I just wanted to say I have resurrected my ZVM from the dead after more than 2 years thanks to this video :) I am now "calibrating" the battery, discharging it by playing for more than 8 hours, will see how long it will last. I have also solder the "original" battery board to the Chinese replacement. It's great to have it playing from Creative playdock which I had for years. Thanks a lot for the vid!!!
Super happy to see someone doing mods on this particular unit. This was my go-to alternative to an ipod back in the day. This thing had unrivaled video codec support at the time, i used to be able to download all types of movies and watch them during class way back when. Drag and drop file structure for music too. Couldn't be beat. Still have mine in it's box with all the manuals and accessories and the old case i had for it as well. i took such good care of that thing.
Nice, very nostalic. I had one of these. It was the first thing I ever bought online with my own money and I loved it. Had it through all of University. Now I want to buy one and fix it up like this.
Finally my Vision M is fixed. I had the case replaced, battery replaced, 120gb SD card mod, Mic doesn't' work for some reason but it something i never used and i never will. Thank you for the tutorial.
@@noyartttBy now, the battery is probably dead. When you will open your Zen Vision M be very careful with the battery connector on the motherboard. NOTE There is a design flaw!!! (LOOKING AT THE FACE OF THE PLAYER) the bottom RIGHT SCREW MUST BE SHORTER than other case screws. If you put a longer screw all the way it will push that battery connector on the inside and damage your Vision M. For that reason my player has no bottom RIGHT SCREW (when looking at the front of the player) Dont run you player without battery (for extended amount of time) as i damaged one of my players like that. If you need replacement battery get Cameron Sino 1400mAh battery (with the tool kit) for Zen Vision M from Amazon. For the SD Card Modification I used " CY CF Memory Card Adapter SSD HDD Adapter 1.8" Compact Flash CF Memory Card to CE ZIF SSD HDD Adapter" from amazon and "chenyang SD SDHC SDXC to CF Compact Flash Memory Card Adapter Reader Type I 16/32/64/128GB CF to SD Card Converter" and SanDisk 128GB Ultra SDXC UHS-I Memory Card - Up to 140MB/s, C10, U1, Full HD, SD Card - SDSDUNB-128G-GN6IN It was easy to install following the video tutorial You will need to reload the Zen Firmware from the computer for the Zen to work with the SD Card.
@@noyartttIt seems like your ZEN's battery is not functioning properly. I recommend using a Cameron Sino 1400mAh Battery for Creative, which comes with the necessary tools. When you open your ZEN, please handle the battery connection on the main board with care. Additionally, when reassembling your ZEN, make sure to use a shorter screw by the battery connector. Using the longer case screw and screwing it all the way can cause damage to the battery connector on the inside (specifically, the right bottom screw when looking at the front of the ZEN).
@@UNLISTEDWEBthanks! I orderd some battery, sadly not the same brand that yoy mentioned. But gonna try it first and if that dont work I will order the one you recommended..i also need to get the sd card adapter:)
Nicely done man. still have mine next to bed in a drawer. 2003? was amazed when i could get rid of 300 cd case and have it in palm.. had a radio broadcaster hooked up to it so it would play at work over speakers. it killed ipods.. had episodes of Seinfeld on it. my girl and i would watch episodes in bed on that tiny screen.
I bought the 60gb version back on the day i still have it now, i even 2ent out and bought 30gb one for parts and i still have not gotten round to sorting them out, i remember watching a video of a guy updating them old ipods to memery cards i think he was running like x4 1tb cards in there and i would love to mod my Zen to have 4tbs of music and vidz, right now i am using an old xiaomi phone as a music player.but with them old school devices there is less less clutter and junk and no touch screen which gets on my nerves when drivin as i always seem to touch the wrong icon while driving. Also out here in the uk you can get fined for using your mobile device if its not in a cradle/,phone holder ..... I need to upgrade so 8 can play all my old school cds and my music.... Three thumbs up for your video tape.... I always seem to come back to old school videos...
Thanks so much for this video. I had one of these as a teenager, and after years of FiiO and Sony Walkman DAPs it's time to go back to what just worked as an offline player with nostalgia wrapped in. Have ordered the ZIF adapter just need to source a battery.
