Archos XS100 - Gmini 4 GB Pocket Music Player User manual

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Gmini™ XS100
Gmini™ XS100
MP3 & WMA Digital Music Player & USB 2.0 Hard Disk
English user manual
Version 1.1- Please see the Archos web site (www.archos.com) for the most recent manual
and software updates for your Gmini™.
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An introductory note from ARCHOS
Dear Customer,
Archos thanks you for choosing our new ultra-small Gmini™ XS100. Check out our web site www.archos.com
to find the available accessories for this product (car adapter, carrying cases, etc.). Also, while at our web site,
check for free downloads of updated and improved software for your device.
The principal function of the Gmini™ is, of course, to play music. Because it has a real hard disk inside of it,
you can store hundreds of songs. Using a standard audio cable, you can also play your music through a home
entertainment system. You can bring your entire CD collection with you anywhere and play it over anyone’s
sound system.
Putting music onto your Gmini™ is as easy as ‘drag and drop’ for your unprotected music files. And for protected
purchased music from PlaysForSure web sites, it is as easy as clicking the Sync button in Windows Media®
Player. Plus, with its USB 2 high speed port, transfers are finished before you know it. The Gmini™ is also ID3
compatible. This means that the ARCLibrary will sort your music so that you can listen to it by artist, album, title,
year, or genre. Click on Shuffle, and listen to your music at random.
Finally, you can always use the Gmini™ as a portable hard drive to carry your important files with you. You can
even use the Archos double-browser to rename, create, copy, move, and delete files and folders.
This manual gives you all the information you need to know on using your Gmini™. Read though it carefully, you
just may find out it can do some neat things that you didn’t expect. If you are stuck, you can always call our help
line or e-mail support to get a friendly Archos agent to give you a hand.
Wishing you the best music listening experience,
The Archos Team

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C
C
ontents
ontents
1 Ports, Buttons, and Connections 5
2 First Time Usage 6
2.1 Charging the Battery 6
2.2 Turning the Gmini™ XS100 ON and OFF 7
2.3 Changing the Interface language 7
2.4 Caring for the Gmini™ 7
2.5 Foreign Character Sets 7
3 Playing Music 8
3.1 Playing a Music File 8
3.2 Play Screen and Button Control 9
3.3 Playback Menu Items 11
3.4 ARCLibrary Specifics 11
3.5 ARCLibrary Updating 12
3.6 Setting a Bookmark 12
3.7 The Resume Function 12
3.8 Locking the Gmini™ Buttons 13
4 Putting Music onto your Gmini™ XS100 14
4.1 Synchronizing Music from Windows Media®Player (WMP) to the Gmini™ XS100 14
4.1.1 Synchronizing Music from Windows Media®Player (WMP) 9 to the Gmini™ XS100 14
4.1.2 Synchronizing Music from Windows Media®Player (WMP) 10 to the Gmini™ XS100 15
4.2 Transferring your CD collection to the Gmini™ XS100 15
4.3 Installing Windows Media®Player (WMP) 9 16
4.3.1 Copy the Installation folder and run the installer 16
4.4 Installing Windows Media®Player (WMP) 10 16
5 Playlists 17
5.1 Creating a new Playlist 17
5.2 Loading a Playlist 18
5.3 Playing a Playlist 18
5.4 Playlist Menu Options 18
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6 Settings 20
6.1 Changing the Sound Settings 20
6.2 Changing the PlayMode Settings 22
6.3 Changing the time & date settings 23
6.4 Changing the Display Settings 24
6.5 Changing the Power Settings 25
6.6 Changing the System Settings 26
7 Using the Browser 27
7.1 Inside the MUSIC Folder 27
7.2 Navigating the Directory Structure 28
7.3 File and Folder Operations in Browser Mode 29
7.3.1 Contextual Menu on a File 29
7.3.2 Contextual Menu on a Folder 29
7.3.3 Contextual Menu while in the Double Browser 30
7.4 Using the Virtual Keyboard 30
8 Connecting the Gmini™ XS100 to a Stereo system 32
9 Connecting the Gmini™ to your Computer 33
9.1 Making the USB Connection 33
9.2 Using the Gmini™ as an External Drive 34
9.3 Disconnecting the Gmini™ from your Computer 34
9.3.1 Windows®34
9.3.2 Macintosh®35
10 Using iTunes™ with your Gmini™ XS100 36
11 Updating the Gmini™ XS100 Firmware 37
11.1 Download the Update_GminiXS100.AOS file 37
11.2 Copy to Gmini™ root and Update 37
12 Troubleshooting 39
12.1 USB Connection issues 39
12.2 File issues, corrupted data, formatting, and partitioning. 41
12.2.1 Windows®ME Running Scan-Disk (Error Checking) 41
12.2.2 Windows®XP & 2000 Running Check Disk Utility (ChkDsk) 42
13 Technical Specifications 43
14 Technical Support 44
15 Legal and Safety Notices 45

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Ports, Buttons, and Connections
Ports, Buttons, and Connections
A Power jack – to connect an optional AC adapter/charger
B USB 2.0 port – To connect to your computer to transfer files to Gmini™ and to
charge its battery
C Headphone Jack
D On button (hold 3 seconds) & Menu options
E Off button (hold 3 seconds) & Stop/Escape
Navigation pad
F Move Up & increase volume
G Move Down & decrease volume
H Move Left (decrease value) or audio rewind
I Move Right (increase value) or audio fast forward
J Play/Pause/Enter
a CHG – Battery charging indicator
b HDD – Hard drive activity indicator
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2
2
First Time Usage
First Time Usage
2.1 Charging the Battery
2.1 Charging the Battery
Before using your Gmini XS100 for the first time, completely charge the battery for two hours.
• The Gmini™ XS100 is charged through its USB connector. Connect the included USB cable to a running
computer and plug the other end into the Gmini™ while it is off. This will charge its internal battery. The CHG
indicator will also light up to show that its battery is charging.
• The battery is fully charged when the full battery icon appears.
Animated battery: Full battery:
The battery is currently being charged. The battery is fully charged.
• You can purchase an Archos charger/adapter to charge the battery from a wall outlet. The blue CHG indicator
lights up to indicate that the external adapter is connected. The battery will charge automatically when it is
plugged in.
• After the first initial full charge, you may use the Gmini while the AC adapter is plugged in.

