Microsoft has posted a solution to the problem... unplug the Zune and let the battery drain out, wait until noon, GMT, on Jan 1, 2009, then plug it back in. Once the battery has sufficient power, the player should start normally. According to hundreds of reports from users worldwide, 30GB Zunes are freezing and locking up due to what appears to be a new years date bug.
One poster summarized the issue on Microsoft's support forums, "At exactly 2am CDT (12am PDT), the docked Zune made the "unplugged from USB port" bong-noise and went to the boot-up screen with the 100% loading bar...and froze. At 2:30am CDT, I decided to check the other Zune. Turned it on and...frozen at the 100% loading screen."
It appears as though only 30GB Zunes are currently affected and some reports indicate that only Zunes with the latest firmware are affected, but this hasn't yet been confirmed.
Microsoft has not yet commented on the matter and is currently unavailable for comment due to time zone differences.
Update: Microsoft's official response so far is "Thank you for your inquiry. We're looking into the situation and will update you as soon as possible." Microsoft has also updated its Zune support service page, "Customers with 30gb Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware. We're aware of the problem and are working to correct it. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience!". Microsoft's Zune insider twitter page has the following, "Hey all. Yes it looks to be quite a day. Thanks for all the heads up. we are on it working to isolate the issue and I will keep you posted." More as it follows.
Update 2: Microsoft has now additionally stated that the Zune Social "might be slow or inaccessible."
Update 3: On the ZuneInsider Twitter, Microsoft says they are making progress and close to being able to ID the issue. Hopefully for the many users being hit with this bug, that means a fix is forthcoming.
The Zune freezes as pictured below:
Image courtesy of Gizmodo
Thanks to QuietStorm21A for the news tip.
I hope my 80 will be fine as I'm in the UK
-The last sentence under the piccy is wrong I believe
Two can play troll just as easily as one...
I think you misunderstood my point.
If you bought one and you like it, great. But it's really something that might have been good 3 years ago. It's time MS either scrap the Zune lineup altogether and bring something entirely new to market, or make some serious changes to the Zune in order to actually make it competitive. It's legacy-ware stuck in a rapidly-evolving sector.
If you bought one and you like it, great. But it's really something that might have been good 3 years ago. It's time MS either scrap the Zune lineup altogether and bring something entirely new to market, or make some serious changes to the Zune in order to actually make it competitive. It's legacy hardware.
What changes are needed for it to be even better than the iPod than it is now? Don't bother saying that it needs the ability to shake the Zune for it to shuffle songs. That's just ridiculous.
Tell me how Apple would handle this if this were an iPod instead. I can tell you that they would be easily forgiven, while they drag the issue through mud and place the blame on something else.
How the Zune is a "uninspiring, failed experiment" is beyond me. My Zune 80GB works just GREAT. I have absolutely no issues with getting it to sync. The support is awesome. Not only does MS support every Zune out there with firmware updates, they're also quick and prompt with replacing them when issues do arrive.
Needless to say, I'm a VERY happy Zune 80GB owner and will continue to spread the word.
If you bought one and you like it, great. But it's really something that might have been good 3 years ago. It's time MS either scrap the Zune lineup altogether and bring something entirely new to market, or make some serious changes to the Zune in order to actually make it competitive. It's legacy hardware.
What changes are needed for it to be even better than the iPod than it is now? Don't bother saying that it needs the ability to shake the Zune for it to shuffle songs. That's just ridiculous.
Tell me how Apple would handle this if this were an iPod instead. I can tell you that they would be easily forgiven, while they drag the issue through mud and place the blame on something else.
How the Zune is a "uninspiring, failed experiment" is beyond me. My Zune 80GB works just GREAT. I have absolutely no issues with getting it to sync. The support is awesome. Not only does MS support every Zune out there with firmware updates, they're also quick and prompt with replacing them when issues do arrive.
Needless to say, I'm a VERY happy Zune 80GB owner and will continue to spread the word.
At best, the Zune competes with the iPod Classic, and the Classic is still around for nostalgia's sake and because there's still some demand for it. But the Classic is only a small part of Apple's overall handheld lineup, and is certainly outclassed by Apple's top offerings.
