Just a few seconds ago Microsoft employees posted the following via twitter:

ZuneInsider: OK all. the issue is a bug in the driver that controls the internal clock. turns out it does not like leap years. as the date flips to 09 the device should be back to normal. let the battery die then plug in and restart once we flip the date. more info coming on zune insider and zune.net. thanks to you all for your patience and support while we got this worked out.

So as most guessed it should straighten itself out tomorrow morning. I just hope it really does fix itself and not become more broken.

Update:

Source: Zuneinsider.com

Early this morning we were alerted by our customers that there was a widespread issue affecting our 2006 model Zune 30GB devices (a large number of which are still actively being used).  The technical team jumped on the problem immediately and isolated the issue: a bug in the internal clock driver related to the way the device handles a leap year. 

The issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009.   We expect the internal clock on the Zune 30GB devices will automatically reset tomorrow (noon, GMT). By tomorrow you should allow the battery to fully run out of power before the unit can restart successfully then simply ensure that your device is recharged, then turn it back on.  If you’re a Zune Pass subscriber, you may need to sync your device with your PC to refresh the rights to the subscription content you have downloaded to your device. 

Customers can continue to stay informed via the support page on zune.net (zune.net/support).

We know this has been a big inconvenience to our customers and we are sorry for that, and want to thank them for their patience. 

Q:  Why is this issue isolated to the Zune 30 device?

It is a bug in a driver for a part that is only used in the Zune 30 device.

Q:  What fixes or patches are you putting in place to resolve this situation? 

This situation should remedy itself over the next 24 hours as the time flips to January 1st.

Q:  What’s the timeline on a fix?

The issue Zune 30GB customers are experiencing today will self resolve as time changes to January 1.

Q:  Why did this occur at precisely 12:01 a.m. on December 31, 2008? 

There is a bug in the internal clock driver causing the 30GB device to improperly handle the last day of a leap year.

Q:  What is Zune doing to fix this issue? 

The issue should resolve itself.

Q:  Are you sure that this won’t happen to all 80, 120 or other flash devices? 

This issue is related to a part that is only used in Zune 30 devices.

Q:  How many 30GB Zune devices are affected? How many Zune 30GB devices were sold? 

All 30GB devices are potentially affected.

More info to come as they post it…

This morning Zune 30 devices everywhere began to fail. What is causing this? Nobody knows. Hopefully Microsoft will let us know when they are going to fix it ASAP. Until then we must all guess and mutter as we sit with nothing but broken Zunes

I woke up sometime last night and saw it and thought, oh no big deal, it just needs to be re-booted. So when I woke up I tried and nothing would work. So I decided the battery would need to be reseated. Nope that only worked until I plugged it into the computer to sync. When I logged in one of my friend’s had the following chat with me.

(8:39:12 AM) Friend: Is your Zune booting?
(8:49:45 AM) Me: It wasn’t, why?
(8:49:53 AM) Me: Nope still isn’t
(8:50:37 AM) Friend: I just saw this: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/31/30gb-zunes-mysteriously-begin-to-fail-at-12am-december-31st/
(8:51:43 AM) Me: I feel better knowing I’m not alone

Update:

In typical big company fashion, Microsoft has come out with a statement saying:

Customers with 30gb Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware.  We’re aware of the problem and are working to correct it.  Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience!

Update 2:

Many people are picking up this story, even CNN has added it to their tech news area.

If you find this tutorial helpful please post about it and link to it on your favorite forums, and comment below.

Things You Need

• A Microsoft Zune running 3.1 firmware (or newer)
  
• Zune USB Sync Cable
  
• Zune Software 3.1 (or newer)
  
• Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0
  
• Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition

Places To Get Games

• The Zoone
• ZuneBoards

Installing The Official Games

1. Plug your Zune device into a working USB port on your computer using your Zune Sync Cable

2. Open up the Zune Software 3.1 or newer

3. Click on Settings

4. Go to the Device section

5.  Go to the Device Update menu item and then click on the Install Games button

6. Following the on screen instructions

How to Install User Made Games

1. Download Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0 & Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition

2. Install Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition first

• Open vcssetup.exe
  
• Click Next
  
• Read agreement and click next after accepting agreement
  
• Uncheck Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express Edition
  
• Click Install and wait for download and install to finish
  

  3. Install Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0
  

• Open XNAGS30_setup.exe
  
• Click Next
  
• Read agreement and click next after accepting agreement
  
• Select No I Do Not Want These Rule Enabled and click Next
  
• Wait for install to finish
  
• Un-check Take me to XNA Creators Club Online Website and click Finish
  

  4. Go to Start > All Programs > Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0 and click on XNA Game Studio Device Center
  

  5. Make sure your Zune Software is Closed
  

  6. In the XNA Game Studio Window Click on Add Device
  

  
  

  7.  Choose the Zune
  

  
  

  8. Select your Zune from the list and click Next
  

  
  

  9. Wait for it to Test the Connection
  

  10. Click Finish
  

  11. Close the XNA Game Studio Device Center Window
  

  12. Open up your Favorite Browser and download any game from one of the sites noted above.
  

  13. Download the .ccgame version if available, if not available just grab the zip source and follow one of the two tutorials below.
  

  Install The .ccgame Version Of The Games 1. Make sure the Zune Software is not open and the Zune is plugged in
  

  2. Download the game in the .ccgame format, also known as the Creators Club game package
  

  3. Double click on the Downloaded File and click on Unpack
  

  4. Play the game on your Zune by going to the games menu item on the main menu and selecting the game of choice
  

  Install The Games From Source Files (.Zip) File
  

  1. Make sure the Zune Software is not open and the Zune is plugged in
  

  2. Download the game in the .ZIP format, also known as the Source Files
  

  3. Double Click on the Downloaded File and click on Extract All Files
  

  
  

  4. Click Next
  

  5. Click Next Again
  

  6. Make sure Show Extracted Files and Click Finish
  

  7. Click on the folder if any
  

  8. Double Click on the Game File
  

  
  

  9. Find the Zune Icon over on the right side and Right Click on it and select Deploy
  

  
  

  10. Wait For Deploying to finish, and have fun playing your games.

If you find this tutorial helpful please post about it and link to it on your favorite forums, and comment below.

   Today Microsoft Updated the Zune.net homepage to looks like the image to the left. This makes me think there will be no update to the Zune anytime soon. While this is disappointing it was also expected, with the update coming to Xbox 360 later this month I am not surprised there is no update coming to Zune. I am still holding out hope we will see at least a bug fix update next week. But I would not hold my breath if I were you.

Mozilla just released Firefox 3.0.4, the fourth update to Firefox 3.0 since it was released last June. The update includes security updates as well as performance enhancements.

Get the update by going to Help > Check for updates… or download it directly from Mozzila.com

Quoting Mozilla

Firefox 3.0.4 fixes several issues found in Firefox 3.0.3:

• Fixed several security issues.
• Fixed several stability issues.
• Official releases for the Icelandic and Thai languages are now available.
• Beta releases for the Bulgarian, Esperanto, Estonian, Latvian, Occitan, and Welsh languages are available for testing.
• Updated the internal Public Suffix list.
• Fixed an issue where the IME input tool used to enter Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Indic characters was covered by the "Add Bookmark" panel. (bug 433340)
• Enabled additional EV root certificates. (bug 451305)
• Fixed an issue where some passwords saved using Firefox 3.0.2 did not work properly. (bug 457358)
• In some cases, Firefox would not properly save proxy settings for protocols other than HTTP. (bug 446536)
• See the Firefox 3.0.3 release notes for changes in previous releases.

See the complete list of bugs fixed.