Microsoft Corp.'s Zune portable music player is suffering from a glitch that may have frozen thousands of units, in the latest setback for the world's biggest software company. For many people who own the Zune digital media player, New Year's Eve is the day the music died.

It would appear that a Microsoft software bug has put the world's 30GB Zune population on the verge of extinction.

On Wednesday, Zune owners flooded blogs and Internet chat sites to complain that they couldn't listen to music on the 30 gigabyte version of the Zune, an early version of the device, because it wouldn't start up properly. The postings noted that the digital music players get stuck on the Zune logo screen when the machine's software is loading.

The company's Zune Web site said the company was aware of the problem and was working to correct it. It is unclear how many versions of the device are affected.

"We are aware that customers with Zune 30GB devices are experiencing issues with their Zune device," a Microsoft spokesman, in a separate statement, said.

"We are actively working now to isolate the issue and develop a plan to address it. We will keep customers informed on next steps via the support page on zune.net."

Recently, the software giant introduced new versions of the Zune that included additional storage and new features, including the ability to identify and buy songs heard on the radio and receive customized play lists.