My Zen Micro is *FLAW

Hi there-
I got a pink Zen Micro for my birthday less than a year ago (still under warranty). I had to send it back to Creative for them to fix it because it would not turn on and frequently froze for no reason. I was always very careful with it (as I am with all of my electronic things). So, I sent it, and they "fixed" it, but recently it has begun to do the same thing. I got the device off of WalMart.com and Wal-Mart said I cannot return it. I think it would be very unfair for Creative to send me a defecti've product and not allow me to get my money back. Will creative refund my purchase if it is still under warranty, and if it is a defecti've product?
Thank you!
Whitney

I had the same problem with my zen micro and heres what i did when it froze.
) remove the battery
2) once the player is shut off, plug it into the wall charger. (without the battery in it)
3) turn on the player and wait for it to completely boot up
4) once its booted up, put the battery in
5) after you put the battery in, unplug the zen micro from the wall charger
6) now it should be fine
Its strange, my zen micro did this for the first 2-3 mounths i had it, but now it doesn't do it anymore

Similar Messages

Are ALL Zen Micros DEFECTI

Are all Zen Micros defecti've because I really am considering buying this player over a Rio Carbon / Karma or an iPod Mini or a 52mb/gb Sony flash memory mp3 player (those are nice by the way.) I really am looking forward to having an mp3 player that would just dead on play music, have a good audio quality, and can possibly hold 4/5/6 gigs of memory. It's really annoying when you see all these nice products out in the market (ie, products mentioned above) and they're all defecti've one way or another.
Please, somebody give me their honest opinons, especially the mods from Creative since you do work for the company. I really am looking forward to buying a product of yours.. mainly because of the memory, audio quality, price, and one of the best qualities -- the removable battery. I don't mind much for the voice recorder, removable disk, etc. I really want a long lasting mp3 player with a replaceable battery, good memory and audio quality.
If you think the Zen Micro is not for me, please let me know and recommend something else, please.
Thank you,
Rue.
PS.
I have a few weeks until I do buy one, so do you guys think the Zen Micro's flaws (headphone jack, etc) will be fixed by then? Have anything to say about this Creative Labs?

A small percentage of them have a problem? Just have a look at this forum. Poeple are constantly reporting some problems. Also, I asked in various shops whether they had any complaints about the Micro. Guess what a number of shops admitted that customers would frequently return them as a result of the battery drainage problem and the headphone jack. Do you guys like taking out the battery every time you finish listing?
Stay away from the Micro. It's a pile of rubbish. Also, I don't like iPods and I certainly don't own one. But as it seems, the iPod Mini has far fewer problems than the Micro. Obviously, this doesn't mean that you have to go for an iPod. I myself have managed to find my personal perfect player. It's a real shame as I really like the look of the Zen Micro, but I suppose looks aren't everything. I'd rather have a well-functioning player than one that has blue lights.
The player has only a few problems, but those problems are serious. The battery drains even when the player is off, which means that you either have to put up with the fact that you wake up in the morning only to find your battery completely empty or you take out the battery after listing. Quite a few Micro owners do this, without realising that the wear and tear from the constant taking out of the battery is a serious problem and will later catch up with them. The other problem is the famous eadphone jack. It's not said that your player would develop this problem, but too many players do it. I wouldn't feel comfortable at the prospect of listing to my music through only one channel. Oh the touch pad is faulty with some players as well. And there are a lot other problems with it. At least, you're making the research beforehand unlike me who trusted various reviews by people who owned the player a day and claimed that it was so great. Sure, after only a day this is a valid and trustworthy thig to say. I should have known better.Message Edited by Reef on 05-04-2005 04:44 PM

Zen Micro has died and I need to fix it myse

Hi,
I was using my Zen Micro one particular morning for a couple of hours (full battery) where everything was working perfectly. Later that afternoon I attempted to turn it on but nothing happened, not a single thing. Nothing lit up, I couldn't hear the HDD sound either. I thought at first it could be the battery, so when I got home I tried running it from the charger with and without the battery, both times nothing happened.
Under normal circumstances my first course of action would be to simply to get a replacement however I don't believe that will be possible as I voided the warranty recently by fixing the infamous jack problem. I fixed it myself because getting a replacement seems futile as all Zen Micro's continue to have the same design flaw.
Does anyone have any idea why my Zen has completely died on me?
Any chance I can I get a replacement?
Can any of you tell me how I could possibly fix it myself (I take full responsibility if anything breaks)?Message Edited by mark_s on -0-2005 2:05 AM

