Why go Rockbox?

[Savage]

Hello
I just bought a Toshiba F40GB player tonight and hope to have it this week.  I know nothing about mp3 players so I'm trying to read up on them.
Came across the name Rockbox and here I am.
Should I just use the stock Toshiba software or should I change it to Rockbox?
What are the pros/cons of each system?

I think I'll mostly just use it to listen to music that I've DL that is on my pc.
Would I still be able to put my old CD's directly onto my F40?  (see I know nothing about mp3 players)

This isn't Rockbox specific but can I listen to my player in our SUV?  How?
How do I plug it into my home (and garage) receiver to listen through my home stereo system?    Thanks guys!   Man I'm getting old!

[JdGordon]

there is a link on the frontpage "Why should you run Rockbox? Click here to find out"

[tdtooke]

You have pretty much been answered, but from what I can tell about Gigabeats it should be a criminal offense to have one and not rockbox it.  Then it becomes "The Cadillac" of DAPs.

[Savage]

DAP's =

(I'm really not this stupid, just learning new stuff here)

[Llorean]

Digital Audio Players

[Savage]

   lol

Read it, Thank you!
So what if I install RB and it doesn't go thru correctly?  I've read "bricked" - does this mean your DAP becomes a paperweight?  If so, can it be undone?  And then tried again?

(hang with me, you'll get this newb up to speed)

[Llorean]

Nobody has yet actually bricked their player while installing Rockbox.

Many time people have NOT followed the instructions, and created a player that won't play music. This has always been recoverable (at least in every instance reported to us, and only a few specific players, namely the H100 and H300 are even really permanently damageable) but unfortunately the recovery process is often a little more complicated than the install process, so there has been a case where people have been too confused to fix their own player

That being said, the install instructions are in the manual, so you can read them in advance, and ask questions if something is confusing before you try it, and you should be fine.

[Savage]

What are these "instructions" you speak of?  Lol, j/k.
Last question for now, can I install and use RB while still allowing the stock Toshiba software to hang out in the background (basicly doing nothing until I see if I like RB).  And then delete it later on, if I like RB?
TY again

[Llorean]

What you can do is back it up during the install process, so it can be quickly and easily restored if you don't like Rockbox.

[Savage]

Rockbox is sounding good.  Are there any negatives to it?  Is it easy to DL music from my pc to my F40?  Is RB generally easier to run than the Tosh software?  
I suppose the manual will tell me how to load all the music from my pc to f40 in 1 shot, ie won't have to load 1 song at a time.

[LambdaCalculus]

It's very easy to copy music to your Gigabeat. You can drag and drop it, use a program like Winamp to sync your music... it's your choice!

Rockbox takes getting a little used to, but once you get a feel for it, it becomes second nature. I've been using it for nearly a year now, and I simply can't imagine not having it on my iPod.

Trust us all when we say this: Your Gigabeat will thank you later.

[GodEater]

Once you're running Rockbox on your F, you just copy your music to it as you would copy files around on your PC - it just becomes an external harddrive - no need to use Windows Media Player at all.

[Savage]

Once you're running Rockbox on your F, you just copy your music to it as you would copy files around on your PC - it just becomes an external harddrive - no need to use Windows Media Player at all.

Ah that makes total sense.

[Savage]

Is there somewhere I can go to read up on my newb questions?  I don't want to annoy you guys with all my "silly" questions.  Some are RB, but most are just basic mp3 questions.  "Everyone" has one, I just haven't ever been around one.  

Llorean can you elaborate on "back it up during the install"?  Maybe it will make more sense when my F40 gets here in a couple days.

I learn easier by seeing things done, and there's no one here that can show me so I'm a little slower trying to figure out what you guys mean.  As you know, it's easy to misinterpret things online.

Thank you!!

[psycho_maniac]

Have you read the manual? I would suggest you read that for you specific player and then for your other questions use the main words to search the wiki.