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Rockbox Installation Instructions

• Introduction
• Installing Rockbox
  • Archos jukeboxes
    • Normal installation
    • Flash Memory Installation (Recorder, Ondio)
  • iriver jukeboxes
    • Introduction
    • Installing the Rockbox bootloader
    • Installing a Rockbox daily build or bleeding edge build
• Keeping Rockbox up to date
• Uninstalling Rockbox
  • Archos jukeboxes
  • iriver jukeboxes
• Disclaimers

Introduction

Installing Rockbox

Archos jukeboxes

Normal installation

• Windows users

Using the Windows self installing executable to install Rockbox is the easiest method of installing the software on your Jukebox. Simply follow the on-screen instructions and select the appropriate drive letter and Jukebox model when prompted. You can use “Add / Remove Programs” to uninstall the software at a later date.

• Non-Windows users

For non-Windows users and those wishing to install manually from the archive the procedure is still fairly simple:

1. Connect your jukebox to the computer via USB as described in the manual that came with your jukebox.
2. On Windows, the jukebox drive will appear as a drive letter in your "My Computer" folder.
3. Take the file that you downloaded above, and unzip its contents to your Jukebox drive.

You will need to unpack all of the files in the archive onto your jukebox. If this has been done correctly, you will have a file called archos.mod (for the Player) or ajbrec.ajz (for all other Archos models) in the main folder of your jukebox drive, and also a folder called /.rockbox, which contains a number of system files used by the software.

Flash Memory Installation (Recorder, Ondio)

Flash memory (sometimes called "Flash ROM") is a type of non-volatile memory that can be erased and reprogrammed in circuit. It is a variation of electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). Archos jukeboxes come from the factory with the Archos firmware flashed. It is possible to replace the built-in firmware with Rockbox. "Flashing" means reprogramming the flash memory of the jukebox unit. This section explains how to install Rockbox to your jukebox's flash memory.

The main advantage to flashing Rockbox instead of running it from your jukebox's hard drive is that the jukebox will boot much faster. The Archos boot loader seems to take forever compared to the Rockbox version. In fact, the Rockbox boot loader is so fast that it has to wait for the disk to spin up.

The flashing procedure described in this section is a bit involved for the first time. However, once Rockbox is flashed to the jukebox, updates are very simple later on.

FLASHING ROCKBOX IS OPTIONAL! It is not required for using Rockbox on your Jukebox Recorder.

For complete instructions on how to flash Rockbox to your Archos jukebox, visit the Rockbox in Flash page.

iriver jukeboxes

Introduction

• The Rockbox bootloader. This is the component of Rockbox that is installed to the flash memory of your iriver jukebox. The bootloader is the program that tells your jukebox how to boot and load other components of Rockbox.
• A Rockbox daily build or bleeding edge build. Unlike the iriver firmware, which runs entirely from flash memory, most of the Rockbox code is contained in the build that resides on your hard drive. This makes it easy to update Rockbox. The build contain a file named rockbox.iriver and a directory called .rockbox which are located in the root directory of your jukebox's hard drive.

Both components need to be installed for Rockbox to function correctly. If you install the Rockbox bootloader without installing the Rockbox build in the root directory of your jukebox, the Rockbox bootloader will load when you turn on the jukebox, but it will then boot the jukebox into the iriver firmware. On the other hand, if you install the Rockbox build without installing the Rockbox bootloader, your jukebox will not know that any components of Rockbox are installed, and will use iriver bootloader to boot the iriver firmware.

This section of the installation instructions will guide you step by step through the process of installing both the bootloader and the Rockbox build. It does not matter whether you install the bootloader or the Rockbox build first, but Rockbox will not load until both are installed.

Note that this instructions apply to Windows users only. If you are using Linux or an Apple platform, you will need to follow the instructions on the IriverBoot page for compiling the bootloader yourself from the bootloader.bin file.

Installing the Rockbox bootloader

The Rockbox bootloader allows users to boot into either the Rockbox firmware or the iriver firmware. For legal reasons, we cannot distribute the bootloader. Instead, we have developed a program that will patch the iriver firmware with the Rockbox bootloader. These instructions will explain how to download and patch the Rockbox bootloader and install it on your jukebox.

• Step 1. Download version 1.63 or 1.65 of the iriver firmware for your jukebox. Note that the H120 and H140 use the same firmware, while the iHP110 and iHP115 use a different firmware. For your convenience, links to firmware 1.63 and 1.65 for each line of players are set below:

Rockbox contributor Rasher maintains a mirror of the above firmware versions on this page. For the sake of Rasher's bandwidth, however, we ask that you try the links in the above chart before downloading from Rasher's site.

