My Zen Micro is a dead BR

My zen micro is about 4 months old and has developed the common headphone jack problem experience by every zen micro owner..well..eventually. That was one problem I could handle by just turning the headphone jack a certain way. Now, however, my micro is dead. It had frozen while it was connected to my computer. I disconnected it and tried to restart it and it went as far as the Creative logo. I proceded to going into recovery mode and attempted to format the hard dri've, which decided to freeze on me also while it was formating. I then restarted it again in recovery mode and tried to reset the firmware, which worked fine, however, when i tried to put the new firmware onto the micro the computer said it had failed. I disconnected the micro and turned it off intending to do a simple restart, however, it has not turned back on since. My zen doesn't light up or turn on when i plug it in to the computer or the wall charger, i've tried several times to go into recovery mode again but it does not turn on. I have tried every possible way to turn it back on but it just sits there..useless..like a brick..
I've read countless other posts about people having the same problem but I haven't found a fix yet. Has anyone found out exactly what is happening? What can I do to fix it's
ANY feedback would be incredible help
Thanks

ok this has happened to me a couple of times. the only thing i've noticed that is consistent is it happens when the battery gets very low...say after 2 hours of running time (ha! when I think back to the 9- hours running time they told it would have when they sold me on this over the ipod)
anyway...when it happened before i have had some luck by taking the battery out holding the power button to the on position and reinserting the battery. it's very important to get the charge strong on the battery..
we'll see if it works this time. i'm here today for the same reason as everyone else... I think I'm at 4 months..

Similar Messages

Zen Micro Is Finally Dead...I th

Well I've had it for a year and a few months (april of 2005 i believe). Never had any problems at all until now. It stopped working yesterday. I had it plugged into my computer charging and it was docked and find and everything. Then I looked over at the screen about an hour later and all it said was Please Wait... just like it says when it has the Reloading Library screen or whatever, except there was no image or anything...just Please Wait... centered at the bottom of the screen and the rest of the UI. So I noticed it froze so I pulled out the battery and put it back in. It gets to the first Creative screen with all the copyrights. Then it gets to the second CREATIVE screen and sto
ps.
Doesnt get past that screen.
So i went into recovery mode. Tried clean up, reload firmware, and format all. They all just freeze while they are doing their jobs. It either says Reloading firmware... for 3 hours, Formatting for 3 hours, or Cleaning Up... for 3 hours and gets know where. I'm guessing my mini HDD had a serious crash or something.
I think it might have been because it fell out of my pocket as i was walking to my dorm. This happened about 30 minutes before I plugged it into my computer (and then an hour later it froze). I was listening to it after i picked it up and kept walking to my room. It was working just like normal. It just crashed and a half hours later.
So you guys think the HDD is dead, or is there another method I would be able to use to save my little guy?

ok this has happened to me a couple of times. the only thing i've noticed that is consistent is it happens when the battery gets very low...say after 2 hours of running time (ha! when I think back to the 9- hours running time they told it would have when they sold me on this over the ipod)
anyway...when it happened before i have had some luck by taking the battery out holding the power button to the on position and reinserting the battery. it's very important to get the charge strong on the battery..
we'll see if it works this time. i'm here today for the same reason as everyone else... I think I'm at 4 months..

Zen Micro - firmware update failed so now "dead"

I have a firmware problem with my Zen Micro. Can anyone help?
The series of actions I have taken so far are these:
I got my Micro in January 2006. I now want to run Audible software to listen to their books so I downloaded the firmware update L6_2_2_02.exe from the Creative support site which is stated as providing the Audible?facility.
I backed up the Micro contents using Creative MeadiaSource Organiser. I then ran the firmware update from my Win XP PC. This started OK and I got a series of messages about what was happening. Then it stopped with the progress indicator bars about 2/3 across. I left it for half an hour and nothing changed so clicked to stop the update.
I checked the firmware version on the Micro and it said 2.2.02. The update?looked OK and the FM worked but of course I had no music content.
I opened my Creative MeadiaSource Organiser (v 3.0.09) but it said no device is connected so I was unable to reload the music. My XP PC recognised the Micro as connected and I checked Device Manager which showed the "device is working properly". I was also able to synch music to the Micro using Windows Media Player and this played OK. I tried another computer and could also synch using Windows Media Player but I wanted to reload my music from the backup.
I looked on the Creative site for the steps to take when a firmware update fails. The Zen Micro is not on the list as supporting the MP3 Player Recovery Tool so I did not use that. I followed the Reload Failure recovery instructions and ran Clean UP, then Format All, but this did not fix it so I ran Reload Firmware on the Micro. This was a big mistake!
Now when I try to run the firmware update from my Win XP PC, I select English then I get the message "Your player is not connected, please connect your player". I checked again and XP still recognises the Micro and the device is working. It is no longer recognised by Windows Media Player but just? appears to XP as an empty storage device.
The Micro now shows the firmware as v 0.0.65, but now it is stuck in Recovery Mode. I have contacted Creative Support but their reply is that this player is now over 3 years old, reached its end of service life, so there is no support other than on their web site. Following their web site recovery instructions got me into this mess so I guess?no extra help is offered from Creative.
The player is now essentially dead. Unless there is some way to get the firmware update program to recognise the device as connected, then I don't know how to fix this. This is a shame as it is a nice little player for my music collection.
Can anyone help as I don't know what to do next?

