Microsoft announces “fix” to Zune 30GB problems
Are you still wrestling to bring your Zune 30GB back to life after it crapped out the other night? If so fear not, for Microsoft has published the official “solution” which will supposedly fix all of your troubles. It’s not a quick fix (though it is very easy), but at least if all goes well you’ll be able to have some tunes to listen to to occupy your mind from your blistering hang-over.
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!
Well, there you have it. Microsoft’s solution to the Z2K9 issue is to let your Zune’s battery die and not plug it in until the big, bad leap year is finished with. Microsoft, do we even need to say how disappointed we are? You try to fight the MP3 juggernaut that is the iPod but your mighty warrior is brought down by a leap year? For shame.
Thanks, jemmark!
oh yeah! …Microsoft!
that’s just embarrassing!
this leap year thing was probability the result of a TGIF back in 2005,
Bill Lumbergh- hey there bob whats happening?
Bob- finishing for the day sir, just getting ready to go fishing on the weekend
Bill Lumbergh- riiigghhht, well i’m going to need you to come in on Saturday to finish that leap year code.
Bob- but sir i’ve already made plans…
bill Lumbergh- thanks, Oh, oh, and I almost forgot. Ahh, I’m also gonna need you to go ahead and come in on Sunday, too…
They better re-enable burning on the Zune subscription store. Already prices have fallen and with this lovely “fix” I doubt many more will sell this new year.
If you let me burn while I subscribe I’ll buy a Zune. . .promise
The funny thing is that this happened because MS dared to give their old Zune players a software update instead of taking Apple’s stance and saying “if you don’t have the money to buy a new one, then you don’t deserve an upgrade.”
This NOT a real fix it is more of a work around. What a joke. Do nothing, just wait until the clock goes past, kill the battery. Maybe this can be a yearly thing, that you do every New Years Eve! HAHA
iPods have gotten several updates when needed, but they have never had such a problem. Next the iPod touch had significant updates that added features. So I think Apple’s so called stance by the upset fanboy above is quite incorrect. He is actually defending M$ for breaking his toy! Now this is the customer M$ really wants. Bet he was happy when his Xbox broke too! Wonder what has stance on viruses and spyware is? Does he think they are wonderful too? HAHAHA
iPods all of them, seem to understand leap year!
I don’t think MS had a choice with this. Getting a patch out would have taken longer, so all they could offer was to have everyone wait it out.
What I would expect now though, is a patch to the driver that caused the issue. They should have an update out soon, or this will happen again in 4 years.
lmao @ Paul.
Read what he wrote but try to imagine he has a funny accent like some sorta weird foreigner lolz.
Hi everyone. I’m fro Puerto Rico and i had the same problem you all had. But, instead of resolving itself today Jan.1 2009, I’m still having the same issue, and it’s almost 1:00 PM here!!!! I’ve drowned the battery to the last 4 times now, manually disconnected and connected back the battery, and still nothing!!!
Interestingly enough, waiting it out did NOT fix it. Now the Dev Team has their panties in a knot trying to get it resolved.
Oh well, even Apple makes some pretty bad screw ups like with MobileMe. No point in flaming over which is better. The Zune 30 and iPods target different consumers in some respects.
@Abiezer
You have a Zune in PR? You must be royalty!
fix it with Mojave…lol
Imao @ Mike:
Read what he wrote and try very hard to imagine he has a brain!
You’re clueless Paul.
From the start, Microsoft has been very up front about what went on here. Mistakes happen.
Instead of covering up the mistake and acting like it never existed (which is what Apple routinely does by deleting posts in their own forums), Microsoft spoke to their users every step of the way. The dev team kept Zune users up to speed and didn’t treat them like they were too stupid to understand the problem.
What do you think Microsoft should have done here, that they didn’t do, Paul? Why is the solution to this problem not good enough?
mine isnt fixed. waiting hasent worked now what?
@ Heather:
Hahaha yes we do have Zune here. Lots of them. We may not be territorial part os US, but when it is about selling and marketing, believe me, we’re on de US map.
P.D.:
!!!
Still no response from my Zune
@ Nate:
With customers like you, M$ will never be out of biz and never deliver true customer service ever.
There was no fix offered by mighty M$, WAIT was their answer until the dates go by! Any clue that it may actually happen again? NO! HAHA
Quality control is obvious almost non-existent. M$ only builds the software on the Zune, the hardware is built by Toshiba. It appears that M$ did not get their portion right as it could not deal with leap year! HAHA How completely stupid.
