[PommesMagnum]

Sure you can. That's how I do it.

The annoying bit is that whenever the clocks go back or forward the simulator thinks every track has a new timestamp and rebuilds the whole database instead of updating it.

Could you please explain how you create the alias//hardlink?
Thanks

 

[turkeyphant]

Sure you can. That's how I do it.

The annoying bit is that whenever the clocks go back or forward the simulator thinks every track has a new timestamp and rebuilds the whole database instead of updating it.

Okay then please in that case give an example command. I've only ever made hardlinks to files before.

 

[ThinWalls]

Okay then please in that case give an example command. I've only ever made hardlinks to files before.

If you Google "how to make a hard link in windows"

The first hit is

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

Which explains the syntax.

That description seems to imply a hardlink is needed, but I have a very vague memory that in fact a softlink was sufficient for me...but you could just experiment with each.

Thinking about it, it seems as if the terminology is different for Windows and Linux, and maybe that's the reason for the confusion?

 

[turkeyphant]

If you Google "how to make a hard link in windows"

The first hit is

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/

Which explains the syntax.

That description seems to imply a hardlink is needed, but I have a very vague memory that in fact a softlink was sufficient for me...but you could just experiment with each.

Thinking about it, it seems as if the terminology is different for Windows and Linux, and maybe that's the reason for the confusion?

That says you can't make hardlinks for directories only soft links (junctions are not hard links) which is what I've been saying all along!

I make hard links and soft links all the time, I know how to do them. I've just never made a hard link to a directory as my understanding has always been that it's not possible!

 

[turkeyphant]

I thought maybe a soft link or a directory junction might work instead of a proper hard link but unfortunately neither are possible on the Rockboxed iPod either.

 

[ThinWalls]

I thought maybe a soft link or a directory junction might work instead of a proper hard link but unfortunately neither are possible on the Rockboxed iPod either.

I don't make the link on the ipod [edit - you have a point I'm probably misusing the term 'hardlink', but even a junction link is 'harder' than a windows shortcut...and it works for me for building the database]

I make it in the simulator directory on the PC. Not really sure why one would make it on the ipod. I run the simulator on the PC, build the database, and the same robocopy script I use to sync the ipod also copies the latest database files across.

Is there a particular reason why you need to do it on the ipod itself? I'm not grasping the way you are trying to do it.

 

[turkeyphant]

I don't make the link on the ipod, I make it in the simulator directory on the PC. Not really sure why one would make it on the ipod. I run the simulator on the PC, build the database, and the same robocopy script I use to sync the ipod also copies the latest database files across.

Is there a particular reason why you need to do it on the ipod itself? I'm not grasping the way you are trying to do it.

Simply so it's portable and that was how Pommes had it.

Also feels "nicer" to have a link to something that is always there rather than something that may or may not be attached.

I'll try your way. Did you do a softlink or a junction?

 

[ThinWalls]

Simply so it's portable and that was how Pommes had it.

Also feels "nicer" to have a link to something that is always there rather than something that may or may not be attached.

I'll try your way. Did you do a softlink or a junction?

Quite honestly, I can't remember at this point which one worked, but my guess would be it was a junction.

Also my music directory is "always there". The link is to the music directory on the same PC as the simulator. I suppose it could alternatively be a link to the music directory on the ipod, but that's not how I do it.

I notice someone on the rockbox team is having a look at the flash-memory problem...if they manage to fix that then none of this will be necessary any more...so I hope that makes progress.
I do wish I had the competency to contribute to Rockbox itself - there are lots of things I'd add, but every time I set up a dev system and have a look I conclude that understanding the existing codebase is just beyond me.

 

[ThinWalls]

For example:

enhancing the cover-flow plug-in so it can sort in order of artist as well as by album-title.
a disk-usage chart a bit like the one in the OF, or better yet, like the sort of folder-size chart utilities you get on the PC (something I had a go at but never finished)
ability for the theme engine to show cover art rotated, either in the plane of the display by 90 or 180 degrees, or perpendicular to it, with a perspective distort effect as in the OF (some themes fake that effect as best they can, but be nice if it could be done properly in the theme engine)
ability to 'find' playlists that are in sub-directories of the playlists directory, not just the top level ones (which would allow me to organize my zillion playlists in an easier-to-manage way)
a method of browsing albums as a grid of cover art (as in Sony players)

The last one is an over-ambitious idea and would be a huge amount of work, but the first ones are not complicated in principle, just in working out how to get them to fit into the existing code.

 

[turkeyphant]

Quite honestly, I can't remember at this point which one worked, but my guess would be it was a junction.

Also my music directory is "always there". The link is to the music directory on the same PC as the simulator. I suppose it could alternatively be a link to the music directory on the ipod, but that's not how I do it.

