Zune 30 Midnight Meltdown

[Ban Hammer 14,573]

While the rumor mill is focused on Apple developing a larger-screen iPod touch, the blogosphere is churning with angry reports about frozen 30GB Microsoft Zunes.

Discussions board like ZuneUser.com, ZuneScene.com and Zune.net offer first-hand accounts of the problems with Microsoft's music player. It seems the Zunes reboot, then freeze once the status bar reaches 100 percent.

Some are calling it the "Z2K" problem, playing off the infamous Y2K bug that many thought would throw the computing industry in chaos at the beginning of the century when dates changed from 1999 to 2000. That's because the problem seems to have started at exactly midnight PST Wednesday -- the first moments of the last day of 2008.

A Fix That Fails

Microsoft wasn't immediately available for comment on what observers are calling the Zune 30 Midnight Meltdown. But the forums are ablaze with complaints and demands for updates from Microsoft.

"I had my Zune docked on its iHome ZN9, charging, and all the sudden I hear it start whirring as I'm sitting here at the laptop. I looked up just in time to see it restarting itself at exactly 12:00 midnight, watched the loading bar, and then the freeze. Great. WHAT is going on!?" VS Venom Shot wrote on the Zune.net forum.

Meanwhile, a Zune.net user named Dmodegirl claims to have solved the problem. She said the Zune needs a "hard reset" and suggested using a small screwdriver to pop off the plastic shielding where the Zune cable plugs in and remove the two screws on either side of the plug.

"Pop the cover off and locate the battery plug at the top left corner of the Zune. Using your screwdriver, pop the cable connection halfway off, and do this to the other plug on the right side," she wrote. "Wait three seconds, then push down the right connector and then the left battery connector. Your Zune should start up immediately. Press the backing of the Zune down (make sure headphone jack is aligned) and put the screws and cover back in place."

Some users reported success with this method, but when they plugged their Zune back in to charge, it froze again. Others were concerned with trying the hard reset for fear of turning the Zune into a fancy paperweight. Still others are hinting that Microsoft should compensate Zune users with a free Zune Pass.

A Black Eye for Zune

"This problem is something that never should have made it out of testing. I've been with the Zune Pass since day one and I'm seriously looking into other devices and services due to this. We at least need some kind of acknowledgment or statement from MS that clarifies the issue and puts in place a plan of action," a user named Furious Mittens wrote on the Zune.net forum.

Those comments aren't something Microsoft wants to hear. Indeed, frozen Zunes after the holiday shopping season is not welcome news, according to Phil Leigh, a senior analyst at Inside Digital Media.

"Microsoft has got to close the ground on the iPod, and the only way to do that is with a superior product," Leigh said. "It takes time to recover from something like this. First impressions are important for new buyers, and this is a bad first impression."

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[Reba 2]

I am one of the lucky thousands with a frozen Zune 30 yesterday. What a pain in the ####### I gotta say. My office mate was catching up on listening to Christmas Carols and I had nothing to fight back with I hate Christmas music

Anyhoo...they've apparently figured out the problem and fixed it. It was a "leap year bug" er sumthin'.

My Zune 30 is frozen. What should I do?

Follow these steps:

Disconnect your Zune from USB and AC power sources.

Because the player is frozen, its battery will drain—this is good. Wait until the battery is empty and the screen goes black. If the battery was fully charged, this might take a couple of hours.

Wait until after noon GMT on January 1, 2009 (that's 7 a.m. Eastern or 4 a.m. Pacific time).

Connect your Zune to either a USB port on the back or your computer or to AC power using the Zune AC Adapter and let it charge.

Once the battery has sufficient power, the player should start normally. No other action is required—you can go back to using your Zune!

My Zune 30 has been working fine today. Should I be worried?

Nope, your Zune is fine and will continue to work as long as you do not connect it to your computer before noon GMT on January 1, 2009 (7 a.m. Eastern or 4 a.m. Pacific time).

Note: If you connect your player to a computer before noon GMT on January 1, 2009, you'll experience the freeze mentioned above—even if that computer does not have the Zune software installed. If this happens, follow the above steps.

What if I have rights-managed (DRM) content on my Zune?

Most likely, rights-managed content will not be affected by this issue. However, it's a good idea to sync your Zune with your computer once the freeze has been resolved, just to make sure your usage rights are up to date.

What if I took advice from the forums and reset my Zune by disconnecting the battery?

This is a bad idea and we do not recommend opening your Zune by yourself (for one thing, doing so will void your warranty). However, if you've already opened it, do one of the following:

Wait 24 hours from the time that you reset the Zune and then sync with your computer to refresh the usage rights; or

Delete the player's content using the Zune software (go to Settings, Device, Sync Options, Erase All Content), then re-sync it from your collection.

I guess I shall plug mine in and see whether or not I need to go on a murderous rampage today or not.

[Jasman0717 9]

I was at Circuit City yesterday and they actually had turn-tables for sale.

[john & jean 37]

I was at Circuit City yesterday and they actually had turn-tables for sale.

UHMMM, I GUESS WHAT COMES AROUND, GOES AROUND

[Nagishkaw 510]

I was at Circuit City yesterday and they actually had turn-tables for sale.

That's something I could never live without.

