Gigabeat blank screen, blank HD. Fixable?

[joblo]

I have a gigabeat F20 and I had the half boot problem where it would load 1/2 way and freeze like that. The computer would not recognize it so I did the "surgery" where I opened it up and then I finally got it so the computer would recognize it. I tried to do everything, even formatted it and all that but when I would try to start it up again, same thing happened. I formated it 20 times more and now it won't even show anything on the screen. I know it's turned ON because I can hear the harddrive spinning and making noise. Now the HD is 100% clean with nothing on it. Please tell me what I need to copy on it (firmware etc???) to make it turn on.

PS. I don't have the original CD, but I downloaded it, with gigabeat room 3 and it has a GBSYSTEM thing on there, and I tried to copy it 50 times but it still won't work. If someone would be so kind to copy all their startup files (with all the hidden files and all) and upload them to a filehosting site it would be great.

Any help would be very very much appreciated. I don't want to throw this thing in the trash.

[Febs]

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[Phalangees]

The problem is that your hard drive has nothing on it. You need to get a copy of the firmware. It's the GBSYSTEM folder. If you have all the required files for it then you can boot into the original firmware. On one of the gigabeat wiki pages it will have a gbsystem.zip able for download at the bottom of the page. You need to get that on your gigabeat if you want rockbox. Then you need the bootloader and the .rockbox folder and you should be fine.

[joblo]

I can't find the right one anywhere. There's one here: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/GigabeatFXPort
But that one is 1.6KB in size. If anyone can zip up all the necessary files and send them over so I can get this thing working, that would help.

[Phalangees]

for rockbox, those are the necessary files. If you want to go back the original firmware then you need more but right now all you need are those files, the FWIMG01.DAT rockbox bootloader, and the .rockbox folder.

[joblo]

Ok cool, can you please download all those, zip them up and post them on a filehosting site and paste the link? I don't know how to set up the folders otherwise i'd do it myself. Thanks a ton.

[Phalangees]

No, but I'll give you step by step instructions.

First, go to this page and scroll all the way down: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/GigabeatFXPort  There is a GBSYSTEM.zip you need to download. After getting that download this file by doing right click -> save http://download.rockbox.org/bootloader/gigabeat/FWIMG01.DAT
Finally go here http://build.rockbox.org/ and click on the picture of the gigabeat and you've got everything you need.

Now you've got all the files necessary to run rockbox. First, unzip the GBSYSTEM.zip. You should see a folder called GBSYSTEM and a readme.txt. Copy the GBSYSTEM folder to your gigabeat. Next, take the file you downloaded second called FWIMG01.DAT and put it on your gigabeat under GBSYSTEM->FWIMG. Finally, unzip the rockbox.zip to your gigabeat and then you should be able to boot as long as you safely eject.

[joblo]

OK, now it turns on and everything, buttons turn blue and I hear the HD spinning, but the screen is black. Now the PC even recognizes it when I plug it in. I don't think I have the right images, because I read somewhere that in the GBSYSTEM folder there needs to be an Image folder but I don't have one.

Here's what I got from here ( http://www.cdrinfo.com/forum/printable.asp?m=93691&mpage=5 )
/
├ Gbsystem
│ ├ Fonts (font?
│ │ └ Fntja.dat
│ ├ Fwimg (background image? Book room?
│ │ ├ Fwimg01.dat
│ │ ├ Fwimg02.dat
│ │ └ Fwimg03.dat
│ ├ Image (jacket picture. File size fixing)
│ │ └ *.GBP
│ └ Music (those which tag information the to list are converted?
│ ├ Datadtl.dat
│ ├ Datalst.dat
│ └ Dnode.dat
│
├ gigabeat.conf (simply text file) for LAN
│
â”” MyMusice
├ For all .SAT files
t only appear when you are using the gigabeat room to transfer the music onto the unit.
If you are using the MS Media Player then you will not have these sub-folder created.

[GodEater]

I don't think I have the right images, because I read somewhere that in the GBSYSTEM folder there needs to be an Image folder but I don't have one.

The "Image" folder is the FWIMG folder which is shown in your listing. So yes, you do have it.

[joblo]

ok, so then why does it show a blank black screen when I try to turn it on? that's what I can't figure out.

[Phalangees]

The images aren't stored on the hd. They are in the actual bios of the gigabeat. Did you flip the battery switch off and back on?

[joblo]

Yeah, i tried the battery switch thing. I still see nothing on the screen. It used to show image while booting with the bar and everything, but after I formatted it, it stopped showing anything. I think if I hadn't formatted it, it would work now but I messed it up. I feel like crap now, I think I ruined it.


Here is a zip of everything that is on my gigabeat (inside "drive F")

http://www.datafilehost.com/download.php?file=8d139499

If there is anything wrong with the files there and you know how to fix it, please do. Just update all the crap, zip them up again and upload them. Thanks.

[Phalangees]

Looks perfectly fine. I'm not sure what is going on. Maybe your screen is broke or something like that. If the buttons are lighting up and everything, that means it's booting. It could be just the backlight. Get a bright light and turn on the gigabeat while shining the light on the screen to see if there is something on the screen you just can't see. After that, all I can think of is opening it back up, make sure the hard drive and everything is fully connected and that everything else looks like it's fully connected.

[joblo]

OH DUDE, IT IS THE BACKLIGHT!!!! YAY!
It's REALLY REALLY dark, I put a 40w light on it and could barely read. Ok, so can I do anything now? to fix the backlight? It might have messed it up when pluggin/unpluggin it.

EDIT: The fonts are also REALLY small. I don't know if that's normal, but oh well.

[Phalangees]

Well, with your first build, the default theme has really small fonts. I would just open it up and make sure all the wires look like they are connected.