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2.2 Turning the Gmini™ XS100 ON and OFF
2.2 Turning the Gmini™ XS100 ON and OFF
• Press and hold the ON/Menu button until the screen comes on.
• The Gmini will automatically shut off after a given amount of time if no buttons are pressed. To conserve battery
energy, the backlight will automatically shut off. You can change these parameters in Setup > Power.
• Press and hold the Stop/off button until the Gmini shuts off.
2.3 Changing the Interface language
2.3 Changing the Interface language
• English is selected as the default language for your Gmini user interface. You can choose another language by
going to Setup > Display.
2.4 Caring for the Gmini™
2.4 Caring for the Gmini™
The Gmini is an electronic product that needs to be treated with care.
• Do not subject it to unnecessary shock or vibration. You may however go jogging with it or do sports.
• Do not subject it to heat. Keep it ventilated (especially when connected to a computer).
• Keep the Gmini away from water and excessively humid areas.
• Keep the Gmini away from high electromagnetic fields.
2.5 Foreign Character Sets
2.5 Foreign Character Sets
You have the possibility to display your file names, folder names, and MP3 ID3 tags in various character sets
(ex: Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, etc.). You can find the language files CodePage_name.4fz in the font
folder under /Data on the Gmini XS100 hard disk or on the Archos website under the heading Software.
If, for example, you would like to have the Japanese language display, you would copy the file Cp932.4fz into
the folder /system on the Gmini XS100. Shut down and restart the Gmini XS100. File names, folder names,
and ID3 tags written using the Microsoft®codepage for the language will now be displayed in that character set.
Only one.4fz file can be used at a time, thus you should only put one.4fz file into the /system folder. When an.4fz
language file is used, the interface language will be set to English.
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3
3
Playing Music
Playing Music
Once the Gmini has been turned on, the following screen is displayed. You can select
the major functions from this main menu.
• Music: Browse through the folder Music or use the ARCLibrary music selection
system.
• Browser: Browse through and manage all of the other files on your Gmini.
• Resume: Resume playing from the last place you stopped.
• Setup: Set the parameters of your Gmini to your personal taste.
3.1 Playing a Music File
3.1 Playing a Music File
By clicking on the Music icon in the main menu screen, you will enter into a ‘music only’
mode. File types other than WMA, WAV, and MP3 that may be in those folders will be
filtered from view.
There are two ways to access your music, by selecting Browse hard disk or by searching
the songs’ tag information, Artist, Album, title, etc. In the case of Browse hard drive,
you will be sent directly to the Music folder of your Gmini. Here you can look at all your
music files and the folders on your Gmini’s hard drive as if you were browsing files with a
computer. The other way is to browse your music by tag information, artist, album, song
name, year, or genre. The Unknown category indicates that the file has no tag data.
To select a music file, use the navigation controls UP and DOWN to move upwards or downwards and ENTER
to enter a highlighted subfolder or tag category. Click ENTER to play the highlighted song. Use LEFT to leave a
folder and go back to the previous level.

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3.2 Play Screen and Button Control
3.2 Play Screen and Button Control
(1) Menu available
(2) Artist* or parent folder
(3) Song title* or file name
(4) Album* or current folder
(5) File format and recording information
(6) Status: playing
(7) Play Mode: Folder
(8) Play Order: Repeat
(9) Volume (0-99)
(10) Battery level
(11) Real time clock
(12) Song elapsed time
(13) Song time remaining
(14) Song length
*If the file contains these tag data
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A Play/pause/resume song
B Increase the volume
C Click once: Play the next song in the folder or playlist.
Hold: Fast forward through the song.
D Decrease the Volume
E Click once: Play the previous song in the folder or playlist
(during first 5 seconds of song) otherwise go to the beginning
of the song.
Hold: Fast reverse through the song.
F Stop Song
Play Status Play Order
Play Status Play Order
Stopped (no icon) Play once
Playing a track Shuffle (Random) track selection
Current track is paused Repeat playing
The top status bar indicates the status and play settings that you have given. See the Settings chapter for a
description of the Playmode options.
A
A
B
B
C
C
D
D
E
E
F
F

