Is the location of abplayer on your PATH?

Yes. I am in /media/mmc2. Here is the xterm

/media/mmc2 # chmod +x abplayer
/media/mmc2 # ./abplayer test.mp3
/bin/sh: ./abplayer: Permission denied
/media/mmc2 #

You need to specify the absolute or relative path to the executable. For example, assuming that you put the abplayer file in your home directory, in the xterm you type:

Or, if you are at the same folder than the executable, you can use the simpler relative path: ./abplayer

Alternatively, you can put the executable at user scripts folder, named for example /home/user/bin, and add this folder to the PATH variable, by writting the following lines in your /home/user/.profile file:

This way, next time you open xterm, you can simply write "abplayer" without need to specify any path (and this will be also true for any future script you put in your bin folder).

Perhaps the filesystem in /media/mmc2 is mounted with execution forbidden. Try to put the script in the root filesystem.

Correct; by default FAT systems are non-executable on the Nokias.

Arrg. Now I moved the file to the /home directory and it says

/home # ./abplayer
/bin/sh: ./abplayer: Permission denied
/home # chmod +x abplayer
/home # ./abplayer /home/test.mp3
/bin/sh: ./home/abplayer: not found
/home # ./home/abplayer /home/test.mp3
/bin/sh: ./home/abplayer: not found

Hmmm... I assume you have mplayer installed, and awk is installed by default.

It looks like you typed in the output? If the first line saying isn't a typo, then I have no clue how you're getting it.

yea, i dunno. 1/2 the time i get permission denied. the other 1/2 i get abplayer not found. i am now strictly getting abplayer not found. i will reflash later and try again i guess

Reflashing has nothing to do with this.

Do you in fact have mplayer installed?

Yea, i have mplayer installed. I can execute the test.mp3 file I have by entering mplayer /(path to file)/test.mp3

I don't know if something happened to my N800 or what, but I have gotten different results from typing in the same exact commands. Either not found or permission denied.

For the permission denied message I may be able to run chmod +x abplayer on my laptop and then copy the file over to my tablet. The file is definitely there, so I don't know why I get the not found message.

Have you tried to run the abplayer file and get it to work? If so, can you post you exact procedure, step by step, so I can delete the file and try again?