iPod All: iPL Loader 2.X

[kratonator]

Thank you very much for your help Papst.
Sorry if it sounded offending but I really don't understand why people over at iPL don't provide the requiered information. Their wiki isn't the most comprehensive and seems to be only for devs. If an OpenSource project is started, I think that all information for an end-user should be there. Simply look at the Rockbox project: If you have a problem with Rockbox, you just have to read the Manual and all your questions will be answered. If that doesn't help, you have to read the wiki and then all questions are answered. I think other OpenSource projects should take Rockbox as an example for helping people.

On the other hand, iPL devs made a huge job, and I'm very thankful for that. Only the wiki is a bit difficult to understand and some info lacks.

EDIT: I downloaded the file and it worked. If you have such an easy solution, why don't you post it on www.ipodlinux.org

[Der Papst]

The reason is that a lot of people are working at the documentation for rockbox but i am more or less the only one who works at the documentation over at iPL.... and that are a LOT of pages to maintain. I know that i have to rework huge parts of the Loader 2 page and a lot of other pages too. But i have a real life too. And now that the server is more or less dead i can't update the documentation.

I always tell people who say that our (iPLs) documentation is hard to understand that they should register to the wiki and start contibuting to the wiki theirselfs so that it will be more understandable (but most people think that contributing with documentation means writing bad foum tutorials -.-).

But since this is OT i better stop complaining here ;-)

[marcolino]

Just to let you know I have successfully installed Loader 2 (iPL 2.5) + iPodLinux + RockBox on a 5.5G 80G unit.
I've just followed the instructions at http://www.ipodlinux.org/5.5G but have just used the following command in order to format the FAT32 partition:

Code: [Select]

mformat -t 2428 -h 255 -s 63 -S 2048 -M 2048 -F i:

I would like to understand better where the number 2428 comes from.
It looks like the number of cylinders in the 2nd partition of a standard 80GB iPod, which is

/dev/sda1               1           4      128394    0  Empty
/dev/sda2               5        2432    77497560    b  W95 FAT32

so 2432-4 = 2428

but in case of an other partition with linux

/dev/sda1               1           4      128394    0  Empty
/dev/sda2              21        2432    77497560    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda3               5          20      514080   83  Linux

shouldn't it be (in this case)

2432-20 = 2412

Am I correct or does mformat understand where the partiton ends?

Thanks

[Der Papst]

From die.net:

Code: [Select]

mformat [-t cylinders] [-h heads] [-n sectors]
  [-f size] [-1] [-4] [-8]
  [-v volume_label]
  [-F] [-S sizecode] [-X]
  [-2 sectors_on_track_0] [-3]
  [-0 rate_on_track_0] [-A rate_on_other_tracks]
  [-M software_sector_size]
  [-N serial_number] [-a]
  [-C] [-H hidden_sectors] [-I fsVersion]
  [-r root_sectors] [-L fat_len]
  [-B boot_sector] [-k]
  [-m media_descriptor]
  drive:
So you're right.
-t 2428 is for 5.5Gs 80GB with an unmodified partitiontable and -t 909 is for 30GB 5.5Gs.
So you calculation sould be correct and working.

[madragonn]

I dont seem to be able to load rockbox from loader
i have made sure my loader.cfg is pointing to .rockbox/rockbox.ipod

im not sure if i have the correct hard drive location "Rockbox @ (hd0,1)/.rockbox/rockbox.ipod"
i installed loader through the ipod application manager II so i am not sure if it has created a linux partition.

loader gives the error "ERR: open failed"

any ideas?

[Der Papst]

Make sure you are using the latest version of Loader 2 (2.5). Your Rockbox entry looks ok at least.

[noob]

i have 5g 60g ipod. i'm just wondering is there a way to use ipl loader 2.X together with rockbox. when i installed ipl loader first, then rockbox...ipl didn't appear..on the other hand, when i installed rockbox first, the ipl..."rockbox" was not shown on the loader's menu.. do you guys have any idea about it?

[Febs]

i have 5g 60g ipod. i'm just wondering is there a way to use ipl loader 2.X together with rockbox. when i installed ipl loader first, then rockbox...ipl didn't appear..on the other hand, when i installed rockbox first, the ipl..."rockbox" was not shown on the loader's menu.. do you guys have any idea about it?

Did you even read this thread?

[mr.weathers]

i need help,
i have all the IPL files in my 5.5 gen  30gb iPod video, and the loader was working fine
until i intalled rockbox, now the loader isnt showing up anywhere, and i can only access rockbox and the regular firmware
any help?

[mamboman]

have you read the documentation? i am sure you didn't as it mentions to set the hold switch while restarting to get back to apple firmware

[mr.weathers]

thats not the question i was asking,
but i found the problem anyhow
when installing rockbox, i was NOT supposed to use the bootloader,
because i was trying to use the loader2

[mr.weathers]

is it possible to launch rockdoom using the loader2, or the iLaunch?

[soap]

Short: No.
Long:  Rockdoom requires the Rockbox operating system to be running in order to execute.

[mr.weathers]

then how are other applications (iNes, iBoy) launched with the loader2, even though they require IPL to run..
coodnt the code be like
rockdoom @ (hd0,1)/rockbox.ipod /.rockbox/rocks/doom.rock
?

[Llorean]

Because iPL works differently than Rockbox. Rockbox and iPL are not the same program, and cannot be expected to work the same way. Rockbox is designed as a firmware (single-application that serves also as the operating system) whereas iPL is an operating system from which other applications can be launched.

One thing you could do is compile custom builds of Rockbox that auto-launch a plugin at start (like autostart.rock) and change the name of the plugin to the .rock you want to launch. Then you'd have a .ipod file custom compiled for each plugin you wanted to launch. Not the least complicated method ever, but probably requires the most minimal look at Rockbox code compared to any other method.