I have the same problem. I put the screenshots below and the errors that happen to me.I can not put him the firmware because I do not recognize the device.
Both windows xp windows 7 as the
DISPOSITIVO, IMAGEN ACTUAL
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/3783/dsc0025mv.jpg
EL PORTATIL LO RECONOCE
http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/4323/dsc0026ox.jpg
MUESTRA BATERIA, PULSANDO BOTON DERECHO
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/4855/dsc0027wj.jpg
ADMINISTRADOR DE DISPOSITIVOS
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/4501/dsc0028une.jpg
ERROR AL INSTALAR CREATIVE SOURCE
http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/3061/dsc0029io.jpg
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9330/dsc0031sn.jpg
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/7096/dsc0032qg.jpg
MP3 PLAYER RECOVERY TOOL, no me reconoce Creative ZEN MICRO como conectado
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/1714/dsc0030qn.jpg
PROGRAMAS DESCARGADOS (pagina oficial creative)
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/2466/dsc0033oi.jpg
DSC_0025.jpg
I need your help. I'm desperate. Uninstall Windows Media Player.
Thanks in advance

Zen Micro not recognized by computer AND battery is dead

I have read thru the boards, and I can't do any of the suggested ideas because my Zen battery is completely dead. I cannot charge it, as the computer does not recognize the player when it is attached. Does this mean that I need to buy a new battery, and then go from there? I do not have an adapter, just a usb cable.
I have a zen micro and an IBM compat. computer, Windows XP. I'm fairly sure that I have the latest firmware update...but is there a way to verify that?
Thanks!

lisamrose wrote:
I have read thru the boards, and I can't do any of the suggested ideas because my Zen battery is completely dead. I cannot charge it, as the computer does not recognize the player when it is attached. Does this mean that I need to buy a new battery, and then go from there? I do not have an adapter, just a usb cable.
The computer doesn't need to recognise the player if you are using a later firmware, such as ..0. You lock the player before connecting, then it should charge. Or you can put it in USB storage mode.
I have a zen micro and an IBM compat. computer, Windows XP. I'm fairly sure that I have the latest firmware update...but is there a way to verify that?
On the player you go to System > Information. The latest v firmware is ..0.

Zen Micro dead after an attempt to update firmw

My Zen Micro is not even a year old. I started having problems at the start of the new year. It just went to Recovery Mode. At first, none of the 3 options worked. My laptop was unable to detect the device. Today after a driver update on my machine, it found my Zen. The 3 options now worked, but did not fix. I just got more responses from my zen. But it remained in recovery mode. I decided to reload firmware via usb (since the 2 options gave no + result). I got as far as the "gear"?image then it froze. I had no choice but to unplug my zen.Now, it is dead. Doesn't power on. Doesn't charge via USB nor directly from a power outlet.Changed batteries. The same.Can anyone help? Desperate since I just bought a remote, charger and new batteries... expecting it will last.Message Edited by MeiMei on 0-25-200705:46 PM

I tried to send an email to creative but was denied since my product was purchased over a year ago, and it dosnt look like im going to get the help i need here so i give up.
Creative wins, they get my hard earned money in exhange for a defecti've piece of **bleep** i havent been able to get working satisfactoraly since i got it and am now forced to replace...
Before purchasing one of their mp3 players i thought so highly of creative. I usually am more careful before making such a purchase but I, as many others, had trust in this company renowned for its sound cards. Even after the purchase i just told myself "a company like creative wont let this product sit with crappy firmware for long, they'll update it and it will be a great player" So instead of returning it when i should have a sat on it, and my dreams never materialized and now im stuck with a paperweight that wont install any firmware now because of a known issue with their product!
quote from SSR in another thread with the same problem,
"Unfortunately there are others who've got stuck after removing the v2 firmware, and can't apply the same or the v firmware. I suggest you contact support and hopefully they can resolve it for you. Please post back here if you get a remedy."
But i cant contact customer support, they refused to help me because my warrenty is out. If someone knows of a way to fix my problem please feel free to still post in this thread i will still check it in hopes of fixing my player, this forum is now my only hope with creative email support outright refusing to help me.
Thanks to anyway who actually read all these long winded posts but im done with creative...

