Will the Zune software run on 256MB RAM?

[McDougal]

Hi all,

I was just curious if the Zune software is able to run on a system with only 256MB RAM? I know on this link (http://www.zune.net/en-US/support/us...ted/pcreqs.htm) it says required 256MB but it also says recommended 1GB RAM, that's a big difference between required and recommended. Will I still be able to sync my Zune and update my Zune on a computer with only 256MB RAM?

Thanks!

-McDougal

[CrowdAds]

[Cruleworld]

it'll probably be slow, considering you have such a low amount I'm guessing the processor may not be able to keep up either.

[medion]

You'd have to crank down all of the settings. It should work, just not with all of the features turned on, and might even struggle with full screen video playback.

[ItsLasher]

It will work but not well even with all the extras turned off. It scales well BUT with the low amount of ram you will wind up with a lot of caching to the HDD (hard drive) which means less than desired performance.

Depending on the Windows version you could use a Readyboost capable flash drive on Vista or higher to aide you BUT if you're on XP you could try the link below and get some Ready Boost help.

http://wizardcreations.wordpress.com...s-a-page-file/

[McDougal]

Hi guys,

Okay so the computer my Zune software is on originally had 1.2GB of RAM on WinXP. I replaced the 1.2GB of RAM with 512MB of RAM, and the Zune software still runs perfectly fine, and my computer's performance didn't change from when I had 1.2GB of RAM. Some of you might know that I have a ASUS laptop, and you might be wondering, why don't I just use the Zune on that? The answer is because on my Win7 64-bit laptop, the Zune software was not syncing the Muse artist info. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get it to work. I tried reinstalling the Zune software many many times, I tried reinstalling the Zune firmware, I tried deleting Muse from my library but that still didn't work. So I installed the Zune software on my WinXP desktop, plugged in my Zune, and the Muse artist info synced without any problems at all. That is why I am using my Zune on my older desktop instead of my newer laptop.

[Marvin the Martian]

Bummer, being saddled with only one way to add/remove your stuff from the player, isn't it?

[McDougal]

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

Bummer, being saddled with only one way to add/remove your stuff from the player, isn't it?

Yes...very very frustrating. And I have to keep it on one computer as much as I can, because if I switch computers, it increases the "Reserved Space", which I already have 1GB of "Reserved Space" on my Zune, and there is no way to get rid of it. The last thing I want to do is add another GB of "Reserved Space" to my Zune. The Zune software isn't that bad (other than the fact that it's a resource hog), but I just hate the fact that I cannot "Drag and Drop" sync like I could with my old Rockboxed Sansa. This is another reason why I wouldn't buy any Zune again, instead I would have gone for the Cowon S9. Unfortunately when I bought my Zune HD, I didn't know about the S9.

[medion]

Go into settings and set reserved space to 0%, and it will delete all reserved space from that PC. If you still have reserved space from the prior machine, reformat the Zune and copy your information back to it. That will free up all reserved space.

[McDougal]

Originally Posted by medion

Go into settings and set reserved space to 0%, and it will delete all reserved space from that PC. If you still have reserved space from the prior machine, reformat the Zune and copy your information back to it. That will free up all reserved space.

Thx, I've tried going into settings and setting the reserved space to 0%, but before nothing changed. However, I'll try it again, maybe I'll have luck this time.

[medion]

It takes some time to sync, like with the pictures. I've changed it to zero, and let it stay connected overnite. In the mornin, reserved was at 0%. If all else fails, reformat the player, since all of your content is already backed up via the Zune software.

[NSILMike]

Originally Posted by medion

Go into settings and set reserved space to 0%, and it will delete all reserved space from that PC. If you still have reserved space from the prior machine, reformat the Zune and copy your information back to it. That will free up all reserved space.

Not necessarily... You can reduce the specific 'reserved' space, but that category (reserved space and content from other PCs) holds a bunch of miscellaneous stuff that you can't eliminate.
On the HD models, the artist pics, data, bio's go in there.
On all models, firmware lives there, except for the bootloader.
On all models, unmanaged content goes in there. Unmanaged content used to be just guest content, but now also includes your own content if you use manual sync, or you switch from all to choose (in that case your previous 'all' content goes in there except for items you then 'choose.')
And, I'm probably forgetting stuff.... yes, I just remembered: marketplace data is cached there (if you go to the marketplace and download the top 100 song list, etc.)
I suspect (am reasonably sure) that friends you sync are there, too.

