New to PocketPCs! Getting started guide to messing with PPcs? - 8125, K-JAM, P4300, MDA Vario General

Hi guys, I should start by saying that I posted this here because I have an 8125 (eBay!). I only bought it because I needed a phone and I thought this looked like a fun device to browse the web with... then I go searching on the internet for other owners and stumble across all this incredible depth and complexity available to the little thing.
Problem is, I have no idea what to do with anything software wise.
So what i`m askin is...
Is there a starter`s guide to the basics of modifying the phone`s software?
Where can I go to learn about what IPL, SPL, CID, SIM, ROM, all actually mean/do/are?
The few things I know so far are that I have a G4 wizard and by simply following instructions blindly, I managed to install SNN3.1 on it (no idea what I actually used or how, honestly!). I`ve decided now that while SNN has been nice for a week, I`d like to try out some other roms... I think from what I`ve read, that I need to downgrade back to Cingular`s rom for it? I`d also like to experience the performance of some other radio versions but... I haven`t quite figured out what the difference is between the OS Rom and the radio version yet, let alone how to upgrade the radio independently of the OS rom.
So in short... what are some very good threads with knowledge that can thoroughly acquaint someone who knows nothing about pocketpc`s?
(and sorry for the book)

I would start here: Wizard Wiki Pages
Then, I'd find out if I had a G3 or a G4 phone (read the Wiki), and start combing the G4 board, or the Wizard Mobile 6 board, depending on hardware. Pay special attention to any thread that has been made "Sticky" as those are usually full of VERY good information and/or critical hacks that should be considered when modifying your Wizard.
Some freeware sites that I find incredibly useful:
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/
http://www.pocketpcfreewares.com/en/index.php
http://www.pdagold.com/software/list.asp?s=&p=1&frm_Submit=OK
http://www.freewareppc.com/
http://www.freecabs.de/
Three things to watch out for with a Wizard:
Don't kill your battery. If drained below 5%, the battery cannot be charged on USB, but can usually be recovered with a wall charger. Drain it below 5% and it may need to be jump-started. Search these boards for the fix.
Mini SD capacity is 2GB for this device, because the Wizard can only read single layer SD cards. If you are lucky enough to find a single-layer mini SD higher than 2GB, be sure to post about it!
In spite of what you read, most "bricked" phones are recoverable. Do due diligence in searching the threads for information...you'll usually find a solution here.

I second what he said. Reading is the most important part. It'll seem overwhelming at first but you will learn a lot. The search function is very useful as well as a Google search, most of what you will find will send you right back to xda or to someone quoting xda.

Related

Complete Hermes NEWBIE, need urgent advice!

If you all will excuse my ignorance, I just purchased a Hermes with Windows Mobile 5 with practically no applications on it.
I'm leaving the country in a couple days and may not have internet access so I don't have time to look through all the threads to get all this info (my apologies!) but I'd like to know the best for the following:
What ROM for WM6 should I get? I heard some people put the WM6 from the 'Touch' on the 8525 to get the scrolling feature of the iPhone?
What programs are essential for a student? I'm going to China and would like to be able to write and read Chinese characters on the device if it has the ability to do that.
What is the best carrying case? What does everyone feel is the best way to carry the device?
What are better alternatives to the crummy native earbud/microphone accessory that came in the box? I am not much for the Motorola S9, I'd prefer something wired to the phone.
There's definitely some questions that I'm leaving out but basically I'm asking for a crash-course in the Hermes. Hermes for a dummy if you will.
Thank you and your tolerance is much appreciated!
You will need more than a couple days to get into this!
Well, first off, WPBear is right, you will need more than a couple of days to get into this.
The one urgent piece of info you need is that you can not put a Touch ROM on a Hermes . The truth is significantly more complicated - there is a patched application from the Touch loaded onto a Hermes ROM to enable some of teh TouchFLO features.
Regarding WM6 ROMs, may are good - Black Satin, VP3G, Sleuth, Dutty - I am sure there are others. However, if you have a total of 2 days and are starting from basically zero knowledge, I would not try it. There is much to learn and there is a good chance that you could do it and have no problems. However, if you do have problems, there is a good chance it could take more time than you have to recover.
Regarding the other stuff - I am sure that a search of the Hermes Accessories forum will get you good info on cases and headsets.
Echo all of the above mate - if you've got to go away in a day or two I wouldn't start messing with your OS or you'll very likely find yourself panicking over fixing the thing instead of preparing for your trip.
It's not hard at all to flash etc if you follow instructions, but if it goes wrong you won't have time to learn how to fix it. Just install the apps you want and get into upgrading OS when you're back.
By the way, you didn't mention what kind of Hermes you've got. There are a number of WM6 ROMs out there already so your variant of Hermes might be catered for with WM6 already (though you'll doubtless want to upgrade later to a 'cooked' ROM anyway for even better usage.)
Leave it till after your trip mate.
Depend how many days you have. For best with chinese. go for Dopod 838Pro WM6 chinese rom.
If you want to keep the English ROM and still want Chinese input and display, then give CE-Star a try.
http://www.mobem.com/products/cestarwm5.php
I've found that it works quite well. It has character recognition as well as pinyin input.
But to also reiterate what was said above, a couple of days to experiment is definately not enough haha
Anyway, have fun in China

