Reload Firmware Kills Mi

Question

After hours of perusing these boards, and finding dozens of people with the same problem, I am amazed that someone doesn't just spell out one simple fact here: If you use the "Reload Firmware" command on the 'recovery' menu, you have an expensi've paper-weight.
Why on earth would someone choose that dangerous command in the first place? Because the 'beta' firmware that is needed for Napster-to-Go doesn't work right. Any notion of getting rid of the beta firmware, and going back to the original is a myth. Once you blow up the firmware, there is no way you are going to bring the Zen Micro back from the dead.
Once the firmware is gone: your PC will not recognize that you have the unit connected; you will never again see any other menu BUT the recovery menu; and you will never be able to upgrade the firmware of a unit that is not recognized by the computer. You can try it on as many PC's as you like (I tried two others as some suggested, all with completely up to date XP SP2's, with WMP 0, and all updates), you can change USB ports to your heart's delight -- but this one simple fact is not going to change: if you killed the firmware the unit is unusable.
Why on earth isn't this all-important fact in the 'special' messages at the top of the forum? Why did I have to spend 2 hours of digging to find out many others have been forced to return their unit for this problem?
I would like to hereby challenge the Creative folks who are on this forum: why don't you just take a dozen Zen Micro's, click on the Reload Firmware command, and then tell us step by step how to bring them back to life. Obviously it can't be done, or you would have already posted such instructions; so why not post a warning not to use that command prominently on this board?

Answer 1

Jason,
In response to your reply to my post about the Zen Micro being inoperable after using the "Reload Firmware" command:
Yes - the Zen Micro worked for about 5 days after receiving it, although the software was buggy as hell interacting with Napster to Go, which was the only thing that made me buy the Zen in the first place. I would never have installed the 'beta' firmware, except that there was no way to use Napster without it.
No - the computer is not 'having a connection problem' as you suggested. I fell for that line of reasoning, and spent hours putting it on 3 computers (up to date with the latest updates) - but just as someone else replied here, if there is no firmware on the ZM it is NOT recognized by ANY computer.
Your message does not make it clear whether you did a reload firmware command on a unit that already had MTP firmware 2..02, as I and many others have tried to do. The fact of the matter is that you can launch the firmware install program, but it stops dead in its tracks and says it cannot detect the player.
Against my better judgment, I have asked Amazon for a replacement unit to be sent instead of a refund. I do not have high hopes that another unit won't also be unstable with the beta firmware - although at least this time I will avoid the "Reload Firmware" command like the plague. If it weren't for the Outlook sync feature, I would have gone to another brand until the Napster-Zen Micro deal is ready for prime time.
I still feel users on this board should be warned more prominently about the high likelihood of killing their zen if they use the reload firmware command. I have read countless other posts on this board that have gone through exactly the same experience, and have ended up either replacing or returning their units. Had such a warning been clearly posted, I would still have a working unit, as I read through hundreds of posts before and right after the purchase, and could have been forewarned not to attempt a firmware reload.