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	FAQ The FAQ section is broken up into three separate categories. The categories address general questions about the application ( What? ), information specific to using openfi ( How? ), and commonly asked questions about openfi's design ( Why? ). Have a question that is not answered here? Please contact James Corcoran to have your questions added to the FAQ. What? What is openfi? Openfi is an opensource alternative media software for the Omnifi DMP1. It's free, simple to use and setup, and is arguably more stable than the stock software. Openfi is also risk free! What is the latest version of the openfi software available? The latest version of the openfi App Package is: v0.9.210 release date: 10/17/05 The latest version of the openfi Base Install Package is: v3 release date: 08/02/05 Does openfi have support for ID3 tags? Yes, since App v0.9.204 both ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags are supported. Tag information will be displayed during playback. How do I setup openfi? I knew you would ask! Take a trip on over to the setup page and follow the simple instructions. What is the'root of the hard drive'? In Hard Disk terminology, the "root" folder is the "first" or "main" directory/folder which encompasses all other folders and files on then disk. It is usually the very first folder you see when you click on a drive letter (such as E:\) - Lumkichi Where/How can I download openfi? Openfi can be downloaded from the SourceForge File Release System. You will need the latest Base Install Package as well as the latest App Package to get started. Visit the setup section for guides on how to setup openfi on your DMP1. What does the [button name] button do? Please refer to the new openfi keymap for more information on what functions each button performs. What changes have been made to openfi since it was released? Thus far, openfi releases have been anounced on the omnifi yahoo group. Informal changelogs (from these rleases) are avaialble here. The official release notes and changelogs that are released with each new version can be viewed from the files section by clicking on the book next to each version number. What ways can I add my music collection to openfi? Openfi has support for music loaded through the Simple Center software (shipped with the DMP1) as well as MP3's which are loaded directly to the DMP1's hard disk. It is suggested that you copy your MP3 files directly to the DMP1's hard disk. If you choose to use the Simple Center software, keep in mind that when you synchronize your songs they are being converted to a proprietary format. If the files on your computer are ever lost, recovering from the copies which are on the DMP1's hard disk is nothing short of a headache. If you wish to use Simple Center to synchronize your music, please follow the instructions included with your installation CD or visit the omnifi website for more information. If you wish to load your mp3 collection directly onto the DMP1's hard disk, please refer to the 'Play' section of the setup guide. Can openfi play music I have synchronized from SimpleCenter? Of course! If you have already synchronized your music collection with SimleCenter, or would like to continue to use SimpleCenter to manage your music, feel free. Openfi has the ability to read the SimpleCenter-written databases. Remember, openfi cannot play WMA files (loaded directly or synchronized from SimpleCenter). Will my DMP1 still autosynch wirelessly with SimpleCenter? Yes. When scheduled wireless synchronizations take place the face plate does not turn on. Openfi will detect this state and allow the stock software to connect to SimpleCenter on your computer and perform it's scheduled sync. Can I still use the stock software if I load openfi on my DMP1? Yes. Openfi does not replace the stock software. If you wish to load SimpleCenter for any reason, simply choose the "Load SimpleCenter" option from the main menu. This will load the stock software as if nothing had been modified. How can I help develop openfi? If you are familiar with programming and would like to help develop openfi, please visit the openfi Development yahoo group. How? I am setting up openfi for the first time and it will not load. Make sure that you have version 2.0.315 of the DMP1 firmware running on your device. Make sure you have extracted both the Base Install Package and the App Package into the 'transfer' directory of the DMP1 hard drive. Make sure the openfi Base Install Package is extracted into the 'transfer' directory before the App Package. I am upgrading openfi from a previous version and it will not load. Delete the contents of the 'transfer' directory. Be sure you are using the latest release of the Base Install package as well as App package. Extract the Base Install Package into the 'transfer' directory, then do the same with the App package. Be sure to replace any existing duplicate files from the Base Install package with the ones from the App Package. How do I update my DMP1's firmware to v2.0.315 Using Simple Center (credit: omnifi ) Hook the hard drive up via USB to your computer. Open Simple Center, go to the Devices tab, and click 'Update Device