Database Users

Can the camera on XDA2 be removed?

:?: hi, was thinking of buying xda2 but there is a stupid rule in my work place which does not allows any imaging device (xda included) to enter into the working enviorment.
so i was thinking, can the camera be physically removed (diy) or at least can it be disable using software or hardware (ie: disconnecting the wires to the camera) ... ??
i really like xda2 and i am tired of xda1 ... and one to help?
by the way, does this forum teaches how to open up a xda2? ...
regards
almondking[/b]

The camera software is located in the extended rom part of the installation procedure. If you were to modify the extended rom to remove that CAB file (or just not let the autorun that installs those files run after a hard reset (i.e. soft reset it before it has a chance to run those files) then you would not be able to access the camera at all from the device (your work can inspect it all they'd like). This way you don't have to mod your xda ii and can always replace the cab later if you want to use the camera.
Jon.

sounds good ...
sounds like a good idea~ ,... no software, can't work!~ next problem, if i do not want to flash my phone, wat can i do to prevent the camera software from installing, i mean can i uninstall it from the rom or something like this ... ?

Youcould unlock the extended rom, back it up then delete the camera cab, however I doubt very much whether your security conscious company accept your word that the camera cannot be operated. Maybe you should get an xda1 for work.

unlocking the extended rom?
sorry, was relatively new to this xda2 thing ... how and wat do i need for unlocking the extended rom? opening up the xda2 and pluging out the camera will be the last thing i wanted to do ...
maybe i should change my job ... hehe ...

I really don't think the company would object if they saw that there was no way to access the camera portion through software. There is a program here called EREdit2003 that can backup / modify extended ROMs.
I would deffinetly NOT open up the phone for a variety of reasons - especially warrenty - Nothing is worth voiding a warrenty on a multi-hundred dollar phone.
Jon.

Oh, just thought of this very low-tech solution:
buy an XDA I Krusell case for it - it covers the camera lens. If your company isn't too savvy on inspecting it (i.e. they don't care to take off the case) than this could work as well. Obviously a long shot if your company is so security minded - but you never know.

why don't you buy an imate from KSA they come from the maifacurar without a camera option, not even a place for it

There are 2 ways not to activate the camera:
- The easist way: You can set the button 3 to "none" in settings/buttons. If you don't like to see the camera icon in program windows: go to windows/start up/programs and delete the link file (camera.lnk)
:lol: - Second way: Do not install the CAB software from the extended ROM. It can be done by: delete the file in config.txt. Other way, you rename the autorun file to .ex1 and run cab file manually after hardreset your XDAII

Thanks a lot guys!
Thanks a lot for all these help! finally got the xda2 today at S$1398 with a line to the local telco (w/o line is S$1598).
have yet to explore the device ... but i'm very sure i can display the camera function with so much help from you guys!~
the option about getting a leather case w/o the hole for camera is out .. the security guard at my work place are not so dumb .. hehe, they remove the leather case and check. ... some other guy had already tried that before .. it won't work ^^
jon's method sounds eziest! using EREdit2003 to edit the rom, i hope it'll work, anyone tried before? and by the way, jon, do you have the program? thanks in advance~
sonadt's method sounds great too .. deleting the link and disable the hot button ... but if i use file explorer to find the camera .exe file, will i be still able to activate the camera? i suspose so ... as for the 2nd method, 'not installing the cab' - sounds like a big task to me. in short, does it means that i need to flash the rom?
thanks a lot [email protected]~ you all are great! long live to this forum ^^

If you make the extended rom visible and editable you can remove the cab file and also the link as described, you will then have zero access to the camera as the software is not present to process/drive the hardware.

One easy way of uninstalling the camera software is to perform a hard-reset and just before the ROM autoinstaller starts perform a soft-reset, when it comes back you will have a normal Pocket PC minus the software that auto installs. But if for some reason you need to install the rest of the software that comes in the phone you can always install that by hand (minus the camera .cab of course), but for that you need to perform a small hack to be able to see the Extended Rom, there is an installer around here (forgot the name) that let's you uncover the extended rom section of your device and manually install the .cabs.
On the other hand, a disabled camera is still a camera, so chances are your security staff will not allow it inside anyways since it's almost like trying to get a regular camera in the premises but without film, they will not allow it no matter what.
But good luck and let us know what happened.
Regards,
Rayan

Although this won't apply to the initial poster now, but for future reference, Saudi Arabia sells the Imate here without the Camera, it is manufactured like that especially for them. It retails at approx $850 here, if anyone is interested I can look into places that take on-line orders.

imate??
imate = xda2 without camera?? SeRIouS?!~ wonder when can i buy it ... thanks a lot for all the ppl that gave me the solution!

