12-19-2006, 03:40 AM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Zune Firmware 1.2 Released
Microsoft has released Firmware 1.2 for the Zune. It's a great early Christmas present, but if you were hoping to see some new features (proper podcasting support, wireless streaming - you name it), you'll be sorely disappointed. Read on for a drill down of the update experience.
We took the opportunity to update three Zune devices today. We received an update notification with one Zune, but there was no notification love to be had with the other two. Instead, the update process had to be initiated manually via the "Check for Zune Device Updates" menu option.
"How about giving it a little love?"
If there was love, we certainly weren't feeling it. With our fingers crossed, we were hoping for a better update experience from hereon.
Side note: Firmware 1.2 enhances the stability and performance of the Zune device. We took time out to perform a few quick tests to assess the validity of this claim, and to our delight, scrolling through content felt a lot faster than ever before.
This is the moment where our hearts skipped a few beats, hoping that nothing would go wrong.
With the newly-downloaded firmware update transferred, it was time for a bit of flashing. We counted two reboots before the Zune was successfully updated.
This window appeared after the update. Unfortunately, it was a little ugly. With one of the Zune devices, we were left staring at this "finalizing device updates" message for a good twenty minutes. Surely, it doesn't take that long to finalize an update, especially when there's no hard disk or internet activity.
We took a deep breath and hit "Cancel" - and all was golden.
Cheers, Microsoft. We're thankful our Zune devices came out of this unscathed, but our stress-regulating adrenal glands aren't happy.
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12-19-2006, 03:54 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 29
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why 2 reboots...
2 reboots kinda make sense:
1. update the boot loader -> reboot
2. update firmware -> reboot
Update to boot loader (if it's indeed the cause for the first reboot) can mean many things and possibly point to new features to come in the near future (keeping fingers crossed.)
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12-19-2006, 04:19 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Things are definitely faster - I've noticed now I can go into an album with 500+ images, go into full-screen mode, and press forward on the control pad as fast as I can...and I never get the "waiting" indicator. 1.1 couldn't do that. I did wonder if I had bricked one of the Zunes here though... I updated a v.1.0 devices straight to v.1.2 and it was stuck in a "connect to your PC" screen and nothing I did would get rid of it. I ended up connecting it to another PC - my laptop - instead of my normal Zune synching PC and all of a sudden the update progressed ok. So I pity the person who does a v.1.0 > v.1.2 update...
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12-19-2006, 05:01 AM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 7
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I had the same experience. The update screen was hanging so I checked the Zune and it was disconnected so I felt comfortable hitting "cancel" just like in one of the previous posts. It is too bad it was not smoother but the performance is definitely better on my Zune. It will be interesting to see all of the updates in the coming months as Microsoft beefs up the features and performance.
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12-19-2006, 05:25 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 316
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I've got my unit updated. I had one nervous moment when the update hung for about 10 minutes. Turns out it wasn't Zune's fault though; my DSL line dropped in the middle of downloading the update. After my DSL line came back up, everything when quick and smooth, although after canceling the original update, I wasn't prompted for the update again and had to manually initiate. (Offtopic: My Verizon DSL line has been agravating the CRAP out of me for the past week. It's been completely dropping out a couple of times a day, and running at a burning 150K. Time to give Verizon a call.)
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12-19-2006, 05:40 AM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 9
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should we update
Product firmware updates for sure can fix a variety of minor and major glitches in system operations ; as well as occasionally offer up new system features. The video game systems and an upconverting DVD player I own have seen firmware upgrades issued that fix very little and bring on more restrictions to me, the end user then ever before. Sometimes the new firmware is rushed out to the public (Xbox 360) and causes more problems then it fixes. This makes me wonder why there is an update already,oh yeah it would be the second time I upgraded firmwares in 5 weeks.
Is Microsoft trying to shore up the hackability of its wifi or find other ways to secure music rights for the music industry? It already pays a royalty to one company and for sure the other companies are looking at this as well. Apple even has concerns they will be targeted next. A perfect example of hampering consumer interests is the lack of radio recording that older players incorporated but the Zune wont. Wasn't this suppose to be a feature from the start..
Without added features being added I will probably wait to upgrade my firmware for right now . I have not encountered any problems yet with my Zune and accept how the software works, at least for now anyways.
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12-19-2006, 07:22 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 14
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I thought it was only me who did the "cancel" clicking thing. 
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12-19-2006, 07:49 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 242
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That update worked so smooth! That is, once I manually checked for updates 
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Hybrid Mode
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