Sansa E200 Bricked by Recovery Mode

[chrisjs169]

Now my PC sees something in the usb port but I can not make the e200tool work properly. It can't detect the device.

So what vendor/device IDs do your computer think the "something" in the USB port has?

In what mode is your sansa when you try this?

Ok, the device ID is 0b70:0003 or at least it says so in the device maneger. How can I know in which mode is my sansa if the screen is completly blacked out. It doesn't react to anything. Thank you.

Manufacturing Mode (more here)

[Bagder]

Ok, the device ID is 0b70:0003 or at least it says so in the device maneger. How can I know in which mode is my sansa if the screen is completly blacked out. It doesn't react to anything.

That's the PortalPlayer vendor ID which means you are in the "pre-boot" mode and you have a broken i2c rom.

Did you run the e200tool on a Linux system?

[Lue]

Update

my sansa says


"
main image write failed
time taken="0"
"
when I unplug the sansa after putting the mi4 file in the recovery mode, doesn't matter what a mi4 file i put on it (I tried it with the European and the Am. mi4 file...)

What can I do?

Thanks,

Lue

[DoZer]

aurora ~ # lsusb
Bus 002 Device 022: ID 0781:0720 SanDisk Corp.
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
aurora ~ # ./e200tool recover i2c.bin
e200tool v0.2.3-alpha (c) by MrH 2006, 2007
Searching for device 0781:0720 ... found!
Initializing USB stub (4780 bytes) ... done!
Writing 'i2c.bin' to address 0x10600000
Searching for device 6666:e200 ... 9 8 found!
Write at 0x10602000
Write done!
Running from address 0x10600000
Searching for device 6666:e200 ... found!
Execution started!
aurora ~ # lsusb
Bus 002 Device 023: ID 6666:e200 Prototype product Vendor ID
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
aurora ~ # ./e200tool i2cprogram i2c.bin
e200tool v0.2.3-alpha (c) by MrH 2006, 2007
Programming i2c rom (address=87) range 0x0000-0x2000 from 'i2c.bin'
Searching for device 6666:e200 ... found!
Set ptr - error (-71, Protocol error)

DMESG after all:

usb 2-2: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 21
usb 2-2: new device strings: Mfr=0, Product=0, SerialNumber=0
usb 2-2: uevent
usb 2-2: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
usb 2-2: adding 2-2:1.0 (config #1, interface 0)
usb 2-2:1.0: uevent
usbserial_generic 2-2:1.0: usb_probe_interface
usbserial_generic 2-2:1.0: usb_probe_interface - got id
usbtest 2-2:1.0: usb_probe_interface
usbtest 2-2:1.0: usb_probe_interface - got id
drivers/usb/core/inode.c: creating file '021'
#sansa is now connected as 0781:0720
usb 2-2: e200tool timed out on ep0out len=0/0
#upper line after ./e200tool recover i2c.bin
usb 2-2: uhci_result_common: failed with status 440000
usb 2-2: usbfs: USBDEVFS_CONTROL failed cmd e200tool rqt 64 rq 1 len 4 ret -71
usb 2-2: uhci_result_common: failed with status 440000
#upper lines after command: ./e200tool i2cprogram i2c.bin

And what now?

EDIT: working on gentoo @ root. my sansa is after format two partitions.

I can bouy NAND Flash 2GB for my sansa, is it a good idea? is there boot and recovery partition?

[PepeZuniga]

Ok, the device ID is 0b70:0003 or at least it says so in the device maneger. How can I know in which mode is my sansa if the screen is completly blacked out. It doesn't react to anything.

That's the PortalPlayer vendor ID which means you are in the "pre-boot" mode and you have a broken i2c rom.

Did you run the e200tool on a Linux system?

Nop, I tried on windows. I will do it on a linux system. Thanks.

[Lue]

after reading the thread again and again,

I recognized a member called "Illa" (page 2/3), having the same problem like me.

It seems that the previous owner formatted the 16mb recovery mode partition.

Is there any hope for my sansa or is it completely dead?

Thank you.

Lue

[Lue]

Maybe there ist anybody alive in this forum?

Ok.
My problem is that it doesn't matter what I write on the recovery mode, it doesn't work.
(After writing the xxx.rom , for details look last posts..)

Fixing the i2c.bin file also does not work because my sansa is not recognized as 6666:e200

What can I do?

Help me please!

Thank you

[chrisjs169]

Maybe there ist anybody alive in this forum?

Ok.
My problem is that it doesn't matter what I write on the recovery mode, it doesn't work.
(After writing the xxx.rom , for details look last posts..)

Fixing the i2c.bin file also does not work because my sansa is not recognized as 6666:e200

What can I do?

Help me please!

Thank you

I just put a corrupted BL on my sansa in recovery mode to see what'd happen.

Assuming you're using Linux, is the device ID 0781:0720?  If it is, grab a copy of the sansa BL (check md5sum, below) and firmware (check md5sum, below)

MD5sums:
6a10d79a2e13f6b4a7c8243f422e5608  BL_SD_BOARDSUPPORTSD.ROM
d9f946067844e2a24fcbb6cfedb75057  PP5022.MI4
CHECK BOTH MD5SUMS

Save both of them to either the directory where e200tool is, or to whereever.  Run
./e200tool recover BL_SD_BOARDSUPPORTSD.ROM
while holding REC on the sansa. Running that as root may be required.

