Muvo2 4gb Hard Drive Extraction

25-Jun-2004

So you want to buy a Creative Labs Muvo2 player in order to extract the Microdrive hidden within?  I'm sorry to report that trick no longer works.  Creative in late May 2004 began shipping Muvo2 players with modified Hitachi Microdrives that DO NOT support compact flash mode.  This means the drive will not work in your camera!

So how can you tell if the Muvo2 you just bought has the old or new drive in it?  I've received reports of at least two ways to tell.

1.  Muvo2s containing the new drive has the following words (or words similar) on the box:
The hard drive in your player will not work in compact flash devices

2.  There is no Muvo2 pouch or wallet in the box.

Why did Creative do this?  My opinion:  I have no evidence that Creative Labs is responsible for this.  In fact, I'm more likely to believe that Hitachi is responsible.  Why?

Hitachi offers a retail packaged 4gb Microdrive for use in Digital Cameras and other devices that accept a type II CF device.  The retail price is somewhere around $500.  That's quite a bloody markup considering a Muvo2 music player retails for $200 that contains the same identical drive.  And that $200 includes a music player and profit for Creative Labs, to boot.  So you KNOW that the drive can't cost the OEM (Creative) much money.  So what does Hitachi do to prevent their retail Microdrive sales from plummeting?  They disable the CF mode of the OEM Microdrive that they bulk-sell to companies like Creative and Apple (for the iPod Mini).  The music players don't need CF mode, so there's no harm to them.  But it DOES prevent YOU from making use of the MD in a digital camera.

Some have speculated that Creative doesn't want their Muvo's hacked because Creative wants more public eyeballs on the Muvos.  In other words, they want the public to see the Muvo used by their customers so as to attract new customers.  Bullshit.  I don't believe Creative gives a rats-ass what people do with the Muvo.  Besides, the Muvo is an aesthetic and functional piece of crap.  The rocker button is pathetic and hard to operate and the menu system is awful.  The ipod Mini is so far superior to the Muvo in every way that I can't imagine anyone buying a Muvo except to extract the MD.  Lacking a MD usable outside the player, I believe Muvo sales will plummet and be discontinued.

CLICK HERE if you believe you have the older Muvo2 and want instructions on removing the Microdrive.

WARNING:  If you open your Muvo2 you will VOID the warranty.