Updating Firmware?

[DynaMight]

Weeeeellll... my GP2x is somewhat earlier - 2005.11.10 - GP2x 000000510, and *seems* to have updated fine. By which I mean that the media player has the full 10 music levels which is one of the changes the new version is supposed to provide (seeing as currently iirc the new firmware - that is, 17/11/05 - doesn't change the version from 1.0 to 1.01).

That said, I've not seen an updating screen, but if the evidence suggests the update has been applied, do I need to?

​

The 17/11 one just updates the music player and ebook, It's an actual program which updates within the OS. The one everyones having problems with is the earlier one with is a img file thats spose to auto update when turned on. I cant get the damn thing to work.

 

[weirdocollector]

Had the very same problem.

Just do exactly as stated by Prodo in this thread:

http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=22157

it has worked for me !

​

Nope, no joy.

Format card as fat32
Copy gp2xkernel.img to \
Power up gp2x
Insert card
Look in explorer - file is there
Power down gp2x
Power up gp2x
White screen, grey screen, green screen then into menu.
Look in explorer - file isnt there.

​

I'm sorry it didn't work for you.

Only things I can add is that I'm using a 1Gig Sandisk SD, that I formatted it in FAT32 on my card reader directly form the 'My Computer' windows in Win XP and that the .img file was the only one present on the card.

 

[gleng]

I'm sorry it didn't work for you.

Only things I can add is that I'm using a 1Gig Sandisk SD, that I formatted it in FAT32 on my card reader directly form the 'My Computer' windows in Win XP and that the .img file was the only one present on the card.

​

That's what I had to do too to get it working (substitute Windows 2000 for Windows XP though.) After everything I tried, that was the only thing that worked. No other method of formatting the card worked for me.

 

[Mark1970]

GP2X - F100- S/N 2005.11.10 - GP2XV001 - 00000552

No firmware updating, file just disappears from the card without the updating firmware message.
using the 1Gb sdcard that CraigX supplied me with.

 

[unlucky]

I'm currently using my gp2x to format the card to fat 32 (over the usb link) could this be stopping it from working? My printers card reader wont detect fat 32 so its quite difficult formatting it any other way

 

[Tobriand]

Well, I've now applied the earlier patch as well (then re-applied the 17/11 one) and it worked on my first-batch (I think) unit fine.

The *way* I got it to work was,

1) Format a 128mb HTL SD card (shouldn't matter, but worth mentioning the brand in case it does as some have theorized) as Fat32 in WinXP.

2) Dump the image on the card - nothing else, though.

3) Plug the card into the GP2x

4) Boot up - note the "Updating Firmware" screen *before* the green loading screen.

5) Notice differences - i.e. screen slightly dimmer, more obvious lines (think that was coz my batteries were dying slowly lol - I know, I was very lucky lol).

6) Switch SD cards for the one with the 17/11 patch on and run it.

7) NO updating screen this time, but once the patch was done, the screen was - once again - very slightly lighter.

And done...

I don't know what's causing the problems, but I don't seem to be experiencing them, and I've an earlier (or at least, from an earlier batch) model than most who are having issues with updating.

 

[unlucky]

Did you use your gp2x to format or a card creader... did you do a quick format or a normal one?

 

[gleng]

I'm currently using my gp2x to format the card to fat 32 (over the usb link) could this be stopping it from working? My printers card reader wont detect fat 32 so its quite difficult formatting it any other way

​

OK, I had a similar problem. I don't have a card reader, but I have a camera and a PDA that can both read/write to SD cards. I tried to format the card from within the PDA and the camera, but with no luck, as Palm OS does something weird to the card, and the camera can only read/write FAT16.

Fortunately, my camera shows up as a USB mass storage device when plugged into my computer, and I could format it with "right-click -> Format -> FAT32" in My Computer (Win2k if it matters). Now, even though the camera can't read the card, it still shows up as a USB storage device on my PC, so I could copy just the firmware update over to the card from there. It was only after all that that I finally saw the "Updating Firmware" screen on boot.

Maybe a similar process could be done via your printer?