5G Zen Micro, green
Hey, I had my zen micro for a long time since aug 9 and yesterday it broke down on me. Somehow I can't play anything. When I turn it on, it freezes and doesn't go to the menu. I tried using the recovery mode and clean it up but it froze again.
I don't know how i'm going to send it back to the factury to repair it. My micro was previously repaired like two weeks ago. The bad news is that sending back the my micro requires the reciet, but I have given it to them before and I was sure that they would give it back, but no. So how can I send it back without a reciet.
Message Edited by kemar_frankson on -04-2005 04:4 AM
Message Edited by kemar_frankson on -04-2005 04:5 AM

Zen Micro - Headphone Jack Metal Reinforcement Pl

On 3/4, Cirrus wrote in response to a REALLY long thread about the headphone jack problem with the Zen Micro that it:
".... supposedly has been fixed in the newer Zen Micros by adding a metal reinforcement plate to the headphone jack." This according to a customer service person (I believe).

Based on reviews and looking at my options, I would already own a ZM if it wasn't for this apparent design flaw with the jack. But, with this new information about a reinforcement plate, I am again interested.

Does anybody know if the new units are available?

If so, is there any way for me to know, by looking at the box or at the unit itself, if I am getting a reinforced ZM?

I will most likely buy in person at a retail store so that I can check out the player before I buy it.

Thanks.

Read this thread. http://forums.creative.com/creativel...essage.id=3807

Battery Problem with Zen Micro

Hi
I decided to buy my girlfriend a Zen Micro for Christmas based on me owning a Zen Xtra 30GB and having only good things to say about it. Unfortunately from the off my girlfriend complained that the battery was only lasting a few days with about an hours use a day. At first I thought she was leaving it on and wearing down the battery. After a while I decided to do a few tests:
. I left it on continually to see how long the battery lasted. It lasted around 2 hours, which is about right.
2. I fully charged it and left it a for a few days without using it. I then tried to switch it back on and to my surprise it wouldn't, it had been draining battery power despite the fact it wasn't in use!
I have also noticed that the action of turning the player on and off seems to drain alot of power from it.
I've calculated the battery lasts for around 4 hours but recently my girlfriend fully charged it listened to it for an hour then switched it off. When she switched it back on the battery indicator was on one bar!
I don't buy the fact that this is normal and I consider the product to be defecti've.
It is worth noting that I do have a separate mains adapter which plugs into the USB port of the player. Something that I think after reading through many posts on here could be the problem, why does in not have a separate mains port like the Zen Xtra? I have stock firmware.
Lastly I wanted to add that the reasons I am able to see this product is flawed is because I am able to compare it to my Zen Xtra which I can leave off for about a month (not tried longer) and it still retains its original battery power. And I can use it for about 2 hours a day for a week until I need to recharge it. I understand that there is a difference in battery power max duration but this is only by 2 hours so does not explain why the Zen Micro is only lasting for 4 hours or less.
I have since submited an email to Creative, so hopefully they will replace the item.
Message Edited by ChrisTsamados on 05-8-2005 04:04 AM

4 hours in definately not fine and your kidding yourself if you think it is. This MP3 player has been sold with a specification that the battery will play continously for 2 hours. Allowing for the power drain that may occur switching it on and off a few times this should mean it should atl east last 8 hours.
My Zen Xtra has a 4 hour battery life and it lasts probably very close to that mark, even with turning it on and off multiple times and also moving playlists around and with EQ enabled.
To me the most logical eplanation is that the Micro is severely draining power even when switched off.
With regards the USB I picked up on a point someone else raised but looking back maybe it is all down to the battery drain problem.Message Edited by ChrisTsamados on 05-8-2005 2:29 PM

Zen Micro b

Hello!
I'm thinking of getting a Zen micro after the good reviews I read, but I have also found A LOT of customers whose zen micro had broken within the first months because of what looks like a construction flaw with the audio jack. Apparently it can die if not handled carefully. Is this true?
What's the deal with Zen Micro SE I've seen in some stores?
ThanksMessage Edited by toratora on 0-2-2006 03:38 PM

toratora wrote:
Hello!
I'm thinking of getting a Zen micro after the good reviews I read, but I have also found A LOT of customers whose zen micro had broken within the first months because of what looks like a construction flaw with the audio jack. Apparently it can die if not handled carefully. Is this true?
What's the deal with Zen Micro SE I've seen in some stores?
ThanksMessage Edited by toratora on 0-2-2006 03:38 PM
I know it looks dreadful with all the reports of failures, but this is a support forum. Few people come in here to report that their players are working perfectly- it's only when there's a problem that the posts appear. A significant portion of the posts here are problems with the user's computer- either the hardware or the operating system having conflicts or out of date drivers. Their new Mp3 players are just innocent bystanders.
I've had my Zen Micro for almost a year now and it's worked flawlessly once I sorted out my own computer's problems. I've always treated it carefully, as I know there's delicate machinery inside of it. I take care to always gently remove the jack straight out, without torquing it. I always keep it in a case and don't throw it in a packpack, drop it or run it through the washing machine.
The Zen Micro SE is supposed to be a less expensi've version, as they've stripped most of the accessories out of the pack.
My original edition came with a wall charger, cradle, belt clip, stand, soft cloth carrying bag along with the USB cables, software and earphones that the SE has.

