Creative Labs MP3 product reliability

Since September of 2007 I have purchased three Creative Labs MP3 players. I bought a Zen V Plus, a Zen Micro, and a Zen Mozaic.
The Zen V Plus and the Zen Micro have both stopped working.
The customer support line tells me that repair of these products will be as expensi've as buying a new MP3 player.
With this level of reliabilty, why would I want to buy another Creative Labs MP3 player? It would seem much less expensi've to simply buy another brand of MP3 player, and save my money for buying music downloads.

I do still have the Micro. I even know how to fix it. All I'd have to do is reformat the unit. Unfortunately, to reformat the unit you need to be able to see more that just random lines on the screen; you actually need to be able to read the screen so that you can scroll down to where you can reformat the unit.
So, while I realize that all electronics can have issues, I'm certainly not satisfied with having 2 out of 3 units go belly up, and know that my option is to buy another unit from the same company.
That is simply too expensi've a path to continue.
On the bright side, my daughter is willing to give me her fi've year old IPod, which still works just as advertised.

Similar Messages

2 times negative experience with Creative Labs mp3 play

Hey,?I wanted to share my negati've experiences with you on two different Creative Labs mp3 players that I happened to own and suffer from. Before you jump to any fast conclusions or start drawing any parallels note that I loved the sound quality of both 5Gb Zen Micro and 30Gb Zen Vision:M and that I purchased both of them in Ukraine. 5Gb Zen Micro, my first player, was fine until I accidentally dropped it'sfrom about m above the floor. The player was fine and still able to play the music but... the screen was gone. The screen would only light up a few seconds after booting and then go dark and leave you in dark to guess your way through the menu. The sensitivity of the touch pad was way too high even at the lowest level and I often made mistakes with it. But sadly enough there is no support whatsoever in Ukraine. Email support was useless as you can't really have any software solution to the corrupted screen. I had to forget it :-(. Next, I got excited about the 30Gb Zen Vision:M. I was happy to buy a good alternati've to an Ipod but my joy was premature. After very little use of my Zen Vision I once left it unused for about a month. The next thing I noticed was that my battery is dead. The battery would not charge no matter how long I tried to do it! Not even several months passed since I purchased it when the Li-Ion battery went dead. Once again there was no customer support center to go to to fix it and there was no way to return it to the shop either. I had to replace the battery somehow. I am sure many of you saw detailed step-by-step instructions on how to disassemble the Zen Vision and get access to the battery. I bought a replacement battery on Ebay and had the original one replaced only to find out the replacement battery was dead at opening!!! I next ordered another battery on Ebay with a one-year warranty but yet again the battery would not charge. At first it would not charge and then after about 5 hours of charging it would show 00% charge but the player would shut off immediately once I disconnected the AC adapter. I gave up trying to do it myself and there is no local customer service center here. I would send it to the US for repairs but Creative has hidden all service center addresses and puts you through a very long and tedious way of reporting problems with your Zen player. I am very frustrated indeed! I don't wanna buy another Creative player and face the same problems and terrible customer service. I hope someone from Creative Labs will read this and advise the company on how to improve. Creative is losing the battle to Apple believe it or not. Apple is making tons of money on its players with poorer audio quality and fewer features because their customer service is superior. Creative is losing money quarter after quarter because their battery suppliers are not producing consistent-quality batteries, customer service support is non-existent in many countries outside the US and because many popular Creative players come with a user-unfriendly built-in battery!!!

Hey, everyone!
Thanks for your comments. I am in no way shying away from my responsibility in the case of dropping my first Zen. Such things do happen as you know. The point I was trying to make was that there is NO Creative service center over here, neither in Russia or any neighboring country I could go to.
Yes, Apple does have many service centers in Ukraine. So what do you do with the product that you can't repair? It wasn't completely shattered and a replacement of the screen or maybe some chip would fix it.
As for the battery I have to disagree. For a Li-Ion battery one month shouldn't be a problem. Someone asked who makes the batteries for Creative Labs. It's the company called SKC. http://www.skc.co.kr/skhp/en/prod/bat/03.jsp
Once again, maybe changing the battery yourself isn't the best idea but I simply have no other option and you simply don't want to throw away $360.
I still think that Creative should have done a better job selecting the battery supplier and especially setting up service centers locally. A lot of people over here buy Creative Zens and face similar problems. We have nowhere to go for service. I would rather send it in for repairs but Creative does superb job of hiding its technical support email forcing you to go through a web form.
And unfortunately Creative financial performance is only worsening:
http://www.creative.com/corporate/in...gs_Release.pdf
I don't know how much longer they are going to stay in business. I don't like Ipods and all that hype about them but I'd prefer to have better choices and responsi'veness from Creative.