Newbie: It all got so complicated, so quickly

If you'd be so kind, just to clarify the following.
I've got an Orbit II, with Copilot. Yes it does feel as if one is part of a club, but there's the topset and the thick kids... I'm the latter.
As I understand it, the Hard SPL unlocks the phone, from it being tied to a mobile network, right?
The O2 II isn't locked so then I don't need it, yes?
Therefore, I can either install all the tweaks and tips thus keeping Copilot, or put another ROM, (is this a type of disk image?), with all the tweaks and tips built in, on it.
In which case I'd lose CoPilot, for I'd have written over the device and voided the warranty, to boot, right?
What actually is the difference between a ROM and all the 'tweaks and tips'.
Is it because if you need to Hard SPL (ie unlock a phone from the network), then you don't have any built in functions left, so you couldn't install the Tweaks and Tips, which would in effect bring all the same advantages.
Look, I know Bebe has managed to do a version of WM6.1 which features threaded SMS and everthing, but I'm still not quite with it, I'm afraid.
The wiki entry for "What is a Hard SPL", just says it's one way of not trashing your phone. Not trashing your phone before you attempt what though?
For I've seen mention of the SIM/CID unlocker as if it's a separate entity, indicating they are two distinct things, created for two different tasks.
I like the idea of the phone looking funkier and working better (God knows what the AMMD is for the Video, but I know there are issues with the video, so having that sounds like a good idea as well. Right?)
Whatever it all is, it sounds like it's been a mammoth job/labour of love and has involved the purchase of two new Polaris phones, but beyond that, I'm all at sea.
(Dons bullet proof vest and climbs into protective Pope Mobile)
I think the fact you are asking all these questions juxtaposes that you should not flash your ROM. I myself am in your class and just look on with admiration. With that said, there are many things that you can do to your phone to "spice" things up. I have bought a couple of programs, Astronavigator II, (tells you what the sky at night is above you, My Girlfriend loves it), Fun contact, much more finger friendly than wm6. I also have PZP program. It automatically sets my phone to do things at certain times of the day, i.e at night it switches off, emails and phone calls then do not wake me and GF up, much to her relief! So there you have it, oh btw I have tomtom as have the TC.
The phone works quickly, efficiently and never have to soft reset. 5 years of using WM devices, I have found that idiots like me should just live and let be and use the phone as it is.
This should anser none and all of your questions
Kind Regards,
Will
unfortunately you have discovered HTC
Hey,
I hear ya. I am fat boy too. lol
I can't keep up and these forums use a form o speak, and implications that are not clear. I have no idea of why one of the cubes is called a bunch of letters for instance. unfortunately, we want our phones up to date, and the fastest they can be. But it is not that simple. I agree, I am lost on the spl thing and the sim, but then ??? it is not that clear to me.
Here is how I understand it. It may not be right, but it is an analogy that seems to work. A soft reset is reboot, a hard reset in a wipe/reinstall. As I understand it, the rom is the basic operating system, meaning when you hard reset, that is what loads into memory. Once it is loaded, it can be soft reset ie rebooted without harm. The rom is kept on the device, so when you hard reset, it can reload/reinstall itself without needing to be connected to anything. Disk Image? I guess. If your original rom, from the manufacturer installs copilot with a hard reset, then you will keep copilot. When they cook a rom, they change those installation files permanently. They adjust things, and remove things. they alter hardware drivers per say ie the radio patches you get. If Copilot is not in the cooked rom, then you would lose Copilot. You would need to buy it or download it and install it yourselft. You would have to use a restore disc, hooked to a computer and mobile center, to overwrite a cooked rom back to the original rom in this cases wm6. ROMS are much more of a big deal, as there are bugs and some things don't work as expected. They are faster tho, imho. Tips and tweaks are just that, certain replacements and other alterations. I woul think most tweaks I have seen generally do stay with the device thru soft resets, some don't if you have to hard reset. I keep my tweaks and settings/programs on the storage card incase I have to hard reset. Hope that helps, it may not be correct, but it works for me as a basic understanding level. There is a way to chose what you install as the rom (ie operating system permanently on the phone for hard resets), and i think the term they use is the kitchen. Using the kitchen, you chose this piece of a rom, and that one, etc....all that goes to the permanent part where a hard reset tell it what to read and install. I am not too clear on that one myself. I find using a kitchen fightening and wrought with risk at bricking.
Will has summed it up pretty well.
We buy these phones for what they can do, and they are just not supported by manufacturing like they should be. Our expectations are flavored by the continual upgrades from things like MS and windows upgrades fixing and patching things. I have had two pda (one previous phone). Either manufacturer was the same, limited upgrades and basically no further development on the devices.