My Zen Micro story: Busted Headphone Jack, Need Adv

First of all, I'd like to apologize beforehand for posting a topic on the headphone jack problem. I've been visiting these forums for almost two months and by now you're all probably tired of hearing about the Zen Micro's headphone jack, yada yada yada. But with that over, here's the story of my Zen Micro experience.
I got it about two months ago from Fry's Electronics. Silver 5 GB, not bad. I was really happy using it until I stumbled upon this discussion board and realized the extent of this headphone jack problem. So being the dumb "who-needs-tech-support" kinda guy I am, I opened up my Zen on the third day of having it, breaking the warranty seal in the process (big mistake). I 'fixed' the headphone jack problem by sticking a little piece of folded up paper in the metal plate holding down the jack, hoping that by doing it early the problem would never come up.
Well, two months go by and by now I've opened it again a few times just for fun, and to 'check' on the headphone jack to see if my fix did any good. Well, three days ago, I decided to open it up again and document the steps with pictures. Everything went fine, though I lost one of the two top screws in the top that you must unscrew before opening the player. Oh well, no biggie, I thought, I could always get some more at the Home Depot or something.
So that night I plug in my headphones to listen to music, and to my utter horror, the sound only comes out of one side of the headphones. I'm not sure if this is because of ) the missing screw, 2) something I did wrong while taking it apart, or 3) just the problem finally randomly surfacing like in most cases. This is when I tell myself, "Crap, you really did it now. There goes $200." I frantically open it up again and stick another piece of paper between the plate and the jack and screw that plate in really, really, tightly. I am a little relieved to find that the sound is back in both sides, though if I push hard on the headphone connector a certain way the sound will disappear in the right side.
After thinking about it, I decided that the only way to go was to get a replacement. I had read a tutorial on how to fix the headphone jack problem using epoxy and paper, only to have the maker of that tutorial report that the headphone jack problem had happened anyway (a month later). He also mentioned that even with a busted warranty, he had managed to get a replacement Zen Micro free of charge. This gave me hope.
At any rate, I fired off an RMA request on Creative's site just to see what they would say. I admitted that the warranty seal was busted. They emailed back an obviously pre-written response that gave me vague instructions on how to ship my Zen for a replacement. My questions are the following:
) What are the implications of my broken warranty? Is there any way I can receive a replacement without buying a whole new one? I really like my Zen Micro, as I'm sure many of you do too.
2) Have any of you guys had a similar experience with RMAing? How does the whole thing work?
3) The only person I have ever heard of with a Zen Micro lasting more than 6 months without the headphone jack problem coming up is Jeremy, one of the moderators here. The jack problem IS a general design flaw, isn't it's What should I say if Creative blames the headphone jack problem on 'abuse' or something like that? Should I let them charge me for fixing it, etc.
Thank you all, so much. I know that was a lot to read, but I have been so happy with my Zen Micro up until this point that I really want this to end well. You guys have been a great help to me these last two months already. I appreciate it a lot. -Willy CMessage Edited by beefqube on 0-22-2005 08:22 AM

Did you find out how much it would cost because of the void warranty?
If you do want to lie to them, you are on your own in this issue.
You can do what one guy suggested on buying a new micro and returning your old one. Which is wrong ethically and morally.
If you have experience in soldering or know someone that can do so might be helpful. There should be some threads about soldering it back to normal.
Well if this my situations I really don't know what to do. Since if I do send it to Creative and that my warranty is still in effet, I still have to pay $25 and my own shipping/handling charges. It would only be replaced and I don't believe they actually repair it. That $25 goes to labor cost, which is something I don't understand when they give you a replacement, where is the labor in that?
But if I did lose my warranty and Creative won't take it or would charge me more than $25+. Then I would solder them myself. I just need to find out where to begin. Maybe I should find broken headphone jack Micros on ebay and see if I could fix them.

