Database Users

Updating the Wiki

This week I'm hoping to give the ol wizard wiki a bit of an update. I am asking people to contribute ideas on what is good and what is bad about the current format, this will aid me in my attempt.
So far I am hoping to add a very basic "Help Im Stuck in Bootloader" troubleshoot part. I believe this could reduce the amount of these sorts of posts that appear in the wizard forum.
I'm also going to try to add and maintain a list of the most common roms. I know this changes as often as my mrs changes outfits, but it might also help the first time flashers, and weed out those "Which rom is best guys?" posts.
Please let me know what else needs updating/fixing, if there isnt much of an interest in this then I wont change anything except for the essential parts that need updating.
p.s I am aware that even the most informative and easy to read wiki will be ignored by newbies
Thanks
PP

Backup and reset questions from a newbie

On my PC, I use Acronis Home Image to back up my entire OS partition. So, if things get buggy later, I can restore that partition image and within minutes I have the OS back to where it was before with all my programs installed, drivers installed etc... That is obviously better than just uninstalling programs that you think are causing a problem (since there are always left-overs spread throughout the registry and system files). You get what I mean.
Is there a program I can use to create a back-up image of the entire Touch HD at any given point, so I can restore it later if things get buggy?
I'm new to the whole smartphone world and so I have a couple of "possibly-dumb" questions.
1. Does a soft-reset mean just powering the phone off and then back on?
2. Does a hard-reset put the phone back to its factory condition?
3. How do you do a hard-reset?

Being newbie to something ain't bad, what is bad is not RTFM.
C'mon, try try the search function for your three questions,
the other question : create backup of entire HD, use sprite backup, or SPB backup or so, but check compatibillity first !

lucid said:
Being newbie to something ain't bad, what is bad is not RTFM.
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I'm involved in a few computer forums with topics where I'm experienced and I always try and help newbies out instead of using the RTFM card right away. You're right though - I could have done my homework better before asking. I just figured my questions (1 and 2) were simple enough "yes" or "no" questions, that someone could have just answered in a matter of seconds.
I know it can frustrating, when people ask questions that they can get answers to by searching the forum or the internet. And I have also asked people to do a search before asking. But, like I said - I thought a simple and quick yes or no wouldn't really bug anyone.
You can also tell when someone in a forum is just a leech getting information without doing their homework. But if you look at my posts in this forum - even as a newbie - I've done the homework for others and have contributed to answers that, in my opinion were really easy to find.
My suggestion to you, especially as a "senior member" in this forum, is to not be so quick to slap the RTFM card. It definitely has its place, but try and be a bit more flexible with newbies. It will create a better atmosphere in the forum.
All that said - thanks for the backup software info.

I take your point and it is well made, but I'm afraid I'm with lucid. These are basic questions and the sticky at the top of this forum that few people seem to bother to read is very helpful in terms of explaining the search function and use of the Wiki.
You may not be intrinsically lazy but there are far too many who are and it's difficult to distinguish. Over my time here I have seen people driven to distraction (!Singh! recently) and even driven away by the laziness and poor attitude of people who seem to think that they are signing up for some sort of paid support service with an obligation to help them solve their personal problems rather than a community to which a lot of very talented people give a lot of their personal time and expertise.
Personally I can quite readily accept that you aren't one of those, but actions speak louder than words...

Chris Cross said:
I'm new to the whole smartphone world and so I have a couple of "possibly-dumb" questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to my world. Now there is two of us
Chris Cross said:
Is there a program I can use to create a back-up image of the entire Touch HD at any given point, so I can restore it later if things get buggy?
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Go for Sprite Backup. Got it and first buckup dono without any problems
Chris Cross said:
1. Does a soft-reset mean just powering the phone off and then back on?
2. Does a hard-reset put the phone back to its factory condition?
3. How do you do a hard-reset?
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Click to collapse
1 - I don't think so. Under battery cover there is a tiny button called Soft Reset
2 - It should I presume
3 - chec out my first sentecne