MS NEVER covers anything up you claim? HAHA That is the biggest joke yet. How about all the Xbox issues. Ring of death and scratched disks issues (they ran from both). My own unit was out at Microshit for almost 6 months! Back and forth it came 3 times, totally dead in the box each time! Then they claimed my warranty was almost up as they HAD it the whole time, and it never worked for 1 second! NICE company!
How about the constant exploits on Windows and Office? Their track record totally sucks, so if you want to praise them for crummy work, FINE. I will just laugh harder as you somehow compare them to Apple who has the best customer service in the industry, where you walk into a store and it gets fixed in front of you or they replace it! Out you go with a working device! Not wait 6 weeks for a repair with a week just waiting for a special box! HAHA
I think it is YOU that is clueless, blindly forwarding a mega company that couldn’t give a shit about you!
The solution was NOT good enough, as there WAS NO SOLUTION, but WAIT! Kill your battery and deal with it yourself!
What Microsoft should have done is offer a REAL fix for THEIR mistake, offer compensation to users that had a non-working music device on a major party holiday. Apple has done this several times for a lot less of a problem.
There’s really not much worth saying to you, Paul. You’re a complete moron.
I will say, idiots like you do make places like this interesting.
Quote by Nate: “What do you think Microsoft should have done here, that they didn’t do, Paul? Why is the solution to this problem not good enough?”
Oh, I don’t know. Maybe design the stupid thing right in the first place? Nah! That’s just crazy talk, right?
No one is disputing that a mistake was made, RAS. The fact is, it was handled well. They could have ignored the problem and swept it under the rug. Instead, they admitted fault and let us know how the problem would be fixed.
I’m not suggesting that anything Microsoft does is right. The Xbox 360 situation is a perfect example of a huge screwup that has not been handled well.
I just give credit where it’s due. This particular situation has nothing to do with the extreme fuck ups related to the 360.
So many tiny, tiny, minds in one place…
@ Nate:
Your Zune broke because Microsoft screwed up and I’m the moron? HAHAHA
Microsoft did little to handle anything but tell you to wait!, kill your battery and try again! HAHA WOW now that is customer service. Quickest fix, ever, no error, do nothing and wait!
Lucky only about 10 people bought the stupid Zune, now even less will. I was a BIG moron for ever buying an Xbox, I readily admit this! Dealing with Microsoft of that was the absolute worse experience I ever had with ANY product ever in my life. At the time I would have run Bill Gates the chief gaming CEO over with my car if I could have! I spend hours on the phone and six months of my life dealing with them.
Anyone that points a finger at Apple when their Zune broke with something as stupid as not being able to handle leap year, is a genuine REAL LIVE ABSOLUTE FANBOY! Who spends his money on a toy and doesn’t mind at all when the company that sold it to them screws up, HE ACTUALLY points to another company and tries to day they did this or that! Moron is too nice a word, for that person. FANBOY is the one I use.
If pointing the obvious out, upsets fanboys, I am then proud to be called a moron! HAHA
hey, while were talking about issued with DMPs…why don’t we talk about those 1st gen ipod nanos that exploded/caught fire/started smoking..
hey, that would have never happend if apple had made them right in the first time right? especially being as everyone says apply makes their own hardware
hey heres a good idea
YOUR ALL FUCKING IDIOTS AND YOU NEED TO SHUT THE FUCK UP, GOD DAMN YOU ARE GOD DAMN RETARDS GOD DAMNIT I FUCKING HATE YOU ALL
@ Zac:
Sure all us idiots should be quiet while all the fanboys make up some new stories! Only problem it has NOTHING to do with Apple or iPods! HAHAHA
You know the Zune really had no problem at all, it just took a vacation for leap year. I guess. Please let’s all lie and make believe so the Zuney owners do not get upset and let them sweep their problems under the carpet!
Such HATE for the FACTS. It is actually VERY FUNNY, REALLY! ALL you have to do is watch the four Zune owner fanboys in the world go crazy and get all pissed at everyone but the Zune maker that broke their fucking toy! HAHAHAHAHAHA
I LOVE YOU ALL! HAHAHAHA
ONLY the first day of the years and I doubt this can be topped in 2009! And they call me a moron! I may be a moron and an idiot, but I ain’t ZUNEY! At least I would admit when my toy was broken! HAHAHAHA
Leap year? Or leap SECOND?
Good God! This does work, it fixed my friend’s Zune. I saw his Zune was frozen last nite and this morning when I read this news on BGR. I called him and told him what to do, within 2 mins. It fixed his Zune. Cool. Thanks BGR
hey paul
what stories were being made up specifically? please, point me to some legitimate resources to demonstrate what your talking about
thanks!