Zen Micro Firmware 1.10.02 to 1.11.01 (issue with instructio

This may seem a little picky. I had previously updated my Zen Micro to firmware .0.02. Now Creative has issues firmware ..0. All fine but my question is:
The applicability instructions for ..0 state:
align=left>You can upgrade from Creative Zen Micro firmware .02.05 or earlier, or Zen Micro
align=left>PlaysForSure? firmware 2.00.2 or later.
So technically I cannot update from .0 to .. Does anyone know if there is a technical reasion or just an oversite in the instructions?
Regards
JoRoFo

It's a bit of an oversight. Creative had actually removed .0.02 from the website just days after it was released because we, the users, found it to be severely flawed. Those instructions were written as though it was never released.
You can update to ..0 from .0.02 without a problem.Message Edited by dingus on 08-8-2005 06:08 AM

New Zen Micros and the headphone jack prob

I unfortunately had one of the zen micros with the headphone jack that ceased to work. Has this flaw been fixed in the new ones?

SSR wrote:
The charge is likely to be expensi've, but as this is the second time it's failed and as the warranty has just ended try pursuing a repair under warranty with support.
repair under warranty with support? how do i go about? im located in Singapore, any website or support number to call for Singapore side? thanks.

Zen Micro at Best B

I had to send my Zen Micro back under Best Buy's replacement plan, and when I went to the store to get a new one they said that they'd been sold out for two weeks. I checked all four Raleigh, North Carolina area Best Buys, and they're all out. Now it's been taken off of their website completely. Does anyone know what's up? Has the entire North American continent run out of stock, or what?
I wouldn't be so concerned, except I have to buy it at Best Buy because I was sent a Gift Card for my refund... and I have a 6-hour round-trip dri've looming in 2 weeks.
By the way, I'm talking about the normal Micro, not the MicroPhoto. (Don't even get me started on how mad I am that Creative would release a player with a ludicrous design flaw.)

Check the thread that says this product is no longer available.
I had a best buy clerk try to get me to buy and pay for it with the promise that they would deli'ver in a week but I am glad I didn't bite.
Makes one wonder what they have in store for CES.

Creative Zen Micro (Startup Failure) Need URGENT he

Hi, i was on holiday in Singapore about 2 weeks ago, and i bought myself a Creative Zen Micro from one of the local sho
ps.
It worked fine, music played brilliantly, i was happy. However, today when i turned it on, it would display the 'CREATIVE COPYRIGHT' Screen, then followed by 'CREATIVE' in large letters across the screen. It would then freeze on this screen, and the off/on button would soon become useless, which meant that i could either leave it on and kill the battery, or take it out.
When i took the battery out and in again, it would repeat with the 'CREATIVE' sign. Following the 'recovery' methods, i managed to load the screen with all the different options such as clean-up, etc etc. However, when i load any of them up, it would freeze once again and i would end up taking the battery out again.
I have tried the reset button with a pin but that doesnt do anything. I have a spare battery that does exactly the same too. My computer doesnt detect the Zen btw.
I have important documents and almost my lifetime's supply of music that took me almost weeks to rip and store into that Zen. Now that its basically dead, and i bought it in Singapore, i have basically no warranty, i feel as if i have been throwing cases of money into the toilet. I need urgent help, if theres any other ways of restoring access to my Zen.
Check the reviews on a respectable site like amazon.com: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Zen-Micro-6GB-Player/dp/B000AMR76S
After browsing around forums over the internet, I have found many other people complaining about this, which makes it a MAJOR flaw in the Creative Zens. Screw petty chargers and plugs, get the software right.

The problem you have is very simple, yet complicated to be solved. Your zen's hard dri've is dead. Most of the people who own a zen don't know it has a hard dri've inside. Some mp3 players have flash memory. Chances are that you've dropped your mp3 player. Zen's hard dri'ves are very sensiti've and must not be moved around too much. The way to go in this case is to replace the hard dri've. It is actually a micro hard dri've what you need. Seagate ST 5GB MicroDri've CF Type II. Once you have a new Hd installed you can format it using the zen's menu (remove the battery, hold the power button, place the battery in and wait untill you see the menu) This requires some experience formatting HD's and installing firmware. There is another option. You can buy a Patriot 4Gb Compact Flash Card, and follow what I've described above. The good thing about this is that your zen will take more vibration than the original. The bad one is tha those range from $70 - 99. I hope this hel
ps.

