Specifications

DRAFT VERSION
CHAPTER 8. ADVANCED TOPICS 58
1. Normally, you’ll simply download a .zip distribution. Copy all the content to
the USB drive, replacing the old.
2. Force a disk boot by holding Minus during power-up, or at least rolo into the
new Rockbox version by Playing the ajbrec.ajz/fnamearchos.mod file. This
may not always be necessary, but it’s better to first run the version you’re about
to flash. It is required if you are currently running RomBox.
3. Just play the .ucl file in the .rockbox directory, this will kick off the rockbox flash.rock
plugin. It’s a bit similar to the other one, but it’s made different to make the user
aware. It will check the file, available size, etc. With On it’s being programmed.
No need for warning this time. If it goes wrong, you’ll still have the permanent
image.
4. When done, you can restart the box and hopefully your new Rockbox image.
You may find two .ucl files in the .rockbox folder. The classical, compressed one is
rockbox.ucl. If your model has enough flash space left, there may be an additional
rombox.ucl, which is uncompressed and can run directly from flash ROM, saving
some RAM. The second way is the newer and now preferred one. Use this if available.
If you like or have to, you can also flash the Archos image as the second one. E.g. in
case Rockbox from flash doesn’t work for you. This way you keep the dual bootloader
and you can easily try different later. The .ucl of the Archos firmware is included in
the package.
8.5.8. Restoring the original firmware
If you’d like to revert to the original firmware, you can do like you did when you
flashed Rockbox for the first time. You simply use the backup files you saved when
flashing Rockbox for the first time and rename internal rom 2000000-203FFFF.bin
to firmware
*
.bin (name varies per model, use the filename that firmware flash.rock
asks for) and put it in the root.
8.5.9. Known issues and limitations
Rockbox has a charging screen, but it is not 100% perfect. You’ll get it when the unit is
off and you plug in the charger. The Rockbox charging algorithm is first measuring the
battery voltage for about 40 seconds, after that it only starts charging when the capacity
is below 85%.
If the plugin API is changed, new builds may render the plugins incompatible. When
updating, make sure you grab those too, and ROLO or Minus boot into the new version
before flashing it.
There are two variants of how the boxes starts, therefore the normal and the norom
firmware files. The vast majority of the player’s all have the same boot ROM content,
differentiation comes later by flash content. Rockbox identifies this boot ROM with
THE ROCKBOX MANUAL ARCHOS STUDIO/PLAYER