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3.3 Playback Menu Items
3.3 Playback Menu Items
When the menu icon appears, you have certain options. During song
playback, press the MENU button for the following options.
• Setup: Enters the Setup screen (same as selecting the Setup icon in the main
menu) which allows you access to parameters such as bass and treble.
• Info: Show file information such as the file name, number of kilobytes of hard
drive space used, date created, file format, etc.
• ARCLibrary: Allows you to browse through your ARCLibrary while listening to the
current song.
• Edit Playlist: Enters the playlist editor (see below how to use Playlists).
• Set Bookmark: Set a bookmark at the current position within the audio file. See
the Bookmark section below.
3.4 ARCLibrary Specifics
3.4 ARCLibrary Specifics
The ARCLibrary is a system for choosing your music by its characteristics. It can be
turned On or Off in the settings from Setup > Playmode. As shown in this screen
capture here, you can select your music by Artist, Album, Song Title, Genre, or
Year. MP3 and WMA music files have internal data tags to hold information about
the song. For MP3 files, these are known as ID3 tags. Not all MP3 files have all
this information filled in. If you purchase a song from a music download service,
the song will have this information. If you have an MP3 or WMA file without this tag
information, then you can add or change it by going to the properties of the file in
Windows®Explorer. Once you update the ARCLibrary, you will have access to all
newly copied music via the ARCLibrary. The ARCLibrary indexes all the music and
playlists that it finds in the folders Music and Playlists by using the tag information
in each song. Thus, you should never delete the folders Music or Playlists. If a
song does not have tags, it will be put into the category <unknown>.
A
B
C
D
E
F
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3.5 ARCLibrary Updating
3.5 ARCLibrary Updating
If you paste unprotected audio files from your computer to the Gmini, they go directly to the Gmini hard disk
without the ARCLibrary knowing about the new song. This is why the ARCLibrary is updated when you disconnect
your Gmini from the computer. Alternatively, you can set up the ARCLibrary to update only when you choose to,
by setting it to “On”, not “automatic”. You can find the information on how to do this in the section Playmode in the
Settings chapter. You will then have to go to the Setup > Playmode screen, highlight [Update ARCLibrary] and
press ENTER. A message screen will appear indicating that it is updating the ARCLibrary contents.
3.6 Setting a Bookmark
3.6 Setting a Bookmark
If you are listening to a song, or perhaps a long recording, and would like to place a bookmark in it in order
to pick up from this point at another time, you can use the Bookmark function. While listening to the audio
recording, simply click on the MENU button, then choose Set Bookmark. This will set a bookmark in the
audio file at the current position. You can only set one bookmark per file. When you look at the file in your
browser, it will have a small mark on its icon indicating that this file has a bookmark set within it. You can have
a maximum of 16 files bookmarked. Setting more bookmarks will erase existing bookmarks, starting with the
oldest. The next time you play the audio file, you will be presented with two options:
Resume: Start playing from the bookmarked position.
Ignore: Keep the bookmark but start playing from the very beginning.
To clear a bookmark from a file, highlight the file and use the MENU button, then choose clear bookmark.
3.7 The Resume Function
3.7 The Resume Function
When you turn on your Gmini you will sometimes notice that the icon which is highlighted on the main
screen is not the Browser but rather the Resume icon. This icon is highlighted when the Gmini XS100
can resume the last played audio file.

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3.8 Locking the Gmini™ Buttons
3.8 Locking the Gmini™ Buttons
You can prevent the Gmini from executing unintended functions by locking
the buttons. To lock the buttons, hold down on the MENU button until the
“lock” icon appears in the top-left corner of the screen. Now the buttons
are disabled, but you can still use the UP and DOWN controls on the
navigation pad to change the volume. To unlock the buttons hold down
again on the Menu button until the “lock” icon disappears.
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4
4
Putting Music onto your Gmini™ XS100
Putting Music onto your Gmini™ XS100
Your Archos™ product is a certified PlaysForSure™ digital device which means that wherever
you find music for sale on the Internet with this symbol, you can be certain that they will ‘Play
for sure’ on your Gmini XS100. Please note that the Gmini XS100 does currently not support
subscription services. Check the Archos website to see if there is update software that will provide
for recognition of these services on your device. For additional information on ‘Play for sure’ and
download services, check out the web site www.playsforsure.com.
The Gmini XS100 is designed to work seamlessly with Windows Media®Player (WMP) versions 9 and 10. The
Windows Media®Player software is used to download digital media content from the Internet to your computer
and organize it. You will also use it to sync (copy) the contents of your Windows Media®Player media library to
your Archos™ device.
4.1 Synchronizing Music from Windows Media
4.1 Synchronizing Music from Windows Media
®
®
Player (WMP) to the Gmini™ XS100
Player (WMP) to the Gmini™ XS100
Windows Media®Player (WMP) allows you to synchronize music between your computer and Gmini XS100:
That means, it will add music files to your Gmini XS100 so that you have the same digital media on your Gmini
as you have in your Windows Media®Player library. The synchronization is one way, that is to say, copying tracks
from your computer to your Gmini, but not vice versa. You can choose to sync only certain songs or to sync your
entire library.
4.1.1 Synchronizing Music from Windows Media
®
Player (WMP) 9 to the Gmini™ XS100
Access the Copy tab in WMP 9. On the left hand side, you should see music files from your
music library (saved on your computer) and on the right, the files and folder on your Gmini
XS100. Check the files you want to copy to the Gmini. Make sure you have selected the folder
on the Gmini into which you want to copy your music. In the top right corner of WMP, you will
find the Copy button which starts the synchronization process.

