Related
I'm responsible of a dozen of these for my office, used basically to synch with Exchange via gprs. My pain is that they hard-reset them almost every week. Do there is the possibility of customizing the ROM so that after a reset all the parameters for the connection will be already there? or will be easier using a "deafult" restore from a SD? thanks
You could adapt the Extended ROM or use a special folder on a SD-Card.....
Stefan
customised rom
I have done alot of this for work, with xda 1,2, 2s,and the mini.
You can download the software for unlocking the extended rom from the ftp page or there are numerous threads with it on. Make sure you edit the config file in extended rom to call your customised cab file.
I found the easiest way was to change an existing cab file rather than build a new one.
i use wince cab manager for the cabs.
There is also ER2003edit which is really good, that can also be found on the ftp site
Re: customised rom
popeyesfx said:
I have done alot of this for work, with xda 1,2, 2s,and the mini.
You can download the software for unlocking the extended rom from the ftp page or there are numerous threads with it on. Make sure you edit the config file in extended rom to call your customised cab file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for you knowledge, burning the ExtROM means saying byebye to the warranty or what? For the legal aspect I think I should have no problem because what I want to achieve is just removing some software and customizing a bit the settings; by the way our Mini are not branded with any provider customization.
warranty
i just keep a complete rom dump on a memory card, so if i need to put it back to normal for warranty reason, then i just reflash it.
Hi, I've just recently got my self a T-Mobile MDA Vario. This is also known as Qtek 9100, Imate K-JAM, O2 XDA Mini S. The first thing I did was to find out whether there is a newer rom to upgrade to and I landed on this forum. The wiki was informative but still lacking a lot of information which only resides on this forum. After digging the forum for the whole day, here is my summary.
The first thing you do when get your phone is to SIM unlock and CID unlock your phone. SIM unlock allows you to use different service provider on your phone. CID unlock allows you to upgrade your OS rom, radio rom and extended rom. The OS rom is where the Windows Mobile OS resides at, radio rom is where it controls your GSM or CDMA radio protocol. The extended rom is where your service provider does their own customization, like adding their own software, logos etc. You can customize your own extended rom too once its unlock, like adding and removing application.
To SIM unlock and CID unlock your phone, currently I only know of 2 free programs that can do that for you. You only need to do this once since the unlocking info is stored in a different part of the memory then the roms. I must stress that CID unlock will *VOID* your warranty with your service provider.
1) The first one is lokiwiz - HTC Wizard Unlocker UPDATE Version 0.2b. This utility can SIM unlock and CID unlock. It also allows you to lock it back. Thank you very much machinagod! You can get it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=33796
If you can follow intructions its a piece of cake.
2) The second util is aWizard ROM Utils. This ultility can *ONLY* CID unlock your phone and *NOT* SIM unlock. However this tool also allows you to change the splash logo easily. It also can backup and restore your OS rom, radio rom and extended rom independently of each other. Thanks ahlok_hk! Get this here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=37386
After you are done with the unlocking, it is advisable to backup your rom before you do anything upgrades. This is because most of the people here are on contract with their service provider. If your phone breaks and wants to send it for service, it is better to restore it to the original roms it came with otherwise they might say you have void your warranty by flashing third party roms and then you are stuffed.
I have found a few threads that deal with backing up the roms.
1) This thread explains how you can use romupdate.exe and ntrw.exe to dump raw data from the roms to your SD card. This will *WIPE* out all existing data on the SD card so becarefull. You can keep this SD card safe somewhere until you want to restore but then you won't be able to use it. You can use ntrw.exe to copy the raw binary from the SD into a file. You can then keep this file somewhere safe and then format your SD and carry on using the SD as before. To restore just use ntrw.exe to write from the restore file to the SD card and follow the instructions to restore. Thanks arnoldl!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=32866
2) This method is pretty much the same as above except that it uses different programs. This uses a terminal program (terraterm) to get into the phone and use "r2sd" to dump Rom to SD. It also uses psdread and psdwrite to read and write raw data to and from the SD. This also tells you how to be able to reformat your SD after you use it to backup. Thanks Genesis3! http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=43399
3) You can use the aWizard program to backup your roms. Follow the intructions.