Creative Labs will release new product "X-Fi 2" soon.

X-Fi 2 driver has got Windows Vista certification on 3//08, so the product will be released soon I think, maybe in this April.
http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/ProductDetails.aspx?m=v&g=d&cid=0&sv=&f=&pn=SB%20X-Fi%202&oid=24
[color="#000099" size="3">?
Is there any information on the release date for X-Fi 2?
But still the spec is unknown, seems X-Fi 2 will be fully compatible with Vista, have HDMI .3 expansion card, can playback DTS HD, DD Plus, etc. Can hardware decode DD and DTS. Improved CMSS and 24-bit crystaliser. DDL and DTS Connect features there...
Someone got more information about this?

wizbit wrote:
<span class="hw">too little, too late
Inadequate as a remedy and not in time to be effecti've, as in The effort to di'vert the stream into a corn field was too little too late--the houses were already flooded. This term originated in the military, where it was applied to reinforcements that were insufficient and arri'ved too late to be of help, now being used for the new line of creative labs xfi range.
I'm old army guy, I understand the term. Most folks posting here don't even scratch the surface of the total number of card owners. I know many who'll not post here because of the Venom in most folks' posts. It reminds me of the wide open flame fests of old. I have vivid memories of Hover Sheep, AJ, PopeGoldX and etc.............on Tom's Hardware and Sharkey Extreme?almost 0 years ago.
IMHO, if Creative did everything asked of them, nine out of ten posters wouldn't change a bit. I have a larger problem with Vista than I do with Creative. I own an Auzentech Prelude 7., the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Platinum 7. and an Audigy 2 ZS. I got no SCP, my stuff works and works well. Just because my $#it works, hell I don't have anywhere to post LOL!? My biggest gripe is that Auzen removed the THX console, no calibration or bass redirection for entertainment mode

Alternatives to Creative Labs Product

Please list manufacturers and their products that you find to be great alternati'ves to those offered by Creative Labs.

A few obvious ones come to mind:
Logitech over Creative almost any day for speakers. There may be a few lines that beat out Logitech for pricepoint and configuration, whatever, I like Logitech better anyway (especially now).
My Sony MCD-50 ("DJ" headphones) are amazing and better than any creative headset I've ever tried.
The ASUS Xonar line of sound cards are VERY impressi've on paper and reviews, I hope to be trying one in my system very soon.
Multimedia players? Don't get me started. Not the typical iPod lover here, although I do fancy them more than the Creative offerings. My ZUNE is serving me very well and has one of the sexiest interfaces I've ever seen on a music player of its kind. Not to mention Sony's new line coming out soon that's gonna be awesome.
Sorry Creative, you're both very replaceable and forgettable. So get lost and let us forget about you, or fix yourselves up.
Good thread by the way.

More New Creative Labs Zen MP3 Players by Christmas 2

More MP3 players coming up, Zen Stone is only a appetizer..more X-Fi coming up toolink

dma0725 wrote:
I just purchased the Creative Labs Zen 2GB.
This is in the list of supported player in
http://www.oclc.org/audiobooks/techspecs/devices.htm.
I am using WMP, latest firmware .2.03.
I have downloaded audio books from Netlibrary (protected wav files).
I can open the files in WMP and real player but once I tried to copy the files (sync) to Zen player using WMP and realplayer or just right click copy to Zen, I get an unsupported file type. Same when using the Creative Suite.
I tried looking for others who may have the problem but it seems like noone has the same problem.
MP3 Audio books sync/copied OK.
Any more ideas? (I have a Cowon D2 - synced OK - but it isn't mine)
Please help...or I might just have to return this.
I don't think I have ever seen a DRM WAV file on NetLibrary. I have only seen WMA or MP3 files. Contact them & ask if the file is supposed to be WAV or WMA. Also check that the clock on your player has the correct time & date.

No creative labs product detec

I have went to creative labs site and downloaded the drivers for soundblaster li've and when I tried to install them it came back but when I boot up it recognizes that here is a new pci card

Remove the card and reboot.
put back in and see how ya go.

