Zune Not Compatible With Windows Vista

danimrich writes "According to a report by AppleInsider and a Microsoft support document the software for the Zune player is not compatible with Windows Vista."

Why support an unreleased OS?

[bheer]

Especially when Zune was developed by a team with very little connection with Microsoft's OS/Office side? Also, they've said they're going to have an app update for Vista users in time for its Jan 30 general release. This is a non-story.

XP/MCE only

[richdun]

*puts on flamesuit*

So they don't "officially" support Vista. It isn't "officially" out yet. Big deal. They also aren't supporting anything other than XP SP2 and MCE 2005. ME, 2000, etc. are all left out.

What I want to know, is whether they plan to even attempt native Mac OS X support. At least Apple supports Windows with iTunes. After all the complaining about choice, DRM that goes too far, etc., MS is doing even worse.

But give them credit - the iPod was initially Mac-only, Firewire-only, and had no music store attached to it, and it started out fine. Sure, opening the flood gates with Windows + iTunes really propelled it, but this is the first edition.

Linux fans, there's an article about Blizzard banning WoW Linux users down a couple more on the front page. Don't even bother with this discussion. :)

Apparently Works with Vista RC2 - details

[Jtheletter]

As claimed by a blogger, you can in fact install the Zune software under Vista RC2. Here is a link to his blog [blogspot.com], and the steps are included below to fend off karma whores and help save the guy a little bandwidth. Note, I do not have Vista RC2 or a Zune and have not tested this. Cheers.

1. Don't let the Zune CD autorun - instead right click on it in my computer and choose open
2. On the Zune setup .exe right click and go to properties
3. Click on the compatibility tab, then check "run this program in compatibility mode for:" and select Windows XP SP2
4. Hit apply, then ok and now go back to the opened Zune folder and run the Zunesetup.exe

Re:Come on, feel the sarcasm... for Sure (TM)?

[mspohr]

This week's Economist has a good article on the Zune and other things Microsoft.

My favorite quote from the article:

Zune is much more controversial, however, because Microsoft's pre-existing hardware and service partners are left high and dry. "I've never seen a business so blatantly screw its business partners," says Peter Sealey, a professor at Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Economist http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?sto ry_id=8142987 [economist.com]

Re:If Zune isn't compatible...

[8127972]

From http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_beta2 _04.asp [winsupersite.com]

"Apple iTunes and QuickTime Pro 7.1
Works: Yes (with problems)
Notes: iTunes installs but behaves strangely. The desktop and Quick Launch toolbar icons for the application are blank and cannot be fixed. Performance is horrible, even more so that iTunes' usual problems. Both iTunes and QuickTime Pro are incompatible with the Windows Aero user interface; when they are running, Windows Vista reverts to the Windows Basic UI. (See below for more information.)"

Re:Not yet...

[VertigoAce]

The first thing the Zune installer does is check to see if there is updated Zune software available. It does this before it does the OS check, so the CD installer will work as soon as Vista-compatible software is released.

From what I read they will be releasing a beta version of the Zune software that is compatible with Vista RTM sometime relatively soon (hopefully by the Nov 30 business release). The non-beta version will be available by the time Vista is released to consumers (Jan 30)

FUD!

[thepotoo]

Fud, all fud.

I read on digg about three seconds ago, that it in fact does work. Set the installer to XP compatibility mode, and BAM! It works!

Now, I'd love to see vista flop, but it looks like Zune won't be it's downfall. A simple patch can fix the installer.

Full blog at http://vistazune.blogspot.com/ [blogspot.com]

Does iTunes work with Vista? -- Yes.

[norminator]

Yes. [winsupersite.com] No mention of whether the iPod functions with iTunes under Vista, but iTunes itself seems to work.

Re:FUD!

[DECS]

Of course, Zune also fails to support Mac OS X and Linux as well, so its cross-platform support is limited to:

Windows XP Home
Windows XP Media Center
Windows XP Pro

and perhaps other versions of Windows XP.

10 Ways Microsoft can Salvage their iPod Killer [roughlydrafted.com]

10 iPod vs Zune Myths [roughlydrafted.com]

Why Microsoft Can't Compete With iTunes [roughlydrafted.com]

Strike 3: Why Zune will Bomb this Winter [roughlydrafted.com]

The Two Faced Monster Inside Zune [roughlydrafted.com]