Database Users

Automating Program Installs

Hey all,
I have a question.
I have been playing with my 8125 a lot lately and am constantly resetting my device. What I want to know is I have one main machine that I do all my application installs via active sync that way when I hard reset my device I just have to go to add remove programs in active sync and re-check all the programs I want to put back on my phone.
Here is what I want.
I don’t want to have to tell the phone where to install the applications (I want it to default to storage card without any prompts.) and.. I don’t want any confirmation prompts ie: security unsigned, approve this application to be installed, this application was installed properly… etc.. I want to streamline the process so I can just tick the check boxes for my apps, let them download and that’s it. Currently after refreshing I have to spend quite a bit of time clicking “ok” … storage card…. Ok… storage card… ok… I think you get it.
Thanks much!

I've seen a lot of different reg keys out there that may accomplis this. Is there a way to disable the notifications and pre-set the install path peramaters?

sledwrecker said:
I've seen a lot of different reg keys out there that may accomplis this. Is there a way to disable the notifications and pre-set the install path peramaters?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do this with WinCE Cab manager

If you really reset your device that often why don't you use SPB BACKUP? A reinstallation of all your apps wouldn't be necessary - just load your backup and you're ready to go!

Ya I did think of that but here is my issue.
the reason I am constantly hard reseting is because I am changing and playing with roms pretty much on a daily basis. I've been cooking my own roms trying to come up with what works best for me and what is closest to RTM. Thus why I am always re-installing apps.
So if I use SPB backup (which I have) it saves system settings and such right? So if I am switching roms all the time will it break my device?
Thanks guys! I'm new to the forum here I just got my first PPC phone a couple weeks ago but I've been an avid windows mobile (smartphone) user for years and have worked on WM platforms as beta tester.
Gotta love this stuff!!!

sledwrecker said:
So if I use SPB backup (which I have) it saves system settings and such right? So if I am switching roms all the time will it break my device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are exactly right, and so many people seem to miss this... Spb Backup, Sprite Backup, etc are full backups that backup and restore the registry and all. If you restore this from one rom to a different rom you are likely to break something (may not be obvious at first, but you have a very good chance of things being broken inside the registry that you will trip up on at some point).
So yeah, the only way around this (without building your own extended rom and such) is to create a folder (or set of folders) on your SD card with all the cabs, files, and settings that you need for when your flash a new rom. Then run through that to set things up. You can also use ActiveSync to reinstall apps (just check them all and it will put them all back on) but you have to remember which ones (if any) require a reset of your device as that can cause probs with the others that are installing (if all done together).

Yep,
but at least you can import contacts, email and pim data that way quite easy!
Since you continiously flash your device: there will be no other solution but reinstalling your applications again and again. You might want to look around for a CAB extractor and then create your own CABs with all the progs you would like to have in one large CAB ???
One such CAB Installer Creator is: WinCE CAB Manager
Take a closer look at MolskiBiz_DevPack and you will find a utility to extract CAB files. It will be a bit work to add all the registry values to the Installer you're going to create but finally you might save a lot of time since you only run 1 installation instead of xxx ...

This is good, I have been playing with wince cab and it is a solution.
Now I'm going to work on making my extended roms.. will this work? I did a full recover of my apps through active sync just an hour or two ago and it reported total size of all cabs as just over 112megs. That means I'd be flashing a MONSTER rom and would it even be possible?
2gig mini SD card.
thanks

I tried before to add some apps (cab installers) to a personalized extended rom but it never worked the way I wanted it to. You might have seen that you always have to give some inputs when ever you install programs, sometimes you get ask if you really want to install the app, sometimes you need to choose a location. So, if you add CAB installers UNCHANGED to the extended ROM it just won't install because during extended rom installation you have no way of providing that information.

