Creative Zen V. Is it any go

A bit of a stupid question to ask on a creative site I know. I'm just interested in geting an idea about how the Zen V (or plus) compares to other MP3 players. I'm not really interested in one myself. I don't know a thing about them. It will be a gift for the wife (appox00 ish)?but seeing as though Ive been happy with creative products (i.e. XFI soundcard)?in the past I thought I'd start here. I was thinking either Zen V or?Apple Nano for starters. I doubt that she'll be downloading music. It will be music from CD's (am I alowed to say that?)?Anybody got any thoughts on why I should or should'nt choose one above the other?What about sound quality. Is there any difference?What else could someone suggest in the same price range?Can anybody suggest any unbiased review sites (if there is such a thing)?Is there any benefit in bying a Zen when you have XFI?Any advice would be deeply appreciated?Thanks?

Yes the Zen V is quite a good mp3 player. It's small and compact, but the sound that comes out of it is incredible. I only use stock earbuds, but I'm pretty satisfied with the sound. The only problem you might?have with it is getting it to recognize on your PC. If you do, just look back in the threads for one concerning people that are having trouble getting it recognized. It's a matter of personal preference, but should you get the nano, be prepared to use I Tunes and such. As for reviews, you could check www.epizenter.net for their Zen V Plus review. Even though it is a fan site,?they judge the players fairly, state facts and show you?the competition's similar products. Some other DAPs you might want to check out could be the iRi'ver Clix or?the Sansa e200 series.

Similar Messages

Creative Zen quest

Can I use my Zen Neeon 5gb usb cable with a 4gb creative zen, with out causing any problems

The beauty about Creative MP3 players is that they use commonly available USB Cables for their players and as such you should be able to share the usb cable without any problem. If it is not long enough or if you misplaced it, you can go out to the stores and get the USB mini-B to Standard-A cable. This is typically used by those portable USB harddisk and digital cameras.

Creative Zen Plus & Creative Soundblaster Audigy 4. Can the two be linked in any w

Hello and good morning. I've an extensi've collection of music consisting of 35,000 tracks which I play through my Creative Soundblaster Audigy 4 via my hi fi system. In order to access these tracks when using the Creative Zen Plus, I notice it calls up only the file name which is a time consuming effort to get tracks transferred. To your knowledge,is there a way to use the Creative Soundblaster to 'drag and drop' individual tracks straight into the Creative Zen using the 'burn now' facility?
Any help and assistance would be highly appreciated. Thank you very much indeed for your help.
Alan L.

Didn't your soundcard come with MediaSource? If so, you can transfer the tracks that have already been converted to MP3 or WMV format directly to your player. MediaSource also displays the content by ID3 Tag titles once they've been entered into the Music Library.

Any alternate sites that sell good Creative Zen Xtra case

Besides the included Travel Case, I'm wondering if there are any other cases made for the Creative Zen Xtra mp3 players. Thanks!

Yep the Vaja cases are awesome, with an awesome price tag
I would love to get one for my Rio Karma though (when the mortgage comes through )

HELP!!! Creative Zen Vision M - unresponsive in ANY way...NEED HELP!

Ok, so this might be a very simple question to answer, but I'm very worried.
Pretty much, I had been using my Creative Zen Vision M (30 gig) for a long time, but stopped about a year ago. The batteried drained, and I didnt get around to charging it.
Now, it's been about a year, and I've tried plugging in the Zen into my computers to charge.
There is NO recognition of the player, no yellow alert, no new device alert, NOTHING.
The blue light at the top DOES NOT flash
And My media explorer thinks that it is not connected to the computer.
I've read a lot about Zens going black, and the blue light keeps flashing, but literally, from the time I plug in the Zen, to when it's sitting on my shelf, I notice no difference. I cannot turn on the player and it wont charge.
I tried using USB ports in the back, as well as leaving the zen plugged in all day to "Charge". Over 8 hours later, and the player does not budge.
I do not own an adapter to the Zen, but I tried a 4.5V sony one, and recieved nothing.
The simple question is:
After letting the player drain, and die after just under a year of no use, has my player bit the bisquit's
OR
Is my battery (or firmware, which unfortunately I have no idea what it is, but it sounds like I can upgrade without having the player turn on) simply taking it's sweet time to recouperate.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!! I am very desperate to get my player working again.

Leave the player connected to the computer & use a REAR USB port(with the computer on) for 24hrs. Or use a wall charger to charge the battery . It may take a hour for it to just start charging plugged in but once it does let it FULLY charge. That means until it stops blinking the battery icon it full & the player cuts off when done. Now I know Creative wall chargers are not easy to find & they are not cheap. The Sony PSP wallcharger is compatible with the players adapter(plugs into the center hole on the dongle) Also to get it charging after it has been connected for a time hit the Reset? while connected.Not easy but doable with a thin pin.

Does the Creative Zen Work like any other external hard dri

I am looking to buy a Creative Zen Sleek or Touch and need to know something. Do you need to use the software and drivers with it or does XP recognize it as a "removeable disk" like a flash dri've or like the ipod.
Thanks
David

I'm guessing that WMP will work with the player irrespecti've of the firmware version.
I'm not sure where you bought your player, but in Europe they seem to have shipped with one version, whereas in the USA they seem to have shipped with another to support PlayForSure subscription downloads.
Perhaps a mod can confirm this, and whether Europe will get the PlayForSure firmware if this is the case?