How to get back the camera app?

Its a bit of a long story, but in a nutshell I HATE the o2 default software so very much, so when I did a hear reset on my phone I made sure to rapidly hit cancel so that none of it installed.
Unfortunately I didn’t account for it not installing than camera! I have heard of a technique called Extended Rom Unlocking - how would I go about this? I have looked at a few guides on this board and downloading a few bits of software to read it but they all come up blank and their open dialogue will not allow me to open a file direct from the device. Searching for the common names of the rom files pulled up nothing either
Please can someone explain in layman’s terms how I can get my camera app back or if there is any other camera software on the market?

Look at this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=8422 for the unlocker. Unlock the extended rom and then you can see the cabs in Extended ROM and copy the camera one out and then tap it to install.

that worked a treat, thanks

mullys said:
that worked a treat, thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good news!

Poor camera quality sorted?

I think I may have sorted the poor camera quality issue with the Alpine. If you are cooking your own ROM, don't include the camera patch. I just removed it and the picture quality is like the xda 2 now - much better.
Let me know if it works for you.

Did you do this in your cooked rom?

Just worked it out.
Will get the ROMs edited over the next few days.
One thing I was wondering was how are these "patches" detrimentally affecting the Alpines? That's something for me to look at over the next few days in work with nothing to do.
Will post the ROMs again over the weekend sometime.
I'll also see if I can post a quick fix in the meantime.

I'm looking forward to see the rom... Actually, if there is any fix without installing an updated rom would be better...
Thanks a lot for the effort.

Just had a look at the windows\camera_sensor1.dll file which is the offending file and I can't seem to copy the original one off the device so a quick fix won't be possible at the moment sorry. I'll post the updated ROM soon.

Hi pug,
Will you modify 1.11.162 1.04 radio versiyon ROM or the other one without the O2 crap?
Actually if it is not a burden, a camera fixed version of both ROM's would be great!
Thanks alot...

thanks ..can't wait to get shot of the 02 rubbish ,will save ages waiting for that stuff to load

OK people, uploading the modified ROMs here:
ftp://xda:[email protected]/Uploads/Alpine/O2_Roms__Camera_Fixed_Pug/
I've also added extra BT profiles thanks to someone on this site, sorry, can't remember who.
A special thanks goes out to Bal666 and Itsme for all the help and the software to allow me to help others out really easily.....you guys are Gods.
Many thanks to all out there for your understanding, support and feedback.
Pug.

Sorry for being thick but why are there 2 different ones?

Thanks Pug.

Cadburys Man said:
Sorry for being thick but why are there 2 different ones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One has the O2 crap stripped out, the other has it still in. :lol:

Please help with this... Run this upgrade and now the phone speaker doesn't seem to work !

Apologies.... Double posted in error !!!!

Thank you for your time.

Ok... Any clues ???
Just ran upgrade from O2 website and speaker/mic still doesn't appear to work within phone calls... Could upgrading damage these ? Is there anything that is residual and could be left on XDA after an up(/down)grade ???

Are you running off Pug's camera-fixed ROM, or have you reverted to his previous .169 with 1.04 radio with the default camera?

Was running on Pug's camera fixed ROM but when found had problem reverted to the latest ROM direct from O2... And still have the problem...

When you look at the "volume slider" is it at the bottom? I had a similar problem with mine a while ago when I had upgraded to the 169 rom, It seemed to happen if I was loading up the BT tools programme that gives added profiles in BT manager, even when I went back to 162 I still had the problem, even though it worked fine before the upgrade!!

The one without the O2 crap is perfectly working for me so far.

Could someone post picture before and after fixing camera?
I want to see the results!
Thanks!

Brand new O2miniS: how to tweak to get max performance?!

