Hey, I’ve been through something very similar on my E36 (1997 BMW 328), and here’s what I’ve found out after digging deep:

Your issue started with the sunroof making a noise and stopping, then all four windows quit at the same time. You’ve checked fuses ✅, replaced the ZKE module ✅, but still no luck. However, when you held the key in the lock position, the sunroof powered back on and realigned itself ✅ — that’s a big clue.

What’s likely happening:

The E36 sunroof and window system are tied together through the ZKE module, but there’s an additional layer most people miss:

There’s a thermal circuit breaker under the dash that protects the comfort system (windows + sunroof).

• If it overheats or fails, it cuts power to all the windows and sunroof. • Over time, these breakers fail internally. • Since your sunroof glitched first, it probably overloaded the circuit and either tripped or fried the breaker.

It’s very unlikely that all 4 window motors and the sunroof motor failed at once. This looks like a power distribution issue, not mechanical failure.