Creative Zen Review With the AudioBook Listener In Mi

Here is a copy of my review of the Creative Zen which I just published on the amazon.com mp3 player forum in the thread I started over a year ago entitled "What's the best player for AudioBooks " It is the longest thread in the forum with little indication of slowing down, and it can usually be found as the first thread in the forum.
http://www.amazon.com/tag/mp3%20play...MxM6KCQW5Q9B6C
I wound up getting the Zen 4GB a few weeks ago but delayed posting until I figured out how I liked it.
- I like that it has a big screen with big text that I could get by using without my reading glasses (old eyes) in a pinch. That is a very toughtful touch I have't seen on any other players (not that I've seen them all.)
- The big screen will also show pictures and videos which I don't care much about but is a nice feature if desired.
- The big screen doesn't come with a cover and it will get scratched up fast. It took me a while to figure this out so my screen got a little scratched up before I realized it.
Consider screen covers mandatory. They are sold seperately in a 3 pack for around $8. This is so important the device ought to have come with at least one screen cover in the box, even if it raised the price $2. My screen cover has been on for a few weeks and shows no sign of wear or coming loose. I did combine it with a rubber device cover I got on amazon for $3 which protects the whole device and covers the edges of the screen and screen protector. The unit is now protected. The cover comes with a little strap and D-Ring clip which is good for hanging onto some piece of clothing.
- It has a built in battery which is good. It supposedly takes a long time to recharge but that is not an issue for me. I just plug it in to a USB port with the included 4" long cable and it has plenty of time to charge during the day for my use. A fast AC charger is available at extra cost (~$25 I think.)
- Defect: The unit shuts off after being on pause for a few minutes (good) but it starts up at the beginning of the track when you restart (bad.) If you turn it off, it restarts where you left off as it should. This would not be an issue for music listeners, but it is for audiobook listeners when the track may be an hour to several hours long.
- Defect: Bookmarks are not at the top of the Menu list and although some menus are customizable, the one with Bookmarks is not.
- Defect: You can't get to Bookmarks when in the book. You have to back up to Music Menu, click to get to menu, and scroll 2 spots to get to Bookmarks. Not a deal breaker when you get used to it, but clearly not designed properly with the audiobook user in mind.
- Sound quality: very good. Even with music, very nice.
- Included headphones: Nice sound. They fall out of my ears and get tangled up a lot but I think thats true of most earbud headphones. I'm going to get the Sony Sport headphones I've had before with a foldable over the head strap.
- Bookmarks: 0. Plenty for me. (Who listens to more than 0 books at a time )
- Price: $90 for 4GB. I thought that was quite reasonable.
SUMMARY: With a few menu enhancements and the ability to return to it's place after a pause/shutdown, I'd consider this device close to perfect for the audiobook listener.

Try going into "Control Panel->Administrati've tools" and clicking on "Computer Management". Find "disk management" in the left pane and click it. Your Stone should be in the right somewhere. I think you need to right click, then "choose dri've letter and paths" and give it a dri've letter with the "add" button. Let us know if that works.

Creative Zen 32GB - Is it Dead?

Hi. I bought a Creative Zen 32gb Flash player in January 2009.
It was mostly OK for the first year or so. By then, it was almost full.
Last summer, it began crashing on me every so often. I assumed it was just because it was almost full, but as time went on it crashed more and more.
Sometimes it would play slightly garbled songs, almost like in the good old days when your cassette deck would chew up your D-90s.
When using the locking function, it would crash completely, requiring the judicious use of a pin to reset it.
Then it would crash when plugging it into headphones or the cable connecting to my AUX port on my car stereo.
The other day, it crashed and I thought - right, its been going a couple of years now, I'll back it up and then go into recovery mode, clean up the memory and then reboot, as recommended in the user guide. I tried backing up the player but it got about halfway through and crashed out.
I then thought to hell with it - I've got most of my music backed up anyway, and the clean up might not mess with it too much, so I tried to follow the cleanup instructions but everytime I let go of the Play button, it would crash out.
If I held the play button down, it would work, but the buttons are so close together, if I changed pressure on the play button while selecting "clean up", it would crash out. Still, I thought I'd managed it but it would not restart or dock, or pretty much do anything except let me go into recovery mode (while pressing Play, of course).
I then thought I'd just reformat the player - again, through the recovery menu since it would not dock with my PC (Win Vista, 32bit). That made no difference. It would not start, would not dock etc etc.
I then thought I would upgrade the firmware, downloaded it from Creative, and managed to get it to go so far, before it crashed out. And that's it - I can just about get it to start, sometimes, and then the screen will go black, or white, or red and black striped once. It will not dock at all. I can press reset as much as I like but the best I can get it to do is get to the recovery menu for a few seconds before crashing, or I can get it to display the Creative logo for a few seconds before, again, it crashes.
Its sat right now with a black screen and the blue light on. I cannot turn it off, or get any response from it at all.
So, is this now a dead mp3 player? Is it likely a hardware fault? If firmware/software, is there any way to fix this or should I just chalk this up to experience and accept that ?60 odd of mp3 player just isn't built to last very long?
And if its dead, what to replace it's I want Creative stuff to be better than it seems to be, and I am loathe to buy iPod. Sony? Wife has one and its fine, but not enough storage. Any recommendations?

Stormgeer wrote:
I've had my Zen32GB for a year and have loved it up to this morning. I added a few photos to it and now its been stuck in "Rebuilding" for the last two hours. I can dock it and get into it, copy files, etc, but it will not play. I have been using a handy pin to reset it, then it goes back into Rebuilding. It doesn't appear to be a hardware problem as the buttons were working fine. A lost cause?
On the recovery mode screen, can you try doing a CleanUp>Reboot?