[Help Request] Live ROM Update

Objective :
Create an Update Utility based on the Windows Update in Official ROMs
Description :
My idea is to create a ROM that can be updated without the need of RUU we use now. For example, you have Core2.0n version of my ROM and since you installed it, I created another version, for example Core3. In order to update you'd normally have to download the latest ROM to your PC and re-flash your HTC Wizard.
I want to allow you to go online directly from your Wizard and check for new version. If new version found, then automatically download and flash. All you'd need is an Internet connection.
Limits/Problems :
There are some problems about this. This is where I need help.
Usually the PPC turns OFF and then the RUU writes the ROM. With the way I want it, the ROM must be written while the device is ON...and then it would do a Hard Reset in order to complete the Update.
I don't know yet if this is possible, but I am willing to try.
What I need :
People with Assembler knowledge
People with good PPC knowledge and understanding
Huge amount of luck
I remember someone here already tried to restore the Windows Update components. Unfortunately I can't remember who and if he succeeded or not.
I'll search for his thread and post any update.
The ORIGINAL thread is located HERE. Please feel free to join the development crew.​

The idea looks cool, it will allow us to redistribute updates and fixes to our roms more easy
But we have to figure out how the windows update feature is working, and how it manages to flash the downloaded update
I think that it downloads the updates to the storage card (in most cases there is not enough space in storage to store whole rom image) and then instructs the boot loader to flash the file from the card (this way it will be logical)
Also that way will be similar for all devices not just the wizard.
So the rom cookers can personalize windows update settings to update their roms trough it (of course separetely for every device)

xplode said:
The idea looks cool, it will allow us to redistribute updates and fixes to our roms more easy
But we have to figure out how the windows update feature is working, and how it manages to flash the downloaded update
I think that it downloads the updates to the storage card (in most cases there is not enough space in storage to store whole rom image) and then instructs the boot loader to flash the file from the card (this way it will be logical)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we'll try to do that. However I doubt that Microsoft intended to use a Storage Card for update. This makes me curious on what method they would have used.
Other problem would be error checking...We must know for certain the OS is not corrupted before attempting the update.
Maybe I didn't said it...but I will say it now. My intention is only to flash through the air an OS, that means no other components, like SPL, IPL , radio or SplashScreens will be altered by the Update so no chance of bricking the device plus making the whole process easier to accomplish.
Other idea is to study the way that security programs (anti theft) use they're software so that the data is included in the rom with a simple install.(they say the program will be there even after a hard reset...though i didn't tried any)

I am sad to notice so little enthusiasm from people around here.
This would affect chefs more than regular people but still.
Back to business...
Questions :
Is it possible to flash directly the ROM with the PDA turned on ?
If so, how can we access the ROM directly ?
How to use .pkg ? Can we make use of them ?
Considering the Update deals only with relative minor changes, this means we can leave the XIP out. We can think of new Builds as major upgrades and require the use of normal flash. The big problem..and unfortunately the thing I know less about it's managing to insert the new update in a very "raw" manner.
I am firmly convinced that few people here posses the knowledge to do this.
Please come in front and let's make this thing happen.
I could try to reverse engineer the default windows update but it would take a great deal of time and I would probably get stuck without some help.
P.S. I managed to find the thread I was talking about before. It's located here.

I think is a great idea my friend. However there are many things to think before trying to do it. First of all to flash the new files you shall need to make a pdoc write but i have now idea how can be made via the device itself.
Where are the "patches" being stored before they are updated?
May be the process of hard reset shold be manual. This are only some toughts.

i would help u as much as i can...

great idea !
the update can be on the storage card and one can put the device into
bootloader/update mode by running this little program in the windows dir
to switch it to the 3 color screen.
With this WM5torage program i can acces the romchip itself and write it.
not sure wether it messes up things.

not sure if this will delete contents of the storagecard itself...
another thought... why not make the updatepackage and let windowsupdate install it for you ?

I think the best way to procede is to find out how to make a pkg file (faria seems to know) and then to sniff what the windows update app does when connecting to the MS server and see if we can emulate that on a test server.