Dear all,
I'm new here, I've had a good look through the forum, but I feel a lot of the information is a little over my head. I was hoping for some advice for my new MiniS out of the box:
Regarding setting up my device, are there any programs I should or shouldn't install? Or anything I should uninstall immediately?
Am I better off with the O2 ROM, or is there another I should flash my device with?
Are there any particularly good pieces of software that you could recommend?
Thank-you very much for your help,
s_h_a_h_i_d

look at htc magician forumpart (topics)

look at htc magician forumpart (topics)

Surely since the XDA Mini S is an HTC Wizard, not a Magician, he'd be better off looking at the Wizard forum?

o2 mini is a magician init

Yes, but the thread title refers to an O2 Mini S.....

He is refering to MiniS mate.

HA HA, Now that the squabbles are over, , I'd like to add my bit.
The best thing anyone can do first off with the MINI S is toss that o2 customised crap right off.
I am assuming you have'nt put too much on it yet
Press the soft reset button. (Under the IR port)
As you let go of that reset button, make sure you are pressing both the comm manager button, AND the voice buttons. Thats the top left side and upper right side buttons.
This is called a hard reset and WILL ERASE EVERYTHING prom the phones memory.
Do the screen calibration and cut/paste bit.
When it say's "Tap the screen to start using your device", be ready to press the soft reset again.
This is because when you tap the screen, a customisation box will appear.
PRESS THE RESET BUTTON, when you see this box.
The phone reboots and hey presto, proper PDA, not o2's idea of one.
Hope this helps.

Just to add to the above, there is a thread on here regarding decent software for the PDA.
Have a look through the thread list and you'll see it.
I would recommend Resco as a decent file manager with some excellent features. Be careful with some of these tools if you are not sure what you are doing.
Other than that, have fun.

Press send to restore factory default, other keys to quit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So which key is the send button?
EDIT: 4th time lucky, the green one

Horrorwood said:
Press send to restore factory default, other keys to quit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So which key is the send button?
EDIT: 4th time lucky, the green one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, oops, sorry forgot about that bit!!! :?

Hi Jerry-S and everyone.
I've just got a T-Mobile MDA Vario, the Wizard version of T-Mobile.
Would you recommend me doing the same hard reset so that I can get rid of T-Mobile settings?
My Device Information shows:
ROM version: 1.6.2.4 WWE
ROM date: 11/15/05
Radio version: 01.12.10
Protocol version: 4.0.13.23
ExtROM version: 1.6.2.105
Can I update to a newer ROM and if yes where can I download it and how can I update ROM, please?
Thanks for your help.
Rgds,
PPB

Hi BUSPBP,
I am a relatively new user myself and won't offer advice on anything I am not sure of.
I have seen ROM updates on here for other networks but as I am on o2 and running my most recent ROM, I can't comment.
Just to be sure you understand though, the updating of a rom that isn't specifically for your unit has many risks. At the end of the day, it's up to you so just put ROM in the search page and have a look at what comes up.
As for removing the Network Provider software, I would assume that the process is the same for them all, as the extra operator features are installed from an extended ROM.
That's to say, the main OS is installed first and then the extra stuff installs afterward.
If you can replace things that you have put on your phone then give it a go, it'll either work or not.
At the end of the day, if you like the extra things and want them back, do another hard reset and let everything install as it wants.
Hope this helps.

Hi Jerry-S,
Thanks for your help. After reading through some threads in this forum I've decided to upgrade my Wizard with the new Qtek ROM. It now works much faster and I don't have any more problem with Wifi connection.
Can you or anybody please advise what does the ExtROM do and if I can exclude it from the device? Any good in doing this?
PPB

If you think of it this way, it's a little easier to understand.
When the device is new or has a hard reset, the following happens.
(If I get this wrong, I'm sure someone will let me know. LOL)
1. The device powers up and a section called the Bootloader starts.
2. As the operating system is not there, it installs it from a ROM.
3. The operating system then runs and you do the stylus calibration
and the date / time settings
4. That is the PDA set up.
5. After that, another ROM is installed, (If you let it), which contains all
the customised software for your particular phone company supplier.
All it means is that the basic Windows OS is running at the same time as the custom software and the Windows functions are accessed by the company customisations that you are presented with.
Because of this, the processor in the PDA is working in effect, twice as hard and it is slower.
As far as I am aware, there is nothing in this custom layer that can't be done directly in the Windows layer.
I would like to upgrade my ROM also as the o2 ROM is one of the oldest versions released, but as I see it, once installed, there is currently no way to downgrade back to the previous version if something goes wrong. Thats the only reason I have'nt done it.
As for removing it completely, I am not sure. I have seen posts on here reffering to that, but I think it is contained somewhere that you couldn't make use of anyway. i.e. Making use of the extra storage space that it takes up.
I know I get a bit long winded, but I have a bit of a job explaining stuff. LOL, sorry.