'Creative Zen V Plus' Recovery, from Creative Labs that

Hi,
I love my Creative mp3 player, but I haven't seen it for ages. The crappy joystick needed repairing (the only badly designed bit).
I took it in to JB Hi-Fi for them to send off and they told me it would take 6-8 weeks (this was December 27).
Anyway, to cut a long story short, 3 weeks have passed and I still don't have it.
I've rung JB Hi-Fi constantly and the Storeperson tried to help me out, gave me the Creative Labs number and I phoned them.
So I rang them and a (presumabley) Asian guy answers. I am not racist but **bleep**, he was hard to understand (phones should have inbuilt subtitles). He tried to help me out and to the best of my knowledge he said they were processing my product and it would take another 2 to 4 weeks to get my mp3 player back to me (on top of the 3 weeks!)
Now you can propably see why I'm royally peeved.
What I want to know is why Creative Labs have such crap service No joke, it sounded to me like they off-sourced people's queries to other countries and in the rinkiest dinkiest places possible (the audio quality was disqusting).
Enough ranting from me.
Anyone have a similar experience or know what I can do about it's (I'm definitely going to write a letter of complaint).
Thanks all

First, I got a? RMA number by e-mail and sent in my Zen V Plus 4GB?(refurbished) directly to Creative by UPS on a Thursday (3/28/08)?and they received it by the following Monday 3/3/08. It was back to me yesterday 4/07/08. Very fast service, only it wasn't fixed and it still locks up my computer and my player?when I download my audiobooks. Only way to get it running again is to reset, go to recovery mode?and then do a full format. Then, the next time I try to reload the books, it locks up again at GB. Now, I am trying to get Creative to pay for shipping both ways, because they didn't fix the player the first time.
It probably would have much faster for you to have?delt with Creative directly instead of using the JB Hi Fi shop. At least yours is just a problem with the?joy stick and not the electronic parts.
Good luck.
luvmyrescuedogs

Customer Care the Creative Labs way.

Customer Care the Creative Labs way.The key phrases here are:we appreciate the opportunity to assist you. If you still require assistance, please reply to this email? To cut a long story short..I have a Creative Labs portable MP3 player (a Zen Sleek 20 Gb) which requires a new battery. The machine was bought new, has been well looked after and is otherwise in perfect working order. Although the machine is just 5 years old Creative say they no longer provide any after sales support for it and, although not in so many words, advise me that my only option is to replace it. Dear Marc,
For this issue, I do apologize but please understand that we no longer have any spare parts for the player like the battery to be able to offer repair serivces.
We have discontinued manufacturing parts for the player for more than 2
years now and without parts, we cannot offer any type of repairs.
If it were available, we would have offered you the repair service in
the first place. What good would it be for us to decline you of repair
options.
Do what you think is right abd proper but like I said and as what my
colleagues informed you previously, we no longer have any repair options
for the Zen Sleek player.
Regards,
xxxxxxx
Creative Customer Support Services, Creative Labs
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly xxxxxxx.
Creative designed (and sold) the machine with a built-in battery.
Creative's engineer's and product designer's know that rechargeable
batteries have a finite and rather short life-span. Much shorter than
the life span of the Zen Sleek 20 Gb as a whole.
I am not prepared to throw this machine away and buy a replacement when
all it needs is a new battery.
Unless Creative would like this entire correspondence to be posted on
relevant consumer web sites, such as anythingbutipod.com I suggest you
get back to me with an appropriate solution.
kind regards,
Marc
Date: Thu, Oct 2009 7:02:38 +0800
From: [email protected]
To:
Subject: RE: CLE - Technical Support Request - (Zen Sleek)
(KMM9595845I5977L0KM)
Dear Marc,
Thank you for getting back to us. I am sorry of what happened.
With regards to your issue, I am sorry to inform you that as the zen
Sleek is designed with the built-in battery which cannot be
replaceable.
Have a nice day!
Please retain all the previous correspondence when replying to this
email.
Best Regards,
xxxxxxx
Creative Customer Support Services
Creative Labs Europe
Thanks xxxxxxx,
In the case of the player in question, I still believe the battery
needs to be changed. THis is normal given the age of the player and the
amount of use it has had.
What are my solutions for achieving this?
I have always believed that Creative is not the sort of company which
lets its customers down when it comes to afer sales support.
As I have said previously, the machine is in perfect condition and is
only around 5 or 6 years old. It was a very high spec machine when I
bought it and I have neither the money nor the inclination to change
it.
Could you please advise as to how I can replace the battery, and not
refer me to any other parts of your web site.
Thanks in advance,
Date: Thu, Oct 2009 :53:2 +0800
From: [email protected]
To:
Subject: RE: CLE - Technical Support Request - (Zen Sleek)
(KMM959435I5977L0KM)
Dear Marc,
Thank you for getting back to us.
With regards to your enquiry, you might like to visit our website to view the article.
Prolonging Battery Life of a Creative Product
The Link: http://support.creative.com/kb/ShowA....aspx?sid=4672
Best Regards,
xxxxxxx
Creative Customer Support Services
Creative Labs Europe
Thanks for your response xxxxxxx,
What would you suggest? That I throw the machine away and buy a new one?
This player is still functioning perfectly. It never skips, rarely freezes and is generally in excellent condition.
All the interfaces, charge leads work perfectly. It deli'vers excellent sound quality.
As a result of being charged a great number of times, the battery no longer holds as much charge as it did when new. The player's autonomy has decreased sharply as a result and, unless I am able to charge it every 2-3 hours or so, I cannot use it.
The player is not that old, no more than 5 or 6 years.
Surely there must be some solution for prolonging its useful life.
I will leave it with you to make inquiries within the Creative Labs structures.
Thanks
Regards,
Marc
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 7:34: +0800
From: [email protected]
To:
Subject: Re: CLE - Technical Support Request - (Zen Sleek)
(KMM958392I5977L0KM)
Dear Marc,
Thank you for reaching us at Creative Technical Support; we appreciate
the opportunity to assist you.
With regards to your enquiry, I am very sorry but unfortunately,
we do not have any replacement battery for the ZEN Sleek. Sorry for any
inconvenience that caused you.
If you still require assistance, please reply to this email with any previous correspondence to ensure the quickest and most accurate service.
Best Regards,
xxxxxxx
Creative Customer Support Services, Creative Labs Europe
Subject: CLE - Technical Support Request - (Zen Sleek)
E-mail Address:
Self Description: Intermediate PC User
Region: Europe
Country: United Kingdom
Support Inquiry: Other/Not Listed Above
Product: Zen Sleek
CCPP Certificate Number:
Serial Number: 390542004008M
Purchase Date: Aug/23/2004
Operating System: OS Independent
Firmware Version: .00.05
Creative Model Number:
Connected To:
Detailed Problem Description:
The battery in my Zen Sleek 20 GB MP3 player needs replacing. It is not accessible to the user. What are my options for replacing it's How long will this take? and what is the cost? Many thanks, regards, Marc