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4.1.2 Synchronizing Music from Windows Media®Player (WMP) 10 to the Gmini™ XS100
Access the Synchronise tab in WMP 10. If this is the first time you are using this
option, WMP will offer to set up automatic synchronisation of your music files. If
this box is checked, every time you connect your Gmini to your computer, WMP
will automatically start up and check to see whether any of the music files on the
computer have not yet been copied to the Gmini. These files will then be copied to
your computer. If you choose to manually synchronise your files, you can always set
up automatic synchronization by clicking the Set up sync button.
On the left hand side, you should see music files from your music library (saved on
your computer) and on the right, the files and folder on your Gmini XS100. Check the files you want to copy to
the Gmini. Make sure you have selected the folder on the Gmini into which you want to copy your music. On the
tool bar, you will find the Start Sync button which starts the synchronization process.
Attention: Files deleted from the WMP music library will also be deleted from the Gmini.
4.2 Transferring your CD collection to the Gmini™ XS100
4.2 Transferring your CD collection to the Gmini™ XS100
The process of transferring music from a CD into files for your Gmini XS100 is known
as ‘ripping’. It is actually a transcoding process, taking the CDA (CD Audio) format and
converting it to WMA or MP3 format which the Gmini can read. There are many music
ripping programs on the market, but the easiest thing to do is to use Windows Media®
Player to do it. In fact, when you place a music CD in your computer, Windows®will
ask you if you would like to rip it. Depending on the power of your computer, to rip a
60 minute CD, it will take anywhere from 10 minutes to 60 minutes. Once this is done,
the album will become part of your music library. Connect your Gmini to your computer
with the supplied USB cable. Now, you go to the Sync tab and tell Windows Media®
Player to synchronize that album to your Gmini. It will then transfer that album to your
Gmini.
Note: Some music CDs have a special copy protection system that will not allow
Windows Media®Player to make music files from them.
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4.3 Installing Windows Media
4.3 Installing Windows Media
®
®
Player (WMP) 9
Player (WMP) 9
If you have Windows®ME, and 2000, you should use Windows Media®Player 9. The easiest way to install
this software is to visit the Microsoft®Website and download the very latest version, or install the version found
on the Gmini XS100 itself.
4.4 Installing Windows Media
4.4 Installing Windows Media
®
®
Player (WMP) 10
Player (WMP) 10
You must be running Windows®XP (Service Pack 1 or higher) in order to install Windows Media®Player 10.
Please visit Microsoft’s PlaysForSure website (www.playsForSure.com) and download the very latest version
of Windows Media®Player 10.

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5
5
Playlists
Playlists
A Playlist is a list of songs that the Gmini will automatically play one after the other. The Gmini can handle one
Playlist at a time. You can create new Playlists, add or delete songs from a Playlist, or Save a Playlist as a file (file
type.m3u) to be used another time. There is no limit to the number of Playlists you can save on the Gmini hard
drive. A Playlist can have a maximum of 1000 songs in it.
5.1 Creating a new Playlist
5.1 Creating a new Playlist
To create a Playlist, press the RIGHT button while you are in the Music browser. A second
panel is opened on the right side to display the Playlist contents (shown empty in the
picture). You can now start adding songs to the current Playlist.
Note: If tracks are displayed in the right panel, this means a Playlist is already open. To
create a new Playlist, close the current list first (see the Playlist Menu options) and click
RIGHT again.
In the left panel, search for the songs you would like to add to your Playlist. Once the
song is highlighted, click on the ENTER button to add it to the Playlist. The song will be
added to the Playlist and a small mark is placed next to the music note icon to indicate
that it is now in the Playlist. You can also add all the music files of a complete folder in one
operation by highlighting the desired folder and choosing ADD or INSERT on the menu.
Be careful about which panel you are in since the left panel menu has different options than the right panel menu.
Continue searching and adding songs in this manner until you are satisfied. You can jump back and forth anytime
between the two panels by clicking LEFT/RIGHT on the navigation pad.
We recommend that you save your Playlists to the Gmini hard drive (see Playlists Menu Options below) to use it
again later. After saving a new Playlist, use the menu of the left panel to update the ARCLibrary in order for it to
appear in your Playlists folder. The menu also offers you the option INSERT: The track will be added before the
track which is highlighted in the Playlist.
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5.2 Loading a Playlist
5.2 Loading a Playlist
You can load a previously saved Playlist or add the files it contains to the current Playlist.
Use the music browser to select the Playlist of your choice (Playlists are indicated by
a special list icon) and then press OK. If there were already some items in the Gmini
Playlist, then the songs of the loaded Playlist will be added to the end of it. You can then
check or modify the Playlist as usual in the Playlist panel.
5.3 Playing a Playlist
5.3 Playing a Playlist
After loading a Playlist, press the RIGHT control on the navigation pad to go into
the Playlist edition panel. Then use the UP and DOWN controls to select a song.
Click on ENTER, and your Playlist will start playing from that song according to
the current PlayMode settings.
5.4 Playlist Menu Options
5.4 Playlist Menu Options
While in the Playlist screen (right side) you have the following options.
• Save: Saves the current Playlist onto the Gmini so that it can be reloaded later. It
will be saved into the directory Playlists.
• Close: Closing the list enables you to create a new Playlist by using the RIGHT
control of the navigation pad whilst in the Music folder or any of its sub-folders.
• Rename: Changes the name of the current Playlist using the Virtual Keyboard.
• Shuffle: Randomly changes the order of the items in the loaded Playlist.
• Clear: Removes ALL tracks from the loaded Playlist.

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• Move: Allows you to change the order of songs in the Playlist by moving them up
or down using the UP/DOWN buttons of the navigation pad.
• Delete: Removes the highlighted track from the playlist.
Note: To delete a Playlist, navigate to Browser > Playlists. Highlight the Playlist, the menu
button, highlight Delete and press ENTER.
(Moving a music track)
Important: Once you save a Playlist it is important that you do not move the actual files as the
Playlist searches in the original file location. If you need to move your files to a different folder,
you’ll have to recreate your Playlists.
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6
6
Settings
Settings
There are a number of parameters you can set on the Gmini to make it operate
according to your particular needs. Start by clicking on Setup.
Within the menus, you will find different parameters. In order to modify a parameter,
click LEFT or RIGHT on the navigation pad. Note that once you have reached the last
option, clicking further will not normally take you back to the first item in the list.
6.1 Changing the Sound Settings
6.1 Changing the Sound Settings
If you would like to customize the sound quality, go to [Setup > Sound].

