EU Volume Limitation Solution, works w/ Gen 3!

Hi,

Let me know if you have this option working.
As a French user, I have a limited iPod and I'd like to get rid of this awful volume limit !!!

Thanks,
SR

Yes, this topic does include copying the US formatted and already read firmware. The difference is, in this case, is that it creates a copy of the firmware that has already "determined" that it doesnt need the volume limit, and therefore will not. I am absolutely positive that the ipod stops reading its "area" (ie EU or noneu) after the original format, and will not change based on any other reason. (i have done this with a gen 2 ipod, as well as a test using a copy of the 2.0.1 firmware i found, faking a european ipod with another external hard drive i own). The only thing that will stop this from working is this: the limit is hardware based, which i highly doubt. I spent quite a while today testing this with my limited recourses (ie no gen 3 ipod :( ).

NOTE: all linux commands start with a %, this is the terminal stop symbol, and should not be typed. On some computers, this will show up as a # or some other symbol. (ie, at [root@host /root]# you would type dd ... instead of %dd ...)

Now, the first step, is to grab an image of the partition designated for the os (from a US machine). This can be done as stated above. A HOST IS STILL NEEDED, as well as a firmware "donor" so to speak. (or even just someone willing to send me a US gen 3 ipod to copy the os off of, but this is a last resort).

Now, the next step is to downlaod this image onto the "/" directory of the linux/unix box (still unsure if osX works).

The commands are as follows, it is imparative that you wait for each step to finish before starting the next one. It is also recommended that you backup your music/ipod data, as one of the steps includes erasing it entirely.

Before starting, make sure you completely understand the goings on, as well as read ahead. Make sure at the terminal, before you start, that you are in the "\" directory: ie at [root@host /root]#, type cd ../../../../ to get you all the way to the bottom directory. Good luck!

1) % dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=1M count=10
-this step erases the ipod completely, basically killing any way the ipod has of saving a region.

2) % rmmod sbp2 && insmod sbp2
-mounts and unmounts the ipod, refreshing it as it will

3)
-this step reformats the ipod into the partitions needed

% fdisk /dev/sda
n [make new partition]
p [primary]
1 [first partition]
[just press enter -- default first sector is 1]
5S [5 sectors -- big enough to hold 32MB]

n [make new partition]
p [primary]
2 [second partition]
[just press enter -- default first sector is 6]
[just press enter -- default size uses all remaining space]

t [modify type]
1 [first partition]
0 [first partition has no filesystem; ignore warning]

t [modify type]
2 [second partition]
b [second partition is FAT32, this can be formatted back to hpfs later]

p [show partition map]

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 5 40131 0 Empty
/dev/sda2 6 3647 29254365 b Win95 FAT32

w [commit changes to disk]

8) now that the ipod is erased, as well as repartitioned, we will finally copy the new firmware over to the ipod.
with this command
% dd if=backup_firmware of=/dev/sda1

9) mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n "My iPod" /dev/sda2
finally, we format the second partition for Fat32.

10) for macites: now, in mac OS, format the ipod with the default system program to HFS+ (AKA HPFS).
11) (for all) have either itunes or something similar to itunes (ephpod for windows users) rebuild the file structure, which basically just adds some files. Alternatively, you can copy all hidden/visable files over before hand, and just copy them back.

12) thats it! Copy your songs over, and enjoy limitless sound!

Thanks for the compliment mark. I feel sad that you had to give up an ipod just because apple decided to do something stupid like thisl. Almost makes me wish that Linux on IPOD was available for all OS's! In any event, i am 95% sure that this will work as advertised, as long as we get an honest gen 3 USA donor, a host/server(will ipodlounge pony up the bandwidth?), and enough people to test it to know for sure, that this will work no problem. BTW, an FYI for any windows user, mandrake 9.1 is an amazingly easy interface that lends itself to this. Even if you only install it on a small (5gb or so) partition, it can work for this no problem.

1 final note, when the ipod has the do not disconnect sign on its screen, it means that you can begin copying/writting to/from it. If you have another scsi adapter on the computer, the sda addresses may be different.

Is there any progress on this?

somebody willing to be a donor?

anyways i wish you good luck KeaneE04, if you make it i will be foreever grateful

People are getting around this problem with Xplay and Media Center 9...Media Center 9 offers a particularly nice way to normalize and adjust the gain. Unfortunately, neither one of these programs are free (I'm and avid MC9 user--perhaps my most used, most favorite piece of software I've come across..).

KeaneE04: I would gladly try this if i had linux and the american firmware file. But keep up the good work!

Itunes as a product is only currently available on the MAC as a product so you can get Itunes on the MAC to increase the vol.

Xplay mimics Itunes in some ways on the PC and writes to the itunes database so you have to use Xplay on the PC to increase vol.

You can also increase volume with Media Centre but it takes a bit of learning. There is a forum on MC on this site and in it you should be able to find a link on it to a dedicated MC message board.

K.. i should be getting a US iPod next week. As soon as I get it ill get linux goin and i can send the backed up firmware out.
Although im REALLY suprised there wasnt more interest in this, i mean look how meany threads there were #####in about it.