Helpful hints for new Creative Zen MP3 2/4/8/16/32 GB (flash) Users On

Summary of helpful hints (from this forum and me) for new Creative Zen MP3 2/4/8/6/32 GB (flash) Users Only!
Rev..
Date: 4/28/2008
Author: ZenAndy
Creative terminology:
MP3 Player Recovery Tool - A program that resolves the majority of player problems quickly.
One click is all it takes to update your player to the latest available firmware, and to give your player a clean bill of health.
Link: http://www.creative.com/products/mp3...me.asp region=
Note: You can also go to "Creative" "Support" "downloads" choose your MP3 Player type to obtain the latest firmware and software releases.
Note: On your Zen you can look under "System" & "Information" and then compare the firmware download
releases OR you can have the "MP3 Player Recovery Tool" (above) do it for you automatically.
Note: Creative Zen 4/8/6 GB "MP3 Recovery Tool" DOES NOT stop on a firmware comparison match.
Note: All firmware releases/revisons for the 4/8/6 GB Zen also works (is the same as) for the 2 GB & 32 GB Zen.
Recovery Mode - If you experience one or more of the following symptoms, it is recommended that you boot the player into its unique Recovery Mode, and then clean up, format or reload the firmware.
. The player is not detected in Creative MediaSource or Windows Media Player
2. The battery does not last as expected
3. Your computer stops responding during file transfers
4. There is a power outage during file transfers
5. There is an error about firmware
6. LCD displays a "Firmware Problem" message
7. Your player is not responding.
8. The player is performing erratically.
Getting Started
. Load your Creative Zen software from CD FIRST and BEFORE plugging the Zen MP3 player, using the short cable, into the PC USB port to charge it.
2. Try charging the Zen MP3 player directly from the USB port on the PC. If not, make sure the USB Hub you are using is adequately powered to provide full charging current to the Zen player. Also, try to have the Zen MP3 player as the only USB device, if possible, on the USB hub.
Some/most Creative Zen flash MP3 Music players come "fully discharged" so, in the mean time, just read the manuals.
FULLY charge the Zen MP3 player for several hours (~4.0 hrs max) until the battery symbol is NOT flashing AND the battery symbol/icon has a small plug/key symbol in the middle.
After the first full charge - additional charging is much quicker about 2 /4 hours. (From 0% empty to full)
3. Go to Creative/Support/Downloads and check for the latest software releases for the Creative Zen. Then check on your Zen MP3 player under System/Information for your firmware revision. Make sure you have the latest software downloaded on your PC and firmware on your Zen MP3 player. < Latest revision [.2.0] 28Feb08>
OR
You can run MP3 Player Recovery Tool - see above.
4. In some cases you might have to do the Recovery Mode "paper clip reset" to get the Zen MP3 flash player started.
See the Zen User's Guide FAQ. The paper clip reset hole is on the bottom edge below the music pause/run switch.
(Not the slotted mic hole on the top edge of the player near the earphone jack and SD card slot!!!)
5. My preference is to have the player shutdown/off before inserting and removing the earphone/headphone plug.
Recovery Mode Using The Paper Clip OR
Alternati've Method For Recovery Mode Without The Paper Clip.
Why use it's
If you experience one or more of the following symptoms:
. The player is not detected in Creative MediaSource or Windows Media Player
2. The battery does not last as expected
3. Your computer stops responding during file transfers
4. There is a power outage during file transfers
5. There is an error about firmware
6. LCD displays a "Firmware Problem" message
7. Your player is not responding.
8. The player is performing erratically.
Save a copy of your player's content, if possible, before cleaning up the memory!
Recovery Mode Using The Paper Clip Reset Method
#. Turn off player if not already turned off
#2. Press/hold play/pause button. If you accidentally release
the button, start this reset procedure over again.
#3. Gently push the end of a metal paper clip into the reset hole on
the botton edge below the play/pause switch.
(Do not use the slotted mic hole at the top edge near the earphone jack)
#4. Slide the on/off/lock switch towards the on position - slide it to the botton hold
until the display lights up and then release.
#5. The recovery mode screen appears and four menu items are shown - see below
<Alternati've Method For Recovery Mode Without The Paper Clip>
#. Turn off player if not already turned off
#2. Press/hold play/pause button. If you accidentally release
the button, start this reset procedure over again.
#3. Slide the on/off/lock switch towards the on position - slide it to the botton hold
until the display lights up and then release. Be patient and wait!
#4. The recovery mode screen appears and four menu items are shown:
< Clean Up> - cleans, rebuilds and reorganizes your player's memory and restores it to optimal efficiency.
When the cleanup is complete, select Reboot. Your player restarts and starts rebuilding its music library.
Note: Your player's firmware is reset to default settings after your player's memory is cleaned up.
Note: This procedure the hide/show password is reset.
<2 Format All>- Warning - Formatting your player erases all content on your player's memory and resets your player's firmware to default settings. If possible, back up all data on your player before proceeding.
Also, you can do this from the PC see Zen User's Guide. FAQ
<3 Reload Firmware> - Caution !!!! Selecting Reload Firmware erases your player's firmware.
DO NOT select Reload Firmware unless you have downloaded a newer firmware version for your player, or have been advised to do so by Creative Customer Support.
Note: My advice when loading/replacing firmware is to connect directly
to the PC USB port without using a USB hub.
<4 Reboot> Restarts the player just like the "on/off/lock switch" when switched ON.
Note: Having NO battery energy/charge/juice this procedure will not work.
Lithium-Ion Polymer Battery Hints
Ref:
http://www.omnica.com/omniview_electronics2.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_ion_battery
. Allow the battery to completely discharge from time-to-time then recharge it fully.
2. Lithium-Ion batteries loses about 5%- 0% capacity per month.
3. Lithium-Ion polymer batteries have about 300-500 discharge/charge cycles.
4. A half full battery indication (50% @ /2 the battery color) used up about 24 hrs worth of battery. Below 50% the indication goes fairly fast to the max of 30 hrs. Note: The battery level indication seems non-linear through out its range.
5. Battery is Empty~0% - warning screen will appear on LCD and player might shutdown.
6. Battery is Full- 00% with battery symbol NOT flashing AND plug/key symbol in the center of the battery.