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Parameter Description
Parameter Description
Volume Range: 0 to 99 Controls the current volume.
Balance Range: -5 to +5 (left to right)
Sound effect Rock, Techno, Jazz, Classic, Live or Custom
Change this parameter to select an equalizer setting to the style of music you are listening to.
Select Custom to set your own equalizer levels.
[Set Equalizer] To customize the equalizer. See below.
[Reset] Sets all your sound parameters with default or flat values.
Customizing the equalizer
To set the equalizer, highlight the [Set equalizer] line and then click on ENTER. You will now be able to adjust
the Gmini’s five band equalizer. Use the LEFT/RIGHT buttons to select a specific frequency range (Bass,
Medium-Base, Medium, Medium-Treble, Treble) and then use the UP/DOWN buttons to increase or decrease
the response for the given frequency range. Modifying these settings changes the sound in real time. Thus it is
best to change these values while listening to a song.
1. 2. 3. Change values 4. Exit screen.
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6.2 Changing the PlayMode Settings
6.2 Changing the PlayMode Settings
If you would like the Gmini to play through an entire folder of songs, play songs at random (shuffle), or any of the
other playing options, you can set these parameters in the Playmode settings. Go to Setup > Playmode.
Parameter Description
Parameter Description
Current Folder Play all tracks in the current directory
All Play all tracks on the Gmini
Single Play a single track then stop
Queue User can queue the next track to be played †
Scan Gmini plays first 15 seconds of each track ††
Repeat and shuffle This parameter allows you to choose the order of play of your songs
Normal: the music sequence is played once
Repeat: the music sequence is played in a loop
Shuffle: the music sequence is played randomly

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ARCLibrary Off, On. Automatic (default)
The ARCLibrary feature enables you to see your music organised by Artist, Album, Title, Genre and Year. Select
Off to disable the feature or On to enable it. On Automatic, the library will update itself when disconnected from the
computer.
ARCLibrary Update Scans through all music and playlists in the folders Music and Playlists and indexes these into the ARCLibrary. You
need to do this only when you have copied new music to your Gmini.
†Queue Mode: You do not need to select this mode in the Playmode Settings. While the current song is playing, simply
click on the menu button and select Browser or ARCLibrary (depending on the current folder), find the next song you
want to play, then click ENTER.. This is your queued song. The lower arrow of the Queue icon will turn black. You can
only queue one song at a time. See the Playlist section to prepare multiple songs to play. Once the current track has
finished playing, your queued track will be played. If you do not queue another track at this time, the Gmini will play the
next song in the original directory.
††Scan Mode: Each track in the directory is played for 15 seconds. This allows a quick sample of each song. If you
want to play the whole song, click on the Play button during those first 15 seconds. The Gmini will then revert to single
directory mode and play the rest of the songs in the directory without scanning.
6.3 Changing the time & date settings
6.3 Changing the time & date settings
In order to set the time and date or to change the time format, go to Setup > Clock.
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The Time format can be set to a 12 hour clock (0:00 to 12:59) or 24 hour clock (0:00 to 23:59).
The Time is expressed in Hours, Minutes and Seconds, although seconds are not displayed. The date is
expressed as Day, Month and Year.
Having modified all necessary parameters, be sure to set them. To do this, highlight the [Set] line and the click
ENTER. Wait a moment for the Gmini to save the new values before clicking the STOP/ESCAPE button.
6.4 Changing the Display Settings
6.4 Changing the Display Settings
In order to change the operating language of the Gmini or the contrast of the display, go to Setup > Display.
Parameter Description
Parameter Description
Language Use this option to set the operating language of the Gmini. Options are English, Français, Deutsch, Español and
Рчсский.
Contrast These values represent the black/white contrast of the screen.

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6.5 Changing the Power Settings
6.5 Changing the Power Settings
To help you get the most battery life out of your Gmini before having to recharge it, you can adjust the power
settings. Go to Setup > Power.
Parameter Description
Parameter Description
Power Off Range: 1 to 9 minutes or Never.
Number of minutes of user inactivity before the Gmini automatically shuts off. The Gmini will not shut off during the
playback of music files. Never (on DC Power) indicates that the Gmini will not do an automatic shut down.
Backlight Backlight shut down time: Off, 10 to 90 seconds, Always.
The time of user inactivity (no buttons pressed) before the Gmini turns off the backlight. Always indicates that the
backlight will always stay on. Keeping the backlight on will reduce the battery time.
Hard drive 10-90 seconds. The number of seconds from the time of the last file access before the Gmini tells the internal hard
disk to stop spinning. The longer this time, the more often the hard disk is turning and the quicker the response time
when accessing files. However, as it is set longer, it will quickly consume your battery. Caution: This setting should
only be changed by experienced users. The default setting is 60s.
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6.6 Changing the System Settings
6.6 Changing the System Settings
To change the system parameters or get information about the system, go to Setup > System.
Parameter Description
Parameter Description
Show all files If “Off” is selected, files are filtered so that only music files are shown. The “On” setting lets you see other file types
as well as music files.
OS Version Displays the current version of the Operating System (OS).
Prod key Display the product key of your Gmini XS100. Every Gmini has a unique product key number.
Hard Disk Displays the amount of free and used space on the Gmini’s hard disk. Reported number of megabytes is binary
based counting (1kb=1024 bytes). Thus each reported MB represents approximately 1.05 megabytes (decimal).
Formatting also takes up space.
[Update Firmware] Used to update the Gmini to a new version of the Operating System. See the chapter
Updating the Gmini Firmware.

