Ipod mini, 2nd Generation, can't get it to work

[MarkH]

My ipod started out broke.  It comes up with the folder icon with !  I thought I'd try using Rockbox to revive it.  I also tried restoring via itunes, but it does not work.  It seems to, but never loads.

I installed Rockbox using the utility, and used ipodpatcher to load the firmware.  I see it creates the partitions, and using ipodpatcher -i, I can see it has loaded firmware, but it won't ever run.  Installing via the utility seems to work, but it won't run.  I have also manually copied the .rockbox folder to the ipod, but no change.

From ipodpatcher -l
[INFO] Ipod found - 2nd Generation Mini ("winpod") - disk device 1
[INFO] Reading partition table from \\.\PhysicalDrive1
[INFO] Sector size is 512 bytes
[INFO] Part    Start Sector    End Sector   Size (MB)   Type
[INFO]    0              63         80324        39.2   Empty (0x00)
[INFO]    1           80325       7999486      3866.8   W95 FAT32 (0x0b)
[INFO] Read XML info (2451 bytes)
[INFO] Ipod model: 2nd Generation Mini ("winpod")

Listing firmware partition contents:

Image 1:
    Main firmware - 3403264 bytes
    Third-party bootloader - 49412 bytes
Image 2:
    AUPD - 1086536 bytes

Something seems broken in the boot process on this ipod, and neither software install is fixing it.  The ipod is accepting the firmware, and the file copy, so it's not totally hosed.


Any suggestions?

[MarkH]

Found this in the forums,

 On poweron, the flash bootloader loads the entire Apple firmware file into ram from the hidden partition, including the rockbox bootloader, and then jumps to the changed entry point, thus running our bootloader. We then look at the partition table on the disk to find the normal, unhidden FAT partition, mount it, and load .rockbox/rockbox.ipod from that partition. Installing Rockbox does not in any way remove the need for the flash bootloader to work, and for the flash bootloader to be able to find the hidden firmware partition - we depend on the flash bootloader to load *our* bootloader.

Sounds like my flash bootloader's not working.  The only thing it does correctly is loading USB mode.  I wish the itunes restore would work for me...  I found some detailed how to restore guides, but they don't cover the mini2g.

[bluebrother]

Sounds like my flash bootloader's not working.  The only thing it does correctly is loading USB mode.  I wish the itunes restore would work for me...  I found some detailed how to restore guides, but they don't cover the mini2g.

I wouldn't deduct that. Have you checked the HDD? If the disk is somewhat broken you can have such symptoms. I have 2 old Micro Drives lying around which both don't work anymore, but the actual Ipods they came from work just fine (using a CF card instead). Never had issues with the flash loader, only the disks. That kinda is in line with you reporting Itunes restore not working.

[MarkH]

I can read and write to the drive with no problem.  Running the rockbox install puts the .rockbox folder on the drive, I see it fine from Windows.  It won't run music or rockbox, all it seems to do is USB Drive mode when I plug it in.  I have removed the partitions, formatted etc.

That's why I think it's something broken with the Apple firmware, leading to the folder with!, then reset.

I downloaded and installed the legacy software updater, and it actually installed something, which itunes detects as version 1.4.  That's more than I ever got restoring through itunes.  It did not change the behavior, constant boot to the folder !, then reboot.  I have to reset the ipod software in itunes after the loader, but after that, it is back to the same thing where it says it updates, restarts the ipod, but does not go to the next step, it just does the ! and continues to show the ipod as version 1.4.