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Your Question/Problem:
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Unix compatibility: Every time I connect this device to any Unix host, or e.g. to my girlfriend's Mac (BSD Unix), the Unix box puts a small file on it for Unix file system simulation. After it's disconnected, it refuses to boot up--until I connect it to a host and delete all files with names beginning with a period, ".". I can recreate this problem by attaching to any host at all (e.g. a Windows desktop) and dragging an empty file called ".login" to the device--it won't boot up as an audio player until the file is deleted. Is there a firmware upgrade to fix this problem?
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SanDisk Response: (07/26/2005 01:08)
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Hello Matthew,
Thank you for contacting SanDisk Technical Support
We are very sorry but Unix is not one of the supported operating systems on the DAP.
Best Regards,
Ofir
SanDisk Technical Support
If you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this e-mail or contact our technical support department toll free at 866-SANDISK (866-726-3475). Have a Great Day.
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Your Response: (07/27/2005 04:08)
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What about MacOS or the file system on the device?
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SanDisk Response: (07/27/2005 06:06)
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Hello Matthew,
Thank you for contacting SanDisk Technical Support
We are very sorry but Unix is not one of the supported operating systems on the DAP.
Best Regards,
Ofir
SanDisk Technical Support
If you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this e-mail or contact our technical support department toll free at 866-SANDISK (866-726-3475). Have a Great Day.
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Your Response: (07/27/2005 09:24)
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So you're saying that even though your device is tagged as a USB device, it is really a USB-FOR-MICROSOFT-WINDOWS-ONLY device, a fact which should have been stated prominently on the outside of the package. The act of connecting the device to a Macintosh makes your firmware unable to boot after disconnecting. From my perspective your device does not support the industry standards of USB -- only of USB when the host is MS Windows. That, and the repeated boiler plate of your response, frustrates me and makes me highly unlikely to ever buy a SanDisk product in the future, and highly unlikely to ever recommend a SanDisk product to others.
Please escalate this trouble ticket to the next level and do not use boilerplate to reply to it.
I am willing to post the complete text of this exchange on my home page to explain my dissatisfaction to the world.
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SanDisk Response: (07/27/2005 01:46)
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If the Digital Audio Player is formatted as FAT or MS-DOS[for Mac], it will be ok to use it in a Mac OS. Any other format will cause it not to boot properly and may freeze in the Welcome screen.
Best Regards,
Jean
SanDisk Technical Support
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Your Response: (07/28/2005 03:24)
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Dear Jean,
I have never formatted your product. I have consistently found that after your product is attached to any Mac, it freezes in the Welcome screen--but it can be unfrozen by hooking it up to any system and deleting all files with names starting with ".". The format of your product has remained FAT throughout.
Please escalate this support ticket to your manager.
Dear manager,
PLEASE READ THIS SUPPORT THREAD IN DETAIL. YOUR PRODUCT IS NOT WORKING AS ADVERTISED, AND THE RESPONSES GIVEN BY YOUR STAFF INDICATE THAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS. I AM VERY DISSATISFIED WITH SANDISK CUSTOMER SUPPORT UP TO NOW, AND I AM READY TO SAY SO ON MY HOME PAGE.
Dr Matthew H. Fields
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SanDisk Response: (07/28/2005 05:05)
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Please tell us the exact name of the files with names starting with ".".
Also, what is the firmware version on the Player?
Best Regards,
Jean
SanDisk Technical Support
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Your Response: (07/28/2005 06:56)
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Operating from memory, I find that the following files get created when you connect to a Mac:
.desktopdb
.desktopdf
.trash
A 1k .file for every file you delete, rename, copy in any direction, or move.
The firmware version listed by the player is SDMX1-0.97C 2004/10/26.
I've been able to temporarily store other data files (e.g. PDFs) on the device alongside e.g. Mahler symphonies without boot problems, but the device chokes at the "welcome screen" when it has the dot-files, and can be resuscitated by deleting just those files.
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SanDisk Response: (07/28/2005 08:02)
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Please go to the link below to download the firmware upgrade for the Digital Audio and let us know if it fixes the issue.
To install it, unzip the sdmx1-v1.02k.zip and copy the sdmx1-v1.02k.rom inside the removable disk for the Player, then unplug the Player and turn it on. The firmware upgrade should start automatically.
http://www.sandisk.com/retail/dap-firmware.asp
Best Regards,
Jean
SanDisk Technical Support
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Your Response: (07/28/2005 08:02)
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Okay, I installed the update and restarted the machine, and the front panel gave the messages "UPDATE READY", "UPDATE WRITING", and then the machine rebooted itself into the firmware. I then found a co-worker with an iBook running Jaguar, plugged in, made a new folder, Renamed the folder as "test", and deleted the new folder.
The exact list of files left by the Mac were as follows:
.Trashes
.Trashes/501
.Trashes/501/test
.DS_Store
When I unplugged the DAP, it booted normally and is now playing music.
The firmware identifies itself as SDMX1-1.02 2005/01/17. The file system surfer can see the dot files and can descend the .Trash directory.
This seems to have resolved this issue. I haven't tested carrying out these steps and issuing an Empty The Trash (Mac equivalent of Empty the Recycling Bin) on a Macintosh, so I don't feel the test is 100% complete, nor have I dragged a file to the Desktop on a Mac (which would force the creation of the .Desktop directory at the root of the drive and would move the file into it. The DAP is your product, so you might want to verify that this firmware rev works under those circumstances.
I will be closing this case shortly, after submitting this comment. Before I do, I would like to encourage SanDisk Tech Support to review the history of this trouble ticket and see what you can learn from it about streamlining support.
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Your Response: (07/28/2005 08:02)
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Okay, I installed the update and restarted the machine, and the front panel gave the messages "UPDATE READY", "UPDATE WRITING", and then the machine rebooted itself into the firmware. I then found a co-worker with an iBook running Jaguar, plugged in, made a new folder, Renamed the folder as "test", and deleted the new folder.
The exact list of files left by the Mac were as follows:
.Trashes
.Trashes/501
.Trashes/501/test
.DS_Store
When I unplugged the DAP, it booted normally and is now playing music.
The firmware identifies itself as SDMX1-1.02 2005/01/17. The file system surfer can see the dot files and can descend the .Trash directory.
This seems to have resolved this issue. I haven't tested carrying out these steps and issuing an Empty The Trash (Mac equivalent of Empty the Recycling Bin) on a Macintosh, so I don't feel the test is 100% complete, nor have I dragged a file to the Desktop on a Mac (which would force the creation of the .Desktop directory at the root of the drive and would move the file into it. The DAP is your product, so you might want to verify that this firmware rev works under those circumstances.
I will be closing this case shortly, after submitting this comment. Before I do, I would like to encourage SanDisk Tech Support to review the history of this trouble ticket and see what you can learn from it about streamlining support. =>REQUEST CLOSED BY CUSTOMER
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