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How to use this manual
This document has been designed to provide you with complete product knowledge. You can resize the
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On the Contents tabbed page to your left, click a topic heading.
1.
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heading.
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Introduction
This user's guide details the features of your Creative ZEN™ X-Fi. Creative ZEN X-Fi is a music and
video player, alarm clock, recorder, and radio, all rolled into one. Increase your player's capacity
anytime by inserting a memory card.
For setup and installation instructions, refer to the printed Quick Start that comes with your player.
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Your Player at a Glance
Part
What's It About
1.
On/Off/Lock
Push towards and hold until
display turns on or off.
Push towards to disable all
buttons.
2.
Power LED
Glows at intervals when player is
charging.
3.
Earphone jack
Connect earphones when
listening to FM radio.
4.
USB port
Connect the USB cable to this
port.
5.
Reset
To reset player, insert the tip of a
thin object, such as a
straightened paperclip, and press
gently.
6.
Microphone
Place this built-in microphone as
close as possible to the source
that you are recording.
7.
SD Memory Slot
Insert a memory card into this
slot. See Inserting and Ejecting a
Memory Card
8.
Speaker
Press and select the option to
This section introduces your player and its parts.
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switch the speaker on or off.
9.
Display
See the notes below.
10.
Menu/Back
Press and hold to go to Main
Menu.
Press to return to a previous
menu.
11.
Options
In any menu, press to view the
options applicable to that menu.
12.
Volume/Direction Pad
Enables you to select menu items
or options. Press the side of the
bar that you want to move in the
direction of: left , right , up
or down . To move
quickly, press and hold. See
Selecting Menus and Options
During playback, press and
hold or to rewind or
fast-forward a track. Press or
to adjust the volume.
13.
OK
Press to confirm or select. May
perform other functions,
depending on menu opened.
14.
Play/Pause/Record
Press to play or pause playback.
To record audio, select the
Microphone menu, then press
and hold this button.
15.
My Shortcut
Provides quick access to a
favorite menu. See Assigning
Menu Shortcuts.
Factory default: Shows the X-Fi
menu options.
Notes
In the process of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) manufacturing, instances of one or more pixels
appearing in a dark or fixed color, or in an unchanging state, may occur. These appear on the
screen as spots and may be fixed on a particular colour, such as, white or red.
In line with industry standards and based on Creative's screen manufacturer's technical
specifications, there may be occurrences of fixed spots and these occurrences are considered
acceptable if they do not impair display quality.
If, however, you notice fixed spots on your display interfering with your use, contact Customer
Support Services (www.creative.com/support).
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Turning Your Player On and Off
To turn on your player, slide the On/Off/Lock switch towards and hold until the display lights
1.
up.
To turn off your player, slide the On/Off/Lock switch towards and hold until the Shutting
2.
down... message appears.
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Selecting Menus and Options
To View
Do This
1.
Main Menu
Press and hold .
2.
Submenu
In a menu, press or to
highlight an item, then press OK.
To return to the previous screen,
press .
3.
Options
In any menu, press to view
the options applicable to that
menu. To exit, press .
Your player has many menus and options from which you can select. This section explains the difference
between menus and options, and how to access them.
Menus are categories of content or player information. Examples of menus are Music and
Settings.
Options are actions you can perform on a menu item. Examples of options are Play and
Seek To.
When you turn on your player, you see the main menu. The main menu on your player leads to secondary
menus called submenus. Submenus themselves can lead to other menus. Every menu has options.
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Selecting an item
Press or to highlight a menu or option item.
1.
Press OK.
2.
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Navigating a List Quickly
When you have a long list of items, the alphabet bar helps you to move quickly from one part of the list to
another.
Use the Direction Pad
when moving within the alphabet bar, and
when navigating between the alphabet bar and the list you are navigating.
Notes
The alphabet bar appears in selected menus.
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Locking Your Player
Locking your player disables the functions of all buttons on your player. Locking your player is useful
when you do not want to accidentally activate functions on your player, such as when your player is in
your pocket or bag.
To lock your player
Slide the On/Off/Lock switch towards the Lock icon.
On your display, the Lock
icon appears on the top right corner.
To unlock your player
Slide the On/Off/Lock switch away from the Lock
icon, back to the middle position.
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Playing and Managing Media Files
This chapter tells you how to obtain, play and manage different media on your player.
Ripping Music
Transferring Files to Your player
Creating Playlists
Playing and Managing Music Tracks
Playing Audible Files
Listening to the Radio
Recording with the Built-in Microphone
Viewing and Managing Photos
Playing and Managing Videos
Playing ZENcast Content
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Ripping Music
When you rip music, you convert music tracks (often from CDs) into a format suitable for playback on
your computer. You can rip music easily with applications like Creative Centrale or Windows Media
Player.
Make sure the audio CD you want to rip from is placed inside your CD drive.
1.
Start Creative Centrale on your computer.
2.
In Creative Centrale, click the Rip button. Follow the instructions on the screen.
3.
For more information, click the Help button.
3.
Notes
When ripping tracks, make sure that they are tagged properly. See Tagging your Audio Tracks.
If you are connected to the Internet and have registered with a music information provider, album
information will automatically be retrieved.
®
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Tagging your Audio Tracks
To tag an audio track is to add descriptive information to it, so that you can distinguish the track from
among others later. Every audio track (MP3 or WMA file) has a set of properties that contains
information such as song and album title, artist name and genre. Using these properties, your player
organizes your music library into categories such as albums, artists and genres, enabling you to browse
your huge collection of audio tracks quickly and easily.
If an audio track contains inaccurate properties, such as unrecognized characters or incorrect details, you
may not be able to perform accurate searches on your player.
