Zune Connection Issues… Solved!
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been having problems getting the Zune Software on my Vista Desktop PC to recognize a connection with my Zune 80. When I plug in my Zune, I hear the tone sound indicating a USB device connection but the Zune Software ignores the Zune and doesn’t make a connection. I tried using different USB ports, different sync cables, but nothing. I also used the Unzoone software to completely remove the Zune 3.1 Software off my PC, rebooted, and then reinstalled a fresh copy. After doing all this, it seems my Zune would only connect to my PC 2% of the time. Even rebooting my PC didn’t ensure my Zune Software would see the connected Zune. Very frustrating!
After doing several Google searches, I finally found the solution to my problem. Mark Akers on the Zune.net forums posted some troubleshooting suggestions and this is the one that fixed it for me:
- Click Start -> Run -> Services.msc
- Look for a service “Windows Mobile-2003-based device connectivity”
- If that service is in the “Disabled” state, change it to “Manual”
- Restart the Zune software
- Connect device
As it turns out, a few weeks ago I was cleaning up my PC and decided to turn off various unused services to speed up my system boot up sequence. One service that I disabled was the “Windows Mobile 2003-based device connectivity” since I no longer sync a Pocket PC 2003 device to my Desktop PC. Apparently, this syncing mechanism is also used by the Zune Software! Thus, you need to set this service to “Manual” so that Zune Software can do it’s thing to make a connection to your Zune.
So if you’re pulling your hair out trying to figure out this one, you might check that this service is set to “Manual”.
Video Conversion Primer for Zune Newbies
For obvious reasons, the Zune forums are full of questions from new Zune owners regarding every aspect of using a Zune. One topic that I see quite frequently, is people asking how to sync their video files or DVD movies to their Zune. Some are former iPod users with MP4 files, others have AVI or MPEG files, and some have just a stack of DVDs or other obsure video formatted files. Below are some tips for those wanting to convert these video files for their Zune. Note, that I cover these topics more extensively in the individual pages on this web blog site.
First, there are two different generations of Zune devices. The first generation Zune is called the Zune 30, and it has been around the longest. This first generation device will only accept video files created in the WMV format (which stands for “Windows Media Video”). So, the Zune 30 will only accept WMV files, and nothing else.
The second generation Zunes are the more modern models such as the Zune 4/8/16/80/120. The second generation devices will accept WMV and MP4 H.264 formatted video files only.
Also, these video files must fall within certain specifications otherwise the Zune Software on you PC will “transcode” (or reconvert) these files to the proper format during syncing. This transcoding process can take hours depending on how many videos you have, so it could take a long time to sync them to your Zune. To avoid this, you should make sure your video files are created with the proper attributes for the Zune to avoid transcoding. This link on Microsoft’s Zune web page explains all the details for the video file specifications. To make things simpler, below are the specs that I use for my WMV video files for my Zune 80:
- Screen resolution: 320 x 240
- Video Codec: WMV 9, Constant Bit Rate (CBR)
- Audio Codec: WMA 9.2, Constant Bit Rate (CBR)
- Video Format: NTSC 29.97/30 frames per second (fps)
- Video Bit Rate: 700 kbps
- Audio Bit Rate: 128 kbps, 44 kHz, Stereo CBR
Using the above settings will create a WMV file that falls within the Zune specs and the Zune Software should sync the file in less than 20 seconds to your Zune. Read the rest of this entry »
Zune Accessories After Christmas Sale
I was at my local Target store this morning picking up a pair of jeans and some badly needed socks, and I noticed the end aisle shelf containing the no-brainer men’s gifts (items such as nail clippers, wallets, key chains, flashlights, etc). Usually, these items are fairly inexpensive (and of low quality) and only appear during the Christmas shopping season. What caught my eye, were a few items that fell under the category of generic MP3 player accessories. There was a small “dock” that was basically a speaker with a small amplifier and a slot to hold a generic Mp3 player device. There was also a white colored pair of ear buds, and a small FM Transmitter for sending MP3 audio signals to a FM radio. All of these items were priced at $10 US, which were now selling for $5.00 (50% discount). I’ve always thought about playing my Zune music through the speakers in my car, so I decided to pry open my wallet and spend the five bucks for the FM Transmitter. Below is the packaging for this item:
This small, white transmitter runs on two AAA batteries or uses power from a cigarette lighter power cord (included). The unit also has 4 defined FM Channels to choose from for the signal transmission. So to use this device, you simply insert the mini plug into the head phone jack on your Zune, turn on the device, and select one of the preset FM channels. Read the rest of this entry »
Help for new Zune Owners
The zunerama.com web site has a free Zune Guide (PDF format) which you can download and view on your computer. This guide has several tips and tricks for using your new Zune which you may find useful. It does contain several ads, but nothing more than what you’d see in a magazine. You can download the 2009 Zune Guide from this link.
Did you get a disfunctional Zune for Christmas?
When I was 12 years old, I got a shiny new 10-speed bike for Christmas. I was so excited to test it out, I rode down to a nearby department store and cruised through parking doing figure eights on Christmas day. Unfortunately, after about 15 minutes of riding I ran over a nail and quickly had a flat front tire! Since I didn’t have a tire patch repair kit, all I could do was push my bike home and stare at it waiting for the stores to open up the next day. Man, that day really sucked!
Likewise, I’m wondering how many new Zune users are in a similar situation today. Getting a new Zune as a Christmas gift, and finding that it just doesn’t work has gotta suck. Having to take it back to a brick store and waiting in the long lines will be a royal pain, and if you have to send it back to an online store that will take even longer to get a working Zune.