Thanks for taking the time to respond Mike,
This is an interesting take on the situation.
I do not consider 5 years as an acceptable life span for a machine which cost close to 200 GBP, was made by a highly reputable manufacturer and has been well looked after. 0 perha
ps.
If this is the case, then at the moment of sale the customer should be advised of the limited life span.
I have not the skills, the material, the time nor the inclanation to take the machine apart myself, even if a suitable new battery could be found.
I agree with you that the cost of repair is likely to exceed the cost of replacement.
I shall continue to use the machine for as long as I am able (despite its short autonomy) and will look to Creative's competitors when I eventually replace it.

Creative Labs Zen NX Nomad Jukebox and Vi

Hey all- Hope I can find some help here.
I recently got a new system, and it is running Vista Premium. I have an older mp3 player that I got from my brother-a 30GB Zen Nomad NX Jukebox. I have installed all of the (very old)software on the CD that came with it. However, my problem is whenever I hook up my MP3 player, it says that there isn't a driver installed. I have gone on the download page and downloaded all of the driver software and installed it, but I still have this message come up.
When I check it on my computer, it says that my player isn't connected. Any help?

Creative Labs, with their large corporation mindset, apparently decided to pursue an ill-advised Marketing Strategy by not releasing a needed Vista driver for the many thousands of Zen NX players out there. This is no doubt due to GREED, because they seem to want to be selling additional thousands of their more recently released MP3 players.
No good for them. I'm confident a huge base of professional software developers will stop recommending Creative products to their corporate base due to this arrogance . . .

Transfering Audible files to Creative Labs Muvo

How do I use iTunes (or my iMac in general) to transfer Audible files to my device. I have a Creative Labs Muvo MP3 player that plays Audible. Using Windows the Audible files transfer and play fine but I cannot get iTunes to recognize the device -- the iMac only mounts it as a mass storage device. When I manually copy the Audible file from the iMac to the Muvo, it transfers it as an .aa file and apparently the device needs it converted to a .asf file. MP3 files copy and play fine.