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7
7
Using the Browser
Using the Browser
The browser is used to navigate the file system on the Gmini. The file system is the same
type of file system that is found on Windows®based computers. This way, transferring
files from your computer to your Gmini is as easy as ‘drag and drop’. The file system is a
hierarchical system which includes folders and subfolders. Because you will be putting
hundreds of files onto your Gmini, it is STRONGLY ADVISED that keep a neat and
orderly file structure. We suggest that you keep the predefined folders: Data (to carry
miscellaneous data files with you), Music (all of your music files), and Playlists (to hold
all your music Playlists).
7.1 Inside the MUSIC Folder
7.1 Inside the MUSIC Folder
The top level of your Archos Gmini includes the folder Music. Most people who create neat file structures for their
Archos players make the following hierarchy within the Music folder.
Level 1 – Artist (Dire Straits, Madonna, Stravinsky, etc.)
Level 2 – Album (Brothers in Arms, American life, etc.)
Level 3 – Song (Money for Nothing, etc.)
The folder Music is a special folder in that the Music icon on the main screen leads to this folder directly. It should
not be deleted or renamed.
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7.2 Navigating the Directory Structure
7.2 Navigating the Directory Structure
Just below the top status bar, you can see the directory you
are currently viewing. To navigate the directory structure
you will use the UP/DOWN controls of the navigation pad
to move through the files in a directory. Press ENTER to
enter a highlighted folder. To go back up one
level in the directory structure, you can either
use the contextual MENU button (select Parent)
or click on the LEFT control. The contextual
MENU button allows you to create new folders,
delete folders, rename a file or folder, or display
information about a file.
Button Controls
Button Controls
Key Action
Key Action
Up Highlights the previous file or folder in the current directory
Down Highlights the next file or folder in the current directory
Right Open double-browser or gives the focus to the right panel.
Left Goes to parent directory if single panel view. Gives the focus to the left panel when in double-browser mode.
ENTER Folder highlighted: enters this folder.
File highlighted: Plays the file if it is a music file.
Off/Escape Exit Browser mode.
Menu Displays the contextual menu.

29
7.3 File and Folder Operations in Browser Mode
7.3 File and Folder Operations in Browser Mode
While browsing the directory structure, you will have the option to manipulate files and folders. When you use
the Browser mode, you will be browsing through the Gmini’s hard drive as if browsing via a computer. In Browser
mode, you can create folders, delete files or folders, rename files or folders, and copy or move files from one
place to another.
7.3.1 Contextual Menu on a File
Info: Show file information such as song length, number of kilobytes used of hard drive
space, date file was created, etc.
Rename: Allows you to change the name of the highlighted file. You cannot change the
file extension type for file types that are playable by the Gmini. You will be sent to the
virtual keyboard (see the next section) to enter the new file name.
Delete: Delete the file permanently from the Gmini. (Before it is deleted, the Gmini
will ask for confirmation: “Delete file? - Yes/No”). Press ENTER to confirm or STOP/
ESCAPE to cancel.
Create Folder: Create a new folder in the current level of the directory. You will be sent
to the Virtual Keyboard to enter the new folder name. There is a limit of 1000 files per
folder.
7.3.2 Contextual Menu on a Folder
Info: Show file information such as number of kilobytes of hard drive space used, date
created, number of files and folders the folder contains etc.
Rename: Allows you to change the name of the highlighted folder. You will be sent to
the virtual keyboard (see the next section) to enter the new folder name.
Delete: Delete the file permanently from the Gmini. (Before it is deleted, the Gmini will
ask for confirmation: “Delete folder X? - Yes/No.” Press ENTER to confirm or STOP/
ESCAPE to cancel.
Create Folder: Create a new folder in the current level of the directory. You will be sent
to the Virtual Keyboard to enter the new folder name. There is a limit of 1000 files per
folder.
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7.3.3 Contextual Menu while in the Double Browser
By using the unique Archos double browser system, you can copy or move files
from one location in the file structure to another (caution: there is a limit of 1000
files per folder). While in the Browser mode, you simply click the RIGHT control
and a second browser panel will open. You can jump between the two panels
using the LEFT/RIGHT buttons. When the title of the folder is highlighted, this is
the active folder. The file highlighted within this active folder will be copied, that is
to say, it is the source for the copy. The other panel will be the destination folder.
Once you have decided on the destination folder, move to the source browser panel,
highlight the file to copy, and then click on the MENU button. You can now choose
Copy to copy the highlighted file, Copy All to copy all the files in that folder to the
destination folder, or Move to move it to the destination folder. Other options such as
Info, Delete, Rename and Create Folder are addresseed above.
Source Destination
7.4 Using the Virtual Keyboard
7.4 Using the Virtual Keyboard
If you want to create folders and rename files or folders, it is recommended to do so from your computer when
it is connected to the Gmini. The computer keyboard is easier to use. At times, however, you are not near your
computer and you would like to enter the text directly with the Gmini. For this, you will use the Virtual Keyboard.
You will be taken to this screen when you rename a file or folder or create a new folder. You will use the LEFT,
RIGHT, UP, and DOWN controls to move around the keyboard. Click on ENTER to enter the character that is
highlighted. Once your text is entered, select Enter on the bottom right.