So at best, you've got legacy-ware competing with legacy-ware, with MS having nothing more to show for it, except a brick that is way past its prime.
If you bought one and you like it, great. But it's really something that might have been good 3 years ago. It's time MS either scrap the Zune lineup altogether and bring something entirely new to market, or make some serious changes to the Zune in order to actually make it competitive. It's legacy-ware stuck in a rapidly-evolving sector.
I own 2 Zune 30's and mistakes happen at least Microsoft wasn't purposively bricking the devices like "another brand"
The Zune has been one of the best technology investments I have ever made (with all of the free updates and new features)
You aren't actually comparing the Zune to Touch, are you??
So at best, you've got legacy-ware competing with legacy-ware, with MS having nothing more to show for it, except a brick that is way past its prime.
The iPod Classic exists because there are many people out there who want to carry their entire music collection on a small portable device, which you can't do with an iPod Nano or Touch or an iPhone. It's not not "nostalgia." I had a 30 GB Zune last year, and I absolutely loved it. I realized, though, that I didn't need that much space, so I sold it and bought an iPod Touch. The Zune is good in regards to price and storage (same as the iPod Classic), and it has more features than the iPod Classic.
How is the iPod any different?
And for the record, Apple is the one who charges users for software updates (with the iPod Touch, twice!)
lol
If you bought one and you like it, great. But it's really something that might have been good 3 years ago. It's time MS either scrap the Zune lineup altogether and bring something entirely new to market, or make some serious changes to the Zune in order to actually make it competitive. It's legacy-ware stuck in a rapidly-evolving sector.
The market share has been growing for them since day 1 why should they give up?
If you bought one and you like it, great. But it's really something that might have been good 3 years ago. It's time MS either scrap the Zune lineup altogether and bring something entirely new to market, or make some serious changes to the Zune in order to actually make it competitive. It's legacy-ware stuck in a rapidly-evolving sector.
Hmm... it appears that there have been time bugs for the iPods as well...
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1357347
http://www.umpcgeek.com/2008/02/ipod-touch-time-bug/
And even freezing!
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ipod+freeze+bug
And for the record, Apple is the one who charges users for software updates (with the iPod Touch, twice!)
Yeah, but why did everybody actually bother paying? The 2.0 firmware is easily found on many Torrent sites, like The Pirate Bay.
And for the record, Apple is the one who charges users for software updates (with the iPod Touch, twice!)
Apple actually charges for software updates? wow, i didn't know that! that's pretty sad...
If you bought one and you like it, great. But it's really something that might have been good 3 years ago. It's time MS either scrap the Zune lineup altogether and bring something entirely new to market, or make some serious changes to the Zune in order to actually make it competitive. It's legacy hardware.
What changes are needed for it to be even better than the iPod than it is now? Don't bother saying that it needs the ability to shake the Zune for it to shuffle songs. That's just ridiculous.
Tell me how Apple would handle this if this were an iPod instead. I can tell you that they would be easily forgiven, while they drag the issue through mud and place the blame on something else.
How the Zune is a "uninspiring, failed experiment" is beyond me. My Zune 80GB works just GREAT. I have absolutely no issues with getting it to sync. The support is awesome. Not only does MS support every Zune out there with firmware updates, they're also quick and prompt with replacing them when issues do arrive.
Needless to say, I'm a VERY happy Zune 80GB owner and will continue to spread the word.
At best, the Zune competes with the iPod Classic, and the Classic is still around for nostalgia's sake and because there's still some demand for it. But the Classic is only a small part of Apple's overall handheld lineup, and is certainly outclassed by Apple's top offerings.
So at best, you've got legacy-ware competing with legacy-ware, with MS having nothing more to show for it, except a brick that is way past its prime.
The classic is still around for those who like to listen to music and want an mp3 player which can store their whole library. The zune does this equaly well, the market for these 2 devices is still huge, and it consists of people who dont need gimmick.
It works the other way around too though, iTunes library, iTunes Music store and Mac and you're vendor locked-in with your iPod or iPhone.
