QuickStart

Getting Started with Rockbox in a few simple steps

This text is intended to enable you to get up and running with Rockbox quickly. If there is something here that is not easy to understand, please download the Rockbox Manual, or refer to the online version of the Rockbox Manual.

Downloading Rockbox

First, find out what type of music player you own. This should be printed on the front of the jukebox. If you are uncertain, the comparison chart may be of help in working out what model you have.

There are a number of versions of Rockbox depending on what player you own.

Model Name	Version Name
Archos Jukebox 5000	player
Archos Jukebox 6000	player
Archos Jukebox Studio 10	player
Archos Jukebox Studio 20	player
Archos Jukebox Recorder 6	recorder
Archos Jukebox Recorder 10	recorder
Archos Jukebox Recorder 15	recorder
Archos Jukebox Recorder 20	recorder
Archos Jukebox Recorder V2	recorderv2
Archos Jukebox Recorder FM	fmrecorder
Archos Ondio 128	ondiofm
Archos Ondio 128 FM	ondiofm
Archos Ondio 128 SP	ondiosp
iriver H110 / H115	h100
iriver H120 / H140	h120
iriver H320 / H340	h300

Download the current release of Rockbox from http://www.rockbox.org/download/ or latest current build of Rockbox from http://build.rockbox.org/. Follow the link that corresponds to the version name above for your model. If you are downloading Rockbox for the first time you will also need to download the fonts package available from http://download.rockbox.org/daily/fonts/rockbox-fonts.zip.

Installing Rockbox

If you have an iriver player and this is the first time you install Rockbox, you need to install the bootloader before you install Rockbox. The Installation Instructions page tells you how to do this.

Connect your unit to the computer via USB as described in the manual that came with your jukebox. On Windows, the music player will appear as a drive letter in your "My Computer" folder. Take the file that you downloaded above, and unpack its contents to your music player drive. You can do this using a program such as InfoZip or WinZip.

You will need to unpack all of the files in the archive onto your music player's hard disk. If this has been done correctly, you will have a file called archos.mod (for the Archos player), ajbrec.ajz (for all other Archos models) or rockbox.iriver (for irivers) in the main folder of your drive, and also a folder called .rockbox, which contains a number of system files used by the Rockbox software.

Enabling Speech Support

If you wish to use speech support you will also need a language file, available from VoiceFiles. For the English language, the file is called english.voice. When it has been downloaded, unpack this file and copy it into the lang folder which is inside the .rockbox folder on your Jukebox. Voice menus are turned on by default - more options are available from the Settings Menu in General Settings -> Voice.

Running Rockbox

Remove your jukebox from the computer's USB port. Unplug any connected power supply and turn the unit off.

Archos

When you next turn the unit on, the Archos firmware will start to load, and then it will load Rockbox for you. When you see the Rockbox splash screen, Rockbox is loaded and ready for use.

iriver

Before you can actually run Rockbox, you'll need to install a 'patched' version of the irver firmware that includes the bootloader.

Instructions for doing that can be found here. If you wait until you've extracted the Rockbox package to the iriver's hard drive before actually flashing the patched firmware, the Rockbox bootloader will start and load Rockbox when you next turn the unit on. To start the iriver firmware, hold REC and press PLAY (H1xx series) or hold REC and press and hold PLAY (H3xx series). Pressing PLAY on the remote will also start the original iriver firmware for you. When you see the Rockbox splash screen, Rockbox is loaded and ready for use.

An additional note: Installing and flashing the patched version of the original iriver firmware needs to be done only once. You can update Rockbox any time after that simply by extracting an updated Rockbox package to the iRiver's hard drive. You'll only need to re-flash if the boot loader itself is updated, or you want a newer version of the iriver firmware available (like you'll ever see that).

http://www.misticriver.net/showthread.php?t=34725 Rockbox H300 Optimized: If you're using the iriver H300 players, be sure to test the daily updated version of Rockbox optimized for the iriver H300 series players.

Using Rockbox

These instructions will allow you to start using Rockbox and experiment with its features. For more complete instructions, please see the Rockbox Manual. (Or, see the online version of the Rockbox Manual.)

