Pi won't boot after updating ROM image

My screen resolution became fixed at 640×480 when I tried to change the screen saver settings so I’ve been following the advice on this thread:

http://www.riscosopen.org/forum/forums/11/topics/1412

I updated the ROM image inside the !Loader folder to the latest stable release from the downloads page.

But now the Pi isn’t starting up at all….Help please!

P.S. The SD card I am using with the Pi is the one from the ROOL shop.

thanks :)
Chris.

Update: I also have a Pi card from R-Comp support scheme so I copied the files inside !Loader on the R-Comp card across to the ROOL card by use of a “foreign” machine (a Linux computer)…and the Pi now boots up. However I dare not touch the screensaver settings in the Configure menu lest the same should happen again.
Any advice gratefully received.
Chris.

I have found that updating to a newer ROM requires a CMOS reset, and reconfiguring from scratch.
But I remember on the Pi having a nightmare with the screensaver issue. I started leaving it alone once it worked. Depends how much time and frustration you are willing to handle ;-)

My screen resolution became fixed at 640×480 when I tried to change the screen saver settings

Makes sense. The screen saver and monitor type are on the same pane, so if you set the screen saver without checking the monitor type was correct, clicking on Set would have updated both (breaking the monitor settings as it did so).

If you want to change your Pi’s screen saver, ensure the monitor information looks correct before clicking Set, and if you aren’t sure – back out (click on Cancel) and ask here for help! ¹

¹ Sorry, I can’t tell you what it ought to be, I use composite video so I made my own monitor file.

Yep, I found the same when I changed the screensaver settings, once I realised what had happened it was easy enough to sort.
Don’t know what I’ll do if I need to reflash the SD card (thought I needed to when I broke my !Boot but managed to fix it!) as my PC won’t recognise it now, and won’t reformat it either. Probably chuck it and buy a new one :).

as my PC won’t recognise it now

Do you mean that it fails to see the FAT partition as a valid drive (and just says ‘Please insert a disc into drive X:’). This can happen but it should not affect your ability to reflash the card using Win32DiskImager nor to read the complete image on the card and to save it as a backup.

Upgrading the ROM involves upgrading the firmware too, setting a sane config.txt, and shuffling the CMOS. The upgrade package in PackMan will do all that. I need to find time to do some more testing before I’m happy to release it for everyone, but you can try the testing version. Run PackMan, go to Sources on the iconbar menu, add this URL to the list:
http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/raspberrypi-testing
Let it download new lists, then ‘upgrade all’ (agreeing to backup files where necessary). Next time you reboot it will be in the next version (which may reboot itself while shuffling your CMOS)

That should be all you need though, as the firmware changed the upgrade includes a newly-packaged config.txt. You may need to restore any extra settings you put in config.txt afterwards (but try it without first). The aim in the future is not to change config.txt unless absolutely necessary, but it now has a mechanism to do that.

Let us know how it goes…

I tried it but got an “Unable to install/update! One or more files conflict with files already on your disk”- I’m new to this and don’t want to break anything – I’m learning BASIC and everything works fine – so I’ll leave it until the next “official release” comes along!

so I’ll leave it until the next “official release” comes along!

The current “official release” is RC8 (March 2013) which includes both a new ROM and new firmware. PackMan will do the upgrade from RC6 (November 2012) to RC8 as Theo describes. The disc (!Boot, Apps etc.) has not changed, just those files in $.!Boot.Loader

Glad to have some clarfication and reassurance about the re-flashing the ROM image which I will try later. Going back to the original question about screen savers: it’s not desperately important, I can switch off the screen if necessary. I was just thinking about “screen burn” My monitor is a dual monitor/tv I didn’t want to wear it out too soon !