MTP MODE ON ROCKBOX

[c_bone212]

I have rockbox on my sansa e250, i just wanted to know if someone could get me a step by step on how to find the settings in the rockbox program so i can switch from msc to mtp mode, without switching to the original firmware of the sansa

[saratoga]

There is no MTP mode in Rockbox.  On the Sansa, theres not even a USB mode, since the USB driver doesn't work correctly yet.

[karashata]

If you're using Rockbox, it should be in MSC mode and you shouldn't have to change it. If you want to change it to MTP (for whatever reason,) you'll need to do so through the OF. Regardless, as saratoga said, there is no MTP mode in Rockbox (on any target) and no USB mode at all on the Sansas (or the other PortalPlayer-based targets, that I'm aware of.)

[piscator]

I 'Rockboxed' two Sansa 280e's as Christmas presents that I got from Froobi.com. 

Windows did not recognize either of the refurbished Sansas until I switched to MSC mode in the Sansa original firmware.  Frankly, I don't even know what 'MTP' or 'MSC' means -- but I wasn't able to copy the Rockbox files to the player until switching to MSC mode. 

I found a reference to this at the Microsoft 'help' website under something like -- 'can't find external drive' and deduced my way back to the setting on the Sansa player.

Just thought I'd post this for anyone searching for Sansa install info.

piscator

[Llorean]

Doesn't the Rockbox manual say to switch to MSC mode?

[piscator]

Llorean,

It does indeed and since I use the manual as a 'checklist' during installs, I don't know how I missed the USB warning under "prerequisites".

On the other hand, when my new Sansas weren't recognized in Windows, I didn't think of it as a 'Rockbox' problem.  That's why I searched the Sansa and Microsoft sites.  It would be nice if Froobi.com posted a USB warning, since Windows won't recognize their Sansa e280's in MTP mode, no matter what firmware the customer uses.

But you're right, according to the Rockbox manual:

Warning: The following steps require you to change the setting in Settings →  USB Mode to MSC from within the original firmware. Never extract files to your player while it is in recovery mode.

You guys think of everything! 

Congratulations on RB 3.1 and Happy New Year!

piscator

[saratoga]

On the other hand, when my new Sansas weren't recognized in Windows, I didn't think of it as a 'Rockbox' problem.  That's why I searched the Sansa and Microsoft sites.  It would be nice if Froobi.com posted a USB warning, since Windows won't recognize their Sansa e280's in MTP mode, no matter what firmware the customer uses.

MTP works fine in Windows.  You just can't install rockbox in that mode.

[piscator]

Saratoga,

Well I'm confused.  Using two computers, one Windows XP and one Win2000,  I was unable to recognize my Sansas in MTP mode. 

In 'MSC' mode my Windows computers 'see' the Sansa as two drives and names it, in my case, both F:/ and G:/   There's an explanation of this at the Microsoft help site.

 In 'MTP' mode the Sansa is not recognized at all - not in Windows Explorer or 'My Computer'.

Maybe I did something wrong, but that's my experience with it.

Piscator

[evilnick]

As far as I know, when the device(s) are in MTP mode then they'll show up in Windows Media Player, but not in Explorer.
Hence why it is impossible to install Rockbox when in MTP mode.

[AlexP]

They do show up in explorer, but under "other devices" or something like that, rather than as a drive letter.

Rockbox cannot be installed in MTP mode due to how the filesystem is (or rather isn't) exposed under MTP.

[saratoga]

Maybe I did something wrong, but that's my experience with it.

If you can't get the Windows protocol for syncing devices on Windows to work on Windows, its probably because you're doing something wrong rather then that MS doesn't support their own protocol. 

Update Windows, WMP, etc and if it still doesn't work contact MS for support.

[scribe2001]

is there a way to switch back and forth between mpt and msc modes in rockbox?

[karashata]

No, that setting only exists in the original firmware.

As far as I know, there still currently isn't a working USB mode in Rockbox (though work is being done on it), and once the USB mode is working, it will only be UMS (or MSC, either way it will treat the device as a hard drive.)

[GodEater]

To be clear, there is a *mostly* working USB mode in Rockbox - it's just not enabled in the builds you can download from rockbox.org since for the few cases where it doesn't work, it doesn't work so badly it'll likely hose the contents of your entire DAP.

I personally have used it in preference to the OF's USB mode on my ipod and Gigabeat S for ages (in fact, it's really the only option for the Gigabeat S, since the OF has no UMS mode at all) and it's worked completely fine.

The theory of it remaining disabled in the main rockbox.org downloads is that if you don't have the smarts knowledge to make a build with it in yourself, you probably don't have the smarts knowledge to deal with it if it goes wrong.

SOAP EDIT:  Overly sensitive language change. 

[AlexP]

The big problem is on the Sansas, where there is a bug in the SD driver that is exposed when using USB, that can lead to corruption of your disk.  The remaining problems with USB itself is issues with resets (usually when behind hubs).  The gigabeat S doesn't suffer from these problems.