OK.. I finally got my GP2x

Its brand new out of the box, powers on fine, navigates menus ect..

I put an SD card in it, locks up
I put an SD card in it & turn it on, wont get past main screen (frozen)

I am using various cards from 1Gb to 2GB standard SD cards.

Is this because they are not formatted FAT32 yet? Will that freeze up the unit?

I am going to a friends to get use of his wintel machine as I am using a mac, going to format the cards & see if that helps?

Formatting the card(s) to FAT32 would be the first thing you should have thought of doing.
Your GP2X could have blowed up man!

Blown up?

I hardly doubt ;-) WOuld have been a good $200 show though.

Ill post back once I format

I finally broke down & got Virtual PC 7 for my mac, just for this stupid stuff. $63 for a new version on ebay so no major loss. I cannot tell everyone how anxious I am to get this thing up & running!

What? You can't format to FAT32 on Mac? What a piece of shit...
Or, you can't use a card reader on it? You can't copy files? What's the problem?

I have a USB 2.0 Card Reader.... No Problem

Under the MAC Disk Utility my options are...

FAT16
MSDOS
UNIX
Various MAC formats

No FAT32

Seems odd... but what can you do...

Been using Macs since 98, so far the only things that have ever been an issue are running the software update on my Garmin GPS & now my GPX2.. Virtual PC it is, I got rid of my last PC & happy its gone :-) Everyone uses what works best for them :-)

Well well. I don't want to whine but if I were you I would just go to your friend and done it in the first place.

I am at a loss...

I formatted the cards Fat32

I have two 2GB cards & one 1GB card. Standard SD cards. The system freezees on boot if they are in the card slot & if you put it in after it boots.. the system freezes up???

Looks like I got a DOA system?

Yeah go & replace the unit.

Microcenter said they had 3 in stock.. it took them 30 minutes to find it in the wharehouse, so it will be an adventure going back. mess...

Better than sending it back to an online store and waiting days / weeks. You can do it in 1 - 1 1/2 hour including driving times?

Exactly! I am leaving now, its 20 minutes away.... I am going to go wait while they hunt another one down & test it before I leave. I cannot tell you how anxious I am to get this thing set up. I had no idea they existed till a week ago, I purchased a UK retro gamer magazine & it had a full page add

Nice, they're still open? Good luck, looking forward to hear from you soon.

Well... No luck

I just went to microcenter, did an exchange. Went to the truck, turned it on & placed in the 1GB card, the system worked. I then placed the 2GB card, the system froze. I tried to put the 1GB card back in & now the NEW GP2X freezed everytime you put a card in it.

These are standard 1 & 2GB SD cards FAT32 formatted????? Does Gamepark just not like me? I am goingto make the return now, not sure what to do from here

boot it up without any cards inserted, what happens?

Well it's not your GP2X for sure... Try formatting them on another PC or something, it has to be the SD cards I guess.


The system freezees on boot if they are in the card slot & if you put it in after it boots.. the system freezes up.
Seems like the system works fine. Is it a Value Pack? Does the built-in games work?

Perhaps the new firmware is at fault somehow? I don't remember so many support threads before the Value Packs came out :-/

Well

They gave me a 3rd one, the last one in stock, I also returned the 2GB card I got from them earlier.

If this helps, its system 2.10 no 3.0? Does this mean anything with the larger cards?

Even still, if its a bad format SD, it should not mess the system up?

Yes the demo games work, but only if there are NO SD cards?

I am going to go home, load the Firmware update on the 1GB card & see what happens after that. I am really confused, why a bad SD card would shut down the system?

If the 1GB card works, and you decide to downgrade your firmware (It should NOT be the firmware 3.0's fault that it doesn't work, so why touch it?). But if you want, be sure to first download the firmware 2.0.0 from the archive, flash it, and then the 2.1.1 one.
It is definitely not the GP2X's fault. If you aren't mispleased with the 3.0 firmware boot time, I don't think you should downgrade. 2.1.1 boots only slightly faster.
Why no load games on the 1GB card instead? Now that the card already is FAT32, it works on the mac, right?

No you got me backwards

The system currently has 2.1.1 on it & I want to upgrade to 3.0 from 2.1.1

I was wondering if the 2.1.1 did not like the bigger cards?

Going to look online how to run the upgrade now!

No, for your own and everybody else's sake, NO!
If you already got 2.1.1 on it, let it be.
The differences between 2.1.1 and 3.0 are visual. No much difference than longer boot time on 3.0!
No, the 2.1.1 should have the same card support. I use 2.1.1, and a 4GB works perfectly.
And, I heard that the official 3.0 upgrade has caused a lot of mess to people, my friend bricked his GP2X when he tried to upgrade. I highly recommend you to stay at 2.1.1 and try better cards.

Ok

With the 1GB card it is now working, I loaded some photos, a MP3, a couple MP4 videos & a folder of photos. No emulation yet.

It played the MP3 & opened the photos, it will not recognize my MP4 files though? I have standard MP4 files & some converted for play on my iplay yan for my DS, it would not recognize any video? thoughts?

I am scared scared scared to put the 2Gb card in, as that was the source of my problems it would seem....

THoughts?

Time for bed, will mess more with it tomorrow!

thanks everyone!

It shouldn't hurt to put the 2GB card in, but if it's not working, what's the point?
The GP2X can't play MPEG4 I think, but it should be able to play your DivX and Xvid videos.
If the video codec is MPEG4 and audio is MP3 in a .avi file, it should play.

Also, what brand is the 2GB card?

funny question, but do the cards eject normally? ie; do you have to push them in to eject them?

