Database Users

rom flash crash

hi folks tried to update special rom and upon where the XDa comes up with upgrading takes 5mins the software crashed out telling me to remove from cradle and do soft reset well did all that but cant get active sync to recongnise the XDA and the XDA is still on that upgraing 5 minute screen HELP

If it will not resume when you restart the upgrade program on the PC, then it's time to upgrade via the bootloader method. You need (access to)an SD-card reader/writer for the PC, and to read around on this forum a bit.

thanxs I guess thats the conclusion I came to however just to make sure do u know the steps involved in installing the special rom I have the download exe file someones put on the forum

****. I cooked a second ROM (based on testing the first one - and removing utils I didn't need)
Flashing started - but this time, ActiveSync dropped out and I was left with the 5 minutes screen.
I have tried hard reset but only the "upgrading' screen appears. Now I'm wishing I had never messed with it.
I can get the Wallaby Boot loader screen to come up (GSM OK) it says.
But I have no clue about this other "bootloader" method mentioned on this page. Can anyone please advise where can I find details of the fix? Is the ROM really wiped out and no longer recoverable?

I have the same problem as the first person who posted.

Then you will need to restore the OS using an SD card. (Min 64mb).
Probably easiest to cook a ROM at Jeffs Kitchen to your taste:
http://cuba.calyx.nl/~jsummers/ROMkitchen/
Save it as .nb1 type (bottom of that page).
Then get XDA Tools (yes I know its starting to sound complicated but its not really). http://xda-developers.com/XDAtools/
That program allows you to copy the .nb1 file you cooked to be loaded onto the SD card.
Once you have transferred the OS (.nb1) file to the SD, stick it in your XDA.
Turn on the XDA pressing simultaneously the on switch and sticking the stylus in the SOFT reset hole.
You should get a white screen saying something like flash ROM from SD. Press the JOG (navigator) big switch at the bottom to start the process.
Make sure you have mains power to XDA during this process.
When it finishes, REMOVE the SD card and press HARD reset.
Should be back to normal!

p.s. It goes without saying that you need an SD card reader !!
p.p.s I hope yours is better than mine. Try to get the latest version with drivers that can deal with big SD card sizes...

It does not say hard reset it say cold reboot to reset. So I did a soft reset and it worked after about 7 tries.
I really like what they did with this ROM Kitchen. I would think that if they can get this really stable then they should offer a service to create your own ROM's allowing the user to select what programs they want to include in the ROM.

Er, if you read other areas on this site you will notice that this is run by enthusiasts, who are making their work available to others.
So a little please and thank you will ease your way.
Rather than... "they should" maybe "it would be nice if...."
:idea: If you really want to DIY - then follow all the instructions, get yourself a Unix platform and MKROM.
Bye
ps sorry I got one detail wrong.
pps Sorry I bothered actually

Ariel said:
Er, if you read other areas on this site you will notice that this is run by enthusiasts, who are making their work available to others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe me as the owner of www.pocketpcminds.com I understand this. Back in the days of carrying a Palm OS device there a program that allowed you to add and delete things in your ROM.
What I was suggestion is a service that users could pay for that would inlude a list of Pocket PC programs that the users could choose what programs they want loaded in the ROM. From what I have seen of Pocket PC users each person has a list of programs that they find useful and use regularly.
I onlt suggest this because the people running this need to cover thier cost. Otherwise they may use intrest and stop it all together.

We're all too busy with other things to turn the ROMkitchen into a commercial thing. But if anyone else wants to do so, please contact us.
Pro:
- It would be a great sales platform for software (spb gprs monitor, PIMs, etc.)
Con:
- Available space shrinks as OS grows
- No idea how this works out on XDA II yet

Can't burn the Wallaby Patch to the SD
When I try to burn Wallaby Patch to SD the following error appears
Failed to open device \\.\PhysicalDrive8
Anyone help with this.

hi I did all that but when the XDA is being flashed it finishes but comes with achecksum error now I know I am doing everything right as I managed to reload O2 original .nb1 file and my xda is still as was however I want the forums version rom so can unlock many thanx for the previous how 2 instructions