Neat. I have the same mod. Running a 120GB SD card. I get the occasional hang-up but I live with it. Did you ever check if you can go higher than that? I fear the firmware can't handle much larger capaciities than intended back then. Been using this thing daily since 2007. I love it to death. Unfortunately none of the 3rd party replacement batteries have worked for me so far.
Nice! I had a plan to try bigger card but was fine with the capacity at that moment, so have not tried it yet. Might indeed be tricky with the batteries.
Just bought an adapter and it came today! Now to wait for the memory card! - any clues where I can get the middle touch bar? It needs replacing, doesn't swoosh anymore
Update, the ZEN seems to crash out when transferring media either through windows media player or drag and drop. Did you experience this? Even reflashed the firmware. Next step is, I have ordered a card reader and going to manually put the music on then reinstall the card and hope
Sometimes people get lucky I guess with videos like this. I bought a ZEN, got it working and wa just waiting for a new battery, then I got the white screen problem, bought two more for parts and still get a white screen on even another one. I know these are over 15 years old at this point but I'm glad i didn't spend a lot on these because it turns out they're horrendous to work on and even harder to get working.
Yep, anything is possible. At the same time I own around 5 of such Zens (different models and revisions), none had screen problems so far despite quite harsh usage (drops etc). Based solely on my experience these are quite reliable devices.)
@@MrToyfacewondermanii Yep, recovery mode should be activated by sliding and holding power button while pinning reset button at the lower bottom, then keep holding power button until logo appears and it comes to recovery mode.
Found one of this bad boys at a thrift store today. It didnt have a price and the girl didnt seem to want to look up what it was so she sold it to me for $1.53 lol. Seems like I am gonna be paying more for the usb cable and a new battery than the device itself. Love these old music players. I have an iPod classic 30gb I found a couple of years ago at a state sale for $10. I hope to compare their sound quality. I also have a sansa 4gb and a samsung yp-t9j, sound quality wise, the iPod wins when tested using the same song and earphones or aux. Hopefully this Zen will be something special.
had the one w/ the green face plate, tempted to buy the iPod, but in the end I chose the better one. I would totally buy an SSD mod if someone sells it!
How the hell did you get that firmware updater to run on Windows 10?! I’ve tried three machines and nothing, the player is recognised, formats and sees the new card but can’t get it to see the player to restore firmware
If I were to upgrade the battery before I upgrade memory, would I be able to get old music I have on it off if it is in recovery mode? I was able to get it to come on with a dc-in adapter but it froze and had to be restarted and freezes during rebuild. With the drivers installed, can I at least get my old music/videos/etc off?
I love this player. But my problem is, that it never starts again, when I changed the battery. I ordered it from several companies. Always the type CS-CRTo5SL. What could be my problem ? From a Creative blog I got the info, that I should install a younger software. The actual software wouldn´t allow a change of the accu. Could thsi be ? Or which company has an accu that works ?
Hi, I used Cameron Sino Battery for Creative Zen Vision M 30GB / 60GB 1400mAh - BA20603R79914 LPCS285385 (e.g. from Aliexpress). Some aftermarket batteries (both 1400 and 1700 mAh) might work only on low firmwares or require utilization of control board from old battery (soldering needed). The battery I used was just plug-and-play with no modifications needed.
My existing zen vision m is on 1.62 firmware. Will I need to install it again? Must I backup and restore the image file, or does the firmware install the OS? This is a great resource, Thank you.
Glad to hear! In my case it was necessary to install firmware again, which was simply done just from Win10 (without backing up and creating image files - all the steps are on video).
I'm not tech savvy at all to do fixes or mods, and I still have my Zen M. Can anyone recommend a reputable online site that can fix a firmware issue, and at the same time change the battery?
Welll i lost my zune 30 frust generation 2004 and zen 30 too and now it stream service as smartphone but i used to put phones on it but 32 gb space i planning get mp3 player bluetooth or retro mp3
Hey there’s something wrong with the computer being able to read the device any help with that? My device was still functioning fine before i deleted the firmware now firmware is lost.
I would try installing Creative Media Explorer, connecting it to other pcs, different firmwares (mine was European), other USB cables. It worked perfectly for me - PC recognized it both with original HDD as well as SD as seen on the video, so no exact ideas what can be wrong with your particular setup as I did not face any issues at all.
