Creative Zen User Manual
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Creative Zen User Manual

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Summary of Contents for Creative Zen

  • Page 1 User’s Guide...
  • Page 2 Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Creative Technology Ltd. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the written permission of Creative Technology Ltd.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Zen at a Glance ............6 Zen................. 6 Turning Zen on and off ..........9 Vertical Touch Pad ............10 Main Menu ..............11 Now Playing screen ............. 12 Main Applications............13 Accessories..............15 Earphones ..............15 Cradle ................16 Wired Remote Control ..........
  • Page 4 Viewing the calendar ........... 40 Viewing today’s tasks ..........41 Viewing contacts............41 Storing Data Files in Zen........... 42 Using Zen as a Removable Disk ......... 42 Changing the amount of hard disk space used in Removable Disk mode..........45 Personalizing Zen ............47 Adjusting Vertical Touch Pad settings ......
  • Page 5 Labeling Zen with your name........50 Setting the backlight duration ........50 Setting the display contrast.......... 50 Setting the idle shutdown time........51 Enabling Sleep Timer ..........51 Changing the menu language........51 Resetting Zen .............. 52 Adding and removing main menu items ...... 52 Frequently Asked Questions ........

  • Page 6: Zen At A Glance

    Zen at a Glance Zen at a Glance After completing the setup instructions in the Quick Start booklet, take some time to read this User’s Guide to learn how to get the most out of your player.
  • Page 7 Zen at a Glance Next/Fast-Forward button Press this button to go the next track. Press and hold this button to move forward within a track. Options button Press this button to display the options available. Vertical Touch Pad Use the Vertical Touch Pad to scroll through and select menu items.
  • Page 8 To transfer music and data files, connect one end of the supplied USB cable to this port, and the other end of the USB cable to the your computer’s USB port. DC IN connector To charge Zen’s battery, connect one end of Zen’s Power Adapter to this connector,...

  • Page 9: Turning Zen On And Off

    Turn on the power outlet if necessary. Turning Zen on and off To turn on Zen, slide the Power switch towards the Power icon and hold it there until the LCD lights up.

  • Page 10: Vertical Touch Pad

    Zen at a Glance Vertical Touch Pad Move your thumb up To rapidly scroll To select a menu item, and down the Vertical though menu items, firmly tap the Vertical Touch Pad to scroll hold down the top or Touch Pad.

  • Page 11: Main Menu

    Zen at a Glance Main Menu Press the Menu/Back button to view Zen’s main menu. Move your thumb up and down the Vertical Touch Pad to scroll through menu items, and press the Menu/Back button to return to the previous menu or screen.

  • Page 12: Now Playing Screen

    Zen at a Glance Now Playing screen The Now Playing screen appears when you turn on Zen, when a song is playing, and when you select Now Playing in the main menu. When you see the Now Playing screen, move your thumb up and down the Vertical Touch Pad to adjust the volume. Status icons at the top right corner of the LCD indicate Zen’s current settings and battery status.

  • Page 13: Main Applications

    Zen at a Glance Main Applications Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer and Zen Media Explorer applications are included with your player. These applications can be installed when you set up the Zen software on your computer. Use Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer, if you: are new to digital music and intend to build up your MP3 or WMA library via CD ripping ■...
  • Page 14 Zen at a Glance Zen Media Explorer Zen Media Explorer offers you the ease of managing music tracks and data files in Zen, in ® ® a Microsoft Windows Explorer environment. Zen Media Explorer is included with your player and is installed when you set up the Zen software on your computer.

  • Page 15: Accessories

    Accessories Accessories Zen comes with some of the accessories described below. Accessories that are not included with your player may be available from your Creative Labs dealer or at our online store at www.creative.com. Earphones Zen’s earphones feature dynamic bass response and enhanced audio clarity.

  • Page 16: Cradle

    Accessories Cradle Use Zen cradle with the belt clip for handsfree support.
  • Page 17 Accessories You can also use Zen Micro’s cradle with the stand to rest Zen Micro on your desk.

