goatherder, it's sounds like you're on the right track. There are also some firmware files available here >
http://www.uxcell.com/faq.php?category=Download that you could try.
The ones i would try are numbers 37, 38, 56 and 64. However any one of those may get your player back up and running. Then again they may not but it's worth a try.
Cheers