@@mmrlckt no clue how this worked for you, I cannot even install creative media explorer under windows 10 as it refuses to install no matter what compatibility mode I try, it simple says the version is not supported. So my player is unrecognised. Terrible experience.
Hi, I have tried to connect my Creative Zen Vision 30GB to my Dell PC through the original Creative USB cable. I can notice the blue light while connecting it to the PC (or to any charger) but no sign of turning on when sliding the button to the left. Can anyone help me? I would like to get back my mp3 files!
@@mmrlckt thanks, not sure if I’m missing something but the software doesn’t recognize the player for some reason. Even with the original hard drive installed (original hard drive is still fully functional)
Hey, no I do not have the old firmware. But there is actually a better solution - you can solder-out control board from your old dead battery and replace with it the the control board on your 1700mah battery. It worked like a charm for me (on other device) with no need to downgrade!
I just wanted to say I have resurrected my ZVM from the dead after more than 2 years thanks to this video :) I am now "calibrating" the battery, discharging it by playing for more than 8 hours, will see how long it will last. I have also solder the "original" battery board to the Chinese replacement.
It's great to have it playing from Creative playdock which I had for years.
Thanks a lot for the vid!!!
Super happy to see someone doing mods on this particular unit. This was my go-to alternative to an ipod back in the day. This thing had unrivaled video codec support at the time, i used to be able to download all types of movies and watch them during class way back when. Drag and drop file structure for music too. Couldn't be beat. Still have mine in it's box with all the manuals and accessories and the old case i had for it as well. i took such good care of that thing.
Nice, very nostalic. I had one of these. It was the first thing I ever bought online with my own money and I loved it. Had it through all of University. Now I want to buy one and fix it up like this.
Finally my Vision M is fixed. I had the case replaced, battery replaced, 120gb SD card mod, Mic doesn't' work for some reason but it something i never used and i never will. Thank you for the tutorial.
Tell me more! I have a old zen M that needs some love. Really wanna get it working again.
@@noyartttBy now, the battery is probably dead. When you will open your Zen Vision M be very careful with the battery connector on the motherboard. NOTE There is a design flaw!!! (LOOKING AT THE FACE OF THE PLAYER) the bottom RIGHT SCREW MUST BE SHORTER than other case screws. If you put a longer screw all the way it will push that battery connector on the inside and damage your Vision M. For that reason my player has no bottom RIGHT SCREW (when looking at the front of the player)
Dont run you player without battery (for extended amount of time) as i damaged one of my players like that.
If you need replacement battery get Cameron Sino 1400mAh battery (with the tool kit) for Zen Vision M from Amazon.
For the SD Card Modification I used "
CY CF Memory Card Adapter SSD HDD Adapter 1.8" Compact Flash CF Memory Card to CE ZIF SSD HDD Adapter" from amazon and
"chenyang SD SDHC SDXC to CF Compact Flash Memory Card Adapter Reader Type I 16/32/64/128GB CF to SD Card Converter"
and
SanDisk 128GB Ultra SDXC UHS-I Memory Card - Up to 140MB/s, C10, U1, Full HD, SD Card - SDSDUNB-128G-GN6IN
It was easy to install following the video tutorial
You will need to reload the Zen Firmware from the computer for the Zen to work with the SD Card.
@@noyartttIt seems like your ZEN's battery is not functioning properly. I recommend using a Cameron Sino 1400mAh Battery for Creative, which comes with the necessary tools. When you open your ZEN, please handle the battery connection on the main board with care. Additionally, when reassembling your ZEN, make sure to use a shorter screw by the battery connector. Using the longer case screw and screwing it all the way can cause damage to the battery connector on the inside (specifically, the right bottom screw when looking at the front of the ZEN).
@@UNLISTEDWEBthanks! I orderd some battery, sadly not the same brand that yoy mentioned. But gonna try it first and if that dont work I will order the one you recommended..i also need to get the sd card adapter:)
Nicely done man. still have mine next to bed in a drawer. 2003? was amazed when i could get rid of 300 cd case and have it in palm.. had a radio broadcaster hooked up to it so it would play at work over speakers. it killed ipods.. had episodes of Seinfeld on it. my girl and i would watch episodes in bed on that tiny screen.
