This guidebook is a wonderful walkthrough to correct a bricked iPod. By bricked, I imply over and above repairing with the windows iPod restore software. Really easy to stick to and a lifesaver. It states its for the mini, but it can be used to correct any type of iPod.

This procedure will involve making use of a Linux Boot Compact disk, an iPod Mini (4GB), and a community Harddisk! It was examined with a close friends nuked iPod Mini. You will need to comply with these recommendations Specifically. If you are nervous about erasing your possess regional Personal computer Harddisk in the procedure, take it out and use a different disk or use a check-Computer system you could have and so forth.. this method must only contact your nearby High definition for Examining, but if you make a typo you could accidently produce the ipod firmware to your very own neighborhood High definition and that would render your Pc Useless! Ok!? I also hope I wrote this up suitable.. I've re-go through it a several moments! Also, I guess this procedure goes towards your warranty or somein.

This course of action has been tested with iPod Mini 4GB WINDOWS model utilizing USB link, Knoppix Are living Cd v3.4, Windows 2000 SP4, Pentium 3-500 Personal computer.

Note! - This course of action has been examined working with a USB link, I have not observed the firewire connection and for that reason most of this document would be irrelevant for that connection variety!

Observe! - The MAC iPod Mini is somewhat distinct (disk construction is three partitions instead of two), and given that I have not even viewed a Mac iPod none of the beneath applies to a Mac iPod!

Observe! - This approach has been examined with a 4GB iPod Mini. Larger measurement Mini's ought to also work considering that we are not specifying a dimensions for the 2nd partition, but that is untested Ok!.

Have Entertaining!

Dilemma

iPod seems nuked, only exhibits folder icon and ! on its LCD and is unmountable below windows? (working iPod Updater just does practically nothing - does not even detect the machine as an ipod!)

This is possible because of to comprehensive reduction of Harddisk boot sector, framework and regions.

Basic principles

iPod framework (WINDOWS iPod Mini version)

Hard Disk (4GB) - Partition one 32MB for Operating Process - Partition two 4GB (4161536MB?) for Person Data (FAT32 file system)

Boot sequence (?)

Arm ARM7TDMI CPU init - Execute ROM init and code - Boots High definition Boot Sector - Boots Hd Partition one (Functioning Method, Arm code) - Process Up!

Demands

- iPod Mini (examined 4GB United kingdom model) - iPod Updater software (tested 2005-03-23) - Resource Hacker application (v3.4.) - Knoppix Live Compact disk Linux v3.4 or afterwards (other Linux variations would abviously function, I guess you need to have kernel two.four.x, dd, mkfs.x, fdisk and so forth) - .. adventurer's spirit hey!

The Method

To start with, you want to extract the firmware binary file out of the iPod Updater application. Use Resource Hacker below Windows, open the iPod Updater exe file, open the Agency folder. Now you want to open up the IDR_FIRMWARE-three.2.five folder, and then decide on the 1033 file. Now extract this useful resource as a binary file to somewhere on your nearby Hd (eg cmini325.bin).

Shutdown windows.

Turn off Computer.

Plug in your iPod Mini. (tested USB link)

Boot your Personal computer from your Knoppix Linux Live Compact disk.

When Linux is up and booted, it really should have mounted your regional Hd, most likely as hda1. I would mount it manually anyway!

Open up a Terminal session, get into root user with "su -", you must have Knoppixroot$ (or one thing like that).

Mount your binary options software community Hd

Make a community mount point directory (wherever you will access your regional Hd) mkdir /mnt/localhd

Mount your neighborhood High definition (NTFS drives, windows xp, 2000 and so forth) mount -t ntfs /dev/hda1 /mnt/localhd

Mount your regional High definition (FAT32 drives, windows 98, me) mount -t vfat /dev/hda1 /mnt/localhd

Do a directory listing to check out contents of your local Hd cd /mnt/localhd ls -la

You must see "mini325.bin", your ipod mini firmware! (or the file you known as it!)

Of training course, if you stored the firmware on a slave High definition, you want to mount that as an alternative. In the conclude of the day you require access to the firmware binary file.

Put together Your iPod Mini

Your iPod Mini should have hooked up as a pretend scsi system /dev/sda.

To check this, "more /dev/sda" must exhibit it is there. (CtrlC to quit moreing)

Now we will need to put together the disk stucture on the iPod

fdisk /dev/sda

Use "p" to print out the latest disk structure, it really should be blank! no partitions! (if there are partitions then you are in unchartered terriroty and most likely should delete them all - untested!)

Now we want to make two new partitions, 1 for the boot spot, 1 for the person info.

Stick to specifically explanations are in curly brackets, do not variety these

setup very first partition, 32 MB in dimension n p one 32M

setup 2nd partition, the relaxation of the tough disk n p two

change form of partition one to , no format t one

modify type of partition 2 to b, ie FAT32 t 2 b

exhibit partition layout, really should be two partitions now p

compose partition layout to the iPod w

quit fdisk again to command prompt the moment complete q

You ought to now be back again to the very good ol' Knoppixroot$ prompt. (or comparable!)

Format Partition 2

From the command prompt

mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n "title" /dev/sda2

This will format the 2nd partition of the iPod, and give it a volume title "name".

Immediately after this you are returned to the command prompt Knoppixroot$ and so on.

Produce Firmware to Partition 1

From the command prompt

dd if/mnt/localhd/mini325.bin of/dev/sda1

This will compose the input file mini325.bin from your localhd mount to the 1st partition of the ipod mini (the partition for the running program).

This might get a handful of moments, you will be returned to the command prompt when finish!

Mount your iPod below Linux

Out of curiosity, mount the 2nd partition of your iPod to check out it is ok!

mkdir /mnt/myipod mount -t vfat /dev/sda2 /mnt/myipod compact disc /mnt/myipod ls -la

There should be no files, but it ought to mount okay like any other fat32 disk!

Shutdown Linux and flip off your Laptop!

Unplug your iPod Mini from your Computer system.

Swap the iPod on, it really should need you to plug into your mains electricity provide!

Plug in electrical power, switch electrical power on, iPod will boot up like any other booting computer system, full with loading progress bar and display screen refresh . Immediately after this, you ought to be in a position to decide on language and use your iPod once more!

Next up - ditch i-tunes due to the fact it is a little bit of a demon and use Anapod or Gnupod or anything and appreciate your iPod as you really should! Freee...

Thank heavens for Linux eh!! and thank heavens for people today making an attempt to stick linux their pods, reading up on that is in which I figured all this things out.

Forgotten Credits - these men did all the tricky function - Alan Donovan, Pedro Diaz. Without them this would not have been so easy!

Thats all folks..! iPodFixed