Creative Zen Micro User's Guide

Copyright © 2005 Creative Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Creative logo, and Creative MediaSource are trademarks or registered trademarks of Creative Technology
Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Media, Outlook and the Windows
logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel
Corporation. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. All
specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Actual contents may differ slightly from those pictured.

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. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement and
may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy
the software on any other medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. The licensee may make
one copy of the software for backup purposes only.

The Software License Agreement can be found on the Installation CD.

Version 1.10 February 2005

Zen Micro at a Glance.................................................. 6

Zen Micro....................................................................... 6

Turning Zen Micro on and off......................................... 9

Vertical Touch Pad ........................................................ 9

Main Menu ................................................................... 10

Now Playing screen ..................................................... 11

Main Applications......................................................... 12

Accessories................................................................ 14

Earphones ................................................................... 14

Cradle .......................................................................... 15

Pouch........................................................................... 17

Neckstrap..................................................................... 18

Wired Remote Control ................................................. 19

Importing Music into Creative MediaSource Player/

Organizer .................................................................... 21

Importing music into Creative MediaSource Player/

Organizer ..................................................................... 21

Importing music from audio CDs ................................. 21

Shopping for music on the Internet.............................. 23

Transferring Music to Zen Micro .............................. 24

Transferring music tracks ............................................ 24

Creating and transferring playlists ............................... 26

Synchronizing music with your computer .................... 26

Playing and Managing Music.................................... 27

Adjusting volume ......................................................... 27

Locking Zen Micro ....................................................... 27

Selecting and playing music tracks.............................. 30

Searching for similar tracks ......................................... 30

Selecting tracks with Zen Micro’s DJ ........................... 31

Managing the list of selected tracks............................. 31

Shuffling and repeating the list of selected tracks ....... 32

Searching within a track............................................... 33

Using bookmarks ......................................................... 34

Listening to the radio ................................................... 35

Deleting radio presets.................................................. 37

Recording radio broadcasts......................................... 37

Recording with the built-in microphone........................ 38

Playing recorded tracks ............................................... 39

Deleting tracks ............................................................. 39

Viewing track information............................................. 39

Viewing player information........................................... 39

Using Zen Micro’s Organizer Features.................... 41

Synchronizing with Microsoft Outlook.......................... 41

Viewing the calendar ................................................... 41

Viewing today’s tasks .................................................. 42

Viewing contacts.......................................................... 42

Storing Data Files in Zen Micro ................................ 43

Using Zen Micro as a Removable Disk........................ 43

Changing the amount of hard disk space in Removable

Disk mode.................................................................... 46

Stopping Zen Micro Properly.................................... 47

Personalizing Zen Micro ........................................... 49

Adjusting Vertical Touch Pad settings ......................... 49

Setting the date and time............................................. 49

Setting the alarm.......................................................... 50

Using Zen Micro’s equalizer (EQ)................................ 50

Setting playback at a constant volume ........................ 51

Labeling Zen Micro with your name............................. 52

Setting the backlight duration ...................................... 52

Setting the display contrast.......................................... 52

Setting the idle shutdown time..................................... 53

Enabling Sleep Timer .................................................. 53

Changing the menu language...................................... 53

Resetting Zen Micro..................................................... 54

Adding and removing main menu items ...................... 54

About PlaysForSure and Windows Media Player 10

Update......................................................................... 55

Enabling PlaysForSure and WMP10 Update............... 56

Frequently Asked Questions .................................... 58

Safety Advice ............................................................. 67

General Specifications .............................................. 68

Zen Micro at a Glance 6

Zen Micro 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.

Zen Micro

Zen Micro at a Glance 7

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.
During playback, use the Vertical Touch Pad to adjust the volume.
For more information on using the Vertical Touch Pad, see "Vertical Touch Pad" on
page 9.

Menu/Back button

During playback, press this button to display the main menu.
When scrolling through menu items, press this button to return to the previous menu.

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.

Power switch

Turns your player on and off.

Zen Micro at a Glance 8

Lock

Slide the Power switch to the Lock position to disable your player’s controls.

Headphone jack

Connect Zen Micro’s earphones to this jack.

USB 2.0 port

To charge Zen Micro’s battery, connect one end of Zen Micro’s Power Adapter to this
port, and the other end to a power outlet. Turn on the power outlet if necessary.
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.

Microphone

Make instant recordings with this built-in microphone.

Zen Micro at a Glance 9

Turning Zen Micro on and off

To turn on Zen Micro, slide the Power switch towards the Power icon and hold it

1

there until the LCD lights up.

2 To turn off Zen Micro, slide the Power switch towards the Power icon and hold it

there until Shutting down... appears.

