Microsoft is fighting Apple on every ground, as worthy competitors should always do. One of Apple’s most prized possessions, as confirmed by sales and polls, is the iPod. The MP3 and MP4 player has been a hit, as Apple made gazillion models of the device to cater to the needs of each and every potential customer. In order to compete with the iPod, Microsoft developed Zune, a similar player that, unfortunately for the company, hasn’t come close to the iPod’s success.

 

Recently, customers complained that a glitch in the 30 GB Zune caused the MP3 player to freeze. Over the past week, Microsoft received an astounding number of complaints regarding this issue. Blogs and support forums were taken over by the very same customers, some even saying that the devices had locked up and were impossible to use, while others reported random freezes.

 

Microsoft investigated the problem and traced the problem back to a bug in the software. The bug hindered the device to switch from the leap year 2008 to 2009, which isn’t a leap year. Microsoft issued a series of instructions on their support bulletin. To fix the leap year problem, users are supposed to completely drain the battery of their Zune devices, and are supposed to wait until the screen of the Zune turns black. Microsoft instructed their customers to then turn the device back on again, but only after 7 a.m.

 

Microsoft advised their customer base to not open up their Zune and disconnect the batteries, as some users have done before Microsoft issued the official repair method.