Zen Micro Photo and Windows XP SP3

I had this same problem and almost threw out the Zen. You need to download the Zen Sleek Photo firmware upgrade software from Creative (http://ccftp.creative.com/manualdn/Drivers/PDE/9475/0xD499781C/ZenSleekPhotoP4S_16_1_10_01.exe).

1. The firmware updater needs to run in XP SP2 or SP3. It apparently won't run on Vista.
2. The trick to getting the Zen recognized by the firmware update software is to make sure you uninstall both WMP11 as well as the WMP11 Runtime. Those two things are listed separately in Add/Remove programs. BOTH must be uninstalled before the firmware updater will recognize your Zen.

Now I'm back to using my Zen. It's all good.

I think I can help.  I had a similar issue where the recovery tool would recognize my mp3 but the firmware would not.  This is what I did:    Turn on your Zen, Holding the power switch in the on position. While holding the Power switch on (very important), Reset the Zen by inserting a small object in the Reset hole on the bottom of the Zen (I used an earring). You will see a menu: Clean Up, Format, Reload OS/Firmware, Reboot. I decided to go down the list until something worked.  I ran Clean Up first and that didn't work for me, so I tried Format.  Note that this will remove all of your data.
Once Format runs, Reboot the MP3 player and plug it up to the computer. Run MP3 Recovery Tool. At this point, the firmware recognized my MP3 and installed successfully. Once installed, my computer recognized my Zen.

OK to everyone who messed up the firmware of Zen Micro and run vista, u r all idiots, including me. my zen was stuck in recovery mode and recovery menu as everyone experienced and tried to upgrade the firmware via the firmware updater that didnt work, right? ok through research and time i came to realize that what was causing the updater to fail (...please connect your media player...) is windows media player 11 (ELEVEN !!) zen update firmware will work only with windows media player 10 (TEN !!) installed. y? i dont know and i dont care anymore now that my micro is fixed up and running with the latest released firmware.
method 1:
u can find smne with xp and wmp10 (rare) install drivers and run the updater or
method 2:
u can DIY and since it is impossible to uninstall wmp11 i did the unthinkable, no no not format and install xp to use wmp10 no no.

instead i used a program called VIRTUAL MACHINE WORKSTATION 6.5 (for links keep confidential suppling ur email to me) this program will allow u to install and run several operating systems at a time regardless of your current hardware, it will run as an application in vista O/S. so i installed xp pro (on vmware 6.5) that i had handy somewhere, and then the drivers from the creative disc. then i run the firmware updater and yes it recognises my zen for the first time and loads a brand new firmware. easy as that, zen reboots and main menu appears, what a joy.

so all i used was:
vmware 6.5
xp pro (wmp10)
creative disc
firmware updater by creative

installing operating systems on vmware is very easy and doesnt require restarts etc.. u can switch through vista and xp like a window application just like that.

hope this helps, zen micro is by far the ultimate mp3 player for its sound breathtaking performance and loudness, totally worth the trouble. this is 100% fixable

Try the recovery tool from here (this is relevant to your recovery mode question also), but not all mp3 players will work with Windows Media Player 11 - causes a DB corruption - roll back to Windows Media Player 10 if this is the case:

http://support.creative.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?catID=213&CatName=MP3+Players&subCatID=213&subCatName=ZEN&prodID=14107&prodName=ZEN+MicroPhoto

The recovery tool mentioned above is not designed for the sleek photo. You need to download the firmware for the sleek photo from creative's site. Now we need to get your player recognized to get the firmware loaded. If you have Windows Media Player 11, it needs to be removed. Also remove WMP runtime. After that, restart the pc and your player should be recognized. You can then double click on the firmware program to run it. It might say something like, this firmaware is already installed...do you want to reload it? Click yes to reload.

I had the same problem with my sleek photo. Once I got rid of WMP and the runtime everything worked like a charm.