4) Button is kind enough to write a program to backup all your IPL/SPL, OS rom, Radio rom and Extended rom. This program is easy to use. You will still need a SD card for this.
Read this thread for more info:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=40347
You can grab the tool from:
http://buttonwashere.narod.ru/
I think this method will backup your OS rom, Radio rom and Extended rom. I'm not sure whether it backs up your IPL and SPL. There is a bug in SPL 1.06(bootloader) *thanks Button for the hint* it will give you an error if you try to restore from the SD using the ntrw.exe/psdwrite method. The workaround is to install an older rom with SPL 1.01 such as the first Qtek Prodigy rom. Then you can restore your rom. Using the method where you backup your rom to SD and keep it there until restore is not affected. I recommend getting a 128MB SD since its relatively cheap. Its worth buying one just for rom backup.
Now that you have unlock and backup your roms. You can start flashing new roms to try out!
ftp://ftp.xda-developers.com/Wizard
You can find many different roms under the Roms directory. This roms usually are all in one packages from the OEM such as Qtek, I-mate, O2, T-Mobile etc. The ODM is obviously HTC. If you want localization for your language just choose a rom your language eg:- RUU_Prodigy_2080702_102_11310_QTEK_FRA_Test.exe for french.
These all in one packages comes as an executable which includes the flash program and the OS rom, Radio rom and Extended rom. Just click and install. To get your settings for your network GPRS settings, you might be able to find a *.cab file which has the settings in your original extended rom and copy over to the new extended rom. This only work for 1.x roms, read below for more info. You can get UK network operator settings here
http://www.htcclub.net/en/settings.php
It seems that the most popular roms are from Qtek and I-mate. This RUU_Prodigy_1060701_101_11310_QTEK_WWE_Ship.exe seems to be recommended by most. This rom is the 1.x series. There is a newer 2.x series of roms just recently released which includes the AKU2. From what I understand AKU2 is like a service patch for windows. It includes DIRECT PUSH email functionality (similar to RIM's Blackberry) and AD2P which is stereo bluetooth support.
At the moment non of the final released AKU2 roms have AD2P. If you need it, the Qtek 2.x beta testing rom does include this functionality. You can find this on the ftp. Another downside to this newer roms is that the Extended rom seems to be locked and you won't be able to access it. No one has yet found a way to crack it. These newer AKU2 roms have fixed the wifi bug which showed when using WiFIFoFum wifi scanning program.
Linux
I just had a chat with the linux developers for HTC devices on irc. It seems the wizard running with the OMAP750 processor does not have enough documentation and is not well supported in the kernel yet. But the development on the HTC Universal seems to be going well. As for syncing with windows mobile 5 and linux, the synce project currently do not support WM5 yet, they just started a new mailing list for it. If you have any experience in reverse engineering please help. The only solution now for me is to install windows xp on vmware and sync from there. Then you can export your outlook as a file to be imported into your favourite Linux app. Linux cannot read the mini SD in your device, so you will need a card reader to read and write files to it.
This is what I've found out so far after spending the whole day digging the forum. I shall add them to the wiki so other ppl who don't have that much time to spare can benifit from it.
I have a few unanswered questions. What is IPL? What is SPL? I sort know its something to do with the bootloader. Does using "r2sd" backup my IPL and SPL? It not how do I backup my IPL and SPL? If I upgrade to the 2.x series roms, will I be able to restore back to the 1.x series? From what I've read, you can restore from 2.x back to 1.x but the IPL and SPL will still be 2.x, is that correct? Thanks!