Software'. The update will be transferred to your DMP hard drive. START YOUR VEHICLE before you insert the drive into the DMP housing! The update will fail if your car is not on. Insert the drive into the housing and wait for the update to finish. Omnifi will reboot when the update is complete. Remove and reattach the faceplate for the dimmer problem to be resolved. Enjoy the tunes!! Updating Manually (credit: -=tEchfirE=- ): Download the "DMP1_Build_2-0-315.sfu" file here. Rename the .sfu file you downloaded to "simpleUpgrade.zip" (case sensitive). Copy the "simpleUpgrade.zip" file to "\transfer " directory of the DMP1 hard drive. Insert Hard Drive into DMP1 chassis, power on the device. The upgrade should begin processing. How do I load my MP3's onto the DMP1's hard disk drive? Connect the hard drive to your computer, create a directory called Music_Collection in the root of the hard disk, and copy your MP3 music collection into the Music_Collection folder you created. After you have copied your collection to the Music_Collection folder, place the hard drive back in the car's caddy, and load openfi to begin playing. How do I remove SimpleCenter's synched music and files? To remove existing SimpleCenter synched content from the DMP1 hard drive, connect the DMP1 hard drive to your computer through USB, then follow the steps outlined below. (Credit: Lumkichi) Delete all of the files in the /usr/content folder Delete all of the files in the /usr/db folder Delete all of the files in the /usr/backup folder How do I remove openfi from my DMP1? To remove openfi from your DMP1 simply remove the files which were copied onto the hard drive during the installation process. All of the openfi files should be located within the 'transfer' directory. Deleting the contents of this folder will completely remove openfi. Deleting these files will result in any customizations being lost. How do I get playlists to work with openfi? For a guide on how to create playlists for use with openfi, please refer to the user submitted Playlist Creation Guide. Playlists can be made with WinAmp. It's essentially just a list of files with the proper relative paths. An easy way to keep the paths straight is to make a folder in Music_Collection where you store your playlists (e.g. "Music_Collection\_Playlists" - the underscore keeps it at the top). Then every path in the m3u files will start with "../". The only thing that you need to be careful with (other than the obvious absolute vs. relative path issues) is that the directory separators have to be forward slashes "/". Windows defaults to backslashes "\", but a simple search and replace fixes that problem with very little effort. A tool for resolving slash and path problems in m3u files is available from the Omnifi Yahoo Group in the files section. It is called m3uFixer. My computer won't recognize my DMP1's HDD when connected through USB. Files are corrupted during transfers. A number of users have had this problem, it seems that USB hubs on some computers don't get along with the provided USB cable. It is suggested that you purchase a small (6 inches) USB 2.0 A to Mini B cable. These cables are available online for about $3. Another possible fix is to connect the provided cable to a powered USB 1.1 hub, but this will obviously affect transfer speeds. Why? Why doesn't openfi have support for WMA's? Openfi does not support playback of WMA's. WMA is a proprietary compressed audio file format developed by Microsoft. These files can only be played by software licensed to do so. Why doesn't the TAG button work like it used to? Currently the TAG button is used to simulate a reset of the system. Pressing this button will cause the DMP1 to shut off and then turn back on. This feature can be useful when troubleshooting. Why can't I browse my music collection while playing a song? As of 02/02/06 openfi is not yet able to browse files while playing a song. This is due largely to complexity of the task. Openfi is currently being redesign from the ground up. Currently available alpha versions of the redesigned openfi have full support for such functionality. In other words, it's in the works! Why does this webpage have outdated/incorrect information on it? openfi is constantly being improved. With these improvements comes change. Unfortunately sometimes it is difficult to keep up with these changes. If you happen to find something that is not correct or needs updating please contact James Corcoran. Why doesn't openfi replace the stock software? openfi loads itself after the stock software so that there is no chance of permanent damage to your hardware. openfi is risk free. One of the openfi project's main goals is to completely replace the SimpleDevices software. We currently are unable to do so because the SimpleDevices has neglected to produce the source code they modified. SimpleDevices modified software which was freely available under the GPL. Under the GPL, they are required to release their modifications. We are waiting. Click here for more information. Recently a petition was created to help influence the release of the GPLed source code. Click here to read/sign the petition.


		Current Base Install: v3 Current App: v0.9.210

© 2006 openfi Project