How I got a 6G iPod Classic 80GB to work with Amarok in Gutsy Gibbon 7.10
This started out as a birthday present from my non-l33t girlfriend. She got me a Zune. I run Linux. 'Nuff said. I exchanged the Zune for an 80GB iPod Classic. I'm not a fan of the iPod, but let's face it. They're everywhere. They also happen to be the easiest to get working with Linux. So I thought.
So I got the new 6G iPod home, transferred all the music off my Creative Nomad Jukebox 3 (which I STILL love to death...I wish it still worked...) and connected my iPod. After much searching and digging for how to get Amarok to detect my iPod, I seemed to be on my way. So I thought...again.
Amarok 1.4.7 detected that I had an iPod. Yay! I successfully transferred all the music onto the ipod, confirmed that the music was actually there (using the default file explorer, Dolphin), and disconnected the iPod. To my extreme dismay and frustration, the iPod did not detect any of my music. I could stream it from the iPod to my pc using Amarok, but I couldn't get the iPod itself to see any music.
So, after a full day of sitting in front of my PC and digging and searching, I successfully got my iPod to recognize all my music. And since hindsight is always 20/20, I found that it would have been amazingly easy were there a how-to somewhere that I could follow. Since there wasn't, I figured I'd write one. Here goes.
===========================
v===== How-To Begins Here=====v
-1. Figure out, for real, exactly which iPod you have. Use the following link to help: http://banshee-project.org/files/pod...od-model-table
0. This How-to assumes that you are not a n00b. It also assumes that you have Kubuntu 7.10 installed, and use Amarok as your main music player. Oh, yeah, and your iPod will need to be detectable and mountable into your filesystem (your /media or /mnt folder...maybe). I have mine set to automount by default, so if you've changed this behavior, adapt and overcome. By default, 7.1 (Gutsy Gibbon) installs Amarok 1.4.7, which requires libgpod 0.5.x (aka libgpod2). If you are using the Gnome desktop and/or are using another music player, this How-To may not be for you. Read it anyway, cause it took a long time to type, and you might find some good gravy in here anyway. :P
1. Connect your iPod to your system, and make sure you can browse the folders in Dolphin/Konqueror/whatever other file browser you use. I'd keep a file-browser open with the contents of your iPod in it, just in case.
2. Ensure that Amarok sees that you have an iPod connected by clicking the Devices tab. If the "Connect" button is greyed out, then your iPod is connected.
3. Find the iPod button in your menu bar. If you have a small-a$$ 15" screen like mine, it will be hidden under a button that looks like this: >>
4. Click "Set iPod Model." If you don't see the iPod Classic 80GB as a 6G iPod, you need to pay close attention, because this How-To is definitely for you. DON'T ACTUALLY SET THE IPOD MODEL! Ever! Seriously! Close Amarok.
5. In your file-browser (I use Dolphin), navigate to the iPod_Control folder and open it. Inside this folder, find the Device folder. Open it.
6. You will see several files in it. One will be labelled SysInfo. Read the instructions below, which I kindly stole from http://amarok.kde.org/wiki/Media_Device:IPod
-----a. Open a terminal and type in: "sudo lsusb -v | grep -i Serial" without the quotes. Then you will see a 16-character-long hash. Copy it to the clipboard.
-----b. Fire up a text editor, like Kate, Kwrite, vi, nano. Type in: FirewireGuid: 0x################ and paste that hash of step 2 in place of where I typed a bunch of #'s (do not omit the 0x).
-----c. Save the file with the name SysInfo in the iPod_Control/Device folder under your iPod mount point. For example, a /media/ipod/iPod_control/Device/SysInfo file can look like
ModelNumStr: xB029
FirewireGuid: 0x000A27001301221F
It has something to do with iTunes not being able to detect the iPod model anymore, or not being able to properly create a SHA1 hash to update the iTunesDB file or something...anyway, just do it. And refer to step 4: NEVER EVER USE AMAROK TO SET THE IPOD MODEL! Doing so will overwrite your new SysInfo file, possibly undoing all your recent text-editor efforts! (Whatever, I know it only takes a few seconds...hehehe!) Oh, yeah, and make sure the ModelNumStr part actually has your own Model Number, not the one I stole as an example. This should be a no-brainer, but it never fails....