Nice one M@rk... Big respect

Thanks for your help mike and mark. Mike, the file will only be about 35 mb, so it shouldnt be too much of a problem, though if mark wants to TAR the archive (similar to a zip, but for linux, although if you would like to zip it, mandrake does support zip files) thats fine and wont hurt the data.

I also am surprised that people are not interested in this as they should be. They seem to have all accepted the in program volume raiser as a real solution, which it is obviously not. (it does NOTHING to the iTunes db, its just changing volume markers in the actual song).

Anyway, if either of you need help with what you are doing, feel free to contact me via AIM KeaneE04, or email.

Tuts, and good luck!

Nickso, is VMWare an emulator or a virtualPC type program? If it is vertual pc type, you will need to have the ipod connected to the linux machine. IF it is an emulator, just make sure you have the ipod mounted in windows, and that /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda2 BOTH show up (thats file:/dev/sda1 and sda2), and this will work wonders. I appreciate you being willing to help.

Thanks all.

I really hope you guys make some progress on thos vol. capping issue. Good Luck!!

Oooohhh, i will try this, im dual booted with linux anyways so...as long as it wont hurt my iPod too much :) - Lets see if we can kick apple in the nuts with this!!

BTW, just niticed after that last post that i had 99, so i want to make my 100 here.

*Oh say can you see...* (i wonder if when it plays the pledge of allegience it will leave out the "under god" part?)

Alright, what is going on here, got my iPod home, installed my firewire card and connected my iPod:
Get the message: "Do Not Disconnect".
Do not want to load MMJ so I tried EphPod.
I received a message that I "don't have the necessary Ipod directory structure" and ephpod asks if I want it to build Ipod directory structure. When I tell it to do so it says, "Cannot Create :\Ipod_control"

Should I try an older ver of EphPod?
Reinstall my iPod firmware? (Just took the #### thing out of the box)

Here is my setup:
OS: Win XP Pro
Firewire Card: SIIG 3Port Card Model NN2633
iPod: 30GB
iPod firmware: 2.0.1
Model: M8948LL

Windows sees my iPod as Apple Computer_Inc iPOD IEEE 1394 SBP2 Device at LUN 0.
As generic volume (H:)

I want to help with this project, maybe someone has had this issue and can help get me going.

Thanks,
Nick
:mad: :confused: :mad: :mad:

i meant Xplay not Xpod !

Alright, got it going and EphPod is working..... no worries.

Ha Ha, got a little heated after dropping over $500.

Nick

YES!!! Nickso, you got it! Those numbers mean it has copied the firmware (those numbers seem about rite, it should not have taken much more than a minute or 2). All people here love you!

If you have internet access with your linux install, just email it or something to yourself, or put it on a geocities account so you can download it with windows. Alternatively, (it exists in file:/) your windows might be in /mnt/windows, so you can just copy it there.

PS on your PS, ive held the new ipods and they are great, but what is your opinion concerning the rounded over look? Anyway, enjoy your ipod, and we thank you for your gracious cooperation!!

Arg, nick, you copied the wrong partition. If you did sda1, try sda2, or sda. Looks like you did the music partition instead of the actual firmware partion.

The ipod is set up as so: 1 35mb or so partition for the firmware, 1 rest of the ipod partition for music and stuff. So nick, in the line in my directions, 1, make sure you do the copy on /dev/sda1, or if that doesnt work, try /dev/sda or /dev/sda2 (btw, the leading / is needed and necessary!)

ETA: Please, please AIM me with screenies and everything ready or available when i get on ( i should be on at about 10 in the morning est tomm.) its KeaneE04 (thats KeaneE zero 4)

Not sure what is going on...
Not seeing any partitions ~35 - 42MB.

This is what I have:
SDA = > 580 MB
SDA1 = 101.9 MB
SDA2 = > 180 MB
SDA3 = >122 MB
SDA4 = No Device
SDA5 = No Device

I will try to find you online in the AM, I am in Central time.
I can give you a ring if you like.

Nick

--> KeaneE04

We surely are very interested in your efforts! There is just no way I could help you right now. so s o r r y !!
Good luck!
Aragorn

Go nickso... u r a star

http://ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4804

Follow what that says. Me and Stuart are there with a couple others .... :D

Mike

nick, ill send the email in a minute, and the RAID Drive would do it. Come to the irc for ipod lounge also.

Best way to test is to restart w/o ipod in, and see what sda drives there are. Then plug the ipod into the LINUX BOX, and see what ones come up. I think the 4-5 you listed are b/c of the RAID afaik.

TTYL, and ill email u my number.

otto, yes, you are correct, come to the irc channel and talk to me
i will be creating a cd version of mandrake as soon as i can, just will need some >40mb removable disk or something, like a zip.

I am an American owner of a 30gig gen3 ipod.

I already use my ipod under linux, and I would be willing to host the disk image on my webspace for awhile. When I post the file, I'll probably clean up your howto also (there are some inaccuracies).

I don't have an EU ipod, so I can't test this, but I hope it helps out those that do. I'll try and get to it tonight, if not then tomorrow evening.

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