“As many of you will know, I recently purchased a Microsoft Zune player (to replace my lost iPod, which never surfaced no thanks to crappy Iberia!). Unfortunately, days before the arrival of my Zune from the USA, I made the switch to Windows Vista. This meant that, when the Zune arrived, I couldn’t sync it up with my media-stuffed laptop”

 Here is the Frequently Asked Questions about Microsoft Zune media player.

What is Zune software?

Zune software is installed on your PC, and lets you manage your library of music, pictures, and videos on your PC.

You also access Marketplace through the Zune mp3 software on your PC. You can buy music - and, eventually videos - through Marketplace to play on your Zune.

What is the difference between automatic and manual sync?

With Automatic sync (which is the default sync method), everything in your library is synced with your Zune mp3 player, every time you connect your Zune to your PC.

You can set the priority in which your various playlists are sync’ed to your Zune mp3 player.

With Manual sync, your microsoft Zune will sync only when you drag files from your library onto the list pane (right side), and press Start Sync.

For most people, automatic sync is the way to go. With manual sync, everytime you download a mp3 song, you then have to go through the second step of manually dragging it to get it transferred to your Zune mp3.

My library has more music than will fit on my zune media player. What do I do?

The Zune software will sync the mp3 files in your library to your Zune device. If your library is so large that it will not fit on your player, Zune software prioritizes the playlists to sync your favorites first. Music playlists are prioritized first, followed by pictures and then zune video.
You can change the sync priority of your zune playlists. Right-click on your device name in the navigation pane (left side), click on Set Up Sync, and change the priority in the “playlists to sync” list, using the up and down arrows.Once you’ve done that, your Zune mp3 plater will give priority to the playlists you’ve prioritized highest, each time it syncs.

What operating system do I need on my PC for Zune media player?

You need a PC running Windows XP with Service Pack 2.

Zune will reportedly also run under windows Vista, when that operating system is released in January 2007.

Can I put video from DVDs on my Zune?

Yes. For example, you can pull any family videos that you may have burned onto DVDs so that you can watch them on your Zune.

To do this, you’ll need software to rip the video files from the DVD, and to convert video to Zune ’s .wmv format.

You can see tutorials on how to do this, using various software packages.

Where can I get Zune software?

When you buy a Zune, it comes loaded on an install CD in the box.

Or, you can download the Zune software from http://www.zunehomes.com/. From the main page, select “Zune software”, then “Download Zune”.

Can I use Zune software if I don’t have a Zune player?

Yes. You can download the Zune software from www.zune.net, and use it even if you don’t have a Zune player.

Why would you want to do this? Zune software will organize the music, photo, and video content on your hard drive, and provides a player for that content. You could also purchase and download content from Zune Marketplace; no player is needed to do that.

But ultimately you’ll probably want a Zune player, so you can take your content with you on the go.

I have a Mac; can I use Zune with Mac?

Microsoft specifies that you need a PC running Windows XP, in order to use the Zune software that is essential to loading your Zune.

If you’re able to run Windows on your Mac (i.e. with bootcamp and Parallels), it is possible you’ll be able to run Zune software, but this doesn’t appear to be officially supported by Microsoft.

Will Zune work with windows Vista?

Vista is Microsoft’s new operating system, and will be a successor to Windows XP.

Microsoft has confirmed that Zune will work with Vista consumer edition, once Vista is publicly available this January. This will include Vista 64bit support.

We don’t know yet about other versions of Vista.

Does Zune support podcasting?

Not directly.

Zune can play the audio files (.mp3 files) typically created by podcasters.

Zune software does not come with a zune podcasting client that supports subscription and management of podcasts.

A third-party software package to provide podcasting support for Zune podcasting.

How do I copy a file from my player to the library on my PC?

With your Zune connected to your PC,

1. Click on your Zune’s device name in the navigation pane (left side).

2. Select the music, video, or picture icon at the top of the navigation pane - depending on what you want to copy from your player.

You should see a message in the right pane “Drag items here to create a list to sync from ‘Your Zune Name’ to your computer”.

3. Select and drag whatever you want (from the main pane in the middle) to the right pane, and click the “Copy from Device” button.

How do I change the sync from automatic to manual, or vice versa?

You can change whether Zune software syncs automatically, or manually, with your player.

Right-click on your device name in the navigation pane (left side of Zune software), click on Set Up Sync, and check or uncheck the Automatic box.

If you have more than one Zune player syncing to your PC, you can set this differently for each Zune player.