I have been having some difficulty lately with my iPod Mini. It's been terrific so far, but when I connected it like I usually do, it was unable to update my iPod. ITunes kept freezing and it eventually caused my iPod to freeze up. Fortunately, I was able to restore my iPod using the Apple. Visit the iTunes download page. Click Download Now to download the iTunes installer. When prompted, click Save (instead of Run). Right click on iTunesSetup or iTunes64Setup (the installer you downloaded in step 3). If you have Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8: Choose 'Run as administrator.' If you have Windows XP: Choose Open.
Last updated: 14 August 2018
This page will contain a link to the most recent version of the bootloader, until it gets merged into Rockbox, and the Classics become an officially supported target. When this happens, this page will redirect to Rockbox's installation instructions.
Current stable version: v1_0 (28 February 2017)
Current legacy version: v8 (31 January 2016, updated on 7 July 2016)
There is a GUI installer for Windows (Rockbox Utility). For Linux and Mac, there is a command-line tool mks5lboot, which can install, update or uninstall the bootloader.
Jump to: Compatibility | Installation instructions for Windows, Linux or Mac | DFU mode | Downloadstable or legacy | Building mks5lboot | Usage | Support | Contribution
All compatible iPod models are listed below.
Model Numbers | Capacity | Model Name (Wikipedia) | Model Name (freemyipod) |
---|---|---|---|
MB029, MB147 | 80 GB | 6th Gen | Classic 1G |
MB145, MB150, PB145, PB150 | 160 GB | 6th Gen | |
MB562, PB562, MB565, PB565 | 120 GB | 6.5th Gen | Classic 2G |
MC293, MC297, PC293, PC297 | 160 GB | 7th Gen | Classic 3G |
IMPORTANT! Please check if your model number (in menu Settings - About) matches, before proceeding with the installation!
IMPORTANT! If you have an adapter for mSATA or SD card (iFlash, ZIF to CF and CF to SD, ZIF to mSATA, etc.) please keep in mind that file transfer in Rockbox or Rockbox Bootloader USB mode MAY not work, depending on the adapter type and card type! In this case you need to use Apple's firmware to transfer music, then you need to reboot into Rockbox to listen to that music. List of recommended SD cards can be found at iFlash Solo page in tab SD cards, below the picture.
WARNING! If your adapter/card does not work well with Rockbox, connecting the USB cable while Rockbox or Rockbox Bootloader USB mode is running will lead to filesystem corruption and you'll have to re-format the iPod as FAT32, reinstall Rockbox and re-upload all files that you need (music, etc.). You'll need to do that while running Apple's firmware.
IMPORTANT! Please make sure that your iPod is formatted using FAT32 (a.k.a. WinPod) before attempting to install the bootloader! Installation will not work on HFS/HFS+ iPods (a.k.a. MacPods).
At some point during the installation, you need to switch your iPod to DFU (device firmware update) mode. This has proven to be tricky, so here are additional instructions
A device in DFU mode is hard to tell apart from a turned off device. The screen is completely black, nothing happens if you press any of the buttons. But if you connect it to a computer, the USB IDs are different - Product ID is 1223 (here's a table of iPod Product IDs).
v1_0: Uses the new driver for Bootloader USB mode. It should work fine, while some people reported that Rockbox USB mode is slow or broken.
v8: Does not provide Bootloader USB mode.
If you are using v1_0, please try if Bootloader USB mode works for you. If not, use Apple's Disk mode.
If you are using v8, please try if Rockbox USB mode works for you. If not, use Apple's Disk mode.
Includes the latest DesignWare USB driver. Enables using of bootloader USB mode (file transfers before Rockbox has loaded).
Please note that mk6gboot has been renamed to mks5lboot.
You need git, GNU make and a compiler (gcc/clang). Also, you need to install the development package of libusb (called libusb-1.0.0-dev on Linux or libusb-dev on Mac)
Unlock the HOLD switch, or press any button if already unlocked.
Hold down the PLAY button, until you see Shutting down...
Hold down MENU+SELECT, until the iPod reboots. Release them immediately after the screen goes black.
Turn off the iPod, then turn it on and immediately lock the HOLD switch.
- OR -
Turn off the iPod, then turn it on and immediately hold down MENU.
Turn off the iPod. Power it on by holding down SELECT+PLAY, keep holding until Disk mode starts.
Turn off the iPod. Power it on by holding down SELECT+LEFT, keep holding until Diagnostics mode starts.
Turn off the iPod. Power it on by holding down SELECT+RIGHT, keep holding until you see the USB Mode message.
If the installation is not successful, please ask for support at #freemyipod-support@irc.freenode.net (or use webchat if you don't have an IRC client installed). Alternatively, you can post to the mailing list at freemyipod-general@lists.freemyipod.org.
These instructions are available on GitLab, and merge requests are welcome.