Replacing Hard drives in the Gigabeats?

[polygonal]

I looked at the wiki page and digged up some old threads but still have questions. I want to get either a Gigabeat F or X off ebay, but I need to make sure that I can upgrade the hard drive. So the question:

1) Is it possible to use adapters for the connectors? I don't if I'm too ambitious, but it is possible to somehow adapt the new 160GB 1.8" drives (my understanding is that they use a different connector) to either the 50-pin ATA connector of the F or the zif 40 of the X?

2) If not, can someone comment on the chance of me both finding a X model and a 120GB Zif drive (both which I cannot find for a while...)?

3) Do I miss other possibility for large capacity (i.e. >120GB), rockboxable DAP?

4) A rather unrelated question: Does rockbox run smoothly on either the F or the X series?

Thanks, and sorry if the post is in the wrong place.

[psycho_maniac]

1) Not that I know of
2) I cannot answer that one
3) I cannot answer that one
4) Rockbox runs very smooth on the Gigabeat F. I love it

[nls]

3) the old archos models take regular 2.5" laptop drives which go up to at least 160 GB (using the space above 137GB is a little tricky but possible)

[polygonal]

Sorry for bumping up an old thread, but for the sake of completeness for whoever happens to stumble on this topic...

I like nls's suggestion for the archos, but that option is out for me since (as I understand it) the archos can only play mp3 due to hardware limitation, and also I personally am not too fond of small screens.

The 50-pin devices are out, too, since to get a large hard drive a zif-ide adaptor is probably needed but it probably will not play nice with the limited space in the gigabeat f's, and I don't want to carry a heavily bandaged DAP around.

Gigabeat X is really, really hard to find - and expensive, too.

I end up with an ipod video - for all its inadequacy, an video ipod is so much easier to find than any other rockboxable DAPs. So I brought a 30GB ipod video, a 60GB backplate, and a 120GB hard drive (Samsung hs122jc) - all for the price of less than the current 80GB ipod classic. Threw the parts together, and the ipod seems to work out great - not rockboxed yet since I'll still waiting for some smaller stuff before I "seal" the modded ipod, but itunes willingly "restores" the OF into the new hard drive - and I have a 120GB (or 111GB after formatting...) rockboxable DAP!

EDIT: p.s. someone who can edit the wiki (I'm too lazy to get an account) can remove the "(?)" for Samsung HS122JC - it is indeed a zif 40 drive - sorry if that disappoints somebody