Rockbox Technical Forums
Installation / Removal => Manual Installation => Apple - Installation/Removal => Topic started by: ryran on January 08, 2007, 01:04:55 PM
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Long story short:
When I updated the bootloader on my ipod, something funky happened and I can no longer boot into AppleOS. I know I could download itunes or an older updater and restore my ipod and then redo everything, but I thought I'd see if I could avoid transferring all of my 50gigs off and back (using emergency disk mode, no less, oh yay).
Anyone?
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Download the .ipsw file for your ipod from this page (it just provides links to the official Apple download site used by itunes 7):
http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/
The .ipsw file is a zip file - unzip it, and you will have a Firmware-XXXX file. This is the image of your firmware partition.
Credit for the page goes to fxb from the ipodlinux project.
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Dave, you rock.
I spent some time looking around on ipl's site, trying to figure out what to do with that file... but no luck so far. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
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Here's what I just did, and it worked.
- Extract the Firmware-XXXX file.
- Rename it to bootloader.bin
- Remove the Rockbox bootloader: ipodpatcher N -d
- Write the original firmware back to the ipod: ipodpatcher N -w bootloader.bin
- Install the RB bootloader normally: ipodpatcher N -a bootloader-ipodvideo.ipod
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Can I ask why you felt you should remove the bootloader with ipodpatcher before you wrote the boot paritition back ?
I'm not sure I see the point of that bit ???
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As soon as I read that Febs, I had to run.. but I composed my response in my head:
Febs: That was way above and beyond dude. You could've just given a guess and let me check it out, but you actually did it yourself just to find out, and then answered. Thank you! :D
Unfortunately, I deviated a bit from your instructions. After I loaded the Apple firmware, I thought I'd be smart (stupid) and unplug it and have a look, just to see if it booted up normally. *shrugs* Mmm.
Well. It didn't. It presented me with an icon I'd never seen before, telling me to plug it into a wall socket. That should've been my first hint to turn back. If I had been thinking quite logically, I would've figured HEY, anytime a device like this requires wall power, it's probably because it's about to do something highly dangerous that must not be interrupted. ...... So yeah, I probably would've thought that if I had been really thinking.
Instead, I decided to plug it in, and my ipod proceeded to go to a black screen with a progress bar, thus scaring the shit out of me. (Stupid part: my ipod is not fully backed up on my computer.) I panicked, thinking it might be formatting itself, though I doubt an ipod even has that capability.. bleh. Anyway, I panicked and held down menu + select as fast as I could and it shut off.
Yes, shut off.
Now, no matter what I do, I cannot get it to turn on. No combination of keys + plugging in to walls or computers produces any response. Oh yes. I'm good.
Hope you enjoyed story-time today kids, 'cause this just might be my last one ever.
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That screen is the standard firmware upgrade screen - it means that the Apple software is updating the contents of the flash.
As you probably now realise, the ONE thing that you must not do during a flash update is force a reset with MENU+SELECT.
I fear your only option is to return it to Apple.
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My heart is crying... on the inside. *sigh*
Where does one's head go in situations like this? Like I haven't dealt with so many devices/computers flashing bioses 'n whatnot.... Blah. Kills me.
In any case, thanks for all the help Dave. That's not sarcasm; I really appreciate all that you hardcore guys do. Much love.
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You might want to just leave it plugged in for a while anyway. I've never seen a explicit apple warning about a progress bar, and how you should not do X or Y while it's displayed. It may be possible that your battery has just died at a time that makes it *seem* very serious.
I know that there was a point where nothing I pressed seem to cause my Nano to react, despite me being sure the battery was over 50% full minutes before (and this was after changes to the bootpartition), but leaving it plugged into a computer for an hour, then toggling hold on and off, then holding menu+select for about 30 seconds brought it back up again.
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30 seconds? Whoa. Okay.. Rockbox read 97% right before I started this whole fiasco, but it's worth a try I guess. :D Thanks Paul.
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Download the .ipsw file for your ipod from this page (it just provides links to the official Apple download site used by itunes 7):
http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/
The .ipsw file is a zip file - unzip it, and you will have a Firmware-XXXX file. Â This is the image of your firmware partition.
Credit for the page goes to fxb from the ipodlinux project.
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I downloaded and unzipped the file, but the size is too much smaller than the original bootpartition.bin.
iPod video 60gb: Original bootpartition.bin = 109 MB
Firmware downloaded = 13 MB
Is this right?
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Yes, that's right - your firmware partition is mostly empty.
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Thank you, linuxstb.
Just one more question.
Renaming the downloaded file as bootloader then using ipodptacher N -w bootloader.bin, has the same result as using the original bootpartition.bin with ipodpatcher N -w bootpartition.bin ?
Both methods preserve all music on iPod?
♪
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Yes.
One word of warning - your ipod may choose to update the content of its flash after you write the new firmware image. If your ipod does this, connect to a charger (as it instructs) and let it finish. Interrupting that flashing process (which also happens when you upgrade the firmware with itunes) will almost certainly brick your ipod.
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Yes. Almost certainly.
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News.
I made an appointment and took my bricked ipod into a store. Thankfully, it was still under warranty (even though I bought it used) and they just replaced it with a (gasp) new one. For the record, though the guy that helped me was obviously very knowledgeable about many things, he said that "a firmware upgrade has never bricked an ipod." I repeated again that I had actually done a HARD-RESET during the fw upgrade, but he just dismissed me.
I don't think he got it.
S'all good though. ;D
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Result ;)