Hope this helps someone. Those threads above should really be made sticky. The search never turn up what I need. I had to slow dig my way thru.
regards,
vaxen
I was considering starting a 8125 Standardization Project, much like the SX-66 Standardisation Project. I'm am just not sure I have the time.
Nice walk through BTW. You sum it up rather well :wink:
I wish you posted this 2 days ago, then I wouldn't have had to do all that digging to figure it out. It is easy once you see the BIG picture though eh?
Later; Lew
great overview. Thanks a lot !!
Really great overview! Posted the URL to my Expert Blog at http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&title=great_tips_for_htc_wizard_users&more=1 for even more exposure.
will a 512mb minisd be enough to back up everything before flashing to a new rom?
Thank you
Excellent timing just started the process myself.
oo3: Yes, 512MB is more than enough for backing up your rom. If you use a 512MB to backup your rom and write the raw data to a file. When you restore, you need a 512MB card to write the raw data back to the card. I personally bought a 128MB card just for backing up the rom. It only cost me £10 to buy it online. Its worth the investment.
good overview.
Might be worth to put it on the wiki
One flaw: ExtROm of all ROMs 1.6.x and above are locked with no real solution yet.
For the 1.6.x roms you could try to fiddle with versions in order to (one time right) make the ExtROm you want.
For the 2.x ROMs even this is not possble until now.
The aWizard tools are said NOT to be working on the 2.16.x (final aku2) ROMs they do work on the 2.8.x (beta aku2) ROM from QTek.
At this moment buzz_lightyear is fiddling with my spl to try to get the EXTRom unlocked.
The SD backup/restore process works really well btw.... I just tried a restore of the original Cingular Rom on another demo 8125 and it turned it back into a pristine stock device.... Cingular will never know we "had our way" with so many of their demos now :twisted:
Backup Restore and Upgrade Rom!
What a summary. Thank you for your effort.
Upgrade question
I've just backed up the existing ROM on my new O2 Mini S, thanks to this wonderful post. Before I proceed to an upgrade, could someone please tell me if I should leave the SIM card inside the wizard, remove it, or it just doesn't matter during the upgrade? I'm planning to go for the O2 AKU2 rom. Thanks.
Blokade
It just doesn't matter during the upgrade
Um. The OMAP can run linux. Linux is a supported OS for the OMAP. The problem is the rest of the hardware (lcd, etc).
i SO want linux on the wizard. 4x6 font and console :d
ftp a no go
can someone please help as i can't get into the ftp via the link provided
Re: ftp a no go
This overview should updated : the latest lockwiz 3a can also do the latest Tmobile-NL ROM with IPL/SPL 2.21 !!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=50768&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
A more detailed instruction to unlock can also be found at http://www.mdahacks.com/item/2006/6/7/unlock-your-htc-wizard-mda-8125-phone-using-lokiwiz
Does this also work for the CIngular 8525 or Dopod 838 Pro?
Does this upgrade also work for the Cingular 8525 also known in South Asia as the Dopod 838pro?
No. Look inside of the Hermes section for that device.
--eluth.
Great overview, I would hope that future visitors or registered users read through it and save themselves and others a lot of headaches. On that note any reason this isn't getting stickied?
@The SOundshark
If your running peerguardian you might want to dissable it, or if your running any other type of firewall. For the life of me I can't configure peerguardian to allow FTP access, so try that and hope it helps.
I recently got an i-mate K-Jam after migrating from the Palm OS and found this useful site. Sounds like everyone here is doing some great work. After looking through this site as a guest for the past 2 days I do have a suggestion: someone set up a sticky post with some basic information?
Some initial suggestions:
In addition to the FTP sticky post: ( ftp://xda:[email protected]/ )
Cooked ROMs available/version/developer
Useful programs:
Backup your roms and the directories where they are located
View your rom and extended rom - e.g. Total Commander and the link to download
How-to: backup your rom
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=36574
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=57611&highlight=backup+guide
I haven't been able to find Wizard_Service_Manual.pdf on the FTP site but if you Google that specific file name you can download it.
