READ FIRST: To upgrade firmware/Change Region

[sassafras]

Changing the Region or Mode on the Samsung YP-P2

A lot of people have been having issues with changing the region or the mode of their P2 and there is not a concise guide as to how to go about actually changing their players without messing it up and bricking the device.

Here is a step by step walkthrough of how to change the settings of your device regardless of what stage of firmware you have. I'm not taking any responsibility for what happens if it doesn't work out and you brick your P2 though.

If you're only here to update the firmware on your player and you aren't interested in changing the region or connection mode, you should first read this guide and consider it. If you're still not interested, just download the latest firmware in the section below and skip direct to the part of the guide called "updating to the latest firmware"

First You'll need:

Version 1.15
Version 1.20
Current Firmware (v5.10 STABLE)

(Thanks to Generationmp3 for hosting the version 1.xx links.)

Alternatively, you can download the entire pack of everything P2 from this torrent:

Torrent

This torrent pack has everything including all firmwares, the dictionary, games and themes. I would pick it up if it has any seeders when you try Thanks to Aremith for initially seeding this. Please don't be a jerk and try to get atleast a 1.0 ratio before you disconnect if you decide to get the torrent.



Important tips to remember:

If you only want to update your firmware without changing your region or mode, then skip directly to the part of the guide at the bottom titled "Updating to the latest firmware"

People have experienced issues with trying to upgrade the firmware to the Bluewave (2.xx) with the config file. Don't do it. Follow the instructions as I have them to ensure you don't brick your player.

Also, you should NEVER update a firmware with the config.dat file by putting the same firmware version on the player. Going from 1.15 -> 1.15 or 1.20 -> 1.20 has worked for some people, but it has bricked many others. Make sure that you go from a lower version (1.11 or 1.15) to a higher version (1.15 or 1.20) when executing the update.

Important: Some users have noted that certain combinations of firmware do not work and will cause an "endless update loop." It has not been confirmed whether or not this is due to a bad combination of config settings or what not, but at the time, be aware that if your player seems to get caused in an endless update loop, you may have to go through a slightly tedious process of restoring it. Instructions for that process can be found here: http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum...ad.php?t=26367

Downgrading your player

For some reason, Samsung patched the ability to change the region and mode of the player when they released the first bluewave. This isn't a terrible hindrance because we can downgrade first, then upgrade slightly before we upgrade to the Bluewave firmware. Also, if you just dump the config file on without actually Updating the firmware, you will likely brick your P2. If your player is any firmware version other than 1.11 or 1.15 you should downgrade first. If you have either of these two on the player (And you likely will, because they have yet to ship players with the upgraded firmware) then you won't have to downgrade first. You'll just need the 1.20 firmware to do the config.dat/update step.
To see what firmware version you have:

1. Go to the P2 Settings
2. Navigate to System -> About
3. Look at the firmware version number listed. If it is anything other than 1.11 or 1.15 (Regardless of region) you should downgrade first.

To Downgrade:

1. Make sure you have at least 50 MB of space on the player, that you've backed up your files and that the battery is charged.
2. Download the file listed above as Version 1.15.
3. Unzip the file pack and place the .rom and .rsc files into the root of your P2 (This will either be inside of "Internal Storage" or "Data" depending on your version of WMP)
4. Unplug your P2 and turn it on. It will start the firmware update and turn off.
5. Turn it on again, it will finish updating the firmware and turn off again.
6. Turn it on, it should be the 1.15 version firmware now.

Making the Config.dat file:

Now. If you've downgraded your player, we have to go about making a config.dat file to change the settings of the player when we do the next update of the firmware. This file is really easy to make, but it requires you have your region and mode in mind before you make it.

The various region codes are as follows:

• KR - Using the KR region will allow you to use a lot of the Korean specific features like lyrics and the dictionary. RDS in the FM radio is disabled though.
• EU - This firmware is identical to the US version except the RDS system of the radio works and radio stations that broadcast RDS data will display text when the FM radio is tuned into that channel.
• US - This firmware is the firmware put on players sold in the United States and Canada (save at Best Buy stores) and does not have the special features of the KR firmware, nor the RDS radio features of the EU firmware.
• FR - Essentially this is the EU firmware, except it has a restricted maximum volume to conform to French laws. This player will not go as loud as the other firmwares.
• BB - This firmware only exists on players sold at Best Buy stores. It allows the player to use and access the Rhapsody channel so it can play DRMed music sold on the Rhapsody online store.

