Many people purchase mp3 players every year, and while greatly enjoying the device, desire for more functionality. Ipods and other mp3 players do not allow the user to change the background wallpaper, or add extra apps to the unit. It is not the
mp3 player individually that prevents one from doing this, but instead the firmware that the authoring company installs onto the device.
Realizing that mp3 players could be made better, individuals with programming knowledge worked on a free, open source firmware for mp3 players. The result? Rockbox.
Rockbox is a free firmware that can be flashed into an mp3 player, allowing the user to do things with their player that the proprietary firmware prevented. A few examples for Rockbox on the Sansa is the added function to read text files (ebooks), pre-installed games such as Pacman, Tetris, Space Invaders, Meteorites, Pong, Doom, and a few more. Rockbox also comes pre-installed with many apps, including dictionary, calendar, screensavers, dice roller, calculator, etc. And - perhaps the most desired feature - the ability to apply any background desired.
Finally, Rockbox does not override the original firmware, but instead it "sits" on top of the previous. If you wish, you can easily boot into the original firmware instead of Rockbox.
Installing Rockbox onto a Sansa e200 series (non-Rhapsody series) is quite simple, and takes less than 5 minutes.
Step 1: Make sure that your Sansa e200 player is set to MSC USB transfer mode, instead of MTC. The way to do this is to turn on your Sansa player, and navigate to the Settings icon. Click once, and scroll to the USB options. Select the one that says "MSC". Refer to Picture 1.
Step 2: Using the data transfer cable, connect your Sansa e200 to your PC via the USB port. Navigate to My Computer by going to Start>My Computer. Within the section that says "other drives", you should see one that says Sansa e200. This means that you are successfully connected to the computer in MSC transfer mode.
Step 3: Once you are connected to the computer, go to http://www.rockbox.org, click on Current Build in the upper left hand corner, and then click on the picture of the Sansa e200 mp3 player. A download alert/box will appear asking if you wish to download the ZIP file "rockbox.zip".
Open or save the ZIP. Once saved, extract the zip directly onto your Sansa player. Do this by selecting Extract All. It will ask you where you wish for it to be saved. Select My Computer > Sansa e200, and then select Extract. Refer to Pictures 2 and 3.
Step 4: DO NOT disconnect your Sansa at this point. Rockbox is not yet installed, it is simply sitting there, where for more instructions. You have to do one more quick, simple step. Download an EXE called SansaPatcher. It is necessary to patch Rockbox onto the Sansa. You can find a download of it at this page "http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12554".
Step 5: Once you have installed this, a DOS prompt-like box will appear. Simply type the letter 'i', lowercase, and hit enter. Do nothing else. A few lines will appear, and then it will say that it is finished (refer to Picture 4). Rockbox is now installed. Close the SansaPatcher. Go to My Computer, right click on the Sansa e200 icon select Eject, and then unplug your Sansa. Turn it on, and Rockbox should boot up with no problems.
Note: If you wish to boot back to the original firmware, shut the unit off. Once it is fully off, press and hold the left arrow button and then press the power button. Be sure to hold the left arrow button down until the original firmware is completely loaded. Then release the button. It will boot back to Rockbox the next time you press the power button.