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Zune Not Compatible With Windows Vista
danimrich writes "According to a report by AppleInsider and a Microsoft support document the software for the Zune player is not compatible with Windows Vista."
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...because I'm not compatible with Vista either.
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
Yes, i know that Vista is an OS, not an app.
The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination
- Douglas Adams
Disclaimer from the article:
Cool, Zune comes with it's own soft porn.
All seriousness aside, I think I'd already heard Zune wouldn't work with Vista immediately. Is that really a big show stopper? I'm guessing they've laid plans to have it ready to go by the time the OEMs are rolling out Vista-installed machines. An embarrassment perhaps, but Microsoft has many bigger and better gaffes to be proud of (say Clippy, and Microsoft Bob!).
Oh, and back to the soft porn, it must have been approved by the Ballmer himself, just look at the quote from his quoted Q&A session from Business Week in the article:
I think Steve's been spending a little too much time on-line.
Dollars to doughnuts that there will be an upgrade for the Zune software that makes it compatable. as soon as you can actually buy Vista.
Please. That might be because the OS is NOT OUT YET, and that it will be added as a supported OS when it is ?
Yes. Of course, Microsoft won't support Zune on his next OS. Thanks Slashdot. That wins the 'biggest troll story ever' award.
You can still use the Zune! You'll never want for DRM restrictions again!
Especially when Zune was developed by a team with very little connection with Microsoft's OS/Office side? Also, they've said they're going to have an app update for Vista users in time for its Jan 30 general release. This is a non-story.
Go somewhere random
Given that the Zune is also not compatible with Microsoft's own "PlaysForSure" music initiave, and its own Urge music store, could this be a trend?
Clearly this is a visionary tactic on behalf of Microsoft, and we can only assume that they have something better and wonderful planned that will blow everything else out of the water. A paradigm shift in musical entertainment, if you will.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
What? Vista's already finished, you can download the damn thing from torrent sites if you want to. It's done, yet the software is (apparently) still incompatible.
You could argue that since Vista's not legally available until the 30th November, there's no need for the Zune software to be compatiable, that'd be OK. But saying it's still in beta is incorrect.
BG - OK guys, are we ready for the Zune launch? ...
Lackey - yes sir
BG - and we completed ALL of our testing?
Lackey - yes sir
BG - make it so
~~~~ 24 hours later ~~~~
BG - WTF guys, you assured me we tested it!!
Lackey - we did, but we test against, you know, released systems people are using
BG -
Lackey - can we work it into Vista SP1?
BG - we'll have to, push back SP1 release to 4Q 2009
*puts on flamesuit*
:)
So they don't "officially" support Vista. It isn't "officially" out yet. Big deal. They also aren't supporting anything other than XP SP2 and MCE 2005. ME, 2000, etc. are all left out.
What I want to know, is whether they plan to even attempt native Mac OS X support. At least Apple supports Windows with iTunes. After all the complaining about choice, DRM that goes too far, etc., MS is doing even worse.
But give them credit - the iPod was initially Mac-only, Firewire-only, and had no music store attached to it, and it started out fine. Sure, opening the flood gates with Windows + iTunes really propelled it, but this is the first edition.
Linux fans, there's an article about Blizzard banning WoW Linux users down a couple more on the front page. Don't even bother with this discussion.
By the time Vista is released, the only things compatible with it will be in museums.
As claimed by a blogger, you can in fact install the Zune software under Vista RC2. Here is a link to his blog, and the steps are included below to fend off karma whores and help save the guy a little bandwidth. Note, I do not have Vista RC2 or a Zune and have not tested this. Cheers.
.exe right click and go to properties
1. Don't let the Zune CD autorun - instead right click on it in my computer and choose open
2. On the Zune setup
3. Click on the compatibility tab, then check "run this program in compatibility mode for:" and select Windows XP SP2
4. Hit apply, then ok and now go back to the opened Zune folder and run the Zunesetup.exe
-- I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. It's not my fault that life sucks so much. --
My favorite quote from the article:
Economist http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?stI don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
"I want to squirt you a picture of my kids. You want to squirt me back a video of your vacation. That's [an] experience," he said.