7. It takes about 2 /4 hours to charge the battery from empty to full.
8. It takes about 4 hours max to charge a "New" Zen player shipped from the factory.
9. There is a battery manufactuer's failure rate, which is normal ~ % or less, in which the Lithium-Ion Polymer battery refuses to charge. Creative, ships the Zen MP3 players with some or no charge so there is very small probability that you could have one. I call it the "Deep Six Discharge Battery" Contact/call Creative for replacement.
Documentation
There are several pieces of documentation you might need to read to fully understand and use your Creative Zen MP3 flash player to its fullest capabilities.
#. Zen Users Guide "English" - For Zen MP3 Player - download from Creative/Support/Product documentation
#2. Zen Quick Users Guide /Front/Back - download from Creative/Support/Product documentation
#3. Sync Manager (Creative Zen) Click on sync symbol on PC task bar then help
#4. Creative Zen Media Explorer - Just look under the main help menu
#5. Windows Media Player <if used>(Microsoft)Use the help files with this program.
General Tips to increase/decrease the playing time on your Creative Zen flash player.
<Creative Battery Spec: 5 Hrs. Video & "UP TO" 30 Hrs. Audio/Songs>
Please do the following:
. Volume control lower/higher - higher volume settings will decrease playing times. This is logical. More output "volume power" decreases the battery juice.
2. Audio Settings: EQ, Smart Vol, & Bass Boost will effect your playing time but I believe they are not critical as the Volume & Bit Rates(28 kbsp and others) / File Format (MP3,WMA) & Lock Switch.
3. Bit Rates & File Formats Do Matter. Bit Rates and File formats will increase/decrease your playing time.
Per Catherina-CL
"WMA files will use up more power than MP3 files, and higher bitrates more so than standard ones (like 28kbps MP3). Best thing to do is rip an album in 28kbps MP3 and leave it playing in a loop on a normal volume level. See how long the battery lasts then."
Please Note: The main difference between MP3 and WMA is the compression. According to Microsoft a 64KBPS WMA file is the same quality 28KBPS MP3. This is of course up to a person's preference but you may find you can get better compression out of WMA.
4. FULLY CHARGE your Zen. This means the battery symbol is NOT flashing AND there is a plug/key symbol embedded within the battery symbol. The battery is 00% FULL under BOTH conditions. Having just the battery symbol all green will not do it.
From the link:
http://www.omnica.com/omniview_electronics2.htm
Regarding lithium-ion shelf life, one of our engineers recently met with a battery-house representati've. It has come to their attention that repeated charging and re-charging of a less than fully discharged Li-ion cell affects the battery "gas gauge" included with many devices. Over a number of cycles there is a resultant loss in accuracy. Frequently, the indicated remaining charge has little relationship to the actual amount of life left in the cell! Fortunately, according to the battery expert, the gauge will reset itself if the battery is allowed to completely discharge from time-to-time.
5. Having different types of earphones/headphones will increase or decrease the playing time by how much "electronic load" the earphones/headphones create on the Zen player. There are some power hungry earphones/headphones out there.
The 6 ohm earbuds conserves battery power more than the 32 ohm earbuds supplied by Creative. (About 0% more)
6. Always, always lock your Zen player while playing music. This cuts off the power drain from the color 2.5" LCD and blank the LCD screen. After all, you can't read the LCD screen if it is in your shirt pocket and playing music!
7. Make sure you have the latest firmware upgrades in order to get the best of your Creative Zen Flash MP3 Player.
Troubleshooting
Your Creative Zen is extremely complex.
Check this link to peek inside player http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archi...isassembly.php
Also, this link:
http://arstechnica.com/journals/hard...ssor-behind-it
There could be a million things that could go wrong with your player so you will not be the FIRST or LAST to have a problem. Keep in mind, there are many, many others that have the Zen with no problems whatsoever. Things happen, but Creative is there to help.
Dropping a Zen or any other player might/will/possibly ruin the player for good!!!
Since this player is solid-state (no moving parts e.g. mini-disk dri've) then the only thing that will keep it from running for years is the non-user replaceable Lithium-Ion battery. I will concentrate on some troubleshooting tips which are battery related but I hope you have already the latest firmware downloaded and installed on your player
Battery - Lithium-Ion Polymer
#. Battery won't charge "out of the box" new player.
A. First, read above "Getting Started"
B. Next, try a different USB mini cable.
C. Next, there is a battery manufactuer's failure rate < %, in which the Lithium-Ion Polymer battery refuses to charge.
Creative, ships the Zen MP3 players with no charge so there is very small probability thatyou could have one.
I call it the "Deep Six Discharge Battery" Call / Contact Creative.
#2. Battery won't charge properly after using the player for some time.
A. When you plug in your player into the USB port via mini USB patch cable, the connection resets the player to the "docked screen" with the battery level gas guage , in the right hand corner.
Sometimes this action does not reset the player properly but there is no indication to you that the player is charging.
Just disconnect/connect the USB cable again.
B. Sometimes, the Zen player gets confused and you have to do a Recovery Mode "paper clip reset" which forces the player into a "special menu screen" to clean-up the player and to reset the player which allows showing the "docked screen" while charging the unit. See Zen User's Guide for explicit instruction und FAQ.
C. Since the Zens came out late in 2007, the maximum of 300-500 charge/discharge should not apply YETbut users beware, as with any other Lithium-Ion Polymer battery it will not charge fully "like new"because of a " fixed shelf life" (2-3 yrs) OR too many charge/discharge cycles. A battery replacement is in order.
Methods of charging the Creative Zen MP3
. The short mini-standard USB cable provided by Creative from the factory. Plugs into a PC USB port.
2. Uni'versal Power Adapter (Creative) plugs into the wall. Works "anywhere in the world"
Note: Different countries have different wall AC voltages and hertz requirements. This has adapters for different countries/locations wall outlets and a uni'versal power supply for all voltage and hertz requirements.
Note: This is a heavy duty high/fast charging wall outlet charging adapter. (2400 ma)
