[WinXP] Sony NWZ-A818/A816 is not recognised

[mugs101]

Yes, i tried with all my usb ports, still the same result, it installs as a unknown device and i cannot update the driver as i try to install manually but it still installs as a unkown device. i havent got another usb cable and last time i checked it didnt work on a different computer. im using windows xp professional, windows media player 11, installed the mtp protocol, net framework 2.0, service pack 3.

[CrowdAds]

[BobbyRS]

You should really consider trying another cable. If the cable is bad, then no matter what you do or have installed, the device will not be able to work.

As for the other computer, if you can try one and find out for sure if you have the exact same issue, that would help greatly.

When you mention that you can't update the driver, what happens?

[mugs101]

ok i will try and find someone with another cable. thanks. but i doubt it is the cable as i got it to work before by messing around with some of the mtp drivers and the inf file. i will go and try. well it says it does update it but nothing happend, just stays the same as a unknown device. i have looked in my .inf file and there is devices such as nokia, samsung etc but no sony.

[BobbyRS]

It may not be the cable, but it is wroth trying to eliminate it for sure. I have seen cables cause this exact issue one too many times.

When you update the driver, have you tried all the different ways to do so (from post 6) and do you get any error messages when trying?

If MTP is installed and working correctly, the wpdmtp.inf will be used to load the device properly in Device Manager under Portable Devices for any MTP devices you connect. Do you even see a category for Portable Devices in Device Manager with or without the Sony connected?

[mugs101]

hi ok, i will purchase a new cable and see what happens. i have tried all methods but some i cannot as MTP does not appear in my device manager. i have even checked all the hidden properties in device manager. however when i install my other mp3 Phillips GoGear A1900 it installs as a Windows Portable Device even tho it says its found a MTP Driver. Im really confused.

[BobbyRS]

Have you tried reinstalling WMP11 yet or uninstalling and reinstalling it?

A1900? There is a GoGear A1900? Are you sure it is an MTP device? When it loads, does it load under Portable Devices in Device Manager?

[mugs101]

ive tried re installing windows media player and uninstalling it bout 20 times now. well i think it is called that, pretty old, 1gb, touch pad. yes my phillips loads there but the sony loads under Universal Serial Bus Controllers as a unknown device.

[BobbyRS]

Seeing how you have the A816, did you connect it to the computer before installing WMP10 or WMP11? The A816 should not be detected as a MSC device and having the driver load under Universal Serial Bus controllers in Device Manager. Sony issued a knowledge base article describing this issue here .

To function properly, your portable player must be recognized by your computer as a Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) device. If the portable player was connected to the computer before the Microsoft® Windows Media® Player software version 10 or later was installed, it will be recognized as a Mass Storage Class (MSC) device and not function properly. Follow this procedure to correct this issue:
NOTE:If this is not the first time using your player and it was working properly at one time with no major changes (such as restoring the operating system or replacing a hard drive) performed, you can skip this section and proceed to step 1 of the second procedure below.

1. Log in to the computer as Computer Administrator.
2. Click Start and then click Control Panel.
3. In the Control Panel window, click Performance and Maintenance.
4. In the Performance and Maintenance window, click System.
5. In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab.
6. On the Hardware tab, under Device Manager, click the Device Manager button.
7. In the Device Manager window, click the plus (+) sign in front of Disk drives.
8. Click to select the Sony USB device.
9. From the menu, click Action and then click Uninstall.
10. In the Confirm Device Removal box, click OK.
11. In the System Settings Change box, click Yes.
12. Disconnect the portable player from the computer before it restarts.
13. Install the Microsoft Windows Media Player (version 11) software included on the supplied CD.
14. You should now be able to use your portable player with the Microsoft Windows Media Player software.

If the portable player is still not recognized by the computer, check the following:

1. Restart the computer.
2. Check the connection status again.
3. Verify the current Operating System. If it is an upgraded operating system, contact the computer manufacturer for updated drivers for their upgraded operating system.
4. If you are running the Windows® XP operating system, be sure you are running Service Pack 2 or later.
5. If you did not have the latest service pack, test the connection status again after it has been installed.
6. Check that the USB cable is firmly connected to both the computer and the portable player.
7. Check the connection status again.
8. If the portable player is connected to a USB hub, disconnect it and connect it directly to the computer with a dedicated USB cable.
9. Check the connection status again.
10. If the portable player is still not recognized by the computer, disconnect the USB cable and restart the computer.
11. After the computer restarts, connect the USB cable and test the connection again.
12. If the portable player is still not recognized by the computer, try a different USB port.
13. Check the connection status again.