  • Page 18: Wired Remote Control

    Accessories Wired Remote Control Zen’s wired remote control gives you easy access to basic playback functions. Connect the wired remote control to Zen’s Headphone jack. NOTE Zen’s wired remote control is available separately in selected countries.
  • Page 19 Accessories Volume Increase button Press this button to increase the volume. – Volume Decrease button Press this button to decrease the volume. Play/Pause button Starts, pauses and resumes playback. Previous/Rewind button Press this button to go the previous track. Press and hold this button to move back within a track. Next/Fast-Forward button Press this button to go the next track.

  • Page 20: Importing Music Into Creative Mediasource

    Importing Music into Creative MediaSource Importing Music into Creative MediaSource To listen to music on Zen, first import music into Creative MediaSource, and then transfer this music to your player. Music can be ripped from your CD collection, or downloaded from Internet music sites.
  • Page 21 Start Creative MediaSource. Insert an audio CD into your CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive. If Creative MediaSource is in Player view, click the Player/Organizer View button to switch to Organizer view. In the Sources window, select [d:] Audio CD (replace d: with the drive letter of your CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive).

  • Page 22: Shopping For Music On The Internet

    If you have an Internet connection, you can use a search engine to locate sites where you can purchase digital music content. Follow the instructions on these sites to download the music tracks to your computer. Once you have downloaded music tracks, you can import these tracks into Creative MediaSource using the Import Wizard.

  • Page 23: Transferring Music To Zen

    Transferring Music to Zen Transferring Music to Zen Music tracks that you transfer to Zen must be MP3 or WMA files if you want to play them back. Transferring music tracks Connect Zen to your computer’s USB port with the supplied USB cable.
  • Page 24 When you have finished transferring music tracks, disconnect Zen. Wait till you see the inactive Docked screen before disconnecting Zen. DO NOT disconnect Zen if you see the active Docked screen on the LCD. Transfer is still in progress and disconnecting Zen may damage the tracks being transferred.

  • Page 25: Creating And Transferring Playlists

    ■ the list of selected tracks" on page 31. Synchronizing music with your computer You can use Sync Manager to update and synchronize music in Zen and your computer. Connect Zen to your computer. Start Sync Manager. You can start Sync Manager in either Creative MediaSource or Zen Media Explorer.

  • Page 26: Playing And Managing Music

    Playing and Managing Music Playing and Managing Music After transferring music to Zen, read on to learn how to get the most out of your player. Adjusting volume In the Now Playing screen, move your thumb up and down the Vertical Touch Pad to adjust the volume.
  • Page 27 Playing and Managing Music To lock Zen Slide the Power switch towards the Lock icon. The Locked icon appears on the Now Playing screen.
  • Page 28 Playing and Managing Music To lock the Zen wired remote control Slide the Lock switch towards the Lock icon.

  • Page 29: Selecting And Playing Music Tracks

    You can search for music tracks by album, artist, genre or title. If you have created playlists (tracks you have organized into lists) on Zen, or transferred playlists from Creative MediaSource, you can search for music tracks in playlists as well.

  • Page 30: Searching For Similar Tracks

    The main menu appears. Select Music Library DJ. Select Album of the Day to play an album of music tracks selected by Zen’s DJ. Select Random Play All to randomly play all tracks, including your recorded tracks. Select Most Popular to play the most played tracks.

  • Page 31: Managing The List Of Selected Tracks

    Playing and Managing Music Managing the list of selected tracks Tracks you have selected for playback can be viewed and managed in the Selected Music screen. Press the Menu/Back button. The main menu appears. Select Now Playing. Firmly tap the Vertical Touch Pad. The Selected Music screen appears.

  • Page 32: Searching Within A Track

    Playing and Managing Music Select one of the following items in the Play Mode screen: Normal ■ Plays your selected tracks in sequential order. Repeat Track ■ Repeats the current track. When you select this play mode, appears on the Now Playing screen.

  • Page 33: Using Bookmarks

    Playing and Managing Music Move your thumb up and down the Vertical Touch Pad to scroll to any point within the current track. Firmly tap the Vertical Touch Pad to start playing from the selected position. Using bookmarks You can insert bookmarks during playback. A bookmark helps you mark a point within a track, so you can return to it at a later time.