I just got a ZEN Micro 4GB player for free due to Firmware problem. This totally fixed the firmware issue. Windows XP PC with Media Player 10 and the latest driver and firmware from creative. Once I had all that I plugged in my player, let it recognize and then re-flashed to latest firmware. BAM now the play is working perfectly and I can sync music to it. Thanks for the fix.

OK to everyone who messed up the firmware of Zen Micro and run vista, u r all idiots, including me. my zen was stuck in recovery mode and recovery menu as everyone experienced and tried to upgrade the firmware via the firmware updater that didnt work, right? ok through research and time i came to realize that what was causing the updater to fail (...please connect your media player...) is windows media player 11 (ELEVEN !!) zen update firmware will work only with windows media player 10 (TEN !!) installed. y? i dont know and i dont care anymore now that my micro is fixed up and running with the latest released firmware.
method 1:
u can find smne with xp and wmp10 (rare) install drivers and run the updater or
method 2:
u can DIY and since it is impossible to uninstall wmp11 i did the unthinkable, no no not format and install xp to use wmp10 no no.

instead i used a program called VIRTUAL MACHINE WORKSTATION 6.5 (for links keep confidential suppling ur email to me) this program will allow u to install and run several operating systems at a time regardless of your current hardware, it will run as an application in vista O/S. so i installed xp pro (on vmware 6.5) that i had handy somewhere, and then the drivers from the creative disc. then i run the firmware updater and yes it recognises my zen for the first time and loads a brand new firmware. easy as that, zen reboots and main menu appears, what a joy.

so all i used was:
vmware 6.5
xp pro (wmp10)
creative disc
firmware updater by creative

installing operating systems on vmware is very easy and doesnt require restarts etc.. u can switch through vista and xp like a window application just like that.

hope this helps, zen micro is by far the ultimate mp3 player for its sound breathtaking performance and loudness, totally worth the trouble. this is 100% fixable

I got my Creative Zen Sleek Photo from a friend and everything I did wouldn't let Windows recognize it, but then I got it to work almost magically.

1. Make sure you have the proper drivers installed for it that come with the CD. If you don't have the CD, you can download the ISO here.
http://wp.randyr.net/windows-xp/creative-zen-sleek-photo.html

2. Reboot. When it comes back up, plug the cable into your computer, then into your Sleek. The software should sync up. For some reason, my Zen wasn't being recognized from the usb port on my computer tower, but I plugged it into my monitor's USB port and then it worked. Try that, if none of that works, then it may be a problem with your computer not knowing which driver to assign to your Zen, and if so, try the steps below.

----

1. Plug your Sleek to your computer.
2. Open up Windows' Device manager (right-click on "My Computer" and select "Properties". Go to the "Hardware" tab, then click "Device Manager").
3. Locate the entry for "Creative Zen Sleek" in your device list. It should appear either under "Sound, video, and game controllers" or under "USB Devices". Once you locate the entry, uninstall it.
4. Unplug your Sleek and wait a few seconds.
5. Plug your Sleek back in and allow the "new Hardware Wizard" to identify and install the drivers for it.

http://193.95.171.84/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE/,/?St=70,E=0000000000295074190,K=561,Sxi=1,Kb=ww_english_add,VARSET=ws:http://us.creative.com/,Case=obj(7931),Kb=ww_english_add
To use an MP3 player with online music subscription services, the following is needed:

• A specific application from the online music service provider
• Windows Media Player 11.
• Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Vista. To check the Service Pack version, click on Start, Control Panel and then System.
• An MP3 player with MTP/PlaysForSure firmware installed. Currently, the following players support PlaysForSure either out of box or with an available firmware upgrade: ZEN Vision W, ZEN V Plus, ZEN V, ZEN Vision:M, ZEN Vision, ZEN Sleek Photo, ZEN Micro, ZEN MicroPhoto, ZEN Sleek, ZEN Touch, ZEN Xtra, and ZEN PMC.

Try recovery tools at creative:
http://www.creative.com/products/mp3/MP3PlayerRecoveryTool/welcome.asp?region=1