Oh yep man, great device and fantastic memories!
I bought the 60gb version back on the day i still have it now, i even 2ent out and bought 30gb one for parts and i still have not gotten round to sorting them out, i remember watching a video of a guy updating them old ipods to memery cards i think he was running like x4 1tb cards in there and i would love to mod my Zen to have 4tbs of music and vidz, right now i am using an old xiaomi phone as a music player.but with them old school devices there is less less clutter and junk and no touch screen which gets on my nerves when drivin as i always seem to touch the wrong icon while driving. Also out here in the uk you can get fined for using your mobile device if its not in a cradle/,phone holder ..... I need to upgrade so 8 can play all my old school cds and my music....
Three thumbs up for your video tape.... I always seem to come back to old school videos...
Thanks so much for this video. I had one of these as a teenager, and after years of FiiO and Sony Walkman DAPs it's time to go back to what just worked as an offline player with nostalgia wrapped in. Have ordered the ZIF adapter just need to source a battery.
Neat. I have the same mod. Running a 120GB SD card. I get the occasional hang-up but I live with it. Did you ever check if you can go higher than that? I fear the firmware can't handle much larger capaciities than intended back then. Been using this thing daily since 2007. I love it to death. Unfortunately none of the 3rd party replacement batteries have worked for me so far.
Nice! I had a plan to try bigger card but was fine with the capacity at that moment, so have not tried it yet. Might indeed be tricky with the batteries.
I love offline music players, especially the retro ones, and I also love asmr. Cool vid, dude!
I need to upgrade mine. It still works with original battery and hard drive. Put a faceplate protector on when I bought it.
Just bought an adapter and it came today! Now to wait for the memory card! - any clues where I can get the middle touch bar? It needs replacing, doesn't swoosh anymore
Update, the ZEN seems to crash out when transferring media either through windows media player or drag and drop. Did you experience this? Even reflashed the firmware.
Next step is, I have ordered a card reader and going to manually put the music on then reinstall the card and hope
I would say finding a donor (even damaged/non-working) might be a good idea
Sometimes people get lucky I guess with videos like this. I bought a ZEN, got it working and wa just waiting for a new battery, then I got the white screen problem, bought two more for parts and still get a white screen on even another one. I know these are over 15 years old at this point but I'm glad i didn't spend a lot on these because it turns out they're horrendous to work on and even harder to get working.
Yep, anything is possible. At the same time I own around 5 of such Zens (different models and revisions), none had screen problems so far despite quite harsh usage (drops etc). Based solely on my experience these are quite reliable devices.)
@@mmrlckt I'm going to assemble a new one, and really try to get it in to recovery mode as I feel it's a firmware issue, any tips ?
@@MrToyfacewondermanii Yep, recovery mode should be activated by sliding and holding power button while pinning reset button at the lower bottom, then keep holding power button until logo appears and it comes to recovery mode.
@@mmrlckt great thanks do I need to keep holding for a while?
@@mmrlckt not sure how long I’m supposed to be holding for but I have 3 boards and I cannot get them to show any signs of life beyond a blue light
Found one of this bad boys at a thrift store today. It didnt have a price and the girl didnt seem to want to look up what it was so she sold it to me for $1.53 lol. Seems like I am gonna be paying more for the usb cable and a new battery than the device itself. Love these old music players. I have an iPod classic 30gb I found a couple of years ago at a state sale for $10. I hope to compare their sound quality. I also have a sansa 4gb and a samsung yp-t9j, sound quality wise, the iPod wins when tested using the same song and earphones or aux. Hopefully this Zen will be something special.
Nice find! Sure you will enjoy it.)
had the one w/ the green face plate, tempted to buy the iPod, but in the end I chose the better one.
I would totally buy an SSD mod if someone sells it!
How the hell did you get that firmware updater to run on Windows 10?! I’ve tried three machines and nothing, the player is recognised, formats and sees the new card but can’t get it to see the player to restore firmware
Miss my 30GB.
Is there an update to dab+ possible ? :-) FM will be stopped slowly in germany from now on😞
If I were to upgrade the battery before I upgrade memory, would I be able to get old music I have on it off if it is in recovery mode? I was able to get it to come on with a dc-in adapter but it froze and had to be restarted and freezes during rebuild. With the drivers installed, can I at least get my old music/videos/etc off?
