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Step 5: Updating iPodLinux and Podzilla

Penguin on the Apple

So we have iPodLinux up and running on your iPod, but you're still missing several new iPodLinux features. The iPodLinux Installer includes the latest stable release version of the kernel and Podzilla. Subsequent beta versions of iPodLinux and Podzilla have added the ability to play movies, and they also include several more games and fun apps. To get those goodies out of Podzilla and iPodLinux--including the ability to watch movies--you'll need to upgrade the iPodLinux kernel and the version of Podzilla running on your iPod. It's easy to do. Update the iPodLinux kernel Roughly every day, the iPod Linux Project releases a nightly build of the iPodLinux kernel available at ipodlinux.org/builds. Download the latest nightly build of the kernel from ipodlinux.org/builds. The most recent versions are at the bottom of the page. The only file in the ZIP package will be the iPodLinux kernel binary. Extract the kernel binary from the ZIP package. Save the file to your desktop as linux.bin. Drag and drop the new linux.bin file into your iPod Linux Installer folder. This replaces the older version of linux.bin that you installed in step 4 of this project. Connect your iPod and launch the iPodLinux Installer. First we're going to uninstall the old version of iPodLinux from your iPod. Select "Restore backup (Uninstall iPodLinux)" from the iPodLinux Installer. Now, launch the iPodLinux Installer again and reinstall iPodLinux. This will update the kernel with the new version. How to update Podzilla Just like the kernel, there's a fresh nightly build of Podzilla at ipodlinux.org/builds. Download the latest Podzilla binary from the Podzilla nightly build page at ipodlinux.org/builds. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the newest version. The only file in the ZIP package will be the Podzilla binary. Unzip and extract the Podzilla binary from the ZIP file. If there is an error trying to extract the ZIP file, this just means the ZIP file has been mislabeled and the binary is already unzipped. Change the file name to just "podzilla," with no file extension. This is very important--make sure the file is named "podzilla" and is showing up as an unknown file type, not another type of file. Open Notepad or any text editor, type the following text, and save the file to your desktop as start.txt: mv /hp/podzilla /sbin rm /hp/start Now, locate the start.txt file on your desktop and remove the .txt file extension from the filename. This is very important--make sure the file is named "start" and is showing up as an unknown file type, not a text file. Boot your iPod into Disk Mode by holding down the Menu and Play buttons to reboot it. Then hold down the rewind button as it reboots. It should boot into the original Apple firmware. Connect your iPod to your PC. Open My Computer and locate your iPod. It should show up as a connected device, such as the E: drive. Double-click your iPod's icon. Drag and drop the podzilla file and the start file into the root directory of your iPod. Disconnect your iPod. It should reboot automatically and load the new version of Podzilla. Thanks to the updated version of Podzilla, you have some nice new games and apps on your iPod. Take a look at them by scrolling down and clicking Extras, then Games. Invaders is a Space Invaders clone, Steroids is Asteroids for the iPod, and you'll be gettin' your Tetris on with BlueCube. Also, check out Extras > Stuff. You'll see some surprises waiting there for you. And thanks to the updated kernel, your iPod now has the power to play videos. Next, we'll convert the videos of your choice to play on your iPod.

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Step 6: Convert movies for iPod playback