Hi,

Just tried installing new firmware (bad idea; dead player), so I restored it using the handy guide on this site. Fortunately I had made a backup earlier (firmware 3.5.35). Everything is pretty much working again (including file transfers and playing mp3s), except now the words "is locked" appear on every menu screen, and it starts up with a black screen and red letters saying "VOIP is locked! Need update it." [sic] Does anyone know how to get rid of those words/the beginning screen? Thanks!

arfies,
With the use of the headphones and the players microphone some of these players are able to be used as Internet Phones with Skype etc using VOIP - Voice Over Internet Protocol when connected to the PC.
It would appear that either the feature has become activated within your firmware and you do not have the hardware to support it, or you have the hardware but the firmware is not set correctly. Connect your player to your PC and check through all the setting entries and see if you can find a setting relating to VOIP.
Also check the mini CD that came with your player as there may be extra software on the disc to do with this feature.

arfies

What full firmware did you use to flash your player with to get it working again? Or were you one of those lucky people that managed to get it working just by using their backed up firmware instead?

VOIP worked fine on my player before the firmware replacement, and there isn't anything special for it on the mini CD.

For the re-install, I tried the first two full firmwares on different occastions stated in the guide (both did the same thing; a black screen), then I successfully (save for the "is locked" messages) reinstalled my original firmware.

arfies, The full version firmware you used so your player would accept your dump may not have had the files needed to restore your VOIP function. The only thing I can suggest is there is a full firmware that does support VOIP HERE. When you load it to the upgrade tool it takes a while (several minutes) for the program to decompress and read the firmware before letting you proceed with the upgrade. If you read the comments on the download it explains this. If it does not fully restore your player then follow it with your dump, but it may contain the files needed to restore VOIP so you do not get the Locked warning.

Let me know how it goes.

So I tried installing that firmware and following the procedure (nothing but blue screens), tried the firmware that originally worked to restore it (blue screens again), tried almost every other full firmware I could to get it to show some sign of life, but no dice. Blue screens all the way. Now the screen is completely black, with no light at all (can something bump back to get that working again?) I should have just left it at the "VOIP is locked" state. At least it still did stuff then.

arfies, After shorting the chip and putting your player into recovery mode you should be able to use the same combination of full and dump files that you used to restore the player the first time.

I know. But even that didn't work. Now my player's totally dead (at least the screen- it still sometimes shows up as a drive, albeit one that won't format). I get as far as installing the full firmware (sometimes, or at least I did when I still had a screen), then when I try to put back my original dump.bin, it says any number of errors- disk not detected, can't write to the flash, etc.

arfies, After using the full dump you sometimes need to format the player before using your dump otherwise it will not load.

If your player is showing up in Explorer and you are having trouble formatting the player you can try the following.

Format from the command console with the following command.
format D: /fs:fat (D: being your players drive letter)

Right click on My Computer and select Manage, go to the Disk Management Console then right click on the drive and select format.

Use the HP format tool.

Use the MP3 Player Disk Tool and do a low-level format.

It's not showing up in the Explorer, although a USB device is detected.

After panicking and trying several run-throughs of "surgeries" to try and revive the black (not blue like a "wrong firmware" player; no light at all), I decided to try it in the USB jack I hadn't used yet. Voila. Same firmware + old dump used before, same "is locked" screen (so this problem still isn't technically solved, but given the alternative of no working player at all, I can live with that).

arfies, Good to hear it