Zune hack wipes out guest syncing

For now at least, Zune hacks appear to be far outweighing the Zune cracks, although we doubt neither are making Microsoft very happy these days. The latest on hack front comes to us courtesy of Zune Boards member Marshilboy, who whipped up a little something that does away with the Zune's guest sync feature, instead letting you sync any Zune as if it were the "home" Zune. That also does away with the need to erase everything on your Zune and start over from scratch should you ever somehow completely mess things up with it. Of course, as with all such hacks, it's probably not be the best idea to start modifying software you're dependent on unless you know what you're doing, so proceed at your own risk.

[Thanks, Mike]

[mazola @ Mar 12th 2007 1:02PM]

Welcome to the Social!

[Falcom @ Mar 12th 2007 1:14PM]

yay for drm!

[Benson Leung @ Mar 12th 2007 1:36PM]

Wel-come to the social, don't you mean?

[dschamis @ Mar 12th 2007 1:37PM]

Here's what I don't understand - of the 7 people in the US that actually have a Zune, what are the odds that they will ever run into eachtother and be able to use this feature?

[Leo @ Mar 12th 2007 1:48PM]

Yeah... I must have been stupid for not getting the same thing everyone else has. What was I thinking? How will I ever be accepted in the social world!?

[MrWhite @ Mar 12th 2007 1:48PM]

Bwahaha, so true.

[DM @ Mar 12th 2007 3:13PM]

Fun Fact: Zune sales to top 1 million in just six months after release.
First gen iPod sold only 600,000 in the first 14 months of availability.

Have a nice day!

[tgernon @ Mar 12th 2007 1:57PM]

whats so bad about the zune... i have always had a ipod and figured why not try the zune and " live a little"... if your really at the level where you need to put down a piece of tech then there are other problems... if only 7 people have a zune then i am happy to say that i'm one of the 7 and i'm happy with it... just as happy as i was with my ipod

[dschamis @ Mar 12th 2007 2:04PM]

I'm not one to put down other company's stuff, but I do find the onerous DRM that MSFT has put into the Zune quite offensive.

[michael @ Mar 12th 2007 3:12PM]

Are you kidding? iTunes just has the same amount of DRM that Zune has. That doesn't seem to stop iPod sales though. Just like it won't stop Zune sales. If you're not interested in buy DRM music, then buy and rip CD's, not comment on other companies doing that.

[NeoK182 @ Mar 12th 2007 2:08PM]

First of all, there are way more than 7. a combined list from all the major zune sites would give you almost 5,000. A lot have been sold.

As for this hack. This is great, makes it even easier to share music. I only wish this came out a few days earlier since i had to do that whole guest Zune thing when i upgraded to vista.

[John @ Mar 12th 2007 3:07PM]

I love how the Zune is getting "hacked" left and right, yet hardly scratches the portable media player market share. It doesn't really bode well for the "Mac has no viruses because no one uses it" argument and it certainly looks like the Microsoft-Zune user relationship will turn into the Sony-PSP Homebrew community relationship, where the company constantly has to cover its ass by releasing new firmware every 10 minutes.

[Matt @ Mar 12th 2007 4:08PM]

I don't qualify as a fanboy, but I do like to think I have a modicum of intelligence.

"Fun Fact: Zune sales to top 1 million in just six months after release.
First gen iPod sold only 600,000 in the first 14 months of availability.

Have a nice day!"

That's not really a fair comparison. The first gen iPod came out in a market where portable MP3 players were a novelty, if anything else. The Zune has come out in a mature market, where everyone and their dog seems to have a portable MP3 player.

That arguement is like saying that the MotoRazr is so much better than a StarTac because it sold more units, quicker. Different markets make comparing a year 2007 item with a ~ year 2000 item totally useless.

[Trent @ Mar 12th 2007 3:30PM]

Wow, something that actually makes the Zune Wi-Fi meaningful. I might actually buy one of these if MS just turns the other cheek on this hack. The Creative Zen did this too until the RIAA goons got involved.

Why does the RIAA hate its user base?

[shimman @ Mar 12th 2007 3:56PM]

all i can say is down down zune; i thought ipod was restrictive; my zune is more or less like a super expensive radio now; i cannot sync & i cannot return it to the store. for ipod, i can at least use it as an usb storage, zune is as !@#$ing useless as sony's walkman

[Murc @ Mar 12th 2007 8:14PM]

what the hell are you talking about!?

I strongly think that you dont own a Zune...because you stated so many errors you gave yourself away.

For instance...You said your Zune wont sync...but then you said you use it as a USB storage...I'm affraid that you have just been busted, douschebag.

THE ZUNE IS NOT A USB STORAGE DEVICE, you cant throw files on it, including music, if you cant sync.