My "7 days old" Zen Micro is dead..

I just buy a new Zen Micro from ebay last week... Now I have a problem with Power switch. I can't turn on/off... Can somebody tell me where is the nearest service center? I li've in Southampton, UK

Creative's European service center is in Dublin, Ireland; the number is available from the Creative UK site, or you can email them from there. And you'll probably need a paper (not email) receipt showing you got it from a legitimate retailer, or else you won't get warranty service. (A pitfall of buying from eBay...)

Zen Micro Dead in Wa

I dunno what happened but here is what I can report.
I have a firmware problem with the player. When I was able to acess "Systems" it showed that I have v.0.0.65. I
attempted to reinstall v..0 from the CD, but
that didn't work. The screen on the player
displays a "Recovery Mode" message when connected
to the computer. It is frozen in that screen mode when connected to the computer vis^vis USB. When the player is
not connected, and I attempt to boot up,the screen briefly flashes a message "Firmware Problem". Then the player switches to a screen which says "Recovery Mode". That is as far as I get. There is no apparent way to move out of this mode. "Clean up" has no apparent effect. Nor does "Reboot Is there anyway of restoring the player to
v..0? Furthermore, I would like to upgrade the Firmware
to v2.2.02. But first things first.
Richard

Richard,
Go to the website and download 'Creative Zen and Jukebox Driver Upgrade version .30.03 (.3 MB)' and 'Creative Zen Micro Firmware ..0 (2.03 MB)'. Install the driver you have downloaded first. Next, use the Reload OS option from the player recovery mode and you should be prompt to connect the player to the computer and start the firmware software.
Jason

Dead Zen Micro - an expensive pink br

I've had my Zen for a couple of years now. Yesterday when I got in to work, I switched it off then plugged it into my computer to charge. Nothing happened, puter failed to recognise it, Zen failed to switch on. Since then, I cannot switch it on, it is not recognised by my computer and the recovery tool doesn't see it either. I've tried taking the battery out and putting it back in again, but it seems to be a brick.
Anything I can do except buying a replacement?

Taken from the Zen Micro FAQ How do I reset Zen Micro
Ensure that the ZEN Micro is turned off.
Remove the battery.
Move and hold the Power button to the Power On position and re-insert the battery to the ZEN Micro.
Hold the Power button until the Rescue mode appears.

ZEN MICRO won't hold it's charge!!!!!!!!!!

I have owned a 5GB Zen Micro for about 3 years. Up until about 4 months ago I had no problem with the unit holding it's charge for several hours. Now I can't get it to last for more than 0-5 minutes when using the FM radio. By that time the battery indicator shows hardly any charge left and then it does dead. Any [email protected]

krw99 wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I had considered the possibility that the battery may indeed be at the end of it's life. As it turned out I also googled the model and battery name, and came up with a Canadian site that had?them on ?sale and decided that with postage it would be just as cheap as getting it'sdirectly from?the US with higher postage costs and the exchange rate. I love this model so much I hope to keep using it for years to come provided I have no further more costly problems. Despite it's greater thickness compared to similiar models it is a very attracti've looking unit.
The reason I chose?the Zen Micro?in the first place, as opposed to an iPod?was because I could replace the battery if need be, and also for it's FM radio capability. I?did have to have the chip that contains the earphone jack connections replaced last year, as many other owners have also had to do. But it was worth the $60 it cost me.
Cheers,
KRW99
I had originally planned to buy an iPod back in '04, because everyone else had one, but after I saw? this video I decided to do some more research. I ended up with a 5 Gb Zen Micro in February '05 and wondered why anyone buys an iPod, when a far superior product was available from Creative.
The original battery started? to go about a year and a half ago, so I popped a new one in and kept on enjoying it. I thought that I would finally have to say goodbye to my little friend when I accidentally dropped it onto a tile floor. The dreaded click/whirr...click/whirr...click/whirr... of a dead hard dri've.
I read a few posts on the Say Goodbye to My Little Friend (Zen Micro)? thread and replaced the dead hard dri've with a SanDisk 8Gb? Ultra II Compact Flash card, using the instructions on? this page.
I was so happy to see it boot up aain and once the firmware was loaded, I started filling it up with some of my favourite music. It's nice to have an extra 3 Gb of storage space too!?
Notes about the iPod's Dirty Secret video can be found here.

