can someone help a noob here?
Are these the right parts to get?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6812119245
http://magnatek1.com/proddetail.asp?prod=mk4026gax
Is there a better hard drive to get or is that the one?
So.. everyone is installing the official Pioneer Z2 firmware upgrade after upgrading their Z1 -> Z2 using the method here?
I didn't know there is an official upgrade for Z2...
Can someone provide the link?
Will it fix the bypass hack?
Question for you guys..
I owned a Z1 upgraded to Z2 on a 60GB HD.
Everything works great.
What i'm missing is the resize Music Partition.
I've tried resizing with Magic Partition but got numerous errors and couldn't ran the application. Also tried Acronis Director, but culdnt find the option to resize.
Have you guys tried any other software to achive this?
If so, please let me know.
I had my Z2 for couple of month so far and didn;t have any problems.
Any help would be awesome.
Thank you in advance,
Zeek
Are you guys talking about the firmware update?
Yes.
Did someone install this update?
The only concern I have is if the hacks will be broken.
I don't want to have to re image the hard drive.
If you have this update installed, please let us know how your Z1-Z2 is running.
And you know what are the changes with this updates, will be great source of information.
Thank you,
It doesn't affect the 2-wire bypass. In fact, it enables it if your deck wasn't already
What are the improvements?
New features?
Thanks
Zeek
What are the improvements?New features?
Thanks
Zeek
Answered:
http://www.avic411.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 3488#83488
basically it's:
So i've just burn the cd with the upgrade.
My Z1 upgraded to Z2 shows Version 2.0000
I ran the cd, waited for all the upgrade to finish, rebooted.
And when i checked the version.. still says 2.0000
Like nothing had changed.
Any ideas?
Thank you,
Zeek
So i've just burn the cd with the upgrade.My Z1 upgraded to Z2 shows Version 2.0000
I ran the cd, waited for all the upgrade to finish, rebooted.
And when i checked the version.. still says 2.0000
Like nothing had changed.
Any ideas?
Thank you,
Zeek
When you're on the version screen, press and hold the top-left-hand corner. An extended version screen will appear. If you've just applied the Freezing update on a Z2, you want it to read as follows :
Thank you!!
My bad.
My Z2 has been upgraded.
I hope Pioneer works a lot more and comes up with more good Firmware upgrades in the future.
They've done a great job already.
Zeek
when I backup my avic z2 hard drive I only end up with a 7.61 GB .tib file, what am I doing wrong. I'm using Acrnis True Image?
OK guys. First off... along with everyone else, I want to express my sincere gratitude for all the effort, personal sacrifice, and general question flogging that those who have planned and supported this upgrade have endured. <3
Now for my experience, which was reletively painless, but a few lessons learned that I wanted to share with everyone.
I bought the Toshiba MK4019GAX (seems to be synonymous with the MK4026GAX) based on everyone's recommendation of 40GB being the max size, the 16MB cache and 5400RPM speed. Disabling the security was a breeze, but I went about it a different route. I have an old Dell Inspiron laptop and a USB floppy drive. I used the instructions in this topic to download and create the floppy disk. Then I installed the HD in the laptop (replacing the one that was in it) and booted from the USB floppy drive. Then followed the rest of the instructions and was sucessful. I then removed the drive and put it in a USB enclosure I got from Radio Shack called the Mad Dog Mega Vault. (Note: I live in a po-dunk town and was unable to find the IDE adapter locally, so I went this route also so that I can have a portable drive) I then connected the drive to my computer via USB.
I have windows Vista, so I can vouch that this will work for a vista machine. I downloaded the image from Big Floppy (Big Props dude) and extracted it to my local HD. I then used the instructions in this topic to access disk manager through control panel. It told me that I had to format the disk, so I did. I didn't know whether it mattered or not if I assigned it a drive letter, so at first, I didn't, but then Vista couldn't see the drive, so I went back and assigned it the next drive letter. NOTE: long story short, it does not matter at all if you assign it a drive letter, the AVIC will ignore the drive letter, so go ahead and assign it a letter. Through trial and error, I found the best way to expand the partition without using a partitioning software was the following:
Load the image onto the HD as is. This will create the 4 partitions in the default "30GB" size. When it's finished, DELETE THE LAST 2 PARTITIONS. You will be left with the first 2 partitions and some unallocated space (19543KB to be exact). Create the next partition as a PRIMARY PARTITION (bootable). This is very important, as a logical partition will not be recognized by the AVIC. The partition size I chose was 19069MB. Then create the final PRIMARY PARTITION of size 574MB if you use the above number. Now use the Acronis True Image software to restore the last 2 partitions, one at a time, onto the final 2 partitions on the new HD. Be advised, you will have to reboot the computer when restoring each partition, this is necessary because it is a primary partition.
When you are completed, if you used my numbers, you are left with a drive that has the following:
LDATA - 17.5GB [FAT32]
SDATA - 572MB [FAT32]
MSV - 18.6GB [FAT32]
USER - 579MB [FAT32]
I then removed the hard drive from the enclosure and put it in the car. VOILA!!! 
