iPod 5: iPod boots original iPod firmware

[Bockrox]

I have already installed Rockbox and it seems to be working well. I have only one major problem.

If I leave my iPod unused for a few hours and attempt to turn it on, the device boots to the original Apple firmware. Sometimes when this happens I see the iPod language selection screen. Other times, I see the standard iPod menu. To get to Rockbox, I need to reboot the device by holding MENU + SELECT.

This happens when I turn the device on normally, not using the "Hold" method (section 3.1.3 of the manual) to start the device with its original firmware.

Any idea what's happening?

[Chronon]

Holding Menu will also boot the Apple firmware. 

[Bockrox]

Ah, ok.

It's possible that I'm doing that. I'll follow up after I have determined if that's the problem.

Thanks!

[torne]

Which version do you have installed? This was a bug in older versions. Update to 3.6 or to the current build and it should go away.

[Bockrox]

It doesn't look like the problem was related to me holding Menu down for too long.

I currently have 3.5.1 installed, but will upgrade now. I'll try to follow up soon with the result.

edit: Actually, how do I update Rockbox properly? The documentation says that it can be done with the Rockbox Utility, but doesn't explain how. I tried doing a "Complete Installation", replacing Rockbox and the bootloader while doing so. Is this the right way to do it?

[torne]

You can turn the player on by pressing select, which avoids that.

A complete install is fine, but not necessary; you can just install the main Rockbox build over the old one. New bootloaders are released very infrequently, and the other files such as the font pack also rarely change.

[Bockrox]

Thanks for all the help everyone. So here's the good news and the bad news...

The good news: Version 3.6 seems to have fixed this problem. In addition, it looks like it fixed some problems I was having with themes as well. Hurray!

The bad news: Now, whenever I connect my iPod to my computer, I see the Apple Firmware "Do not Disconnect" screen. When I disconnect, I am again at the iPod language selection screen.

Any ideas?

[torne]

I'm not sure what causes the problem you're having. Release builds are supposed to reboot to the Apple disk mode when you connect the USB cable. Is the "do not disconnect" screen in black and white, or colour? It's supposed to boot the ROM-based emergency disk mode, which is a rather plain monochrome screen; if it's a colour display that's the actual Apple firmware which it shouldn't be running...

One option is to use the current build instead. I have implemented full USB charging support in the current builds, so it's no longer necessary for it to reboot to the Apple firmware for USB - it stays in Rockbox and you can transfer files just fine there.

Note that the theme format changed after 3.6 was released so if you upgrade to a current build you will need to get upgraded versions of your themes as well.

[Bockrox]

Thanks for all the help, torne. Hopefully my little issue can provide some insight instead of just being forum noise. If this ends up being a bug, I can submit a report.

Is the "do not disconnect" screen in black and white, or colour?

The "Do not disconnect" screen is in color and looks exactly like the screen that was used before I ever installed Rockbox, so it's definitely the Apple version. When I unplug the iPod and then Menu + Select, I get booted back into Rockbox.

if it's a colour display that's the actual Apple firmware which it shouldn't be running...

Do you mean that it shouldn't be running in this circumstance or it should no longer exist on the device at all? I was actually surprised when I saw the Apple screen, as I thought everything-Apple was wiped by Rockbox.

One option is to use the current build instead. I have implemented full USB charging support in the current builds, so it's no longer necessary for it to reboot to the Apple firmware for USB - it stays in Rockbox and you can transfer files just fine there.

Awesome! Any idea when this will go stable?

Note that the theme format changed after 3.6 was released so if you upgrade to a current build you will need to get upgraded versions of your themes as well.

Hmm, good to know. I just started a personal branch of the FSM theme yesterday, so I guess I'll have to put that on hold.

[torne]

The "Do not disconnect" screen is in color and looks exactly like the screen that was used before I ever installed Rockbox, so it's definitely the Apple version. When I unplug the iPod and then Menu + Select, I get booted back into Rockbox.

It shouldn't boot that under any circumstances, unless you do it manually by powering on with the hold switch on, or powering on by holding menu. You're already in Rockbox when you insert the cable, yes?

Do you mean that it shouldn't be running in this circumstance or it should no longer exist on the device at all? I was actually surprised when I saw the Apple screen, as I thought everything-Apple was wiped by Rockbox.

It just shouldn't be running automatically on USB cable insert. Rockbox does not wipe any part of the Apple firmware, you can still boot it with the hold switch...

Awesome! Any idea when this will go stable?

It won't be in a release build for a while, we only released 3.6 a few weeks ago. The releases are on a regular schedule. However, the current builds are almost always perfectly stable. I'm not aware of any issues with the iPod builds at the moment.

[Bockrox]

It shouldn't boot that under any circumstances, unless you do it manually by powering on with the hold switch on, or powering on by holding menu. You're already in Rockbox when you insert the cable, yes?

Very interesting. I just ran a quick test by plugging in the iPod and observing the behavior. This time, I made sure the hold switch was not activated. Sure enough, it booted into Rockbox multimedia mode. I guess I'm prone to plugging the iPod in while the hold switch is activated.

Thanks for pointing this out. I knew that the "hold method" booted into Apple firmware, but it must have slipped my mind when I ran into this issue.

It just shouldn't be running automatically on USB cable insert. Rockbox does not wipe any part of the Apple firmware, you can still boot it with the hold switch...

Ah, right right. It's all coming together now. :-)

It won't be in a release build for a while, we only released 3.6 a few weeks ago. The releases are on a regular schedule. However, the current builds are almost always perfectly stable. I'm not aware of any issues with the iPod builds at the moment.

Cool stuff. Keep up the great work. It's really great to see how much thought and experience went into designing Rockbox. Nothing's perfect, but I've had plenty of wow moments when using Rockbox. "This feature makes so much sense, I can't believe Apple never thought to do this."

Anyway, thanks again. I really appreciate all of the help.