Well, the folks at Apple beg to differ....
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93548.
It specifically lists a whole set of Creative products, including the MuVo, that are compatible with iTunes.
Though I am having the exact same problem, where I can't get it to recognize the device.
I had the one I got from Audible, but never used, and wanted to set it up for my kid.
Not sure if perhaps the Audible player was set up by default for PC use...not sure.
Will look through the threads more.
-kathy

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.< I use this>
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

Creative Labs Customer Supp

Or moreover, the lack thereof.
First you come out with the Zen Vision player with documentation so sparse that sellers like Amazon.com are asking for additional user manuals to post [at least they were when I bought mine].
Then for customer support you DON"T have an 800 number. Not good, especially considering how long AND how unresolved my contacts are with you.
After my last lengthy call and suggestions that didn't work here I am still needing to call again to get something to work that hasn't in spite of many phone calls and plenty of expensi've long distance airtime [because you are so cheap as to not have an 800 number - not to mention it would be nice if I was given a real "FIX" - or better yet just never had the problem.
Ironically on the day of my last call to you I needed to call Canon for support. THEY HAVE AN 800 NUMBER, AND HAD NO WAIT. HECK, BEST OF ALL THEY ARE SHIPPING ME A NEW UNIT TO SWAP OUT, EXPRESS PAID POSTAGE AT THEIR EXPENSE.
Oh, and by the way, when I was calling you abvout my last (unresolved) problem I was having to ask what the screw that had fallen out was for. Better yet, on a player treted as gently as they come what the heck is a screw doing falling out??
Count me as not ever buying another Creative Labs product. Too bad, I had liked my last one. But then again it worked!

Cat... I believe my point is relevant.
Which is instead of being distracted by a 'hail mary' frivolous law suit,
Creative should focus their energy on creating a better product with better
customer support.
Improving customer support falls under the topic of Creative Labs Customer Support
don't you think?

Creative Labs: A Boy's St

Hi everyone,
I came to these forums after I heard of the recent developments from Creative Labs. After reading what many people wrote, I?thought I would share?the story of how Creative became a part of my life.
I was twelve years old when I first learned of Creative. I had saved up enough money over a year and a half?and finally bought a 486 DX-2 50Mhz computer. I cannot tell you how many lawns I mowed and dri'veways I shoveled. Take a minute to remember what prices were like in the early 990s and you'll understand why it took so long. I would have been able to get a sound card included with the computer had I saved for another month or two, but I was twelve - I wasn't going to wait anymore!
Two?months after that purchase, I had saved up enough money to buy a sound card and speakers. Finally my system would be complete!? I started looking for a sound card and heard from many people that SoundBlasters were the only kind I should consider. Thus, the SoundBlaster 6 was my first sound card. Indeed, it was the first component I ever installed in a computer and it went flawlessly.
Because "Soundblaster" compatibility was important back then, I purchased only Creative products. Even as a teenager, I noticed the bloatware that was starting to get bundled with the drivers. I also noticed that the quality of the drivers was deteriorating, but I was always able to make them work well most of the time. There were a few blue screens of death, but I just shrugged and rebooted.
As we approach the present, it is clear to me the trend I noticed has reached a breaking point. I was stunned when I saw that Creative had the nerve to tell someone who was doing their job for them to stop. For this reason, my sound card has been placed in the garbage and I am using the onboard audio included with my Shuttle system. On a side note, installing those drivers was a cakewalk compared to some of the installations I went through with Creative products.
It is obvious to me, someone who has only been without a Creative sound card for two months, that the company either has no idea what they are doing or does not care. I will not purchase another Creative product again, nor recommend that anyone do so, until new management is present and is turning the company around. This includes making higher quality, less bloated, more stable drivers that activate all of the features present on the card and work on all operating system in the same way.
I have signed the petition (link below), and encourage people to do the same. I know perfectly well that a petition is unlikely to change the policies of management, but it is at the very least one more way to make my displeasure heard. I am number 26 on the petition, and I hope many more will sign so that the extent of their customers' displeasure becomes known.
That is my Creative story, and it is a sad one. I am sad to see a company so capable of producing excellent hardware fall into the trap that is poor management.
To Creative: Please turn around your company and realize that hardware and software must work together seamlessly. Please reorganize your management team and put in place individuals who understand how to build relationships with customers. Please realize that people who pay you money have taken the time to earn it and are worthy of higher levels of support for their products. And finally, please recognize that punishing a member of the community who picked up slack where you left off is a horrendous way to build customer relationshi
ps.
Indeed, that is how you are losing mine.
I wish everyone on here the best, and thank you for reading this little story. I was told growing up that words can move mountains, so I encourage everyone to leave some words of their own.
Thank you,
Tim
Link: http://www.petitiononline.com/crtvlabs/petition.html

