HALP!!!


Kumaki

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OK, Just got my new Pandora....I can't do a damn thing with it!!


The SD card I ordered with it...won't read in my desktop compy's card-reader.


Meanwhile, I tried putting it in the Pandora...fine...I hooked up a USB cord from my laptop to my Pandora....it appears to be charging the unit...but I can't access it like a drive on my laptop or anything...so how the heck do I get anything on the SD Card????


there HAS to be a way, but I am stumped, severely.


I mean...it just plain simple won't let me access the file system on the SD Card...so I can't create my folders/subfolders...or put any PND apps on the Pandora...or any ROMS....please please please help me!!!
 
To access your SD card through the USB, go to the System menu in XFCE and select USB Mass Storage of or, if installed, the Mass Storage menu from the Config button (though I don't think it's been added to any firmware releases?)


Edit: Corrected (thanks onpon4)
 
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To access your SD card through the USB, go to the System menu in XFCE and select USB Mass Storage of, if installed, the Mass Storage menu from the Config button (though I don't think it's been added to any firmware releases?)

Since it might not be obvious, I'd just like to add that that's a typo; it should be "or".
 
OK, Just got my new Pandora....I can't do a damn thing with it!!


The SD card I ordered with it...won't read in my desktop compy's card-reader.


Meanwhile, I tried putting it in the Pandora...fine...I hooked up a USB cord from my laptop to my Pandora....it appears to be charging the unit...but I can't access it like a drive on my laptop or anything...so how the heck do I get anything on the SD Card????


there HAS to be a way, but I am stumped, severely.


I mean...it just plain simple won't let me access the file system on the SD Card...so I can't create my folders/subfolders...or put any PND apps on the Pandora...or any ROMS....please please please help me!!!
Card should be formatted to fat32.use panasonic sd card formatter. If you cant access the card on your desktop maybe the sdcard reader(external sd card reader?) is shit. If you have another sdcard from say a digital camer or something then try it in the reader and see if it works.
 
Not helping!!


Here's the deal. I can not find any way to access the SD card. No way to get a window open which would allow me to create new files in the SD card...or even see what's ON the SD Card.


As I said, the card reader in my desktop does not work on this card for whatever reason. So I TRIED using a USB Cord and making my laptop recognize a USB storge device, it is not doing it.


I went into System menu and enable USB...and in "Settings" the option is SD-Mass Storgae...but this does not open a window to let me see what is there or create anything there.


I mean, I got the Dingoo to work and even got it to run Dngux, so I'm NOT an idiot...but this device is making me feel like a hell of an idiot. I can't make it do ANYTHING.


I got it hooked up to my wireless network...that much worked...but, when I try to launch the web browser, I get a stupid error message..."Failed to execute web browser input/output error"


I tried to run the PND store, it would not let me download anything...I get this...


"Failed to Install MAME4ALLBETA: IO error (13, 'Permission Denied')


So what gives here??
 
the PNDStore needs a working SD card to download PNDs to. Not to mention a proper directory structure for example the /pandora/menu , /pandora/desktop or /pandora/apps to download PNDs to.


My guess the SD card is not formatted properly or not functional.
 
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Not helping!!


Here's the deal. I can not find any way to access the SD card. No way to get a window open which would allow me to create new files in the SD card...or even see what's ON the SD Card.


As I said, the card reader in my desktop does not work on this card for whatever reason. So I TRIED using a USB Cord and making my laptop recognize a USB storge device, it is not doing it.


I went into System menu and enable USB...and in "Settings" the option is SD-Mass Storgae...but this does not open a window to let me see what is there or create anything there.


I mean, I got the Dingoo to work and even got it to run Dngux, so I'm NOT an idiot...but this device is making me feel like a hell of an idiot. I can't make it do ANYTHING.


I got it hooked up to my wireless network...that much worked...but, when I try to launch the web browser, I get a stupid error message..."Failed to execute web browser input/output error"


I tried to run the PND store, it would not let me download anything...I get this...


"Failed to Install MAME4ALLBETA: IO error (13, 'Permission Denied')


So what gives here??

Why don't you format the SDcard first??
 
Well, the card reader in my computer is probably dogshit. It won't read any other cards, not even the micro sd in my acekard...and it always worked fine on that.


The compy upstairs DID recognize my Dingoo, when I plugged it in thru the USB...BUT IT WON'T RECOGNIZE THE PANDORA.


SO I have no way of accessing the SD card.


The SD card I got was straight out of the package, I did nothing except insert it in the Pandora.


I did not think you would need to format a brand-freakin-new card would you?


In either case, I have no way of doing that now.


and the PND Store won't work without a valid SD card, huh?


So I guess I need to get an external card reader and hook it up to my laptop....crap, nothing I can do today then....


Do I have this all right so far?


Then I need to grab all my ROM files from my dingoo, and get them onto my Pandora...after get the darn thing working at all.


any idea why the BROWSER won't even work??


I'd like to be able to do SOMETHING with this thing tonight...
 
any idea why the BROWSER won't even work??


I'd like to be able to do SOMETHING with this thing tonight...

There is no browser included in the Pandora... apart from links (a text browser). You cannot use the machine much without a SD Card.


I never use the USB cable to put stuff on my Pandora, I always take the SD card out and then fill it on my computer.

So I guess I need to get an external card reader and hook it up to my laptop....crap, nothing I can do today then....