[McDougal]

Originally Posted by medion

It takes some time to sync, like with the pictures. I've changed it to zero, and let it stay connected overnite. In the mornin, reserved was at 0%. If all else fails, reformat the player, since all of your content is already backed up via the Zune software.

Can you tell me how to reformat the player in case this doesn't work? All I know what to do is go into recovery mode and reinstall the firmware, which that erases all my files, but doesn't erase any reserved space.

[NSILMike]

Originally Posted by McDougal

Can you tell me how to reformat the player in case this doesn't work? All I know what to do is go into recovery mode and reinstall the firmware, which that erases all my files, but doesn't erase any reserved space.

All the options you would want are in the OP here:
http://forums.zune.net/2/50/231510/ShowPost.aspx#231510 for any zune model back to and including the 30GB.

[NSILMike]

Originally Posted by McDougal

Hi guys,

Okay so the computer my Zune software is on originally had 1.2GB of RAM on WinXP. I replaced the 1.2GB of RAM with 512MB of RAM, and the Zune software still runs perfectly fine, and my computer's performance didn't change from when I had 1.2GB of RAM. Some of you might know that I have a ASUS laptop, and you might be wondering, why don't I just use the Zune on that? The answer is because on my Win7 64-bit laptop, the Zune software was not syncing the Muse artist info. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get it to work. I tried reinstalling the Zune software many many times, I tried reinstalling the Zune firmware, I tried deleting Muse from my library but that still didn't work. So I installed the Zune software on my WinXP desktop, plugged in my Zune, and the Muse artist info synced without any problems at all. That is why I am using my Zune on my older desktop instead of my newer laptop.

Muse as in the artist? Try editing the metadata (all fields...and really do an edit, as in add a space, then remove it, etc.) in zune software (or use MP3Tag and set it to convert tags to ID3v2.3, and this is preferred, since you can't always see illegal or corrupt tag data visually) and then resync that artist (actually remove it from the zune, then add it back.) The only way this could happen (normally!) is corrupt tag data, or more likely, the wrong ID3 version. Zune, iTunes, and all mainstream players use ID3v2.3. There is a new version (v2.4) that is a complete mess, and often causes tag issues. It is not supported...and sounds like a possible root cause for your trouble.

[McDougal]

Yes, Muse as in the artist. I have four of their albums (The Resistance, Origin of Symmetry, Black Holes and Revelations, and Absolution) and I love every single song. All of my other artists synced properly, it was just Muse that didn't. What a coincidence that my favorite artist (and the one I listen to most often) wouldn't sync. I think it probably was corrupt tag data. Can you tell me how to edit the metadata in the Zune software and the MP3Tag software? I will try formatting my Zune, installing the Zune software on my laptop, and I will try editing the metadata and re-sync all of my music. I greatly appreciate your help, let's just hope that this works. I probably won't have time to do this until tonight, so don't be surprised if I don't reply for the whole day.

[medion]

Not necessarily... You can reduce the specific 'reserved' space, but that category (reserved space and content from other PCs) holds a bunch of miscellaneous stuff that you can't eliminate.

I'm sorry, but this is either incorrect, or we're not understanding each other. I have my reserved space set at 0%, and I no longer have a reserved space section on the bottom bar of the Zune software when the device is connected.

On the HD models, the artist pics, data, bio's go in there.

I'm not sure where this goes, but it seems to be added in with "music." Again, I'm at 0%, and these features are working fine.

On all models, firmware lives there, except for the bootloader.

The firmware is in the ROM.

On all models, unmanaged content goes in there. Unmanaged content used to be just guest content, but now also includes your own content if you use manual sync, or you switch from all to choose (in that case your previous 'all' content goes in there except for items you then 'choose.')

Under manual sync, this content now goes into categories (such as apps, videos, podcasts, which are the things I manually sync).

And, I'm probably forgetting stuff.... yes, I just remembered: marketplace data is cached there (if you go to the marketplace and download the top 100 song list, etc.)

Correct.

I suspect (am reasonably sure) that friends you sync are there, too.

Some does, some doesn't. Most of it falls under the Profiles section, where it's 90MB reserved per friend's card.

Under the Zune software settings, it states:

Determine the storage space you want to reserve for your player inbox, Marketplace purchases, channels subscriptions, and music for your friends' Zune Cards. The more you reserve, the more room you'll have for music and pictures when you're with friends or at wireless hotspots.

