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Subject: Re: Problem putting iPod into disc mode for RB install

Re: Problem putting iPod into disc mode for RB install

From: Mark <discardedswimwear_at_googlemail.com>
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 23:34:48 +0100

Jacob,

Guess what, Father Christmas is alive and well and working at the Apple
store in London!
The short version is that I took the 5G iPod that I could not get into disk
mode along to the Apple store, and a guy there was able to connect it to
(presumably)a Mac. He could connect to the device; he could restore it; and
I now own a 5G Mac-formatted iPod!
(I was very relieved to get a professional response to the fact that my iPod
also has a cracked screen - he didn't just hand it back to me offering no
help, he just tried to do whatever he could)

He did say something that they often say there "The best accessory you can
get for your iPod is a Mac"
He was obviously only half joking, because hooking up this "dead" iPod to a
Mac fixed the problem.

And at this point I could use some more advice from the list.
I now have a Mac-formatted iPod 60GB, which I want to install Rockbox onto.
What do I need to do next? Do I need to convert it to a Windows-FAT32 iPod
using the "Apple Software Updater"? Or can I simply format it from Windows
when my PC sees it? In other words, do I need to convert it to a
Windows -iPod first or could I just format it directly?
Can/should I install the Rockbox bootloader before I do any of this
formatting?

Thanks,

Mark

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jacob Rau" <jacob.rau_at_gmail.com>
To: "Rockbox" <rockbox_at_cool.haxx.se>
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 12:17 AM
Subject: Re: Problem putting iPod into disc mode for RB install


>I wish there was a way to tell if it was showing the "sick iPod" symbol on
>screen but you said it's broken...there's obviously no way to tell...
>
> Apple support is probably not going to help at all. I think you're
> probably sh** out of luck.
>
> Sorry
> Jake
>
> Mark wrote:
>> Hi Jacob,
>>
>> "Jacob Rau" <jacob.rau_at_gmail.com> wrote
>>> I don't know hardly anything about XPlay, but from the page I found it
>>> looks like if Xplay tried to install itself, it might have formatted it
>>> for the Mac (an HFS+ filesystem that Windows doesn't know how to read)
>>> or it might have corrupted the firmware. My guess is that the file
>>> system is corrupt or isn't FAT32.
>>
>> My thought is that it looks like the firmware might be corrupt, since my
>> understanding is that the iPod needs to get itself into some sort of very
>> primitive state (i.e. disk mode) before it presents itself to another PC
>> as a "external drive" (which it isn't really since the iPod is a "PC" in
>> itself)
>>
>>> As for what to do with it...Windows should've mounted it as a drive even
>>> if the file system was corrupt and you'd be able to format it.
>>
>> Yes, I thought that was what should have happened, and the fact that it
>> didn't is what makes me think that the problem is not with the drive, but
>> in the flash bios inside the iPod simply not being able to get the iPod
>> into any sort of disk mode state where it could then be seen by another
>> PC.
>>
>>> Did you have it in disk mode when Windows detected it and Xplay tried to
>>> install itself?
>>
>> Yes, I'm assuming that was the case, since I connected it to the PC and
>> it showed up in "My Computer", for a while at least.
>>
>>> Maybe windows isn't mounting it to a drive because of the file system.
>>
>> My fairly uninformed view on that is that it shouldn't be the file format
>> that causes Windows to not see it. When it was previously detected the
>> drive format showed as "Raw" under the drive proprties. That might be
>> what Windows says when it sees a Mac-HFS file system iPod, I'm not sure,
>> but at least it saw something.
>>
>>> Also, do you use iTunes?
>>
>> No
>>
>>> Another problem may occur if you are using network drives. In this case,
>>> the iPod's letter might be taken up by a network drive and you will need
>>> to use the instructions at
>>> http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93499 to change the
>>> iPod's drive letter to stop conflicting with the network mapping.
>>
>> I'm pretty certain that's not the problem, because Windows does
>> dynamically allocate drive letters OK. I've got an external USB drive
>> assigned to drive M, and others after that, but this iPod (and other
>> iPods) are usually allocated to drive H, which is the first free drive
>> letter.
>>
>>> If you need anything at all, feel free to mail the list, or me. I think
>>> a Rockbox install issue is a Rockbox issue and definitely belongs on
>>> this mailing list.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> I have this sneaking feeling that the bios might have been corrupted
>> during the XPlay installation, which means that there's no way for me to
>> get the iPod to boot itself into a state where it can then be seen by the
>> PC. And so if it can't be seen, then there's no way to restore or format
>> the iPod, since the PC cannot see it. That's the worst case scenario,
>> but I'm not giving up on it just yet. All I need is a way to get it into
>> disk mode! My last hope might be that the local Apple store have a magic
>> box for re-flashing the bios. Any thoughts anyone?
>>
>> Mark
>>
>>>
>>> >
>>> Mark wrote:
>>>> hello,
>>>>
>>>> Firstly, I realise that my problem is not directly a Rockbox issue,
>>>> more related to trying to get an iPod in a state where I can install
>>>> Rockbox, but I'm hoping that there's someone who can help. Apologies
>>>> for wandering off the RB theme, and if you think it's better please
>>>> reply off-list.
>>>>
>>>> OK, I'm trying to install Rockbox on a 60GB iPod 5G.
>>>> The problem is that when I plug it into my PC, it is not detected.
>>>> I have spent hours trying to get it into iPod "disk mode" so that it'd
>>>> be seen by the PC, to no avail.
>>>> I know it was working because I had earlier today plugged it in and it
>>>> had been detected by the PC, and also then by XPlay which then proceded
>>>> to try to install itself on the iPod.
>>>> subsequent disconnection and reconnection of the iPod now mean that it
>>>> is no longer being detected by my PC.
>>>> (One slight minor complication is that I'm blind... but that's not too
>>>> relevant since the iPod screen is broken anyway. The rest of it was
>>>> working fine though)
>>>> Once it is in disk mode, I'll be fine doing the rest of the
>>>> installation.
>>>>
>>>> I suspect that the probable solution will be to take it along to an
>>>> Apple store, but I'm not sure exactly how helpful they'll be when they
>>>> see this 5G iPod with a broken screen that won't even get to disk mode.
>>>> I will give them a try, but if there is anyone on the list who has
>>>> experience of trying to get a stubborn iPod into disk mode, and who can
>>>> help then that'd be great.
>>>>
>>>> Many thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Mark
>>>> London
>>>> England
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
Received on 2006-09-09

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