Zune Apocalypse

[Saggy]

Around midnight Pacific time last night, 30GB Zunes began restarting and locking up at their boot screens. Reports have swamped official forums and fan sites, and Microsoft has yet to officially comment on the reason for this pre-New-Year's Zune apocalypse.

As reported by hundreds of owners in forum threads at Zune.net and other (http://www.zunescene.mobi/forums/index.php?topic=43549.0) sites (http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/gen-1/38114-zune-frozen.html), one of which already has over 1,000 replies (http://forums.zune.net/403986/ShowPost.aspx), the 30GB model of Microsoft's Zune digital media player—and apparently only the 30GB model—entered a coma last night. Whether a Zune was sitting idle or was in the middle of playing a song, users report that the device either shut itself off or restarted and then locked up at its boot screen.
"i was on the computer my zune was hooked up charging all of the sudden it reset it self and froze on the zune loading logo screen !!!" said ISUZU RODEO on the Zune.net forums (http://forums.zune.net/403986/ShowPost.aspx). "Same thing just happened to me!" replied momogirl. "Except mine wasn't hooked up to the computer, I was playing music and all of sudden the music stopped and it shut off. I turned the Zune back on and it loaded to 100% but then froze and none of the reset combinations are working."

Some accounts claim that this does not happen on 30GB Zunes that run firmware previous to the 3.1 release (http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2008/11/18/zune-3-1-firmware-and-software-released-price-cuts-are-here) in November, but one such Zune with 3.0 firmware in the Ars Orbiting HQ has locked up like the rest. Another staff member with an 80GB Zune, however, is still rocking out to the social, and a third staffer has no problems with either 120GB or 8GB models.
Another thread in the Zune.net forums is already calling for compensation from Microsoft over the issue in the form of free Zune Passes (http://forums.zune.net/406229/ShowPost.aspx) or album downloads. One user even went so far as to suggest the option of a free iPod touch, while others issued calls for reason and hunkered down to hear a solution from the Microsoft mothership.
As of this writing, Microsoft has yet to respond to Ars Technica's request for comment on the problem, but one thing is clear: when your music player is already the punchline to numerous Internet jokes, having a digital angel of death sweep over the firstborn first model en masse isn't going to help the situation.
That chortling sound you hear is laughter emanating from the iPod design team in Cupertino.


http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081231-30gb-zunes-prepare-for-new-year-by-locking-up.html

Any of you guys have a 30GB Zune that experienced this?

[FlyingStone]

Saw this over at FP, and Digg, pretty strange.

[Jean-Luc]

I am the proud disappointed homicidal owner of a zune 30gb, and yep, mine froze sometime around 2AM.

Firmware issues can go :fuckoff:

[Rentafence]

Oh shit, Zune Y2k9 :f5:

[Syuusuke]

Proud owner of an 8gb Zune...

My 30gb is already dead =/

But wow this sucks!

Do you 30gb-ers have the 3.1 firmware?

[jcap]

http://zuneinsider.com/archive/2008/12/30/30-gb-zune-issue-update.aspx

Yeah, all (or most) Zunes with the 3.1 firmware are dead.

[Terry]

Heh, we all know how much Microsoft seems to be almost phasing out the existence of the 30 GB model. It makes you wonder.

[sdavis117]

Not even Microsoft would dip that low.


Or would they?

This may be in response to some unknown flaw with the Zune's design. Microsoft releases this virus to their Zunes, replaces them with nice shiny ones, and avoids any problems with this flaw, whatever it is. Would have to be a big flaw though for M$ to cover it up like this.

[jcap]

Seems like Microsoft has a last minute entry for "The Biggest Tech Fuckup of 2008."

[thehoodedsmack]

What the hell? I read this, go to turn on my Zune, and BAM! Dead. Microsoft has some 'splainin' to do...

[Limited]

Hmm, the millennium+9 bug has hit.

Sucks, hopefully they can release a quick fix soon, people probably got some for Christmas, they are gonna be pissed.

[Ifafudafi]

I personally hope this is some professional hacker that just fucked up everyone's shit or a widespread conspiratorial gambit by Apple designed to move Zune users to the iPod.

Firmware failures are so boring :saddowns:

[DrunkenSamus]

Score one for Apple. :v:

[SnaFuBAR]

My iPod nano locked up too!

Not.

Heh.

[Apoc4lypse]

My iPod nano locked up too!

Not.

Heh.

I knew it, its a conspiracy :giggle:


..I tried...

I'm the proud owner of... some sort of panasonic mp3 player I found randomly, holds 20 songs :cool: am I cool yet? My old ipod grew legs and walked away oneday while I was snowboarding :fail:

[ICEE]

Theres an easy solution to this problem: http://jdfrey.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/ipod.jpg

I never trusted zunes anyways. As much as it pains me to admit it, apple wins this round.

[StankBacon]

I never trusted zunes anyways

what?

[Terry]

By the way, just take out the battery wait 10 seconds and put it back in.Try setting the time on your computer clock to something random until the issue is resolved.
It's not the death of your zune. Also, I don't see what's so great about iPods.

[Xetsuei]

By the way, just take out the battery wait 10 seconds and put it back in.

Are you serious?

Rofl.

[StankBacon]

its not easy to get to the battery...

[Terry]

Yeah, screwdrivers are pretty tricky to handle. Alternatively, you could wait for it to completely discharge, although I don't know about that.


Off another forum:


According to Zune Forums this is just a bug in the clock driver in the 30 GB Zune. It will fix itself on January 1st, 2009. They said a patch isn't needed.

Good job Microsoft .

[StankBacon]

do you even own a zune?

there are no screws....