3. Auto/Vehicle 2 VDC charger (Creative) or other compatible vehicle 2 VDC to USB charger.
4. EARHUGGER IPOD POWER POD - MP3-8370 (White compact module)
http://www.earhugger.com/powerPod.html
http://www.amazon.com/Earhugger-MP3-.../dp/B000QTTKSS
This compact module will solve all the following travel modes and conditions:
. Camping, hiking or outdoor travel - no PC or noAC or maybe no auto/car.
2. Airplane travel - no PC or no AC or no auto/car.
3. Train/subway travel - no PC or no auto/car
4. Car travel - no PC or no AC
5. Foot travel - no PC or no AC or no auto/car
It uses 4 ways to charge the Zen:
. Retractable mini-standard USB cord for PC charging. <--- does not communicate with PC! - only for charging
2. Retractable mini USB cord for auto/vehicle charging (Fused)
3. Retractable mini USB cord for wall 0-20 VAC 50/60Hz charging. (non-international use plug style)
4. 9 VDC battery terminal for using standard alkaline 9 VDC or high ma Lithium 9 VDC to charge the Zen via
mini USB cable. Note:You might need several alkaline batteries to charge the internal 550 ma hr Zen battery!
Great for remote destinations.
5. Rechargeable portable battery packs.
Black & Decker has several "Power To Go"models CPI0B-C & CPI20XB (not for international use because of 20 AC 60Hz only charging wall wart)
Note: There are other brands that also do this method of charging.
http://www.blackanddecker.com/Produc...Path=4033.4040
You charge this portable NiMH battery pack from the AC wall outlet so you can carry with you on trips to charge the Zen.
6. Mobile phone chargers. Some have a mini-USB plug for charging the phone but it could be used to charge the Zen BUT BEWARE IT COULD RUIN THE ZEN IF IT IS NOT COMPATIBLE! The output should have a voltage of 5 VDC +- 5% (4.75-5.25 VDC) ON THE PROPER MINI-USB PINS and a charging current at least 200 ma to 2400 ma. See this forum for the recommend phone phone chargers to use with the Zen.
Note: You are charging an internal Lithium-ion polymer 550 mahr battery in the Zen so the lower the charging current the longer it takes to charge.
Note: You will find that charging the Zen from the wall charger is much faster than the "current limited" charging on the standard PC USB port.
Note: For diagnostic purposes and emergency charging of the Zen it is wise to have an external (non-PC) charging device for your Zen.
Note: Only the battery charging symbol shows up on the Zen when using an external charger.
Scratches
All plastic screens will scratch, doesn't matter which type you have.
For minor scratches you could use the Novus three part cleaner, polish and scratch remover system. Do not use the #3 coarse abrasi've in this system! Be extremely careful in using this product !!!! Please check the web.
OR
Low abrasi've toothpase <--- some say this works
OR
CD scratch remover/repair kit <---- have not tried this.
The Zen (Flash) MP3 glass LCD screen is covered by the overlay plastic you see on the front. Worst case, you can have only the outer shell repaired and replaced by Creative.
To prevent scratches in the first place:
Use the Zen cloth bag which comes with the unit (sometimes ) to prevent scratches.
OR
Buy the Zen clear plastic case (Clear Case #70AB2600002). Sold by Creative.
OR
Buy an clear plastic overlay. (Screen protector #70AB2600003) which goes over the LCD protector screen for protection. Sold by Creative.
OR
Also, you can cut up a "generic" PDA screen protector to fit the Zen.
OR
Obtain a "digital camera lcd screen protector" from a camera store or internet
OR
"Invisible shield" -The best protection money can buy
http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/...ns-shields.php
How to destroy your Zen - WHAT NOT TO DO
. Leave it in the auto/car/vehicle - the vehicle inside heats up 20-35 F higher than the outside temperature.
2. Leave it outside in freezing temperature 0C 32F. The LCD will freeze/discolor/absorb water.
Note: It is remotely possible it could recover when warm-up at room temperature.
Note: Just keep the Zen near your body heat when outside in freezing temperatures.
3. Dropping it might cause the LCD screen to crack or loosen up the internal connections to the electronics or short out the internal electronics.
Note: Use a protecti've case to cushion the blow from dropping the Zen.
4. Dropping or submerging or getting the Zen wet in water might short out the electronics and battery.
You could prevent destruction by immediately shaking the Zen vigorously in open air to dry it out.
5. Sitting on it could flex the electronics and short or open circuits which would cause a defecti've/faulty Zen.
<A bit of humor ... There is No Santa Claus, Easter Bunny or Tooth fairy and Creative does NOT give away money. If you destroy or damage your Zen you will pay not Creative>
How can you tell if your Zen is defecti've/faulty
. A "white screen" or a "totally blank black screen" shows up on the Zen LCD.
2. You cannot force the Zen into the special "Recovery Mode" menu screen.
3. The Zen refuses to "take a charge"(To charge up the internal Lithium-Ion Polymer battery)
4. The Zen LCD is cracked or distorted due to dropping or handling abuse.
5. The Zen clock does not keep accurate time (within 2 mins max per month)
Contact Creative if any of the above faults occur - the Zen is bad and nothing you can do will fix it!
WSOD "White Screen of Death"
The "White Screen of Death" is really caused by a hardware problem. You see, the internal Freescale/SigmaTel STMP3700 MP3 processor has to write to the LCD. If this operation is prevented by internal electronic opens or shorts, bad STMP3700, locked-up firmware, bad LCD or any other electronic component failure then the CPU might/will halt and refuse to write to the LCD which will be reflected in a "white screen of death" I cannot cover all the causes of the "white screen of death" but rest assured Creative should pick these problems up in their quality control manufacturing process with a 99% success rate. Problems do show up after the manufacturing process but Creative has warranty protection for this other % fault rate. (Which is normal in electronics manufacturing)
Media Content
Listening to the built-in music on the Zen is OK but after a while your question now becomes "What else can I do with my Zen "
Note: The "How to" instructions for adding Media content can be found in the Zen documentation.
Terminology:
Album: Collection of tracks or songs under one "album" title.
Artist: Track or song artist
DRM: Digital rights management - copy protection scheme - Zen cannot use music with this music protection scheme. (itunes) (But "itunes plus" will work)
Genres: Type or kind of music
<The following genres are defined in ID3v>
Blues,Classic Rock,Country,Dance,Disco,Funk,Grunge,Hip-Hop,Jazz,Metal,New Age,Oldies,Other,Pop,
R&B,Rap,Reggae,Rock,Techno,Industrial,Alternati've ,Ska,Death Metal,Pranks,Soundtrack,Euro-Techno,
