PRS-950 Can't connect to computer, what a mess!

katojenist · 04-22-2011, 04:07 PM

I received my Sony 950 for Christmas and have been downloading books on it from WiFi and 3G. Yesterday I decided to connect it to my computer, MacBook Pro, and it didn't connect. Kept getting a message, "USB Connected. You are not connected to a power source, please make sure ....."
So, I did a soft reset and started again. Same thing happened. I called Sony Customer Support and they told to soft reset, reconnect, different USB cords and reformat. Did all that and it still didn't connect. Now they want me to send it back to them and they will send me a refurbished one for replacement. I'm not a happy camper here.
At this point, I would like to put the manual back on the reader and the sideshow pictures. How would I do that? I bought this reader from Best Buy with a complete warranty, so I probably will return it and hope for the best with getting a new one. I don't know.

Ripplinger · 04-22-2011, 06:19 PM

Just to rule out everything else first before you send the reader back, does the USB port work with other devices (such as able to recharge a cell phone, load flash drives, or anything else). Although it's rare, the ports themselves can go bad or other problems. Recently mine was haywire simply because the front of my case wasn't fully snapped in so the plugs were a fraction of an inch from being fully inserted. While some devices still worked fine, some did not.

Wheezie · 04-22-2011, 06:35 PM

I had a similar problem with my 650. Are you by any chance using the usb receptacle on the side of a Apple keyboard or a USB hub? I went around and around w/ Sony cs to no avail. I finally tried just plugging it straight into my computer and it works fine.

elcreative · 04-22-2011, 07:26 PM

What wheezie says explains a lot of USB glitches... the keyboard is a "don't use" except for mouse usually as it is a USB 1.1 hub, and some things just like to be connected directly or the hub must be a powered one with enough power (should provide 500mA/socket so 4 sockets is best with 2A but 6 socket would prefer at least 3A)...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wheezie

I had a similar problem with my 650. Are you by any chance using the usb receptacle on the side of a Apple keyboard or a USB hub? I went around and around w/ Sony cs to no avail. I finally tried just plugging it straight into my computer and it works fine.

Poppaea · 04-23-2011, 04:50 AM

Ask Bookwormgirl she has both a Mac and the 950 and is very computer savvy.

CommonReader · 04-23-2011, 05:30 AM

First of all I would connect the Sony to a different computer to check if the reader is defective or if this is solely a problem of connecting this reader to a specific Mac. If it connects with the other computer I would go to a Mac forum for advice, as you will probably get better support there as regards USB glitches. USB never worked as well with Macs as it did with Windows machines in the past, I don't know if they have sorted that out by now.

elcreative · 04-23-2011, 11:58 AM

That's news since I've run both platforms with USB since first release and not come across platform specific glitches, just USB foul-ups especially due to standard changes and/or power problems... and the same problems for both Mac & PC... had more problems with unix/linux , usually down to drivers and not so common now...

Quote:

Originally Posted by CommonReader

First of all I would connect the Sony to a different computer to check if the reader is defective or if this is solely a problem of connecting this reader to a specific Mac. If it connects with the other computer I would go to a Mac forum for advice, as you will probably get better support there as regards USB glitches. USB never worked as well with Macs as it did with Windows machines in the past, I don't know if they have sorted that out by now.

katojenist · 04-23-2011, 12:57 PM

Thank you everybody for your help and ideas. Please keep them coming because everything is still the same. I'll be going over to my brother's house later, he has a pc, and will try connecting over there.
I also have a 600 and a 350 and they connect to my computer with no problems whats so ever. I just don't understand, maybe I did get a faulty 950.

Poppaea · 04-23-2011, 01:56 PM

Here are some threads about this

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...hlight=mac+950

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...hlight=mac+950

Bookworm_Girl · 04-23-2011, 11:12 PM

Is it a new MBP? There have been several people that have had issues with brand-new MBP's. People have also had issues with some new Windows laptops where they have reverted to using a spare netbook that they also have. Nobody has reported any solutions. I suspect that it has something to do with 64-bit compatibility with the new MBP's and the Sony ereaders. I have an older 2008 MBP and mine works just fine with all of my Sony's.

Bookworm_Girl · 04-23-2011, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katojenist

I also have a 600 and a 350 and they connect to my computer with no problems whats so ever. I just don't understand, maybe I did get a faulty 950.

Interesting, another MR user (who is very tech savvy) reported that his 350 worked fine with this Windows computer but it just would not recognize his 950. He ended up using an older netbook with his 950. He suspected it was a driver issue.

katojenist · 04-29-2011, 01:00 AM

Hi Everyone, My MBP is about 1 yrs old and I plugged my USB cord into both of the ports on the side of my laptop. Neither one worked. I went over to my brother's house and I plugged in my 950 in his computer and it started charging right up. I didn't get a chance to get on the internet, just checked the connection, Reader to Computer. I am really at a loss now. It might be a driver on my laptop? Now, do I have to go out and buy a new computer so that I can download books from other sources outside of the Sony Reader Store? That would really be awful!
Thanks again everyone for trying so hard to help me with this dilemma!!!!

Bookworm_Girl · 04-29-2011, 03:53 PM

Does your Mac boot 64-bit Snow Leopard? Another MR user posted that Sony tech support confirmed that their software is not compatible with it. You can boot in 32-bit mode by holding the 3 and 2 buttons on your keyboard during start-up. A pain but a workaround at least.

carpetmojo · 04-29-2011, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wheezie

I had a similar problem with my 650. Are you by any chance using the usb receptacle on the side of a Apple keyboard or a USB hub? I went around and around w/ Sony cs to no avail. I finally tried just plugging it straight into my computer and it works fine.

I had exactly the same problem with a new Sansa Clip+ - 2 were already on PC fine.

