How To: Delete Video From PC Without Deleting From Zune

Hey guys,

Haven't seen anyone topic this yet, but as of tonight I've figured out how to get music/films OFF your PC but still manage to keep them on the Zune.  I've read about the "guest sync" option, but I think you'll find this much more useful.  Read the steps carefully, follow each of them, and you'll be good to go.  I've only used this on videos, but I'm 99% certain it will work on music.  However, the process would take forever if you've got 2000+ songs.  That being said, this is perfect for any video.

Step 1) Create a folder named "videos" somewhere (anywhere) on your computer.

Step 1b) Place any videos in this folder which you're wanting to place on your Zune.  For our purposes, lets say you added the video "Batman Begins.mp4"

Step 2) Load the Zune software.

Step 3) Under settings/software/collection, clear all folder options under video (substiture this with music if youre doing it for music).  Click add folder, and select the "video" folder you just created on your computer.

Step 4) Your Zune should now update your collection/videos with any videos you have in the folder. 

Step 5)  Right-click on the video in collection/vidoes which you want to sync with your Zune, select "sync with (whatever your Zune is named)".  I use wireless syncing, so after this step have your Zune sync, thus adding the video to your Zune.

Step 6)  On your desktop, create a folder and name it "dummy". 

Step 7)  Close your Zune program (this is crucial)

Step 8)  Create a new text document on your desktop.  Rename the text document "Batman Begins.mp4".  You must be able to edit the file extention in order for this trick to work.

Step 9)  Drag the "Batman Begins.mp4" file from your "videos" folder into the "dummy" folder. 

Step 10)  Drag the "Batman Begins.mp4" .txt file you created and drag it into the "videos" folder.



Wah-lah!  That's it.  Now your Zune app will think that "Batman Begins.mp4" (your .txt version) is just a bad app, but, upon further syncs, will not delete the file from your zune.  Again, you can use this with music, but it will take quite some time depending on how many music files you have.  However, it's ideal for vidoes.  Sure, you have to have a videos folder on your hdd, but it will be made up of random, fake .mp4 files that take up around 4kb anyway and your Zune videos will be safe.  You can delete the "dummy" folder whenever you're done with it, only the "videos" folder is needed to stay on your computer.

Please distribute, but give credit where credit is due.

You my friend are a genius!!!!! This works awesome!! Yes a tad slow if you have a ton of videos on your Zune but I don't care! No longer will I have to save 20gb worth of video on my hard drive. Thank you for sharing this info!

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My Podcast "The New Hampshire After Hours Show" http://www.nhafterhours.com

I figured out an easier way. I don't know if its because of my settings or what. I havn't tried this with music though. Anyways I created a folder on my desktop called 'zune videos'. It's not monitored by the program. I convert my video to zune video and put then in this folder. Then I open the zune program and drag the videos into my zune video collection. My settings are set to not automatically sinc them. I plug in my zune and drag the videos onto my zune. After they are transfered I just delete the videos from the 'zune videos' folder. Do not delete them from your zune program though otherwise it will delete from your zune also. Since the program is set to not monitor the videos they aren't deleted from the zune program. Im sure this would work the same way with music. Just make sure your folders aren't monitored and you don't delete them from the program.

or just sync your video's manually.... all the other stuff is a waste of time...

 db was here wrote:

or just sync your video's manually.... all the other stuff is a waste of time...

If it were that easy none of us would be complaining about keeping video on our hard drives. The problem with doing it your way is that you MUST keep the converted video files on your hard drive as opposed to doing this method and then you can safely delete said files without it removing it from your Zune.

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My Podcast "The New Hampshire After Hours Show" http://www.nhafterhours.com

All this stuff is not needed. You don't need to make text documents and all that. Just make sure the folder for the songs that you wish to delete off of your PC are not monitored by the program. For example here is what I do:

Put the songs in a folder on my desktop called 'zune music'

Open the zune software and drag the songs into my collection.

Sync the songs into my zune.

Delete the songs off my harddrive.

Just make sure you don't delete them off your zune software and they will remain on your zune.

 mposch wrote:

All this stuff is not needed. You don't need to make text documents and all that. Just make sure the folder for the songs that you wish to delete off of your PC are not monitored by the program. For example here is what I do:

Put the songs in a folder on my desktop called 'zune music'

Open the zune software and drag the songs into my collection.

Sync the songs into my zune.

Delete the songs off my harddrive.

Just make sure you don't delete them off your zune software and they will remain on your zune.

 

I tried this and for some reason my Zune deletes any file that's no longer there. Even if that folder is not monitored. Not sure why that is but it does. At least using the text files it tricks the zune into thinking they are still there.

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My Podcast "The New Hampshire After Hours Show" http://www.nhafterhours.com

well all u gotta do is "Let me choose my videos" instead of syncing everything

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The GREATEST MP3 player EVER invented.... ZUNE 80

 BWGATH wrote:

 db was here wrote:

or just sync your video's manually.... all the other stuff is a waste of time...

If it were that easy none of us would be complaining about keeping video on our hard drives. The problem with doing it your way is that you MUST keep the converted video files on your hard drive as opposed to doing this method and then you can safely delete said files without it removing it from your Zune.

No.

Upon reading this thread, it seems as though there are two sets of people here, those who have upgraded to the (less versitile) Version 2 of the software, and those who have not done so yet.  The way I understand it, V1 allows you to keep your media on your Zune after it is deleted from your computer, but V2 (an upgrade?) does not.  So those of you who are not having an issue with the automatic sync, congrats.  But keep in mind that those of us who have upgraded to V2 are not happy; and even when we adjust the Settings to allow us to choose what gets synced, we still lose our media when we delete it from our computers.  So, V1ers keep on going... V2ers, good luck to us all!

BTW - The suggestion for the fix is brilliant!  Too bad it has come to this, but, until Zune does something about it... what else can we do? 

Cheers to the inventive V2ers, and a special thanks to you, PillowPants!!!  Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!

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My 2-cents.

Strange, my Zune won't delete anything unless I tell it too, Pics, Vids, or songs. It won't sync either unless I tell it to, and yes, I use version 2.3.

If I want to delete a vid, I just go to the folder it's located in and click delete. It stays on my Zune until I delete it from there as well.

Hmmm...maybe I got the NASA version of the Zune software.