Creative Labs Nomad ZEN question.... (1 Viewer)

[Scott Wong]

I currently have a 40GB Nomad ZEN. I have a desktop PC with a 40GB hard drive that I basically use for all of my .mp3's. The PC itself is on the brink of crashing so I don't use it for much else. The CD burner it has is broken. The software for my Nomad ZEN is also installed on it. So after I buy a new CD, for example, I convert the tracks to .mp3 format and import the tracks to my ZEN from this particular PC.

Here's my question... I have a brand new laptop but I don't want to install my 5,000+ .mp3's on this new computer. However, the laptop has a working CD burner. And occasionally, I like to make a random mix CD.

What's the easiest way to go about doing this? If I install my ZEN software onto my laptop, is it going to export all of the tracks on my ZEN onto this hard drive?? Or I select which tracks I want imported? i.e., let's say I want to make a random ALTERNATIVE mix CD. Does anyone know off-hand if I select which tracks I want to export? Or is it automatically going to load the entire library onto my hard? ...installed a new CD burner onto the old desktop sound easy enough but I don't trust it.

If anyone has this software or this particular .mp3 player and could assist me... I'd totally appreciate it.

Scott.

 

[SethH]

I don't have that player, but I think the easiest thing to do would be to buy a case to make your hard drive an external drive. You could get either a Firewire or USB 2.0 and that way you could use it with both computers. You can find a case for around $30.

 

[Arthur Legardo]

I used to own a Zen before I switched to an iPod. I never used the included Creative Labs software to manage my songs for the Zen, I used Musicmatch Jukebox and their Zen plug-in for burning CDs and Redchair Software's Notmad Explorer to manage and transfer the files. With Notmad I believe you can select files to transfer from your Zen to your computer or synchronize (download) your Zen's library to your computer.

 

[Kimmo Jaskari]

The Notmad explorer is very highly thought of. Most Zen users who have tried it seem to feel it should be included with the Zen at purchase time...

Personally, I think it is ridiculous that the Zen doesn't just hook up via USB2 and become a system hard drive. Tons of other gadgets can do this - heck, I even have access to a digital still camera that can do that. Quite a dud in the design process there, considering how nice the hardware is otherwise.

http://www.redchairsoftware.com/notmad/