Help with my Bran-New Creative Zen Micro Photo. [Questi

<EM>If you don't want to see the backing of my whole story skip to the bold print at the bottom!</EM>I also want you to know I read the FAQs and searched through some topics like this, but haven't found any asking my question.First of all, I'm new to the forum, but I've been researching Creative's Zen for a long time now. I kept observing each one closely before I purchased a product. I then saw the Zen Micro Photo come out. This one won my attention. I loved this, I quickly searched for reviews and went for the buy for Christmas. I told my dad about it and he was "iffy" on the price, but it was better then the iPod in my opinion.Christmas day came and I opened it. Right away I checked everything out I knew a lot about the menu already and all, but not really how to control it. I checked to make sure everything worked. All systems were go. After listening to the defaults (which I loved) I went to go install the software. I already had Media Player 0 and Adobe, oh and I didn't want the freakin AOL toolbar! Lol, so I installed everything else. It took forever, but I hooked it up and I installed the drivers, but as soon as I plug in the USB connector I see: "A HIGH-SPEED USB device has been plugged into a LOW SPEED USB port.After that, I switched USB ports, btu I got same message. I hit the X and then tried to charge. I got the Lightening Bolt, but no dimming of lights. I found out that this computer is not letting me install any service packs, I'm confused about that.My question:Is there anyway I can charge this mp3 player and download music onto my Zen Micro Photo without Service Pack ? Or did I just pay $250 for a really cool glowing mp3 player to be used as a paperweight? (I love this Zen and I ran the battery dead hoping that would make the charging easier).Help?
My Specifications:
My Mp3 Player: Zen Micro Photo (Black)What I tried: Switching USB ports and re-installing Service Pack Software: Not sure how to determine firmware without installing something. I'm on a XP Professional and I'm using the Creative Media Source and Creative Media Toolbox

Thank you DM for responding. I am expecting problems, but it still won't allow me to charge the Zen Micro Photo or even use the Creative Media Source. I can't upload any songs or any contacts on it. I haven't uploaded anything yet, but it's not reading the USB device. When I run Creative Zen Micro Photo Media Explorer I get this message at the top of the screen: "The device is not connected. Please connect your Zen MicroPhoto to the computer. I can't organize anything or add songs... so it just makes all the programs I downloaded useless and my Creative product unusuable.ONe thing it does do though... whenever I plug in my Zen MIcroPhoto to the USB it turns it on and glows, but only shows my battery at the top with one red line and the green lightening bolt filling the battery up.After leaving it like this for two hours the green moves, but the red bar stays the same size.

New Creative Zen Micro Is

This is another one of the Zen Micro Issues.
So I'm fully excited to get my new mp3 player. I got two batteries with my micro so that was a plus. I toss in a battery and setup the software on the PC. I fully installed everything then plugged in the zen micro to charge it via usb and put some files on it. Well everythings working wonderfully. It fully charges after 3 hours so I take it off and start listening to the player. Everythings great but figure out I want some more files. I plug the player back in (NOTE: I have not removed the cable from the back of the PC) and viola it won't recognize within the operating system. Now, I can hear the hardware remove noise and plug in within Windows XP and the player will goto a docked state but the OS still shows the player not connected. The only way I can get the player to stop saying docked is by removing the battery. I then went through the normal troubleshooting procedures. I uninstalled all software, cleaned the registry then reinstalled the applications. No Avail. Pissed that the device may be busted already, BTW the thing smells like it's burnt if you take off the battery and the other batter right out of the plastic wrapping smells the same, I turn to my laptop. Install the crap ass software onto that thing and I have the same exact problem on my laptop as I did on my PC. Out of Ideas I noticed that the player no longer was charging since it was plugged into the usb port and not doing the illumination thing. So I thought up an idea, what if something in the player's firmware won't allow it to be recognized if the device is fully charged? Makes sense to me so I pulled the fully charged battery out and swapped it with the other battery that was pretty much dead. OMFG it works again! It's magic I tell ya, magic!
So I've put more mp3's on it and I've swapped the batteries and am running the player to try to wear down the fully charged battery. I will let everyone know the outcome if once it gets to two bars and I plug it in if it works. If so then it's all in Creative's firmware.