If you ask me, kill off Microsoft and Apple, and get open standards, libraries and music stores that can work with every mp3 player out there. And OGG is a good, free and open format. Easily future proof if the "owner" (none) would go bankrupt in the future (read Eudora and their text render engine).
Why not, they do the same thing with the exception of the grossly overpriced app store. I sold my touch and got a 16GB Zune and am much happier with the software (Zune 3.0 outclasses iTunes by a huge margin) and a player that does the one thing I really want, plays music.
Charging for firmware upgrades is criminal, and charging me for the privilege of using the app store even more so, Apple can suck it. And don't come back with the silly "accounting charge" stuff because the entire rest of the industry gives out firmware and functioncal updates for no charge every day, Apple just saw a chance to grab some cash and went for it.
Opinion and trolling, nothing more.
Only when they include new "big" features like new applications. The latest v2.2 update was free of charge for all v2.0 owners. Some people here make it sound like you have to pay for every single update.
Umm, if Microsoft do offer upgrades, do you think they'd give them to people outside of North America? If not, I'm buggered.
"Your zune will need a "hard reset."
To do this, use a small screwdriver to pop off the plastic shielding where the zune cable plugs into and remove the two screws on either side of the plug. Next pop the cover off and locate the battery plug at the top left corner of the zune, using your screw driver, pop the cable connection half way off, and do this to the other plug on the right side. Wait 3 seconds, then push down the right connector and then the left battery connecter. 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.
It's an easy process but if you're unsure don't attempt it if you think you'll screw it or something.
Not pretty, but it might help those of you who have this problem.
What if you change the computer clock back and then sync?
LOL
MINE IS FROZEN TOO
It looks like a software issue, those who never updated their firmware (from zune version1) dont have the issue, and the 80gb owners dont have any problems, yet......i cant imagine ms doing a replacement program
maybe microsoft is waiting for 2009 to replace all the zune 30's with zune 80's for free?
maybe microsoft is waiting for 2009 to replace all the zune 30's with zune 80's for free?
I'm sure they have plenty sitting around unsold in warehouses.
maybe microsoft is waiting for 2009 to replace all the zune 30's with zune 80's for free?
I'm sure they have plenty sitting around unsold in warehouses.
Right next to the crates of OEM Ubuntu install CDs for most home PCs. Right?
*facepalm*
You seriously need to do some research, you Apple fanboy. The Zune 30s have hardware from the Toshiba Gigabeat S in them.
You seriously need to do some research, you Apple fanboy. The Zune 30s have hardware from the Toshiba Gigabeat S in them.
MS hardware buggy huh? Their keyboards and mice seem to work perfectly fine.... and well this is a SOFTWARE issue in this case also not hardware
You seriously need to do some research, you Apple fanboy. The Zune 30s have hardware from the Toshiba Gigabeat S in them.
MS hardware buggy huh? Their keyboards and mice seem to work perfectly fine.... and well this is a SOFTWARE issue in this case also not hardware
Well it appears to be a problem caused by both the software and the hardware. Microsoft's software with Toshiba's hardware. Otherwise the 4/8/16/80/120 would be having the same problem.
You seriously need to do some research, you Apple fanboy. The Zune 30s have hardware from the Toshiba Gigabeat S in them.
MS hardware buggy huh? Their keyboards and mice seem to work perfectly fine.... and well this is a SOFTWARE issue in this case also not hardware
well if we count the xbox360 and now with the zune i can agree with you
You do realise that the Zune 30 is essentially a Toshiba Gigabeat S with a wifi module, right? It can hardly be classified as designed by Microsoft.
And good luck even finding any at most major retail stores. The Walmart that I work at only carries the 4 and 8 GB flash versions, and absolutely NO accessories for them. We sell probably at least 3 or 4 times as many iPod nanos as we do the Zunes (during Christmas, we actually sold about 10 times as many iPods as Zunes).
I'm ****ing sick of this.
This is a bug that will be fixed by a firmware update. BFD.
I find the browser ones to be more passionate personally.
I'm ****ing sick of this.