It was a harrowing experience to upgrade my phone/pda to wm6 out of fear of bricking it. My phone came with wm2003. Bricking if you don't know, is leaving your device in an usable state...it is caught in limbo somewhere, and will not work.
Advice, wait a while, keep reading. Since things are hard to understand, keep reading and don't be in a hurry. Eventually someone will ask a question, in one forum or another, that inadvertanly answers one of yours. Check out the hacking forums, nice tweaks in there. And yes, they kinda of leave out steps. Keep Pocket Controller, it lets you tweak the registry, and see your device on your desktop. Even MS was impressed, troubleshooting a bluetooth issue. MS loved they could control the pda themselves using remote desktop. MS sent the name of that progie up the chain of command. They loved it. You can screen shot and all sorts of things. It come in handy trying to explain things. Once you feel you can risk losing the phone/device, then consider upgrading to new rom and try some of the tricks/tweaks. I know I don't want to waste 700.00 or more dollars to brick something. I think most of the time, they can get the bricked phone back, but not 100% certain of that. I study the reset and etc procedures and print them out, before I muck with the rom. I consider what I do to the phone very carefully. I was so scared I would ruin my phone.
And the other thing i say, is if you tell people you are a noob at this stuff and have a hard time understanding, they generally won't flame you too hard. Really. Just explain yourself, and give your disclaimer, and they won't be too hard on you. As you have seen, they may not fully explain things as clearly as you like, due think that is just the nature of the people and the way they think, not a personal attack or lack of anything, but they won't be rude.
As you said, this forum is run by the topset, and we are thick ones. They do astounding work and some of us just look up at them and admire. But they will help you. Keep reading, and keep trying to understand, it gets better with time. And don't be in hurry either. I see two post already of people bricking their devices already. And one guy seriously bricked his to the point of no return it seems.
ukdutypaid said:
Therefore, I can either install all the tweaks and tips thus keeping Copilot, or put another ROM, (is this a type of disk image?), with all the tweaks and tips built in, on it.
In which case I'd lose CoPilot, for I'd have written over the device and voided the warranty, to boot, right?
For I've seen mention of the SIM/CID unlocker as if it's a separate entity, indicating they are two distinct things, created for two different tasks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I understand it (and I've loaded HardSPL + a modified ROM on my Polaris), the SIM/CID unlocker is for those devices that were purchased from a telco and therefore locked to that company (pernicious behaviour, btw, but they offer low purchase prices to tie customers in). If your device was unlocked at purchase, then this issue doesn't bother you.
The HardSPL load is designed to prevent you bricking your device with a crook modified ROM - this obviously pre-supposes that you will load modified ROM's. If you want to do this (ie. try modified ROM's), then loading HardSPL 1st is a no-brainer.
Why would you want to load a modified ROM ? The short answer is that the marketing depts of the manufacturers load the devices with all sorts of fluffy software crap. They do this in the released ROM. So to remove this junk - and have the device fast, responsive and with enough room left to do what you want - the gurus here modify these ROM's. [Of course, some people like the fluff]. The manufacturers also occasionally release ROM upgrades, but development is done mostly in forums like this.
CoPilot 7 ? Yes, flashing a new ROM will kill this, because the DeviceID changes when a new ROM is loaded. But if you visit the CoPilot website before loading a new ROM, you can deactivate your current license and then reactivate it after installing on a "new" device. In fact, CoPilot is one of the few commercial apps to cater for ROM upgrades with honour. CoPilot doesn't care how many devices you install on, just that only one at a time is actually capable of running.
Here are your acronyms to understand what they are doing and talking about. This may not be right, but alot of this came from the Hermes. It seems someone was looking to run linux on his hermes i think. I am still kind of digesting this information now. Remember I told you look around?
Here are your definitions to help you understand.
AKU - Adaptation Kit Update: they usually patch up existing bugs and enable several new features. Each newly released AKU pack retains fixes found in previous versions of AKU
CID lock (aka vendor lock): put on your device by the manufacturer to prevent installation of a ROM not released by them. CID is a vender lock, the post above talks about that. It is placed on you phone to deliberately prevent you from changing the rom. It is vender specific it seems. I assume the Super CID tells the device to ignore that lock or overwrite the vender lock all together, or it might just tell it to ignore the error code. That is what I am seeing. This seems basically related to full administrator priviledges account for the device. it seems the CID was located on a secure area on the radio. People had bad flashing to the radio upgrade and corrupted their CiD essentially bricking some of their phones.
