Zune 30GB Devices Failing At Start Of 2009?

[Ed Hansberry]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://gizmodo.com/5121311/30gb-zunes-failing-everywhere-all-at-once?skyline=true&s=x' target='_blank'>http://gizmodo.com/5121311/30gb-zun...kyline=true&s=x</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Right, so this is a weird one: we're getting tons of reports - tons - about failing Zune 30s. Apparently, the players began freezing at about midnight last night, becoming totally unresponsive and practically useless.The crisis has been dubbed by Zune users 'Y2K9', due to the apparently synchronized faceplantings across the country. According to tipster Michael, the Zune users experienced something like this:"</em></p><p>Gizmodo is reporting that a lot of Zune 30GB owners are reporting their devices are freezing up today. The official Zune.net <a href="http://forums.zune.net/5/ShowForum.aspx" target="_blank">hardware forum already has several threads</a> by 30GB owners. Could it have anything to do with the new year? I doubt it as Jan 1, 2009 has only just arrived in Adelaide, Australia as I post this. If you have a 30GB device, has it gone belly up? This seems to be too widespread to be a hoax.</p><p><strong>Update:</strong> I've confirmed with a lot of people that this is indeed happening. A few interesting threads: 1) <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=56200925664" target="_blank">Facebook as a group for people with 30GB bricked devices </a>and 2) <a href="http://forums.zune.net/404026/ShowPost.aspx" target="_blank">A hard reset might be the fix</a>. There will be no Happy New Year for the Zune team at Microsoft as I am sure many will be called in today to resolve this.</p><p><strong>Update 2: </strong>Microsoft has updated the "Zune Service Status" at the Zune support site and has <a href="http://forums.zune.net/408989/ShowPost.aspx" target="_blank">created a sticky thread </a>where you can monitor the situation. If you have a 30GB device and are impacted (seems to be the latest firmware) then you should subscribe to that thread.</p><p><strong>Update 3:</strong> It seems it will fix itself. See the <a href="http://forums.zune.net/2/43/408989/ShowPost.aspx#408989" target="_blank">post by Skipdeez in the Zune.net forums.</a></p>

[tsahnocub]

I've got both a Zune80 and a Zune30. After reading about all of that, I went and checked the Zune30. Battery was dead. After putting it on the charger, it booted up, and is promptly stuck on the Zune logo screen with the loading bar all the way full.

I'm not really sure what to do now, this was a launch unit (purchased within the first month of release), and is outside microsoft warranty and the 2yr extended warranty from circuit city.

[korneel]

I didn't believed this when I read it, I checked my 30, started it up and guess what? It is stuck on the boot screen...

[Bob S]

Found my Zune 30 stuck on boot screen an unresponsive this morning too.
Can not reset or reboot.
My daughter's is dead too

[Chris Gohlke]

Same problem here, this can't be good.

[inteller]

OH MY GOD. I am SOOOOO PISSED.

This is it, I'm done. Microsoft, you need to fire every ****er at Zune. How something like this could happen is beyond me.

[Swiftus]

Yup... me too... This will be interesting.. Maybe we'll all get Zune 120s (not holding my breath)

[LegendDJ]

My Zune 30 is frozen as well. I thought the hard drive was dying. I wish I had went online before I opened the device and reformatted the hard drive. From what I can tell the Zune runs fine when the clock isn't set, with the Zune not having a CMOS battery to retain time, people are able to "hard rest" their Zune by unplugging the battery cable, thus they able to get it functioning again as long as they don't sync with a computer which would set the time. Apparently this is a firmware problem, which is going to be a pain to correct for Microsoft, as the battery still helps retain time for long period even when it doesn't have enough to power the device itself.

[David Tucker]

Wow...this is inexcusable no matter what the eventual explanation is.

[Sven Johannsen]

At least this site didn't die at midnight last night :rolleyes:

You gotta figure MS will do something to fix this, warranty or not. I don't think they could afford to say 'sucks to be an early adopter' to everyone who bought the original Zune. I expect it really is everyone.

From the reports it is 'time bombed'. It is mitigatable by resetting the clock, which can only be done by openning the unit and disconnecting the battery, or presumably by totally draining it. Charging the unit is OK, but hooking it back to a PC corrects the clock and re-activates the bug. Kind of defeats the function if you can't manage the music on it.

This will be interesting. I don't expect it will be tough to find and smash the bug, but so far software updates seem to have been dependent on docking a working Zune and re-flashing it. I wonder if there will be trickier to flash a Zune that is stuck.

P.S. was at work reading this. Wife just checked my 30G at home, yup, it's stuck. Wonder when the 4, 8, 60 and 120s die :rolleyes:

[Ed Hansberry]

Not good at all.

There is a fix posted at http://forums.zune.net/404026/ShowPost.aspx - it is a hard reset, which is no fun if you have a lot of podcasts you've tweaked settings for or you have picked individual playlists to sync over.