How-to: backup your extended_rom
Overclocking utilities etc.
I know this post sounds like a noob post but with a sticky post like this most noobs will not have to spend hours/days sifting through all the posts to find some basic stuff before asking questions to which they should know the answer.
Now to my noob question (haha) I haven't been able to figure out: Can/should I update my K-Jam with the new T-mobile mda rom, or will my K-Jam start looking like T-Mobile.
I have a SIM unlocked phone (don't know how to check if the CID? is unlocked?), I like the default theme and colors that come with the K-Jam and WM5, and I'm not with any plan providers as I need to switch sims quite often depending on where I'm travelling.
Thanks,
WnG88
As far as the stickey, that is out of my leauge. As far as loading the new t-mobile ROM, however, it will change to look like T-mobile IF you allow the extended rom to run. The trick I believe is to load the rom, wait for it to boot up. It will show "customizing in 3..." at which point soft reset the device. This stops the extended rom from installing. Now, you can install the extended rom from your other device manually. Before you upgrade your rom, install total commander and use it to copy the extended rom to your pc (based on your previos post I am assuming you know how to do this...) Then once your new rom is up and running simply copy all of the cab files to your device and run them (by going to them in file explorer and clicking on them...) You can also customize by only installing what you want from either rom. Or, a more advanced way to do it would be to create your own rom with its own extended rom, and load that, but that is harder and more technical I believe. Also, it is easy to change the theme of the device, to whatever you want. I use ThemeGen CE on the PC and Schemechanger on the ppc to tweak colors, both are freely available on this board somewhere. If changing the theme is all you want this is much easier, the reason that I would install the other extended rom is for the custom stuff, for example it auto installs t-mobile network ect... However since you change providers all teh time you probably know how to change most of this anyway, and so it may not be as big of a deal to you. So you know, I have T-mobile and I am running the 2.26 ROM, and although I have only had it for a day or two, I like it. Let me know what you decide to do, or if you have any more questions, want to know about the best (In my opinion, of course!) software or settings, ect... Also, sorry for rambeling so much
Thanks for the reply Starcruiser, I'm still doing a bit of reading on the ROM portion of stuff before I do anything. As for keeping track of searches and not having to spend hours trying to repeatedly find the same topics I'm pasting the following useful link as backup info:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=37386&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
WnG88: we're trying not to litter the forum with stickies.
We have the Wiki for a much more effective way to distribute this kind of info.
Set up a wiki page, and I'll sticky your wiki if you want
PM me if necessary.
V
how do i get to the extended rom directory? i have a t-mobile mda and have total commander (reg editor) installed. I can't find the /extended rom/ directory and also don't really understand what is or what it is there for. i know this might sound like a remedial question to HTC Wizard experts, but if someone could help me I'd greatly appreciate it. Also, if it matters, I'm running xelecin's custom 2.26 ROM.
Thanks.
You won't see it by browsing.. just type in "/extended_rom" and TC will open it. Don't forget the underscore (_) character..
Gee - my first post!
thanks. i entered "/extended_rom" and it brought me to the directory. now that i know how to find it, what is it exactly there for? What is it's purpose. Also, can you access it from activesync? Thanks again for answering these questions.. i'm a beginner with PPCs, but I'm curious about how they work.
Thanks again.
Use the advanced search feature (under the search option tab) to look within the wizard updating forum for the term "extended rom", and you can start to understand how some of the rom developers utilize it (There are 12 pages of entries). These guys are the real 'wizards' - I could not begin to explain the way they do (I'm too new myself).
