Database Users

Bootloader method question

I have a dead XDA (died while reflashing - some problem with the USB connection) !
I believe that I -may- be able to recover via an SD card. I have read what I can find, but I am not clear about this.
The instructions for flashing the ROM "bootloader" way assume that I can dowload my existing ROM to the SD card and then (I suppose) boot from the SD card?
Since the ROM is trashed (I assume) due to the flash failing, I also assume that I have no viable ROM image to load onto the SD card...?
Is there a URL I can inform myself about this? I've browsed all over this site but can't find anything that seems to address my situation.
I use MSN Messenger if that is easier: [email protected]
I'm really depressed...
Mtks

There's a set of tools here for writing a ROM image to SD-card. Click here to read more.
Using this tool you can write an any ROM image file to an SD-card. The only drawback is that you'll need an SD-card reader-writer attached to your PC, or access to another XDA with functional ROM to do the writing.
Pain in the ass, but if you're willing to accept the current geo-political situation as it is, then this is really nothing to get depressed over...

Hi.
Well I have a card reader, but since my XDA screen is a mess I don't have access to another XDA.

Ariel said:
Hi.
Well I have a card reader, but since my XDA screen is a mess I don't have access to another XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AS far as the ROM goes you can build your own just make it a .nb1 file. visit: http://cuba.calyx.nl/~jsummers/ROMkitchen
The screen being messed up shouldn't be a problem just put the SD card into the XDA and hold the power button while doing a soft reset. You’ll be taken to the below screen:
SD DOWNLOAD
Card Type:
CE OS & BOOT
Press action to Download
Or
Press REC to Exit
Press action to download and it will start the download/restore from the SD card.
Follow the on screen instructions once its "Completed" which will consist of a "Soft Boot/Reset".
HTH

Qman:
Many thanks, I needed this spelled out. Hopefuly last question for now:
Which is the ACTION key? CONTACT or CALENDAR button? (there is no such named key on the XDA)
cheers,
Justin

Well what a performance... dodgy card reader, problems over the maximum memory size of the media, not working then working after re-boot....
I'm surprised i cracked it, but I did.
I eventually found the right combination of device and file and cooperative card reader to finally see the ROM (which was cooked at Jeff's Kitchen amd selected as an .nb1 type file rather than an EXE file) copy over to the 128mb SD card.
On insertion into the XDA and re-boot I got the dialogue you described.
I decided that the ACTION key is the navigator key at the bottom of the unit pressed that and the restore began.
I even seem to have managed to RESTORE from an STG backup once I made sure that the personal details (device name) were renamed to the original machine (not Pocket_PC)
Well thanks -very-much for the help. (I only wrote the above to maybe help someone else in the future, who may have the same questions as me).
Now I can go back to playing with the ROM set-up.
I suppose I am right in saying that the ROM version currently at Jeff's Kitchen does not include XDA DEV v1.2?? It certainly doesn't behave as described (the start up tutorial is still there). Also the keyboard option makes the space bar disappear...!!
Thanks to Peter Poelman and Qman.
Cheers

Ariel said:
I suppose I am right in saying that the ROM version currently at Jeff's Kitchen does not include XDA DEV v1.2?? It certainly doesn't behave as described (the start up tutorial is still there). Also the keyboard option makes the space bar disappear...!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you may have checked 'Large keys' and 'use gestures'. See the keyboard options to set it like you're used to. (Althoug I prefer 'large keys' and 'use gestures').

Yes, you're right. I will have to get another copy as I don't like it.
Do you happen to know whether v1.2 is being used at Jeffs Kitchen? he first option)
Cheers

Ariel said:
Yes, you're right. I will have to get another copy as I don't like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or just turn it off once after cold-boot...
Do you happen to know whether v1.2 is being used at Jeffs Kitchen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Special Edition ROM v1.2 is just the last ROM we built before offering everyone the option of cooking their own ROMs in the ROMkitchen. So I guess you could look at ROMkitchen as a continously evolving "Special Edition ROM 2.x", if you will.

Newbies, ROM 4.00.05 -> 4.01.00, Wallaby 5.17 (Oceania/As

Hi All,
After a LOT of reading and mucking about, I've been able to update my ROM, get full use of GPRS and revert back to the manufacturer's ROM. There are a number of instructions, some of which are pretty dangerous. The following forum topic is the invaluable guide you need to read if you wish to revert back from a T-Mobile installation :
http://xda-developers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3274
The place to get your ROM's is http://www.yorch.net, from the ROM Kitchen. Use the XDA Tools from the above forum link to burn ROM's you download from Yorch's onto your beloved XDA (use the .nb1 format, NOT the .exe method and burn using XDA Tools through your USB cradle).
I happen to have the 5.17 Wallaby bootloader which means that it will not let you simply whack in an SD card with a new O/S and burn off a backup ROM, it won't happen. Don't try to upgrade your Wallaby bootloader. The safest method is to use the Wallaby bootloader patch which can be downloaded from a link at the top of the forum topic link I posted above. That allows you to do a simple O/S restore from your SD card, providing you have an SD reader which presents your SD card as a new drive on your computer. The instructions are simple, just use xdrit as per the instructions in the forum topic link above.
So, from my experience I backed up my original ROM using XDA Tools and stored it on my hard disk in .nb1 format. I then downloaded the .nb1 for 4.00.16 and installed it using XDA Tools without a hitch. Everything worked fine, but I wasn't comfortable until I knew I could revert back to my original ROM. So my next step was to write the Wallaby Patch tool onto my SD card using xdrit using the instructions as laid out in the forum topic link above (take note, use the 1K header option in xdrit). The SD card reader I used was an X-Drive that you normally use for digital camera style stuff. Once written, I put the SD card in the XDA and did the bootloader boot (hold the power button whilst pressing the reset button), and was then given the option to press the Action key to go into the diagnostic mode which is where the patch program resides.
I then took the SD card out, leaving the diagnostic screen still open, put the card back into the X-Drive, formatted it using default options in Windows XP, then wrote the ROM backup I had (you can use any ROM here) onto the SD using xdrit, selecting the 3.5K header option (because we are still using Wallaby 5.17 regardless of patching). The last major step was to place the SD card back into the XDA and select Restore SD and accepted the risk notices. The restore appeared to go fine, but at the end it said Incorrect CRC. That in itself is a worry, but I had at least restored to a point where I could burn whatever ROM I like using the simple XDA Tools method, which is exactly what I did after reviewing the connection info (once more), going to 4.00.05.
Before I originally went to 4.00.16 I recorded all my connection details, including proxy info. When I went to 4.00.16 and re-entered all the gprs info, I found that the internet worked, but MSN Messenger would not connect, stating that the proxy info was incorrect - even though the values were exactly as originally setup. That was one major reason for wanting to go to another ROM. However when I ultimately got 4.00.05 on, I kept getting exactly the same error message with MSN Messenger. The answer came from a hint in another forum topic where someone (with AT&T I think it was) said not to put anything in the proxy info. That did the trick. Un-ticking the proxy option allowed the internet and MSN Messenger to work perfectly.
For Telstra GPRS (I think this is universal) the access point name is : telstra.wap.mnc001.mcc505.gprs
GPRS Authentication method is PAP authentication.
Hopefully this info might help someone out there, because I spent close on 8 hours sweating over trying to get my original ROM back up and running.

