So, if you're like me, then you detest any hardware manufacturer who tries to control how you use their product.
Recently, I acquired a 20gb G4 Ipod (Black & White, clickwheel).
I connected it to my computer, opened up the drive, and was annoyed to see that Apple took the liberty of hiding all of the music files, and naming them obscure, unusable names.
So I did some research into correcting this. In my studies, I came across ROCKBOX, a fantastic homebrew application that's designed to replace the default iPod software. Did a little more homework, a little downloading, and within fifteen minutes, I had modified my iPod to play any media file I threw at it, WITHOUT having to use the dreaded iTunes.
Hence...this tutorial. I'll now share with you all I've learned...
1. First, you need to get the proper build of Rockbox for your flavor of Ipod. Mind you, this software will not work with the Shuffle, as it doesn't have a GUI.
To find your build, go here:
Rockbox - Daily builds
Select the LATEST build for your particular device, and download it.
2. Once you've downloaded the SOFTWARE, you'll need to install the proper firmware. For this, you'll need iPodPatcher.exe (Save it somewhere simple to find via the command line, like "C:\"):
http://download.rockbox.org/bootload...podpatcher.exe
You'll also need the proper BOOTLOADER. To find this, go here:
Index of /bootloader/ipod
Find your specific model of iPod. For mine, the filename was "bootloader-ipod4g.ipod" Prettymuch, if you've got the iPod Color, then the filename would be "bootloader-ipodcolor.ipod".
JUST MAKE SURE THAT THE FILE YOU DOWNLOAD STARTS WITH "bootloader" and ends in ".ipod"
Save this file in the same directory where you saved ipodpatcher.exe.
3. Okay. Now you're ready to install the bootloader.
Open a command prompt (Start> Run> type cmd.exe)
Now, you need to navigate to where ipodpatcher.exe is saved. Hopefully, you put it right in the "C:\" drive.
Scan for your ipod by typing:
It will return something like "ipod found on disk device 3". Remember that it is device 3.
The next command you need to give ipodpatcher tells it to backup the original firmware.
This is important in case you screw up and need to fix things. DO NOT ask for help and say you didn't do a backup, because I will tell you you're fuxed.
Type this at the command prompt:
Code:
ipodpatcher N -r bootpartition.bin
Where
N is the device number you found during the scan.
The computer will think for a minute, and then tell you it's done making the backup.
Now you can install the new bootloader. Be sure to replace "N" with the number of your device, and "bootloaderfile.ipod" with the name of the file you downloaded for your device. Here's the command:
Code:
ipodpatcher N -a bootloaderfile.ipod
SO...if your ipod was on device 3 and the bootloader you downloaded was called "bootloader-ipodcolor.ipod", then the proper syntax would be as follows:
Code:
ipodpatcher 3 -a bootloader-ipodcolor.ipod
The computer will think for a bit, and give you a message saying everything has been done successfully.
4. Lastly, it's time to install the rockbox build you downloaded in step 1. Don't worry, this is MUCH easier.
Open the .zip file.
Extract it to the ROOT directory of your ipod. This means that if your iPod is shown as drive "G:\", you want winzip to extract everything to "G:\".
5. You've now installed Rockbox. There's one IMPORTANT step left.
Disconnect your ipod from the computer. REBOOT it by holding MENU+SELECT for a few seconds until it restarts. You should now see the rockbox screen...
Notes:
This is designed for people using WINDOWS. I have no Mac, and therefore no knowledge or use for Mac instructions.
I will be revising this tutorial as I have time. This means that there will be more thorough instructions, pictures, and the like.
+rep points are appreciated.
Thank you...