For a better experience, make sure your audio tracks contain correct properties.
To fill in properties automatically
While connected to the Internet, use Creative Centrale to "rip" audio tracks from audio CDs. Creative
Centrale uses MusicIDSM from Gracenote
to automatically retrieve information about your audio CDs and create track properties.
For more information, refer to the application's online Help.
To fill in properties manually
You can use Creative Centrale to fill in audio track properties manually. For information on how to do
this, click the Help button in Creative Centrale. Under the Search tab, enter 'Tagging Media Files
Manually' in the text box and click
List Topics.
Tips
Purchase Creative Media Toolbox to automatically update and rectify audio track properties for
your entire music library. Creative Media Toolbox also contains other additional features that
enable you to conveniently manage, enhance and organize your music library.
®
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Transferring Files to Your player
You can use Creative Centrale to easily transfer files into your player. For information on how to do this,
click the Help button in Creative Centrale. Under the Search tab, enter 'Transferring Media Files to
Portable Players' in the text box and click
List Topics.
Notes
To transfer files to a memory card, use Windows Explorer. For details, see Transferring Files to
and from Your Memory Card.
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Creating Playlists
A playlist is a group of tracks that you select.
On your player, a playlist first resides in the Selected Music view. See Entering Selected Music View.
You can keep a playlist in
Selected Music view indefinitely, but the playlist may become too long and become unmanageable. To
better manage your playlists, save your playlists and create new ones periodically.
To create a playlist in Selected Music view
On the main menu, select Music.
1.
Select any submenu with audio tracks, for example, All Tracks.
2.
Select the track you want.
3.
Press and select Add to Selected.
4.
Repeat the above until your playlist in Selected Music view is complete.
5.
To save the playlist, enter the Selected Music submenu. See Entering Selected Music View.
6.
Press and select Save as Playlist. Your player's keyboard appears.
7.
Use the Direction Pad to select characters to name your playlist. Press for additional
7.
character sets and symbols.
Select OK on the keypad and press the OK button.
8.
The playlist is stored in the Playlists submenu.
8.
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Entering Selected Music View
On the main menu, select Music Now Playing.
1.
Press OK. In the Now Playing view, the progress bar changes to a rating bar.
2.
Press OK a second time. Any Album Art you have is displayed on the screen.
3.
Press OK a third time. The Selected Music view appears.
4.
To exit, press OK.
5.
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Playing and Managing Music Tracks
You can search for music tracks by album, artist or genre.
If you have combined tracks from various albums, and saved them as playlists, you can also search your
tracks by playlist. See Navigating a List Quickly
Press and hold to enter the main menu.
1.
Select Music.
2.
Select a category, such as Albums or Playlists.
3.
If you want to search by track title, select All Tracks.
3.
Select the track you want, and press .
4.
Tips
For effective searches, tag your tracks properly. See Tagging your Audio Tracks.
For long lists of tracks, use the alphabet bar. See Navigating a List Quickly.
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Adjusting volume
While a song or video is playing, press or
to increase or decrease the volume. The volume is adjusted and the volume bar disappears after a short
while.
Notes
To limit the maximum volume level on your player, see Enabling Volume Restriction.
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Shuffling and Repeating Tracks
You can shuffle or repeat your list of selected tracks by selecting a different play mode.
In the main menu, select System Audio Settings Play Mode.
1.
Select one of the following items:
2.
Normal
o
Plays your selected tracks in sequential order.
o
Repeat Track
o
Repeats the current track.
o
Repeat All
o
Repeats all selected tracks.
o
Shuffle
o
Plays all selected tracks in random order, once only.
o
Shuffle Repeat
o
Plays and repeats all selected tracks, in random order.
o
Track Once
o
Stops playing after the current track ends.
o
Tips
You can also access Play Mode by pressing
while playing a song.
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Searching for Similar Tracks
If you like the song you are playing now, you can do a quick search for other titles by the same artist.
While the song is playing, press and select
Lookup Artist.
Notes
The Lookup Artist option is also available from the Selected Music view. See Navigating a List
Quickly.
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Rating Tracks
Rate how much you like a track, so your player's DJ (see Being Your Own DJ
) can automatically play your favorite tracks. Choose from one to five stars.
On the main menu, select Music Now Playing.
1.
Press OK.
2.
In the Now Playing view, the progress bar below changes to a row of stars.
2.
Press or to select a rating.
3.
Press OK.
4.
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Removing Tracks
On your player, to remove tracks is to remove them from the Selected Music view only. The tracks are
still on the player and can be accessed from submenus like Artists or
Albums.
To permanently remove tracks, use the delete function. See Deleting Tracks
.
On the main menu, select Music Now Playing.
1.
Press OK. In the Now Playing view, the progress bar changes to a rating bar.
2.
Press OK again. The Selected Music view appears.
3.
Press or to select a track.
4.
Press and select one of the following:
5.
Remove... Remove Track
o
Removes the current track from the list.
o
Remove... Remove All
o
Clears the list.
o
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Deleting Tracks
This action permanently deletes tracks from your player.
To only remove tracks from the Selected Music view, see Removing Tracks
.
On the main menu, select Music.
1.
Select any submenu with audio tracks, for example, All Tracks.
2.
Press or to select a track.
3.
Press and select Delete Track or similar, depending on what you are deleting.
4.
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Using Bookmarks
A bookmark marks a point within a track, so you can return to it at a later time.
For example, if you are listening to your recording of an interview, insert a bookmark if you need to stop
halfway through. When you want to continue listening from where you left off, go to this bookmark.
You can use up to 10 bookmarks at any one time.
To insert a bookmark
Play the track you want to bookmark.
1.