8. Open the Adept Manager and click Adept -> Manage Repositories. Click the Updates tab. Ensure the Pre-released updates and Unsupported updates boxes are checked. We will be upgrading Amarok and libgpod to versions that are not yet supported/released for Gutsy.
9. Close the window, and then Click Adept -> Fetch Updates. Your Adept Notifier icon should pop up in your Kicker panel.
10. Close the Adept Manager and click the Adept Notifier icon in the Kicker panel to launch the Adept Updater. If those 2 previously-mentioned boxes were not checked, there's probably gonna be a BUNCH of updates. Amarok 1.4.8 and libgpod 0.6.0 (libgpod3-nogtk) should appear in the list. If libgpod doesn't appear, don't stress. You can find the Deb package later on the internet...when I tell you to.
11. Unselect ALL of the other updates except for Amarok (and libgpod3-nogtk, if available). Proceed with the updates. Pray for no errors or crashes.
12. If you didn't see libgpod in your list of items to upgrade, then you need to go get it. Find it on the googlenet, it's not hard to find. Something like "libgpod 0.6.0 libgpod3-nogtk deb" ought to do nicely. It's GOT to be the libgpod 0.6.0 version though...nothing less.
13. Fire up Amarok again. Click Help -> About Amarok to ensure the version really is 1.4.8. If it's not, restart your PC. If that doesn't work, you're a n00b. Install Windows and iTunes and get used to paying for software and songs....<evil laughter> Check your "Set iPod Model" button again. Has the list changed? Do you see your Model number in there now? If not, we have more work to do because your new Amarok isn't using your new libgpod3. If so, then you're golden. Go have fun with your iPod. You'll probably need to delete whatever's on there and transfer it again, but stop whining. Your iPod works now. Count yourself blessed. Those less fortunate have to keep reading....<louder, more annoying evil laughter>
14. If you're reading this, then Amarok 1.4.8 is installed and works ok, but your iPod still won't recognize any music you transfer into it, even after deleting all your songs and re-sync'ing them. This is because Amarok isn't using libgpod3 to find your iPod; it's still using libgpod2. We need to do some tinkering in the /usr/lib folder. Close Amarok.
15. So, duh, go to the /usr/lib folder as root in a console. In this folder, among many other things, you should find libgpod.so.2 and libgpod.so.3. These files are linked to 2 other files that are named libgpod.so.2.0.0 and libgpod.so.3.0.0, or something very close to that.
16. It is very important that you don't mess this step up. Pay close attention. Backup and delete libgpod.so.2 and libgpod.so.2.0.0. These are the actual libgpod2 files that Amarok uses. Rename (using mv) the libgpod.so.3 to libgpod.so.2.
Here's the rationale. Amarok goes into /usr/lib to look for the libgpod.so.2 file so it can interface with the iPod. This file is a link to the actual library, which works out great for us. What we just did was fool Amarok into thinking it's using libgpod2, because it's looking for the same link it always was, libgpod.so.2. HOWEVER, libgpod.so.2 is now ACTUALLY POINTING AT libgpod.so.3.0.0!!! Ergo, Amarok, without knowing it, will actually be using the libgpod3 (libgpod0.6.0) libraries that we need! Sexy.
17. Restart your PC. Yeah yeah, "you never need to restart Linux" whatever. I'd do it anyway, start from a clean slate. At this point, you should be able to connect your iPod, launch Amarok, transfer some songs, and safely eject your iPod. After ejectulation, your iPod should work ok. Cover-art is still a work in progress...the "nogtk" part of "libgpod3-nogtk" means that the developers haven't gotten some parts of it working yet...including the cover-art part. Give it time. Not too shabby for free.
If you STILL can't see your songs on the iPod, you read this whole How-To for nothing...<even more loud, annoying, maniacal laughter> Ha ha ha ha!!!
