How to Upload Rockbox Firmware onto a Sansa E200

Many people purchase mp3 players every year, and while greatly enjoying the device, desire for more functionality. Ipods and other mp3 players do not allow the user to change the background wallpaper, or add extra apps to the unit. It is not the mp3 player individually that prevents one from doing this, but instead the firmware that the authoring company installs onto the device.

Realizing that mp3 players could be made better, individuals with programming knowledge worked on a free, open source firmware for mp3 players. The result? Rockbox.

Rockbox is a free firmware that can be flashed into an mp3 player, allowing the user to do things with their player that the proprietary firmware prevented. A few examples for Rockbox on the Sansa is the added function to read text files (ebooks), pre-installed games such as Pacman, Tetris, Space Invaders, Meteorites, Pong, Doom, and a few more. Rockbox also comes pre-installed with many apps, including dictionary, calendar, screensavers, dice roller, calculator, etc. And - perhaps the most desired feature - the ability to apply any background desired.

Finally, Rockbox does not override the original firmware, but instead it "sits" on top of the previous. If you wish, you can easily boot into the original firmware instead of Rockbox.

Installing Rockbox onto a Sansa e200 series (non-Rhapsody series) is quite simple, and takes less than 5 minutes.

Step 1: Make sure that your Sansa e200 player is set to MSC USB transfer mode, instead of MTC. The way to do this is to turn on your Sansa player, and navigate to the Settings icon. Click once, and scroll to the USB options. Select the one that says "MSC". Refer to Picture 1.

Step 2: Using the data transfer cable, connect your Sansa e200 to your PC via the USB port. Navigate to My Computer by going to Start>My Computer. Within the section that says "other drives", you should see one that says Sansa e200. This means that you are successfully connected to the computer in MSC transfer mode.