In the Now Playing view, while the track is playing, press or to go to where you want the
2.
bookmark placed.
Press and select Set Bookmark.
3.
Select a bookmark number.
4.
If all 10 bookmark numbers have been assigned, clear an existing bookmark. In the main menu,
4.
select Music Bookmarks. Press and select Clear Bookmark.
To go to a bookmark
On the main menu, select Music Bookmarks.
1.
Select the bookmark that you want.
2.
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Searching Within Tracks
Within a track, you can specify where you want to begin playing, even up to the exact second . For
example, if you want to start playback one minute into the track, you can 'seek to' the one minute
position and then begin playback from there.
While a song is playing, press and hold to enter the main menu.
1.
Select Music Now Playing.
2.
Press and select Seek To.
3.
Within the progress bar that appears, press or to move backward or forward within the
4.
track.
Press OK.
5.
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Being Your Own DJ
Instead of selecting tracks yourself, let your player's DJ pick out tracks for you.
On the main menu, select Music DJ.
1.
Select one of the following:
2.
Album of the Day
o
Plays any album.
o
Random Play All
o
Plays all tracks, including your recorded tracks, in random order.
o
Most Popular
o
Plays frequently played tracks.
o
Rarely Heard
o
Plays rarely played tracks.
o
Highly Rated
o
Plays tracks that you have rated highly.
o
Yet to be Rated
o
Plays tracks you have yet to rate.
o
Press .
3.
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Purchasing Tracks
With your player, you can easily purchase subscription-based tracks through Windows Media Player.
While a song is playing, press and hold to enter the main menu.
1.
Select Music Now Playing.
2.
Press and select Purchase this.
3.
Synchronize your player with Windows Media Player. You will be linked to the purchase page of
4.
the track that you want.
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Playing Audible Files
You can search and play Audible files the same way you search and play music tracks. See Playing and
Managing Music Tracks
.
In addition, you can skip sections within Audible files.
To skip sections within an Audible track
While an Audible file is playing, press and hold to enter the main menu.
1.
Select Music Now Playing.
2.
Press OK until the progress bar is divided into sections.
3.
Press or to skip sections.
4.
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Listening to the Radio
Your player saves FM radio stations as presets.
The FM frequency range on your player is set to "International" by default. Most regions in the world
receive FM broadcasts in this range.
Tips
If you are using your player in Japan, make sure you have selected "Japanese" as your player's default
language before selecting your FM region.
On the main menu, select FM Radio.
1.
Press and select Set Region.
2.
Select the FM Region that you want.
3.
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Performing an Autoscan and Autosave
Connect your earphones to the Headphone jack. Your earphones act as an antenna and must be
1.
connected to your player for radio reception.
In the main menu, select FM Radio.
2.
Press and select Autoscan.
3.
When prompted to start autoscan, select Yes.
4.
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Performing a Manual Scan
Connect your earphones to the Headphone jack. Your earphones act as an antenna and must be
1.
connected to your player for radio reception.
On the main menu, select FM Radio.
2.
Press to go to Manual Scan view. On your display, the word 'preset' disappears.
3.
Press and hold or to scan for the next available radio station.
4.
Press or to fine-tune the frequency.
4.
Press and select Save as Preset.
5.
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Naming or Renaming a Radio Preset
On the main menu, select FM Radio.
1.
Select a preset.
2.
Press and select Name Preset. Your player's keyboard appears.
3.
Use the Direction Pad to select characters to name your preset. Press for additional character
4.
sets and symbols.
Select OK on the keypad and press the OK button.
5.
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Deleting Radio Presets
On the main menu, select FM Radio.
1.
Select a preset.
2.
Press and select Delete Preset.
3.
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Viewing Your Presets
On the main menu, select FM Radio.
1.
In FM Radio view, press OK. The list of presets appears.
2.
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Recording with the Built-in Microphone
On the main menu, select Microphone.
1.
Place your player as close as possible to the source you are recording.
2.
Press and hold to start the recording.
3.
Press and hold again to stop. The recording is saved.
4.
The recorded track is named MIC, followed by the date and time of the recording (MIC
4.
YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS). For example, if you record a track on July 18, 2006 at 3:15 am,
the track is named MIC 2006-07-18 03:15:00.
For other options, press and select one of the following:
5.
Preview
o
Enables you to test, or listen briefly to, what you have just recorded.
o
Delete
o
Deletes a recording.
o
Split
o
Saves a long recording session into different files.
o
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Playing Recordings
On the main menu, select Music Recordings.
1.
Select the track you want. The track plays automatically.
2.
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Viewing and Managing Photos
View photos individually, or as a slideshow, on your player. You can also play music at the same time.
Notes
Your player displays photos in the JPEG (JPG) format only.
Expect a short interval before the photos you select are displayed. Your player is preparing to
load and display the photos.
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Viewing Photos
On the main menu, select Photos Pictures. Folders of photos appear.
1.
If your photos are not yet organized into folders, thumbnails appear instead. Go to step 3.
1.
Select a folder. The photos from that folder are displayed as thumbnails.
2.
Select a thumbnail. The photo appears in full screen.
3.
You can do many things with your photo. Press and select one of the following:
4.
Rotate to turn the photo 90° clockwise.
o
Zoom In to zoom in on a photo. To move across, or pan, the photo, use the Direction Pad.
o
Rate Picture to give the photo a rating. Press or to increase or decrease the rating.
o
Next Rated Picture to display the next photo with a rating.
o
View Details to display information about a photo, for example, its file size and its
o
dimensions.
Delete Picture to remove the photo.
o
Set as Wallpaper to use the photo as your player's wallpaper.
o
Start Slideshow to start a slideshow of all the photos in the folder you are viewing. See
o
Viewing Slideshows.
