Installation / Removal > Sandisk - Installation/Removal
E200R Automatic Bootloader and Rockbox Installer
linuxstb:
I'll try and summarise what's going on:
1) On the E200, there is a hidden firmware partition (accessible from a computer via USB when the E200 is in MSC mode) containing both the Sansa bootloader (the BL_...rom file) and the original Sansa firmware (the PP5022.mi4 file).
The existing sansapatcher works by modifying the contents of this partition to replace the Sansa PP5022.mi4 file with the Rockbox bootloader. It also moves the original Sansa PP5022.mi4 file to an otherwise unused part of the firmware partition. This Rockbox bootloader then loads either Rockbox or the copy of the original Sansa PP5022.mi4.
This process (replacing the Sansa PP5022.mi4 with the Rockbox bootloader PP5022.mi4) can also be done via the standard Sansa firmware upgrade procedure - copying the PP5022.mi4 player to the root (I think) of the FAT32 partition and rebooting. But in this case the original Sansa PP5022.mi4 is no longer in the firmware partition, requiring the user to create the "OF.mi4" or "OF.bin" file which the Rockbox bootloader also looks for.
2) On the E200R, this second partition isn't exported via MSC - only the main FAT32 partition is accessible. So a different approach to sansapatcher is needed to install Rockbox.
A further complication is that we can't create a Rockbox bootloader PP5022.mi4 file which will be accepted as valid by the Sansa bootloader as a firmware upgrade - unlike the E200, the digital signature can't be skipped.
The current e200tool process is used to replace the Sansa bootloader stored in the (very) hidden firmware partition with a version that has been patched to skip the digital signature check. We can then install a Rockbox bootloader PP5022.mi4
e200tool works by uploading and running a small application to the E200(R) when its in manufacturing mode. This small application then communicates via USB to e200tool and can be instructed to do various things, such as uploading a Sansa bootloader (BL_*) file and executing that file.
The install tool that's in development (you can find the source code in the rbutil/e200rpatcher directory in the Rockbox SVN) works by uploading a different application to the E200 in manufacturing mode - one that performs a binary patch of the Sansa bootloader in the firmware partition, instead of the e200tool communication app.
This is where we are today - this e200rpatcher tool was working on Linux, but now appears to have been broken (it's being investigated). Hopefully once it's working on Linux again, it will work on Windows, thanks to zajacattack's work.
The plan is for this e200rpatcher tool to also perform the sansapatcher steps - i.e. actually install the Rockbox bootloader in the firmware partition, moving the original firmware to an unused place. This will then make e200rpatcher almost as easy as sansapatcher - the differences being the need to install libusb, and the need to put the E200R in manufacturing mode instead of MSC mode.
stevetuc:
--- Quote from: linuxstb on September 16, 2007, 05:04:21 AM ---..........
The plan is for this e200rpatcher tool to also perform the sansapatcher steps - i.e. actually install the Rockbox bootloader in the firmware partition, moving the original firmware to an unused place. Â This will then make e200rpatcher almost as easy as sansapatcher - the differences being the need to install libusb, and the need to put the E200R in manufacturing mode instead of MSC mode.
--- End quote ---
It would be useful if the sansapatcher step could be invoked separately, so that E200 users who have installed (decrypted & null encrypted) E200R firmware can make use of the sansapatcher facility of installing the Rockbox bootloader and moving the firmware to unused place, instead of having to use OF.bin
zajacattack:
OK, I think I see what's going on. Once, e200rpatcher is fixed, it can be again ported to Windows. Then, by installing the 1st driver I uploaded (the 2nd is only necessary for e200tool), everything can be done, and there is no need to go to recovery mode and uninstall the driver, making this fairly simple, right?
EDIT: Just in case you didn't see, I uploaded the wrong drivers last time. If you go to my previous post, you will see the new, correct (I tested them with e200tool) driver inf files.
zajacattack:
Sorry for double-posting, but, I have a question. When you guys upload the next version of e200rpatcher that works and needs to be tested for Windows, would it be best if I turned my e200R back into an official e200R (non-patched BL, Rhapsody firmware, etc.) before testing e200rpatcher?
AlexP:
--- Quote from: zajacattack on September 17, 2007, 10:41:49 PM ---Sorry for double-posting
--- End quote ---
Please use the modifiy button next time.
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