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1 Contextual Menu 2 Text being typed
3 Cursor 4 Upper/Lower case*
5 Delete character* 6 Clear entire line*
7 Enter
* These items can also be found in the contextual menu
Tip: use the STOP/ESCAPE button to cancel any changes you made
and exit the virtual keyboard.
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8
8
Connecting the Gmini™ XS100 to a Stereo system
Connecting the Gmini™ XS100 to a Stereo system
Connecting your Gmini XS100 to a stereo system allows you to listen to your Gmini’s music on it without a
headset. You will need a standard (mini headphone to RCA) audio cable for this which is not supplied with
the Gmini. The diagram below illustrates the setup. Plug the audio cable into the headphone jack and into the
auxiliary jacks on your stereo. Note that this is only a schematic representation of a stereo. If in doubt, the manual
of your stereo will enable you to identify the auxiliary inputs.

33
9
9
Connecting the Gmini™ to your Computer
Connecting the Gmini™ to your Computer
9.1 Making the USB Connection
9.1 Making the USB Connection
Windows®ME, 2000,XP and Mac OS 10.2.4 or better will automatically recognize the Gmini as a
Mass Storage Device when plugged in.
1. Plug the supplied USB cable into your running computer.
2. With the GminiXS100 off, plug the other end of the USB cable into your Gmini
3. Turn on your Gmini.
4. A new hard drive named “JUKEBOX” will appear on your computer.
Windows®Macintosh®
• The displayed hard drive is the hard drive of your Gmini. You can now drag and drop any files you want, to or
from the Gmini
• Please also read the disconnection procedure below as disconnecting the cable at any time without warning
may cause data loss.
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9.2 Using the Gmini™ as an External Drive
9.2 Using the Gmini™ as an External Drive
As the Gmini acts like a regular hard drive when connected to your computer, getting your files to the Gmini is as
easy as copy and paste. Simply connect your Gmini to your computer as explained previously and run Windows®
Explorer (or use the Macintosh Finder™). Now, go to your computer’s hard drive, and copy (Right mouse click,
then select Copy) a music file or a folder full of files. Next, open up the hard drive named JUKEBOX on the PC,
open the folder you want to copy the files to, and then right-click the mouse and select Paste. For Macintosh®or
Windows®you can open two windows on the desktop, one being the source (your computer’s hard drive) and the
other your destination (the Gmini hard drive), and then simply drag and drop files or folders from one window to
another. Note that music purchased on the Internet must be transferred using Windows Media®Player.
9.3 Disconnecting the Gmini™ from your Computer
9.3 Disconnecting the Gmini™ from your Computer
WARNING: You must properly remove (unmount) your Gmini from the computer before
disconnecting the USB cable to avoid loss of data or freezing the computer and/or the Gmini. DO
NOT SIMPLY PULL OUT THE USB CABLE!!!
9.3.1 Windows®
To safely unmount the Gmini hard drive, click on the system tray remove icon (green arrow as shown below)
and follow the instructions. Wait until you get a message saying that you can safely unplug the device before
disconnecting the USB cable. Attention: The operating system will not allow you to safely disconnect the Gmini
if a running application (such as Windows Media®Player) is using one of the files. You will have to close all the
open Gmini files in any running application as well as Windows Explorer®. Using the green disconnect arrow icon
in the system tray will then allow you to unmount the Gmini and to safely disconnect the USB cable.
1. The safe remove icon is in the system tray near the system clock.
Windows®XP Windows®2000 & Windows®ME

35
2. Click on the icon to Eject (unmount) the Gmini from your computer and then select the ‘Safely remove’
message.
3. There will be a message indicating that it is now safe to disconnect the Gmini. You can now go ahead and
unplug the USB cable from the Gmini.
9.3.2 Macintosh®
First, close all programs that are using files from your Gmini. Drag the Gmini hard
drive icon towards the trash can, and the trash can will become a big arrow as shown
in the screen image. Drop the hard drive icon onto the arrow. The hard disk icon will
disappear from the desktop. You can now safely unplug the USB cable from your
Gmini and/or your computer.
36
1
1
0
0
Using iTunes™ with your Gmini™ XS100
Using iTunes™ with your Gmini™ XS100
The easiest way to transfer music files between a Macintosh®computer and your Gmini XS100 is to
use the Macintosh Finder™ to drag and drop the files to and from your Macintosh®.
However, for Macintosh®users who do want to use the Gmini XS100 with iTunes®, Archos has
developed a special i-Tunes®plug-in. You will find it in the folder /Data/i-Tunes Plug-in on the
Gmini XS100 hard disk or from the Archos website. In this folder you will find a.sit compressed file.
Uncompress it and open the folder for your operating system. You will find a JPEG image illustrating where you
need to copy the plug-in to. Once this is done, iTunes™ will recognize the Gmini XS100 as a ‘Device’. Currently
there is no plug-in for the PC version of iTunes™.
To make your user experience easy as possible, please keep in mind the following.
1) Music purchased at Apple’s on-line music store are copy protected with a proprietary encryption system. The
ARCHOS device will not be able to play this purchased music. It will happily play MP3 format files without
problem.
2) When you create your Playlists with iTunes®(you can only create Playlists from songs that have been copied
to your Gmini XS100), your Macintosh®will save these Playlists to the root directory of your Gmini. It will not
save them to the Gmini Playlists directory. It would be best to use the Gmini itself to make Playlists and then
save these Playlists in your Playlists folder.
3) When you drag and drop MP3 files from your iTunes
®
library to your Gmini, the i-Tunes
®
program will look at
the ID3 tag information of the MP3 file, and create a folder on the root of your Gmini using the name of the
Artist as the folder name. Then it will take the Album name ID3 tag, and create a subfolder with that album as
its name. Finally, it will take the MP3 song itself and place it into that album subfolder. Thus, although it is a
clean structure of artists and albums, i-Tunes
®
does not follow the Gmini convention of placing the music into
the Music folder first.