Set Slide Interval to change the slideshow interval duration.
o
Settings to change various player settings.
o
Volume to adjust the volume of any track you may be playing concurrently.
o
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Displaying Photo Folders
You can display your folders in a list or in rows. Choose the latter if you have many folders. To change
how your folders are displayed, select a folder, press and select
Switch View.
Tips
You can choose not to display selected folders. For more information, see Hiding Video or
Photo Folders.
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Viewing Slideshows
On the main menu, select Photos Pictures.
1.
Select a folder or thumbnail, and press .
2.
To stop the slideshow, press .
3.
During the slideshow, you can press for additional photo options. See Viewing Photos.
3.
Tips
You can have music while viewing a slideshow. Just play tracks before starting your slideshow.
Notes
You can create your own slideshows using Creative Centrale. For more information, refer to the
application's Help file. After transferring the slideshows to your player, from the main menu,
select Photos My Slideshows.
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Playing and Managing Videos
Use Creative Centrale to transfer videos to your player. It automatically converts your videos to a format
supported by your player. For information on how to transfer videos and other media files, click the
Help button in Creative Centrale. Under the Search tab, enter 'Transferring Media Files to Portable
Players' in the text box and click
List Topics.
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Playing a Video
In the main menu, select Videos.
1.
Select a video and press .
2.
To pause the video, press . Press again to resume.
3.
To stop the video, press .
4.
You can do many things with your video. Press and select one of the following:
5.
Seek To to specify, to the second, where you want to play a track from. Within the progress
o
bar that appears, press or to move backward or forward within the track.
Fit to Screen to align the video against the horizontal or vertical side.
o
Stretch to Full to stretch the video horizontally or vertically.
o
Volume to adjust the audio volume.
o
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Deleting a Video
On the main menu, select Videos.
1.
Select a video.
2.
Press and select Delete Video.
3.
Select Yes.
4.
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Hiding Video or Photo Folders
You can hide video and photo folders containing content that you do not want your player to display.
Press and hold to enter the main menu.
1.
Select Videos, then select a video folder.
2.
OR
2.
Select Photos, then select a photo folder.
2.
Press and select Protect. A Protected Content icon appears on the folder.
3.
Press and hold to enter the main menu.
4.
Select System Player Settings Protected Content: Show or Hide to select whether to show
5.
or hide the protected folders.
Notes
You cannot hide individual videos or pictures.
The Protect or Unprotect option appears only if the Protected Content setting is set to Show.
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Setting a Password for Protected Folders
You can password protect your Protected Content setting.
Press and hold to enter the main menu.
1.
Select System Player Settings Protected Content Password.
2.
Your player's keyboard appears.
2.
Use the Direction Pad to select characters to create your password. Press for additional
2.
character sets and symbols.
Select OK on the keypad and press the OK button to confirm the password.
3.
You will be prompted for this password when you select System Player Settings Protected
3.
Content: Show or Hide to select whether to show or hide the protected folders.
To disable the password feature or change your password, select System Player Settings
4.
Protected Content Password.
Use the Direction Pad to enter your current password.
5.
To disable the password, use the Direction Pad to enter 0000.
6.
To change the password, use the Direction Pad to create a new password.
6.
Select the checkmark to confirm your settings.
7.
Notes
If you have forgotten your password, see To clean up your player's memory
.
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Playing ZENcast Content
Use Creative ZENcast Organizer
to subscribe to your favorite ZENcast channels, and download and transfer ZENcast media files to your
Creative portable media player. For more information, refer to the ZENcast Organizer online Help.
To play ZENcast media files
On the main menu, select Videos ZENcast the ZENcast channel folder you want the
1.
ZENcast episode you want.
Tips
To search through your ZENcast content quickly, use the alphabet bar. See Navigating a List
Quickly.
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Managing Organizer Data
Your player can store your contacts, calendar events and tasks from organizer programs such as
Microsoft® Outlook. For information on how to do this, click the Help button in Creative Centrale.
Under the Search tab, enter 'Synchronizing Organizer Data with Player' in the text box and click
List Topics.
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Viewing the Calendar
In the main menu, select Extras Organizer Calendar.
1.
Use the direction pad to select a month and day.
2.
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Viewing Today's Tasks
In the main menu, select Extras Organizer Tasks.
1.
Use the direction pad to select a task that you want.
2.
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Viewing Contacts
In the main menu, select Extras Organizer Contacts.
1.
Select a name in your contact list to view details about the contact.
2.
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Customizing Your Player
Your player can be configured in various ways to suit your needs and preferences.
Assigning Menu Shortcuts
Configuring Your Player's Menus
Setting the Menu Language
Changing Audio Settings
Turning On/Off the Speaker
Enhancing Audio Using X-Fi
Changing Display Settings
Changing Player Settings
Changing Clock Settings
Resetting Your Player
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Assigning Menu Shortcuts
You can access the function you use most often by assigning a menu shortcut to your player's My
Shortcut button
.
On the main menu, select System Player Settings My Shortcut Button menu shortcut that you
want
.
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Configuring Your Player's Menus
You can personalize the main menu by adding, removing and re-arranging 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 view more conveniently.
To add/remove menu items
Press and hold to enter the main menu.
1.
Press , and select Configure Menu.
2.
To add menu items, select the check boxes next to the menu items you want.
3.
To remove menu items, clear the check boxes.
3.
To change the order of menu items
On the main menu, press or to highlight the menu item you want to move.
1.
Press and select Change Order.
2.
Press or to move the menu item.
3.
Press OK.
4.
To revert to the default menu settings
On the main menu, press and select
Default Menu.