Ambient,Trip-Hop,Vocal,Jazz+Funk,Fusion,Trance,Classical,Instru mental,Acid,House,Game,Sound Clip,
Gospel,Noise,AlternRock,Bass,Soul,Punk,Space,Medit ati've,Instrumental Pop,Instrumental Rock,
Ethnic,Gothic,Darkwave,Techno-Industrial,Electronic,Pop-Folk,Eurodance,Dream,Southern Rock,
Comedy,Cult,Gangsta,Top 40,Christian Rap,Pop/Funk,Jungle,Nati've American,Cabaret,New Wave,
Psychadelic,Rave,Showtunes,Trailer,Lo-Fi,Tribal,Acid Punk,Acid Jazz,Polka,Retro,Musical,Rock & Roll,
Hard Rock
<The following genres are Winamp extensions>
Folk,Folk-Rock,National Folk,Swing,Fast Fusion,Bebob,Latin,Revival,Celtic,Bluegrass,Avantg arde,
Gothic Rock,Progressi've Rock,Psychedelic Rock,Symphonic Rock,Slow Rock,Big Band,Chorus,
Easy Listening,Acoustic,Humour,Speech,Chanson,Opera,Cha mber Music,Sonata,Symphony,
Booty Bass,Primus,Porn Groove,Satire,Slow Jam,Club,Tango,Samba,Folklore,Ballad,Power Ballad,
Rhythmic Soul,Freestyle,Duet,Punk Rock,Drum Solo,A capella,Euro-House,Dance Hall
<A bit of humor: I think the above Genres lists are missing two - "elevator music" & Crying and Whining e.g. Country Western>
ID3 Tags: Internal file information associated with an Mp3 or wav audio file. This format contains
Track number, Album name/title, Genre, Artist and Song Title which can be sorted and indexed by
the Zen device.
IPTV: Is a system where a digital television service is deli'vered using Internet Protocol over a network infrastructure, which may include deli'very by a broadband connection. http://zencast.com/
JPEG: Is a commonly used method of compression for photographic images.
This is the only photo format used by the Zen.
MP3 and WMA music tracks: Music format used by the Zen.
Note: Having the wrong bit rates will drain the Zen battery faster. (See above)
MP3: Is a digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression.
Non-protected AAC: Files are regular AAC files without any DRM: they can be converted to other formats (like MP3) and can be played on an unlimited amount of devices and burned an unlimitd amount of times. They have no restrictions.
Podcast: Is a series of digital-media files which are distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and computers. http://zencast.com/
Protected AAC: Files are AAC audio files that contain DRM (Digital Rights Management), most often music purchased from the iTunes store. The Creative Zen cannot use these files.
Note: "Itunes Plus Store" have songs without DRM which the Zen can use.
Ripping CDs: Copying tracks from an audio CD on a PC and downloading tracks to the Zen.
Note: Use the Creative Zen Media Explorer for ripping audio CD is one method.
Song Title: Name of song or track
Track Number: Numerical number of track of CD album.
Track: General name for song or song title.
Unprotected AAC format: Music format used by the Zen
WMA:Is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. The name can be used to refer to its audio file format or its audio codecs.
WAV: (or WAVE), short for Waveform audio format, is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs.
Note: The Zen's built-in microphone produces this audio file format.
Zen Audio Format:MP3, WMA, WAV, non-protected AAC (.m4a), Audible (2, 3, 4)
Zen Media Content: Video, Music, Audio, Photos/Images transferred/dowloaded into the Zen
Zen Photo Format:JPEG
Note: You can copy/drag/paste JPEG photos from your PC to your Zen for viewing.
Note: You can import photos & view photos from the SD card.
Zencast Organizer: Seamlessly integrates ZENcast media files with Creative portable media players and/or your computer
Zen Video Format:MJPEG, WMV9 and (with transcoding - MPED4-SP, DivX 4/5 and XviD)
Warning - In some countries (including the US) its illegal to do:
Copying audio DVD & DVDs
Defeating DRM MP3 Music (Digital Rights Management)
Intercepting/copying (non purchased) music.
Downloading music/songs from an illegal or "free" rouge website.
General Media Content links:
http://pro-music.org/Content/GetMusi...lineStores.php
Note: Check to see if your music files/tracks contains ID3 tags.
Note: ZEN also supports iTunes Plus tracks from the iTunes store,
Note: The following media content is only a small fraction of means and ways
of collecting/dowloading media content to the Zen.
Media Content from Creative Website(s)
Note: The Media Content can be found under "Fill your Zen" on the bottom of the Creative Zen product page.
http://zencast.com/
ZENcast is the ultimate source for free IPTV channels, video blogs and podcasts on the Internet. It provides quick and easy access to a wide range of interesting and entertaining video and audio content online.
http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/cre...seBVCookie=Yes
Audible.com - Audible.comis the Internet s leading audio provider of bestselling audio books, comedy programs and today s most relevant magazines and newspapers
http://creative.vongo.com/
VONGO is the video download service that gives you instant access to over 2500 hit movie and video selections from Starz .
Watch movies whenever, wherever on your ZEN. A great entertainment venue for watching movies while on the road or on the go.
http://www.napster.com/creative/
Transfer unlimited music to your ZEN without paying per song.
With Napster To Go you can:
Choose from over 5 million songs, plus new releases every week
Play music instantly from any internet-connected computer
Find old favorites and discover new music by exploring playlists, radio, Billboard charts and more
Create a library of your favorite music and build custom playlists.
http://www.emusic.com/ZEN
Choose from over ,500,000 songs
Burn unlimited CDs
Compatible with every MP3 player
No confusing restrictions-Own your music!
http://www.lala.com/frontend/action/...=user:2672@223
Why pay 99per song when you can get the whole album for $At lala.com, you can trade your used CDs for new music.
.8 million titles available for trade. CD quality guaranteed.
Every CD you receive is yours to keep - no restrictions.
Pay only $ per CD received. No monthly fees or commitments. Sign up is FREE.
http://www.amazon.com/b/ &node=62663
Buy or Rent Movies Online
Watch DVD-quality video downloads on your PC or ZEN
Conveniently download from your PC at work to your PC at home
Discover thousands of TV shows & movies available for download
I started this thread in April 08 to help other new Creative Zen MP3 (Flash) users. If there are common threads that are posted from new users then I try to make a section to inform other new users in solving their similar problems. I cannot believe that this thread was viewed over 0,000 times! Thank you for your "viewing" support.
Please note: This thread is constantly changing so check back for any new helpful hints, problem solving, troubleshooting and practical solutions for the Creative Zen.
"The Creative ZenR O C K S"
Zenandy
Message Edited by Zenandy on 08--2008 08:26 AM