37
1
1
1
1
Updating the Gmini™ XS100 Firmware
Updating the Gmini™ XS100 Firmware
Archos periodically updates the firmware or Operating System (OS) and makes it available for free download
on the ARCHOS website (www.archos.com). Updates to the Operating System include new features, feature
improvements, and bug fixes. You should check to make sure that you are running the most recent version of the
OS. To see the current version of the software you device is running, go to Setup > System and look at the line
OS Version. You will find the most recent version of the OS and its version number at the Archos website (www.
archos.com) under the category Software.
11.1 Download the Update_GminiXS100.AOS file
11.1 Download the Update_GminiXS100.AOS file
When you click on the link to download the new OS file (the file name is Update_
GminiXS100.AOS), your browser may warn you that the contents of the download
may harm your computer. This is because the Windows®system does not know what
a.AOS file is. Be assured that Archos has made every effort to ensure that the file
does not contain viruses. Click on the option Save to download this file to a convenient
place, such as My Documents, in order to later copy this file to your Gmini XS100. If
your Gmini is connected to your PC, you can even save it directly to the Gmini.
You will also find next to the firmware download, a text file which details the list of
changes from the previous version of the OS.
11.2 Copy to Gmini™ root and Update
11.2 Copy to Gmini™ root and Update
Connect your Gmini to your computer (See the chapter on connecting to
the computer for help), and then copy the Update_GminiXS100.AOS file
to the root directory of the Gmini. The root directory is the top most level
of the directory hierarchy. Just drag this.AOS file onto the Gmini XS100
Hard disk (named Jukebox) in your file manager and it will place it in the
top most directory (outside any folder). If there is already an older version
of the Update_GminiXS100.AOS file on your Gmini, Windows®will ask if
you want to overwrite the current file. Click on Yes.
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Once this file is copied, safely disconnect Gmini XS100 from the computer. Refer to the disconnection procedure
in the connection chapter if you are unsure of how to do this.
On your Gmini, go to Setup > System and select the [Update Firmware] line. Click ENTER. You will prompted
to power the Gmini by either the USB cable connected to a turned-on computer, or the optional adapter/charger.
The Gmini will now locate the update file and install it. A message will appear asking you to unplug the USB cable
(if that is how you powered it) and then click on any button to restart the device. You can go to Setup > System
to verify the new OS has been installed by looking at the version number there.
Warning!
Never unplug the USB cable or DC-in adapter while the update is in progress. This can cause
permanent damage to the unit.

39
1
1
2
2
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
12.1 USB Connection issues
12.1 USB Connection issues
Problem: I cannot get my Gmini to be recognized by the computer.
Solutions:
• Shut off and reboot the computer and the Gmini and then try connecting again in the preferred order enumerated
in the Chapter Connecting your Gmini XS100 to your computer.
• If using a USB hub, try connecting without using the hub (some hubs are not powered and may not work with
the Gmini).
• If using a USB port in the front of your computer, try a USB port in the back. Front USB ports are often from
non-powered hubs.
• Do not connect to a USB port repeated through a keyboard.
• Windows®XP and 2000: If the File Allocation Table (FAT) gets corrupted, the Gmini may not show up in
Windows®XP or 2000 for over one minute, and then it comes up as local drive. Use DOS Utility ChkDsk as
shown below.
• Windows®XP may recognize the Gmini disk drive but yet not assign a drive letter. Right click on My Computer
and select Manage. Then select Storage and then Disk Management. Within this window you may see the
Gmini hard drive and be able to assign it a drive letter. Right click on the graphic of the Gmini hard disk and
select the command Change Drive Letter and Paths. Enter the next free drive letter such as E: or F:.
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Problem: What do I do if I try to disconnect via the green arrow but keep getting “The device ‘Generic Volume’
cannot be stopped now. Try stopping the device again later.”
Solution:
Use the green arrow a second time. Sometimes Windows
®
does not update its status. Shut off any
program that might be accessing data on the Gmini, including Windows
®
Explorer. If this does not work, shut down
all programs, wait 20 seconds, then try the green arrow again. If this does not work, you should shut down the
computer and disconnect the USB cable once the computer is off.
Problem: When I plug the Gmini into my computer, I do not see a new hard drive icon on the screen.
Solution: Use the troubleshooting section USB Connection Issues above.
Problem: I have Windows®XP and a USB 2.0 port, yet my file transfer rates are very slow.
Solution: The original version of XP does not have native support for USB 2.0. You must update your Windows®
XP to a minimum of SP1 (Service Pack 1) in order for it to transfer files at the full USB 2.0 port capacity.
Problem: The Gmini shuts off by itself.
Solution: This is normal. If you are not playing music or using it, it will automatically shut off based on the
automatic power-off parameters in the Power submenu. Go to the menu [Setup > Power] where you can adjust
the Power off parameter.
Problem: The Gmini locks-up. None of the buttons react.
Solution: Did you set the Gmini to ‘lock’ mode? This is the mode that blocks the buttons from functioning so that
you can put the Gmini in your pocket or backpack without worrying about buttons getting accidentally pressed.
Hold down for three seconds on the Menu button to unlock all the buttons. The other possibility is an electrostatic
phenomena. That is, static electricity has temporarily knocked out the Gmini. Hold down on the STOP button for
15 seconds and the Gmini will shut off. Restart it normally now.