SD card flash - 5 min screen
Ariel said:
Then you will need to restore the OS using an SD card. (Min 64mb).
Probably easiest to cook a ROM at Jeffs Kitchen to your taste:
http://cuba.calyx.nl/~jsummers/ROMkitchen/
Save it as .nb1 type (bottom of that page).
Then get XDA Tools (yes I know its starting to sound complicated but its not really). http://xda-developers.com/XDAtools/
That program allows you to copy the .nb1 file you cooked to be loaded onto the SD card.
Once you have transferred the OS (.nb1) file to the SD, stick it in your XDA.
Turn on the XDA pressing simultaneously the on switch and sticking the stylus in the SOFT reset hole.
You should get a white screen saying something like flash ROM from SD. Press the JOG (navigator) big switch at the bottom to start the process.
Make sure you have mains power to XDA during this process.
When it finishes, REMOVE the SD card and press HARD reset.
Should be back to normal!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a similar 5 min screen, and I tried as told, that is bought a card reader, cooked ROM, downloaded and transferred the nk.nb1 file to sd card using xda-tools, and entered into bootloader. But all I get is WAIT and then GSM OK message. Not the one that gives me option of flashing the ROM. How exactly to transfer the ROM image to SD card?

Rom Flash Crash
Just in case
I found that getting the XDA going initially by putting across the O2 installer programmeA onto the SD card rebootting with soft reset which installs the standard O2 locked phone system however this allows your XDA to be seen by the PC
all I did then was using the Kitchen Rom is double clicked it then goes into install mode through Programme A and does a PC to phone install.
I found I reinstalled twice and the phone now is working unlocked as required
I tried many times to do the soft reset install as instructed on the forum but it just crashed everytime

I guess the WBL version 5.15 does not identify nk.nb1 file as a rom image. it needs the rom image in raw form, the same as it is copied by bootloader that is WinCE to SD. I think the old XDArit writes it in the required format. dont know how the XDA-Tools does it.

ROM flash crash - solved!
It finally worked. With help from ntabikha, a member of this forum, I got it going. I plugged it in the cradle after hard reset. Activesync kept announcing that it can not connect to the device, and I kept clicking "Retry" (perhaps "disconnect com port" might as well have been all right, but I didn't do it. I thought it might disconnect the com port and stop the Program A from connecting to the device).
I then ran the Original Qtek Upgrade installer, and it did not connect on the first attempt. But it asked me to soft reset the device and run the program again. I did so, and whoa! it worked! It worked great! However, I don't understand why the cooked version 3.17 from Jeff's kitchen was installed instead of Qtek Upgrade Version 3.16.52. I care the least though, since I now have a working xda! Thanks to the guidance from ntabikha.

ROM upgrade help

I wanted to install one of the ROMs from www.yorch.net. But before doing so I have some questions:
1. If I choose to build ROM as an installer.exe, is installing it to my device as simple as running the .exe file? (of course with the device connected thru Activesync)
2. Is my present ROM (see specs below) supported?
3. If Murphy comes to visit and I screw up, will my phone be completely unusable or can I just reinstall old ROM, do hard reset and everything will be back to how it was?
My specs:
OS: Pocket PC ver 3.0.12039
ROM:3.20.06 ENG( 07/30/03) (O2 Asia I think since I bought it here in the Philippines)
Radio: 4.21.00.
Thanks

1 as far as i know yes havent don it to my own device yet though
2 a rom dont have to support a rom since it'll overwrite it
3 of cause merphy can also show his ugly face
but if all fails a sd flash reader writer can save many a tears
also if your phone is working ok then i would not mess with the
radio stack and beware because some roms include the radio stack
and if you try to update your radio stack to a US (900/1900) and you network is 900/1800 you could be in for a world of pain

