The Reason There Is No Full Firmware Update

[sam fisher]

I asked GPH if they could release a "clean and full" firmware update to get everyone on level ground as far as that goes and this was the brief answer I got:

QUOTE
as hardware is different in terms of electricity, full update may lead to breaking NAND memory.


Now that I come to think of it I do remember being told that different Wiz revisions have different voltages required for something or other. Anyway, this explains why they have just been releasing different patches and probably why my first dev unit no longer is able to stay on without me holding the power button down and why it cannot boot past the bootloader image.

 

[notaz]

This doesn't sound convincing at all, maybe they misunderstood you. The partial firmware they already released _is_ flashing NAND with a new kernel (and bootloader too I think), so rewriting NAND is possible. Maybe they had in mind oldest dev units.

 

[sam fisher]

I do indeed think they are thinking of the oldest dev units which are destroyed by the most recent firmware updates. I will keep pushing for more information on this when I get the chance.

 

[jacksterson]

I do indeed think they are thinking of the oldest dev units which are destroyed by the most recent firmware updates. I will keep pushing for more information on this when I get the chance.

I do not know much about programming, but I always find it easier to just start over with what I do know, to make things much smoother and efficient (with many things).

Why don't they just remake the firmware and menu system entirely? It would definitely be a worth-while investment.

 

[rx_shorty]

Yep I think that is the problem.
I also have a earlier Wiz then the production, but that does seem to work just fine...

 

[sam fisher]

Because commercial software development is VERY expensive.

 

[jacksterson]

Because commercial software development is VERY expensive.

Ah, I forgot about costs. Got too caught up in the whole open-source thing. -cough-

 

[Squidge]

I don't understand GPH's response. If the hardware is different, then you could assume GPH couldn't release bootloader or kernel images, as those would be the bits talking to the hardware. The contents of the file system shouldn't care about the hardware, as it should only use kernel drivers.

Now here's the confusing part: GPH have already released the bootloader and kernel. The only bit they have not released is the part that doesn't care about hardware differences.

Maybe they mean the retail and pre-release versions have different nand size, and so you can't physically put the retail nand file system on pre-retail hardware? That would make sense.

 

[jacksterson]

I don't understand GPH's response. If the hardware is different, then you could assume GPH couldn't release bootloader or kernel images, as those would be the bits talking to the hardware. The contents of the file system shouldn't care about the hardware, as it should only use kernel drivers.

Now here's the confusing part: GPH have already released the bootloader and kernel. The only bit they have not released is the part that doesn't care about hardware differences.

Maybe they mean the retail and pre-release versions have different nand size, and so you can't physically put the retail nand file system on pre-retail hardware? That would make sense.

Maybe they should cater more to the people who paid for a retail wiz than the ones with older, less frequent test-versions?

 

[Exophase]

Maybe they should cater more to the people who paid for a retail wiz than the ones with older, less frequent test-versions?

What an exaggerated sense of entitlement you have.

People who paid for a retail Wiz already have the latest firmware and don't need to be "catered" to. The people with "test" versions are the ones who have already developed software, some of it sitting in limbo for the time being (like mine is) because we're using old firmware that isn't consistent with what the release versions have. We need to have proper firmware upgrades so we can actually be on the same platform we'd like to be releasing things for.

 

[Pickle]

Maybe they mean the retail and pre-release versions have different nand size, and so you can't physically put the retail nand file system on pre-retail hardware? That would make sense.

This is the case, the newer units have 1 gb nand, and the very old ones must have less. Reason I say this is that gph did at one point give me a firmware and they specifically mentioned the nand must be 1 gb.

It doesnt make sense though why they couldnt release the 1gb nand full firmware.

 

[EvilDragon]

Most of that NAND stuff are games anyways which can be scrapped

I'll try to rip the 1.0 filesystem tonight (without the games)
Together with the 1.0 Bootloader and Kernel, it should work with at least the models which don't have the Double-DPad anymore.

 

[jacksterson]

Maybe they should cater more to the people who paid for a retail wiz than the ones with older, less frequent test-versions?

What an exaggerated sense of entitlement you have.

People who paid for a retail Wiz already have the latest firmware and don't need to be "catered" to. The people with "test" versions are the ones who have already developed software, some of it sitting in limbo for the time being (like mine is"] because we're using old firmware that isn't consistent with what the release versions have. We need to have proper firmware upgrades so we can actually be on the same platform we'd like to be releasing things for.[/quote]Well... why don't they just give you a retail one as appreciation?

I don't know, it just seems to me, that someone who spends all that time working on programs for free, should get SOMEthing in return ://

I'm trying to be frank here, I'm sorry if I come off as rude. I'm also pretty tired ><

 

[Exophase]

Well... why don't they just give you a retail one as appreciation?

I don't know, it just seems to me, that someone who spends all that time working on programs for free, should get SOMEthing in return ://

I'm trying to be frank here, I'm sorry if I come off as rude. I'm also pretty tired ><

We don't need retail ones, except the few who still only have the oldest versions. The hardware isn't really different. We just need proper firmware. The units we have are fine and enough of compensation, not that we really asked for/need any.

 

[EvilDragon]

Okay, as promised, I prepared the FW 1.0.0 files for you.

PLEASE NOTE!
THIS IS JUST FOR DEVS WHO HAVE AN OĹDER VERSION. ALL RETAIL UNITS ALREADY DO HAVE 1.0.0 INSTALLED!

I tested it on my 0.7.1 FW unit and it seems to work.

First grab the firmware update for bootloader and kernel from the archive.
Put it onto your SD Card into the root (press and keep L and R while switching on until it says UPDATING FIRMWARE).

Now download the archive from here (LINK REMOVED FOR THE MOMENT) and unpack it onto the root (important!) of your SD Card.
Start your WIZ, go to the launcher and run "unpack.gpe"
The screen will turn black. It should stay black for about a minute and then the menu comes back again.
You can now check in the information that you're on FW 1.0.0

CAUTION: There are reports of bricked Wiz's below!

 

[rx_shorty]

Thanks EvilDragon!

Gonna try it right now...

 

[Pickle]

Thanks EvilDragon!

Gonna try it right now...


I just did and it seg faulted part way into the extraction and now it wont boot very far:
INIT: no more processes left in this runlevel

My init.d must be goofed, any idea what to try now?

DO NOT RUN THE ARCHIVE!!!!

AGAIN DO NOT RUN THE ARCHIVE!!!!

 

[rx_shorty]

Yups what Pickle said.
My Wiz is can't get past the Bootscreen of the Wiz

 

[sam fisher]

I may be drunk but I gather not to run this?

 

[Pickle]

I may be drunk but I gather not to run this?

DO NOT RUN IT!