One of the pitfalls of the Zune is that you have to access it through the Zune software. The windows operating system does not see it as an external USB drive. We thought this would be useful. Well, if it is something useful you can bet that there is a hack for it. We searched and sure enough there was a hack for the Zune to make it accessible as an external USB drive.

Please understand this could damage your windows operating system since it involves editing the system registry. Do this only if you want your favorite electronic gadget to do more than it was meant to. You do this at your own risk.

Be sure that you back up your system registry before you attempt this hack. Now that the warnings are out of the way, here is the hack:

1. Turn off the Zune software and unplug the Zune.

2. Run regedit. Hit the start button and select “run”. Type in regedit32 and hit OK or enter.

3. Look for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\ControlSet001\Enum\USB\ (note: with Zune software v2 you may have to edit ……\ControlSet002\…..

4. Look for “PortableDeviceNameSpace”. It should be contained in theVid_045e&Pid_0710\########_-_########_-_########_-_########\Device. Parameters within this string …\USB\ The ##’s listed here will be numbers and letters specific to your Zune.

5. Change these values:

a. EnableLegacySupport to 1

b. PortableDeviceNameSpaceExcludeFromShell to 0

c. ShowInShell to 1

6. Plug in your Zune; make sure the Zune software starts up.

7. If all went well you can open “My Computer” and browse your device, though it will not show up as a drive letter.

You should now be able to access both as a hard drive and sync through the Zune software. There was an additional edit to this hack. Edit 2:

1. If you use this hack two Zune icons may appear in Windows Explorer. To get rid of one of them go back to the regedit device parameters we edited before and look for \WpdMtpDriver\UseWpdPrivateInterface and change the value from “1” to “0”
2. Zune software needs to be open at all times. There is an authentication Mechanism and if you close it you can only view the contents of your Zune and not play them. By pressing the “Start Sync” in the Zune software, temporarily you get write access to files and folders during the sync. Just drag and drop files into their proper folders. Music, Video, or Pictures. Do not delete any files from the Zune root directory.

You are done. This proved to be the most useful hack we found for the Zune. Thirty gigs is a great deal of space. The hack turns your Zune into a portable hard drive. Apply the hack to another computer and you transfer huge amounts of data between the two. Overall, the Zune is the best electronic gadget we have used in a long while. Great fun!

P.S. There are some late reports that some could not sync after hack. If this happens just reinstall the Zune drivers and possibly the software and you are golden.

And if you don’t have a Zune this far, it’s time to buy a Zune.

Image courtesy of tomeppy

The Toshiba’s Gigabeat u103’s big marketing plan was to make so many different colors of them, which hasnt really went well for the company seeing that people are paying 150 Dollars for a player that doesnt really do anything. When your looking for a good mp2 player you should always be looking for quality not quanity. Because you use your mp3 player everday, so you want to be comfortable with it so you know it works.

I personally enjoy the Zune Player, made by Microsoft, I will later post a full review on the Zune Player, but for now all mention just a few of its cool fuctions, well for one its screen when watching movies is sideway, which makes it wider is width, something the Toshiba’s Gigabeat u103’s, or iPod cant do. The zune also has a built in Radio FM/AM Tuner, so if you ever get bored of your music. It is a little bit bigger and comes in a few colors, but it is a high quality mp3 player.

Like we said about the Toshiba’s Gigabeat u103’s, it only comes with a Gig of memory, the screen is only 1.1 inches in diamiter. And it has a FM player. Doesnt really give you much for your buck does it? You make the choice.

For the past year Sony has been working on their sound quality head phones to hone them down to perfection, and they are almost there! Each year it just seems to be getting better and better, I wonder when it will end? Never. Sony is a remarkable company and has never done a bad move in their whole careers. Now lets give you some facts on these awsome heads phones beisdes my knowledge im rambling on about.

Listen to your music, not the plane, train or bus with the MDR-NC50 noise canceling headphones.

Sink into your music. The MDR-NC50 noise canceling headphones offer a sublime listening experience. The advanced noise-canceling circuitry reduces ambient noise through a special phase canceling process. You get 14dB noise reduction at 300Hz. That means you’ll hear more music and less plane, train or bus noise. Perfect for work, traveling, or even when you’re trying to sleep in a loud place. The ear conscious design offers premium comfort, so you can wear them for long stretches without getting your ears pinched. The built-in monitor switch lets you hear surrounding sound without taking off the headphones. Shut out the noise with the MDR-NC50.

These headphones are perfect for those lazy days when you want to jut relax and keep to yourself. You know when you don’t want to be bothered and you can just groove to the toones on your headphones. Yes these are what your looking for. They have the best quality out, and are well worth the money, take control of your music.. Hook them to your iPods, Zune Players, Turntables, and anything else that you can, they are perfect.