Battery gets hot, blue light on when connected to the pc, but Zen is dead

[orion1500]

Hello, and help! My son's Zen 4GB gets very hot when plugged into the computer. The blue light comes on and fades in and out, but there is absolutely nothing else happening. It is not recognized by the pc either. I tried the reset, but nada.

The only thing he can think of is that something happened when he tried to charge it in the car while connected to the lighter. He has done it before and it was fine. Did he fry his Zen?

[CrowdAds]

[Lifter59]

Originally Posted by orion1500

Hello, and help! My son's Zen 4GB gets very hot when plugged into the computer. The blue light comes on and fades in and out, but there is absolutely nothing else happening. It is not recognized by the pc either. I tried the reset, but nada.

The only thing he can think of is that something happened when he tried to charge it in the car while connected to the lighter. He has done it before and it was fine. Did he fry his Zen?

Have you tried to run it through the recovery mode yet rather than just a reset? Start there and see what happens...the device has a 1 year warranty so you should be able to get it fixed if you still have the paperwork.....

[orion1500]

It was purchased from Creative at Christmas, without a service plan. I didn't realize the warranty was one year, so that is an option. In the meantime, how can I run it through recovery mode without getting a menu on the screen? It is totally black. All I can get is a blue light and only when it is connected to my computer, which heats it up fast and hot. Do you know what causes the heat? Thanks

[BobbyRS]

The only thing he can think of is that something happened when he tried to charge it in the car while connected to the lighter.

What kind of adapter did he use and what are the rated output specs?

Did he fry his Zen?

Well, the flashing is a good sign that the charging circuit is working correctly, so there may not be an issue with the Zen itself, but with the battery.

which heats it up fast and hot. Do you know what causes the heat?

Yes, a faulty or ruined battery. A charging lithium-ion battery shouldn't get real hot unless some other cause has happened like it has overcharged (failed high voltage circuit) or an internal short.

It appears that the Zen is in need of a new battery. Hopefully replacing the battery will be enough to bring it back to working order, but you really won't know for sure until a new battery is installed. The bad news here is that the battery in the Zen is a non-removable battery. So, you will most likely have to take advantage of the warranty and send the Zen in for repair to Creative.

These should help get you started:
Returning your Zen to Creative for warranty service.
Creative Warranty Returns FAQ.

Good luck!