RIL - Radio Interface Layer.
RUU - ROM Upgrade Utility: Its the s/w used on your PC to do a ROM upgrade for your PPC. I assume this can be the default utlity or a kitchen program. The default you can find pictures of, it is generic and just tell you are flashing. The kitchen program, i canceled once, had options to choose.
IPL - Initial Program Loader: Its the bootloader for PPC. It boots up SPL. Bootloader. Basic operations.
SPL - Secondary Program Loader: By inferenece only? Hard SPL then stands for a forced control over the secondary Program layer. You can make it load something else when it boots. It seems the newer factory SLP would want to reference the CID or only properly signed files, thus limiting what you could actually do with your phones.
WWE Edition - World Wide English Edition
XIP - Execute-in-Place
It seems while trying to unlock the Hermes, they were using a radio upgrade and somehow got this Super CID. See above about CID. So it seems there was a reverse engineer done with a legitmate unlocker program. This unlocker program was installing certifcates and changing the device to a lower bootloader it seems. That bootloader ignored the CID or converted it to full priviledges. they also figured out, some bad flashing can be undone....the CID was stored in a secure area on the radio. A bad radio flash corrupted part of the CID. Once they converted to a different bootloader, they could reflash radios...thus unbrick some phones. They have replaced the bootloader with this Hard SLP. The new SLP converts or tells the phone to ignore the CID when upgrading a ROM or other things. It appears HSPL v1.13 also keeps track of bad blocks of memory. That version also reflashes bad blocks or corrupted files with fresh versions as well. It also respecs completely bad blocks, i am thinking that means, the os is not allowed to write there. The you can reflash anything to the device. Or so it seems. But again, depending on how bad you muck up your phone, some things are not repairable.
That is what I am seeing right now. Still reading. It is all out there. Just google the terms above, and slowly you will find the threads and start piecing it together.
Seems this Hard SLP is important for ROM ugrades. Still reading about it. I am post like 500, out of 1000, and trying to keep track of it is difficult. Lots of interjections of what people did wrong. Very confusing.
I did tell you read, read read, and you will find the answers to your questions, it just takes awhile and it hard to understand becuase of the lingo.
v nice. u guys need to read som basic stuffs. it will help u, & u don't have to worry about u,r phone. u can upgrade, u can change things with full confidence. xda-developers have wiki pages, i think it will help much. keep readingggggggg. soru 4 my english
You won't lose your copilot if you use the original HTC ROM....I put the original HTC ROM (which is much better than the O2 ROM)...added a few standard registry tweaks..runs NICE..reinstalled Copilot7 (from the 2577 folder on the SD card) reactivated it..(did not need to deactivate it) and everything is fine. If you need to got back to the original ROM for whatever reason...reflash it and then flash with originalSPL file.
You can reactivate copilot as many times as you like (the only thing I do before reflashing...mor as a precautionary measure...is backup the SD card)
If you use a cooked ROM ..then I think you have to deactivate Copilot and reactivate it on the new install.....but I'm sure the experts will know better.
pistonripper said:
If you use a cooked ROM ..then I think you have to deactivate Copilot and reactivate it on the new install.....but I'm sure the experts will know better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed - I've had to do that a number of times, from both modified ROM changes and device changes, but it's easy and painless.
Thanks for the indulgence...
People, I'd like to thank you for taking the time and trouble to provide your very useful responses. One does read of course and things like lego bricks begin to click into place. I don't even have a car, so quite why I'm so obsessed with CoPilot, I don't know. Okay I giggle when listening to one of the ladies (through headphones), on the bus, but other than that.. lol.
I didn't know you could actually download CoPilot from the site though, I'll check that out. I've 'funked it up' a bit using the HTC Home cab and Slideunlock. Tempted to play with one of the Cube .cabs...(The one it comes with is pretty rubbish if you can't change what the cubes link to and the icons)
Yes, Yes I'll search for the original O2 rom, before I play anymore...
The actual HTC rom, sounds like a safe bet though, cos then you get the proper funky screen..
Don't want to clutter (anywhere actually) the hard core threads with stupido questions. I'll look, I'll read, I'll learn...
As one of you has said, these things aren't toys (lol) and I don't want to be left looking at a $700 £350 quid (non contract Orbit), that I can't use...
I think Bebe wm6.1 is going to stay undownloaded for the time being!
I'll leave the topset, to carry on.. Wouldn't mind getting rid of the "Streaming Media", program mind. Errr, it does/streams what exactly, anything at all?