Bypassed the (powered) hub, straight into USB socket, everything was fine.

Why should a powered hub not be OK. Does it still have diminished connectivity, despite being powered ?

pidgeon92 · 04-29-2011, 05:41 PM

The original post says that the Sony was connected via USB; whether or not it is charging via USB is irrelevent.

The question in my mind is did the OP check to see if the Sony was mounted as a drive on the MBP, or did she just give up due to the "not charging" message on the Sony screen?

I just connected my 950 to my MBP for the first time (I always use my iMac for syncing), and the Sony immediately appeared on the MBP desktop.

04-22-2011, 04:07 PM	#1
katojenist Member Posts: 17 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: PRS-600, PRS-350, PRS-950, T1, T2	Can't connect to computer, what a mess! I received my Sony 950 for Christmas and have been downloading books on it from WiFi and 3G. Yesterday I decided to connect it to my computer, MacBook Pro, and it didn't connect. Kept getting a message, "USB Connected. You are not connected to a power source, please make sure ....." So, I did a soft reset and started again. Same thing happened. I called Sony Customer Support and they told to soft reset, reconnect, different USB cords and reformat. Did all that and it still didn't connect. Now they want me to send it back to them and they will send me a refurbished one for replacement. I'm not a happy camper here. At this point, I would like to put the manual back on the reader and the sideshow pictures. How would I do that? I bought this reader from Best Buy with a complete warranty, so I probably will return it and hope for the best with getting a new one. I don't know.

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04-22-2011, 06:19 PM	#2
Ripplinger 350 Hoarder Posts: 3,574 Karma: 8281267 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Midwest USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo Glo & Glo HD, PW2	Just to rule out everything else first before you send the reader back, does the USB port work with other devices (such as able to recharge a cell phone, load flash drives, or anything else). Although it's rare, the ports themselves can go bad or other problems. Recently mine was haywire simply because the front of my case wasn't fully snapped in so the plugs were a fraction of an inch from being fully inserted. While some devices still worked fine, some did not.

04-22-2011, 06:35 PM	#3
Wheezie Member Posts: 23 Karma: 12 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: Kindle 3, Sony PRS-505, Sony PRS-650	I had a similar problem with my 650. Are you by any chance using the usb receptacle on the side of a Apple keyboard or a USB hub? I went around and around w/ Sony cs to no avail. I finally tried just plugging it straight into my computer and it works fine.

04-23-2011, 04:50 AM	#5
Poppaea Lucifer's Bat Posts: 2,536 Karma: 19491715 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Earth/Berlin Device: Kobo Libra 2	Ask Bookwormgirl she has both a Mac and the 950 and is very computer savvy.

04-23-2011, 05:30 AM	#6
CommonReader Fanatic Posts: 528 Karma: 2530000 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Sony PRS-T3, PRS-650, Vaio Tap 11, iPad Mini	First of all I would connect the Sony to a different computer to check if the reader is defective or if this is solely a problem of connecting this reader to a specific Mac. If it connects with the other computer I would go to a Mac forum for advice, as you will probably get better support there as regards USB glitches. USB never worked as well with Macs as it did with Windows machines in the past, I don't know if they have sorted that out by now.

04-23-2011, 12:57 PM	#8
katojenist Member Posts: 17 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: PRS-600, PRS-350, PRS-950, T1, T2	Thank you everybody for your help and ideas. Please keep them coming because everything is still the same. I'll be going over to my brother's house later, he has a pc, and will try connecting over there. I also have a 600 and a 350 and they connect to my computer with no problems whats so ever. I just don't understand, maybe I did get a faulty 950.

04-23-2011, 01:56 PM	#9
Poppaea Lucifer's Bat Posts: 2,536 Karma: 19491715 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Earth/Berlin Device: Kobo Libra 2	Here are some threads about this https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...hlight=mac+950 https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...hlight=mac+950

04-23-2011, 11:12 PM	#10
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,871 Karma: 36507503 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	Is it a new MBP? There have been several people that have had issues with brand-new MBP's. People have also had issues with some new Windows laptops where they have reverted to using a spare netbook that they also have. Nobody has reported any solutions. I suspect that it has something to do with 64-bit compatibility with the new MBP's and the Sony ereaders. I have an older 2008 MBP and mine works just fine with all of my Sony's.

04-29-2011, 01:00 AM	#12
katojenist Member Posts: 17 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: PRS-600, PRS-350, PRS-950, T1, T2	Hi Everyone, My MBP is about 1 yrs old and I plugged my USB cord into both of the ports on the side of my laptop. Neither one worked. I went over to my brother's house and I plugged in my 950 in his computer and it started charging right up. I didn't get a chance to get on the internet, just checked the connection, Reader to Computer. I am really at a loss now. It might be a driver on my laptop? Now, do I have to go out and buy a new computer so that I can download books from other sources outside of the Sony Reader Store? That would really be awful! Thanks again everyone for trying so hard to help me with this dilemma!!!!

04-29-2011, 03:53 PM	#13
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,871 Karma: 36507503 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	Does your Mac boot 64-bit Snow Leopard? Another MR user posted that Sony tech support confirmed that their software is not compatible with it. You can boot in 32-bit mode by holding the 3 and 2 buttons on your keyboard during start-up. A pain but a workaround at least.

04-29-2011, 05:41 PM	#15
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	The original post says that the Sony was connected via USB; whether or not it is charging via USB is irrelevent. The question in my mind is did the OP check to see if the Sony was mounted as a drive on the MBP, or did she just give up due to the "not charging" message on the Sony screen? I just connected my 950 to my MBP for the first time (I always use my iMac for syncing), and the Sony immediately appeared on the MBP desktop.

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