  • Page 34: Listening To The Radio

    To automatically scan and save radio stations, press the Options button and select Autoscan. The player scans for all radio stations with clear reception. At the end of the autoscan, Zen automatically saves all stations as presets and tunes in to the first preset. Press the Next/Fast-Forward...
  • Page 35 Playing and Managing Music To fine tune or manually scan for a radio station, press the Play/Pause button to switch to the manual tuning view. Manual tuning view Preset information disappears in the manual tuning view. Press the Next/Fast-Forward button or Previous/Rewind button to fine tune the radio frequency.

  • Page 36: Deleting Radio Presets

    Playing and Managing Music To save a radio station as a preset, press the Options button, select Save As Preset, and then select a preset number. Deleting radio presets Press the Menu/Back button. The main menu appears. Select FM Radio. Press the Next/Fast-Forward button or Previous/Rewind button to select the preset...

  • Page 37: Recording With The Built-In Microphone

    Select Extras Microphone. Press the Play/Pause button to start recording. For a clear recording, make sure you place Zen as close as possible to what you want to record. While recording, you can press the Options button and select one of the following...

  • Page 38: Playing Recorded Tracks

    Continue searching with the Vertical Touch Pad until you find the track or category of tracks that you want to delete. Press the Options button and select Delete Playlist, Delete Album, Delete Artist, Delete Genre or Delete Track. For more song management tasks, connect your player to your computer and use Creative MediaSource.

  • Page 39: Viewing Track Information

    Playing and Managing Music Viewing track information To view detailed information about a track, such as its duration, scroll to the track, press the Options button, and select View Details. Viewing player information You can view player information, such as hard disk space and the total number of tracks, in the Information screen.

  • Page 40: Using Zen's Organizer Features

    Start Sync Manager. You can start Sync Manager from Zen Media Explorer or Creative Media Source. Select the My Computer and Zen as the devices you want to synchronize, and then click Sync Now. Select the information you want to import from Microsoft Outlook, and then click the Next button.

  • Page 41: Viewing Today's Tasks

    Using Zen’s Organizer Features Firmly tap the Vertical Touch Pad to view the events and to-do list of the selected day. Viewing today’s tasks Press the Menu/Back button. The main menu appears. Select Extras Organizer Tasks. Viewing contacts Press the Menu/Back button.

  • Page 42: Storing Data Files In Zen

    Zen software on these computers. If you are using a shared computer in school or at the office, and installing Zen Media Explorer is not possible, you can still transfer data files. However, you must enable Zen’s Removable Disk mode when you do this.
  • Page 43 Storing Data Files in Zen Connect Zen to your computer using the supplied USB cable. Zen appears as a Removable Disk under My Computer in Windows Explorer.
  • Page 44 Storing Data Files in Zen Use the drag-and-drop method in Windows Explorer to copy files to and from Zen. When you have finished copying files, safely disconnect Zen using the Windows Eject or Safely Remove Hardware icon on the Taskbar. Follow these steps below to safely...

  • Page 45: Changing The Amount Of Hard Disk Space Used In Removable Disk Mode

    In Windows Explorer, right-click the Removable Disk icon, click the Eject option, and disconnect your player when you are prompted to do so. To return to the Now Playing screen and continue listening to music on Zen, press the Menu/Back button.
  • Page 46 Use Windows Explorer if you want to delete individual data files stored in ■ Removable Disk mode. Alternatively, connect Zen to your computer and use Creative Removable Disk Manager to increase or decrease the amount of hard disk space that can be used in Removable Disk mode.

  • Page 47: Personalizing Zen

    Personalizing Zen Personalizing Zen Zen’s settings can be adjusted to suit your needs. Adjusting Vertical Touch Pad settings You can change the Vertical Touch Pad’s sensitivity, and turn the Vertical Touch Pad’s clicking sound on or off. Press the Menu/Back button.

  • Page 48: Setting The Alarm

    Set Alarm. Using Zen’s equalizer (EQ) EQ is Zen’s collection of equalizer settings that enhance the sound of your music. You can select equalizer settings to suit the genre or style of your music, or customize your own setting.

  • Page 49: Setting Playback At A Constant Volume

    Personalizing Zen To create a customized equalizer setting In the EQ screen, select Custom EQ. Each slider on the Custom EQ screen represents successively higher frequencies that can be adjusted. 80 controls bass frequency ■ 250 controls the low mid-range frequency ■...