Oh yeah, thanks to the XDA Developers, Yorch and the whole XDA community. ROM updating really is easy when you've got the right info, and I can tell you it's really worth upgrading to PPC 2003 (WM2003?), it seems so much more stable, my GPRS has never stayed on as long and it's fun! You can get creative in the ROM kitchens (such as http://www.yorch.net), adding the software you like.
Just a piece of advice, search the threads for problems with any ROM you want to try out first so that you know the traps before it's having a party on your XDA at your sanity's expense.

I have some more observations now that I'm getting more comfortable with doing ROM updates. There are some advantages in going from the 4.00.05 ROM to 4.00.21, such as button lockout while off.
When I initially did the 4.00.21 upgrade I happened to go into the "band" option in phone settings and left the options unselected. Unfortunately setting this to nothing defaults to USA which is totally incompatible with Australia. The result was the phone would not synchronize and I could no longer go into phone settings. The fix for this scenario can be found in this thread : http://xda-developers.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2893&sid=1e7be62705d2831332c7f0bd5a75e364. It's standard stuff to the die-hards, the scariest thing in the world for us newbies.
Once you set the band for Australia (same as Europe - 900/1800 I think it is) you then get a signal, can synchronize and start customizing your settings. You can get rid of most of the T-Mobile garbage, so far everything is working fine.

Thanks for that buddy, i'm about to do the same downgrade tonight (once Yorch's kitchen is back working properly). You saved me many many hours of pain!
Thanks to all who add to these wonderful forums.
Steve

Just to keep this info updated for the Aussies (and same applies for Asians, and Europe too I think), basically the same applies for 4.01.00 as I explained for 4.00.21 further back. 4.01.00 seems much the same as 4.00.21 at the moment.

Hi guys,
I have a similar set-up as yours, ie I am in Australia nd I upgraded my rom to a 4.00.16. I would like to downgrade it to the original O2 one as I have to return the phone to my company (I am being made redundant).
I tried the method you described but I failed. Basically, I can write the patch on the SD card and when I put it back into the device nothing changes...
Could you please be more specific as to what you did ? Typically, did you switch off the device then put the card then stop/soft-reset or else ?
As well, I only have the NBF version of the O2 rom that I got from the update on their site. Do you think it works or should I try to find a "pure" NB1 rom (I think there's one on Yorch's website).
Thanks a lot in advance for your help.
Bob.

Hi Bob,
Sorry to hear you have to give up your XDA, hope you have replacement work for your redundancy.
Once you have written the Wallaby Patch onto the SD card using XDRIT you reset the device using the stylus and hold down the power button at the same time (with the SD card with the patch in place). That will load into bootload mode, and you press the action button at that point to actually go into the patch.
Once the patch has loaded you leave the device on, and remove the SD card, write your ROM image onto it using XDRIT, and place the SD card back into the phone. On the patch screen select "Restore from SD" using the little directional arrows button below the phone screen. It will then ask you to confirm, then you will see the progress - it takes about 5-7 minutes.
The details on how to write the patch and write ROM's are further up in this thread. I think you can use the NBF file but I am not certain. If you don't want to risk using an NBF you can use the same method above, but revert to the 3.17 ROM from Yorch, then you should be able to use the ROM upgrade from O2 to get a clean install of the manufacturer's ROM.
Let us know if you have any problems.

Thanks Mate.
I have tried once again to patch my Wallaby 5.17 (funny name, isn't it...). It failed. Once I go into the bootloader and press the OK button, I get to the diagnostics screen and nothing else is happening.
Could you shed some light on this ?
Thx.
Bob.

Re-reading your posts...
Would it be possible for you to send me the wallaby patch tool you used ? I tried the one from here (http://xda-developers.com/XDArit/wallaby-patch-tool.nb2), as is and renamed to nb0, but it seems to be the key.
Basically, even though I get the following message : "Successfully copied image of 514 blocks", after having chosen the 1k header, as it's explained in the very detailed post you mention, I still get to the diagnostics screen instead of the patch one...
Thx again in advance for any help.
Bob.[/img]

I tried the one from here (http://xda-developers.com/XDArit/wallaby-patch-tool.nb2), as is and renamed to nb0, but it seems to be the key
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, I had no problem at all with the bootloader... one thing though is that you don't rename the .nb2 to .nb0, you use the file as-is. In XDARIT you should be able to select the .nb2 file to write to SD.
It is a diagnostics screen that you get to, that is the purpose of the patch. In that diagnostics screen should be options such as backup ROM to SD and restore ROM from SD. If it still doesn't work for you then maybe I should send you the versions of the patch and XDARIT that worked for me.