The fact they came with FW2.11 means they were an old batch, and there was a batch around just before xmas (running FW2.11) which had dodgy Card slots, resulting in the problem you've mentioned.

A bad Batch of GP2x systems around xmas time?

In my information on the GP2X the serial # is 2006.11.09 I am assuming that's the date of build?

The system is also 2.10 not 2.1.1

The card is a gerneric from micro center, most of my SD cards are Generic.

I am going to try to 2GB card later & see about picking up a 4GB, but I am wondering now about this bad slot on the older ones.

Anyone know any programs that can play mp4 video with aac audio on the GP2x?

I think the dodgy ones were all fw2.11, and from around November/December yours seems to pre-date these, and is dated September (assuming I'm interpreting the date format correctly), so I'm probably wrong mate.

The faulty batch did not work with ANY SD card, and would hang as soon as you put one in, either at the splash screen on booting, or whatever screen it was on if you inserted the card whilst the unit was already powered on. It was caused by a bent pin in the slot (you could more than likely see this if you look inside with a torch or something)

Well I am keeping faith that this one continues to work?

The other two GP2x worked till I put the card in, then froze, one worked the 1st time I put a card in, the 2nd time it did not? Maybe that bent pin did not fully bend till I put the 2nd card in?

So far so good, the only emulator I installed last night was Atari & it works great. I need to get a bigger card so I can load Mame & Neo Geo!

I am upset about the MP4 files, I have 70GB of converted movies, all MP4, was using them PSP, then replaced the PSP with a DS + Play Yan.

Ill keep everyone posted when I try things out tonight.

For movies try PocketDivX on the standard PDA setting. Small size, good quality.

I advise you to get a brand SD, such as SanDisk or Kingston, and if the GP2X hangs on those too, then the store you bought it from has a defective batch, and you should return it.

The thing that gets me, is even if it is a defective card, why would a defective card render my GP2x worthless from that point on? I am going to look at getting a new card today.

The SDHC cards are no good right?

I have not been able to find a standard 4GB SD card. Maybe just a 2GB

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think SDHC support is still experimental. In your situation it would best to go the sure-fire way with a standard 2Gb card (that's a whole lot, too).

I just got a sandisk card 2GB for $29.99 on my lunch break from RadioShack. It works, system booted, I am happy. The Generic Card from Microcenter was $15.99 & I am not putting it aywhere near my GP2x, ill use it in the Wii ;-)

So today I go home & attempt Mame & Neogeo.

Glad to hear everything worked out well. Have fun!

I got myself a cheap generic 4GB SD when i got my system and it gave me quite a few headaches, nothing this serious though. I soon baught a standard 2GB Kingston SD and have had no problems ever since.

I'm now refusing to buy anything over 2GB and unbranded, atleast untill Open2X comes out then i'll buy a nice 8GB SDHC card, but it'll still be branded. I'm through with generic cards now

Just for the record, when you say 'unbranded', do you mean that there's no company label sticker on the card? Because there are some little-known companies, like PQI that makes decent cards

Sorry no, by "unbranded" i mean generic, like not a big brand label or some websites relabelled OEM stuff.

Just to pop in here, I bough a cheap regular 4GB SD from MyMemory (co.uk). It worked straight out of the letter, I didnt even need to format it, no hassle at all.

SO the GP2X is up & running, using both the 1GB & 2GB cards.

Now the adventure begins

SNES & Sega emulation works as well as Atari

Mame? Mame shows the boot screen & then just goes to a blank screen, I got everything where it is supposed to be?

NeoGeo? I used the Bios I have been using for years on my other emulation, but they are not the BIos the GP2X version is asking for? Strange...

I know it works, seen it work, anxious to get it working :-)

Any thoughts?

I think for NeoGeo you need the Unibios if I remember correctly. And for Mame, make sure they are the correct set for .34 I believe.

I got Neo Geo running, with some glithces. Blazing Star wont "dump"? I was able to get most others to work though. Blazing star is one of my fav's, so anxious to get to the bottom of that.

So I have mame rom set for 3.9 should I get another set for the older versions? Does every update of mame require a rom set to match? I am very very anxious for mame :-)

Everything else is good to go, except movies. All my movies are .MP4 aac audio. I got a DVX converter & re-coded a movie, but GP2x still would not recognize it. I am using it mostly for the games, but the movie option would have been nice.

I think I need another 2GB card :-)

Sounds like you got one of those from the faulty last-xmas-batch.
Most of them had a bent pin in the SD Card slot, and freezing is exactly what happens then.
First, the SD Card goes in a bit stiff, then it goes in but doesn't work.

Up & running

Thanks for the Help Everyone! I got my GP2x (3rd ones a charm) Microcenter had 3 & it was the 3rd one after 2 exchanges that worked with the SD card in it. If it is from that batch of broken pins, hopefully the pin stays in place :-)

I got two 2GB sanddisk cards on sale at Radio Shack for $29.99, figured I would stay away from the Generic cards for this unit. I got a full set of Emulators up & running, all my roms set. Just waiting now on my power suppy & TV out cable :-)

Thanks again!

i have a problem... when i put the sd card on gp2x, it freezes on boot screen(GP2X Firmware 4.0)... i take out the sd card and turn on gp2x and... works... ? anyone? same problem?

on this topic = same problem...
http://www.gp32x.com/board/index.php?showtopic=34210&hl=

Cumps to all,
RetroGamerPT

P.S: sorry for my bad english xD

Have you tried doing all the things suggested in the thread you linked to?

Have you checked if your GP2X accepts a different SD card, or if that SD card works on a different card reader? It could tell us which of those two is the cause of the problem.