I ask this, because I was pursuing the Zune.net forums and I noticed a lot of postings today where people have Zunes that were Dead-On-Arrival (DOA), or their Zunes won’t hold a charge, or simply won’t even turn on. 
There was also one guy who for some reason plugged the sync cable into his Zune upside down (thinking that either direction would work) and frying his Zune. Another kid plugged his Zune into his computer, initiated the firmware update and walked away, while his sister came up and unplugged his Zune in the middle of the update process (ouch!). I feel for some of these people who are excited to get a Zune and it just doesn’t work out for them (on Christmas day, to say the least). Read the rest of this entry »
Cleaning Up The Zune Temp Folder
The Zune Software will store files in a temporary folder when you sync video files and video podcasts (which requires transcoding). If you don’t routinely clean out this temp folder, it can really fill up with files. I checked mine recently, and it was over 6 GB in size! Here’s how you can check on your system:
First, in File Explorer right-click on the C: drive icon and select “Properties” from the popup context menu. You should see a dialog window similar to the image below:
Help With Video File Conversion
So what’s the first thing I try when I have a video file that won’t convert using Windows Media Encoder 9? I examine what video and audio codec was used to create that troublesome file. To do this, I use a program called GSpot which will give me the attributes of a video file. If you’re interested in knowing how to use GSpot, you can review my page called Determining Video Attributes which shows a few examples of different file formats and explains what you can do to get the necessary codecs for video conversion.
Evangelical Zuners
From reading the various Zune forum postings, it seems the hottest topic is DVD and video file conversions. Fortunately, there’s lots of freeware and commercial software available to do this, and it seems everyone has their favorite. What gets me, is those Zuners who are so adamant that their favorite software tool is the best and everything else is junk. I see statements from MediaCoder Zealots that say, “NO!!! Don’t use that junk, use MediaCoder. It can convert everything and produces the best videos!”. Or, “Don’t convert to the WMV format, it’s just crap! Use MP4 because it’s better and faster than WMV”. And these zealots seem to exist for all the various video converters and tools.
There’s also a number of Tagging zealots that preach, “dSHARPIE is the best tool for editing meta data, and everybody uses it!”. “Don’t use that junk, it’s too hard to use”.
Understandably, people have their favorite software for their own personal reasons. But to be so evangelical about it and tell everyone that all other tools are “crap” or inferior is so narrow minded and misleading, in my opinion.
From my postings here on my web blog, you can see that I favor Windows Media Encoder for my video conversion process. It’s not the most simplest tool to use, but it works for me the way I want to use it, and I haven’t had any issues with converting my DVDs and video files. So, do I think MediaCoder is crap? No. In fact, I think MediaCoder is a great video conversion tool (especially since it’s free). I also think Handbrake is a nice piece of software. The reason why I don’t use those tools is that I want to create WMV files for my Zune and those tools can’t give me the resultant file that I want. Read the rest of this entry »
Turning Off Your Zune (For Real)
The small quick-start guide that came with my Zune 80 explained that holding down the “Play” button will turn my Zune off. Well, that’s not entirely true. Holding the play button down will merely put your Zune in “sleep” mode, where you can wake it up by pressing any button (so long as the lock button isn’t activated). So, power is still being used to keep your Zune snoozing until you wake it up. What if you want to save your battery power (say, on a long flight)? Is there a way to really turn it off?
Why, yes there is a way by using a combination of buttons on your Zune. If you hold down the Back Button and Down button simultaneously, the Zune will really turn off. If you then hold down the Play button, the Zune will turn back on (note, it will take about 20 seconds for the Zune to completely power up). Below are a few useful combination buttons you can use:
- Back Button + Down Button = Turn Off
- Back Button + Up Button = Reset (or Reboot)
So if your device locks up for some reason, you can always try the reboot button sequence. Now, you need to be careful as the following button combinations can be a bit dangerous:
- Back Button + Center Button + Right Button = Delete all Content
- Back Button + Center Button + Left Button = Delete all Content and Delete Firmware
So, you really don’t want to accidentally hit those last two button combinations when you’re out of town and away from your Desktop PC!
More video conversion tools
As I described on my Video Conversions page, I prefer to use Microsoft Windows Media Encoder to convert my movies to WMV format for my Zune. There’s lots of other conversion software available on the Internet (free and commercial), so if you don’t want to use WME I’m sure you’ll find something that will meet your needs.
One free application you might want to take a look at is MediaCoder, which is a full featured video converter capable of converting to many different video formats. The current version as of today is 0.6.0 Build 3905, so it still seems to be a beta version. The interface for this program seemed a bit too complicated, although there was a way to set the display in “Simple” mode to hide all the advanced controls.
I tested it today by converting a VOB file from a DVD to WMV format, and it seemed to do the conversion rather quickly. The created WMV file also synced to my Zune without transcoding, so it passed that test. However, the WMV file was not indexed properly so I couldn’t rewind or fast forward through it on my Zune (or with Windows Media Player on my Desktop PC). So, that wasn’t a good thing.
Another free application called Handbrake is highly recommended by a lot of users for it’s robustness. It was originally developed for the Apple Mac, but a version for the Microsoft Windows platform now exists. It has similar features as MediaCoder, but it can only create MP4 files (which is what the iPod uses). So, of you have a 2nd generation Zune this program could work for you. What’s really nice about Handbrake is the clean user interface, and the ability to easily read DVDs directly for converting movies to MP4 format. I recently tested Handbrake in converting a DVD movie and it did seem to require transcoding during syncing of the generated MP4 file (Note, that I used the default conversion settings, so there may be a way to avoid the transcoding).
In any case, there’s lots of converters out their and everybody has their favorite. Mine is still the Windows Media Encoder!