Hi,
I am using the O2 3.20.06 ENG ROM and 4.21.00 Radio. Do you think I can upgrade to 4.00.21 ROM directly?
Should I just run the exe file from the Yorch.net? Is it that simple?
What about the radio? Do I have to install a new one or is the 4.00.21 ROM included the radio?
Also, why people need to upgrade bootloader to higher version? I am using bootloader 5.15.
Thanks very much in advanced.

Well, I wouldn't use an exe for upgrading, and I wouldn't try upgrading the radio unless it's an official one posted by your supplier.
Use a .nb1 ROM from yorch and use XDA-TOOLS to do the ROM upgrade. Remember that if you go to a T-Mobile ROM you will need to use the SD card method to change to a different ROM.
Don't try upgrading your bootloader, 5.15 is fine. It's the higher versions that can be problematic and require the patch.

Thanks very much for your reply.
I am about to upgrade my device.
Just a few more questions,
1. Is this 4.00.21 ROM worked okay with the 4.21 Radio in Asia?
2. Also, other encounter a problem with SD card with this new 4.00.21 ROM, have you find any? (every 48 hrs the device wipe out the data in the SD card!)
3. It seems to me when using SD card method to change ROM with bootloader 5.15, the procedure is the same as upgrading or downgrading, isn't it?
4. The file from Yorch.net "upgrade" is only nbf file. It's not nb1. Is it the same?
Cheers,

Hi Chris
1. Yes, 4.00.21 does work fine with the 4.21 radio. I've touched on moving from 900/1900 to 900/1800 band if you should strike that problem.
2. Funny thing that, but I just checked and my SD card is erased after some 3 weeks of no problems.
3. Yes.
4. I do know that if you make a ROM in Yorch's kitchen you can choose .nb1. If you download an 'upgrade' I'm not quite sure what you get.

Not successful with the upgrade
Thanks so much for your reply.
From Yorch.net "upgrade", I can only get the 4.00.21 nbf file which is not nb1.
I can't use xdarit to burn that rom to SD card, an error occurred. But when I use the new OSImagetool, I can burn the ROM to the SD card and I can even change the name to nb1 file.
For both cases (nbf or nb1 file), I put the SD card in my device and press to the bootloading mode, nothing happen!
The device can't detect there is a ROM upgrade there. How can I do that?

Chris,
You need to download the .nb1 from the Rom Kitchen link on Yorch, not from the upgrades link, if all you are getting is a .nbf. With .nb1 you can use the osimage tool or xdrit with the sd method.
The bootloader will not restore from sd unless you have a correctly written image. In Yorch's kitchen you will see that .nbf is tagged for advanced users, that's a strong hint that different methods need to be used to install those.

I see....
Thanks v much.

Sorry for the delay in reply but I had gone back to Europe for Christmas.
I would be happy to use your wallaby patch file as mine doesn't seem to work. You can mail it to me on [email protected].
Thanks in advance for your help,
Bob.

Ok Bob, I'll send it in a few days when I get back to a PC. But I can guarantee it's the same patch that I linked back to in this thread.

ROM upgrade help

I wanted to install one of the ROMs from www.yorch.net. But before doing so I have some questions:
1. If I choose to build ROM as an installer.exe, is installing it to my device as simple as running the .exe file? (of course with the device connected thru Activesync)
2. Is my present ROM (see specs below) supported?
3. If Murphy comes to visit and I screw up, will my phone be completely unusable or can I just reinstall old ROM, do hard reset and everything will be back to how it was?
My specs:
OS: Pocket PC ver 3.0.12039
ROM:3.20.06 ENG( 07/30/03) (O2 Asia I think since I bought it here in the Philippines)
Radio: 4.21.00.
Thanks

1 as far as i know yes havent don it to my own device yet though
2 a rom dont have to support a rom since it'll overwrite it
3 of cause merphy can also show his ugly face
but if all fails a sd flash reader writer can save many a tears
also if your phone is working ok then i would not mess with the
radio stack and beware because some roms include the radio stack
and if you try to update your radio stack to a US (900/1900) and you network is 900/1800 you could be in for a world of pain

ROM upgrade step by step
OK I'm really dying to give it a go but I'm just a overly cautious bloke. So I'm gonna outline what I interpreted (after reading lots of posts I think I'm getting it but not sure) to be the way do the upgrade. Please correct me if i'm wrong:
Equipment I have:
1. My notebook (Windows XP, Activesynch 3.7)
2. O2 XDAI
3. Cradle and USB connection.
Steps that I think I should take:
1. Place XDA on cradle and make sure it's connected with PC.
2. Backup?? (not so sure what to back up since contacts, calendar, notes are synched with outlook, docs are also synched, I have copies of cab and program files since I download them to PC before installing them to XDA.) If i'm missing something please slam a frying pan (this is a kitchen right?) on my head.
3. Go to www.yorch.net, check mark on all appropriate options, then (since I have to Unix box and dont know Unix at all) just go for the easy option of cooking the .exe install file.
4. Assuming, the .exe is downloaded to my PC. This time I just run it. I expect this to be just like installing PPC apps. If not, throw a tomato on my face
5. Assuming everything worked and Murphy's in the Arctic freezing his A**e off, then all I do now is hard reset.
6. I have a new ROM and I'm singing happy-happy-joy-joy.
To the wonderful people at xda-developers, am I in the right direction or am I as lost as Bill and Ted? If I'm lost, is there a step-by-step guide for non-unix programmers? (Sorry, there was a sticky but I thought it was for people with Unix boxes)
Once again, thanks for all your help and your patience.