I'll bet it is. I think I'll pass though. I don't want Steve Balmer squirting things at me.
Honestly, what strange part of his brain thinks that even SOUNDS right?
Magic doesn't work in my presence. My power of disbelief is too strong.
Out of all of the people complaining that Vista "isn't out yet" ... this comment actually makes the most sense to explain the incompatibility. There have been what... 2, 3 more builds since RC1 that have been available for public download?
That being said, it seems to be the actual Zune software that's not recognizing a supported OS - and not necessarily the OS allowing it to install. So the build of Vista may be irrelevant.
I guess this person hasn't been following MSFT very long.
the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
I always wondered if that was the sound of Steve Balmer wanting to be someone else... You know the one. He's also called Steve.
From http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_beta2 _04.asp
"Apple iTunes and QuickTime Pro 7.1
Works: Yes (with problems)
Notes: iTunes installs but behaves strangely. The desktop and Quick Launch toolbar icons for the application are blank and cannot be fixed. Performance is horrible, even more so that iTunes' usual problems. Both iTunes and QuickTime Pro are incompatible with the Windows Aero user interface; when they are running, Windows Vista reverts to the Windows Basic UI. (See below for more information.)"
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
What I think is funny is the discussion about the article on the article's site is not about Vista and the Zune, but whether Oriental or Asian is correct (or offensive) to describe the girls in the picture. :P
I don't reply to Anonymous posts; if you have something to say to me, identify yourself or I won't reply.
Am I the only one that finds Ballmer's quest to "squirt" me his kid...um...disturbing?
Reminds me of back in the late 90s when I was trying to use Microsoft Office products, I did use Word as far back as the late 80s. I kept having compatibility issues with other Microsoft products. I found third party software supported Microsoft formats better than Microsoft did. I finally got sick of it and dropped Microsoft products. Hard to believe a company of that size not supporting their own products. I've worked for large corporations and it generally comes down to departments not talking to each other. There tends to be a lot of internal competition inside the companies. Specifications are often treated as priviledged information even between different departments.
"But boss - you said copy Apple, and Apple made sure their expensive little box didn't work on Microsoft Operating Systems..."
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
I read on digg about three seconds ago, that it in fact does work. Set the installer to XP compatibility mode, and BAM! It works!
Now, I'd love to see vista flop, but it looks like Zune won't be it's downfall. A simple patch can fix the installer.
Full blog at http://vistazune.blogspot.com/
Obligatory Soundbite Catchphrase
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
I hope he isn't going to squirt all over the developers, developers, developers, developers.
This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
It may not be supported, and therefore, not guaranteed, because the OS is not released, but it should function anyway... the whole purpose of beta and RC releases is to have a period where hardware and software manufacturers can test to make sure that something does work. Software and hardware which should be able to work in the released OS should also function with the RC/beta releases. Unsupported means you can't call MS tech support to ask them to fix your problems, but beta means you can report bugs and incompatibilities so they get fixed before the release.
If the Zune department couldn't be bothered to make their "revolutionary" new product function with the "revolutionary", yet often delayed flagship OS, then that is pathetic.
Yes. No mention of whether the iPod functions with iTunes under Vista, but iTunes itself seems to work.
Considering that Vista is not available for sale, and won't be until January, I fail to see how this is in any way newsworthy. The "fud" tag has been correctly applied to this story.
If a story came out downing Linux because some device isn't compatible with a future and unreleased version of the kernel, everyone would be crying "foul!" from the highest mountain. But since its Microsoft, its okay to have a double standard.
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
Who really considers looking at pictures of someone else's kid or vacation to be an entertainment experience? Now sending goatse wirelessly to all nearby Zunes - there's an entertainment experience! It could be even more entertaining to repeat such a transmission several times during the course of an overseas flight.
Most probably the squirting part.
Honestly, what strange part of his brain thinks that even SOUNDS right?
The big, sweaty part that keeps yelling at the little part that only wants to read a book.
If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.