Archos Player Models

Use the + and - keys to move through the list of files, the play key to enter a folder or play a music file, and the stop key to stop playing or go back to the previous folder. Press the menu key to enter or leave the Settings menu. Navigate through the Settings menu using the + and - keys to cycle through the list, the play key to select an option or submenu and the stop key to return to the previous menu.

Archos Ondio Models

The right key starts a track, a short press of the the on/off key pauses/resumes playback, a longer press stops it. Don't press too long, since a 2-second press will turn the unit off. The arrow keys navigate through the file structure on the disk or menus. Up and down scroll through the menu or file options, right enters a folder or submenu, and left goes back to the previous folder or menu. To enter the settings menu, hold the mode key a bit.

Archos Recorder Models

The play key starts a track, and the off key stops playback. The arrow keys navigate through the file structure on the disk or menus. Up and down scroll through the menu or file options, right enters a folder or submenu, and left goes back to the previous folder or menu. To enter or leave the settings menu, press the F1 key, which is the rectangular key on the left just below the screen.

iriver Models

BUTTON	SHORT PRESS	LONG PRESS
ON/PLAY	If jukebox is off, turns it on. If music is playing, toggles the play/pause modes.
OFF/STOP	Stops music playback. In some screens of Rockbox menus, cancels the current action and returns to the parent menu or submenu.	Turns jukebox off.
Joystick press (H1xx series) or NAVI button (H3xx series)	From the While-Playing Screen (WPS), enters the file browser. Within a menu or the file browser, selects or plays the highlighted item.	Enters the File Menu
UP, DOWN	In a menu or in the file browser, moves up or down a single line. In the WPS, adjusts volume by 1 db.	In a menu or in the file browser, scrolls up or down. In the WPS, adjusts volume.
RIGHT	In a menu or in the file browser, selects the highlighted item or plays the highlighted song. In the WPS, moves to the next track.	In the WPS, scans forward through the current track.
LEFT	In a menu or in the file browser, returns to the parent menu or parent folder. In the WPS, moves to the beginning of the current track. If pressed twice in quick succession, moves to the previous track	In the WPS, scans backwards through the current track.
ON+RIGHT/LEFT	In a menu or in the file browser, Horizontaly scrolls all the items in the screen to the right or to the left. It is helpful for reading long lines without waiting them to automatically scroll.
RECORD	Presently unused.	Presently unused.
A-B	Enters the Main Menu.	Enters the Quick Menu.

FM radio button assignments:

BUTTON	SHORT PRESS	LONG PRESS
ON/PLAY	Mutes radio playback.	Switches between SCAN and PRESET mode.
OFF/STOP	Stops radio and returns to the main menu.	Shuts down the jukebox.
UP, DOWN	Change volume.	Change volume.
LEFT, RIGHT	Change frequency in 0.1 MHz steps.	Seeks to the next station or preset.
Joystick press (H1xx series) or NAVI (H3xx series)	Opens a list of radio presets. You can view all the presets that you have, and switch to the station.	Displays the FM radio settings menu. Options include add preset, force mono, sound settings, and Auto Scan Presets
A-B	Keeps radio playing and returns to the main menu. You can then press OFF/STOP to browse the file tree while listening to the radio	No effect.

Uninstalling Rockbox

Archos

If you would like to go back to using the original Archos software, then connect the Jukebox up to your computer, and delete the archos.mod (players) or ajbrec.ajz (other models) file from the main folder of the Jukebox. If you wish to clean up your disk, you may also wish to delete the .rockbox folder and its contents. Turn the jukebox off and on and the normal Archos software will load.

iriver

To completely remove Rockbox from your iRiver:

• download a firmware hex file from iriver
• flash that new file
• remove the rockbox.iriver file and the .rockbox folder and its contents.

However, for the H1xx series, keeping the Rockbox bootloader (skipping the first two steps) is a very good idea. With no ill effects (it boots straight to iriver firmware) you get the possibility to rescue a broken filesystem/harddrive that would render your player unbootable without it.

You should only remove the bootloader if you're returning the player for warranty repair.

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CategoryFAQ: Rockbox QuickStart Guide