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Setting the Menu Language
On the main menu, select System Language.
1.
Select the language that you want.
2.
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Turning On/Off the Speaker
Press .
1.
Select Turn On Speaker or Turn Off Speaker.
2.
Notes
Connecting or disconnecting your earphones automatically switches the audio output between the
built-in speaker and the earphones.
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Enhancing Audio Using X-Fi
Your player's X-Fi enhancement consists of 2 main components, X-Fi Crystalizer and X-Fi Expand.
X-Fi Crystalizer intelligently restores details that were lost during compression of audio files. It makes
audio richer and clearer, delivering sound that is closer to the original quality.
On the other hand, X-Fi Expand gives audio a realistic and natural feel. It moves the sound away from
your ears and repositions it in front of you - as if listening to a live performance on stage. X-Fi Expand
works best with your earphones or headphones.
To turn on X-Fi Crystalizer
On the main menu, select X-Fi X-Fi Crystalizer: On or
Max.
The On setting is generally suited for all music files.
You can select Max to give extra enhancement to certain music files.
To turn on X-Fi Expand
On the main menu, select X-Fi
X-Fi Expand: On.
Notes
When using your player together with other X-Fi enhanced accessories (such as X-Fi
headphones or external speakers), enable the X-Fi enhancements on either the player or the
accessory only.
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Changing Audio Settings
You can configure audio settings on your player in the following ways:
Using Equalizer (EQ)
Enabling Volume Restriction
Enabling Smart Volume
Enabling Bass Boost
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Using Equalizer (EQ)
EQ is the player's collection of equalizer settings, which you can use to enhance the quality of your audio
tracks. You can select an equalizer preset or customize your own settings to suit the genre or style of
your music.
To select an equalizer preset
On the main menu, select System Audio Settings EQ.
1.
Select one of the EQ menu items.
2.
When an EQ setting is selected, appears on the Now Playing view.
2.
To customize equalizer settings
On the EQ screen, select Custom EQ.
1.
Each slider on the Custom EQ screen represents successively higher frequencies that can be
1.
adjusted. All units are in Hertz (Hz).
80 controls bass frequency
o
250 adjusts the low mid-range frequency
o
1k adjusts the mid-range frequency
o
4k adjusts the upper mid-range frequency
o
13k adjusts the treble frequency.
o
Select a slider.
2.
Press or to move the control knob up or down, to vary the amount of boost or reduction in
3.
the selected frequency range.
Press or to select the remaining sliders, and repeat step 3.
4.
Select the checkmark to save and enable the Custom EQ settings.
5.
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Enabling Volume Restriction
Listening to audio at high volume levels for prolonged periods may damage your hearing. To protect your
hearing, control your player's maximum playback volume.
To enable volume restriction
On the main menu, select System Audio Settings Restrict Volume. The volume bar appears.
1.
Press or to set the maximum volume that you want. You will be prompted to set a
2.
password.
Use the direction pad to set a password.
3.
To disable password protection for this feature, enter 0000.
3.
Use the direction pad to save your password and enable volume restriction.
4.
To disable volume restriction
On the main menu, select System Audio Settings Restrict Volume. You will be prompted for
1.
your password.
Use the direction pad to enter your password. The volume bar appears.
2.
Press or to set the volume to the player's maximum of 25.
3.
Select OK. The Restrict Volume setting turns off.
4.
Warning!
Stop audio playback on your player before disabling this feature. Your player will play back
audio at maximum levels when you increase the volume to the maximum of 25. Listening to audio
at high volume levels may damage your hearing.
Notes
If you forget your password, see To clean up your player's memory.
For more information about volume restriction, see www.creative.com/volume_restriction
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Enabling Smart Volume
You can limit the volume range of playback with Smart Volume. When enabled, Smart Volume sets
playback at a constant volume, so you do not have to continually adjust the volume when you play back
different tracks.
On the main menu, select System Audio Settings
Smart Volume.
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Enabling Bass Boost
Enabling bass boost enhances the quality of some audio.
On the main menu, select System Audio Settings
Bass Boost.
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Changing Display Settings
You can configure display settings of your player in the following ways:
Changing the Theme
Setting the Backlight Duration
Setting the Display Brightness
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Changing the Theme
You can change your player's display color by selecting a different theme.
On the main menu, select System Display Settings Theme. The current theme is displayed.
1.
Select the theme that you want.
2.
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Setting the Backlight Duration
On the main menu, select System Display Settings Backlight Time.
1.
Select the duration that you want before your player's backlight dims.
2.
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Setting the Display Brightness
On the main menu, select System Display Settings Brightness.
1.
Select the setting that you want.
2.
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Changing Player Settings
You can configure general player settings in the following ways:
Setting the Idle Shutdown time
Enabling the Sleep Timer
Personalizing Your Player with Your Name
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Setting the Idle Shutdown time
You can specify how long your player remains inactive before it automatically shuts down. This feature
helps you save battery power.
On the main menu, select System Player Settings Idle Shutdown.
1.
Select the setting that you want.
2.
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Enabling the Sleep Timer
You can specify a fixed period of time before your player automatically shuts down during continuous
playback.
On the main menu, select System Player Settings Sleep Timer.
1.
Select the duration that you want.
2.
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Personalizing Your Player with Your Name
On the main menu, select System Player Settings Owner.
1.
Use the direction pad to spell out your name, using the characters in the list box that appears.
2.
Select OK on the keypad and press the OK button.
3.
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Changing Clock Settings
You can configure your player's clock in the following ways:
Setting the Date and Time
Setting the Alarm
Displaying the Time
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Setting the Date and Time
On the main menu, select Extras Date & Time. The current date and time are displayed.
1.
