Total Newbie, Don't wanna Kill my Empeg!

I am a total newbie to Linux, and my new Empeg MarkII, so please bear with me guys! Thanks..
I really like the features of this new kernel, especially the saved visual settings.
Is it really as simple as using the logo editor on my windows machine to upload the kernel to the player, and suddenly i have all these new features?? is that it? I just wanna be sure. i would be so pissed if i killed my Empeg 2 days after i got it by trying to hack it!! Thanks for all the help guys!! This forum is really great.
Brian

The hijack kernel has no chance of "killing" your Empeg. As stated in the RioCar.org FAQ, the absolute WORST thing that could happen from a kernel installation is that you would need to re-apply an Empeg upgrade file. Because everything important (the boot loader) is in non-erasable memory, you simply cannot, no matter how hard you try :) make your Empeg unbootable.

So proceed with reckless abandon with your plans to load the kernel via Tony's Logo Editor. It should work just fine.

Thanks a lot for the help.
So, do most people here install the hacked kernel you think?
You dont lose any features at all right? only gain new features i assume..

I wouldn't say "most people" install it, but I'd say at least 30% or more do. Certainly a large portion of the membership of this BBS. Most who don't install it probably think it's too risk or too much work. Neither of which is true. Some probably just don't think the features are important enough.

You don't lose any features. A new menu becomes available when you hold down the front panel knob with all the kernel features (max temperature warning, screen blanker, etc.)

That sounds great. I wonder why anyone wouldnt want those extra features. I'm gonna run home for lunch and install the new kernel. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks for the help again! i appreciate it.

Wow, that was easy!
I like it. Don't know why everyone wouldnt want these new features..

As stated in the RioCar.org FAQ, the absolute WORST thing that could happen from a kernel installation is that you would need to re-apply an Empeg upgrade file.

Actually, now that you mention it, I don't know if that's actually in the FAQ or not. I'll go make sure to put it in there. Thanks.

Even if it's not in the FAQ it's on Mark's site. But I agree it wouldn't hurt to be in the FAQ.

Yay a FAQ contribution! And my boss says I wasn't "productive" today...

Some probably just don't think the features are important enough.

I guess you have to count me in that group. Don't misunderstand -- I think it is fantastic that all these neat and useful hacks are being made available -- but all I do with my player is... play music. And the standard non-hacked feature set is so rich that I don't even come close to utilizing all the things it can do. Mostly, I just set it to random shuffle, and let it play.

Once in a while a particular song will catch my fancy and I'll dig out the remote and press the "2" key to hear more songs like it. If I'm feeling exceptionally adventurous, I'll live dangerously and press and hold the "7" key and have a song repeat itself. (But I'm not as young as I used to be, so I can only subject myself to that sort of excitement maybe once or twice a week.)

A couple weeks ago, I actually changed over from the Hula Hoops visual to TimeShade128. Now that's living on the edge, I tell you!

I love my empeg but feel that all the additional bells and whistles that are possible would only distract me from why I bought it: to use as a music player.

A long time ago I said on this bbs something to the effect that there are two groups of empeg owners: those who have a Linux computer in their car that just happens to play music; and those who have the world's best music player in their car that just happens to use Linux.

Guess which group I'm in?

tanstaafl.