SD Card slot.

Problem just started on my Uni.
SD card will no longer stay in. I can hear the little click (though it doesn't sound as positive as it did) as it goes in, but it doesn't stay there - just springs out.
Anyone ever experienced this before?
Better still, anyone have a fix?
The Uni is useless to me without it.
Thanks.
kryogenik said:
Problem just started on my Uni.
SD card will no longer stay in. I can hear the little click (though it doesn't sound as positive as it did) as it goes in, but it doesn't stay there - just springs out.
Anyone ever experienced this before?
Better still, anyone have a fix?
The Uni is useless to me without it.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you already done this: Have you tried with another sd card?
Still same?
If yes try to see inside to confirm that nothing is broken at simple view
I´m sure someone will come with a wiser sollution
Good luck,
orb3000 said:
Maybe you already done this: Have you tried with another sd card?
Still same?
If yes try to see inside to confirm that nothing is broken at simple view
I´m sure someone will come with a wiser sollution
Good luck,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - thanks for the reply. I've found replies are few and far between sometimes..
Yes, I've tried other cards. This latest one (the one I *think* may have broken it) is a legitimate 8GB card bought from a reputable high street store. A waste of damn time anyway because the Uni will only see 4GB of it, depsite doing something to make it see more not long ago (I forget what it was). I Googled the expansion slot problem and found a quick-fix. Add a layer or two of Scotch tape. The card becomes thicker and 'stays' in the slot. It works very well, but it's not my ideal long-term fix.
All that said, my brand new Universal arrived this morning (£60 GBP would you believe..) so I guess now I'll be reading up on how to flash the ROM.
I haven't flashed firmware on a Windows handset since my HTC Canary 7 years ago..
kryogenik said:
Hi - thanks for the reply. I've found replies are few and far between sometimes..
Yes, I've tried other cards. This latest one (the one I *think* may have broken it) is a legitimate 8GB card bought from a reputable high street store. A waste of damn time anyway because the Uni will only see 4GB of it, depsite doing something to make it see more not long ago (I forget what it was). I Googled the expansion slot problem and found a quick-fix. Add a layer or two of Scotch tape. The card becomes thicker and 'stays' in the slot. It works very well, but it's not my ideal long-term fix.
All that said, my brand new Universal arrived this morning (£60 GBP would you believe..) so I guess now I'll be reading up on how to flash the ROM.
I haven't flashed firmware on a Windows handset since my HTC Canary 7 years ago..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well hope you can solve the issue!
Good to hear that you have a new Uni!!
May I know where you´ve got that great deal? and if possible I would like to buy one!
For flashing instructions read here: http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Uni_ROM_Upgrade
And personally I recommend you Tomal v.8.5 the fastes and stable 6.1!
Good luck!
Hi again.
It was a UK eBay "Buy It Now" offer.
I was browsing Uni/Exec/SPV etc and refreshing waiting for a particular auction to end when this one just popped up with charger, new battery, leather case and 3 x stylus. It looks/smells brand new. Incredibly lucky I know.
Thanks for the advice on the ROM. I'm just reading through where/how/why and whatnot now. I have a G3 device so I think I can just go ahead and flash.
But as I say, I'm reaqding through the Wiki and the threads. I have seen others mention Tomal's ROM. I'm looking for as Vanilla as possible. This unit for me will ideally run TCMP as best as it can and Vijay's FullScreen along with terminal services. Everything else is a very distinct second priority. I have a Wizard I use for TomTom and a Nokia N95 for an everyday phone. This just needs to be a media player and a remote access unit for my desktop machine. Apart from a file explorer, I could pretty much do without everything else.
Thanks again.
