Problems with recent Rockbox version on iRiver H120

[zebee]

Hi! I recently updated the rockbox software on my iRiver H120 to version 3.1 as well as the current build (2009-01-09) and I'm having weird problems. I searched the net and browsed the bug tracker but i didn't find anything recent that relates to this problem.

What happens is:
- When Rockbock starts I get the error message "filetype array full"
- When I try to play an MP3 file (that used to work and still does with the original firmware) the display shows garbage (not really garbage but all kinds of possible combinations of icons all at once distributed over the screen) + an error message "codec failure" and it looks like rockbox scans through all files very quickly not making any sound. But it partially does display the ID3 tags, bitrate, etc.

I already tried a "clean install" (deleted .rockbox directory and unpacked the downloaded ZIP again). I managed to get it to work twice but it stopped working again after shutdown. I can't reproduce it anymore.

I also tried deleting the nvram file. But this also didn't work.

I don't think this is a hardware issue because I don't have any problems with the original firmware (unless you count lack of features)

Has anyone else the same problems? Is this behaviour a known bug? Unfortunately I don't have the old Rockbox version anymore that worked before. What should I do?

Cheers!
Z


Amendment:
I just saw that the new ZIPs have the file "rockbox.iriver" in the .rockbix directory for some reason and I guess my old boot-loader loads the old version that is in the root directory because when I copied "rockbox.iriver" to the root directory -- replacing the old file It worked!

Sorry, for the trouble. Still, is the new ZIP file structure intentional? Do I have to update my boot-loader?

[MarcGuay]

Do I have to update my boot-loader?

That's what I would do.

[JoeMuc2009]

Hi folks,

I seem to have similar problems with my IHP-120 which I have modified to use a 32 GB CompactFlash card instead of the hard drive. This forced me to use the bootloader 7-pre4 which worked like a charm for some time now (except the boot-time USB mode caused a crash after disconnecting).
Whenever I try to upgrade to a new RockBox version, it will display the same (old) version on startup: r18607-3.0-080923! I think I'd need to flash the firmware again, but this is still possible only in the original iRiver firmware. Unfortunately, the 7-pre4 bootloader overrides the REC key usage as well as any other keys, so holding REC while starting up the player won't boot the iRiver firmware anymore. How can I flash a new firmware now? I couldn't get on even by inserting the HDD again...  :'(

I suspect that there is a compatibility issue between newer RockBox versions and the 7-pre4 boot loader if a CF card is in use. I cannot prove this as older daily builds are no longer available anywhere and I didn't store them. I don't have the proper environment to compile my own version out of the source code archives
It seems as if my player is bricked now as the iRiver original firmware is unavailable and the RockBox firmware fails to play whatever I do. :'(
My question is: is there a follow-up version of the 7-pre4 bootloader that might fix this (especially re-enable the REC key functionality on startup)? Will RockBox provide its own flash tool one day? I cannot find a page dedicated to the bootloader(s) anywhere, so I need to ask this probably stupid question here.

Thank you very much!

@zebee: the message "filetype array full" or "dir buffer full" probably results from the default settings that RockBox uses when you perform a clean install. These settings might help you:

Settings -> General Settings -> System -> Limits -> Max Entries in File Browser
Settings -> General Settings -> System -> Limits -> Max Playlist Size

Greets,
Joe

[AlexP]

If you just installed Rockbox normally, then you have not flashed it and can update by copying a new build to the drive (or card in your case).

If you have flashed it (which is possible using the v7pre4 bootloader), then you can flash a new version from within Rockbox. See http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/IriverFlashing

[JoeMuc2009]

Yip, that did it! Thank you very much!

[geokite]

I'm also getting a codec failure type of error with 3.1 (r19569-081223) on my H120 (modded with 32gb card, 7pre4 bootloader to ram).  It is in the flyspray, search for "sleep timer".

I am, what I believe to be, the first experimenter for the new 64gb compact flash card from Pretec.  In the same H120 as above with the 64gb card I get codec failure playing a mp3 file with version 3.1 (r19569-081223).  Version 3.0 (r18607-3.0-080923) gives me no problem.

Steve

[soap]

"codec failure" is usually a result of the .rockbox folder not being the same version of the rockbox.iriver file.
Are you sure you do not have two versions of the rockbox.iriver file floating around?  Perhaps one in the root directory and one in the .rockbox directory?

[geokite]

Nope, nothing rockbox related in the root directory (except for .rockbox)

Steve

[Febs]

Are you booting from RAM, ROM or disk?

[geokite]

RAM

Steve

[nls]

then you need to update the flashed rockbox to be in sync with the files in .rockbox

[geokite]

How is that done? 

Thanks
steve

[bascule]

The same way you flashed it to RAM in the first place 

...presumably you used the instruction on this page: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/IriverFlashing