Zune 2.5 Software Update

I installed the latest version of the Zune software, version 2.5. I didn't read any of the release notes because I always like to see if I can figure what updates have happened. In this case, there were a few very notable changes. There are actually many more very cool new features that I have not mentioned that have been added too.

The track numbers are larger and the song that is playing is easier to see now, due to being highlighted in a higher contrast pink (pink? really?) color.

Sorting! That's right, you can finally sort the 3 different columns!

The Artists column sorts alphabetically in ascending or descending order.
The Album column sorts in 3 different ways: alphabetically by album name, grouped by artist alphabetically, and lastly by release date (grouped by release year).
The Song column also sorts in 3 different ways: by album track number, alphabetically by song name, and lastly by song rating.

The sorting was something that bugged me and I'm glad they finally got it added to Zune.

You can now right click on an album and "Find Album Info" which you could do in the Media player but was lacking in the Zune. If I was missing album art or song names, I used to open WM and use it to find the album info. All of that same functionality is now available in the Zune software.

Reset Zune Music Collection

After the software update, one of my albums that I didn't have song names or art for was updated automatically. The end result was that many of the songs were listed twice. I also still have a few albums where the song names and the actual song that is played is off. The point being, I really wanted to rebuild my song list and hopefully during the rebuild, these issues would get fixed.

How do I get the Zune software to rebuild the list??? How about using Microsoft's own Zune Media Collection Reset Tool? Download it and run it. Easy as pie. Oh and it does exactly what it says it will do. It causes the Zune software to rebuild the song (and any other media) list.

Well did it fix my issues? The duplicate songs in an album, the song names that do not match up to the song that is being played? Yes and no. It fixed the duplicate song issue but not the other. Maybe it's not the Zune software. Who knows? At this point I am not willing to take the time to find out.

Minimize Zune to System Tray

I listen to music pretty much all day at work and it is annoying to have the Zune software taking up space on my Task Bar when it is basically a program that should be running in the background. I did a little google search and Tray It! seems the way to go. It's a nice little program that you can set to start automaticlly on start up. It then looks at the programs currently sitting in your Task Bar and gives you the option to "Place in System Tray" (right click on program name) and then remembers your settings. A nice little piece of softare that just works. Nice.

I am glad I have a Zune. I love my music, the pictures I have on it, and the movies that I have on it. I travel frequently and basically life without it sux.