Hi Jerry-S,
I remember someone told that we could prevent the ExtROM from installation by soft-resetting before that process, but since I don't know yet what are included in the ExtROM and if there's any good in doing so I haven't tried it yet.
I don't know if the O2 device and network settings have anything too special that you could hardly set. In my case though I've got the T-Mobile version I am actually using Orange, so it's perhaps easier for me to come to the decision. And it's worth it for me. No problem with the upgrade, given that I've unlocked CID in advance as someone has warned. And the device is running much faster. That has even halted my intension of doing the overclock, at least for now
PPB

Comments recieved.
I must admit, I kept looking and looking at the ROM file on my computer thinking errrrrrrmmmmm...............
Well I did it, but I didn't notice any real increase in speed, actually it seemed slower to me.
That in mind I though, balls and put the o2 Rom back on.
As for the EXT ROM reatures, I think the main advantage is that the MMS and Mobile web settings are set for you, but those could be found quite easily.

Windows Mobile 6 on O2 XDA Orbit

Hi all,
During the 3GSM congress lots of people tried WM6 and compared it on devices that ran WM5 before. It seems that there's a real global improvement with a noticeable gain of speed.
According to what I've read everywhere, the main weakness of the Orbit is its slow processor, so this upgrade could be very interesting.
I'm a complete beginner in this "all inlcusive-phones" world, so I was wondering, can I upgrade the OS myself (when available) or is it an OEM solution with no possible upgrade?
Thanks and good bye.

discussion here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=290039

ok sorry,
by the way I saw a strange file on eMu*e called :
WM6 Crossbow (WWE) for HTC Wizard v5.2.660
maybe the beginning of a solution ?

no problems - just worth keeping it all together. For instance there is talk on that thread about the wizard ROM and why it won't work on the artemis...

ooh! ooh! I found it.
http://rs91.rapidshare.com/files/32826418/orbit_WM6.rar
woohoo!

Sooooooooooooo now I gotto go hkml the Bootloader and edit security reg editor zen unrar it??? doh! whr nubz find these thingies?

omien said:
Sooooooooooooo now I gotto go hkml the Bootloader and edit security reg editor zen unrar it??? doh! whr nubz find these thingies?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the information and files you need can be accessed by reading the threads in the "Artemis mobile 6" area of the bulletin boards here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=362

For those that havent seem - and I only came across it today ...
http://www.my-xda.com/xdaOrbitSoftware.html
WM6 installers for UK Orbits.

After installing the WM6 ROM from O2, the only problems I noticed were that 1) once enabled, the WiFi could not be disabled, and 2) the camera zoom did not seem to function, although number 2 may of been due to resolution, instead of a 'bug' of sorts.
Currently I'm using the Artemis_Touch_1.0_Lite_WWE ROM from these forums, and I'm pretty pleased.
You're right, the Orbits shortfall is its slow processor, however it does seem to be able to chug along perfectly fine with this ROM.
edit: note, also that the aforementioned site for downloading the O2 WM6 ROM, I visited this a while ago and the serial number that is present on my device was classed invalid.

I downloaded the updater - my Serial was recognised OK, and everything installed OK. Definately speed increases. I can certainly disable WiFi and the zoom on the camera is OK.
WM6 is certainly cleaner, more stable and I'm a happy bunny now!

Downloading WM6 from O2 site
Seidr said:
note, also that the aforementioned site for downloading the O2 WM6 ROM, I visited this a while ago and the serial number that is present on my device was classed invalid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem, when using Firefox. Worked fine with IE though. One other thing - at first, after having my s/n validated, when I clicked the download link, I was routed to the HTC site instead of to the download dialogue. That turned out to be ZoneAlarm (licensed version) getting in the way. In the end, I temporarily disabled ZA and got the download.