I own a Zune, I like it, its better then a ipod, but apple fanboys just cant admit it it.......enjoy your 600 dollar gay phone.

[Roblime @ Jan 4th 2008 9:23PM]

So I guess your looking to get rid of your Zune? Cheap? Since it's a P.O.S. I'll take it off your hands. I will enjoy it. I promise.

[Chicksta @ Mar 12th 2007 6:51PM]

Not only that, but the first-gen iPods were Mac-only. There were other MP3 players on the market (I almost bought one two weeks before the iPod's launch, but had heard enough rumors to wait), but I liked having something I knew would work flawlessly on my Mac.
Besides, is that units sold, or consumer purchases? Because it seems pretty meaningless to say that retailers bought a bunch that are sitting on shelves. I'm not sure it makes a difference either way as it has no relation to this article, but I think it speaks volumes that there can't be a post about the Zune without someone bringing up iPods...

[DM @ Mar 13th 2007 12:14AM]

Relax, that was just a direct response to the old joke that 7 people or 10 people only bought the Zune.

"That arguement is like saying that the MotoRazr is so much better than a StarTac because it sold more units, quicker"

Again, relax. Never said the Zune was better buddy, just stating numbers.

Have a nice day.

[Earl @ Mar 12th 2007 5:12PM]

Don't blame Microsoft of Apple for DRM. Blame the music industry and buy CDs to not be tied to a DRM. They cost the same as downloading it and the record companies make less money from CDs

[Ricardo @ Mar 12th 2007 5:23PM]

Happy to be the 8th Zuner...we are not just on U.S.A. soil, ifanboys.

[Dimitri @ Mar 12th 2007 9:09PM]

Murc, your outburst only amplifies your own foolishness.

He did NOT say his Zune is being used as a USB storage device. He said his iPod can be used as a USB storage device: "for ipod, i can at least use it as an usb storage".

[Federico @ Mar 13th 2007 7:27AM]

What is a Zune?

[chadow @ Apr 5th 2007 1:38PM]

Who's Federico?

[DJThuht @ Apr 28th 2007 12:35AM]

lol, internet

[dipswitch @ May 2nd 2007 12:14PM]

I can use my Zune as USB storage. Just make changes to your registry.

[Trogdor @ May 3rd 2007 10:27PM]

I am on Zuneboards often under the name Trogdor and I know marshillboy and he's a flipping genius as are his hacks.

[cole @ May 5th 2007 1:33AM]

Every time i try to sync a video to my zune, it says converting and then says it cant do it. Even the videos from zune.net dont work. what do i do?

[BuserVT @ Jul 9th 2007 4:26PM]

A.) You CAN copy stuff back and forth between your PC and a Zune as though it were a normal external HDD. (Search the registry for PortableDeviceNameSpaceExcludeFromShell, if you can't figure it out from there then search google for 'how to commit suicide')

B.) The argument about iPods not being introduced into a mature market is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Everyone knew what mp3 players were, and until HP took over their marketing iPods just didn't sell as well because Apple Products suck. EVERYONE I know who has a Zune also has an iPod, and they've been chomping at the bit to get rid of it because until now there was no better alternative. The Zune is selling 4 times as fast as the iPod even in a market where the MAJORITY of people in the market ALREADY HAVE AND MP3 Player.

C.) The DRM bullshit you have to go through on iTunes is 10 times more of a pain in the ass then on the Zune. There's no connect as guest option on the iPod, how can anyone even argue this point?

D.) The whole iPod vs Zune argument is really moot anyway, more than %50 of digital music (and growing) is sold over the air to cell phones now anyway. Phones that were around long before the iPhone or the far superior (albeit unfortunately named) Wing. Speaking of which, I know it's a bit off topic but I really find it amusing that all these Apple fans pride themselves so much on being 'unique' and 'thinking differently' etc... most of whom are anti-corporate this and vegan that, blah blah blah. Yet most of them are so brainwashed by Apple advertising that they would by LITERALLY anything made by that company. The iPhone for instance is a piece of crap from what I've heard, the Wing I mentioned earlier has been out for months, does 5 times what the iPhone does, and has removable swappable storage in the form of micro SD cards. On top of that it only costs around $300. Does anyone research anything before buying anymore?

[Matt @ Oct 11th 2007 9:57AM]

Way to put into words exactly how I feel about Apple fan boys. When I walk into an Apple store and I'm half surprised somebody doesn't walk up to me with their sh!t on a cracker asking me to try some. That company puts off this "We're better than you and we know it" mentality.

[Vince Thomas @ Aug 31st 2007 10:51AM]

happy to be the 9th zune owner. i got one for my birthday, and i love it a lot more than my ipod.
(i had a 3g video ipod and a shuffle) but i love my zune a lot more.

im just waiting for the day where someone is smart enough to get doom running on the zune lol

oh yea *iphones are lame*