I think I may have zapped my Nissan firmware in my Nissan Phatbox

[sbingner]

what are these strange keys labeled with funny white symbols that I keep banging upon?  Why am I doing this?  I'm so confused.

[VorTechS]

Okay, I think we are all getting a little confused here, and we need to step back right to the beginning.  It's getting frustrating no doubt from all sides and it's because we are all not articulating ourselves particularly well.

So let's see if we can start again... and I'm going to make this post as un-ambiguous as possible, so to that end please forget absolutely everything you've done up to this point.

Let me start by clarifying something for you, just in case you were not aware of it:

*DMS' cartridges, irrespective of the PhatBox, are GENERIC.  This means you can use any ORIGINAL DMS, in any PhatBox providing it has the correct firmware loaded onto it.

*You can ONLY use an ORIGINAL DMS in an unhacked Phatbox.  (Clones of original DMS' are not the same as an original DMS and will NOT work)

Okay, to business....

I've re-read your first post, as I understand it you have:

2 x VW PhatBoxes, which are both hacked.
2 x Nissan PhatBoxes that are NOT hacked.

1 x Original Kenwood DMS
1 x 120GB DMS (onto which you've copied the original DMS contents)

First thing is first.  Is this correct, or is there more?  Don't give us history, just facts.  What other PhatBox hardware do you have, and is it original/hacked?

Secondly, we understand that you are trying to hack your Nissan PhatBoxes.  I'm sure we don't need to spell this out to you.... but the hack process will ONLY work using an ORIGINAL PhatNoise DMS.  You CANNOT use a non-phatnoise disk-based DMS in an unhacked box.
To this end, FORGET THE VW BOXES.  They are hacked, they cannot help you hack the Nissan boxes.  No amount of running the hack on the VW boxes will help you hack the Nissan boxes.  If the VW DMS' are original, then these can be used to hack the nissan boxes once we can prove the nissan boxes work.  To that end:

Thirdly, right now we DONT want you run the hack on the Nissan boxes.  We want you to USE AN ORIGINAL DMS, to load on the NON-HACKED FIRMWARE to it, PUT SOME MUSIC ON IT (if it doesn't have any) and then verify that the ORIGINAL DMS in the NON-HACKED BOX works without any major issues. 

For absolute clarity:

1) USE AN ORIGINAL DMS (it doesn't matter if it's an original one that came with the Nissan boxes, or the VW box or any other box as long as it is an original PhatNoise DMS)
2) DO NOT LOAD THE HACK ON TO IT
3) LOAD THE NISSAN FIRMWARE ON TO IT (use the tools, to do FIRMWARE UPDATE and check the options non-hacked firmware, reflash box)
4) LOAD SOME MUSIC ONTO IT
5) PUT IT IN THE NISSAN PHATBOX

Please forgive the caps.  We just want to make sure that you follow the above 5 steps without any deviation.  If the box doesn't work from there, then we need to work out why - and that will then lead us to help you get to the end goal of hacking the boxes.

[16vpup]

You actually do have it wrong.

I have 1 10GB Kenwood Music Keg original DMS

1 120 GB Notebook harddrive that is destined to be in the 10GB DMS magazine

1 20GB VW original DMS that I have started into the hack procedures
(I have backups of both of the above drives in zip format.)

I have 2 unhacked VW Phatboxes/ 1 silver and 1 red older style w/ RCA's also on it

I have 2 possibly half hacked Nissan original players/ 1 showed a display on my radio when 1st hooked up but now it doesn't after attempting the hack (It never actually played music though; it just said empty disc, empty disc constantly, now I don't get any response at all. The other Nissan player never showed a display on my Nissan radio so I used it in the VW I am selling as an experiment. I got the Nissan player that didn't originally respond in my Nissan working in the VW by hooking it up w/ an extra VW cable I had and using the VW original DMS. I transfered the VW updated firmware onto the Nissan box and after doing that the Nissan box did work in the VW. I feel like I have been as descriptive as possible so I could cut out any confusion but the comment about the typing too many words by sbingner I didn't quite appreciate. The reason why I have been descriptive is because I told my friend that was helping me originally that I did have 2 original Nissan boxes and had he listened to me the 1st time I probably would not have continued to put the Kenwwod magazine into the Nissan players w/out putting Nissan firmware on it 1st. The hack was done and no Nissan firmware was installed on it originally so the Kenwood firmware must have been trying to force itself onto the players multiple times and that is where I am now.