Orb, that Wiki entry needs updating somewhat. There's loads of issues not covered there. The Tomal is a single installer and presumably doesn't need the programs mentioned (though it briefly mentions that at the end). There should be a distinction made there. Some ROM's need these programs, some are single installers, if so ... ... ... ... etc. Not some half-assed brief mention with no other instructions. I presume I just double click the installer in Bootloader and leave it to it???
It says I need to CID/EROM unlock but fails to explain what these are?! More searching shows that it's extended ROM and SIM lock that need removing. What point is there using acronyms for a supposed 'newbie' tutorial..
My unit won't run the EROM program complaining of needing a new NET framework.
This isn't mentioned. Not that you may get this error, what it is, or what you need to do if you do.
The SIM unlock won't run either. Once my unit is in bootloader mode and showing 'serial' I plug in the USB lead and it shows 'USB'. I run the SIM unlocker and it eventually says 'this is not for your device'. More searching and I find I need to be using XP to do this, not Windows 7 or Vista.
Searching about I see loads of people with similar problems. If the Wiki was updated, then when people pointed users to it, then it would do it's job (which is presumably to help people and prevent the forum being full of questions, which it obviously is..).
Looks like I need to get onto an XP machine and do some serious searching through the sometimes 50 page long threads before I risk bricking my Uni.
I'm more than happy to do research if that's what I need to do, but what's the point in promoting a Wiki if you have to ignore half of what it says and find out for yourself anyway?
Not a rant at you by the way. Just a post made from observations.
Cheers.
Hi kryogenik!
I completely agree with you. My Uni came to me from uk with WM6.0, so I supposed it was unlocked and I made various flashes with no fear.
With a friend of mine Uni things were different: it had a stock WM5 and I tried reading wiki to get some answers, but the only thing I obtained was confusion.
I'm really not a newbie on computer systems, and I assure that the wiki has to be freshed out!
Turning back to the wm5 uni, I simply ran the executable from Tomal (8.2) and everything worked fine. So... what is really needed to?
@orb3000: when a newbie comes here asking for instruction on how to flash you always make a ctrl+c ctrl+v with wiki link... Why don't you try reading it with "newbie's eyes"? As kryogenik said, I won't attack you, it's just my thought...
Cheers...
kryogenik said:
Orb, that Wiki entry needs updating somewhat. There's loads of issues not covered there. The Tomal is a single installer and presumably doesn't need the programs mentioned (though it briefly mentions that at the end). There should be a distinction made there. Some ROM's need these programs, some are single installers, if so ... ... ... ... etc. Not some half-assed brief mention with no other instructions. I presume I just double click the installer in Bootloader and leave it to it???
It says I need to CID/EROM unlock but fails to explain what these are?! More searching shows that it's extended ROM and SIM lock that need removing. What point is there using acronyms for a supposed 'newbie' tutorial..
My unit won't run the EROM program complaining of needing a new NET framework.
This isn't mentioned. Not that you may get this error, what it is, or what you need to do if you do.
The SIM unlock won't run either. Once my unit is in bootloader mode and showing 'serial' I plug in the USB lead and it shows 'USB'. I run the SIM unlocker and it eventually says 'this is not for your device'. More searching and I find I need to be using XP to do this, not Windows 7 or Vista.
Searching about I see loads of people with similar problems. If the Wiki was updated, then when people pointed users to it, then it would do it's job (which is presumably to help people and prevent the forum being full of questions, which it obviously is..).
Looks like I need to get onto an XP machine and do some serious searching through the sometimes 50 page long threads before I risk bricking my Uni.
I'm more than happy to do research if that's what I need to do, but what's the point in promoting a Wiki if you have to ignore half of what it says and find out for yourself anyway?