[mugs101]

i cannot try that as it will not show my device in device manager and i had windows media player 11 installed when i used the device for the first time. if i could use it as a disk drive that would work fine but that does not even show now.

[BobbyRS]

Yes, I know. When you uninstall the device, it will remove it from Device Manager. That is what is supposed to happen. It will reinstall if you disconnect afterwards and reconnect. This will force the driver to reinstall instead of just reload. That is the point of the article.

[mugs101]

i tried uninstalling but still no luck. nothing. just usb not recognised and installs as unknown driver. i think it might be the cable. i got it to work as a disk drive before but i totally forgot how

[BobbyRS]

Try this:

1. With the device connected, open Device Manager, right click on the device, and select uninstall.
2. Disconnect the device.
3. Uninstall WMP11 (Follow this guide here for complete removal).
4. Make sure the registry keys are removed from the registry (see method 3 in the WMP11 removal guide above).
5. Download and install WMP11 .
6. Do a Windows update and apply all updates related to WMP11 BEFORE connecting the A816.
7. After WMP11 and its updates are all install, reboot the computer.
8. After the computer has rebooted, NOW connect the A816 to the computer while having Device Manager open so you can see how the driver is loading.

The A816 driver should load and show correctly under the Portable Device category in Device Manager.

[mugs101]

Hi, thanks for the information but i do not need to do that as it is working now thank you for all your help. one more thing, is there a way i can back up my driver for the walkman or something similar just incase it does not work again?

[BobbyRS]

OK good to hear. No problem. So what ended up being the problem and what did you have to do to get it working properly? It is good forum etiquette to update the thread to help inform others who may be having the same issue or come across this information later.

[mugs101]

well the problem was that it was not recognised and i tried all these tips in the thread but still not luck. however i then fully uninstalled media player, deleted all registrys and the mtp porting kit. then i reinstalled media player, mtp porting kit and restarted my computer. then i shutdown from the mains and left it for a few hours. when i turned it back on everything was working fine. thank you BobbyRS and the others in the forum and mostly ABI. Ipods MaKe Me Sik

[BobbyRS]

Ahh, ok. Outstanding. Thanks for updating! It looks like you ended up doing most of what was listed above anyway .

[sridharshastri]

Thanks a lot Bobby, it worked for me
sridharshastri

Originally Posted by BobbyRS

All device require the use of a driver to work within the operating system whether or not it is plug and play supported or not. Plug and Play is supposed to handle the driver installation automatically. However, some times something can interfere with the driver being installed. You can try to go about installing the driver manual in a few ways:

To change the driver or install the driver in case of error:

1. In Device Manager, double left click on the Walkman listing under Portable Devices.
2. Select the Driver Tab and then select the Update Driver box.
3. Select the "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer".
4. Select MTP Device within the Model box and select the Next button.
5. Windows will then install the MTP driver.
6. Select Close on the next two screens and Device Manager should show the Walkman under Portable Devices with no errors.

To force the Device to use the MTP driver when connected and asked for drivers:

1. With the Walkman connected, uninstall the Walkman listing within Device Manager.

2. Using Windows Explorer, navigate into your windows/inf folder and "Copy" (not Cut) the wpdmtp.inf to your desktop.

3. Now connect your device and when it detects it as a new device, don't "automatically install driver. Select " click to specify the location..." and choose not to search for the driver. Click the option to specify what driver you want to use. Click next.

4. The next window should ask you what driver to use and the top of the list should say "show all devices." Click next.

5. The next window select "have disk" and point the path of the driver to the desktop where you put wpdmtp.inf and select OK.

It should then force the MTP driver to load for that device. You have now reinstalled all USB and USB host controller drivers and forced the Zen to use the correct MTP driver it is supposed to use. Again, try to see if your problem still exists.

If you can't install the driver when it is first detected or update it in device manager without an error code, try it this way:

1. With the Walkman connected, right clicking on the driver when it shows in Device Manager and select Uninstall.
2. Then try and add the Walkman as a MTP device using Add New Hardware Wizard in Control Manager.
3. Manually select the MTP Device and it will load the MTP driver for the Zen.
4. If you ever get prompted with anything saying that the device may not work properly or the driver isn't for that device, go through with it anyway.