Midget_1990 said:
I think the best way to procede is to find out how to make a pkg file (faria seems to know) and then to sniff what the windows update app does when connecting to the MS server and see if we can emulate that on a test server.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All your ideas are great. But this was exactly what i had in mind. It seems the easiest way....only so little time right now. So...where`s Faria ?
P.S. Sorry for late reply...i thought ppl don`t care and i didn`t checked the thread

Does somebody of you have such a pkg file?
As I understand it right, this file will be delivered by windows update to the client?
I never got an Update via Windows Update... Everytime I try, there are no updates available ^^
Sniffing the Windows Update would be easy, I think. I could bet that all this stuff is done via a Webservice. That's the I would do it

Has anyone ever updated anything using that Windows Update? It's highly unlikely it will download a whole new ROM, maybe just some cabs which won't touch the ROM altogether, just mess around in registry.
And who needs to keep the device on while updating if you'd make a hard reset afterwards?
It can even be done now...
any back-up program
a cook who's willing to release ROMS on some stable host (NOT rapidshare where address changes)
a diff utility to download only the parts of the ROM that changed
A small app which writes XXXXIMG.BIN to storage card and enters bootloader.
Much harder task is to get rid of ROMs altogether and take control of the only advantage they give: XIP. I mean, why don't use a tool to convert the new apps to XIP format making them a part of the ROM?

@anichillus
I can provide u with the package but it will take some time..u see i have WM6 Emulator..but cant make it to use Internet Connection of my PC..so the Update manager starts but doesent download (no connectivity)..will see what i can do

i got the internet working..but when i click update..it doesent give any packages..what now

Possible to Upgrade ROM's Without Losing all Settings and Data?

I am currently running the Elegancia 2.5 ROM, but I thought this might be a more general question about ROM's so I wanted to post it here.
I started with the Elegancia 2.0 and upon upgrading to the 2.5, I had to reinstall all my cabs (I save them to a specific folder on my SD card thankfully) and redo all my settings over again. Now that there is a 3.0 version out, I would like to upgrade that as well. However since there are so many settings and cabs that I have now changed and installed, I'd prefer not to go through and do it all again.
Is this possible or is it just the nature of the upgrades that require you to change and redo it all again?
Thanks

its my understanding that flashing erases everything except for the occasional system file left over from the previous ROM... my guess would be no... backup everything and reinstall... at max it'll only take a half hour to reinstall everything..

No way to change ROM's without losing all data...best thing for you to do is use an autoinstall program to resetup your device after a new flash....

mgioia2 said:
No way to change ROM's without losing all data...best thing for you to do is use an autoinstall program to resetup your device after a new flash....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, could you explain little bit more about the autoinstall program ? how does it work?

try xda_uc, google it. basically, you create a folder called xda_uc on your storage card, and when you first bootup, all the .cabs you add to the folder are installed in the background, and require no input from you. however, you need to find a rom that supports xda_uc. I use energyrom.

Isn't there any program like itunes for example for iPhone which backups and restores every setting. Any thought friends
Thanks

try spb backup...but it wont auto install everything back, but you do get to do some set up if you want as to what to restore.

help..... how to dump my hd2 rom so I can flash it later.

help..... how to dump my hd2 rom so I can flash it later. so everything stay the same and I don't have to install all cabs again and setting. I'm a noob, I'm also trying to find out how to make my own clock and icons. thanks

i don't think it is possible to back-up your current rom n settings.

corlygunnz said:
help..... how to dump my hd2 rom so I can flash it later. so everything stay the same and I don't have to install all cabs again and setting. I'm a noob, I'm also trying to find out how to make my own clock and icons. thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the Energy ROM thread. There is some talk of it in post #5.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=591784

i did it with my o2 rom just to see how to do it, but in all honesty i won't be doing it again. No point when the rom is available to download, and it doesnt save settings anyway. Ive posted teh how-to just because you asked about 'dumping the rom' so it will no doubt get hits from epople wanting to know how, and not just people like you wanting to backup, not dump.
dump the .raw partitions, reading step one in THIS first post will help.
Then set up ervius visual kitchen and use the 'raws2nbh' function to rebuild the raw files into the .nbh rom file.
BUT, it wont save your rom as it is now, with all your settings and such, it will only dump the rom as it was when you first ran the phone.
Far easier to just download the stock rom from somewhere.
Plus the rom you create even though it is stock will still be seen as a cooked rom by teh phone, so you would need hspl installed to flash it.
So, you need to look more into backup software, like sprite backup, PIm backup, or sashimi/makisu, or the like.