Not a rant at you by the way. Just a post made from observations.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, as dear Admin said "Wiki is a strange place"
Why not try to post this request on the proper place on general section
"request to mods by users"
I think that will be the place to have an answer
Cheers,
Auzman said:
I tried reading wiki to get some answers, but the only thing I obtained was confusion.
I'm really not a newbie on computer systems, and I assure that the wiki has to be freshed out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. There are some very odd ideas about what a tutorial is.
I'm hardly a newbie myself, but when there's something so valuable at risk it obviously makes sense for things to be right? Why bother otherwise.
Turning back to the wm5 uni, I simply ran the executable from Tomal (8.2) and everything worked fine. So... what is really needed to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I've got the extended ROM showing. I can understand that needing to be done - perhaps the new ROM needs it writable. I can't for the life of me imagine why the unit needs to be SIM unlocked though?? I have seen posts from people who have SIM unlocked AFTER a ROM flash so I'm thinking perhaps this isn't the case?
Did you do either of these? Or maybe your unit was already in this state?
orb3000 said:
Yeah, as dear Admin said "Wiki is a strange place"
Why not try to post this request on the proper place on general section
"request to mods by users"
I think that will be the place to have an answer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Orb. But it's not a request. I have a feeling it wouldn't be acted upon anyway. I can't be the first to point out inconsistencies.
I run a website and Vbulletin forum too. The day I have to rely on someone else to tell me it's not right is the day I give it up.
It sounds like I'm bashing XDAD. I'm really not. It's been a lifeline for me numerous times (the forum I must stress, not the WIKI).
I'm just surprised that such a fantastic resource is being let down by the one thing it should be proud of.
Auzman said:
Hi kryogenik!
I completely agree with you. My Uni came to me from uk with WM6.0, so I supposed it was unlocked and I made various flashes with no fear.
With a friend of mine Uni things were different: it had a stock WM5 and I tried reading wiki to get some answers, but the only thing I obtained was confusion.
I'm really not a newbie on computer systems, and I assure that the wiki has to be freshed out!
Turning back to the wm5 uni, I simply ran the executable from Tomal (8.2) and everything worked fine. So... what is really needed to?
@orb3000: when a newbie comes here asking for instruction on how to flash you always make a ctrl+c ctrl+v with wiki link... Why don't you try reading it with "newbie's eyes"? As kryogenik said, I won't attack you, it's just my thought...
Cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also was a newbie sometime, and I found that if everybody gives me easyly all my questions and problems I will not learn never! and I will get used to demand that people has to give me the answer right away!
So no my friend, I understand is not an attack and I´m also friendly:
But said that I´ll push newbies to do it by themselves, even if it´s a little bit more difficult
At the end they as me wil apreciate it, because we learn to SEARCH and READ
lol.
Cute idea but there's a big difference between encouraging someone to help themselves and pointing them to articles that do the exact opposite to what they're supposed to do (i.e. confuse rather than assist).
Everyone needs to start somewhere, but you NEED to have at least some correct and up to date information to send you on your way.
You wouldn't give someone a manual for a 1972 Ford and tell them to read it so they can fix their 2009 model.
Anyway, that's my opinion on it. I hope one day someone has time to add missing bits to the Wiki. I appreciate it could be a major task. As I said, essentially this will save on hundreds of people posting the same problems over and over again and people getting sick of replying to the same posts over and over again.
It's simple common sense.
OUT
Agree mate
I´ll try to find out how we can update the Wiki
Have a good day

