Hello helpfull community,
I also used the SU-18_2006SE_3.2006.49-2_PR_F5_MR0_ARM.bin firmware for modification. But at the end i come out with a 20,3 MB file instead the original rootfs.jffs2 with 57 Mb. And i changed only one entry in the /etc/inittab config file. I invoked T0:12345:respawn:/sbin/getty -L ttyS0 115200 vt100. After flashing the system is always rebooting.
Is the original file with 57 Mb filled up with zeroes to the end? Do you need to erase the NAND-flash before reflashing?
Thanx for advice,
min

Then something important is missing in your image. A lot of things can go wrong so without posting full output of your shell session it is hard to even guess.

I think that slightly easier can be to install bootmenu into initfs and use its usb networking mode to mount cleanly flashed rootfs directly on the 770 and try to modify it (possibly repeatedly) until it works. With one line bootmenu modification you can even let the device continue booting while having usb networking shell still open.

Bootmenu installation can be done on PC in similar way like with rootfs. Once one has original initfs extracted it should be possible to follow initfs_flash script from http://fanoush.wz.cz/maemo/initfs_flasher.tgz and do things by hand (copying bootmenu.sh, extracting dropbear,... tar archives) and create new image via mkfs.jffs2

And BTW both for rootfs and for initfs images it should be relatively OK to distribute binary diffs/deltas http://code.google.com/p/xdelta/

http://www.bu3sch.de/joomla/index.ph...serial-console

In fact this helped me: sudo 0xFFFF -r 1 -f 0x10
http://www.bu3sch.de/joomla/index.ph...serial-console

By default the serial interface is switched of - to save some energy. But nevertheless you get debug-output which stops with the message "kernel booting...". This suggerated me the /dev/ttyS0 is switched on, which was not the case.
Now every booting message can be logged on the serial line.
As a next step i need to change the filesystem to activate a serial console and reflash it.

Thanx so far,
min

Now the serial console is working for me:
"
Internet Tablet OS 2005 Nokia770-05 ttyS0
Nokia770-05 login:
"

- but -

What is the default password???

got it:
username: root
pw: rootme

it is working :-)

wlan0 acess
ssh
hcitool scan
and whatever you can do over console!

I had already mmc access but at the moment its not possible anymore.
Because it automounted on my laptop? Do you have to remount mmc on
your n770?
Anyway I m happy again with that little blind black WSOD-DOG.

greetings from Germany and good night
min

Since everthing is working now (except the display) and I have full access to the filesystem with ssh - I 'm asking myself if it is practicable to substitue the defect N770-diplay against a SDIO-controlled handy-display. I ' m using Nokia 3310, 3510, Siemens 65 displays with microcontrollers (AVR and PIC) and i have all the nessesary glib-files for control. Also I have two old Zaurus SL5500 displays laying around, a N770 scheme and skills to solder SMD.
How much work would it be to connect one of those displays to the n770.
Otherwise I could serially log the /dev/ttyS0 terminal on a microprocessor controlling one of the mentioned displays. This would be easygoing for me.

I've moved the off topic discussion of FBReader troubles to a new thread. Please continue that discussion there.