I'm on my THIRD Fuze.

Each time they failed it took hours with a customer "service" rep to determine that the thing was beyond proper functioning and then literally weeks to get a replacement.

No, I didn't drive over them or drop them into a toilet. They each just stopped functioning.
The second one (first replacement) had a non-functioning wheel so all I could do was listen to the same songs over and over again at low volume.

The current unit shuts down randomly and simply will not play audio books since the latest firmware "upgrade". Yes, I've read the posts about Media Player versions, MTP, MSC, and so on. I can see the Fuze in "My Computer (XP Home)" and even play audio books stored on the unit with Media Player but I can't listen to them on the Fuze.
Audio books instantly pause and the player advances to the next book or song. If the next thing is a book, it'll pause and keep moving on until a song is encountered.

I have formatted the unit and put the data back on with the same result.
Even the one with the bad function wheel would let me transfer DRM protected books. I'd just have to wait until all those songs played and I could listen the books all over again from the beginning.

I should mention that, without prior discussion, my wife and I bought eachother an MP3 player for Xmas 2008. Hers is a Creative Labs unit and she's had no problems at all. My experience with the Fuze has (obviously) been remarkably different.

In looking around on this forum, it looks like there are fans of this thing out there but I have to say that I'd call it an apocalyptically bad product based on my PERSONAL experience with three of them.

If anyone can offer respectful advise on how I might get this unit to work, please do so. I'd love it to work. 

TIA