Hi,
I'm from germany so no 'best buy' but I think I will lock around sleeve/bag for a different product with same measures. Any tip?
The clear plastic case is not what I want. I would like to use the player without such protections. I just want a sleeve to protect the player while its in my jacket/pants.
Btw, i have bought this version: Creative Zen (maybe european version?). I also doesn't seem to have your mentioned sleeve. I also couldn't find it on the website.
Anyway, thank you,
Chris

How to make best videos/audios for Creative Zen/Zen Vision W/Zen Vision M/Z

4Easysoft Creative Zen Video Converter is an all-in-one Video Converter for Creative Zen software with high output quality and powerful video editing functions, which can help all the zen users to make the best video/audio effect.
First of all, let’s make clear what kinds of videos/audios can get the best effect in the zen players.
Video:
MPEG, WMV, and AVI (MPEG-4 SP, DivX, Xvid), while MPEG-1, and MPEG-2 are supported, but must be transcoded with the included software.
Audio:
MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, and Audible 2, 3, and 4 formats.
Settings:
Video resolution: 320×240; Video Bitrate: 500 kbps; Audio Bitrate: between 96 to 128 kbps.
Then, let me show you how to make a full use of this powerful converter.
Preparation:Download and install 4Easysoft Creative Zen Video Converter
http://www.4easysoft.com/guide/creative-zen-video-converter/main.jpg
Step 1: Run this software and add video/audio files.
Step 2: Select output video format from the profile drop-down list.
Click the “Profile” button to select the output video format from the drop-down list button.
Step 3: Customize output settings.
Click “Settings” button in the output settings area, you are allowed to customize the output parameters, specify output folder and select output format.
Step 4: Start conversion
Click “Start” button on right bottom of the main interface, you can begin the conversion. All the tasks of conversion will be finished at fast speed and high output quality.
http://www.4easysoft.com/guide/creative-zen-video-converter/steps.jpg
Tips on editing videos:
1: Capture your favorite picture.
Just click the “Snapshot” button to save your favorite image.
2: Merge videos into one file.
Just check the “merge into one file” option if you want to merge the selected contents into one file As default the merged file is named after the first selected file (either a title or a chapter)
3: Select preference
Click the “Preference” button and a dialog pops up, you can select the output destination, the Snapshot foler, the format of the snapshot image. You can also choose to shut down your computer or do nothing after your conversion. You can also select the CPU usage.
4: Trim video
You can get any clip of your video and put it on your zen.
5: Crop video
You can crop your video by selecting your video mode, setting crop values, or drag the frame.
http://www.4easysoft.com/guide/creative-zen-video-converter/tips.jpg
Ok, just enjoy movies and music with your Creative Zen player now!
More useful tools:
MP4 Converter is a powerful MP4 Video Converter which is designed to convert almost any video formats to MPEG-4 standard formats; WMV Converter provides perfect solution to convert common video formats to WMV with the best quality of picture and sound; Apple TV Video Converter is the excellent Apple TV converter software to convert all video files such as AVI, MPEG, WMV, MP4, MOV, RM, ASF, 3GP, VOB, etc, to Apple TV movies.
Edited by: user11254370 on 2009-6-9 下午11:58

Just wanted to mention - I bought the IR Remote thinking to make the player useful without navigation keys. Now I feel like I wasted more money instead of shifting to some other player by some other company with better customer service.