You can do a Hard Reset by:
use Volume Up & Volume down keys at the same time and then for a 2/3 seconds push the power button then release it

iain.fraser said:
I take your point and it is well made, but I'm afraid I'm with lucid. These are basic questions and the sticky at the top of this forum that few people seem to bother to read is very helpful in terms of explaining the search function and use of the Wiki.
You may not be intrinsically lazy but there are far too many who are and it's difficult to distinguish. Over my time here I have seen people driven to distraction (!Singh! recently) and even driven away by the laziness and poor attitude of people who seem to think that they are signing up for some sort of paid support service with an obligation to help them solve their personal problems rather than a community to which a lot of very talented people give a lot of their personal time and expertise.
Personally I can quite readily accept that you aren't one of those, but actions speak louder than words...
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Yeah, I know it's not always easy to distinguish who is a lazy leecher. And I certainly don't expect someone to spend time researching a person's previous posts to determine if they are lazy. That would be ridiculous! I admit there is truth to lucid's post. I just think things can be worded better than RTFM.
Anyway - I'm not hung up on it. I'm thankful for the backup information and I'm looking more into it. Oh yeah, and I found my answers to the other questions too.
I just can't wait to finally get my HD and be applying some of the stuff I've read here.

@Strus: LOL - good, there are two of us here now. I'll probably be trying Sprite Backup since Spb Backup has questionable compatibility issues. And yes, you're right, the soft reset involves the reset button in the back.
@mokatia: thanks - I also found these instructions in this forum on hard reset to revert to the factory state. I also read that hard reset won't touch your SD card.
To perform a hard reset
1. With the device turned off, press and hold the VOLUME UP and VOLUME DOWN buttons, then briefly press the POWER button.
2. Continue pressing the VOLUME UP and VOLUME DOWN buttons until you see this message on the screen:
This operation will delete all your personal data, and reset all settings to the manufacturer default settings. Press VolUp to restore manufacturer defaults, or press other keys to cancel.
3. Release the VOLUME UP and VOLUME DOWN buttons.
4. Press the VOLUME UP button to perform the hard reset, or press any other button to cancel the reset.
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Thanks again for your input.

...and looking to give a bit back now and then by the sound of it, which is what it's all about, so all good.
Beware though, once you get your HD you can kiss goodbye to any free time you may have had...this stuff's addictive!

iain.fraser said:
...and looking to give a bit back now and then by the sound of it, which is what it's all about, so all good.
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yup
iain.fraser said:
Beware though, once you get your HD you can kiss goodbye to any free time you may have had...this stuff's addictive!
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Click to collapse
LOL - let's hope so...

just got my new xperia... wat should i do

hey guys, i got a new xperia last night. Now i know there are many tweaks out there... wat are the best or main ones to improve ANYTHING on the phone, please share.

You're new here, so the first thing you should do is READ...and do it lots.
Take things one step at a time - you've just got your new device, so play with it as it is first. Learn it's features and quirks, discover things that bug YOU, then start investigating ways of fixing them.
There's no point spending time fixing things that bug other people, you need to figure out what YOU want.
My own personal conclusion about WM6 devices is generally that if it isn't broke, don't fix it. If you're happy with something then leave it be. Just because others have different expectations doesn't mean you should too.

If I were you I would start reading the wiki

plAythiNG said:
just got my new xperia... wat should i do
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Piece of cake: Read here in the forums, especialy the sticky threads up in the front list, then READ a little more and keep reading
You'll find lots of interesting stuff for the xperia, which ROM is better or which app should I install? well... you will have to read, search and find for yourself the apps/ROMs that fit your requirements and needs
BTW: welcome to the developers forum

If you want to mess around with different programs I would recommend you get some sort of backup program for your contacts, messages and so on. Something like PIM Backup or Spb Backup. Why am I saying this; You are surely gonna f*** up your device a couple of times in the beginning and then would need to hard reset.
Hard reset = Reset to firmware default (Like it was when you bought it if you haven't flashed anything) deleting any configuration settings and installed programs etc.
Soft reset = Rebooting (Like restarting your computer's operating system).
Don't do anything with your phone unless you are sure what you are doing. Read up on anything if you are the smallest bit in doubt!
Try to use the search function in the forum as there is a big possibility someone has asked the same question before.
Good luck.