thanks very much. I guess I stick with backing up the settings and flashing the stock rom... thanks for the feedback again... ps: the point was to have the rom just how out was when dumped...

corlygunnz said:
thanks very much. I guess I stick with backing up the settings and flashing the stock rom... thanks for the feedback again... ps: the point was to have the rom just how out was when dumped...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, i know what you mean.
I found a cooked rom that i liked, and the chef also offered the kitchen with it. (which means i run the kitchen, press 'build' and fifteen minutes later the rom is created, ready to flash.)
Then, knowing i have a rom that i already like, i can start to make small adjustments. Progs that i normally have to reinstal every time i have converted to cookable packages, various registry tweaks that i used to instal from cab every time i have now cooked in.
A great way to get an easy intro into cooking, but because it's already built you aren't starting from a stock rom, facing weeks of tweaks. Instead i know i already like the rom, and i can slowly apply extra tweaks as i learn.
Look out for rom threads who offer 'comes with kitchen'.
ChuckyROM is the one that comes to mind, but there are others too.
I now have cookies home tab mod pre installed, and right from the start it has my layout, and all my quicklinks already there, as well as most of teh cabs i used to instal manually already built in, owner name pre set, home location/timezone etc etc all pre set, my own lockscreen, i've removed tons of unused images and language files, and such like.
My rom is down to around 145MB. (Stock is around 200MB+).
Best of all, i cooked in 'remotetracker', so if my phone gets stolen/lost, , even a hard reset wont stop it being trackable.
Fun stuff, if you dont mind spending a few hours at a time cooking/flashing/re-cooking/flashing/re-re-cooking, , , hehe

samsamuel said:
I now have cookies home tab mod pre installed, and right from the start it has my layout, and all my quicklinks already there, as well as most of teh cabs i used to instal manually already built in, owner name pre set, home location/timezone etc etc all pre set, my own lockscreen, i've removed tons of unused images and language files, and such like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how can I pre install, the layout and quick links on cookie too my rom, I'm a noob, I got this new rom I like and a want to tweak it, its going to be my first rom. can you or someone direct me to tutorials for cooking and tweaking.... I'm a quick learner. lol

corlygunnz said:
how can I pre install, the layout and quick links on cookie too my rom, I'm a noob, I got this new rom I like and a want to tweak it, its going to be my first rom. can you or someone direct me to tutorials for cooking and tweaking.... I'm a quick learner. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well its not that simple. when a chef cooks the rom, it is usually protected, so you cant just dump a cooked rom. Thats why you have to get a pre built kitchen for that rom.
Sadly there is no simple step by step for all this.
THIS thread is for OSKitchen, which is pretty good, and fairly straightforward.
I suggest you just get a kitchen, dump a stock rom into it, and just have a look around it for a while first, so you get the idea of what you are facing.
Follow posts 1 - 4 and that should give you an evenings tinkering to get started.
Or there is ervius' visual kitchen, which isn't quite so straight forward, but works really well for me.
Reading HERE and HERE and HERE
and lots of reading in 'Chef Central'
However, to get immediate results, i found it far better to start with a pre built kitchen.
HERE is the one i first started to tinker with.
I gave up on kitchens a half dozen times in the past months, it just seems so overwhelming, which is why a ready made rom i could make minor tweaks to came in so handy.

thanks allot, I'm going to get to it right away. I'll post if I hit a wall.

how do i cook cooki home tab. is not working, is the anything i got to do?