2. Backup?? (not so sure what to back up since contacts, calendar, notes are synched with outlook, docs are also synched, I have copies of cab and program files since I download them to PC before installing them to XDA.) If i'm missing something please slam a frying pan (this is a kitchen right?) on my head.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i can think of one thing to backup and thats your current rom
so if you dont like the new rom you are getting you have the option to go back
of cause if the rom you have now is downloadble from a place you know like your isp then maybe it dont matter

Thanks for the reply. That's a good point. Question: When you back up old ROM, is it just the ROM that gets backed up or is it the whole content of the device, like how you do in PCs?
Also, since no one, besides you, has made any comments regarding the steps that I outlined, is it safe to say that they are the correct steps?
Thanks

When you backup your ROM, no stuff that you customised will be in the backup - the backed up ROM will be the same as when you received it from your retail shop, or if you upgraded, it will be the upgraded ROM without any of your stuff. Do a backup and store it on your hard disk.
DON'T use the .exe cooked ROM, use a .nb1 or .nbf, and use XDA Tools from this site to do the upgrade. It's very easy that way, and less dangerous. Don't upgrade your radio stack unless you know exactly what you're doing, or your phone supplier has made an update available just for you.
If you use a T-Mobile ROM above version 4.00.05 it blocks the XDA-Tools from updating the ROM. At that point you need to use XDARIT (from this site) to low-level write the ROM image you have onto your SD card using an SD card reader which shows the card as another drive on your computer. Once you do that you need to boot into the boot-loader (press the reset button while holding the power button) and follow the prompts to restore from an SD card. If you're unlucky and are running bootloader 5.17 (or above I think) you need to write the bootloader diagnostics patch (wallaby patch from this site) onto your SD card first before doing the boot into the bootloader thing. You can then remove the SD card, write the O/S ROM onto it with XDRIT, and put it back into your phone while it's still sitting on in diagnostics mode. Then you can restore from the SD.
It sounds complicated, but it's easy, as long as you have an SD card reader, and as long as you don't mess with trying to update the bootloader or do an unknown radio update. There's lots of info in these forums if you get stuck.
I made a thread that summarised all the steps using the new tools and ROM's at this address : http://xda-developers.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=3860. It's for Asian/European users, but if you are in the US the instructions are the same, except instead of using European 900/1800 radio you use 900/1900.

Further questions on ROM update
Thanks. It's becoming clearer and clearer. Have more clarifying questions:
1. How do you know whether or not you're including the radio stack with the ROM upgrade at yorch.net. I did not see any options there.
2. At www. yorch.net, nothing happens when I press the "Build ROM Now" command button. Is the download supposed to happen in the background or is there something wrong with my PC or the site?
3. I dont think I'm using the T-mobile ROM but how do I know if I'm runing bootloader 5.17? Is bootloader 5.17 only for T-Mobile users or all?
Once again, thanks for the help and bearing with a newbie.

2. At www. yorch.net, nothing happens when I press the "Build ROM Now" command button. Is the download supposed to happen in the background or is there something wrong with my PC or the site?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it should start to write some text about the progress of making the rom
and when it's finished then it should init a std download dialog

The meter down at the status bar does move, same as when you're loading a webpage, then it says Done. That's about it. Didnt see any other messages or dialogue boxes.
Can anyone confirm if it's up today or has it been down?
Thanks
PS. Tried to email using the email utility at the website but getting errors there as well.

OK, firstly to answer your question about Yorch's site... well it worked for me in getting all the ROM's I wanted, then when I went back again the download didn't work. I guess it's just on and off, so unless Yorch finishes getting married or someone else makes another kitchen it's a matter of pot luck. You can get away without using the kitchen if you can find another download source for ROM's, whether it be FTP or whatever. Just remember if you get an exe you can usually pull it apart with winzip to get the .nb1 or .nbf out of it.
Now, for Q1 :
An operating system ROM is generally just under 32MB, but when zipped from Yorch it's usually about 14 or 15MB - the operating system ROM will NEVER be smaller than that. I'm not sure about the exact radio stack size but I know it's a lot less than that. Also, doing some homework about the operating system ROM helps. eg. reading about the 4.01.00 ROM tells you that it's not a radio stack upgrade, it's an operating system upgrade - and the filename and the size of the file you receive reflects that.
Q2:
answered above...
Q3:
I think the bootloader is just pot-luck depending on when you phone was released. To check your bootloader it will reset your device completely, but I read somewhere that if you turn the radio (phone) off it doesn't hard reset. If you're worried, do a full backup first. But basically when you're ready to look, reset your phone while holding the power button and it will tell you the bootloader version. Don't be too turned off by that, I have read that SD card readers can be picked up very cheap if you look around, and that's all you need to get you out of trouble regardless of the bootloader version.
There's no real risk (but I won't guarantee anything), just make sure your phone is fully charged before mucking about with SD upgrades. Also make sure the radio (phone) is switched off before upgrading... using the bootloader/sd card method you shouldn't need to be concerned. I'm not sure what effect having your phone on and receiving a call while using XDA-Tools can have, but someone did mention it somewhere.
I'm a newbie too, but there's really not much you need to know, just a few caveats.

Yorch's Kitchen has been working OK for me the last couple of days. It takes maybe about 5 mins to "cook" before telling me that the ROM is ready. The 4.00.05 ROM gave me a lot of ActiveSync problems, so I went to the 4.00.16 ROM tonight and it looks like it's behaving better.
My SD reader is a Microtech Zio. It appears as a disk drive in windows, but the newer XDArit can't initialize a connection to write to the SD card. I used the "dangerous" older version of XDArit instead (available on Yorch's site), and it's worked OK for me (so far?).
One thing I wish I had realized before I started playing - going into the bootloader will reset your phone most (some?) (all?) of the time.
While I was flashing the ROM tonight I could see the GSM light flashing - I had the same "hope no one calls" feeling tht others must have had. Note that this was while I was flashing from an SD card in the bootloader - so apparently the process doesn't deactivate the phone while it's ongoing.