Zen Micro, copletely messed

Hi,?Last week I have bought a new Zen Micro. It worked, untill today. I wanted to upload some new files, and it got on the "creative logo" on the screen. So I went to this site, and tried everything what was mentioned:rebooting (did not work)clean up (after two hours, still the "cleaning up" message)Format all (the same after two hours),and finally reload firmware ("Erasing firmware" was on the screen for more than two hours, with no result)?Installing new firmware gave allways the following message after double clicking the exe file: "player not attached, please attach player". It was attached, I used different USB ports which work for other devices. Also the battery is reloaded when attached. What's your advice, bring it in for a new one or are there other tricks?kind regards,Wim

Well sorry to tell you all..it only gets worse. The more you try to fix it the worse it gets. Had the same problems, tried everything that was suggested on the boards, called tech support and had to mail it in. I have not received my Micro back yet, but I am hoping the problem will be perminately fixed. I can't say I would recommend this player to any one. It seems to have many flaws. The constant freezing (or locking) up was my first sign. Take it back if you can!

Zen micro media explorer error mess

I can't seem to get zen micro media explorer to acknowledge that my player is docked into my computer. I keep getting a message that says "the device is not connected. Please connect your Zen micro to the computer".
Has anyone run into this?
g2

Just to tag along with this thread. I also updated the driver and applications for my Zen. All works fine. The only flaw is after upgrading the MediaSource to 3.30.2 the PC desktop shortcut icon is not automatically created after removing the earlier release one. I gotta manually create it. And there is no need to uninstall any earlier release cuz it seems the installer is smart enuff to detect earlier release and do uninstall before install the latest version.
I feel some changes in the software but not so critical but I guess I want the latest version to keep up with the times :smileytongue:

Zen Micro - transfer lock ups with latest firmwa

I've been trying to transfer mp3 files to my firmware upgraded Zen Micro and find that the transfer slows down and then locks the player after 30-40 files have successfully copied. This happens with ..0 and 2.2.02 firmwares.
The player will then remain in a 'acti've' docked state (black arrows) until the battery is removed. After this lock up tags on the mp3 files are messed up and display Chinese looking characters in the Details View.
This happens on two different computers with USB2.0, one Intel based and the other AMD.
Two questions - anyone know if this is a known issue being worked on for an imminent firmware update? And secondly - is the problem aggravated (or even created) because I am trying to copy files over from a directory tree (mp3's sorted into artist/album/ folders) rather than one flat folder with all mp3s in it (ie. in one single folder).

nzOdy wrote:
I've been trying to transfer mp3 files to my firmware upgraded Zen Micro and find that the transfer slows down and then locks the player after 30-40 files have successfully copied. This happens with ..0 and 2.2.02 firmwares.
The player will then remain in a 'acti've' docked state (black arrows) until the battery is removed. After this lock up tags on the mp3 files are messed up and display Chinese looking characters in the Details View.
This happens on two different computers with USB2.0, one Intel based and the other AMD.
Two questions - anyone know if this is a known issue being worked on for an imminent firmware update? And secondly - is the problem aggravated (or even created) because I am trying to copy files over from a directory tree (mp3's sorted into artist/album/ folders) rather than one flat folder with all mp3s in it (ie. in one single folder).
I'd try transferring fewer files at a time and see if that works.
You might be on to something with copying from a directory tree too. See if transferring the files in smaller groups from one folder helps out.
You can always organize the artists/albums later in Zen Micro Media Explorer or Creative MediaSource.

New Zen Micro will NOT connect!

Hello all,
I just bought a Creative Zen Micro player. I installed the software, charged the battery to full and guess what.....the Creative software does not recognize my player as being connected. And yes, I've checked device manager to see if it appears. It does, with the correct name and everything. So what is the problem? I've read other messages on this forum about this problem but it usually seems to be a problem after installing a new version of firmware. But this hasn't been done in my case because I haven't been able to get the stupid thing connected in the first place.
I'm confused as to what to do next. I've tried resetting it by removing the battery and then holding the power button but this hasn't worked either. I first was using a usb hub to connect but after reading that you should avoid this, I tried plugging directly into a usb port on my machine. That also didn't make a difference. I've unistalled the player from the device manager about 5 times and reinstalled it. I've tried reinstalling the creative software/drivers about 5 times and no resolution. I've followed instructions from the Creative website step by step as the proper way to install the software but nothing works. I'm extremely disappointed to bring home a product that does not work out of the box. Oh, and yes I have Windows XP Pro so the OS isn't the issue here. I guess I will just return this useless product unless someone else has another idea that I could try. I'm really at my wits end.
Thanks for listening to this short novel,
Drawn-a-Blank

The software that will not recognize the player is the Zen Media Explorer and Media Source. I'm not sure what firmware I have and I can't check since I'm not at home. But, I can't install new firmware even if I wanted too since it won't connect. However, I have downloaded the lastest drivers but I don't think I've installed the lasted version of Zen Media Explorer, so I guess that is one other option.
Message Edited by drawn-a-blank on 07-23-2005 09:30 PM

My Zen Micro is *FLAW

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