corlygunnz said:
how do i cook cooki home tab. is not working, is the anything i got to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
convert it to an ext package, which will generate a folder with various files/subfiles, one of which is a reg file, edit that, add your registry entries (extracted from your currently running phone, using ceregistry editor ((if you dont already have them, immediately you finish reading this go get wincecab manager, ceregistry editor, and look up CAB_Converter too.)))
Use cab converter to change the cab into an ext.
as always, the best advice is to read everything, then read it again, hehe.
A working example.
connect your phone to usb, open ceregistry editor, click connect, browse to HKLM\software\HTC\manila\Home There are 80 or so numbered folders, Thats for the quicklinks.
In the tree view on the left, right click the folder Home and choose 'export'. A file save dialog will open, call it something like home, OK. You should get something like '81 keys exported'
Now, browse to the folder where the converted cookies EXT is, find the file 'app.reg'. Double click to open it in ceregistry editor, you will see a similar registry view as you saw on the phone, except with loads less entries. Find HKLM\software\HTC\manila\Home, select the home folder, hit delete, confirm, its now gone.
Go to top of ceregistry editor - hit Edit - Import registry keys from file.
Now, by default it will be looking for .reg files, but we exported ours as .cereg, so change the filetype dropdown to 'all files'.
Find your 'home.cereg' file we exported, click it, you will get a 'sucessfully imported,....blahblah', hit save, and now, when you cook the rom, your quicklinks will already be there as soon as the phone first boots.

Use SPB backup
Use SPB backup. Works wonders. I have a backup for the 3 or 4 roms I run. So all I have to do is load the rom, load spb backup and restore the backup and all my settings, email accounts, facebook and the such is ready to go.
fhaines

fhaines said:
Use SPB backup. Works wonders. I have a backup for the 3 or 4 roms I run. So all I have to do is load the rom, load spb backup and restore the backup and all my settings, email accounts, facebook and the such is ready to go.
fhaines
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i just got me the spb backup, and is working great for me. thanks.

The simple solution here is SPB Backup...
EDIT: oops, jumped the gun. was already suggested. xD
glad you got it figured out

samsamuel said:
use the 'raws2nbh' function to rebuild the raw files into the .nbh rom file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This step is much more complicated than it sounds. Any possibility that you could include instructions for this?
Thanks!

ohiosux said:
This step is much more complicated than it sounds. Any possibility that you could include instructions for this?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sure you want to bother? it wont save your settings as they are now, so you are essentially dumping the stock rom as it was when you got the phone (Assuming you're running a stock rom that is, if its a cooked rom it probably wont convert anyway)
All (most) of teh stock roms are available to download, so its an accademic task only, , , ,

samsamuel said:
sure you want to bother? its an accademic task only, , , ,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, yes. I realize its redundant work, but I don't see how I could ever become a proper "chef" if I can't even manage to dump a ROM.

ohiosux said:
Actually, yes. I realize its redundant work, but I don't see how I could ever become a proper "chef" if I can't even manage to dump a ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hehe, well, ive only done it once, so you know as much as me, , get ervius vis kitchen (im sure other kitchens can do it too, just i use evk) click extra buttons, top left button is raws2nbh, follow the prompts.
You dont need to do this to cook, you know that? the kitchen will import a downloaded stock nbh, no need for the dump to get a kutchen working.

[Q] Cannot run any .exe file

i tried installing android but it didnt work the haret file wouldnt open and kept getting error message (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11352461#post11352461)
So i tried to flash my rom following this tut
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=505377
but i was unable to run SPL v 1.56.OliNex, it kept saying error 240 device not responding
so i put the manual touch hd .exe onto my phone
but i get the same error message as when i run haret
the file 'name of .exe program' cannot be opened. either it is not trusted..if the problem persists try reinstalling or restoring the file..
what do i do?

......... any 1?

excatly like the error message says, there can be 2 possible reasons, why it wouldn't open:
1. it is not trusted
2. a component is missing
1. if it is not trusted, try hd tweak and set it to ignore certifications warnings
2. the "component" that is usually missing is .net framework 3.5. many apps come not fully loaded with their own code but are based on certain runtimes, which makes them compatible with more windows mobile versions and keep them clean, but to have those shared libraries and make the phone "understand" this program, you need to install the .net framework.