Muchas Gracias!
Ebswift, if ur a newbie then ur the god of the newbies. Thanks for all the help and for making me see the light. Much appreciated...

A quick Q:
Is the process for installing an .nbf file the same as that for installing an .nb1 file?
I have cooked a few ROMS to an .nb1 format and installed those OK, but now I have one in .nbf that I'd like to install.
So what I'd plan to do is put the nbf onto an SD card using XDArit, and then stick the card in the PPCPE and reboot to the loader. Is that it?

So what I'd plan to do is put the nbf onto an SD card using XDArit, and then stick the card in the PPCPE and reboot to the loader. Is that it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do it that way (onto the SD card), or if you're not already using a T-Mobile ROM you can use XDA Tools which is easier. Basically the capabilities are spelled out for you with the available file types in the drop downs when you select a source.

The KEY to the White Screen / Radio Upgrade / 1% Hang

I am writing this because the previous posts were very confusing to me and I think, made it seem more complicated than it needed to be. Probably because there are so many variables to this puzzle and it sucks having a potential $300 paper weight.
My apologies if step on anyones toes by reposting this. It seemed like a very pressing issue that A LOT of people are having.
It's not that big a deal, if you have the key.
The problem:
After an unsuccessful radio stack upgrade my XDA had the white screen. Then the unsuccessful upgrade due to the 1% problem.
The situation:
I purchased an unlocked T-mobile, upgraded to the ppcpe2003 4.00.05 off the Yorch site. I am using an AT&T sim card I was experiencing some dropped calls so I thought I would upgrade to the latest AT&T radio stack. I mistakenly ran the upgrade while connected to my Active Sync/cradle connection. Needless to say, the upgrade did not take and I had a dead XDA.
After reading various forum posts I decided to go back to my original t-mobile ROM, luckily, I had saved the nb1 file to my computer using the XDA developers latest tool. After using the bootloader to install from the sd card (holding the power button during a soft reset), I got the perenial white screen. during reboot I saw only the 3.56 (I think) with the radio version indicators coming up blank.
Without that original ROM file I don't think I could have pulled off this save.
Tools:
Hardware:
(1) SD reader
(1) SD Card
(1) Direct Power cable
(1) Syncing Cradle
Software:
1. Your original ROM (I think, it might work with an upgraded one)
2. Radio Stack Upgrade Files (monitor, RSUpgrade, etc.)
The Solution: (long version)
1. I had the White Screen of death.
2. through a series of soft resets, pressing the volume button ( read that in one of the forum posts) I finally got the Today screen to appear. During the boot process I still received empty radio stack info.
3. I had obtained the REPAIR files from this website and prepared those onto an SD card, which was in the unit. The xda immediately went into T-Mobile Upgrade process. I am not sure if the unit went into repair mode because of the sd card or because it was in the start up menu (read further for explaination). DO NOT OVERWRITE THE CARD!
4. the upgrade finally started its process and I got the 1% stoppage problem. After numerous trials and tribulations I was given the solution by MrDollyMaker from this forum.
!!!! THE KEY IS THE FACT THAT YOU CAN USE THE START MENU WHILE ITS IN 1% HANG !!!!
5. While the 1% hang is on the XDA, I clicked the start menu, and got into file explorer. I navigated to the /Windows/Start up/ menu on the device. I CUT/PASTED the T-mobile upgrade program into my documents (just to be safe). And soft reset the device. Sure enough, no upgrade.
6. I put the device into the Sync Cradle and performed a Guest Partnership. Using this partnership, I was able to Explore the device from my PC.
7. Using the PC, I copied the RSUpgrade files from the new AT&T radio Stack A.20.10 from my computer to the devices Windows directory: monitor_ul_bs.m0, monitor_ul_bs.map, RSUpgrade.cp64, RSUPgrade.exe
I tried to put these files on the storage card and do the compying in the device itself but I got an access error. It would not let me overwrite one of the monitor files. That's why the Sync connection to the PC is so critical.
8. I took the device off the Cradle and connected the Direct Power Cord and ran the new RSUpgrade.exe file from the device's Windows directory. Everything went swimmingly.
9. Next I re-ran the ppcpe2003 upgrade from Yorch, and I'm golden.
The Solution : simplified
Simplified Steps from White Screen:
1. get to the automatic upgrade screen by soft resetting / pressing volume button.
2. let it get to the 1% error.
3. use Start menu and file explorer and remove the upgrade from the windows start folder (I'm not sure this is required, but it worked).
4. soft reset the device and connect to sync cradle.
5. establish guest partnership.
6. copy your radio stack upgrade files to the devices Windows directory.
7. take device off cradle and connect direct power cord.
8. run RSUpgrade.exe
9. Upgrade PPC OS
Enjoy.
Comments:
- I AM NO EXPERT, just a guy with a newly fixed $300 ex-paperweight.
- You may not have to delete the Upgrade program in the startup menu. I think it makes things easier because you aren't dealing with the 1% error if your device never gets to that point.
- You may not have to go back to your original ROM
- This is my experience with my T-Mobile device purchased in the US. Your results may vary
remember the key: at the 1% error, your device is NOT LOCKED, you can use file explorer.
I would just like to thank everybody at XDA-developers, Yorch, and especially MrDollyMaker who gave me the key to unlock the puzzle.
I hope this helps simplify the matter.
Regards,
Matt
one happy guy...again.

Personally I think this one should get the sticky as it is so oftenly run into by new upgraders!
And not just because I came up with the menu function still working even with the 1% error death bit... 8)
And thanks, Matt for noting that. My instructions were given both from learning on here what to do (the RSU upgrade copying bit) and figuring out how to get past that damn 1% error bit when I forgot to copy one file over of the 4.