• Step 2. The actual iriver firmware file is called ihp_120.hex (for the ihp120, ihp140, H120 and H140 jukeboxes) or ihp_100.hex (for the iHP110 and iHP115 jukeboxes). If the file that you downloaded is a .ZIP file, use an unzip utility such as InfoZip, 7zip, WinRAR, or WinZip to extract the .hex from the .ZIP file to your desktop. Likewise, if the file that you downloaded is an .exe file, double-click on the .exe file to extract the .hex file to your desktop.
• Step 3. Download the firmware patcher and save it to your desktop. (To download the firmware patcher, right-click on the hyperlink in the preceding sentence, and then select "save link as ..." or "save file as ...")

Note: the firmware patcher contains Unicode support, which is not supported by all versions of Windows. If you have difficulty with the firmware patcher, try downloading this alternate firmware patcher, which is built without Unicode support.

• Step 5. Go to your desktop and double-click on whichever version of the firmware patcher (fwpatcher.exe or fwpatchernu.exe) that you download in the prior step.
• Step 6. In the firmware patcher dialog box, click on the BROWSE button, navigate to the ihp_100.hex or ihp_120.hex file that you previously downloaded to your desktop.
• Step 7. Click PATCH. The firmware patcher will patch the original firmware to include the Rockbox bootloader. The hex file on your desktop is now a modified version of the original .hex file.
• Step 8. Connect your jukebox to your computer via USB and turn it on.
• Step 9. Copy or move the modified ihp_100.hex or ihp_120.hex file to the ROOT directory of your jukebox.
• Step 10. Disconnect the jukebox from USB. (Be sure to use Windows' "safely remove hardware" option.)

Before proceeding further, make sure that your player has a full charge, or that it is connected to the power adaptor.

• Step 11. Update your jukebox's firmware with the patched bootloader. To do this, turn the jukebox on. Press and hold the joystick button to enter the main menu, and navigate to General --> Update firmware. Select "yes" when asked to confirm if you want to upgrade the firmware. The jukebox will display a message indicating that the firmware update is in progress. Do not interrupt this process. When the firmware update is complete, the player will turn itself off. (The update firmware process usually takes a minute or so.)

You have now installed the Rockbox bootloader. If you have already installed a daily build or bleeding edge build, Rockbox will now load when you start the jukebox. If you have not yet installed the Rockbox daily build or bleeding edge build, you should do so now by following the instructions for installing a Rockbox daily build or bleeding edge build.

Note: if you install the Rockbox bootloader, but do not install a Rockbox daily build or bleeding edge build, the Rockbox bootloader will load the iriver firmware when the jukebox is turned on.

Installing a Rockbox daily build or bleeding edge build

As explained above, most of the Rockbox code is contained in the build that resides on your hard drive. The build contain a file named rockbox.iriver and a directory called .rockbox which are located in the root directory of your jukebox's hard drive. There are two types of builds: the daily build and the bleeding edge build. The differences are explained in the Keeping Rockbox up to date section of this page. You can use either a daily build or a bleeding edge build.

To install a Rockbox build:

1. Attached your jukebox to your computer via USB and turn on the jukebox.
2. Go to the Daily Builds page.
3. Find the latest daily build (at the top of the page) or bleeding edge build (at the bottom of the page) for your model of jukebox. (iHP140 and H120 owners, remember that the firmware for the 140 is the same as the H120, so you should use the H120 build.)
4. Click on the link for your selected build.
5. Your unzip program should start running. Use whatever "Extract" option your unzip program has to unzip the build file to the ROOT directory of your jukebox. If you have previously installed a Rockbox build, the unzip program will ask you whether you want to overwrite existing files; select "yes to all."
6. Disconnect the jukebox from USB. (Be sure to use Windows' "safely remove hardware" option.)

If you have not yet followed the instructions to install the Rockbox bootloader, you should do so now. If you have already installed the Rockbox bootloader, Rockbox should start running when you re-start the player.

If you have the bootloader installed and your jukebox still boots into the iriver firmware, check to ensure that the rockbox.iriver file and .rockbox directory are both located in the ROOT of your jukebox.

Keeping Rockbox up to date

There are two types of Rockbox builds: a "Daily Build" and a "Bleeding Edge" build. Rockbox daily builds are compiled automatically every day at midnight GMT and will continue all changes made the previous day. So, for example, the daily build for 28 August 2005 will contain all of the code changes made up through and including changes made on 27 August 2005. Bleeding edge builds, on the other hand, are compiled every time a developer makes a change and are thus, the true "bleeding edge" Rockbox code. The most recent changes to the Rockbox code are listed on the front page of the Rockbox website.