[tsahnocub]

A lot of people are stating that the hard reset fix doesn't really fix it. Really seems to be a firmware issue related to the clock.

[Chris Gohlke]

And since it appears the hard reset requires opening the unit, I'd wait for an official statement from Microsoft.

[inteller]

microsoft needs to replace every one of these. These failed at midnight, with the hard drive and screen fully on inside the unit heating up for most people around 8-9 hours if they were plugged into a charger. Mine was warm to the touch this morning when I pulled it out of the dock.

At this point if I were MS I would just collect all of these units and put the Zune30 to rest. I'll just have to eat it on my Travel Kit that can't be used anymore, but I don't want any more **** like this.

Most Zune30 owners were early adopters, so MS just screwed over the most loyal part of its fan base. The PR damage can never be undone on this one.

[doogald]

Most Zune30 owners were early adopters, so MS just screwed over the most loyal part of its fan base. The PR damage can never be undone on this one.

I think if MS offers to replace any Zune 30 with a new Zune that the PR damage could be mitigated.

But, it sounds like somebody made a horrible mistake.

[Chris Gohlke]

I disagree, I think the PR damage can be undone, but assuming that there is not an easy fix that the user can perform, it is not going to be cheap.

Microsoft will need to compare the cost of fixing it to the cost of not fixing it. Frankly, they are at the point that if they've bricked all the 30G models and don't make it right, the Zune platform is pretty much done for. Speaking for myself, if I have to go buy a new MP3 player as a result of this, it won't be a Zune.

In a way this is very similar to the RROD problem. Very expensive to fix, but really no choice in the matter from a PR perspective.

[Chris Gohlke]

May want to keep an eye on MajorNelsons twitter feed https://twitter.com/majornelson

[NathanScott]

I got an email from my brother who pointed out that today is the 366th day of the year... which sounds like one of their programmers doesn't know the basic facts about the calendar. And being that they made improvements to the play-count data in the recent update, I suspect that somebody goofed with a day-count variable check.

I haven't turned mine on yet because I'm hoping that I can avoid the problem if I just don't use it today.

This is a great way to get a lot of bad rep for a product that needs all the help it can get.

[Jason Dunn]

Charging the unit is OK, but hooking it back to a PC corrects the clock and re-activates the bug. Kind of defeats the function if you can't manage the music on it.

If that's really the problem, then this problem would seem to be very difficult to fix because connecting it seems to trigger the problem - they might be able to release a stand-alone software patch that intercepts the Zune before it syncs and updates the firmware...but if the Zune is bricked, I wonder if it can connect at all to the PC to even receive a patch? Microsoft might have to initiate a recall of some sort.

What a freakin' disaster - the Zune was doing pretty good this holiday season from what I've read, but something like this will undermine consumer confidence in a big way. I guess the only ray of light is that it's only impacting Zune 30s, and there are more Zune 4/8/16/80/120's on the market than Zune 30s...although it's not like Zune 30s were ever pulled from retail markets, so it's possible someone got a Zune 30 for Christmas this year and now it's not working. That's a bad scenario. :(

FWIW, both of my Zune 30's charged up and booted up OK - but I also haven't synced them with my computer in many months. One is firmware 1.4 and one is firmware 2.4. I'm sure if I docked them and updated the firmware they'd be nuked like everyone elses.

[Jason Dunn]

I got an email from my brother who pointed out that today is the 366th day of the year... which sounds like one of their programmers doesn't know the basic facts about the calendar.

That's an excellent point - and it sure seems like it might be related given what's happening here seems to be calendar-related.

[MarxMarvelous]

FWIW, both of my Zune 30's charged up and booted up OK - but I also haven't synced them with my computer in many months. One is firmware 1.4 and one is firmware 2.4. I'm sure if I docked them and updated the firmware they'd be nuked like everyone elses.

So perhaps it is specific to 3.x firmware... I hadn't sync'ed to my computer for at least a few weeks but still got hit with the problem this morning :(

[Jason Dunn]

I think if MS offers to replace any Zune 30 with a new Zune that the PR damage could be mitigated.

That's a pretty big wish - I highly doubt Microsoft would do something like that, the costs would be extremely high. I agree they have to do something pretty big though to address what a PR disaster this is rapidly becoming...:eek:

[Chris Gohlke]

If it is not fixable by the user, I think the best case would be a massive mailback program like with the 360. Perhaps the option for a really nice discount on a newer model instead.

[Darius Wey]

Yep, my Zune 30, which is running the latest firmware, is stuck as well. I can't seem to power it down, or perform any resets, so I guess I'll be leaving this one to drain overnight.

Great way to start a new year. :rolleyes:

[Ed Hansberry]

Official thread from MS on the issue...


http://forums.zune.net/408989/ShowPost.aspx

[David Tucker]

And thus starts the widespread PR issue... http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/31/zune.player.failures/index.html

[Jason Dunn]

And thus starts the widespread PR issue... http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/31/zune.player.failures/index.html

<sigh> What's frustrating of course is that the media ignores the fact that this is happening on the old, discontinued Zune 30s. They put the fact that this doesn't impact the new models as the last line of the article. :rolleyes:

Yes, it's a serious, wide-spread problem, but they need to keep it in context.