[NSILMike]

Originally Posted by McDougal

Yes, Muse as in the artist. I have four of their albums (The Resistance, Origin of Symmetry, Black Holes and Revelations, and Absolution) and I love every single song. All of my other artists synced properly, it was just Muse that didn't. What a coincidence that my favorite artist (and the one I listen to most often) wouldn't sync. I think it probably was corrupt tag data. Can you tell me how to edit the metadata in the Zune software and the MP3Tag software? I will try formatting my Zune, installing the Zune software on my laptop, and I will try editing the metadata and re-sync all of my music. I greatly appreciate your help, let's just hope that this works. I probably won't have time to do this until tonight, so don't be surprised if I don't reply for the whole day.

If you don't mind downloading MP3Tag, that is the easiest and fastest way to do this. It's free, and it's safe. And, if you do much of your own tagging, you will probably switch to MP3Tag after using it briefly.
So, open MP3Tag and click on tools, then options. Then set the tags to write ID3v2.3 UTF-16 for MPEG.
Then go to your Muse folder, and right click->MP3Tag on the tracks for one album (i.e., open up MP3Tag on all the tracks for a single album at once for batch editing.)
Select all the tracks. Click Save.
If you do it in Zune, right click the album cover and edit... problem is you may have to edit every field to get the software to rewrite that field. (I don't know...and there's no simple way to check for certain.)

[McDougal]

NSILMike, thanks, I will try it tonight.

@medion, I don't get it, where are these quotes coming from? Your post is good information, but I don't see these quotes anywhere in my thread. Are they from another thread? EDIT: Oops, sorry, I found the post earlier in the thread. I forget so easily

[NSILMike]

Originally Posted by medion

1) I'm sorry, but this is either incorrect, or we're not understanding each other. I have my reserved space set at 0%, and I no longer have a reserved space section on the bottom bar of the Zune software when the device is connected.

I'm not sure where this goes, but it seems to be added in with "music." Again, I'm at 0%, and these features are working fine.

2) The firmware is in the ROM.

3) Under manual sync, this content now goes into categories (such as apps, videos, podcasts, which are the things I manually sync).

Correct.



Some does, some doesn't. Most of it falls under the Profiles section, where it's 90MB reserved per friend's card.

Under the Zune software settings, it states:

1) Perhaps the software displays the thermometer gauge differently on Win7? On XP and on Vista, the visible reserved space category never drops to zero. You can certainly change the setting to 0%, but all you are doing is reducing the actual reserved space setting which you cannot directly see in the thermo gauge since it's combined with other stuff.
Update: Other evidence...I have always left my reserved space setting at 0%. If you format and resync, the reserved space and content from... never drops to 0, it always starts out around 2-300MB. Then after sync'ing music content on, you can see it creep up during the 'sync complete' phase as the artist bio's and pics sync across. So, if you really do see zero MBs of 'reserved space and content from other PCs' in the thermo gauge, it has to be a difference between XP (me) and Win7.
2) the bootloader is in either ROM or protected flash... much more likely protected flash. (And you couldn't update firmware in ROM...that's why it's called ROM...ROM is either OTP or mask programmable but not device update-able.) Also, where it's stored physically is not particularly relevant... this 'space' we're discussing is a category that is assigned and managed by the device, on the device so has no particular effect on how the software would run on a PC with limited DRAM.
3) Then that is a (recent?) change, or perhaps varies with PC OS. I have my data direct from an MS Mod, plus all this was covered in a Zune Insider post (not podcast, actual post on their site...still there as I type) by Matt Akers (Skipdeez.)

[McDougal]

Okay, I am ready to do this. I just want to confirm my steps. My first step is, on the old XP computer, go into settings and erase all content. Then, on my Win7 laptop, plug my Zune in and re-sync all of my music, but before set reserved space to 0%. I've already downloaded MP3Tag and edited the Muse artist info. MP3Tag fixed everything, it was incredibly simple, and I got all of the artist info correct, let's just hope that now it will sync the pics, bio, and other stuff correctly on my Win7 laptop. And about the reserved space, I have tried setting it to 0%, but that didn't really change anything. Instead of having the Zune software say I have 16GB total (like it's supposed to), instead it says I have something like 12-13GB of total space, I do not know how to get it to say 16GB total.