Chef_Tony said:
excatly like the error message says, there can be 2 possible reasons, why it wouldn't open:
1. it is not trusted
2. a component is missing
1. if it is not trusted, try hd tweak and set it to ignore certifications warnings
2. the "component" that is usually missing is .net framework 3.5. many apps come not fully loaded with their own code but are based on certain runtimes, which makes them compatible with more windows mobile versions and keep them clean, but to have those shared libraries and make the phone "understand" this program, you need to install the .net framework.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
already gt framework 3.5, ill try hd tweak
edit
i tried to install hd tweak but when i opened the .cab file on phone i got past 'the program is from an unknown publisher..do you want to continue' i pressed yes but then i get the message 'installation of HD Tweak was unsuccessful'

too bad, i already suspected something like this to happen. to disable certification you'd have to install an uncertified program, vicious circle. what rom are you running? many roms don't have the certificate issue, because by default this is disabled by the rom chefs. another thing that you could try might be the autoinstall feature:
in my rom (cloudy 0.7) there is an autoinstall feature. it consists of a startmenu link AutoInstall, which then disables certain policies (including certification) to install all cabs in the AutoInstall folder on the sd card, kinda like an EXTROM known from older devices. most roms have a user customization (UC) feature built in, please post your rom chef and version or refer to the thread you got the rom from to check for this feature. i hope you already have ms myphone installed or you are able to run pimbackup on your device, because you might have a hardreset coming in your near future, and you should make sure to have backups of all your personal data and only that. using sprite backup, spb backup or resco backup is not recommended, that will not only restore your data, but also the problem, you are having right now.
in case you are running a shipped rom, which would explain, why that annoying certification is there in the first place, chances are slim, that UC will work for you, and if you also don't have ms myphone or are unable to run pimbackup, you should at least try and sync your data with exchange or outlook (however, this will not backup your call logs or sms)
i am still wondering what might have caused your troubles in the first place. did you install android as a cab? if it was the new froyo x build, which comes as portable os, it should be completely wiped, when you delete the folders from the sd card, in case of the earlier cab version, you might want to try uninstalling it. in case you made the error to install it to the internal storage, the hard reset is inevitable.

Chef_Tony said:
too bad, i already suspected something like this to happen. to disable certification you'd have to install an uncertified program, vicious circle. what rom are you running? many roms don't have the certificate issue, because by default this is disabled by the rom chefs. another thing that you could try might be the autoinstall feature:
in my rom (cloudy 0.7) there is an autoinstall feature. it consists of a startmenu link AutoInstall, which then disables certain policies (including certification) to install all cabs in the AutoInstall folder on the sd card, kinda like an EXTROM known from older devices. most roms have a user customization (UC) feature built in, please post your rom chef and version or refer to the thread you got the rom from to check for this feature. i hope you already have ms myphone installed or you are able to run pimbackup on your device, because you might have a hardreset coming in your near future, and you should make sure to have backups of all your personal data and only that. using sprite backup, spb backup or resco backup is not recommended, that will not only restore your data, but also the problem, you are having right now.
in case you are running a shipped rom, which would explain, why that annoying certification is there in the first place, chances are slim, that UC will work for you, and if you also don't have ms myphone or are unable to run pimbackup, you should at least try and sync your data with exchange or outlook (however, this will not backup your call logs or sms)
i am still wondering what might have caused your troubles in the first place. did you install android as a cab? if it was the new froyo x build, which comes as portable os, it should be completely wiped, when you delete the folders from the sd card, in case of the earlier cab version, you might want to try uninstalling it. in case you made the error to install it to the internal storage, the hard reset is inevitable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im running original rom
here read this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11352461#post11352461
i think this is what caused the problem, any idea how to solve?

as mentioned before, your device is pretty screwed up and you best option is to try and backup your personal information and then perform a hard reset and format your sd card (which might have troubles due to the android incident)

Chef_Tony said:
as mentioned before, your device is pretty screwed up and you best option is to try and backup your personal information and then perform a hard reset and format your sd card (which might have troubles due to the android incident)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive reformated mem card, ive backed up my documents with activesync. Yes im a noob how do u hard reset ?

switch off the device completely (not just sleep). then while pressing both the volume keys, switch it back on. you should see a white screen with blue font giving you instructions on how to reset the device to factory defaults.

Chef_Tony said:
switch off the device completely (not just sleep). then while pressing both the volume keys, switch it back on. you should see a white screen with blue font giving you instructions on how to reset the device to factory defaults.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks now gt android but im using the blackstone henge rom is this a good rom?