I notice someone on the rockbox team is having a look at the flash-memory problem...if they manage to fix that then none of this will be necessary any more...so I hope that makes progress.
I do wish I had the competency to contribute to Rockbox itself - there are lots of things I'd add, but every time I set up a dev system and have a look I conclude that understanding the existing codebase is just beyond me.

Ah thanks for the explanation. Unfortunately my music directory is too big to be stored locally and also is not one-to-one with the files on the iPod so it seems I'll have to make to the the move directory switcheroo for now...

 

[ThinWalls]

Ah thanks for the explanation. Unfortunately my music directory is too big to be stored locally and also is not one-to-one with the files on the iPod so it seems I'll have to make to the the move directory switcheroo for now...

Ah, yeah, that makes it all more complicated. Even more reason to hope rockbox devs can sort out the ATA compatibility issue (which would fix the problem with building/updating the database on the ipod itself).

 

[JohnnyGunn]

I’m trying to update my iPod Video 5.5G and I’m failing miserably…I need help!


Here are the components I’m using:

- iPod 5.5 30GB
- PA-CF18Z CF to ZIF adapter (green one from eBay)
- QUMOX SD SDHC SDXC to CF Compact Flash Memory Card Adapter Reader Type 1 (red one from Amazon)
- SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSDXC UHS-I card with Adapter(SDSQXAF-128G-GN6MA)
- Two different machines: Windows 7 and Windows 10
- Two different versions of iTunes: 8 and 12


I’m going crazy! I’ve tried so many different things and I can’t get it to work!

Once I’ve installed the CF to ZIF adapter, formatted the SD Card properly and popped it in; I turn the iPod on, I get the sad iPod face with the exclamation point. If I plug it into my PC, I still get the sad iPod face and then I get a notification that the USB device is not recognized by my computer. If I put it into disk mode, the PC “recognizes” it, but the iPod doesn’t show up under My Computer (This PC), only under Computer Management - Disk Management. It has a drive letter assigned, but no indication of the drive size and it says “No Media”. The SD Card has been formatted using my PC according to the iFlash.xyz instructions, I’ve put it through SDFormatter, and I’ve even tried formatting just using Windows... I’ve tried ExFAT and FAT32…but once that card gets back into the iPod, nothing! Under Device Manager, it appears as an Apple Mobile Device, I’ve updated the drivers manually, so I assume they are working normally. However, it is not recognized by iTunes 12 under Windows 10.

Using the iPod diagnostic mode, if I test the HDD, I get a bunch of gibberish (letters, spaces, and numbers) and a drive size of 96GB even though my card is 128GB.

Nothing worked on the Windows 10 machine with iTunes 12, so I installed iTunes 8 on the Windows 7 machine and, in Disk Mode, the iPod pops up as an “Apple iPod” when plugged into the PC. iTunes opens, I get the “Please restore” prompt, but when I click restore it just tries connecting to the iPod update server, and never does anything more. If I try to force the firmware update by holding “Shift” while clicking “Restore” to manually point to the iPod_25.1.3.ipsw firmware I downloaded, I get another error message (I can’t remember exactly what, and I’m at work right now!).

I’ve tried using iPod Wizard v1.3 to manually upload the firmware, it “recognizes” the iPod as F:/ [Mac Formatted, even though the SD card inside has been formatted to FAT32 using a Windows machine. When I click to upload the firmware, I get an error message that it can’t connect to the iPod because iTunes is running (which it isn’t).

The CF adapter and SD Card combo work fine when I use them in a card reader.

The original ribbon cable I’m using works fine when I plug the old HDD back in to test it.

I’m assuming that it’s my ZIF to CF adapter that is fried, but on the other hand, the device is being semi-recognized using different combos, as mentioned above.

What else could it be? Everything worked fine before I tried upgrading it to 128GB. The only thing, and this just came to me, is that I haven’t tried to put the original 30GB HDD back in and restore or update using iTunes and then swapping the 128GB card back in. HELP!


Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[zedhed]

I’m trying to update my iPod Video 5.5G and I’m failing miserably…I need help!


Here are the components I’m using:

- iPod 5.5 30GB
- PA-CF18Z CF to ZIF adapter
- QUMOX SD SDHC SDXC to CF Compact Flash Memory Card Adapter Reader Type 1
- SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSDXC UHS-I card with Adapter(SDSQXAF-128G-GN6MA)
- Two different machines: Windows 7 and Windows 10
- Two different versions of iTunes: 8 and 12


I’m going crazy! I’ve tried so many different things and I can’t get it to work!

Once I’ve installed the CF to ZIF adapter, formatted the SD Card properly and popped it in; I turn the iPod on, I get the sad iPod face with the exclamation point. If I plug it into my PC, I still get the sad iPod face and then I get a notification that the USB device is not recognized by my computer. If I put it into disk mode, the PC “recognizes” it, but the iPod doesn’t show up under My Computer (This PC), only under Computer Management - Disk Management. It has a drive letter assigned, but no indication of the drive size and it says “No Media”. The SD Card has been formatted using my PC according to the iFlash.xyz instructions, I’ve put it through SDFormatter, and I’ve even tried formatting just using Windows... I’ve tried ExFAT and FAT32…but once that card gets back into the iPod, nothing! Under Device Manager, it appears as an Apple Mobile Device, I’ve updated the drivers manually, so I assume they are working normally. However, it is not recognized by iTunes 12 under Windows 10.