-edit- just checked mine, frozen at boot screen.

[thehoodedsmack]

Terry, what are you talking about? I'm not sure WHERE you expect me to put a screwdriver on this thing, consider it's not designed to come apart. And I've drained the battery on mine, recharged it, and still the error persists.

[Joshflighter]

That might be some mp3 players.. just think about if Micro$oft was to do this to Operating Systems. D:

[ICEE]

what?

Something seemed unreliable about them. Just had a feeling.

[LlamaMaster]

120gb owner here. I lol at you puny 30gb owners.

[Terry]

do you even own a zune?

there are no screws....


-edit- just checked mine, frozen at boot screen.

gqM4qTpkzQw

[thehoodedsmack]

Voiding your warranty isn't a good way to fix something, Terry.

[Con]

Oh shit, Zune Y2k9 :f5:
was about to post this, heh

edit:
http://portables.about.com/b/2008/12/31/zune-30gb-fix-found-wait-until-tomorrow-goes-away-by-itself.htm

that doesnt seem so bad, and the Q&A makes me lol.

[Xetsuei]

Something seemed unreliable about them. Just had a feeling.

Nothing is unreliable about them, this is simply a firmware bug. I'd take my Zune over an iPod any day. Mainly because of the fact my dumbass friends have dropped it so many times (from table/hand height), and there's not even a scratch on it. iPods seem waaay to fragile, and doubt they could take that abuse.

[DaneO'Roo]

Creative Zen ftw

[ICEE]

Nothing is unreliable about them, this is simply a firmware bug. I'd take my Zune over an iPod any day. Mainly because of the fact my dumbass friends have dropped it so many times (from table/hand height), and there's not even a scratch on it. iPods seem waaay to fragile, and doubt they could take that abuse.

Not to promote an "ipod vs zune" argument, but my ipod has seen many a beat down and still serves me just fine.

[BobtheGreatII]

Holy hell... I can't believe something like this happened lol, the same thing happened to me, I thought I killed it charging it.

[Xetsuei]

Not to promote an "ipod vs zune" argument, but my ipod has seen many a beat down and still serves me just fine.

But is it completely scratch free?

[BobtheGreatII]

The issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009. We expect the internal clock on the Zune 30GB devices will automatically reset tomorrow (noon, GMT). By tomorrow you should allow the battery to fully run out of power before the unit can restart successfully then simply ensure that your device is recharged, then turn it back on. If you’re a Zune Pass subscriber, you may need to sync your device with your PC to refresh the rights to the subscription content you have downloaded to your device.
Can this be locked now before it turns in to a mp3 player throw down... again.

[kenney001]

I love my Iphone!

[BobtheGreatII]

I love my IphoneiPhone!

Clearly not enough to spell it right. :rolleyes:

[Saggy]

I really wanted to get a Zune, but I was actually lucky enough to find an 8GB iPod Nano on the way to school one day. Also, please let that previous statement be the last about MP3 Players/which MP3 Players are better and let this be about Zune Y2K9.

Also, people with "dead" Zunes, report here tomorrow whether or not your Zune is "alive" again. Would like to see what the outcome of all this is.

[TeeKup]

Microsofts solution is to wait until 2009 starts? LOL!

[Rentafence]

Microsofts solution is to wait until 2009 starts? LOL!

What would be the point in creating a patch, debugging and distributing it, when by the time it's released the problem will be fixed anyway?

[Dwood]

What would be the point in creating a patch, debugging and distributing it, when by the time it's released the problem will be fixed anyway?

It would only take like 5 minutes to write the patch and put it up :rolleyes:

[TeeKup]

What would be the point in creating a patch, debugging and distributing it, when by the time it's released the problem will be fixed anyway?
I never said a patch should be made. I'm laughing at the fact that its that simple.

[Xetsuei]

It would only take like 5 minutes to write the patch and put it up :rolleyes:

And how the hell would you know that. Do you work for Microsoft's Zune firmware department?

[Boba]

I thought it was strange when mine locked up. :v

[Dwood]

And how the hell would you know that. Do you work for Microsoft's Zune firmware department?


I don't mean fixing the problem. More like getting around what's causing the issue.

[Xetsuei]

I don't mean fixing the problem. More like getting around what's causing the issue.

Definately isn't implied from your post. And even then I bet it would take longer.

[BobtheGreatII]

Weird... cause so far the only people I see complaining are the people who don't like Microsoft.

I have my Zune 30 sitting right here, and I don't have a single problem with waiting for it to fix itself.

If it's not one thing to bitch about, it's another... :fail:

[Dwood]

Definately isn't implied from your post. And even then I bet it would take longer.

Just a few lines to move the clock forward over to the new year kinda thing and put online for someone if they want it.

[BobtheGreatII]

Just a few lines to move the clock forward over to the new year kinda thing and put online for someone if they want it.

You're sort of missing the fact that there really isn't a way to update it. Even if they uploaded a patch, being that the Zune software\PC doesn't recognize it unless it's fully booted up there's no way to install the patch.

[Limited]

Just a few lines to move the clock forward over to the new year kinda thing and put online for someone if they want it.
They have to test it out alot, they cant just update code and ship it straight away. This is not just any random person, this is microsoft and they have protocols and procedures to follow.

[thehoodedsmack]

So it's 2009, and my Zune's working fine! How's everyone else holding up?

[Rentafence]

So I guess nukes didn't start flying all over the world huh? :)

[Hotrod]

Creative Zen ftw
Agreed, I've had my Zen Vision : M since mid-2005, and it hasn't caused me any problems yet.

[Timo]

Issue resolved, locking before more people start to yell about which mp3 player is best.