Press and select Set Time or Set Date. Use the direction pad to change the time or date
2.
settings.
Press or to select a date or time field.
3.
Press or to change the value of the field, and press OK.
4.
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Setting the Alarm
On the main menu, select Extras Date & Time. The current date and time are displayed.
1.
Press and select Set Alarm.
2.
Select Time, and use the direction pad to change the time settings.
3.
To change other alarm settings, select the setting you want, and use the direction pad to make the
4.
changes.
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Displaying the Time
On the main menu, select System Clock Settings.
1.
Select Clock in Title.
2.
Select Digital if you want the time to be displayed on the top left corner of your player screen.
3.
Otherwise, select Disable.
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Resetting Your Player
You can reset your player to its original settings. In the main menu, select System
Reset Settings.
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Using Your Player's Wireless Features
This section applies to ZEN X-Fi players with wireless LAN features.
Using your player, you can send instant messages to your contacts on familiar networks such as Yahoo
Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. You can also play or download media files from Creative's
Public Media Server.
Using the Creative Centrale software, configure your computer into a home server as well, so your player
can wirelessly access media files on your computer within your home network. Refer to Creative
Centrale
's help file for more information.
Basic Requirement
To use your player's wireless networking features, access to a private or public wireless network is
needed. For assistance and setup information, you may contact your Internet service provider or network
administrator.
Notes
The terms wireless LAN and wireless features in this document refer to your player's features
that enable it to operate within the widely used 802.11b and 802.11g protocols for wireless local
area networks (WLAN).
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Turning On/Off the Wireless Feature
On the main menu, select System
Wireless LAN:Auto.
Wireless LAN: Auto - Wireless feature turns on when needed.
Wireless LAN: Off - Wireless feature is turned off.
Notes
When inside an airplane, turn off your player's wireless feature.
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Connecting to a Wireless Network
1. On the main menu, select Online Media Server.
A list of available network names (SSID) appears.
2. Select the network that you want to connect to.
3. If prompted, enter the following information using your player's onscreen keypad:
For secured networks (indicated by ), enter the password (or encryption key).
For public networks, enter your login ID and password (if both are required).
To confirm entries, navigate to
OK and press the OK button.
For information on how to use the onscreen keypad, see Using the Onscreen Keypad
.
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Connecting to Hidden Networks
Hidden or non-broadcasted networks do not initially appear on your player's list of available networks.
To connect to a hidden network
On the main menu, select Online Media Server.
1.
Press and select Add New Network.
2.
Enter the network name using the onscreen keypad.
3.
To confirm, navigate to OK and press the OK button. See Using the Onscreen Keypad.
3.
Select the appropriate security method.
4.
Enter the network password and select OK.
5.
When prompted to add to preferred networks, select Yes. See Adding to Preferred Networks.
6.
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Connecting to Networks with MAC Address Control
Some networks may require your player's MAC Address to be in their access list in order to connect.
To see your player's MAC address
On the main menu, select System
Information.
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Adding to Preferred Networks
Your player stores a list of preferred networks. These are networks that your player usually connects to.
Every time you use the wireless feature, your player attempts to connect to the networks in your list of
preferred networks first .
To add to your player's preferred networks
On the main menu, select Online Media Server.
1.
Scroll to the network name that you want to add.
2.
Press and select Add to Preferred.
3.
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Using the Onscreen Keypad
1
Input Screen
2
Text options
3
Keypad
4
Direction buttons
5
OK
6
Option button
The onscreen keypad appears whenever you need to enter text, for example, when entering a password
or when chatting with friends.
To enter text, use your player's direction buttons to navigate the onscreen keypad, press OK to select
among the text options. For example, to enter the text "sky#"
For "s", navigate to PQRS7 and press the OK button quickly 4 times.
1.
For "k", navigate to JKL5 and press the OK button quickly 2 times.
2.
For "y", navigate to WXYZ9 and press the OK button quickly 3 times.
3.
For "#", press and select Symbols.
4.
Navigate to # and press the OK button.
5.
Notes
While chatting with friends, you can choose between the Keypad Input and Circular Input
method to enter text. To switch between these methods, press and select Input Method when
available.
For the Circular Input method, use the to confirm each message entry.
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Chatting with Friends
Icon
What It Means
Available
Offlline
Away
Extended Away
Do Not Disturb
Sign up at www.creative.com/zenxfi
and set up your messaging account and profile before you can start chatting with friends on your player.
If you have not signed up yet, a guest user account is configured on your player. You can only chat with
other guest users until you sign up and set up your messaging account.
To start chatting, make sure your player is connected to a wireless network. see Connecting to a
Wireless Network
.
On the main menu, select Online My Friends.
1.
A list of contacts you specified on your messaging account appears.
1.
1.
Select the user name of the friend you want to chat with.
2.
Enter your message using the onscreen keypad. See Using the Onscreen Keypad.
3.
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Editing your Profile
Make sure your player is connected to a wireless network. see Connecting to a Wireless Network
On the main menu, select Online My Profile Configure my Account.
1.
If prompted, enter your login name (for example, abc@abc.com), password, and nick name.
2.
Press and select the item you want to edit.
3.
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Creating Your Avatar
On the main menu, select Online My Profile My Avatar.
1.
A menu of facial features appear.
1.
Use your player's direction pad to scroll through the different features and their corresponding
2.
option.
To confirm selections, press the OK button.
3.
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Inviting New Friends on ZEN X-Fi
Using your player, your can invite other online ZEN X-Fi users around the world to be your friends.
Make sure your player is connected to a wireless network. See Connecting to a Wireless Network
.
On the main menu, select Online Locate Friends.
1.
On the map that appears, select a location among the choices.
2.