Using the iPod diagnostic mode, if I test the HDD, I get a bunch of gibberish (letters, spaces, and numbers) and a drive size of 96GB even though my card is 128GB.

Nothing worked on the Windows 10 machine with iTunes 12, so I installed iTunes 8 on the Windows 7 machine and, in Disk Mode, the iPod pops up as an “Apple iPod” when plugged into the PC. iTunes opens, I get the “Please restore” prompt, but when I click restore it just tries connecting to the iPod update server, and never does anything more. If I try to force the firmware update by holding “Shift” while clicking “Restore” to manually point to the iPod_25.1.3.ipsw firmware I downloaded, I get another error message (I can’t remember exactly what, and I’m at work right now!).

I’ve tried using iPod Wizard v1.3 to manually upload the firmware, it “recognizes” the iPod as F:/ [Mac Formatted, even though the SD card inside has been formatted to FAT32 using a Windows machine. When I click to upload the firmware, I get an error message that it can’t connect to the iPod because iTunes is running (which it isn’t).

The CF adapter and SD Card combo work fine when I use them in a card reader.

The original ribbon cable I’m using works fine when I plug the old HDD back in to test it.

I’m assuming that it’s my ZIF to CF adapter that is fried, but on the other hand, the device is being semi-recognized using different combos, as mentioned above.

What else could it be? Everything worked fine before I tried upgrading it to 128GB. The only thing, and this just came to me, is that I haven’t tried to put the original 30GB HDD back in and restore or update using iTunes and then swapping the 128GB card back in. HELP!


Merry Christmas everyone!

Hi there
I suspect it's either the CF-SD adapter or the CF-ZIF adapter (or both!).

I have a several CF-SD adapters that look similar to yours (Googling the description) and have used them ok with SDXC cards. For info, I have a Qumox microSD to CF adapter but it does not work in an ipod but works ok in a card reader.

Those cheap CF-ZIF adapters can be tricky to get the ribbon cable attached properly - the cable can go too far in and miss the contacts.

The fact you get gibberish in the ipod's diagnostics page points to some sort of communication problem. I've seen that with original drives and bad ribbon cables.

Time for some trouble-shooting :
1. Put the 30gb drive back in. Diagnostics info ok?
2. Double-check capacity of SD card in a card reader. Use something like h2testw. Test both with and without the SD-CF adapter.
3. If 1 and 2 check out ok then there's a fault or compatibility problem with the adapters. You might be better off going for one of Tarkan's made-for-ipod iFlash adapters https://www.iflash.xyz/store/

 

[PommesMagnum]

Last month there was an update of rock box. Did anybody install the new version of rock box? Are there any big improvements? Is updating the database on the iPod with I flash installments possible now? Or does the headphone remote work now?

 

[ThinWalls]

Last month there was an update of rock box. Did anybody install the new version of rock box? Are there any big improvements? Is updating the database on the iPod with I flash installments possible now? Or does the headphone remote work now?

Meh - they constantly update rockbox, usually there are multiple new dev versions every month (though last month has been very quiet, I notice - there really aren't as many people working on it as there used to be). Personally I just periodically install the latest dev version. The 3.15 release was just the latest dev version at the time, arguably tested a bit more, and with an updated manual. If you follow the forums and the various info on the site you can notice when there's an update of particular interest (e.g. a while back someone managed to finally fix the very-long-standing bug that caused cover art to disappear if you changed themes too many times - that bug had been annoying me ever since I first used rockbox, so I had to install that particular dev version).

I think one big deal about 3.15 is it involved finally incorporating the fixes to allow rockbox to be installed on ipod classic with the rockbox utility (hence that is now 1.4.1). It also, obviously, incorporates all the things from the dev releases since 3.14 (e.g. including that cover art bug fix). A lot of the fixes in dev releases are for other targets and not relevant to ipods, or are for plug-ins I don't use anyway.

There have been more dev releases since 3.15, with more small changes. You could just install the latest dev release. Check the front page or the forums or the gerrit page to see what each new fix is.

Fixes to the disk-writing with iFlash is clearly going to take some considerable time, if it happens at all. Sounds as if someone is at least looking into it now, but I'm not holding my breath!

Haven't heard anything happening re headphone remote. There really seems to be only a small core of people still actively developing anything so progress seems to be far slower than it used to be. I'm grateful there's anyone still working on it at all, really. As I said a few posts up, I'm annoyed that I lack the skills to contribute myself.