I don't know what is up with the firmware or what version was ever on the player originally because now
the radio doesn't recognize the player at all in my Nissan. I have tried nearly everything to get the player working in my Nissan for about 3 weeks and was able to get the VW system working in about 1hour.  If I thought this was going to be easy I would have done it myself but it hasn't been and that is why I need the help. Is that not what you're here for. All I ask you to be is patient. I am a VW tech for a living, I know a pretty good bit about computers but not everything, so please don't assume I know what you're talking about everytime. That's where the confusion has come into the play. I guess I'll have to leave it at that but I still don't know what is the best thing to do from here, so I guess I'll wait til I hear back from you after you are able to read the Phatbox items list I have above. I apologize about the novel but all I want to do is get it working w/out months of wasted time.

[sbingner]

OK, so you have a Nissan system working in a VW now?  I'd get the other Nissan system working in the VW also so you know both are in a working condition, then load the Nissan firmware on it and try to get back to where you were... assuming you're trying to get it working with Nissan.  It is possible that your Nissan got flashed with Kenwood, which would explain what you described.  I'm sure you could hack the one connected to the VW quite easily now... but I'd just wait till I got everything working the way you want it to be in an end state anyway.   

1.  Connect the unknown-state Nissan PhatBox to any Known-working-with-Phatbox headunit.  The VW would be ideal, and get it working with that head unit.
2.  Connect the Nissan PhatBox to a Nissan headunit, and flash it with the proper Nissan firmware.  Get it working with the Nissan headunit.
3.  Now, patch the phatboxes (that are known-working with the HUs they are connected to)
4.  Create your 120GB DMS

[sbingner]

Oh, and don't even bother trying to hack the "1 red older style w/ RCA's also on it" -- those don't have anything to hack, they will work with any HDD already as I understand it.

[16vpup]

Are you saying that the red Phatbox would have less restrictions than the others? Would that mean that it would be easier to get it working than the others? (not that I want to use it) 

I completed the patch on the 20GB original VW DMS last night, all the logs show complete and the wizard stated all was complete. Can I now use it in my Nissan after putting Nissan firmware on it?

or

If it is in completed hack state and it's easier to not turn back then I can use this completed hacked DMS in my other VW GTI that I am keeping and then use the unhacked original that's in that car to get my Nissan working. Now that this DMS is hacked I can put the 120GB harddrive in it, correct?

Let me know if that would be better to do now that the 20GB DMS took the hack. I don't care which vehicle I'm keeping has the 120GB DMS in it, as long as I have one w/ the 120GB in it. Otherwise I would've wasted my money buying the larger drive.

I know the Nissan  system seems to be harder to get working, but I still need to try everything I can to get it working since I've commited so much to it. After it is all said and done I want the other players in workable condition to possibly sell them, although I might keep 1 as a backup. Thanks for your help so far.

[VorTechS]

Put the Nissan firmware on the DMS and then check it works in the Nissan PhatBox.
If it does, then re-apply the hack, and see if it completes okay on the Nissan.

[sbingner]

It shouldn't matter which one you get working with the Nissan -- either the one you patched in the VW or the other.   We just want to know for sure that it's working before you start working on getting it in the Nissan.  I only said to wait to patch till after because I didn't want to get hung up on trying to apply the patch instead of getting your PhatBox working with your HU.

[16vpup]

The patch is complete on the 20GB Original DMS and it does play in the VW at this point. I am thinking now that that's complete I am going to put the 120GB harddrive in it and use it in my VW that I am keeping, not the test VW. I got a hold of the person who bought the original Nissan DMS that was in the player that I bought that was in the same year vehicle as my Nissan truck. I am going to swap DMS's w/ him to get the original Nissan DMS w/ most likely the proper original firmware. When I get that one, I think that would be the best time to see if the other player just accepts the proper firmware and starts working. If it doesn't accept it then I guess you'll be hearing from me pretty quick, right after I get that one.  Thanks so far, time will tell.

[sbingner]

When you get the DMS from him, make an empty file in PHTSYS called "forceupdate" - this will make it reflash to the firmware that is on his DMS

[16vpup]

Thanks, I'll reference this back when I get the DMS from him.

[16vpup]

I got the original Nissan DMS from the guy that bought it and I'm sending him my other original VW DMS in trade. You said add a file in PHATSYS called "forceupdate" I have done that and plan on inserting it into the box then plugging it up to the cable in the truck. I added one playlist just to make sure it had music on it to start playing. I also ran the backup on PHATSYS and made backups of ramdisk.sig and linux.sig and then also made a backup of PHTDTA. I'll get back to you on that.

New news on my other hack attempt w/ the VW. I did get the 120GB harddrive working in the VW using the other questionable original Nissan player. I plan on leaving that system all intact for use in the other car that I normally drive all the time. Thanks for the help w/ that even though it just happened to work w/ my experiment. I owe it all to you guys for at least producing the new hack utilities that I used. All I wanted to do was get 1 120GB drive working so I can put all of my music on it. Now, I'll just be happy if I can get the original Nissan 20GB DMS working in my Nissan. I'll get back to you on that one.