[NickD 203]

Ha, that was a year ago Christmas nightmare, wife wanted an MP3 player, after doing research, we picked out a top of the line Sandisk and paid 15 bucks for protected music downloads. First time we took it out, it crashed, called both Rhapsody and Sandisk, had to hook it up to the Rhapsody site and refresh it. Not on any computer either, had to be the exact same computer we downloaded the MP3 files on. That is stupid, and that crash can occur at anytime. We made our own MP3's from both her and my CD collection, not protected, and it's been working well ever since.

Did try some of those PTP sharing services, guess they are not as legal as they sound to be, most of the stuff was loaded with worms and virus's, and heard about some extreme lawsuits, dumped all those MP3's and cleaned everything from our computers, including the registry, loaded with that stuff. But is legal to digitize stuff off the air and make MP3's yourself, ha, way too much work, have better things to do.

MP3 players do a share a lot in common, friends with Ipods and Zunes tell me, you are really not paying a buck for a track, just a license to use it, and can crash. Also a really stupid thing, suppose to keep the batter charged with your USB connector that most won't even output enough current for that task. And if it does, have to keep your computer running all night, not in standby to charge the stupid thing. I got her both a wall and a car charger. Firmware is another nightmare, don't they test this stuff first? Was smart enough to save the firmware in hers, the latest upgrade had nothing but problems, battery life went way down and errors, put the old firmware back on.

Yet another common denominator, is these things are way over prices using a 89 cents microcontroller and a very inexpensive flashram, suckers are always changing the case that holds the flashram, a 1GB chip costs about 14 cents to produce, they saw us coming. Then in a cheap none water resistant plastic case and it will die if you get one drop of water on it. Junk, all junk.

Wife asked me if I wanted an MP3 player, said no thanks, will stick with my windup Edison phonograph, it always works. Media is yet another problem, a few songs you like with a zillion different types of media available that requires a different kind of player, and with software, can play games to obsolete it so you have to buy another. What a racket.

[Ling Ling 22]

Ha, that was a year ago Christmas nightmare, wife wanted an MP3 player, after doing research, we picked out a top of the line Sandisk and paid 15 bucks for protected music downloads. First time we took it out, it crashed, called both Rhapsody and Sandisk, had to hook it up to the Rhapsody site and refresh it. Not on any computer either, had to be the exact same computer we downloaded the MP3 files on. That is stupid, and that crash can occur at anytime. We made our own MP3's from both her and my CD collection, not protected, and it's been working well ever since.

Did try some of those PTP sharing services, guess they are not as legal as they sound to be, most of the stuff was loaded with worms and virus's, and heard about some extreme lawsuits, dumped all those MP3's and cleaned everything from our computers, including the registry, loaded with that stuff. But is legal to digitize stuff off the air and make MP3's yourself, ha, way too much work, have better things to do.

MP3 players do a share a lot in common, friends with Ipods and Zunes tell me, you are really not paying a buck for a track, just a license to use it, and can crash. Also a really stupid thing, suppose to keep the batter charged with your USB connector that most won't even output enough current for that task. And if it does, have to keep your computer running all night, not in standby to charge the stupid thing. I got her both a wall and a car charger. Firmware is another nightmare, don't they test this stuff first? Was smart enough to save the firmware in hers, the latest upgrade had nothing but problems, battery life went way down and errors, put the old firmware back on.

Yet another common denominator, is these things are way over prices using a 89 cents microcontroller and a very inexpensive flashram, suckers are always changing the case that holds the flashram, a 1GB chip costs about 14 cents to produce, they saw us coming. Then in a cheap none water resistant plastic case and it will die if you get one drop of water on it. Junk, all junk.

Wife asked me if I wanted an MP3 player, said no thanks, will stick with my windup Edison phonograph, it always works. Media is yet another problem, a few songs you like with a zillion different types of media available that requires a different kind of player, and with software, can play games to obsolete it so you have to buy another. What a racket.

Not all MP3 players are created equal. iPods (with exception of the iPhone and iTouch) have been pretty bulletproof in my experiences. Buying them refurbished (come with new headphones) is the best way to go in my opinion.

Downloading shared music or movies is the same as stealing it. A lot of people will come up with excuses why they do it, but the bottom line is because they're hypocrites and too cheap to pay for something they can easily get for free. They're stupid and think it's a victimless crime.

As for music being licensed...all movies, music, and software is licensed. If you look at any of the license agreements, they don't promise to do anything, aren't responsible if it doesn't do anything, aren't responsible if it does something it's not supposed to do...like crash your computer, and they will sue you if share it with anyone.

Sure computers and MP3 players cost more than the sum of their parts....you're paying for the research & development, the advertising, and the support.

Do you really think a $20K car has $20K worth of auto parts? There's profit built into all pricing...not many industries would survive selling goods at the cost of parts.

I have turntables, CD players, and MP3 players. While I wish I could have my pure analog turntable sounds everywhere....CDs and MP3s allow the music to be portable.

Back to the original topic...I wouldn't buy a Zune, but I'm glad they're in the market to give Apple some needed competition.

[Reba 2]

Hubby bought me the Zune because he doesn't like Apple for whatever reason, I didn't buy it myself. Plus, his neice has gone thru 3 iPods, just by dropping them and they smash and crash. I think Zune 30 is bullet poof, mine's gone flying several times, doesn't even have a dent. Ugly as sin, but it works, that's all I care. Now I can fight back against the hell that is Christmas music whenever Mary has the urge to listen to it I'll turn up Rob Zombie, or Marilyn Manson or somethin'

And its working again now, just had to plug it back in.