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Software bug? Maybe. Zune owners, yes there are some, are reporting that after midnight EST their 30GB Zunes would have errors that would freeze, lock, or hang leaving them with an unusable device. This may be affecting hundreds or even thousands of units. According to some Zune owners, it appears to be affecting units that have the most recent firmware updates.
Technically-inclined and brave Zune owners may be able to fix the problem by cracking open the case, and disconnecting the battery. Then reconnecting it. This of course risks invalidating the warranties and could risk damage the Zune. Microsoft seems to be aware of the problem, but has not announced a solution yet.
From Official Microsoft Zune 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!
The forums on several websites are full of people with this problem. Like Bond007 who said “Alright I called Zune support. They told me Microsoft is investigating the situation or trying to figure out a fix, but I would have to call back within 24hrs before my Zune 30GB with expire warrant is considered for a repair. Now it is time to see how good Zune support is or whether Zune support & Microsoft can handle this major Zune 30GB product disaster. This is probably the biggest problem Microsoft has has with a consumer product since the Xbox 360 rings of death issue.”
Zune owner Dawty said “LETTING THE POWER DRAIN DOESN’T WORK!!! ok, i had this problem. i had been syncing music right before i went to bed, and my zune was plugged into the AC adapter/charger. I woke up at like 3AM cause the light from the zune was flashing in my face. it was stuck at the reset screen. i tried to hard reset it, etc… nothing worked. I unplugged it from the charger, and kept trying to hard reset it. i thought, “oh well, let it drain then see if it turns back on.” I woke up in the morning. The Zune was totally out of power. I thought, “good, now i just have to charge it.” So, again, i plugged it into the charger. i checked back in about 2 hours. it was stuck at the same screen. this doesn’t work. there’s something seriously wrong with zune,, and its really ticking me off. ”
Zune owner 5 Hit Combo said “I bought mine in Febuary and still under warranty at Best Buy, I’m not opening mine up. I want to hear official word via MS. Until then, I’ll sit here with my brick.”
Imagine the DJ that uses the Zune and has a scheduled New Years Eve party? For the people who bought a Zune, I sure hop that Microsoft has a quick fix and gets this resolved in a timely manner, not like the Xbox 360 “red ring of death” fiasco that left Xbox owners without a console for months at a time.
Poor Zune owners, instead of being welcomed to the social what they get is a Zunesday experience!
UPDATE: Microsoft’s remedy for Zune user’s woes is just wait a day, and it will go away. Here’s the full statement:
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. That being the case, 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 are 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.