Creative was infringing upon Aureal's patents, not the other way around. Yet is was Creative who sued Aureal for patent infringement.
See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aureal
On March 5th, 998, [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Labs">Creative Labs[/url] sued Aureal for patent infringement. Aureal countersued because they believed Creative was guilty of patent infringement. After numerous lawsuits Aureal won a favorable ruling in December 999, which vindicated Aureal from these patent infringement claims, but the legal costs were too high and Aureal filed for [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankruptcy">bankruptcy[/url]. On September 2st, 2000, Creative acquired Aureal's assets from its [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankruptcy_trustee">bankruptcy trustee[/url] for US$ 32 million. The purchase included patents, trademarks, other property, as well as a release to Creative from any infringement by Creative of Aureal's intellectual property including [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A3D">A3D[/url]. The purchase effecti'vely eliminated Creative's only competition in the gaming audio market. It also eliminated any requirements for Creative to pay past or future royalties as well as damages for products which incorporated Aureal's technology.
See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundstorm
[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Technology">Creative's[/url] acquisition of [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensaura">Sensaura[/url] in late 2003 put a halt to development of drivers for Sensaura-based sound hardware, including the code that ran on the SoundStorm APU. Further development of SoundStorm hardware and drivers would have been considerably more costly for Nvidia without middleware support from Sensaura.

Creative Labs Zen

I just purchased the C 2GB.
This is in the list of supported player in
http://www.oclc.org/audiobooks/techspecs/devices.htm.
I am using WMP, latest firmware .2.03.
I have downloaded audio books from Netlibrary (protected wav files).
I can open the files in WMP and real player but once I tried to copy the files (sync) to Zen player using WMP and realplayer or just right click copy to Zen, I get an unsupported file type. Same when using the Creative Suite.
I tried looking for others who may have the problem but it seems like noone has the same problem.
MP3 Audio books sync/copied OK.
Any more ideas? (I have a Cowon D2 - synced OK - but it isn't mine)
Please help...or I might just have to return this.

dma0725 wrote:
I just purchased the Creative Labs Zen 2GB.
This is in the list of supported player in
http://www.oclc.org/audiobooks/techspecs/devices.htm.
I am using WMP, latest firmware .2.03.
I have downloaded audio books from Netlibrary (protected wav files).
I can open the files in WMP and real player but once I tried to copy the files (sync) to Zen player using WMP and realplayer or just right click copy to Zen, I get an unsupported file type. Same when using the Creative Suite.
I tried looking for others who may have the problem but it seems like noone has the same problem.
MP3 Audio books sync/copied OK.
Any more ideas? (I have a Cowon D2 - synced OK - but it isn't mine)
Please help...or I might just have to return this.
I don't think I have ever seen a DRM WAV file on NetLibrary. I have only seen WMA or MP3 files. Contact them & ask if the file is supposed to be WAV or WMA. Also check that the clock on your player has the correct time & date.

Downloads for Creative Zen mp3 player Vision: M (30

My new Zen 6GB freezes up in mid-40 degree temperatures and won't reset. It just gets stuck, then the battery goes dead, and it wont restart until fully charged again. When it's cold I can't even reboot it with a paper clip. If I leave it in the car for more than an hour the same thing happens. Is this a known problem I never had these problems with the godawful iPod. I can't imagine it's "normal" for it to be unusable outdoors whenI bought the black Creative Zen mp3 player Vision: M (30 GB) back in August 2007, and both discs that came with product are lost, and I need to desperately replace them. I know where the download section on the Creative website is, the problem is that I do not know which two programs came with my player initially, thus I do not know what to download. Can anyone tell me the names of the discs that come with this model so I would be able to download the correct two programs Thank you kindly. John it's 5 degrees above freezing. Thanks.

I'm pretty sure that won't work on a Mac.
Check the install disk, it might say what systems are supported. If not, look at the files on the disk. If they're all named like PC files they're likely for a PC. If the disk has a Mac partition the files will look like they have Mac-style icons and names.
I also note that Macs don't use an 'autoplay wizard'; that's a PC thing.

Creative Labs MP3 product reliability

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