I am having basically the same problem with a new Zen Micro. The computer almost always recognizes the Zen; it appears in device manager; but when a music transfer program loads, the program says nothing is connected. Meanwhile, the Zen Micro locks on "docked" and I have to remove the battery several times to get it working again. I have tried it on two laptops with the same results. Tech support told me to try it on my desktop, then take it back to the store.
It seems like the only time it works is when I have been trying for a while, which made your post about the partially discharged battery interesting. I had thought about maybe the hard dri've loosening up a bit. Asus had a problem with one motherboard one time because it could not power up a hard dri've fast enough and would result in a hard dri've failure message. Then, it would boot right up the next time.

Posted these problems of Zen Micro bef

oh man, I posted this problem before, and I'll probably get the same answer, but anyways, I'm kinda mad because my Zen Micro is having soooo many problems right now. .battery drain when not on, and no, I do not have that one fimware that has that known problem. 2. if the headphone is not in just right, the sound when seem like it's far away. 3. If I touch the top of the jack of the headphones that goes into the Micro, the music will stop playing, until I ge the jack EXACTLY in the right place. that is all the problems I have right now......but anyways, It is very annoying to recharge your Micro overnight, take it school, only to have the battery dead cuz it said overnight after it was done charging........ I'll probably get the same answer I got last time, contact creative, but I was wondering if you think the place I bouught it at would take it back, (Circuit City)i'm gettin pretty mad Creative....... I bought this hoping I wouldnt have this many problems.....Message Edited by augi55 on 08-20-2005 09:3 AM

On account of it being a headphone jack problem, of which there are many, it's quite possible they'll cover it for free even if you're beyond the warranty period (Parts: year, Labor: 90 days). Normally you'll need your receipt for proof of purchase date, but again, with the issue being a headphone jack, it may not even be required.

Zen Micro Car charger quest

Will the official Creative Car Charger allow you to use the Zen Micro if the battery is completely dead? I bought a cheap usb car adapter and it doesn't seem to work correct at all. I am looking for a way to power the Zen Micro in the car if the battery is drained- I am assuming from Creative's product description you can use their adapter to power the Zen in the car if the battery is completely drained.
We really like the Zen micro but have had continous problems with the battery. I've updated firmware and have done everything recommended in the FAQ in regards to conserving the battery. My wife primarily uses the Zen in the car to replace her cd's. It is not used that often (maybe 2-3 hours a week) but seem to not hold a chage at all. The only way we have found to fully charge the unit is through the usb port on our computer. So basically we are looking for a way to power the Zen in the car regardless if the battery is charged.
Thanks,
Scott

I'm pretty sure if the battery is dead the Micro won't work even if plugged in. I remember trying to use a demo unit at a store and the battery was dead. They plugged it into its charger and it still wouldn't work. It said it was charging but the battery had to build up a charge before it would work.

Official Zen Micro Case. Any Go

Hi, I have just received zen micro number 4 from the Creative RMA department after a string of problems?with dead players and headphone jack?issues.
?I wondered whether I should get the official zen micro case. Has anyone got good experience with this case? I want to keep my headphones plugged in but store it in the case at the same time. Will this be possible? I have a cheap silcone skin case at the moment but maybe wanted something a little more sturdy for my rucksack.
thanks

Thank you Alicia. Geez, I can't really understand why people are making protecti've cases that don't protect the most scratch prone surface of the Micro....
I think I'll end up buying a silicone case and one of those screen protecti've films designed for PDAs and cell phones. Too bad there's nothing better around.

Zen Micro battery flat by itself .

Hi,
I bought my Zen Micro in early Dec.
Lately I observed that battery flat in two days time even after fully charged and left idle without using it.
It didn't seem to be like when it was first used.
After a call to Creative Support Center, they advised me to upgrade the firmware to .0.03
I upgrade it this morning and am going to observe it for the next two days.
It seems that some users also have similar unpleasant experience....
May I know what was the scenerio? Was it solved? How?
This is my first time to use Creative product ..... Hope it isn't the last time :manwink:

I just got a zen micro for xmas. I've noticed my battery will go dead over night no matter what I do. I follow the good battery life steps always. (only charging when completely dead and never leaving plugged up after fully charged) But lets say I charge the player fully today, maybe use it for an hour at the gym, go to use it the next day same time. the battery will either be dead or close to it. I'm going to try the firmware tonight then observe. If that doesn't work then I will try to remove all the music and observe and i'll definitely post back. If i don't get good results i'm calling creative. Also, my buttons seem hard to push, especially the lower left button(return key?) I have to press HARD, a tap won't work most times. I barely tap for skip forward and skip back and they work fine.
J

My Zen Micro is a dead BR

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