Scroll to the user name of the friend you want to invite.
3.
Press and select Invite Friend.
4.
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Playing Files from Your Computer
On your player, you can play media files located on your computer through your home wireless network.
Set up your computer into a media server using Creative Centrale. Refer to Creative Centrale's help file
for setup instructions.
After your media server set up, make sure your player is connected to your home network. see
Connecting to a Wireless Network
.
On the main menu, select Online Media Server.
1.
Select your home <server name> and press the OK button.
2.
<server name> is the name you set in Creative Centrale.
2.
Browse the folders and select the files you want to play, and press the OK button.
3.
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Playing Files from Creative's Media Server
On your player, you can play media files from Creative's media server. You can choose from a wide
variety of files on different channels.
Make sure your player is connected to a wireless network. See Connecting to a Wireless Network
.
On the main menu, select Online Media Server.
1.
Select Creative's media server and press the OK Button.
2.
Browse the folders and select the file that you want, and press the OK button.
3.
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Applications
Creative provides several software applications for your convenience. Use Creative software to get the
best performance from your ZEN X-Fi player. Some of these applications include:
Creative Centrale
Creative ZENcast Organizer
Creative Media Toolbox
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Creative Centrale
Creative Certrale is your complete media experience in one software. Use it to easily rip, tag, transfer,
and organize all your media files. It comes free on your player's installation CD. You can download
Creative Centrale from www.creative.com/zenxfi
.
For a complete and easy guide for using this software, start Creative Centrale and click the Help
button.
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Creative ZENcast Organizer
With Creative ZENcast Organizer, you can subscribe to your favorite ZENcast channels, download and
transfer ZENcast media files to your player.
Creative ZENcast Organizer is your center for playing, managing, and subscribing to your favorite
ZENcast channels. With ZENcast Organizer, you can:
quickly access ZENcast channels of your favorite topics from ZENcast Directory and
ZENcast.com
subscribe to your favorite ZENcast channels
schedule regular updates of your ZENcast channel subscriptions
transfer downloaded ZENcast media files to your player
synchronize ZENcast content with your player.
For more information, see www.zencast.com
.
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Creative Media Toolbox
Use Creative Media Toolbox to easily manage, organize and enhance your music library. Media Toolbox
is feature-packed with the following:
Auto Tag Music - automatically updates or rectifies the ID3 tags of your digital music with
state-of-the-art MusicID song recognition service from Gracenote®.
Record Music - sets all your recording tasks to the correct recording levels, and automatically
starts and/or stops the recording process.
Clean-Up Music - removes hisses, pops and clicks from music files of old recordings with Sound
Blaster® technology from Creative.
Convert Music - batch convert your music files from one format to another, for example, from
WAV format to WMA format.
Manage Recording Schedule - programs your computer automatically to start and/or stop a
recording session at a specific time, or on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
Organize Music - organizes and renames music files according to their audio property tags.
Split-up Music - automatically segments a long recording, for example, a vinyl album, into
individual tracks.
Equalize Music - restores and enhances the bass, mid-range and treble of your music.
Normalize Music - creates a more consistent volume level across your music collection.
Edit Music Tags - edits property tags of audio tracks on a batch basis.
Change Tag Format - reformats audio property tags with unrecognized characters to Unicode
format so that information about music tracks can be displayed properly on your computer or
player.
To purchase Creative Media Toolbox, visit buy.soundblaster.com
.
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Using a Memory Card
Your player only supports memory cards formatted with FAT16 or FAT32 file systems. To ensure that
your memory card is of the correct format, use a 128 MB or higher capacity memory card.
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Inserting and Ejecting a Memory Card
Inserting a Memory Card Correctly
Ejecting a Memory Card Correctly
Warning!
To avoid damage to your memory card:
Do not force the memory card into the memory card slot. If it does not fit properly, gently
remove it and try again.
DO NOT shake the memory card when removing it.
Remove the memory card only when your player displays the main menu or when your player is
turned off.
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Browsing and Playing from Your Memory Card
You can browse or play files directly from your memory card.
In the main menu, select Memory Card.
1.
Select Browse.
2.
Select a file or folder to begin browsing, OR press to play files automatically.
3.
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Transferring Files to and from Your Memory Card
The memory card in your player is considered a removable disk by your computer. This means that on
your computer, you can use familiar Windows
operations to transfer files to and from your memory card.
In the main menu, select Memory Card.
1.
Select Removable Disk.
2.
Connect your player to your computer using the supplied USB cable.
3.
Your memory card appears as a removable disk under My Computer in Windows Explorer.
3.
®
3.
Use the drag-and-drop method in Windows Explorer to copy files to and from your memory
4.
card.
When you have finished copying files, safely disconnect your player using the Safely Remove
5.
Hardware icon on the Taskbar. To safely disconnect your player, see Stopping Your Player
Properly.
Warning!
DO NOT disconnect your player, or attempt to remove the memory card, when files are being
transferred.
Disconnect the player only when file transfer is complete.
Notes
When you select Removable Disk, you view the contents of your memory card only, not the
contents of your player.
Playback stops when you select Removable Disk.
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Stopping Your Player Properly
If you select
Removable Disk, make sure that you stop your player properly in Windows before disconnecting it from
your computer.
To stop your player properly, click the Safely Remove Hardware icon on the Taskbar, click
Safely remove USB Mass Storage Device, and disconnect your player when you are prompted to do
so.
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Transferring Files from Your Memory Card to Your Player
This operation transfers all files in your memory card to your player. After transferring the files, you can
view pictures files (.jpg) on your player. To view files that are in other formats, use your computer.
Insert your memory card into your player's SD memory slot. For more information, see Inserting
1.
a Memory Card.