  • Page 50: Labeling Zen With Your Name

    Personalizing Zen Labeling Zen with your name Press the Menu/Back button. The main menu appears. Select System Player Settings Owner. Spell out your name using the characters in the list box that appears, and then select Ok. Setting the backlight duration Press the Menu/Back button.

  • Page 51: Setting The Idle Shutdown Time

    Use the Vertical Touch Pad to scroll to the timing that you want. Enabling Sleep Timer You can specify a fixed period of time before Zen automatically turns off. When enabled, Sleep Timer overrides the Idle Shutdown settings. Press the Menu/Back button.

  • Page 52: Resetting Zen

    Personalizing Zen Resetting Zen You can reset Zen to its original settings. Press the Menu/Back button. The main menu appears. Select System Reset Settings. Adding and removing main menu items You can personalize the main menu by adding and removing menu items. For example, if you usually search for songs by album, you can add Albums to the main menu so you can access the Albums screen more easily.

  • Page 53: Frequently Asked Questions

    Should I leave Zen plugged into the Power Adapter? No, you should not. After charging the battery or using Zen, disconnect it from the Power Adapter. Leaving it plugged in leads to heat buildup, which is not good for Zen or its battery.
  • Page 54 Frequently Asked Questions Can I jog with my Zen? You should not subject Zen to continuous shocks, such as those that are likely to occur while you jog or run. Can I transfer DRM protected files to my player? Yes. To transfer DRM protected WMA files to Zen, you can use Creative MediaSource or Zen Media Explorer.
  • Page 55 Frequently Asked Questions I have to recharge Zen’s battery quite often. Is there anything I can do to make it last longer? Generally, any operation requiring Zen to access the hard disk uses battery power. Consequently, filling your player to capacity is not recommended. However, some operations consume more battery power: a long backlight timeout setting.
  • Page 56 Frequently Asked Questions One of the following diagrams appears on the LCD. What does it mean? Your computer is actively managing your player. Warning: DO NOT disconnect your player while your computer is still actively managing it. Your computer is not actively managing your player. To use your player, disconnect it from your computer.
  • Page 57 The firmware upgrade is complete. Reset your player to enable the new firmware to take effect. To reset your player, see "How do I reset Zen?" on page 58. There was an unexpected power loss during audio file transfer. Use you player only after this library rebuilding is completed.
  • Page 58 Customer Support Services. How do I reset Zen? You can solve most problems with Zen by resetting it. To reset Zen, insert one end of a paper clip into the Reset hole. WARNING! Take care to insert the paper clip into the Reset hole and NOT the Microphone.
  • Page 59 Zen does not turn on or stops responding. What do I do? Make sure the Power switch is not in the Lock position. ■ If you’re using the optional Zen wired remote control, make sure the wired remote control’s Lock ■ switch is not is the Lock position.
  • Page 60 When the clean up is complete, select Reboot. Your player restarts and starts rebuilding Music Library. CAUTION! Selecting Format All clears Zen’s hard disk and erases all hard disk content. Back ■ up your player’s content before formatting your player.
  • Page 61 Make sure the wired remote control’s Lock switch is not in the Lock position. ■ Make sure the wired remote control is properly connected to Zen, and the earphones are ■ properly connected to the wired remote control. What is PC Music Library? PC Music Library is your collection of digital audio tracks in Creative MediaSource.

  • Page 62: Safety Advice

    Do not dismantle or attempt to repair your player, battery or power adapter. ■ Refer all servicing to Creative or authorized repair agents. Do not expose your player or battery to temperatures outside the range of 0°C to 45°C (32°F to ■...

  • Page 63: General Specifications

    General Specifications General Specifications Size (WxHxD) 62 mm (2.4") x 95 mm (3.7") x 19.5 mm (0.8") ■ Weight 140.5 g (4.96 oz) with battery ■ Power Source Embedded rechargeable battery ■ Powered USB port ■ Power outlet ■ Battery Life MP3 128 kbps: Up to 11 hours of continuous playback with a full battery charge ■...
  • Page 64 DC IN jack: 5 V, 1.5 A ■ 160 x 104 pixel display with white LED backlight ■ Firmware Support Upgradable via USB (firmware upgrades are available from www.creative.com) ■ Earphone Specifications Frequency Range: 20 Hz ~ 20 KHz ■...

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