Creative zen touch problem - mediasource says it's emp

i've had my creative zen touch for more than a year and a half and used it every day with it working fine. a couple of weeks ago mediasource loaded it as empty on my pc. however all my music is still on it and i can play directly from the player but not through my computer. i've tried opening the player through other programs but this doesn't work either. i've tried uninstalling and reinstalling all of the creative software that came on the cd with it (mediasource, nomad explorer etc.) but it hasn't worked. does anybody know why this is and how i can fix the problem it's a bit annoying because i can't put any new music on it. thanks very much in advance. jonny.

Hello Roknoch,
Welcome to Creative forums!
You might want to check on these threads:
Scroll Pads gone Bad
ZEN touch: Button on face not responding

Having Trouble with Creative Zen Touch 20G

Hey everybody. I bought me a 20G Creative Zen Touch (you know, the one where the scroll thing is in the middle of the player, vertically?). Anyway, i bought it a couple of weeks ago and it's pretty **bleep** cool. No problems with it.....until today. I was watering the lawn, listening to my music (no, it didn't get wet), when all of a sudden it stopped working all together. Well, at first i saw some "Voice Recording" thing i had never seen before and no matter what i pushed, nothing happened. I couldn't even turn it off. I tapped it on the side, then it began working again. I decided to shut it off and put it in my room. Later when i went back to it,it wouldn't turn back on at all!!! Even though it's battery was charged, i decided to plug it into the charger where, once i plugged it in, i got a screen that said:
"CREATIVE ZEN
Copyright (c) 2004
Creative Technology Ltd.
All Rights Reserved"
And thats how it is currently: Nothing at all happens when it's disconnected from the charger and i try to turn it on. When connected to the charger, i get said screen, but thats it. No music, not even the blue backlight or the blue blinking light on the power button indicating that it's charging. :smileyindifferent:
Can someone tell me what's going on/how to fix this? We have been getting unbelievably hot weather here in So. Cal and i have the feeling that the hot temperature may have something to do with this. I've tried keeping the player in the coolest place in the house (besides the freezer) which would be near a fan so it could be in a cooler place, but even leaving it in such place for a couple hours isn't helping me.

Hey buddy
same problem with me. The zen got little moist due to rain, after that it froze at the 'Creative screen' that too comes on when i connect it to charger. I disconnected the battery, it worked for a while but it is back to same position now. It dosent responds to resetting pin... nothing happens it is dead. Only when i disconnect battey and connect charger ... give it a big whack it works for a while then hangs again.
Still trying my stuff on it. Otherwise i will format it and reload the firmware later on.
if u get any solution let me know on [email][email protected]][email protected][/url]
thankx

Creative ZEN 4gb compatible with Creative MediaSource

Hi,
I was just wondering if I can use my new Creative Zen 4gb with Creative MediaSource. I really like MediaSource and I would prefer to use it the only problems is when ever I connect it its keep locking up and crashing especially when I go to creative playlists. I used to use mediasource for my Zen Micro. Any suggestion? or does creative no longer support MediaSource with there new players?Thanks!

Strife04 asked the following:"Hi, does anyone know which Creative MediaSource Player/ Organizer is compatible with the new 4gb ZEN and if there is one, where it can be downloaded? thanks in advance.":?My reply:Which 4gb Zen?I have the Zen V Plus 4 gig and MediaSource Player/Orginizer running on a?Windows XP SP2enabled Dell.
This works fine for me.

Trouble with Creative Zen

Hi
I've been checking the topics for a problem similar to mine but haven't found any. I've had my creative zen for about 3 years now and have loved it. However, in the past few months I've been having trouble with it. While playing a song (either while laying stable in my car, or on my arm while working out), the player will just randomly die. I try to turn it back on, and have no luck. I then reset it by using the back of my earing, and somtimes it will start back up, and other times it won't. If it doesn't start back up right away, I'm able to plug it in to charge, and it will usually let me turn it back on after charging for a few minutes. I notice that its never on empty, and there seems to be at least half a battery level left. Some days the player will die randomly several times, or other times it will go days before I have a problem with it. I have tried to reboot it, and clear off the entire player, upgrade the firm-ware, and still have the same issue. Any ideas? Is it toast?
Thanks!

Is the player recognised in the Device Manager, do you see it listed there (perhaps as an unknown device, or with an exclamation mark)?
Check out this knowledgebase article for some useful tips if the player isn't recognised, it'll take you through them step-by-step:
http:// us.creative.com/support/kb/article.asp?l=2&sid=9287
Cat

Creative MediaSource not detecting my creative zen to

I'm having trouble with my Creative Zen Touch. In Creative MediaSource, in the sources part on the left hand side, it does not detect my Creative Zen Touch and therefore i cannot transfer music. Any help would be much appreciated. PS when i plug my Creative Zen Touch into the computer using the usb port, the computer detects the device and i have an option to "take no action" or "Transfer files using Windows Media Player".

I am also having this problem, but in order to download from the zen to the pc, I will have to have everything erased off the Zen, and there is an important recording I want to load to my PC first. There is no where in my creative media source since I updated my firmware to load from Zen to PC like there used to be. Any suggestions?
Thank you.

Creative Zen V. Is it any go

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