Please Read This Entire Post Before Beginning
DOING ANYTHING IN THIS THREAD WILL VOID YOUR PIONEER WARRANTY
With the release of the Pioneer AVIC-Z3 device as a hard-drive based device, there is always a concern that the drive could one day cease to function. The process to replace it with a new one is fairly simple, and this thread will be dedicated to providing owners with a way to get their unit functional again with a fresh image of the hard drive that shipped with your unit. Again, these links are intended only for those who have purchased a Z3. That said, we know many people will be using these files to upgrade their unit's software from a Z1 or Z2 to the newest versions. If done improperly, this can result in a bricked unit which would require repair from Pioneer (at cost to you). To avoid this situation, we can at least make sure you do it right.
The AVIC-Z3 is motion-bypassable by the same 2-wire method as the Bluetooth updated Z1 and the Patched or recent Z2s. For information on that, see: http://www.sminntech.com/z1flash.html#newbypass
1) You will need to have the intended hard drive connected to your computer, unlocked, with security disabled. These instructions are for Windows-based PCs only. For more information, please see this sticky: http://avic411.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728
2) You will need Acronis TrueImage (available commercially or as a free trial from http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/pr ... trueimage/ )
3) You will need the files, and there will be several ways to get them. Please make your choice carefully, and in the best global interest. I will list them in the order of preference.
MegaUpload - There are 19 RAR files which will extract into an TrueImage TIB file. One file at a time, but relatively fast. Please use this if you are preparing to undergo the process, but do not yet have your hard drive ready to go. This is a free hosting service, and does not cost anybody in either hosting or bandwidth. You can upgrade to the Premium membership for $9 for a month, which will give you faster speeds, concurrent downloads, and no wait time between files. This is the image provided by septicdeath. This has been removed, as some people were having rebooting issues with voice control. The first 7 pages of this thread are pretty much a discussion about this issue, but you don't need to read them unless you're really bored.
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The following methods contain the same image from garrettomey, which HAS been verified to work properly, and the image is no longer corrupt.
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Torrent - This will be slow at first, so again, use this if you are preparing but are not yet ready to transfer the image to your hard drive, but don't want to be bothered to select 19 different different files. This will use the bandwidth of individuals who have already downloaded the image. If you use this method, you are expected to continue to seed the files as long as you can (indefinitely). If you need a torrent client, search google for uTorrent. This image has been provided by garrettoomey.
FTP - This will be very fast. Use this if your hard drive is in-hand, and you need the fastest way to get it back on the road. This is the same image as the torrent, provided by garrettoomey. A free FTP client is availble from http://filezilla-project.org/ . If you use this method, you are also expected to add it to your torrent seeds if possible. Download these files to your computer, THEN download the torrent file and point it to where the files are on your computer. This will result in you seeding without re-downloading from the swarm. Server Offline
HTTP - This will be very fast, but has the potential to be corrupted by your web browser (though unlikely), and will not resume transfer if there is a disconnection. Use this only if you have a problem with the FTP, Do NOT simply use this to double the number of connections you make to the server. You are limited to 2 on this protocol. Same image as the torrent and FTP, from garrettoomey. Again, if you use this method and know how to seed with the aforementioned torrent, please do. Server Offline
Pre-Written Drive - If you don't think you're capable of undertaking this task, send a PM to garrettoomey. He bought a bunch of extra drives and will send you a clean, security free, drive with the Z3 image on it (and include the torx wrench needed to remove the hard drive panel!). He's charging $120, which is not much more than the price of the drive itself, and includes shipping as well. See: http://www.avic411.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 6755#96755
Once you have the TIB file, open TrueImage and go through the wizard to restore an image. Point it to your AVIC's hard drive (BE CAREFUL NOT TO SELECT ONE OF YOUR PERSONAL OR OS DRIVES), and accept the defaults. Restore all 4 partitions and the MBR (master boot record). If you know what you're doing and want to keep your previously recorded music and address information, it is possible to restore only the two system partitions. (There is a nice writeup a few posts down!)
DO NOT REPOST THESE LINKS OR LOGIN INFORMATION ANYWHERE OUTSIDE AVIC411.COM
The links may change at any time, and this thread will contain the updates. We don't want people messing with these files without knowing how to use them, so if you need to share this information, please give them the link to this thread.
Torrent:
FTP/HTTP removed: http://www.avic411.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21759
GREAT tool. You can literally just highlight the entire MegaUpload quote and paste it in and walk away. Highly recommended!
