Microsoft revealed on Tuesday that it is also investigating widespread reports of Zune issues on the recently released Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” operating system update.

A number of threads have surfaced at Microsoft’s own support forums and on XDA-developers complaining of random crashes whilst playing songs in the Zune music hub of Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango”. One thread has attracted 218 replies from frustrated Windows Phone users. The problem seems to affect HTC devices and results in devices hard locking up during Zune playback, forcing users to reset the device by removing the battery.

Microsoft revealed to WinRumors that it is aware of the issues and is investigating the reports. “Customer support is working with the individuals reporting changes to their experience,” confirmed a Microsoft spokesperson. “We are investigating these reports to determine the root cause of any issues users are having.” One poster at Microsoft’s support forums summarizes the issues:

• A majority of user’s reporting this problem have devices from HTC.
• Most of the HTC devices are HD7s
• Problem does not occur when phone is rolled back to NoDo
• Devices with and without DRM’d tracks have experienced the problem.
• Disabling the artist picture on the lock screen makes the problem appear to go away (temporarily) but problem returns after next reboot
• The problem is less likely to occur if the device is connected to a power source or the device’s screen is not locked
• The problem has occurred on both MP3 and WMA tracks
• The problem may be less likely to happen when bluetooth earphones or the phone’s speaker is being used instead of the headphones. This is still being tested.

The reports follow confirmation from Microsoft on Monday that it is investigating keyboard problems for some users on Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango”. A number of users have reported that the keyboard in Windows Phone disappears randomly on text entry across the operating system.

Thanks to WinRumors reader Mike Thompson for the news tip.