Here is FloydZilla (an iPod Linux GUI, there are others) on my iPod Mini 2nd Generation.
Here is some Linux boot text on my iPod Mini. See, it actually works!
NERD SKILL REQUIRED: 7/10
by: Alex Harris
Here is a proven working tutorial on how to install iPodLinux (
http://ipodlinux.org) on an iPod mini 1G & 2G, iPod 4G, and iPod Photo from Windows. I have done this myself on my iPod mini 2G and it worked great. It took forever to find all this info on the internet, add in my own comments and put it together, so enjoy!
This tutorial will also help you solve the infamous BLANK SCREEN PROBLEM.
I. MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE USING FIRMWARE 1.3 or less FOR THE MINI!
Contrary to my original post, you may not need firmware 1.3. But if you are having problems installing with 1.4, try the 1.3 firmware.
II. MAKE SURE THAT THE IPOD IS SET TO HARD DRIVE MODE!
1. Get an iPod mini 1st or 2nd Generation or 4th Generation iPod or an iPod photo.
2. Get these files :
a)
Modded Installer
a ii)
Alternate Link: Modded Installer
b)
Lastest Podzilla and uClinux Kernel
b ii)
Alternate Link: Lastest Podzilla and uClinux Kernel
3. Put the installer and the kernel’s in separate folders so you don’t get confused.
4. Extract the modded installer to a folder call ‘Modder Installer’or something like that.
5. Unzip/extract ‘2005-07-09-kernel.bin.gz’ and ‘2005-07-09-podzilla.bin.gz’ (names may be different).
6. Change the name of “2005-07-09-kernel.bin” to “linux.bin”.
7. Rename “2005-07-09-podzilla.bin” to “podzilla” (no extension!!).
8. Run Notepad and paste the following into it:
Quote:
mv /hp/podzilla /sbin
rm /hp/start
This will help the install move the files around. You don’t need to know what this does.
9. Go to save and change “Save as Type” to “All Files”. Save the file with the name “start” (no quotation marks) with no file extension. Save this in the folder where you put the nightly stuff.
10. Copy (ctrl+c) the file “linux.bin”
11. Paste (ctrl+v) this file in the folder where the Modded Installer is. When asked to replace the file press yes.
12. Run the installer. “ipodlinux-installer.exe”
13. In the installer, make sure that “Check for Updates” is
not checked. Make a backup just in case (don’t worry this should work) and for later upgrades.
14. Now just keep pressing next until the install is done.
15. Now, DON’T DISCONNECT YOUR IPOD (even though it might say to) !
16. Copy the file “start” and the “podzilla” to the root of the iPod (eg. E:\). Access this by going to My Computer and then access the iPod Hard Drive and paste there.
17. Disconnect your iPod.
18. The iPod will reboot, showing the Apple logo. Be prepared to right away hold down the Rewind |< < button until you see the Linux boot text scrolling by.
19. Explore PodZilla!!
I. To install a different GUI (ie. FloydZilla, PokeZilla etc.) download the latest build of the GUI instead of the one I mentioned, then simply rename that GUI "podzilla" instead.
20. To boot back to Apple Firmware, go to the power menu on the main Podzilla screen and select 'Reboot iPod'. While you see the Apple logo, you may have to hold down the Pause/Play ||> button.
21. Reboot the iPod in Apple mode, hold down the action (middle) button and the MENU button at the same time for about 5-10 seconds.
BLANK SCREEN PROBLEM:
This is caused because the contrast setting on iPL is quite buggy. When you boot iPL for the first time, the screen may be all dark or completely blank. To fix this you can either turn your iPod sideways until you see something then go to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Contrast’ and fiddle with it until you see the Linux. If this does not work, follow this procedure:
1. Spin around the click wheel and you should hear some clicking sounds. This means iPL is working.
2. Spin the click wheel around COUNTER-CLOCKWISE until the clicking stops. This will set the selector to the very top.
3. Spin the wheel CLOCK WISE until you hear 2 clicks. This will put the selector to ‘Settings’. Do this nice and slow. Now press the middle button to select it.
4. Spin the wheel CLOCKWISE until you hear 4 clicks. This should select the contrast menu. Press the action button to enter it.
5. Turn the wheel CLOCKWISE to make the screen darker, and COUNTER-CLOCKWISE to make it lighter. The wheel is very sensitive to this so do it slow.
6. If there is no sound during this process, try going to a very bright area and attempting to see the black selector bar on the screen.
If these both don’t work, you’re in trouble! Use the Apple restore tool to restore your iPod and try again!
REVIEW:
Podzilla, and Floydzilla are the only UI’s I’ve tried and they come with many games and apps.
There are only minor bugs in the system, and music playing still works decently.
There is also a Gameboy emulator for the iPod available here :
http://sourceforge.net/projects/iboy/.
The Griffin iTrip is still compatible with iPodLinux, I have tried this myself
OVERALL RATING : 7.5/10
Good idea but still needs some work to get out all the bugs, potential to be better than Apple Firmware.
How to Install iPod Linux on 1 & 2G mini, 4G, Photo from Windows
Linear Mode
