I am wildly unsure if this is an issue with Arduino but I believe it it is.
The basic issue I am having is that Arduino recognizes my board, and allows me to select my port with the device shown as an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express, but doesn't allow me to upload anything.
When attempting to upload any sketch, including a totally blank one, it spends forever uploading only to say "An error has occurred while uploading the sketch". Even in verbose mode, little information is given except that the device can't be located. This is said despite the fact that the Tools->Ports sub-menu still shows an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express at the same port.
I have tried switching cables, computers, operating systems (Mac OSX and Windows) , and even experimented between three different copies of the same product board to no avail. I have also tried pressing the reset button once during uploading and nothing helps. Every time, with every permutation, there is only one "solution".
That solution is to hard-reset the board to purge it of any sketch, then attempt to upload the sketch to a blank board.
I can't get a sketch onto the board unless it's in a factory reset state. (Note I can only even do this extremely limited thing on Mac, and never windows).
Here comes the kicker, while the sketch "uploads", it causes the sketch to run for at most 10 clock cycles, then it just dies. The operating system notifies me that my board disconnects twice, once during the upload phase as expected, and one a fraction of a second after uploading completes. The board then just sits in a stalled loop (I know this because I have experimented with cycling lights and the last command in the loop is executed then it just holds that configuration of lights). This whole idea is further confirmed by the serial monitor reporting around 15 numbers from the accelerometer, then it just goes dead.
Its worth noting that the board presents the "error uploading sketch" problem while in this stalled state, and I am forced to, once again, clear the board of the sketch to even communicate with it. This whole while, the Tools->Ports menu is still happily telling me there is an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express attached in the same location as ever.
I have been working so hard to develop my final project and this issue is so frustrating! My professors haven't really been able to help me at all. Any input would be greatly appreciated, I am at my wits end!