When it's done, recovery mode should automatically start (provided you held REC)

Place both the BL and firmware on the recovery partition (from what I found, the BL is required, but someone else may want to confirm that).  Make sure you MD5 at least the BL on there, if not the MI4, to prevent having to redo all of this.

Unmount the sansa, wait for it to reboot, and hope it works.

[PepeZuniga]

Hi again everybody. I've been experiencing some difficulties. I don't know if you remember the last time my pc only recognized something in the usb port. I tried to use e200tool on windows but it didn't work. So I tried using Knoppix but seem to be a lot for me I couldn't make e200tool work on linux, so can any help me to use linux?? Thanks.

[Lue]

Hi again everybody. I've been experiencing some difficulties. I don't know if you remember the last time my pc only recognized something in the usb port. I tried to use e200tool on windows but it didn't work. So I tried using Knoppix but seem to be a lot for me I couldn't make e200tool work on linux, so can any help me to use linux?? Thanks.

Hey;
here's some help:
1. the libusb on Knoppix is another program, you ALSO must dowload libusb from the internet (version 0.1.12) install it by this commands:
one: sudo ./configure
two: sudo make
three: sudo make install

2.
After the installation was finished, you can download the e200 source files and compile them using "gcc -o e200tool e200tool.c -lusb".
You should use "sudo" when you execute the compiled file from the terminal.
for example:
sudo ./e200tool recover xxxxx.rom

to change the directory in Knoppix use cd /home/knoppix/Desktop/e200tool ....

I hope you understand...

Lue

[PepeZuniga]

Hi again, this is me once more. I got this problem I used the e200tool and it seem to work properly but I cant do anything further. What I got is this:

sudo ./e200tool recover BL_SD_boardSupportSD.rom
e200tool v0.2.3çalpha (c) by MrH 2006, 2007
Searching for device 0781:0720 . . . 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 not found
Searching for device 0b70:0003 . . . found
Initializing USB stub (4780 bytes) . . . done
Writing BL_SD_boardSupportSD.rom to address 0x10600000
Searching for device 6666:e200 . . . 9 8 found
Write at 0x10602000
Write done
Running from address 0x10600000
Searchinf for device 6666:e200 . . . found
Execution started

But thats it ... There are no new partition or new drive in the desktop. What can I do

[Lue]

Hi again, this is me once more. I got this problem I used the e200tool and it seem to work properly but I cant do anything further. What I got is this:

sudo ./e200tool recover BL_SD_boardSupportSD.rom
e200tool v0.2.3çalpha (c) by MrH 2006, 2007
Searching for device 0781:0720 . . . 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 not found
Searching for device 0b70:0003 . . . found
Initializing USB stub (4780 bytes) . . . done
Writing BL_SD_boardSupportSD.rom to address 0x10600000
Searching for device 6666:e200 . . . 9 8 found
Write at 0x10602000
Write done
Running from address 0x10600000
Searchinf for device 6666:e200 . . . found
Execution started

But thats it ... There are no new partition or new drive in the desktop. What can I do

Look here:
http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=8443.msg72797#msg72797

->

So as soon as it starts copying the rom across disable the hold switch,

This is the way I access the recovery mode...

Lue

[DoZer]

Quick unbrick sansa When e200tool works:
Rules:
1. Fu*k rec button.
2. download http://nuclearscripting.com/other/sansafw/BL_SD_BOARDSUPPORTSD.ROM and http://nuclearscripting.com/other/sansafw/PP5022.MI4
3. Turn off sansa.
4. Turn lock button on.
5. connect usb cable.
6. from root, type: ./e200tool recover BL_SD_BOARDSUPPORTSD.ROM
7. When you can see on the monitor screen text: "writing" put key lock button to off.
8. now you can mount your sansa recovery partition.
9. put there both BL_SD_BOARDSUPPORTSD.ROM and PP5022.MI4.
9. umount sansa partition.
10. disconnect usb cable, and wait until sansa restart.

I will write idiot-proof instruction soon.

[chrisjs169]

Quick unbrick sansa When e200tool works:
Rules:
1. Fu*k rec button.
2. download http://nuclearscripting.com/other/sansafw/BL_SD_BOARDSUPPORTSD.ROM and http://nuclearscripting.com/other/sansafw/PP5022.MI4
3. Turn off sansa.
4. Turn lock button on.
5. connect usb cable.
6. from root, type: ./e200tool recover BL_SD_BOARDSUPPORTSD.ROM
7. When you can see on the monitor screen text: "writing" put key lock button to off.
8. now you can mount your sansa recovery partition.
9. put there both BL_SD_BOARDSUPPORTSD.ROM and PP5022.MI4.
9. umount sansa partition.
10. disconnect usb cable, and wait until sansa restart.

I will write idiot-proof instruction soon.

Well, first off, I find it odd that you're using the links that I posted above, as well as basically rewriting what I wrote (http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=8443.msg77915#msg77915)

While I don't mind, please make sure you have people verify the downloads, as I don't really want to have someone email me saying that my downloads bricked their player farther.  That server has been somewhat unreliable the past few days, and I want to make sure the full download is completing.  In addition, why exactly did you link to my downloads?

[DoZer]

I wrote my post after reading your's. And your post explain me how to makes sansa work, so I decided to write it in a few easy steps. Before reading your post I was recovering my sansa with i2c.bin, and I was convinced that is the way to make it work. Dont be afraid that someone could write to his sansa incompletly firmware. My sansa was after format, so I thing nothing can destroy sansa.

Now i'm writing How to make it step by step, from downloading livecd through flashing sansa, mounting recovery disk and so on...