Something I found after testing out this method last night several times by causing a bad RSU install and getting the 1% screen of death....
As long as the ROM installed fine, don't re-install a new rom. Simply when you get the 1% error, go to the menu and get in to your file manager.
From there go to your Start folder inside the Windows folder. From there find the link to the RSUpgrade file and delete it. (Don't worry about deleting a file, this is just a link to it and we will re-install a good copy of this file)
Now, restart your PDA. It should return to your normal desktop but with no phone connection as the Radio Stack is not installed. From here, place it back on it's cradle/usb connection.
Just as stated above by Matt, you need a copy of the RSUpgade installation or a ROM upgrade insallation that includes the RSUpgrade. Unpack this, I used Winzip to do this. Find these files:
monitor_ul_bs.m0
monitor_ul_bs.map
RSUpgrade.cp64
RSUPgrade.exe
Now, using Activesync, explore to your Windows folder on your XDA and copy those files from your Computer to there. They must over write all the old files.
Disconnect from your PC and run the RSUPgrade.exe file from file manager. It worked 10 for 10 when I did it this way so it should work for you also.
The key is like Matt stated to remove the RSUPgrade.lnk file from the Start folder in Windows when you get the 1% death screen than manually copy these 4 files over. What I found was happening when you did the upgrade and got that 1% error, one or more of those 4 files corrupted or were not copied to your device. Once it has upgraded the rom, it seems to delete these files automatically also.
Goodluck and thanks for posting all of your experiance Matt. I'm quite sure it will help others A Lot!
MrDollyMaker

I only have two things to add:
1. RSUpgrade _fails_ much more often without SIM card inside the phone;
2. Your battery should be fully charged (100%) before you start the upgrade, since if it does fail, the battery will stop charging, and the next time you attempt to upgrade, you may not be able to get past 1%, even if you have power adapter plugged in. If you happen to have another XDA, you could swap batteries, or use an extended battery, if you have one.
Good luck...

lbazil said:
I only have two things to add:
1. RSUpgrade _fails_ much more often without SIM card inside the phone;
2. Your battery should be fully charged (100%) before you start the upgrade, since if it does fail, the battery will stop charging, and the next time you attempt to upgrade, you may not be able to get past 1%, even if you have power adapter plugged in. If you happen to have another XDA, you could swap batteries, or use an extended battery, if you have one.
Good luck...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:shock:
I never do the RSUpgrade with a sim in my phone.... Never failed unless I tried to do it with the EXE thing. But I do agree to make sure you have a full battery, but since it already is at the 1% error, you can charge it with the charger if you do not do anything when the error comes up. just let it sit and charge.
MrDollyMaker

Strange, because at some point I've had consistent failures at 13%, 16% or 21% until I put the SIM card in. Then it worked twice in a row. Maybe just a coincidence.
Also, are you sure the battery charges when the error message is up? The led stays off, and after a while the phone won't even turn on without external power.

Не помог способ с заменой батареи.
The way with replacement of the battery has not helped.

lbazil said:
Strange, because at some point I've had consistent failures at 13%, 16% or 21% until I put the SIM card in. Then it worked twice in a row. Maybe just a coincidence.
Also, are you sure the battery charges when the error message is up? The led stays off, and after a while the phone won't even turn on without external power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm, every time I plugged it in or sat it on the cradle(USB power modified as listed in this website) the LED turned yellow...
But as for the SIM, yeah, that needs to be in. I was thinking SD card. I never leave my SD card in but as for the SIM, that I never take out.
MrDollyMaker

I have same 1% flash error but no succes
Thank you guys for your effort.
I have followed all the instructions step by step and I still cannot flash the radio part. It's hanging at the 1% even the files required for flash are in the windows device folder.
I have tryed to charge the baterry from the special connector on the back cause it seems not charhing trough the normal connector but I am not sure how long and what should ne the final voltage.
Please advice what should I have to do before I declare my XDA a normal pocket PC( radio part is not working )
Thanks
Silciu C.

I am now in the same boat. I tried every step as per the instruction in this forum, but had no luck at all.'It seemed I also had more problems as I tried to flash the ROM and always got an ERROR message saying that the system could not determine the data connectivity type (this messsage was in the DOS black screen, wheneever you run the Programme A/ xdatools). However, I could back up the device and the Active sync seemed to be working fine ...
I hope someone could help us ...thanks a lot in advance..
cheers...

Re: I have same 1% flash error but no succes
codectelecom said:
Thank you guys for your effort.
I have followed all the instructions step by step and I still cannot flash the radio part. It's hanging at the 1% even the files required for flash are in the windows device folder.
I have tryed to charge the baterry from the special connector on the back cause it seems not charhing trough the normal connector but I am not sure how long and what should ne the final voltage.
Please advice what should I have to do before I declare my XDA a normal pocket PC( radio part is not working )
Thanks
Silciu C.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, first thing you need to do is turn your unit on and let the 1% screen of death come on than stop and do not do anything!
Next click in the upper left corner where the menu comes down. It will still drop down. Find your File Explorer program and launch it.
Now, browse over the the Startup folder located in your Windows folder. Inside the startup folder you should find some file refering to install or upgrade like "RSUgrade.lnk" or something like that. DELETE IT. Now let your unit reboot.
Now it should return to your normal desktop. go in and find those 4 files that caused all this hell and delete them. They are as follows:
monitor_ul_bs.m0
monitor_ul_bs.map
RSUpgrade.cp64
RSUpgrade.exe
Now that you have deleted those files, just to make sure they are cleared from memory restart the unit again.
Download a good copy of a radiostack that works with your location from yorch.net. If you wish to get the latest one, I would suggest that unless you are with T-Mobile, stay clear of it. You can also extract these 4 files from an upgrade patch file from your provider using WinZip.
Once you have a good copy of those 4 files copy them directly from your PC to your unit through active sink and into your Windows directory.
Restart your unit to clear any programs out, plug the unit in to your ac charger (not the cradle and not connected to your pc) than using File Explorer locate RSUpgrade.exe and run it. This will restart you unit but should have no problems upgrading your unit.
If you prefer, after you get it back to desktop, stop and charge it than copy the files over.
MrDollyMaker

