[mrmxyzptlk]

I have a tip I want to share with those whose gumstick batteries aren't holding a charge:

I discarded the gumstick batteries that came with my iMP-550, because I could no longer recharge them. I purchased a new set, but after a short time I was having the same problem with the new batteries as well. However, I just downloaded the most recent firmware, burned it to a disc, and played the disc in the iMP-550 - the same procedure I would normally perform to update the firmware, except that instead I was reinstalling the same firmware that was already there. Now the batteries hold a full charge. (This might be the same thing that U10 wrote in his/her post; I'm not sure whether he/she meant flash the current firmware, as I'm saying, or update the firmware.)

I believe this tip should be posted in the iRiver FAQ, or in another prominent position somewhere on the iRiver Web site. I've seen plenty of posts in their forum from iRiver owners agonizing because the batteries in their players will no longer charge. I myself believe that the iRiver batteries I threw away, thinking they were at the end of their usable life, were probably perfectly good.