Knowledge Base

The Zune software does not recognize a Zune device after you install the software and connect the device to a computer

Article ID: 929357

Article Last Modified on 4/25/2007

APPLIES TO

Zune Digital Media Player
Zune software

SYMPTOMS

After you install the Zune software and you connect a Zune device to the computer, the Zune software does not recognize the device.

In the Navigation Pane of the Zune software, the device does not appear as connected. Also, in the Sync pane, you receive the following message:

Connect a Zune device

For more information about symptoms that you may experience when this issue occurs, see the "More Information" section.

CAUSE

In the Zune software version 1.2 and earlier, this issue may occur if the log file or the database in the %Systemroot%\System32\Catroot2 folder is corrupted. This issue can also occur if other errors exist in Cryptographic Services.

Note Typically, the "systemroot" path segment on a Windows XP-based computer represents "C:\Windows."

THINGS TO TRY

To resolve this issue, update to the current version of the Zune software. To do this, click Options, click Help, and then click Check for Updates. Follow the steps that appear on the screen to update the software.
If the computer is not connected to the Internet, you can workaround this issue by rebuilding the Catroot2 folder. To rebuild the Catroot2 folder, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command:
  
  net stop cryptsvc
  ren %systemroot%\System32\Catroot2 oldcatroot2
  net start cryptsvc
  exit
3. Remove all Tmp*.cat files from the following folder:
  
  %systemroot%\system32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}
  
  Note If no files that start with tmp exist in this folder, do not remove any other files. The .cat files in this folder are necessary for installing hotfixes and service packs.
4. Wait approximately 10 minutes to make sure that Cryptsvc has enough time to re-create the database.

For more information about how to troubleshoot issues with Cryptographic services, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

822798 You cannot install some updates or programs

MORE INFORMATION

Additional symptoms

You may also experience the following symptoms after you install the Zune software:

You receive system notifications about the device installation in Windows. For example, you may receive messages such as the following:

Device is now installed and ready to use.
In Device Manager under Portable Devices, the device appears as being installed and working correctly.
The Zune software automatically starts when the device is connected to the computer.
You cannot sync the device because the device does not appear in the Zune software.
This issue is not resolved after you restart or reinstall the device or the Zune software.

Note Similar symptoms may result if permissions for other Windows registry folders are not set correctly. For more information about Windows registry permissions, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

911091 A PlaysForSure device or another Windows Media Player 10-compatible media device does not appear in Windows Media Player 10 even after the device appears to be installed correctly

For more information about how to troubleshoot connectivity issues for a Zune device, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

927876 The Zune software does not detect your Zune device

Keywords: kbzunehardware kbtshoot kbpubtypekc kbzuneamericasportal kbexpertisebeginner KB929357

Microsoft KB Archive/929357

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