Pick the Region code you want. Then you have to decide whether you want MTP or UMS.

• MTP - This is the way most P2's come right out of the box. MTP mode is a special protocol designed to sync easily with Windows Media Player for hassle free music conversion and sync to your portable device. It is rather fickle though and some users note that it does not play well with OGG and m4a files. This means that if you have your player in MTP mode, they will sometimes not transfer properly, and if on the player, the ID tags will not work.
• UMS - This turns the player into essentially a flash drive and music/video transfer is done directly by drag and drop or music programs that support USB audio players (WinAmp, Media Monkey). UMS mode is also platform independent, so if you're using Linux or a Mac you won't have any issues getting your P2 to connect. If you have a Mac you'll need a Windows machine to perform this procedure the first time. This mode is more functional on the P2, but it doesn't work well with Windows Media Player as it is. Also, Playlist support is somewhat crippled.

Once you've made your decision about region and mode, you need to go about writing the config.dat file. Essentially, all you need to do is open notepad (in Windows) or any other text editor of your choice (but not full on word processors like Wordpad or Word, etc) and write the following two lines:

Note for Linux users: If you're writing the config file using a linux text editor, make sure you use Windows style line breaks or the config.dat file won't work on the P2

YP-P2
XX XX YYY

Where XX and YYY are the region and mode settings you decided upon. So, for example, my config.dat file I used for my P2 looked like this

YP-P2
KR KR UMS

Because I wanted the Korean region and UMS mode. You cannot mix region codes to get multiple effects. So no EU KR UMS... This will only brick your player.

1. Once you've written the file using your region and mode (not XX and YYY ) save it as config.dat somewhere.
2. Now download the Version 1.20 firmware from the link above and unzip it.
3. Put the config.dat file, and the two firmware files from the 1.2 firmware onto the root of the device (Again, "internal storage" or "data")
4. Unplug and go about turning the player on. Allow it to start the firmware flash. Turn it back on when it turns off.
5. Turn it on again and it should be version 1.2 with the region and mode settings you chose. Note: You won't be able to tell what mode it's in until you plug it back into your PC. But you will know it's changed if the region code changed.

Updating to the latest firmware:

Ok. Now you've sucessfully changed your Region and/or mode of your P2. You can now go about downloading the latest firmware and putting that on the device.

1. Download the latest firmware from the link above.
2. Put the two files onto your P2 where they belong. If you've chosen to remain MTP this will be either "Internal Storage" or "Data" depending on your version of WMP. If you've changed your player to UMS, the firmware files simply go in the root of the P2 drive. Simple as that
3. Unplug and turn on
4. Repeat turning it on (two or three times) until the firmware is done updating.

Huzzah! You now have a fully updated and region/mode changed player. Hopefully all went well and you're happy with it. Any questions?

Sassafras

[CrowdAds]

[KJmp32]

VERY nice guide, I've been avoiding switching just because I don't want to even take a little bit of a chance of bricking my P2 but this seems like it works. If only there were one where you had RDS, lyrics, and dictionary all in one. I'll probably change to KR once they fix the 3.xx update just so I don't have to be without games and everything else. Great job man.

[4DThinker]

What I don't understand is why they didn't enable RDS in the US/canada version. My Zune has it, and every station I receive uses it. I agree with KJ, though... it would be best to have lyrics AND RDS.

[4DThinker]

I wonder why you have to put the region twice on the second line. Is it possible to do this:

YP-P2
EU KR UMS

?

[sassafras]

No. It's been tried. Brick is the only result.

Also, the games work in all versions (Even the best buy version, I believe) with 3.07 firmware.

[mc.p2]

The link that says 1.20 downloads a zip that is labeled as 1.15. Did you mix them up?
EDIT: the 1.15 seems to download a 1.20 version, and 1.20 seems to download a 1.11 version

[sassafras]

Thanks. I screwed that up. Fixing it now

[MrGroover]

Well, it is not necessary to download two old FW versions, is it? The 1.20 does the trick. Just upload the config.dat file there, unplug the player and restart it. Now everything should be changed. No need to go back to 1.15 first and then to 1.20. When I was doing the changing process, it was with the 1.20 FW. I did not downgrade to 1.11 or 1.15 first.