Welcome to the greatest forum on the internetz . I can only tell you what i did. Hope that helps.
1 - Go to google and type xperia. Find some good forums about it. (seems you already got that one in the bag).
2 - Read some info about your device. What is an ARM processor, what is windows mobile, what kind of games can you play, the resolution of the device +'s and -'s. Start with the small things, before you jump to ROMs, flashing etc.
3 - Read the sticky topics in this forum.
4 - After you have done some reading decide what you want and search the forum for info about programs or games you might like. Almost all the problems you encounter or questions you might have, have been discussed in the past.
5 - Customize your x1 .
6 - And if i may quote maedox - "Don't do anything with your phone unless you are sure what you are doing. Read up on anything if you are the smallest bit in doubt!"
That's what i did. I had to hard reset it a few times but now i got my fair share of experimenting and i have customized it to my tastes. The looks, the games, the programs .

A number of general questions/ideas/issues

I apologise for starting what is, in many ways, an 'I'm a noob, help me!' thread but I have put some effort into researching each of these topics but I'm still left with questions, so I thought I'd just lay everything out there and see if anyone can help me.
Firstly, sometimes when I start to write a text message, the first character disappears. It shows on-screen for maybe half a second, then it's as if I've hit backspace and it gets deleted.
It's really odd, it only happens from time-to-time and so far I've not been able to discern any sort of pattern to this behaviour - it doesn't seem to be specific to certain contacts, nor does it seem to matter whether it's a new text or a reply that I'm writing. It's just completely random.
I've searched on this forum, checked HTC's hotfixes and kept an eye out on other fora I frequent that have anything to do with the Touch HD but so far I haven't seen anything about this.
Secondly, I've been trying to find a calender application that will allow me to enter 'rules'.
Basically, the hours I work depend on the day of the week but I work different days week-to-week. So what I was hoping for was to be able to program in a 'rule' that defines what constitutes 'work', depending on which day of the week it is and have it so that an alarm or multiple alarms go off a set period before the time I start work each day (to wake me up). Anyway, by having this pre-set rule, I was hoping that when a new rota becomes available at work, I would just be able to mark which days I was working and the calendar would automatically work out the hours etc.
I'm not sure if this is something most calendar apps are capable of or if it's a feature that just doesn't exist but so far my attempts to search for this have been fruitless, though maybe that's down to my choice of keywords or something...
In third place, what is, in all probability a fairly common question about syncing text/SMS messages to your PC. I have looked into this, I swear but there seems to be a lot of contradictory information out there, not to mention when I search the site, I seem to end up reading a lot of threads that are 2, 3 or even 5 years old.
This might sound a little sad but this plave is one of few fora where I can have a question and when I look or ask for an answer, I feel completely lost. So I suppose what I'm hoping for is for someone to come along, take me by the metaphorical hand and show me the solution suitable for half-blind, retarded chimpanzees, as I might just about be able to follow that...
Last up, I was wondering if anyone was aware of any Shoogle-like programs for the HD.
I've come across 'VibraNotify' by way of this thread, which I will be testing out soon but in case it doesn't quite do what I want, if there's anything similar out there that anyone's aware of, I'd appreciate the heads-up.
I really am sorry to waste people's time with questions like these.
I wish I could find all the necessary answers myself but, as I say, for some of them I can't seem to find any information and for others, I've found far too much.
I will be extremely grateful towards anyone who takes pity on me and is able to help out in any way, no matter how small.
Thanks.