This started out as a birthday present from my non-l33t girlfriend. She got me a Zune. I run Linux. 'Nuff said. I exchanged the Zune for an 80GB iPod Classic. I'm not a fan of the iPod, but let's face it. They're everywhere. They also happen to be the easiest to get working with Linux. So I thought.
So I got the new 6G iPod home, transferred all the music off my Creative Nomad Jukebox 3 (which I STILL love to death...I wish it still worked...) and connected my iPod. After much searching and digging for how to get Amarok to detect my iPod, I seemed to be on my way. So I thought...again.
Amarok 1.4.7 detected that I had an iPod. Yay! I successfully transferred all the music onto the ipod, confirmed that the music was actually there (using the default file explorer, Dolphin), and disconnected the iPod. To my extreme dismay and frustration, the iPod did not detect any of my music. I could stream it from the iPod to my pc using Amarok, but I couldn't get the iPod itself to see any music.
So, after a full day of sitting in front of my PC and digging and searching, I successfully got my iPod to recognize all my music. And since hindsight is always 20/20, I found that it would have been amazingly easy were there a how-to somewhere that I could follow. Since there wasn't, I figured I'd write one. Here goes.
===========================
v===== How-To Begins Here=====v
-1. Figure out, for real, exactly which iPod you have. Use the following link to help: http://banshee-project.org/files/pod...od-model-table
0. This How-to assumes that you are not a n00b. It also assumes that you have Kubuntu 7.10 installed, and use Amarok as your main music player. Oh, yeah, and your iPod will need to be detectable and mountable into your filesystem (your /media or /mnt folder...maybe). I have mine set to automount by default, so if you've changed this behavior, adapt and overcome. By default, 7.1 (Gutsy Gibbon) installs Amarok 1.4.7, which requires libgpod 0.5.x (aka libgpod2). If you are using the Gnome desktop and/or are using another music player, this How-To may not be for you. Read it anyway, cause it took a long time to type, and you might find some good gravy in here anyway. :P
1. Connect your iPod to your system, and make sure you can browse the folders in Dolphin/Konqueror/whatever other file browser you use. I'd keep a file-browser open with the contents of your iPod in it, just in case.
2. Ensure that Amarok sees that you have an iPod connected by clicking the Devices tab. If the "Connect" button is greyed out, then your iPod is connected.
3. Find the iPod button in your menu bar. If you have a small-a$$ 15" screen like mine, it will be hidden under a button that looks like this: >>
4. Click "Set iPod Model." If you don't see the iPod Classic 80GB as a 6G iPod, you need to pay close attention, because this How-To is definitely for you. DON'T ACTUALLY SET THE IPOD MODEL! Ever! Seriously! Close Amarok.
5. In your file-browser (I use Dolphin), navigate to the iPod_Control folder and open it. Inside this folder, find the Device folder. Open it.
6. You will see several files in it. One will be labelled SysInfo. Read the instructions below, which I kindly stole from http://amarok.kde.org/wiki/Media_Device:IPod
-----a. Open a terminal and type in: "sudo lsusb -v | grep -i Serial" without the quotes. Then you will see a 16-character-long hash. Copy it to the clipboard.
-----b. Fire up a text editor, like Kate, Kwrite, vi, nano. Type in: FirewireGuid: 0x################ and paste that hash of step 2 in place of where I typed a bunch of #'s (do not omit the 0x).
-----c. Save the file with the name SysInfo in the iPod_Control/Device folder under your iPod mount point. For example, a /media/ipod/iPod_control/Device/SysInfo file can look like
ModelNumStr: xB029
FirewireGuid: 0x000A27001301221F
It has something to do with iTunes not being able to detect the iPod model anymore, or not being able to properly create a SHA1 hash to update the iTunesDB file or something...anyway, just do it. And refer to step 4: NEVER EVER USE AMAROK TO SET THE IPOD MODEL! Doing so will overwrite your new SysInfo file, possibly undoing all your recent text-editor efforts! (Whatever, I know it only takes a few seconds...hehehe!) Oh, yeah, and make sure the ModelNumStr part actually has your own Model Number, not the one I stole as an example. This should be a no-brainer, but it never fails....