I love this player. But my problem is, that it never starts again, when I changed the battery. I ordered it from several companies. Always the type CS-CRTo5SL. What could be my problem ? From a Creative blog I got the info, that I should install a younger software. The actual software wouldn´t allow a change of the accu. Could thsi be ? Or which company has an accu that works ?
Hi, I used Cameron Sino Battery for Creative Zen Vision M 30GB / 60GB 1400mAh - BA20603R79914 LPCS285385 (e.g. from Aliexpress). Some aftermarket batteries (both 1400 and 1700 mAh) might work only on low firmwares or require utilization of control board from old battery (soldering needed). The battery I used was just plug-and-play with no modifications needed.
Great thanks. So I will try this battery. Is it known why the player dont like some batteries?
Probably incompatible battery control boards
Hello! Any ideas to get new display for this player? Thank you 🙏
Hi, I would better buy donor - they are quite cheap now (esp if condition is not important)
@@mmrlckt thank you! This is a very good video! 👌🙏
My existing zen vision m is on 1.62 firmware. Will I need to install it again? Must I backup and restore the image file, or does the firmware install the OS? This is a great resource, Thank you.
Glad to hear! In my case it was necessary to install firmware again, which was simply done just from Win10 (without backing up and creating image files - all the steps are on video).
@@mmrlckt thanks for the quick reply!
I'm not tech savvy at all to do fixes or mods, and I still have my Zen M. Can anyone recommend a reputable online site that can fix a firmware issue, and at the same time change the battery?
Welll i lost my zune 30 frust generation 2004 and zen 30 too and now it stream service as smartphone but i used to put phones on it but 32 gb space i planning get mp3 player bluetooth or retro mp3
how long did you have to charge it before it was able to stay on under its own power?
I left it for several hours till the indicator is "fully charged", if the battery is not dead then indicator is quite accurate
@@mmrlckt damn so I'm fucked. thanks any way
Hi.Tell me where to download the American firmware to the player?
Hi, you may check Creative support site (if I'm not mistaken there was a link in a long discussion below)
Is it possible to charge with an ipod cable?
Nope
Hey there’s something wrong with the computer being able to read the device any help with that? My device was still functioning fine before i deleted the firmware now firmware is lost.
I would try installing Creative Media Explorer, connecting it to other pcs, different firmwares (mine was European), other USB cables. It worked perfectly for me - PC recognized it both with original HDD as well as SD as seen on the video, so no exact ideas what can be wrong with your particular setup as I did not face any issues at all.
@@mmrlckt no clue how this worked for you, I cannot even install creative media explorer under windows 10 as it refuses to install no matter what compatibility mode I try, it simple says the version is not supported. So my player is unrecognised. Terrible experience.
@@MrToyfacewondermanii Quite strange, faced no issues whatsoever as per video...
@@mmrlckt it worked fine in a windows xp VM but it wouldn’t even let me install the media explorer under 10
@@MrToyfacewondermanii ok, let it be the preferred solution then for others who face same issue.)
My vision m 30gb is a pata hdd, not a zif connector.
Hi, I have tried to connect my Creative Zen Vision 30GB to my Dell PC through the original Creative USB cable. I can notice the blue light while connecting it to the PC (or to any charger) but no sign of turning on when sliding the button to the left. Can anyone help me? I would like to get back my mp3 files!
I would try leaving it charging for some time and then turning it on (prior to connecting to pc)
I know I'm late, but I've never had any luck trying to get a fully dead battery to start up without using an ac adapter also.
Where do i get firmware?
support.creative.com/downloads/download.aspx?nDownloadId=10113
@@mmrlckt thanks, not sure if I’m missing something but the software doesn’t recognize the player for some reason. Even with the original hard drive installed (original hard drive is still fully functional)
Would you happen to have the vision m firware version 1.41.01? I need to roll back mine due to the 1700mah battery upgrade
The current version Creative provides is too new for the battery to work properly which is 1.62.02
Hey, no I do not have the old firmware. But there is actually a better solution - you can solder-out control board from your old dead battery and replace with it the the control board on your 1700mah battery. It worked like a charm for me (on other device) with no need to downgrade!