[sassafras]

If you uploaded a config.dat alone and it worked, then good for you. I've tried it personally on 1.15 and 1.20 and it did not work. The only way I reliably got the change to take effect was to update the firmware a step WITH the config.dat file. The guide reflects what reliably works.

[hypermegachi]

i forget what i did that bricked my P2. but i'm pretty sure going from 1.xx to 2.xx with a config file is a big no no. it's been a while so i don't remember.

from what i recall in memory, i downgraded to 1.20, then i "upgraded" to 1.20 again with the config file and it worked like a charm.

[MrGroover]

Originally Posted by sassafras

If you uploaded a config.dat alone and it worked, then good for you. I've tried it personally on 1.15 and 1.20 and it did not work. The only way I reliably got the change to take effect was to update the firmware a step WITH the config.dat file. The guide reflects what reliably works.

Well, reliable - if there were no such problems with bricked P2s when people have done FW upgrades... I'd rather have people do one FW down- or upgrade less... You maybe could include the info that the config.dat file trick is reported [1] to work with the 1.20 FW without downgrading to the 1.11 FW, just as additional info that could be tried first before taking the risk of another downgrade. Well, this will only apply to those who still have the 1.20 on their P2.

[1] AFAIR, I am not the only one who was able to do the changes with the 1.20 FW, there are other reports over here...

[sassafras]

I don't think anyone has ever bricked their player from simply doing a firmware change. It's from firmware shenanigans like updating the firmware to the exact same level, or trying to add the config.dat file with a bluewave firmware and the like. Anyone correct me if I'm wrong.

[beingboston81]

How do you get the RDS data to display? I get the info displayed in my Chevy Impala on some stations around Boston but I cannot get it to display on my P2.

I have my config set to EU and UMS but I live in Boston, MA.

Thanks, Tim

[4DThinker]

Tim,

It won't display unless the station you are listening to is broadcasting it. When it does display it is small text right below the channel number. Two lines at most, only enough space for a couple of words at a time.

For all the stations my auto-search found, only 1/3 of them show RDS data, and 1/3 of those don't do it all the time.

[Ecstasy2]

ths for a good FAQ))
P2 works great with UMS 3.15 after MTP 1.11

[cmo871]

before changed to UMS Korean version i had 3.15 us version. and i would use windows media player to sync, which would give me perfect organization of music, which included song orders, album art, etc.
NOW after i switched everything, i tried using WMP to sync, and everything is disorganized, few albums have the art, most albums are out of order and go by alphabetical order...
what happened? why did it turn to crap?

[sassafras]

Read the whole guide. I'll quote it for you in case you're confused.

Pick the Region code you want. Then you have to decide whether you want MTP or UMS.

• MTP - This is the way all P2's come right out of the box. MTP mode is a special protocol designed to sync easily with Windows Media Player for hassle free music conversion and sync to your portable device. It is rather fickle though and some users note that it does not play well with OGG and m4a files.
  
• UMS - This turns the player into essentially a flash drive and music/video transfer is done directly by drag and drop or music programs that support USB audio players (WinAmp, Media Monkey). UMS mode is also platform independent, so if you're using Linux or a Mac you won't have any issues getting your P2 to connect. If you have a Mac you'll need a Windows machine to perform this procedure the first time. This mode is more functional on the P2, but it doesn't work well with Windows Media Player as it is. Also, Playlist support is somewhat crippled.

[lebellium]

A question:
If you are in 1.20 EU MTP. Is it possible to upgrade directly in 2.08 or 3.07 KR UMS or EU UMS with a modified config.dat?
Or is it necessary to downgrade in 1.11 or 1.15 before. Then upgrading in 1.20 EU UMS with a modified config.dat and then upgrading in 2.08 KR or 3.07 KR (which keeps in memory the previous regional code)?

[MrGroover]

I don't know, if an update with a modified config.dat is possible, but as I stated before in this thread, there is no need to do a downgrade to 1.15 or even 1.11 (from 1.20). Just place the config.dat in the main folder (internal storage), unplug and restart your P2 and all settings will be reset (but the config is changed). Afterwards, you can directly upgrade to the newest version. This change will also work on the 1.15 or 1.11 FW, as reported in the other main thread about this topic. Once the change is done, one can directly update to the newest FW, no need to do intermediate updates...

[lebellium]

It worked for YOU
The moderator (sassafras) told you it didn't work for him
Yet I'm looking for a way which ALWAYS works in order to update my tutorial on generationmp3.com