Everything you need to make sure your equipment is fully functional - or to find if you have a fault and what to do next.

I'm going to help you test everything in five easy steps. All Zen's buttons and USB ports, the OLED screen, the firmware, the backup system, all 8 of the memory slots, all 3 of the USB cables provided with the Zen (or any others that you may be using) and finally the USB ports and drivers on your Windows PC.

Download and open the latest Zen Studio . This list has been designed, in a specific order, so that you can easily fault test all of your hardware in less than 5 minutes.

The first step is to upgrade Zen to the latest firmware (Tools > Firmware Update, and it doesn't matter if you've done it before, you can program as many times as you like - this is for test purposes only).

You will need both micro-USB cables that came with your Zen. Program the firmware using the short cable connected to Zen's CONSOLE/PC USB port, and then the same again using the long micro-USB cable. If both cable tests are successful, the PC USB port is good, PC USB drivers are good, both micro-USB cables are good, Zen's CONSOLE/PC USB port is good, and assuming you can see the Zen Gearhead logo, the OLED screen is also good. If everything is working, or if the OLED screen is not displaying anything, disconnect the micro-USB cable from the PC and go to STEP 2.

If the firmware update tool displays, "No Devices Found" - This means the problem could be Zen's CONSOLE/PC USB port, the micro-USB cable, the PC USB port, or the PC USB drivers. The first thing to check is the micro-USB cable, and you have another one of those so try that. If it still doesn't detect, try a USB 3 port or any other onboard USB port (no extension cables). If it now works, test the other micro-USB cable in the new USB port to verify that now works. All good? Disconnect the micro-USB cable from the PC and go to STEP 2.

If the firmware version displays 0.0.0, you need to downgrade Zen to the oldest firmware then upgrade to the latest version. If it now shows v, then you're good to disconnect the micro-USB cable from the PC and go to STEP 2.

This is a PC issue not a Zen issue. There are three instances that can cause a network error:

1. Not connected to the internet or your modem needs resetting

2. Security software is blocking Zen Studio (Temporarily disable Anti-Virus and/or Firewall)

3. Your ISP is blocking access to our GamePack or GPC Library servers (Use a free VPN like ProtonVPN)

Is your Zen detecting now? If yes, disconnect the micro-USB cable from the PC and go to STEP 2.

The PC is saying "USB Not Recognized" - this is almost always a loose or faulty USB connection, or not enough power to the USB port, so be sure to try the other micro-USB cable and another USB port, preferably USB3. Is your Zen now detecting with no errors? Disconnect the micro-USB cable from the PC and go to STEP 2.

Next up, Hard Reset, which will refresh the Zen completely, including wiping all memory slots, and wiping all settings and any saved profiles. There should be no USB cables connected to the Zen. Hold both the P1 and P2 buttons, then connect one of the micro-USB cables to Zen's CONSOLE/PC USB port - keeping the buttons pressed down until the RGB LEDs flash RED, GREEN, and BLUE. This confirms Zen's P1 and P2 buttons are good, the RGBs are good, and the firmware is good. Great so far! Now go to STEP 3.

It can be a tight fit, so make sure the mini-USB cable is connected to Zens PROG USB port firmly. Then connect Zen to the same USB port used in Step 1 (we already know this is good). Zen Studio's status bar should now say "Device Connected Zen FW v" and you will now be able to access the Programmer and M&K Settings Panels. You're good to continue to STEP 4.

If it still displays 'Device Disconnected', and you already know the PC USB port is good from STEP 1, the final item to try is another mini-USB cable (it's a standard mini-USB cable, you can pick one up from most retail outlets or gas stations). If changing the cable fixes the problem and the Zen is now detected, go to STEP 4.

You're now going to test Zen's A1, A2 and A3 USB ports. You can use any wired or wireless controller with a USB cable. You will need to connect both the CONSOLE/PC micro-USB cable and the PROG mini-USB cable to your PC. Then, in Zen Studio, go to the Device panel and make sure PS4 SPECIALITY and PS REMOTE PLAY are not enabled, and that the output protocol is set to AUTO. Press F3 to open the Device Monitor.

Connect your controller to A1 and all button presses should output to device monitor. You can do the same tests for A2 and A3 - just make sure you press the reset button every time you connect a controller to Zen. If all ports are showing outputs, go to the final STEP 5.

If none of the ports are showing any output from the controller, that means there's an issue with your controller or the USB cable, so try another cable and make sure it has a solid connection (if all USB ports were indeed faulty, you wouldn't have gotten past Step 2).

If one or two of the ports are not outputting, then unfortunately the Zen has developed a fault and should be returned for a repair or replacement.

You're almost there. Go to the Programmer panel and drag and drop GamePacks to the 8 empty memory slots, and then program. If it says Success, then you have successfully verified all of your equipment as fully functional

If Zen Studio still displays Error, then you have one more step to do, and that is to delete Zen Studio's temporary folder. This can be found by going to search and typing %APPDATA% which will take you to the location of the 'CronusZenBeta' folder. Make sure Zen Studio is closed then delete this folder. Now open Zen Studio and try again.

If it says Success, you know that all of your hardware and Zen Studio install is good to go, and any other errors from this point on is definitely PEBKAC

If it still displays Error, then unfortunately the Zen has developed a fault and should be returned for a repair or replacement.

Hope this guide helped you out

~ Charlie/MaxADMIN