP3 player was never connected, so I don't think it's that.

Any suggestions/ advice?

20:50 / 25.11.05

OOh, arse. Doesn't sound good. Need a geek visit? I have to get a photo of a police box near you, anyway, so I could drop in tomorrow sometime.

21:28 / 25.11.05

Yes pleeeeeze. That would be fab. Would late afternoon work for you?

21:41 / 25.11.05

Only useful thing I can suggest is blaming Loomis and punishing him, just to get all the spleen vented.

21:52 / 25.11.05

Hold off on that and wait until I can film it for posterity, though.

09:08 / 26.11.05

It sounds more like the PC than the player (those MuVos are basically just flash drives) - though I admit that when I had mine I never installed any software to run it. You don't need to, unless you're running Win98 or some similar antiquated virus trap. I would certainly roll back the system to pre-whatever-software-it-said-to-install and check.

09:09 / 26.11.05

except that I see you've already tried that

so I'm no help really

14:07 / 26.11.05

Yeah - Loomis just connects his PC player and transfers over files without any particular software and I think I should have done the same. Ah well, the great and wise Cube will arrive soon and save the day.

17:25 / 26.11.05

and he did just that! Cheers, Cube!

23:40 / 26.11.05

'sapleasure. Unlike that reggae pish I had to endure later. Ow, my ears.

16:39 / 28.11.05

But what did you do to fix it?

17:22 / 28.11.05

Ok, simple answer:
1. Try the recommended Creative solution, find it doesn't work. Roll it back.
2. After much fannying about checking settings, using recovery mode (y'know, when you plug in while holding play) and getting lots of hangs for no good reason and finding nothing wrong, try my own player which works fine in another port, but not the one in use. As the Creative one won't fit in that port, try one at the back, which also works. Assume original USB port is shagged and try installing player using recovery mode and basic drivers without all the extra Creative cruft.
3. Success.
4. Check DVD drive. Doesn't work. Poke around inside to see if there any any obvious shorts or dead snakes. Nope. Check DVD drive BIOS and control panel. Nothing wrong, so assume DVD drive is mechanically shagged.
5. Tell Ariadne to buy a USB cable so the can use the back port and that the DVD drive is shagged, which doesn't seem to matter. The CD drive is OK.
6. Make mental note to self that mechanical stuff goes wrong an you should check that before trying othr solutions.
7. Go to small party, get hammered, go to dub night, hate it, leave.

17:47 / 28.11.05

I don't know what language Cube was speaking but it impressed the fuck out of me.

18:16 / 28.11.05

So basically, USB port and DVD drive fucked? Not Microsoft's fault at all? Bah.

19:37 / 28.11.05

yep, I know - my computer's dying anyway! But at least it now works, mostly, and I have my MP3 player working.