Vertical Touch Pad

Move your thumb up and
down the Vertical Touch
Pad to scroll through
menu items.

To rapidly scroll through
menu items, hold down
the top or bottom portion
of the Vertical Touch Pad
with your thumb.

To select a menu
item, firmly tap the
Vertical Touch Pad.

Zen Micro at a Glance 10

Main Menu

Press the Menu/Back button to view Zen Micro’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.

Zen Micro at a Glance 11

Now Playing screen

The Now Playing screen appears when you turn on Zen Micro, or when a song is playing.
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 Micro’s current settings and battery status.

NOTE

When you see the Now Playing screen, firmly tap the Vertical Touch Pad to view the
Selected Music screen. The Selected Music screen shows you your list of selected
music tracks.

Zen Micro at a Glance 12

Main Applications

Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer and Zen Media Explorer applications are included
with your Zen Micro. These applications are installed when you set up the Zen Micro
software on your computer.

In this document, we will use Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer to outline usage
instructions. For usage information in Zen Media Explorer , refer to Zen Media Explorer’s
online Help.

Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer is your digital music center for playing, creating,
organizing, synchronizing and transferring digital music. 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

■ frequently need to play back or organize music in your computer

■ require other features such as recording, audio conversion, Smart Playlist, CD burning and

online music services (available only in certain regions)

TIP

Zen Media Explorer offers you the ease of managing music tracks and data files in
Zen Micro, in a Windows Explorer environment. Use the Zen Media Explorer, if:

By default, Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer automatically starts when you
connect Zen Micro to your computer. You can disable this feature at any time. For more
information, refer to Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer’s online Help.

NOTE

■ you already have an extensive MP3 or WMA collection and/or another preferred media player

■ you prefer to view or manage Zen Micro as a removable disk drive in Windows Explorer

■ After Zen Media Explorer is installed, the Zen Media Explorer icon appears in

Windows Explorer under My Computer.

Zen Micro at a Glance 13

NOTE

If PlaysForSure and Windows Media® Player 10 Update is enabled, you can also use
WMP10 to import or transfer music.
For more information on PlaysForSure and WMP10 Update, see "About PlaysForSure
and Windows Media Player 10 Update" on page 55.
For more information on using WMP 10, refer to WMP 10’s online Help.

Accessories 14

Accessories

Zen Micro comes with some of the accessories described below.
Accessories that are not included with your player are available from your
Creative Labs dealer or at our online store at www.creative.com.

Earphones

Zen Micro’s earphones feature dynamic bass response and enhanced audio clarity.

WARNING!

For your safety and the safety of others, do not use your earphones while driving,
cycling or any other activity that requires your full attention.

Cradle

Use Zen Micro’s cradle with the belt clip for handsfree support.

Accessories 15

You can also use Zen Micro’s cradle with the stand to rest Zen Micro on your desk.

Accessories 16

Pouch

Zen Micro’s protective pouch keeps Zen Micro snug and safe.

Accessories 17

Neckstrap

With Zen Micro’s neckstrap, your music collection goes wherever you go.

Accessories 18

NOTE

Zen Micro’s neckstrap is available only in selected countries.

Wired Remote Control

Zen Micro’s wired remote control gives you easy access to basic playback functions.

Connect the wired remote control to Zen Micro’s Headphone jack.

Accessories 19

NOTE

Zen Micro’s wired remote control is available separately in selected countries.

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.
Press and hold this button to move forward within a track.

Headphone jack

Connect Zen Micro’s earphones to this jack.

Accessories 20

MODE button

Press this button to switch between the Now Playing and FM Radio modes.

Lock switch

Slide to the Lock position to disable the wired remote control.

Importing Music into Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer 21

Importing Music into Creative MediaSource Player/
Organizer

To listen to music on Zen Micro, first import music into Creative
MediaSource Player/Organizer, and then transfer this music to your player.
Music can be ripped from your CD collection, or downloaded from Internet
music sites.

Importing music into Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer

1

Click Start → Programs/All Programs → Creative → Creative MediaSource →
Creative MediaSource Organizer.

2 In the Task bar, click the Import button, and select Import Tracks.

The Import Wizard dialog box appears.

3 In the My Computer panel, locate the track or folder you want to import, and then click the

Add File or Add Folder button.
Click the Continue button and follow the instructions on the screen.

Importing music from audio CDs

WARNING!

To get music tracks from your CDs, you will need a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive that can
extract digital audio data. Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer reads the audio
information on your CD and converts it to MP3 or WMA files using the bitrate you choose.

It may be illegal to encode MP3 or WMA files for trade or sale unless you have the
express or explicit permission of the copyright holder(s).