The program started updating and then I had a Z2.
I've gotten the idea that I may put the Z2 image onto some DVD's. Similar to the 1GB chunks on the net, I will put them into 4GB chunks on a DVD. I suppose that I could also send them out to people at their request. First though, I am going to install the Z2 firmware update, the latest Gracenote CDDB and the bluetooth fix, if I can still find it. Then I'll back it up and make a new image. (This image will be for a 40GB drive or larger it won't fit on a 30GB drive). I am afraid I can't offer it for free due to the cost of the disks and the shipping, but I'm sure that I can arrange something. Also, I would be willing to do this for people and send out a complete, unlocked drive if people would desire that too.
The hard work is done, now it's just the time involved of replacing the music that is still locked on the old drive.
Thanks again! And I hope this write-up helps to clear up some of the questions. Feel free to PM me and I will respond.
Matt
ok i've been trying for some time now to DL the image files but im unable to. i tried all of the methods provided, the only one i have had minor success with is big floppy's "thanks dude", however, i was only able to DL one of the files i still need the other 8, can someone please provide me with a link that is up to date or at least working.....
Delete
ok great i finally completed the upgrade and believe it or not it was actually easier than i imagined, i didnt get the adapter 2.5 to 3.5 i used usb with a new 80gig toshiba hdd, acronic true image home. created a new disc (actually 4 of them) my comp then was able to see the hdd. i had previously mounted z2bypassed image to my computers hd. so all i had to do is drag and drop, after increasing the partitions.
thank you to all the people who helped, and fyi in support of bigfloppy's request for graphics guru, guys its alway good to get the "hook up" but sometimes we should give a little something back in return.
so my next mission is to create custom graphic, any info is appreciated
Has anyone Unlocked the stock drives?
Shouldn't all our z1's have the same password?
Well I try your FTP server... account and password don't work
Well i Tried also Torrent ... No one seed 
Well where can i get the image ... i have everything in my possessions ...
well also .. what HDD is the best for update? no crash or freeze ...
Has anyone Unlocked the stock drives?Shouldn't all our z1's have the same password?
Yes, I (among many) have unlocked the stock drive.
And no, ATA drive locking doesn't work that way.
For details, read Pulp_Fiction's excellent post in the Z1 HDD FAQ thread, stickied at the top of this forum.
Well I try your FTP server... account and password don't workWell i Tried also Torrent ... No one seed
Well where can i get the image ... i have everything in my possessions ...
well also .. what HDD is the best for update? no crash or freeze ...
i have the image but i dont have an ftp server, i think i might be able to post it via newsgroup but im in the middle of cracking the grace note mistery. maybe bigfloppy, or one of those "original great people" can help you on that.
as for the HDD... pretty much to sum it up and be safe go with toshiba seeing as how that's what's currently in there. i went with MK8032GAX.
ran me about 60 bucks works great.
Hello,
I've been reading through this forum and this is all great info! I'm planning on buying a Z1 and doing the bypass/unlocking/Z2 upgrade. My two questions are:
1. Am I correct in assuming that 40GB (basically doubling the MSV partition from 10GB to 20GB) is the largest we can go without having reboot issues?
2. Does that mean the people on eBay selling 80GB+ drives are basically robbing people? I know most people have 60GB drives since it is the standard drive size now, but it seems wrong to sell 80GB drives and not mention that the whole drive is not being used...
And I can't remember who was having an issue with the FTP site, but it is working for me. It is going to take like 4 days to get it all, but I normally don't complain about free. So thank you in advance BigFloppy!
I'm pretty sure that the rebooting issue has nothing to do with size, but instead of what HDD is used...From my best understanding is that is has to do with the current or draw of power that is needed to run the drive...So really, those on ebay aren't really ripping anyone off, as long as they are using the correct drives...
I don't think the size of the MSV really matters...but in order for the HDD usage screen on the Z2 to read accurately, you cannot go over a certain size....I forget what it was....but I belive Mazda6(I think he changed his username) played with it, and found the cut off to be 45 gigs...but don't quote me....search to find his post...otherwise, you should be able to make, store, and use music that is stored on whatever size MSV partiion you choose...
With the z2 upgrade, are there any updates to the Sirius portion of the interface?
I have read that there are some XM upgrades, but I have'nt seen any mention of Sirius upgrades.
If anyone knows, please post.
Thanks!!
One more question. When I have my new Toshiba loaded with the Z2 image, do I then treat my Z1 as if it is a Z2? Specifically, do I apply the firmware update for the Z2, or do I still apply the Z1 firmware update?
Thanks! I have been reading a lot and maybe this was asked and answered, but I don't recall seeing it.
Thanks again for all of the help!
One more question. When I have my new Toshiba loaded with the Z2 image, do I then treat my Z1 as if it is a Z2? Specifically, do I apply the firmware update for the Z2, or do I still apply the Z1 firmware update?
The Z1 and Z2 are the exact same hardware. The only difference is the firmware. If you update the Z1's firmware to a Z2, it is truly a Z2 in every way. As such, you would use updates for the Z2.