This is a bug that will be fixed by a firmware update. BFD.
There are several members who habitually troll Apple threads as well and are constantly ignored, so it's not just the Microsoft threads.
I find the browser ones to be more passionate personally.
Yes, but a significant portion of the staff are Apple fanboys themselves, and the rules are selectively enforced, to put it mildly. What flies on this site is purely at the whim of what mod is reading it at what time. I've had comments sit on threads for *weeks* before some mod schlep happens upon it and sends me a warning.
I find the browser ones to be more passionate personally.
Yes, but a significant portion of the staff are Apple fanboys themselves, and the rules are selectively enforced, to put it mildly. What flies on this site is purely at the whim of what mod is reading it at what time. I've had comments sit on threads for *weeks* before some mod schlep happens upon it and sends me a warning.
None of the staff are Apple fan boys and I am the complete opposite (me being the article writer, Tom Warren) so I dunno where you pulled that stat from?
Last edited by creamhackered on 31 Dec 2008 - 17:51
I find the browser ones to be more passionate personally.
Yes, but a significant portion of the staff are Apple fanboys themselves, and the rules are selectively enforced, to put it mildly. What flies on this site is purely at the whim of what mod is reading it at what time. I've had comments sit on threads for *weeks* before some mod schlep happens upon it and sends me a warning.
I'm actually a bit insulted. I am supposed to be the only Apple fanboy around here!
Last edited by shockz on 31 Dec 2008 - 20:20
All I can say is - welcome to the internet. The mods here do try their best to be impartial and fair but it must be difficult with people who act like 8 year olds in a schoolyard name throwing contest.
All I can say is - welcome to the internet. The mods here do try their best to be impartial and fair but it must be difficult with people who act like 8 year olds in a schoolyard name throwing contest.
thats if they can even do a firmware update, if the thing locked before it got to the point it can load a firmware then you are bricked...
Yes you can, just set the zune to format mode and it erases everything except the bootloader (which is loaded before the progress bar even appears).
just DON'T connect to your zune software as it will reset the clock and your locked again.
Copying music FROM your iFoan is easy, because... no... wait- YOU CAN'T! iFoan 3G music is encrypted! And you need 3rd party software to copy from an iPod. D'OH!
You can, however, copy music (and videos) FROM a Zune.
Apple is the new EVIL.
Copying music FROM your iFoan is easy, because... no... wait- YOU CAN'T! iFoan 3G music is encrypted! And you need 3rd party software to copy from an iPod. D'OH!
You can, however, copy music (and videos) FROM a Zune.
Apple is the new EVIL.
It really isn't that big of a deal, are you really going to move music from device to device? I mean if you want the Zune for THAT feature, then awesome, the Zune sounds kick ass! However if you just want the portable net and apps and such, the best choice is the Ipod Touch, or Iphone.
Copying music FROM your iFoan is easy, because... no... wait- YOU CAN'T! iFoan 3G music is encrypted! And you need 3rd party software to copy from an iPod. D'OH!
You can, however, copy music (and videos) FROM a Zune.
Apple is the new EVIL.
It really isn't that big of a deal, are you really going to move music from device to device? I mean if you want the Zune for THAT feature, then awesome, the Zune sounds kick ass! However if you just want the portable net and apps and such, the best choice is the Ipod Touch, or Iphone.
Yea, seriously. This isn't that big a deal because most people I know aren't interested in copying music from this computer to that computer all the time. Besides, if this was a need for you, you'd be much better off from a Walkman or some player with simple drag and drop compatibility.
Customers with 30gb Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware. We're aware of the problem and are working to correct it. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience!
That's from the official zune.net support page.
http://forums.zune.net/406962/ShowPost.aspx
http://forums.zune.net/406962/ShowPost.aspx
Why not trick the computer and zune thinking its a different date... and then apply an update. Goofy... but it would probably save a trip to MS.
The Apple VS MS trolling is ridiculous as usual. I'm almost wishing iPods/Phones will lock up as well so everybody can have a nice cup of STFU. (For the record, I own an iPod Touch 1G
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Windows/Microsoft...dwide-Meltdown/
Thankfully my 80 and 120 are still chugging along a-ok.