andhy said:
I am now in the same boat. I tried every step as per the instruction in this forum, but had no luck at all.'It seemed I also had more problems as I tried to flash the ROM and always got an ERROR message saying that the system could not determine the data connectivity type (this messsage was in the DOS black screen, wheneever you run the Programme A/ xdatools). However, I could back up the device and the Active sync seemed to be working fine ...
I hope someone could help us ...thanks a lot in advance..
cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Safest way to upgrade the ROM is using the SD card method. It is more reliable and doesn't get Errors caused by activesync.
MrDollyMaker

MrDollyMaker:
SD method has not worked for me so far...
I am not able to patch 5.17 nor downgrade to 5.15.
I used xdarit and osimagetool to write to the SD card without any luck.
Could please share some light in this matter?
Cheers...

andhy said:
MrDollyMaker:
SD method has not worked for me so far...
I am not able to patch 5.17 nor downgrade to 5.15.
I used xdarit and osimagetool to write to the SD card without any luck.
Could please share some light in this matter?
Cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried using the OS Image Tool to write directly to the ROM?
Also, when you used XDArit, did you select that it was 5.16+ image you were writing? (when you used/didn't use the patch)
MrDollyMaker

MrDollyMaker:
Thanks again.
Yes, I selected the 5.15 ROM image to write to the SD card.
The OSImage file only accepted nb1/ nbf file types. I was not able to write the wallaby patch tool nb2 file nor wallaby 5.15 ROM image nb0 file through Osimagetool.
As you might remember, I always got an ERROR message about activesync connection whenever I tried to flash directly to the device ROM.
The first step I believed is to patch the 5.17 then either downgrade to 5.15 or go straight with the nk.nbf flash.
Is this correct?

1% ERROR PERSIST
lbazil said:
I only have two things to add:
1. RSUpgrade _fails_ much more often without SIM card inside the phone;
2. Your battery should be fully charged (100%) before you start the upgrade, since if it does fail, the battery will stop charging, and the next time you attempt to upgrade, you may not be able to get past 1%, even if you have power adapter plugged in. If you happen to have another XDA, you could swap batteries, or use an extended battery, if you have one.
Good luck...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in situation that I still have the 1% error even I have followed all the instructions from the forum.
The power led is not lightning and I can confirm that is not charging the batery. I have tryed to charge the battery using the special hole from behind but still no success.
Do you have an oppinion?
Thanks in advance,
Silviu C.

Re: 1% ERROR PERSIST
codectelecom said:
I am in situation that I still have the 1% error even I have followed all the instructions from the forum.
The power led is not lightning and I can confirm that is not charging the batery. I have tryed to charge the battery using the special hole from behind but still no success.
Do you have an oppinion?
Thanks in advance,
Silviu C.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One question..... What "special" hole are you talking about?
MrDollyMaker

andhy said:
MrDollyMaker:
Thanks again.
Yes, I selected the 5.15 ROM image to write to the SD card.
The OSImage file only accepted nb1/ nbf file types. I was not able to write the wallaby patch tool nb2 file nor wallaby 5.15 ROM image nb0 file through Osimagetool.
As you might remember, I always got an ERROR message about activesync connection whenever I tried to flash directly to the device ROM.
The first step I believed is to patch the 5.17 then either downgrade to 5.15 or go straight with the nk.nbf flash.
Is this correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, since you have a 5.17 BootLoader, you can't use the 5.15 image write. You have to use the 5.16+ due to it is coded differently. When you write the SD card, include the patch for the 5.17 BootLoader as well with the rom so it can bypass the security feature.
MrDollyMaker

T-Mobile/MDA/O2/yadda yadda....
You know, I feel like I should be getting paid for all this advice! 8)
(J/K!)
MrDollyMaker

thanks for the advice again.
I am getting confused, really. Just repeated the same thing over again and again the past 3 days and suddenly I managed to patch the 5.17 for the second time (after over 50 tries). THis time I kept the SD with the patch tool and got another SD card to try to write 5.15 in it. After 4 hours, I managed to got it written then eventually downgraded the wallaby to 5.15. Now, the challange is the device is stuck in the wallaby screen everytime we turned it on. I had about 10 different ROMs originals as well as cooked ones from the kitchen, but had not been able to "write" one in the SD card. I used all OS image tool as well as xdarit, without any luck. the device wont recognized the ROM in the SD. I think the Wallaby 5.15 is working fine as I tested with the other SD card with the patch tool in it, the device still recognized the card as a diagnostic card.
I cant think of any mistake that I might have made in the procedure as I had (I think) followed every step of the procedures and had read different postings over and over again. :?

Experts Please help !