If you were waiting for so long for the pandora why didn't you do that in parallel ? :)
 
If the card is formatted to some Microsoft proprietary file system like exFAT, the Pandora can't read it.


However If this card does reads fine on the Pandora you should be able to create the appropriate folders on the SD through the filemanager Thunar and then use the PNDStore to download apps. If it does work I suggest downloading PNDManager which is a much better interface for downloading PNDs.
 
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If the card is more than 32GB, it's an SDXC card. Those come preformatted as exFAT, which the Pandora can't recognize (and neither can GNU/Linux on a regular PC, or old versions of Windows). My blind guess is that's your problem, but it's hard to say, since you haven't said how big your card is or what OS your regular PC is running.


If that is your problem, I believe you can reformat it (preferably to FAT32) with GParted.
 
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Just format the SD with the Pandora...


Put it in the left slot and from a Terminal use this command:



Code:
mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n CARDLABEL /dev/mmcblk0p1
 
If you were waiting for so long for the pandora why didn't you do that in parallel ? :)
Because no device I own ever used a regular SD card, I have always needed Micro or Mini SD's.


I ordered an SD card with the unit, because I knew I'd need one.


I guess I was rushing things, and never thought to need to format the card, seeing as it came out of a sealed package.

If the card is formatted to some Microsoft proprietary file system like exFAT, the Pandora can't read it.


However If this card does reads fine on the Pandora you should be able to create the appropriate folders on the SD through the filemanager Thunar and then use the PNDStore to download apps. If it does work I suggest downloading PNDManager which is a much better interface for downloading PNDs.

I'll need to get an external card reader tomorrow, and use that to format the SD...then try again, I guess.


Jeez, I'll be glad when I get this step done!!


Seriously, on the Pandora Menu, though...there is a Browser. It doesn't let me use it, probably because of the SD card problem at the moment.


I WAS able to hook it up to my home wireless network...and I WAS able to figure out how to open the USB port...lol.


I guess once I get the card reader, I will simply format the SD Card...then download stuff onto it...and transfer some ROMS from other devices to the SD card, and I ought to be good to go...


We will see....

Just format the SD with the Pandora...


Put it in the left slot and from a Terminal use this command:



Code:
mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n CARDLABEL /dev/mmcblk0p1
Hey, neat...have to try that!
If the card is more than 32GB, it's an SDXC card. Those come preformatted as exFAT, which the Pandora can't recognize (and neither can GNU/Linux on a regular PC, or old versions of Windows). My blind guess is that's your problem, but it's hard to say, since you haven't said how big your card is or what OS your regular PC is running.


If that is your problem, I believe you can reformat it (preferably to FAT32) with GParted.

It's a 32 GB card...ordered it from the same place I ordered my Pandora...Ithic.com


The compy I have upstairs is running Windows XP SP3
 
Seriously, on the Pandora Menu, though...there is a Browser. It doesn't let me use it, probably because of the SD card problem at the moment.

They need to remove that icon, it goes to nowhere.. There used to be a light weight browser installed on the older firmware versions.. but it was removed to make more space for more functional applications..

Just format the SD with the Pandora...


Put it in the left slot and from a Terminal use this command:



Code:
mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n CARDLABEL /dev/mmcblk0p1


FYI you may need to add sudo in the command for this to work you will be prompted for a password it's just what you used on your login.



Code:
sudo mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n CARDLABEL /dev/mmcblk0p1
 
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was just about to add that i also just got a new sd and exfat was on it so had to reformat, your laptop doesn't have a card reader in it to reformat it? could always try to use Paragon Partition Manager or somthing like it might see the card in your pc and could reformat it. also don't forget you will need the Community Codec Package if you formate it ntfs
 
There used to be a light weight browser installed on the older firmware versions.. but it was removed to make more space for more functional applications..

No, it wasn't removed, it was replaced; Links is now the browser included on the Pandora. It's in the Network menu.

well sure, but that button certainly doesn't work.
 
The compy upstairs DID recognize my Dingoo, when I plugged it in thru the USB...BUT IT WON'T RECOGNIZE THE PANDORA.
The Pandora is a composite device that doesn't have any drivers. Once you've activated mass storage mode it will appear in Windows as a drive. You said "this does not open a window to let me see what is there or create anything there." Can you elaborate? You mean you ran the Mass Storage Mode app and nothing appeared on the Pandora? It is supposed to pop up a window asking you which card you want to use but if that isn't appearing at all there could be further problems. What size and type card is this anyway?

I did not think you would need to format a brand-freakin-new card would you?
If it is a 64GB card then I would but only because I know about the stupid BS that Microsoft did with the whole FAT vs exFAT. I've mentioned to Link that he should start shipping warnings with these cards before it causes even more trouble.

and the PND Store won't work without a valid SD card, huh?
Correct. The Pandora is designed to download stuff to SD card. It's pretty clever once it gets working. PND Store needs the directories created manually, unfortunately: create a "pandora/menu" director on your card (once you get it formatted) and then use PND Store to download PND Manager. PND Manager is WAY better (but unfortunately requires too many extra libraries to be included in the base firmware).

Tried it.


Got "Permission denied"


Now what?


Code:
sudo mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n CARDLABEL /dev/mmcblk0p1

"sudo" means "do this as super user". It'll ask for your password. Same password you created as when you first booted up.
 
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