First things to do when getting phone...

Hi all,
Finally decided to order my Blackstone two days ago and just got word it is waiting at home for me, so i'd like to know from all of you who have one, what are the first few things i should be doing when i get it?
Cheers
Mundo
the most important thing is open the box, see the phone inside or not.
then charge for 8 hours...
mundo7 said:
Hi all,
Finally decided to order my Blackstone two days ago and just got word it is waiting at home for me, so i'd like to know from all of you who have one, what are the first few things i should be doing when i get it?
Cheers
Mundo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In order:
1. Charge it fully
2. While charging read manual
3. Before doing anything on here read the forum rules and the wiki
4. Once phone is charged start playing with it and get used to it
5. Go to wiki and read Tips & Tricks and Useful Software for your Blackstone
6. Search these forums for previous threads on similar topics
7. Search these forums for software you would like
Edit
If after playing with phone and you want to try different roms, read up on them first. Can't say this point more often. Every rom is different and there is no point asking which rom is best as everyone has different opinions. This has been asked many times before and deleted by mods just as often. Best way to see which rom you would like is to (once again read up on it first) try it out. I've flashed in the region of 70+ roms over the years and I'm still not happy. Each to there own.

[Q] Having a hard time removing WP7

hello all, first let me just say yeah im a noob and yeah i tried searching.
so like the rest of the world i hated win 6.5 more than anything. seriously. probably something like 1. hitler 2. win 6.5 3. snakes
finally i managed to install win 7, but however the battery is just way to short, some numbers wont be recognized, marketplace isnt open in my country, etc. frankly im ****ing tired of all of this. now i want to remove it and again try to install android on NAND. if not maybe just settle for win 6.5 i dont know.
EDIT
to clarify:
-basically ive searhed everywhere
-i have the offical rom and i want to install that
-i cant connect my phone to zune,
-so when i run the offical htc rom, it just says connect your phone
You need to either flash a stock ROM via sd card method or via bootloader (hold vol down key during power-on, then flash with normal exe from windows).
so, just to be clear,
you got a device with Win mobile on it which you seem to have a massive dislike for and wrongly make an assumption that everyone else doesnt like it, then in a hugely disrespectful manor you compare it to hitler, quite what you are thinking is anyones guess but it might be worth considering a change of manor is perhaps in need
Then attempted to install WP7 without fully reading everything.
Then try and install an original ROM without Fully reading everything
I think That about sums it up
So, in the intrest of sanity, go here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1074233
read it all, and if you have an issue reply in that thread
Couple of pointers to help your days on XDA dev out, if there is a thead open on an issue use it, dont make a new one because it makes it harder for people who actually search for things to find what they are loooking for and its a pain for people who try an help because we are forever repeating ourselves
Secondly, when you make a tread it gave you a list of threads already out here with a similar name, if you didnt see anything relivent its because your use of title is pretty poor, Its windows phone 7 or WP7, Noob isnt a word most of us use
Thirdly, if you can not use the XDA search then use google, (i find it much more accurate) i just searched google using this string
XDA DEV LEO WP7 FLASH ORIGINAL
and the third one down took me straight to that thread above
XDA DEV is pretty obvious, LEO is the listed device name thats on this site WP7 is the OS then FLASH ORIGINAL is the subject matter im searching for
Keep it short, like bullet points, not a long story
So, head over there an folk will be happy to help you out, including myself
I hope i didnt sound rude and off hand, im simply nudging you in the right direction
Neo84 You need to either flash a stock ROM via sd card method or via bootloader (hold vol down key during power-on, then flash with normal exe from windows).
ok, thanks for you reply. sorry to ask but what is a stock ROM? is that like an official ROM from HTC?
also tried to hold down the volume key, get the coloured screen, but then cant do anything. where would one find the "normal exe"? thanks for your willingness to help out someone not as experienced as yourself
and dazza, my good man i do appreciate the nugde, but do find it a bit harsh.
you got a device with Win mobile on it which you seem to have a massive dislike for and wrongly make an assumption that everyone else doesnt like it,
-everyone i spoke to agrees, including the guy who sold it to me for almost nothing (bought for 1100 US 6 months before) because he hated it like no other
then in a hugely disrespectful manor you compare it to hitler, quite what you are thinking is anyones guess but it might be worth considering a change of manor is perhaps in need
-well irony doenst work online my bad, haha seriously noone in ther right mind would compare the 2 and/or accuse someone of doing so
Then attempted to install WP7 without fully reading everything.
-i did, it works almost perfectly, reading on these forums ive seen plenty of ppl having issues, so yeah its close to perfect, except the battery drain (which still works for a full day so i can charge at night)
ive searched google, xda and god knows what. and after trying all, my good old hd2 still wont connect maybe in the end its not worth the time and effort, just leave WP7 on there (it is in fact pretty sweet) and buy an offical android next time! however i do feel i have the right to be a bit angry. winmo 6.5 isnt worthy of selling for a high price in 2010.
anyways, thanks for your help, i will check out those links and see where it takes me just remember that not everyone is as experienced as yourself, a friendly heads up works wonders sometimes
I appologise, it was not supposed to come across rude, harsh is perhaps an accurate way of putting it, remember that some of us take a lot of time out of our lives to go over these things, infact some have even added entries in to the Wiki for just such issues (check leo wiki section) and im sure you can imagin that repeating yourself over and over can be quite frustrating!
I completely agree that a "heads up" is always needed, which is why ive nudged (perhaps with a prod or two ) you in the right direction, those few tips can save you a lot of hassle in the future, the google one especially as i know only too well that the XDA search is crap

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