Your extended ROM contains all of your customizations. If it is a stock ROM it will have all of your carrier customizations. If you have a cooked Ext ROM it could have lots of things. One of the benefits is that if you have to completely clear out the storage it would re-install all the customizations that were in the ext rom.
barrydavisjr said:
...One of the benefits is that if you have to completely clear out the storage it would re-install all the customizations that were in the ext rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so, in simple terms, if you were doing a hard reset (or clear storage in settings), the extended rom directory retains the files, and installs them if they are .cab files.. am I getting warm? Thanks for the info.
you got it. The carriers put it there so that one wouldn't have to call into tech support if you had to do a hard reset.
ok. i get this now. just a couple more questions..
-Do the .CAB files have to be in the main directory (/extended_rom/) or can they be in any subfolder?
-I was reading somewhere that it's a read-only directory.. is there a way to delete files, if so, can you delete the files one at a time or all once?
-finally, can you access the directory from active sync?
Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it.
As far as I know it is unable to be accessed through Active sync. And yes you can delete them off one by one. I would reccomend reading up on it. Faria has produced a wondrful guide on how to cook your extended ROM. When you delete a cab you also have to change the config settings in the notepad file. I have dabbled a little but Faria's guide will help you more.
!!!WARNING!!! if you delete the files from your ext rom and do a hard reset none of the carrier customizations will be installed.. furthermore.. you will not gain any extra space by deleting the cabs, it is a read only partition.. also with that being said, if you try to delete a file from there or add one you take a great risk of corrupting the ext rom and you will be forced to reflash the rom in order to get them back.
just one more question.. I have xelecin's 2.26 custom rom on my MDA. I'm thinking of switching over to either molski's or faria's latest rom. when i flash those roms, the extended rom from the current rom i'm using gets replaced with the custom rom's extended rom, right? does that make sense? Thanks for putting up with my dumb questions and actually answering them! Oh yeah, when i installed the rom i'm using now it did a CID unlock before flashing, so i assume my phone is still unlocked, right?
Thanks again for all the help. i really appreciate it.
thats right. - you'll get the new extended rom.
Extended Rom Contents
I only install a portion of the T-Mobile customization, which I accomplish by preventing the install of the extended rom. I have copied onto my miniSD the files I want to install, and then I just manually run the cabs from there. (Actually, that would erase them, so I copy them first.)
Then you can experiment with other ROMs, still getting the customizations that you need. Here is my thread on this topic:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=272613
I no longer install MP-Shorcut-MMS1-Voice-CV-TMUS-060404.CAB because that just adds MMS to the Messaging app and a shortcut for making voice tags and I don't use MMS.
By the way, it is really useful to install things like Total Commander, Memmaid, weather programs, RSS readers, Zagat, and so on to the miniSD, because then they don't need to be reinstalled after a hard reset. The only thing I have to do is add the shortcuts back, because shortcuts are erased after a hard reset. These programs will no longer auto-update, since nothing can run automatically from the miniSD, but with memmaid you can create automatic updates if you like.
Your backup program should always run from main memory! Also, programs that affect the today screen should also be run from main memory for increased speed. Pretty much everything else can go on the miniSD.
Hi there.
I've just bought a Touch 3g with Orange in France, and even though the box has WiFi written all over it, it appears that I can only connect to Orange WiFi hubs. I have a different hub at home and would like to know whether I can unlock the WiFi function so that it is free to work with any WiFi connection.
I've had a look on here and can't find the answer to my question. I apologise in advance if I've missed the thread somewhere.
Thanks for any help you can give me.
PS - As someone new to this geek lark, I'd also be interested in knowing what programs I really ought to install onto the phone. You're top 5 programmes if you like.
The orange branded phones (if they are the same as the uk ones) have the unique manager not the standard wifi one. So even if you have an orange wifi hub you still don't get a wifi connection (at least not one you can do anything useful with)
Unique is a wierd orange version of voip.
The only way of changing it (i think) would be to flash a new rom to the phone.
Hi,
I got a French Orange phone too that I have flashed to non-Orange ROM, so Wifi works OK.
For programs I would recommend SBP Mobile Shell to replace Touch Flo, and TrackMe to have fun with the GPS ( I find it awesome).
