Sander pads

Try this take a stiff brush (wire brush) and go over your pad. In a few different directions. Get the hooks to stand up a bit more.

When mine does that I vacuum the pad and the back of the sandpaper and that cures it.

I read in a few places. 1. It could be the actual sanding paper discs. 2. Its the new pad you bought. And you need to lift the hooks up. As I described in my last post. 3. Never store your sander if it has hook and loop without sandpaper attached. It will flatten the hooks. 4. Dust around hooks act as a lubricant blow off disc. If its caked wire brush then blow off. Worst case senareo wash in hot soapy water then blow off with air hose. 5. Take a soft brisal brush and rub the back of sandpaper discs to raise material fibers.
Sorry buddy your having trouble. I have always used PSA that way I never had any trouble. Plus PSA is cheaper. It can get real cheap if you buy sheet sandpaper and cut out your discs from the circle tracings and spray adhesive on the back.
Good luck and letbus know if any of these suggestions helped.

Jack, that was my first thought, i put a new pad on right after i took the compressor to the sander, no luck.

Jeff, i also tried the wire brush and again no such luck. I hate to change my setup because i recently purchased a couple of packs of the diablo sand paper discs. Maybe if i spray some adhesive on them they will stay.

This sucks!

I think you should hit the store and look at a new one and see if your paper will stick to it. Can you return it? Yes I can feel the frustration. Yes it sucks but id investigate it to see whats doing it. The pad or the paper. Hell id take the whole sander to the store with your paper discs and id be ripping into the new stuff and trying it out. Then looking for the pad and trying out your discs on it. I think I repeated myself? yep! Sure did.