[gjw]

At this point if I were MS I would just collect all of these units and put the Zune30 to rest. I'll just have to eat it on my Travel Kit that can't be used anymore, but I don't want any more **** like this.

The Zune travel kit is compatible with the later Zunes.
Originally the travel remote did have a compatibility issue with the Zune 80 but that was resolved with one of the recent firmware updates.

[samtheman]

Me and my work partner's 30GB Zune have both frozen. No reboot possible...been all over the Zune forums and this one--and no answers forthcoming, not as of 2:52pm, CST, here in Central Texas :eek:.

[David Tucker]

<SIGH> What's frustrating of course is that the media ignores the fact that this is happening on the old, discontinued Zune 30s. They put the fact that this doesn't impact the new models as the last line of the article. :rolleyes:

Yes, it's a serious, wide-spread problem, but they need to keep it in context.

I have never seen coverage from the 'mainstream' media that makes me believe they have anything other than an actual agenda agaisnt Microfosft.

[Chris Gohlke]

Front page story on Yahoo too - http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nf/20081231/tc_nf/63809

[Alber1690]

Whoa...this online pandemonium is unbelievable. I hope they find a solution soon. My 80 is doing okay, but all my friends with 30s are reporting the same issue. They flooded my phone with text messages, which prompted me to look it up and that's when I found out that this was definitely not an "isolated issue."

[Janak Parekh]

<sigh> What's frustrating of course is that the media ignores the fact that this is happening on the old, discontinued Zune 30s. They put the fact that this doesn't impact the new models as the last line of the article. :rolleyes:

Yes, it's a serious, wide-spread problem, but they need to keep it in context. Honestly, you really expect the media to be that nuanced about technology? After all the crap reviews of devices we've read? I'm pleasantly surprised they mentioned what model it happened on at all.

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

Here's the Google News collection of articles on the subject:

- Google News (http://news.google.com/?ncl=1285892142&hl=en)

It appears that the fact that all Zune 30s have frozen has captured the media's imagination firsthand. There's all sorts of memes spreading, like, "The Day the Zunes Stood Still."

Also, Microsoft should be working harder (quicker?) to get a consistent answer out to counter the bad PR. Articles like Microsoft sends mixed messages about Zune fix (http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/158270.asp) aren't helping. :(

--janak

[Chris Gohlke]

I would think the fact that it appears to be impacting all 30's should make the process simpler to track down. I'll be curious to find out if it truly was a bug that got past everyone in testing or if something more devious is going on, like maybe a logic bomb placed by a disgruntled employee.

[Caged]

I would think the fact that it appears to be impacting all 30's should make the process simpler to track down. I'll be curious to find out if it truly was a bug that got past everyone in testing or if something more devious is going on, like maybe a logic bomb placed by a disgruntled employee.

First the RRoD then the BSoD and now all zune 30 are going dead at the same of the day only one thing could be going on SKY NET has taken over Microsoft.
I don't about you but I am going to my closest fallout shelter with a mac and an Ipod.

PS I am a zune 80 user and loving it.

[Rocco Augusto]

This happened to me last night while I was listening to some music. At first I thought it was because I dropped my Zune a few weeks ago and cracked the screen (http://twitpic.com/s2ff). I tried taking it apart to pull the battery thinking that would fix it, but I couldn't find my super tiny screwdriver so I figured I would let the battery drain and then try charging it up again.

Not to thrilled to see this problem happening with everyone though it is time for me to buy a new Zune since my screen is cracked anyways :(

[MarxMarvelous]

Well, looks like they have the "fix" up... just wait until Jan 1, 2009 and it will start working again :)

Zune.net (http://forums.zune.net/408989/ShowPost.aspx)

[Update - 2:20pm PST]
Hi guys,
I just got an update from the team that I want to share with you. Great news! It looks like this issue will resolve itself over the next 24 hours. Please read the response below. Thank you all for your extreme patience with this!
-Matt
=-=-=-=
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. <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O:P></O:P>

[Jason Dunn]

Well, looks like they have the "fix" up... just wait until Jan 1, 2009 and it will start working again :)

Thanks, front-paging this now...

[Ed Hansberry]

Fix posted. See skipdeez' post at http://forums.zune.net/2/43/408989/ShowPost.aspx#408989

[Ed Hansberry]

So, are your Zune 30GB devices starting to come out of their coma?

[blazingwolf]

So, are your Zune 30GB devices starting to come out of their coma?

Mine works again. :)

[Darius Wey]

So, are your Zune 30GB devices starting to come out of their coma?

Mine works, too. Didn't wake up until around noon GMT as suggested by Microsoft.