8. Open the Adept Manager and click Adept -> Manage Repositories. Click the Updates tab. Ensure the Pre-released updates and Unsupported updates boxes are checked. We will be upgrading Amarok and libgpod to versions that are not yet supported/released for Gutsy.
9. Close the window, and then Click Adept -> Fetch Updates. Your Adept Notifier icon should pop up in your Kicker panel.
10. Close the Adept Manager and click the Adept Notifier icon in the Kicker panel to launch the Adept Updater. If those 2 previously-mentioned boxes were not checked, there's probably gonna be a BUNCH of updates. Amarok 1.4.8 and libgpod 0.6.0 (libgpod3-nogtk) should appear in the list. If libgpod doesn't appear, don't stress. You can find the Deb package later on the internet...when I tell you to.
11. Unselect ALL of the other updates except for Amarok (and libgpod3-nogtk, if available). Proceed with the updates. Pray for no errors or crashes.
12. If you didn't see libgpod in your list of items to upgrade, then you need to go get it. Find it on the googlenet, it's not hard to find. Something like "libgpod 0.6.0 libgpod3-nogtk deb" ought to do nicely. It's GOT to be the libgpod 0.6.0 version though...nothing less.
13. Fire up Amarok again. Click Help -> About Amarok to ensure the version really is 1.4.8. If it's not, restart your PC. If that doesn't work, you're a n00b. Install Windows and iTunes and get used to paying for software and songs....<evil laughter> Check your "Set iPod Model" button again. Has the list changed? Do you see your Model number in there now? If not, we have more work to do because your new Amarok isn't using your new libgpod3. If so, then you're golden. Go have fun with your iPod. You'll probably need to delete whatever's on there and transfer it again, but stop whining. Your iPod works now. Count yourself blessed. Those less fortunate have to keep reading....<louder, more annoying evil laughter>
14. If you're reading this, then Amarok 1.4.8 is installed and works ok, but your iPod still won't recognize any music you transfer into it, even after deleting all your songs and re-sync'ing them. This is because Amarok isn't using libgpod3 to find your iPod; it's still using libgpod2. We need to do some tinkering in the /usr/lib folder. Close Amarok.
15. So, duh, go to the /usr/lib folder as root in a console. In this folder, among many other things, you should find libgpod.so.2 and libgpod.so.3. These files are linked to 2 other files that are named libgpod.so.2.0.0 and libgpod.so.3.0.0, or something very close to that.
16. It is very important that you don't mess this step up. Pay close attention. Backup and delete libgpod.so.2 and libgpod.so.2.0.0. These are the actual libgpod2 files that Amarok uses. Rename (using mv) the libgpod.so.3 to libgpod.so.2.
Here's the rationale. Amarok goes into /usr/lib to look for the libgpod.so.2 file so it can interface with the iPod. This file is a link to the actual library, which works out great for us. What we just did was fool Amarok into thinking it's using libgpod2, because it's looking for the same link it always was, libgpod.so.2. HOWEVER, libgpod.so.2 is now ACTUALLY POINTING AT libgpod.so.3.0.0!!! Ergo, Amarok, without knowing it, will actually be using the libgpod3 (libgpod0.6.0) libraries that we need! Sexy.
17. Restart your PC. Yeah yeah, "you never need to restart Linux" whatever. I'd do it anyway, start from a clean slate. At this point, you should be able to connect your iPod, launch Amarok, transfer some songs, and safely eject your iPod. After ejectulation, your iPod should work ok. Cover-art is still a work in progress...the "nogtk" part of "libgpod3-nogtk" means that the developers haven't gotten some parts of it working yet...including the cover-art part. Give it time. Not too shabby for free.
If you STILL can't see your songs on the iPod, you read this whole How-To for nothing...<even more loud, annoying, maniacal laughter> Ha ha ha ha!!!