Messages

1

Sharp ROMs / Can't flash new ROM via CF - any suggestions?

« on: August 06, 2004, 05:53:33 am »

Been away from email a couple of days. Thanks for the response Zaurus_Eric.

A memory card is a memory card, regardless of the make. There are no special drivers required, unlike with WiFi and Bluetooth etc. So I doubt the make of the card is the problem.

Make sure your files are not getting corrupt and that the partition type really is FAT16, not vFAT, not FAT32, and not FAT12.

That certainly wasn't the issue in my case. I did try vFAT as well, but FAT16 was used & didn't work. Likewise, the files weren't corrupt as I checked md5sum. With the alternative card it worked first time.

Something odd is happening & I'd imagine it does involve the fact that different code will be being used to access the card during a reflash than during normal running.

2

Sharp ROMs / Can't flash new ROM via CF - any suggestions?

« on: August 03, 2004, 09:38:10 am »

I have successfully flashed a new Sharp ROM using a Dane-Elec CF card, so they can be used without any problems.

What size?

I picked up a 64MB Impact CF card the other day from <spit /> PC World, as that was the last local place to try. Never heard of the brand. It worked

As the Dane Elec 128MB card is fine in other respects, it seems unlikely the problem was with the individual unit, so I'm left wondering if size or size/brand is the issue.

Thanks for the reply

3

Sharp ROMs / Slow Cacko Rom

« on: July 28, 2004, 11:07:01 am »

From ploughing through the forums I believe the Toshiba and Panasonic SD cards are the only ones to bother with for speed and reliability (correct me if wrong).  I bought a Toshiba 256 for £37, though Panasonics seem to be around £60!

Thanks for the response. I'll consider these two, though it would be good to know you'd sorted your possible Toshiba problem first

Lookings at products available form ebuyer.co.uk, I found:

The Kingston Elite Pro line of Hi-Speed SD cards support 4 bit data transfer at up to 10Mbps - 5 times faster than standard SD cards (standard SD cards support 1 bit data transfer).

Is this supported by the Zaurus & is that what makes the difference? If I can confirm that it'll make shopping easier

Incidentally, ebuyer have the 128MB Kingston Elite Pro at 42ukp. This appealed to me as I find their SDRAM very reliable.

The price & size differences make me wonder if this is a red-herring; in which case I'd imagine the 4 bit data xfer will either result in even better performance than Tosh/Pana, or if it turns out the Zaurus doesn't support it, a waste of money :/

4

Sharp ROMs / Slow Cacko Rom

« on: July 28, 2004, 10:24:34 am »

Can anyone recommend brands/sizes of SD which are at the faster end of the range?

Thanks.

5

Sharp ROMs / Can't flash new ROM via CF - any suggestions?

« on: July 28, 2004, 10:16:23 am »

The reason could be that the flash boot loader is not as sophisticated in recognizing non-standard cards as the Linux driver which has a database for PCMCIA card types and configurations and tries several different formats.

That's what I reckoned, hence the reason I (think) I asked if it would be enough to merely try another card, or if it's more important to make sure I try another brand &/or size (& which of these two is more likely to make a difference).

Likewise, might it make a difference if the file is written via another device, rather than the Zaurus (seems unlikely, but you never know - well, I never know, anyway  ?

As bredroll said, can anyone recommend a particular card that's known to work?

Unfortunately the only local shop that has stock keeps only Dane-Elec, so unless the key factor is card size, I'll have to try something mail order which means more delays.

6

Sharp ROMs / Can't flash new ROM via CF - any suggestions?

« on: July 28, 2004, 10:06:38 am »

Some people have reported having troubles with particular cards, then trying a different one and it working. I don't know.

...What about the file extensions

As a last ditch attempt, you could always try removing the partition (fdisk) and then re-creating it and then formatting it.

Particular cards:

That's the impression I get from searching on the subject :/

File extensions:

No, not that. I'm used to systems which don't use them & as far as I'm concerned, they're just part of the filename, so unless something clips them & I don't notice, they don't usually cause me problems

fdisk:

Thanks, I will give that a shot.

7

Sharp ROMs / Can't flash new ROM via CF - any suggestions?

« on: July 27, 2004, 01:06:22 am »

Hi,

This problem's driving me nuts. I've been playing with my new SL5500 for a couple of weeks now. Tried to reflash the ROM tonight, but have had no success.

I'm trying to replace the original Sharp ROM with tkrom 2.0alpha3.

I only have a single compact flash card - a Dane-Elec 128MB unit - & the Zaurus is my only means to read/write to it.

I use Qtopia Desktop from WindowsXP to copy the two files across to the Zaurus's internal memory, then use the terminal on the Zaurus to move these into the root of the compact flash card.

Then I switch the unit off, ensure the device has mains power, flip the rear switch to replace & remove the battery cover. I hold c & d on the key pad, press & release the hard reset button & then release c & d.

Neither of the power/email leds light.

To get the Zaurus up again, I have to press the hard reset button again, at which point the powed led briefly lights. I put the battery cover back & flip the switch back to normal. Powering up brings the Zaurus back to life, as though I'd just done a hard reset & nothing else. IOW the old ROM is still there.

I've tried this many times. From the terminal, dosfsck -v /dev/hda1 shows me that the card is formatted to FAT 16. I've tried multiple reformats, both via mkdosfs & mkfs.vfat (both with the default of FAT16 & by explicitly requesting it with -F 16). I also ensure there are no other files on the compact flash card.

Whatever I do, I get the same results.

I've also checked transferring the files to the card didn't corrupt them by comparing md5sums.

Can anyone help?

Am I screwing something up? Will I have to buy & try a card reader to format &/or write the files to the card. Do I have to try a different card? If so, does it matter if it's the same spec, or should I try to find a different brand &/or size? Are there any best options or other things I can try?