Which one should you use? The simple answer is that it doesn't matter. The bleeding edge code contains the most recent changes, but sometimes new changes introduce bugs which are often fixed by the time of the daily build for that day, so the daily builds tend to be slightly less buggy than bleeding edge builds.

To update to the most recent build:

1. Download the current release of Rockbox from http://www.rockbox.org/download/ or latest daily build of Rockbox from http://www.rockbox.org/daily.shtml. Follow the link that corresponds to the version name above for your model.

The iriver H120 and H140 use identical firmware, so H140 owners should use the build for the H120.

1. Unzip the build file into the root directory of the jukebox.

1. Restart the jukebox.

Your jukebox is now up-to-date with the latest Rockbox build.

Uninstalling Rockbox

Archos jukeboxes

1. Connect the jukebox up to your computer.
2. Delete the archos.mod (Archos Players) or ajbrec.ajz (other Archos models) file from the main folder of the jukebox.
3. If you wish to clean up your disk, you may also wish to delete the /.rockbox folder and its contents.
4. Turn the jukebox off and on and the normal Archos software will load.

iriver jukeboxes

There are two alternatives for removing Rockbox. First, you can remove the Rockbox files, but retain the Rockbox bootloader. Second, you can remove Rockbox entirely and return to the iriver bootloader. Either alternative will cause your jukebox to boot automatically into the iriver firmware.

It is a good idea to keep the Rockbox bootloader, even if you are not using Rockbox. Unlike the iriver firmware, the Rockbox bootloader allows you to boot into USB mode even if the hard drive is corrupted. (The iriver firmware, on the hand, will not enter USB mode until it has successfully read the hard drive.) Thus, the Rockbox bootloader provides the possibility to rescue a broken file system or hard drive in situations that would render your player unbootable without it. We recommend retaining the Rockbox bootloader unless you need to send your jukebox to iriver for a warranty claim.

To use remove the Rockbox files, but retain the Rockbox bootloader:

1. Delete the rockbox.iriver file.
2. Delete the .rockbox directory.

To completely remove Rockbox entirely and return to the iriver bootloader:

1. Delete the rockbox.iriver file.
2. Delete the .rockbox directory.
3. Download and flash an original, unpatched version of the iriver firmware from http://www.iriver.com.

Rockbox has a dual boot mode which allows you to choose at start-up whether you want to run Rockbox or the iriver firmware. If you want to use the iriver firmware but plan to return to Rockbox, there is no need to uninstall Rockbox. Instead, simply hold the REC button while pressing the PLAY button.

Disclaimers

1. With respect to Rockbox installation to flash memory: There are always risks inherent in writing to flash memory, and this is true not only of your jukebox, but of any BIOS, CD/DVD drive firmware, mobile phone, etc. For example, if the power fails, the chip malfunctions while programming or particularly if the programming software malfunctions, your jukebox may stop functioning. However, the code has been extensively tested and is known to work well. The new firmware file is completely read before it starts programming, there are a lot of sanity checks. If any fail, it will not program. For example, the flashing software is very paranoid about making sure that the correct flash version is being installed. If the wrong file is used, it will simply refuse to flash the jukebox. If you are starting with a known-good image, you are unlikely to experience problems. The flash tools have been stable for quite a while and have been used extensively. Though these risks of flashing Rockbox are very small if you follow the instructions set forth in this section, they do exist. Before you flash Rockbox, you should evaluate that risk and decide for yourself whether you are willing to take it. If you do decide to flash Rockbox, you do so entirely at your own risk. The Rockbox team take no responsibility of any kind.
2. Installing Rockbox will likely void the warranty on your jukebox. Archos has been known to refuse warranty claims for jukeboxes with Rockbox installed. We do not yet know whether iriver will do the same, although it is worth noting that iriver has a reputation for repairing or replacing players even when damage is caused by user error or abuse, so it is possible that iriver would replace a Rockbox-flashed player. It is also worth noting that Rockbox can be completely uninstalled prior to returning the jukebox for a warranty claim (unless, of course, the hardware problem that is causing you to make the warranty claim prevents the uninstall process).
3. Rockbox releases are considered to be stable. The current release for Archos is version 2.4. Version 2.5 for Archos is tentatively scheduled for release on September 5, 2005. However, all builds on the daily builds page or bleeding edge builds page are developmental versions of the Rockbox firmware. As such, they may contain bugs and may crash from time to time. Some this FAQ for information on reporting bugs. The Rockbox FAQ page contains links to FAQ pages for specific lines of jukeboxes. Those FAQ pages generally contain information about the current status of development for that line of jukeboxes.

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-- MichaelDiFebbo - 28 Aug 2005. Incorporates significant portions of the RockboxManual as well as the installation instructions drafted by Mistic River user west.acre in this post.

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