Guys, how can I flash a new image to my initfs on SD card and not on internal flash? Now, that the new firmware is out I want to flash only my SD card to test the new firmware, first. Flasher-3.0 has some options I guess could accomplish that: -set-root-device maybe? With this flag I can choose whether to boot from mmc or flash, independent of the bootloader. But actually, I have no idea

It is not possible. Was already asked and answered (maybe even it this thread). Reason is - you only have rootfs part on your SD/MMC card. bootloader,kernel and initfs is still in your flash.

In theory you can extract just the rootfs from the firmware and copy it to card but you'll miss changes in other parts of newer firmware (bootloader,kernel and initfs) and the result may not boot at all. In some special versions it can work (2006.39 and 2006.49 on N770 is sufficiently similar and work) but generally no.

Fanoush: You may recall that earlier in this thread I queried you regarding the following quote from your Wiki on booting from MMC:

"The first time I tried this on my N800 it led to continuous reboots 30-90 seconds after booting. Trying it a second time on a clean install (directly after flashing and erasing everything already on the device) worked fine."

You subsequently informed me that this was not your cautionary observation but that of some later contributor to the Wiki.

I have now received my N800, loaded it up with all sorts of applications, books, etc., then following your Wiki attempted to transfer the whole kit-and-kaboodle to MMC2 – with complete success! (It was a process which I had already successfully implemented on several occasions with my 770.) The only divergence I had to make from your detailed instructions – and that was in a direction you anticipated might be necessary, which it was, to wit: “Altering the command involving N800 requires loading mbcache.ko before ext2.ko. Modules may be in some other folder than "current". Just look for it.” I was able to find it nearby and all then went well.

When I did all this on my N800, I had 2GB cards in both the internal and exterior slots. The card that was effected in the operation turned out to be the one in the internal slot. Now I need to ask what simple modifications to your Wiki instructions are required to do the same thing with the card in the external slot (which I believe is designated as mmc12)?

Specifically I need to know how to modify the following commands:

# apt-get install e2fsprogs
# umount /media/mmc1
# umount /media/mmc2 (for N800 only!)
# sfdisk /dev/mmcblk0
/dev/mmcblk0p1:1,15000,6
/dev/mmcblk0p2:15001,,
/dev/mmcblk0p3:
/dev/mmcblk0p4:

# mkdosfs /dev/mmcblk0p1
# shutdown -r now

# mke2fs /dev/mmcblk0p2
# shutdown -r now

# insmod /mnt/initfs/lib/modules/current/ext2.ko (preceded by the deviation I cite above)
# mount /dev/mmcblk0p2 /media/mmc2

This has proved to be a relatively easy and satisfying process and my earlier modifying of the bootmenu.config file, in follow-up to your instructions, also worked well. Anyway, again, many thanks. Jim

Please let me know if you can install any new software from your back up?!?
I did manage to make a exact copy of my OS before with all the applications installed... But When I boot to the back up I try to install new software and it failed.... I replicated the issue 3 Times... Can you try it and see if you can install new applications.

Thank You.

In response to your query, I have just installed Vim using the Application Manager on my MMC2 back-up with no problem at all. This seems to be working just as successfully as my similar MMC2 back-ups on my 770. I regret I can offer no insight to your difficulties, but hopefully some other member(s) of the forum can. Good luck. Jim

Is ok I am not looking for a solution I just wanted to see what you did different and it seems to me there is nothing different.... I have a fresh tar that I am using and is working perfect for OPEN-ROX

Thank You.

fanoush is there going to be a update for for the new kernel?
TIA
Sorry I had to ask :P

Updated for 3.2007.10-7.

Yesterday I got 4GB card for my N800 so I have finally tried it too. I cloned older N800 firmware to mmc and then upgraded flash to latest one and updated bootmenu. Both systems boot now. Also experienced 'keys not working in menu' situation with older firmware. Now I cannot make it in newer one. Let's hope it is gone.

One nasty thing (at least in older firmware) is the 'metalayer-crawler' process which indexes mmc cards after each boot. This slows booting and make device less responsive couple of minutes after each boot (I have ~700MB of MP3 files on first FAT partiton). Maybe this background scanning also causes reboot issue some people reported. I hope it can be disabled somehow and run it only if I really add some new media files to my card.

Fanoush, I added "exit 0" to the second line in metalayer crawler, alternately you only need to remove /etc/rc2.d/S99metalayer-crawler0

If you want to run it to actually index your files you can run

/etc/init.d/metalayer-crawler0 start

and

/etc/init.d/metalayer-crawler0 stop

to stop it. I agree there should be a setting in the media player to force a index when you update your file.

Thanks!