Bonne chance
TrackMe does not work on my Jade (.net 3.5 installed), but I can recommend GPS Cycle Computer as well. Supports a lot of data formats, check the link or the xda-dev-thread for more information.
Thanks very much for all your help. I'll have a look at flashing the ROM and will give that a go.
Is flashing Rom a particularly complicated or potentially phone breaking experience? It's my wife's new phone, and I don't want to live with an angry woman whose phone no longer works
DaM79 said:
TrackMe does not work on my Jade (.net 3.5 installed), but I can recommend GPS Cycle Computer as well. Supports a lot of data formats, check the link or the xda-dev-thread for more information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you install SQL Compact framework as well ?
Billy Ze Feesh said:
Thanks very much for all your help. I'll have a look at flashing the ROM and will give that a go.
Is flashing Rom a particularly complicated or potentially phone breaking experience? It's my wife's new phone, and I don't want to live with an angry woman whose phone no longer works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it's not complicated ; yes is very much potentially phone breaking
FYI I flashed HardSPLv3 on my phone (see Jade ROM forum) , downloaded the kitchen (idem), built a ROM using htcrt (in the kitchen) and the OS.nb found here http://www.planete-htc.com/index.php?mod=forum&ac=voir&ref=20&cat=220&id=18955, and flashed it. And tada, a stock french phone with wifi access.
Your SPL/ROM will degrade from 1.7 to 1.4 though.
OK. Thanks Gomi. I'll have a look and see if I really want to risk it or not.
Hello @ll.
I have a french Orange Jade too.
The UMA radio ROM make me sick !
But for me, the HardSPL does not work... The RUU progressbar still blocked at 0%.
fyi : I have the SPL 1.71.000 version.
Concerning the HardSPL, i'm not using the original exe, because of the unavailablity of the "server". I use an extracted nbh file of the HardSPLV3.
Any idee ?
fyi : because of specifity of the RUU used to flash the HardSPL, you can not use an another RUU to flash it.
With luck, the HardSPL setup exe have found the server, and now, all is ok !
Hi mate and welcome to the slippery slope. I only have Dad to convert now...
There may be another way to prevent the Orange rubbish crippling your phone - when you do a hard reset your phone will give you three seconds after the first boot-up before it begins to customise the ROM with all the operator-specific stuff. If you do a soft reset within those three seconds you prevent the customisation. If the crippled WiFi is part of this customisation then you'll end up with the default Windows Mobile WiFi manager. This trick used to work on my Universal and my Elf. You can experiment with many hard resets until you get it right.
Having created a vanilla Windows Mobile system you may need to fanny around unlocking the extended ROM and cherry-picking the customisations that you do want (such as the GPRS connection data) but this effort might be worth it to have an unbranded phone.
Flashing a new ROM will almost certainly invalidate your warranty.
(Oh, and a hard reset will wipe off all your data of course.)
Thanks SiliconS.
Have tried that and I don't get the 3 second warning. I just get a message saying that this will wipe the phone (hard reset) and asks me to press 'enter' to continue (which I obviously do). It then tells me:
Format FAT partition
FAT partition complete
before carrying on with all the Orange stuff. Have tried randomly pressing soft reset at various times, and all this does is turn the phone off...
Thanks anyway though.
That's weird. In that case Orange must have embedded their rubbish within the fundamental ROM rather than the extended ROM like everybody else does.
Flashing a completely new ROM may be your only hope, Luke. HTC have released an official ROM for the Jade that surely wouldn't invalidate your warranty...
http://www.htc.com/www/SupportDownload.aspx?p_id=174&cat=2&dl_id=537
I think an official ROM update could be the way forward yeah. I'll have a look this weekend maybe.
for the benefit of people who may be subscribed to this thread, I think I have found a fix for the orange rom using data connection instead of wifi, read on here:-
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=4517074&postcount=12
post back to that thread if it works for you!