I came across a short how-to on the Ubuntu Forums today that I wanted to pass along. I don’t take credit for coming up with these steps. The credit belongs to user dragos240 of the Ubuntu Forums. I figure there have got to be a few of you that are interested in trying this out, or passing it along as well, so here it is.
Step 1: Disclaimer
Before you start following these steps be aware of the potential consequences. As outlined in the Ubuntu Forums tutorial:
DOING THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY AND HAS A POSSIBILITY TO PERMENENTLY BRICKING YOUR SANSA FUZE.
It may also be prudent to read through the entire thread at the Ubuntu Forums before you get started. This way you can avoid any surprises.
Step 2: Download
The author has put together a single archive with everything needed to update your Sansa Fuze to run Rockbox. This archive is available for download here. There is not a published MD5 on the Ubuntu Forums post, but this is what I got:
MD5 (Rockbox.tar) = 6a4fc70b13c00e5f35926125a64effe9
Step 3: Connect Sansa Fuze
The next step is to connect your Sansa Fuze via USB and make sure the mode is set to “MSC”.
Step 4: Copy the Archive
At this point you should be ready to copy the contents of the previously downloaded archive onto the root of your device. Make sure you get everything copied. You can press ctrl-h within Nautilus to view any hidden files, just to make sure.
Step 5: Unplug, Shut Off
Once everything is copied and you safely eject the device (right-click, eject), unplug it from the USB connection and turn it off. Give it a few seconds and then turn it back on again. This is the point where you cross your fingers, offer up any sacrifices and otherwise pray to whatever gods you believe in that everything worked.
Step 6: Enjoy Rockbox
If all went according to plan (and the Gods smiled upon you!) you should have Rockbox up and running when you turn the device back on. You’ll end up with a lot more features than you find in the default Sansa Fuze interface and, the best part, its good ‘ol Free Software.
I surely hope you don’t run into any problems, but if you do I would advise you to stop by the Ubuntu Forums and ask for help in the thread. It is only three days old at the time of this writing so it should still be pretty active. If you have anything to add or, more importantly, clear pictures of the finished product please share them here!
I just bought one of these yesterday, very interesting timing! 😀 Any particularly compelling reason to use Rockbox on this model? I haven't used Rockbox for a while, and wasn't all that impressed on my old iPod classic.
Just as a safety measure, would a dd backup command be the way to go for people who decide to revert, or who mess it up?
did mine just now! worked!!!
I have a Sansa fuze 8 GB.
Enhanced audio settings are amazing!
I heard on the forums this does work on V2 .
This sucks for me D:
A very nice article posted.
IT WONT $%^#EN WORK!!!
THIS PISSES ME OFF!!
I HAD IT THEN IT MESSED UP!>:-L
mine says refreshing media and goes back to the same screen. please help!!!
i install rockbox on my sansa fuze but when i turnt it on it says loading firmware file not found
how to uninstall the rock box?
Rockbox is a stupid waste of time. Just use the normal firmware. all the game addicts who want to play games on a sansa. Buy an ipod touch if you want games. rockbox is like jailbreak for ipod.
@Joseph
Mine to!
Hey I just bought a Sansa Fuze not three days ago, and I wanted to upload Rockbox into it. I came onto a little snag. I did absolutely everything the tutorial says to do, I even downloaded the files from the given website. so I unplugged it when it said to and turned it off like it said to also, but when i turned it back on, after a few seconds, it was the default Sansa Fuze firmware. Nothing happened at all. Anybody have any ideas why?
Danny I had that problem too, I renamed the patched bin file on the fuze to fuzpA.bin then unplugged it and it worked… My whole reason to install rockbox was hapless playback so those who say it’s useless are wrong,,, also like the themes,,, haven’t really looked through all the other options yet but I’m sure I’ll find more that makes it an improvement on the OF
es muy bueno pero los juegos son un pesito chiquito ponelo el rockbox
I got rockbox working on my sansa fuze v2 Its way better than the sansa firmware. Rockbox has gapless playback,supports almost every format,you can adjust almost anything,custom themes,games. better sound quality also in my opinion. anyways I found that the weak point on sansa is its firmware is somewhat lacking due to no gapless playback plus all of firmwares dont let you customize the gui.
Instaling rocketbox can be very complicating sometimes!
I managed to successfully install RockBox today, but you know what, it’s not even worth the trouble. It makes everything ridiculously complicated. You get cool themes, but they’re difficult to work. You get games, but the quality is exceptionally bad. Uninstalled it about 5 minutes after installing it. x_x