Web forums and tech blogs are ablaze today with stories about Microsoft's Zune 30GB portable media players suffering freezes and crashes when powered on.  According to the Los Angeles Times, reports started coming in just after clocks hit midnight. Incoming reports are indicating only older 30GB Zunes are affected.

The part that caught most people’s attention was that it came today, the last day of the year, prompting speculation that the issue is related to computers internal calendars. While the actual cause of the mass crash hasn’t been reported, some in the tech industry are dubbing the “zunepocalypse” as “Y2K9.”

Microsoft has released a press release announcing their awareness of the issue and assured us they are working for a fix. Zune users are being directed to visit the Zune support page.

While we wait for Microsoft to fix the problem, if you’re feeling adventurous, Gizmodo has posted a DIY fix that involves taking apart the Zune 30GB to disconnect and reconnect the battery and hard drive to reset the internal clock. Just please approach with caution if you go that route – no one wants a busted MP3 player on the New Years drive home. 

UPDATE:

Microsoft has posted an update on their Zune support site with an explanation and resolution for this issue.
  
According to the Zune Product Team, the issue stems from a "bug in the internal clock driver related to the way the device handles a leap year".
  
The fix? Simply wait until your Zune 30GB runs out of battery, then recharge the unit after noon GMT on January 1st, 2009. This allows the internal clock to roll past the problem and completes the boot up.