I got MDA from T Mobile with:
ROM : 3.04.00 GER
Radio Version : T302
Protocol Version : 32S54
Pocket PC 2002
The Operating system is in German , I need to change the same to English .
Can someone guide me please .
I am not a techie guy and hence request someone's Help.
I would be exteremly thankful .
Thanks and regards

I do my ROM updates using the XDA's bootloader and an SD card. This seems to work a little better with less chance of things getting messed up. There's also a way to run an installer program on your PC but my observation is that a lot of people who have had problems have used this other method.
a few questions first:
Who is your carrier now?
Do you have an SD card 32MB or larger? (If you don't you'll need one.)
Does the phone/Internet work satisfactorily (even though it's in German)?
DISCLAIMER: I am an idiot. I've probably forgotten some crucial detail or two here. It's up to you to figure out where I'm full of sh*t before starting.
Spend an evening or two reading all of the threads in this 'ROM Updates' forum. It's good to understand the ways something can go wrong and how to avoid making that happen.
Back up all of the data on your XDA before starting. This includes your contact/calendar/task data (normaly these sync with Outlook on your desktop PC when you run Activvesync) as well as any documents that you have saved to device RAM.
Some people do a full backup of their XDA, but it's tricky to restore from this backup when you're not restoring to the same OS version that you backed up from. So I don't bother - I just make sure my outlook data and documents are stored away somewhere safe on my PC.
Back up any data that you've stored on your SD card. You'll end up erasing the SD card as part of the process.
Go here:
http://www.xda-developers.com/XDAtools/
and download XDA tools. You'll use this program to move ROM images to the SD card in your XDA to update the ROM.
Go here:
http://www.romanweb.com/yorch/
and in the "ROM Kitchen" section choose the elements you want to have installed in your XDA along with the OS. The XDA has leftover space in the available ROM memory after the basic Operating System is in there, and the kitchen allows you to put other stuff in here (so it won't take up RAM unless you're actually using it). You can choose a European O2 image or a US T-Mobile image. As long as the bar at the top of the page doesn't read "Overload" you can make a ROM image with what you have selected. Make sure that "Zipped NK.nb1 (SD-Card flashing)" is checked, and press "Build ROM Now" The kitchen will go work for a few minutes and finally will indicate that it's ready to download. Make a note of what your choices were for this image (this is more important after you've been playing and you have downloaded a few different ones), and download the ZIP file to your PC.
You need some software like WinZIP to extract the nb1 file from the ZIP file. If your version of Windows (XP, 98Plus, etc understands "compressed folders" this will work. Use whatever method to extract the .nb1 file from the ZIP file that you've downloaded.
(NOTE: You CAN'T just rename the extension of the file to .nb1 if it's something else like .zip or .exe. Sounds obvious that this won't work but people try it anyway)
Put your SD card into your XDA (you've backed up the SD card, right?) and press the soft reset button on the bottom while holding down the power switch. This will put you into the "Wallaby Bootloader" of the XDA. Read about it here: http://www.xda-developers.com/bootloader/ Press the Contacts button on the upper left of the front to the XDA, and use the joypad to highlight CE+BOOT TO SD. Then press the middle of the joypad to start the copying of your machine's Rom to the SD Card. The screen will count up the progress until it indicates that it's done. Remove the SD card and reset your XDA again.
Put the SD card back into the XDA - it will detect that the SD card is no longer formatted (the ROM image overwrites the formatting) and will ask to reformat the card. Select Nein (German for No). Put the XDA in the sync cradle, and use XDA tools to move the ROM and Boot files from the SD card to your PC for safe keeping. IF you've backed up both the ROM and boot files there should be an .nb1 (ROM) and an .nb0 (boot) file to transfer
Now use XDATools to move the new ROM image .nb1 file that you cooked up in the kitchen onto the SD card. When this is done, remove the XDA from the cradle.
Make sure your battery is fully charged. Don't want to run out of juice during the next step.
You might want to turn off the phone part of the XDA next. I haven't, but people always wonder what will happen if someone calls you while you're in the middle of an upgrade.
With the new ROM image on the SD card in the XDA, soft boot the XDA with the power switch held down. This time the XDA will recognize that there is a ROM image on the card and will offer to install this image.
If you don't get the screen offering to install the image, make sure that you installed the ROM image to the SD card using XDATools. Just copying the file to the SD card using activesync or Windows file copy won't work.
When you do get the offer to dowload the ROM image, press the "Action" button to do so. Again the counter will count up, and when it is done the system will do a checksum (to make sure it got loaded right). If the checksum is OK, it will tell you to Hard reset the XDA. Remove the SD card, and press the button inside the tiny hole on the right bottom. This will turn the XDA all the way off. Wait a couple of seconds, and then press it again to Cold Boot the XDA.
If you've been good, the XDA will boot up with a new, English ROM version installed.
***
Some other notes:
If your bootloader is Version 5.17 the above process won't work (the bootloader version is shown on the first bootloader screen). Read the xda-developers page about the bootloader for info on what to do if this applies.

Need help
THanks for a very explained reply .
Infact since I did not had SD card and I tried to run the upgrade utility and guess I had screwed up .
Now when i power up i only see a progress Bar and try to connect the cradle to laptop it does not sense the device as well .I tried soft and hard reset couple of time .
Bootloader is working and its v5.15 .
I am totally helpless .
Is there anyway out from here .
I would be thankful . Please help

Hi ...
Seems the upgrade files have been corrupted. Whenever you make a soft or hard reset it trys to flash the ROM. The safest option here since the bootloader is working fine is to get a ROM backup on SD card from any other working device (it doesn't matter what ROM version), but it should be the ROM only. Make sure it's NOT the RSU backup.
Insert the SD card into the device and go to the bootloader screen. It should sense the ROM backup and will flash your XDA.
Good luck ...

Thanks to Cooperative people !
THanks !! ,
Thanks for your help .Especially to Qman and Ronin !, who went out of the way to help me fix my XDA problem .
People like them make this world a little better !
Cheers to them .
Finally after lot of struggle with Ericsson Parallet MP3 Burner which had glitch with windows XP and then XDRIT problem with windows 98 ( XDRIT does not work with 98 ) and then when i used XDRIT with windows XP thru a parallelt port ROM burner it read but declined to write . Even ROM image tool when wrote to the ROM , XDA refused to accept it a CE Rom .
Finally with right leads , I got my XDA working again !!
Thanks for your help and lead to right threads !!
Have a nice weekend and thanks for your timely help .to all who have contributed to this place called XDA forum ...
cheers to all of you ! and keep it up !!