In the main menu, select Memory Card.
2.
Select Import All.
3.
When a message appears telling you that the transfer is complete, press any button on your
4.
player to continue.
To view transferred photos (.jpg) using your player, select Photos Imported Files <memory
5.
card name> <YYYY-MM-DD HHH:MMM:SSS>. For example, if you transfer files on
November 15, 2007 at 6:30:35 PM, the folder name is 2007-11-15 18H:30M:35S.
To locate all transferred files, connect your player to your computer using the supplied USB
6.
cable. Click your player's icon in My Computer, and click Storage Media Imported Files
<memory card name> <YYYY-MM-DD HHH:MMM:SSS>.
Notes
<memory card name> refers to the volume label of the memory card you copied from.
You cannot transfer files from your player to your memory card.
You can also view the transferred photos by selecting Memory Card View Imported Pictures
<memory card name> <YYYY-MM-DD HHH:MMM:SSS>.
For accurate folder names, make sure that you set the correct date and time in your player. To
change the date or time, see Changing Clock Settings.
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Frequently Asked Questions
This section covers questions you might have while using your player. For further assistance, you may
wish to consult our self-help tool "Knowledge Base". Go to www.creative.com, select your region and
then select
Support.
For the latest firmware updates to improve the player's functionality, go to www.creative.com, select
your region and then select Support
Downloads.
Can I transfer Digital Rights Management (DRM) protected WMA files to my player?
Yes. To transfer DRM-protected WMA files to your player, you can use Creative Centrale
or Windows Media Player.
I cannot play DRM-protected WMA files on my player. What do I do?
The files may have become corrupt during transfer or the DRM license may have expired.
If the DRM license is still valid, try transferring the files again, and make sure you do so with Creative
Centrale
or Windows Media Player.
Can I use Windows Media Player to transfer videos?
Yes. Make sure that you have converted your videos to a format recognized by your player before you
transfer them.For more information about Windows Media Player, refer to this software's help file.
I have to recharge the player's battery quite often. Is there anything I can do to make it last longer?
Generally, any operation requiring your player to access the memory consumes battery power. However,
some operations require more battery power:
a long display duration setting. A shorter display duration setting saves battery power.
a high brightness setting. Position the player so that you can read the display without using a high
contrast setting.
fast forwarding or rewinding.
turning the player on and off too many times.
prolonged use at high volumes.
enabling equalizer settings.
My player's volume is very soft. What can I do?
If you have enabled the Restrict Volume setting, make sure that the maximum playback volume that you
have selected for your player is not too low. For more information, see Enabling Volume Restriction
.
How do I reset my player?
If your player stops responding, gently push the end of a thin object (like a pin or straightened paperclip)
into the Reset hole.
My player is performing erratically. What can I do?
Your player may occasionally operate at less than optimal performance for a number of reasons, for
example, if the music library is rebuilt frequently when no changes have been made to it.
Selecting Clean Up in your player's
Recovery Mode menu cleans, rebuilds and reorganizes your player's memory and restores it to optimal
efficiency. Save a copy of your player's content before cleaning up the memory.
To clean up your player's memory
Turn off your player.
1.
Press and hold . Continue to hold until you perform Steps 3 and 4.
2.
If you accidentally release the button, start the procedure again.
2.
Gently push the end of a thin object (like a pin or straightened paperclip) into the Reset hole.
3.
Slide the On/Off/Lock switch towards and hold until the display lights up. The Recovery
4.
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Mode screen appears, and four menu items are shown: Clean Up, Format All, Reload Firmware
Warning:
On your player, this icon animates when you
are transferring files. DO NOT disconnect
your player then.
Disconnect the player only when file transfer is
complete, and the icon is static.
Your player's firmware is being upgraded.
Your player is resetting after a firmware
upgrade.
Your player is updating its files. This occurs
after you transfer files to your player and then
unplug your player from your computer.
The firmware is corrupted. Reload the
firmware, download a newer firmware version
or contact Customer Support Services (
www.creative.com/support).
and Reboot.
To clean up your player's memory, select Clean Up.
5.
When the cleanup is complete, select Reboot. Your player restarts and starts rebuilding its music
6.
library.
Caution!
Selecting Reload Firmware erases your player's firmware. DO NOT select Reload Firmware
unless you have downloaded a newer firmware version for your player, or have been advised to
do so by Creative Customer Support.
Notes
Your player's firmware is reset to default settings after you cleaned up your player's memory.
To format your player in Recovery Mode
If your player is still performing erratically after you have cleaned up your player's memory, format your
player.
Repeat Steps 1 through 4 of To clean up your player's memory.
1.
The Recovery Mode screen appears when your player turns on. To format your player, select
2.
Format All.
When formatting is complete, select Reboot. Your player restarts and starts rebuilding its music
3.
library.
Warning!
Formatting your player erases all content on your player's memory and resets your player's
firmware to default settings. If possible, back up all data on your player before proceeding.
Notes
If you are prompted to choose the file system for formatting, select only FAT32.
One of the following diagrams appears on the display. What does it mean?
My player stops responding or does not turn on. What do I do?
Make sure the On/Off/Lock switch is not in the Lock position.
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Your battery may need to be recharged. Charge your player's battery with the power adapter or
connect your player to your computer's USB port with the supplied USB cable.
Where can I get more information on Creative products?
See www.creative.com
and select your region or country for updates and downloads relating to all Creative products.
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Regulatory Information
The following sections contain notices for various countries:
CAUTION: This product is intended for use with FCC/CE certified computer equipment. Please check
the equipment operating/installation manual and/or with the equipment manufacturer to verify/confirm if
your equipment is suitable prior to the installation or use of the product.
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