Is something wrong w/ Gracenote on PM Manager? It doesn't seem to be working on my main music computer.

[sbingner]

I think Gracenote is a subscription-type service... if PhatNoise stopped paying them royalties they may have cut us off from using it.   I haven't tried using it since my PhatBox is still in my closet, so I could be way off but that's the first explanation that comes to mind.

[VorTechS]

There's always PhatHack Media Manager, which uses GraceNote or FreeDB and will never get cut off because it uses a free, non-royalty license.  Latest version includes an auto-CD rip function to a specified device (Local PC folder, DMS, or DMS with copy to local PC folder if you set the options right).

But let's stick to topic here

[16vpup]

I made the empty file called "forceupdate" in PHATSYS on the original Nissan DMS after doing a backup on the original magazine. I inserted the magazine into the player then hooked up the cord to the player. It looked like it was taking the firmware so I let it load up and left it for a while w/ the green light blinking steadily. I came back later and both lights were off so I turned the ignition to the on position and the player powered up but it acted like it was running the firmware update again. The red light came on and the green light started blinking steadily again. I waited about 15-20 min and the player cycled off and on about 5 times with constant steady blinking green light. I checked the radio and found that the interactive display was back after putting the original magazine into the half hacked player. During the cycling off and on the speakers pop as if music is about to be played but it never did play music.

The display I get on the radio is CD-- -- --  and it is located under OEM radio preset "B" or by pressing the RADIO function button which cycles through A/M, F/M, Phatbox/SAT.  I tried pulling the magazine out again and reinserting the magazine and all it does is look like it starts the firmware update everytime I turn the key on. Should I now delete the forcesettings and forceupdate files to keep it from constantly running the update? or is there something else I should do? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[sbingner]

forceupdate should have been removed by the phatbox when it completed.  Is it gone? 

[16vpup]

No, it was still there when I checked after several times of attempting to boot up fully.

[sbingner]

You MAY need to corrupt your ramdisk.sig then... you need to get a bootload.log file and see what it says

[16vpup]

I got the player to play music for the 1st time by deleting the forceupdate file manually after previously creating it in the PHATSYS partition and after it had tried to run through several attempts at firmware reupdating everytime I turned the key on.

This is the firmware type that was on the original magazine that was in the player I bought that allowed it to actually play in the truck:   

- <firmware>
  <long_brand>Nissan-SAT</long_brand>
  <headunit_code>0x4800</headunit_code>
  <description>All supported models</description>
  <type>HU</type>
  <model_group>Brand Stereos</model_group>
  <years>Version 2.00, Released 4/21/2004. Includes Models:</years>
  <image>/images/pm/nissan-sat.jpg</image>
  <firmware_version>2.00</firmware_version>
  <firmware_date>4/21/2004</firmware_date>
  <comment>New binaries. General improvements.</comment>
  <headunit_files_url>/files/headunit_0x4800_2_00.zip</headunit_files_url>
  <headunit_files_version>2</headunit_files_version>
  <headunit_files_date>4/21/2004</headunit_files_date>
  <player_files_url>/files/playerfiles_2004_04_21.zip</player_files_url>
  <player_files_version>2.00</player_files_version>
  <player_files_date>4/21/2004</player_files_date>
  <daemon_files_url>/files/daemonfiles_2004_04_21.zip</daemon_files_url>
  <daemon_files_version>2.00</daemon_files_version>
  <daemon_files_date>4/21/2004</daemon_files_date>
  <system_files_url>/files/systemfiles2004_04_21.zip</system_files_url>
  <system_files_version>2.00</system_files_version>
  <system_files_date>4/21/2004</system_files_date>
  <required>Y</required>
  </firmware>


I'm going to try to update it w/ newer firmware now beacuse I only have one knob that I turn to go from one song to the next. When I hit buttons 1-6 for the other search types it just jumps to a radio station since it's operating through the XM radio plug on the back of the radio, then I have to cycle the RADIO button a couple times to get back to the Phatbox player. I can get ID3 tag info to come up though by pressing the DISPLAY button but those are the only buttons that are currently available. Now that I have it playing I guess that rules out a blown fuse or faulty wiring to the headunit. Now I just have to figure out if it's the radio or the firmware that's causing it not to operate properly. Any suggestions?

[sbingner]

Well, it's always possible that the firmware doesn't fully support your HU and that's the extent of the functionality you're going to  get.  Otherwise, like you said... you can try updated Nissan firmware.

You will want to apply the hack at some time (at which point it was working properly before you began the process of doing so), otherwise once you're all happy it'll work great for a while.. then your original DMS will fail and you'll be all bummed out again.