Addressing your second question.
I am a long time user of Pocket Informant currently in version 8 and available for purchase or download a time limited trial at http://www.pocketinformant.com/
You can set up different "work" times for each day of the week.
Regards.
Ed

for the first point of your question, I also had some problems too with keyboard input so that maybe sometimes I wanted to type m and it actually pressed a (not exactly a common typo!)
I noticed that after a screen calibration problems were solved
start/settings/system/screen/Align screen button
hope it helps
alternatively, I can confirm that with Davideuck's v-5 and dutty's xtreme v1.9 ROMs I have never had typing problems

Step666 said:
I apologise for starting what is, in many ways, an 'I'm a noob, help me!' thread...
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Click to collapse
don't feel too bad, these are pretty advanced topics that i have not seen covered here
Regarding point 3;
as far as i know you can't sync SMS, tho you can back it up with PIM Backup
there is also MyPhone currently Beta

APP request - grol testing software for windows mobile

Hello everyone. I am a second year electronics student and am now working for my General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL). I am looking at having to memorize the answers to just under 700 questions. Its rather tough lol. The reason I am here is simple. I have searched and searched and have not found any software for my touch pro that will help me study for this test. I don't know how to write programs but I know that many of you out there do a phenomenal job. I am looking for someone that would write a program for me that would quiz me on all the questions for the GROL. In fact I believe that if one where interested in making a few dollars he or she could go all out and make a program that creates a full exam from the test question pool, then watches which ones the user gets wrong and makes sure to ask them more often. It would also be cool if a pop up window came up explaining the proper answer. I also think it would be nice to have a screen at the end showing results. I know at first this seams daunting but I do have software that came with my book that is close to this and could send you a copy. Also, the entire question pool is listed on the fcc website. It wont let me post the link here but if you contact me by email i can find it for you.
The GROL only requires sections 1 and 3. The only other program similar was marked at $40.00 and for the pc. Nothing has been found for the PPC where it makes the most sense. During random downtimes a person can do a few random questions here and there. I believe that if made to look nice with a nice touch style interface someone could post this to windows marketplace and sell it for $20.00 easily and make some nice cash on it. I would learn to program and do it myself if it weren't for the fact that I am in class now and need it ASAP.
Thanks in advance for all that entertain the thought of taking this on
Aaron
soco28 at gmail.com

It's not exactly what you said, but maybe you can use SuperMemo UX & SuperMemo Mobile. It's free software, but you will need to build your own course.
www supermemo eu

frizzlediam said:
Hello everyone. I am a second year electronics student and am now working for my General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL). I am looking at having to memorize the answers to just under 700 questions. Its rather tough lol. The reason I am here is simple. I have searched and searched and have not found any software for my touch pro that will help me study for this test. I don't know how to write programs but I know that many of you out there do a phenomenal job. I am looking for someone that would write a program for me that would quiz me on all the questions for the GROL. In fact I believe that if one where interested in making a few dollars he or she could go all out and make a program that creates a full exam from the test question pool, then watches which ones the user gets wrong and makes sure to ask them more often. It would also be cool if a pop up window came up explaining the proper answer. I also think it would be nice to have a screen at the end showing results. I know at first this seams daunting but I do have software that came with my book that is close to this and could send you a copy. Also, the entire question pool is listed on the fcc website. It wont let me post the link here but if you contact me by email i can find it for you.
The GROL only requires sections 1 and 3. The only other program similar was marked at $40.00 and for the pc. Nothing has been found for the PPC where it makes the most sense. During random downtimes a person can do a few random questions here and there. I believe that if made to look nice with a nice touch style interface someone could post this to windows marketplace and sell it for $20.00 easily and make some nice cash on it. I would learn to program and do it myself if it weren't for the fact that I am in class now and need it ASAP.
Thanks in advance for all that entertain the thought of taking this on
Aaron
soco28 at gmail.com
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I know this is an older post. And I knkw what you mean, and are talking about. I am changing career fields into Avionics, and a classmate has an app for his (cry)Phone. But in the Google Play Store, they have some, but they are expensive for what it is ($19.99 and $12.99). I can't find anything except crApple. Absolutely no Android. I can't even find anything where someone ported the CD that is in the book over to Android and other platforms. I have coppied the files from the CD to a folder on my computer called "GROL." So I didn't have to have the CD in my computer the whole time. I'm going to graduate at the end of this month, and I only have Element 1 done. Partly its my own fault for waiting until now. But either way, I'll have 3 & 8 done. But it would be nice if I could take the studying with me when I have life going on and not by my computer. Lol
Android surpassed crApple, and yet we still get kicked to the curb.