I remember when RIM had that big outage, and it lasted for a whole day or something.
I remember when RIM had that big outage, and it lasted for a whole day or something.
Yea but if i recall...that was due to service outage, not the device not booting
I remember when RIM had that big outage, and it lasted for a whole day or something.
That was a server error. This is a hardware error.
I remember when RIM had that big outage, and it lasted for a whole day or something.
That was a server error. This is a hardware error.
Then in that case, I guess I stand corrected.
Don't get so discouraged. The problem isn't actually related to the Zune's capabilities or features.
so will it work tomorrow morning?
I for one am hoping it will. If this is just a temporary situation, the impact to the Zune sales (and ultimately, support) should be minimal.
the clock will fix it if ya wait till tomorrow so you dont need to fix it if your not in a rush. lol.. internal clock will fix itself..
As for why just this model? Well, the internal software is a little different between the 2..
Last edited by Lord Zog on 31 Dec 2008 - 22:37
Early this morning we were alerted by our customers that there was a widespread issue affecting our 2006 model Zune 30GB devices (a large number of which are still actively being used). The technical team jumped on the problem immediately and isolated the issue: a bug in the internal clock driver related to the way the device handles a leap year. 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.
Customers can continue to stay informed via the support page on zune.net (zune.net/support).
We know this has been a big inconvenience to our customers and we are sorry for that, and want to thank them for their patience.
Q: Why is this issue isolated to the Zune 30 device?
It is a bug in a driver for a part that is only used in the Zune 30 device.
Q: What fixes or patches are you putting in place to resolve this situation?
This situation should remedy itself over the next 24 hours as the time flips to January 1st.
Q: What's the timeline on a fix?
The issue Zune 30GB customers are experiencing today will self resolve as time changes to January 1.
Q: Why did this occur at precisely 12:01 a.m. on December 31, 2008?
There is a bug in the internal clock driver causing the 30GB device to improperly handle the last day of a leap year.
Q: What is Zune doing to fix this issue?
The issue should resolve itself.
Q: Are you sure that this won't happen to all 80, 120 or other flash devices?
This issue is related to a part that is only used in Zune 30 devices.
Q: How many 30GB Zune devices are affected? How many Zune 30GB devices were sold?
All 30GB devices are potentially affected.
Q: Will you update the firmware before the next leap year (2012)?
Yes.
Matt Akers
Zune Product Team
Last edited by QuietStorm21A on 01 Jan 2009 - 03:21
They will fix the issue in the next firmware according to the page.
Not according to this comment:
"Q: What is Zune doing to fix this issue?
The issue should resolve itself."
i think 4 years to fix this bug is enough time!
"Q: What is Zune doing to fix this issue?
The issue should resolve itself."
Yes, it does. Read it again:
http://forums.zune.net/412486/ShowPost.aspx
Yes.
"Q: What is Zune doing to fix this issue?
The issue should resolve itself."
Yes, it does. Read it again:
http://forums.zune.net/412486/ShowPost.aspx
Yes.
LOL
It's because they're all making sure it doesn't happen on Windows Vista
Yeah, I guess so then.
It wasn't a Microsoft problem. It was a Freescale problem. The code at fault is available here:
http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/zune-news...m-isolated.html
Enlighten us on how a company can test for every possible error that could possibly be conceived. Be realistic.
While a company generally can't test EVERYTHING, you would think that they would at least make sure the clock works right during leap years. That's first year (hell, first semester) programming!!
Microsoft didn't actually write anything dealing with the clock. They would have only called a function that says "Tell me the time", and another that says "Set the time". They didn't implement them.
Like my neighbors Airbook thingying that gets a color spinning dick when they plug in their new sony camera. Talk about wasting $900 on a camera and $2700 on a laptop to do videos and being f'd...... but it's all the same... apple stops and zune stops...... amazing that all the money spent on a weekend habit slaps the owners in the face , huh?
Sorry but LMFAO, what a typo
When I try to switch on I just have a blck screen showing a white outlined battery with a white exclamation mark in it???