 

[Tobriand]

Did you use your gp2x to format or a card creader... did you do a quick format or a normal one?

​

Used a cardreader that I'm fairly sure is USB1.1 (it took 6 mins to transfer a 200Mb ep of Scrapped Princess to the 256mb card), and Windows XP format (as in the one you get when you right click on the drive - not the one from DOS).

Complete format... cluster sizes often mattered for pernickety things on the GP32, and if others have had success with whatever the default cluster size is in XP, I thought I'd try their way for now...

 

[unlucky]

After a half hour format into fat32 over the printer and then transferring the image immediately using batteries that report as fully charged it still hasn't worked!

 

[Ninjia^]

I still haven't got it to update Ive tried everything now.

-Three SD cards
-Formatted under FAT & FAT32
-Boot up then put the card in as prodo said
-Format in a Digital Camera
-Format under Linux
-Transferring .img file via USB

I dont understand it! Im probably going to ask for a refund from GBAX soon as Im having other problems aswell.

 

[unlucky]

i'm hoping craigix can help us both ( i also ordered from gbax ) i'm wondering on another thread they had an install scipt (.gpu) that copied the file to the root of the nand could this be why mine isn't working? Is that file being in the root directory of the nand confusing it so it instead installs nothing

S/N 2005.11.09 - GP2XV002 - 00000055

 

[daclassicgamingmaster]

uh just wanted to let everone know in case its a breakthough somehow, but i put the new firmware onto my 2gb sd and it was recognized by my 2x and updated.

 

[vFreak]

I was having problems getting the firmware flash working from an Integral 1GB SD card too. I tried formatting with FAT32 under XP but still no joy, same prob as everyone else - no "updating firmware" message.
So I snatched a 128mb SanDisk SD from my digital camera, formatted it under XP as FAT32, copied the .img file to it, put it in the GP2X and it flashed successfully.

Looks to me like it could be the make of the SD then. How about people start posting the details of SD cards that work (& don't work)?

I'll start then...

 

[vFreak]

Working: 128mb SanDisk
Failed: 1Gb Integral

 

[unlucky]

Failed 512mb Viking Interworks SD (i have no other cards )

 

[gleng]

Working: Fujifilm 256MB SD

 

[GND.]

Failed:
Toshiba 256mb

Looks like ill have to try and get another card tomorrow...

 

[solace]

I used cfdisk to make it 0B type (W95 FAT32) and then did mkfs.msdos -F 32, then copied gp2xkernel.img and ONLY gp2xkernel.img to the card's root directory.

A firware updating screen loaded and the screen is now darker, with no ghosting, no wobbly lines, no contrast problem, and it *seems* crisper and like it has a higher refresh rate. Definitely worth the update.

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Yup, I can confirm that this worked for me. My 1GB SD card from gbax came with a single partition of type 06 (FAT16). This worked fine for everything except updating the firmware. When I tried to do that, I got the same results as everyone else (file being deleted without doing anything).

Deleting the partition with fdisk, creating a new one (with the type 0B) and creating a filesystem solved the problem. After doing that, I got the update box and screen was darker.

It certainly seems like the GP2X is picky about the partition type/filesystem. Thanks for the tip.

 

[iignotus]

I used cfdisk to make it 0B type (W95 FAT32) and then did mkfs.msdos -F 32, then copied gp2xkernel.img and ONLY gp2xkernel.img to the card's root directory.

A firware updating screen loaded and the screen is now darker, with no ghosting, no wobbly lines, no contrast problem, and it *seems* crisper and like it has a higher refresh rate. Definitely worth the update.

​

Yup, I can confirm that this worked for me. My 1GB SD card from gbax came with a single partition of type 06 (FAT16). This worked fine for everything except updating the firmware. When I tried to do that, I got the same results as everyone else (file being deleted without doing anything).

Deleting the partition with fdisk, creating a new one (with the type 0B) and creating a filesystem solved the problem. After doing that, I got the update box and screen was darker.

It certainly seems like the GP2X is picky about the partition type/filesystem. Thanks for the tip.

​

Glad I could help.