I remember thinking mine was faulty when I first got mine but found out that you have to hold the play/pause button for 2 seconds to turn the thing on. Then you use the up/down keys to adjust the volume level. To turn it off, just press the play/puase button once, then press it again and hold it for 2 seconds. I also didn't format my card when I first got it and just dragged and dropped my songs straight onto the card. If these solutions/suggestions don't work, then yours might actually be faulty, in which case I have no solution!