When I plug the USB cable in, the exclamation mark is replaced with a two-pin plug.
Anybody else have this???
Last edited by smith0166 on 01 Jan 2009 - 14:05
http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/zune-news...m-isolated.html
http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/zune-news...m-isolated.html
Freescale wrote it, but Microsoft chose to use it without first verifying that it actually worked right for something as obvious as a leap year.
http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/zune-news...m-isolated.html
Freescale wrote it, but Microsoft chose to use it without first verifying that it actually worked right for something as obvious as a leap year.
I don't know about you, but I've never bothered to check a standard library for working properly. Most likely, Microsoft didn't write a single line of code for date handling: Only display and set, which I'm sure are standard functions from Freescale. So why test it?
Last edited by MioTheGreat on 01 Jan 2009 - 15:58
http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/zune-news...m-isolated.html
Freescale wrote it, but Microsoft chose to use it without first verifying that it actually worked right for something as obvious as a leap year.
I don't know about you, but I've never bothered to check a standard library for working properly. Most likely, Microsoft didn't write a single line of code for date handling: Only display and set, which I'm sure are standard functions from Freescale. So why test it?
I agree. You cant blame MS and I thank the zune team for finding the problem and resolution in timely manner.
http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/zune-news...m-isolated.html
Freescale wrote it, but Microsoft chose to use it without first verifying that it actually worked right for something as obvious as a leap year.
I don't know about you, but I've never bothered to check a standard library for working properly. Most likely, Microsoft didn't write a single line of code for date handling: Only display and set, which I'm sure are standard functions from Freescale. So why test it?
I agree. You cant blame MS and I thank the zune team for finding the problem and resolution in timely manner.
You always blame the company, regardless. Whether Apple, MS, Dell, etc. It keeps them accountable. Besides, while MS might not be at specific fault, it's still their responsibility.
Overheating Nvidia GPUs in Macbook Pros? Not Apple's fault? Too bad, Apple is still responsible. As a consumer I don't care how far down the line the issue occurred, if it has an Apple logo on it, they are to be held responsible. It's all about accountability.
Overheating Nvidia GPUs in Macbook Pros? Not Apple's fault? Too bad, Apple is still responsible. As a consumer I don't care how far down the line the issue occurred, if it has an Apple logo on it, they are to be held responsible. It's all about accountability.
Absolutely right...
Overheating Nvidia GPUs in Macbook Pros? Not Apple's fault? Too bad, Apple is still responsible. As a consumer I don't care how far down the line the issue occurred, if it has an Apple logo on it, they are to be held responsible. It's all about accountability.
Let me know when you actually start living up to this statement. I will certainly not be holding my breath.
Overheating Nvidia GPUs in Macbook Pros? Not Apple's fault? Too bad, Apple is still responsible. As a consumer I don't care how far down the line the issue occurred, if it has an Apple logo on it, they are to be held responsible. It's all about accountability.
Let me know when you actually start living up to this statement. I will certainly not be holding my breath.
I already have. But it depends on whether I identify something as an actual problem.
I fault nVidia on that one, but that's just me.
I would also. Its one thing to blame and another thing to hold accountable for a solution. I dont blame MS for the glitch but i will hold them accountable to fix the problem imo.
I find it funny when hackers and coders have to write code to fix expensive & heavily DRM'd corporate junk, then they just go thank you, compile and distribute it taking all the credit.
A class action lawsuit should be launched against MS for deliberatly disabling all 30GB zunes for 12 hours on Janurary 1st 2009, and imposing strict DRM measures preventing the problem from being rectified other than 'waiting it out'.
They used the code, not written by them, but they approved it. Imagine if GM did this with their vehicles, never worked for 12 hours, or your cable company cut everyone off for 12 hours for no reason - I know you wouldn't sit back and be like aww, well it happens... Yet its likely 75% of people who own a 30GB zune won't even realize this bug was there.
This happens a lot for me with Mediacom cable... not 12 hours but sometimes hours at a time and you can't call them because they either put you on hold for long enough for the problem to go away while you're on hold, or it's busy
Just thought i'd post this
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