How to Reboot, Reformat, and Restore your Zune device (Now Includes Zune HD)

my 120gb zune suddenly lost all the files (music, pics and video) but the memory is still full, is there a way to restore my library as i got some of the music from a friends PC, if not, how can i get my memory back???

 

thanks!

 WiredRanciddave wrote:

my 120gb zune suddenly lost all the files (music, pics and video) but the memory is still full, is there a way to restore my library as i got some of the music from a friends PC, if not, how can i get my memory back???

thanks!

There is no way I know of to access the content on the device other than rebooting it, and/or connecting it to the software and reverse sync'ing. 

The problem you are probably describing indicates a severe error on the device-  not necessarily fatal, but one the device itself could not recover from...thus the purpose of this thread about how to reformat, reinitialize, etc.

I hope more folks will realize the importance of backing up your data...!

Thanks dude this helps a lot. Everytime I tried to install the games on then tried to put songs in it would say it was unresponsive. Now it is working like a charm.

It is going to take some time to put all the songs back on, but I have them zipped so all I have to do is unzip them. Another thing he should metion is that you have to reboot first then clear content or go back to factory loaded fireware.

Excellent post, bookmarked for future reference.

When I hook my zune up to my computer or any other computer, a box pops up saying unknown device.  Therefor I cant sync my zune because it wont hook up to a computer.  CAN ANYONE HELP ME????

Install the Zune software first, so that when you plug in the device, your computer will find the correct drivers.

Thanks for NOTHING, this thing is a piece of CRAP. My Zune was working OK, when it locked up 2 weeks ago. So, I had to initialize it using the keystrokes you mentioned. Now, the damn thing wont sync, I can sync maybe one picture or one song, but any more than that, and it says that it has stopped responding, and that I have to restart it, again. And the whole process starts over again. What gives, why dont you give us some REAL help and tell us what the hell is going on, I have read the other post, there are MANY people with this exact same problem, but NO tech support. Ready to chuck it, and buy an I-POD.

 jjcooler65 wrote:

Thanks for NOTHING, this thing is a piece of CRAP. My Zune was working OK, when it locked up 2 weeks ago. So, I had to initialize it using the keystrokes you mentioned. Now, the damn thing wont sync, I can sync maybe one picture or one song, but any more than that, and it says that it has stopped responding, and that I have to restart it, again. And the whole process starts over again. What gives, why dont you give us some REAL help and tell us what the hell is going on, I have read the other post, there are MANY people with this exact same problem, but NO tech support. Ready to chuck it, and buy an I-POD.

Try it again...if it still fails, it sounds like you have a hardware problem.   Or, put in an online repair request (click support above, and follow the links.)

How the heck can you format the ZUNE if the pad doesnt respond? This is the issue I'm having. Draining the battery doenst do crap.

 JaylaMorgan wrote:

How the heck can you format the ZUNE if the pad doesnt respond? This is the issue I'm having. Draining the battery doenst do crap.

Draining the battery forces a boot up sequence when the buttons (which are partly firmware controlled) get weird.  If rebooting doesn't fix the buttons, then it's a real hardware issue.

 ape1906 wrote:

 skipdeez wrote:

I find that many sync problems can be fixed by simply rebooting the device, reformatting it, or reinitializing it. Here is a list of the device commands for both V1 and V2 devices. Try these actions first if you are having a problem with syncing to your Zune device.

Reboot: Press and hold the Back button (<-) + Up on the directional pad

Format Device from the Zune software - Go to Settings > Device > Sync Options > Then click the "erase all content" button.

Sleep Mode: Back + Down

To perform the following, reboot your device, and then when the screen goes black, hold the corresponding buttons until the process begins.  (“OK” refers to pressing the center of the D-Pad/Z-Pad.)

Clear Content (Format from Device) – Clears all media content from the device, but leaves the firmware intact.
                V1 Devices (Zune 30): Press and hold Back + Right + OK
                V2 Devices (Zune 4/8 and 80): Press and hold Back + Play/Pause

Initialize Disk – Removes the content and the firmware.  Device will be inoperable until connected to a PC so new firmware can be installed.
                V1 Devices (Zune 30): Press and hold Back + Left + OK
                V2 Devices (Zune 4/8 and 80): Press and hold Back + OK + Play/Pause

So I did the initalize disk step and now Zune 30 is stuck on connect to PC in three different languages. It took me a while to get to this point so I can be patient but please help me finsh the rest. I uninstalled all software and drivers so I could possibly start fresh but now cannot connect to PC. Any help will be appreciated. if necessary email absolut_zero1906@yahoo.com. Thanks


OK now I really need someone to help. Zune customer phone support could not do anything and they say I am out of warranty so i need to get my computer to read my zune quick.

 

Ok.  I "Cleared all content" following the prescribe method.  When I look at my device using the Zune Software interface, it still shows that I have 2.46GB used though the entire 80GB unit has be erased.  Any suggestions on how I can get back to ground "0" so i can maximize space usage.  When I cleared all content, it did erase about 6400 pics and 9600 songs.  So I would have expected it to erase the firmware during the process.  Thoughts?

i have one of the new 8gb and the touch pad stoped working, do you know what i can do about this?