ROM upgrade step by step
OK I'm really dying to give it a go but I'm just a overly cautious bloke. So I'm gonna outline what I interpreted (after reading lots of posts I think I'm getting it but not sure) to be the way do the upgrade. Please correct me if i'm wrong:
Equipment I have:
1. My notebook (Windows XP, Activesynch 3.7)
2. O2 XDAI
3. Cradle and USB connection.
Steps that I think I should take:
1. Place XDA on cradle and make sure it's connected with PC.
2. Backup?? (not so sure what to back up since contacts, calendar, notes are synched with outlook, docs are also synched, I have copies of cab and program files since I download them to PC before installing them to XDA.) If i'm missing something please slam a frying pan (this is a kitchen right?) on my head.
3. Go to www.yorch.net, check mark on all appropriate options, then (since I have to Unix box and dont know Unix at all) just go for the easy option of cooking the .exe install file.
4. Assuming, the .exe is downloaded to my PC. This time I just run it. I expect this to be just like installing PPC apps. If not, throw a tomato on my face
5. Assuming everything worked and Murphy's in the Arctic freezing his A**e off, then all I do now is hard reset.
6. I have a new ROM and I'm singing happy-happy-joy-joy.
To the wonderful people at xda-developers, am I in the right direction or am I as lost as Bill and Ted? If I'm lost, is there a step-by-step guide for non-unix programmers? (Sorry, there was a sticky but I thought it was for people with Unix boxes)
Once again, thanks for all your help and your patience.

2. Backup?? (not so sure what to back up since contacts, calendar, notes are synched with outlook, docs are also synched, I have copies of cab and program files since I download them to PC before installing them to XDA.) If i'm missing something please slam a frying pan (this is a kitchen right?) on my head.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i can think of one thing to backup and thats your current rom
so if you dont like the new rom you are getting you have the option to go back
of cause if the rom you have now is downloadble from a place you know like your isp then maybe it dont matter

Thanks for the reply. That's a good point. Question: When you back up old ROM, is it just the ROM that gets backed up or is it the whole content of the device, like how you do in PCs?
Also, since no one, besides you, has made any comments regarding the steps that I outlined, is it safe to say that they are the correct steps?
Thanks

When you backup your ROM, no stuff that you customised will be in the backup - the backed up ROM will be the same as when you received it from your retail shop, or if you upgraded, it will be the upgraded ROM without any of your stuff. Do a backup and store it on your hard disk.
DON'T use the .exe cooked ROM, use a .nb1 or .nbf, and use XDA Tools from this site to do the upgrade. It's very easy that way, and less dangerous. Don't upgrade your radio stack unless you know exactly what you're doing, or your phone supplier has made an update available just for you.
If you use a T-Mobile ROM above version 4.00.05 it blocks the XDA-Tools from updating the ROM. At that point you need to use XDARIT (from this site) to low-level write the ROM image you have onto your SD card using an SD card reader which shows the card as another drive on your computer. Once you do that you need to boot into the boot-loader (press the reset button while holding the power button) and follow the prompts to restore from an SD card. If you're unlucky and are running bootloader 5.17 (or above I think) you need to write the bootloader diagnostics patch (wallaby patch from this site) onto your SD card first before doing the boot into the bootloader thing. You can then remove the SD card, write the O/S ROM onto it with XDRIT, and put it back into your phone while it's still sitting on in diagnostics mode. Then you can restore from the SD.
It sounds complicated, but it's easy, as long as you have an SD card reader, and as long as you don't mess with trying to update the bootloader or do an unknown radio update. There's lots of info in these forums if you get stuck.
I made a thread that summarised all the steps using the new tools and ROM's at this address : http://xda-developers.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=3860. It's for Asian/European users, but if you are in the US the instructions are the same, except instead of using European 900/1800 radio you use 900/1900.

Further questions on ROM update
Thanks. It's becoming clearer and clearer. Have more clarifying questions:
1. How do you know whether or not you're including the radio stack with the ROM upgrade at yorch.net. I did not see any options there.
2. At www. yorch.net, nothing happens when I press the "Build ROM Now" command button. Is the download supposed to happen in the background or is there something wrong with my PC or the site?
3. I dont think I'm using the T-mobile ROM but how do I know if I'm runing bootloader 5.17? Is bootloader 5.17 only for T-Mobile users or all?
Once again, thanks for the help and bearing with a newbie.

2. At www. yorch.net, nothing happens when I press the "Build ROM Now" command button. Is the download supposed to happen in the background or is there something wrong with my PC or the site?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it should start to write some text about the progress of making the rom
and when it's finished then it should init a std download dialog

The meter down at the status bar does move, same as when you're loading a webpage, then it says Done. That's about it. Didnt see any other messages or dialogue boxes.
Can anyone confirm if it's up today or has it been down?
Thanks
PS. Tried to email using the email utility at the website but getting errors there as well.

OK, firstly to answer your question about Yorch's site... well it worked for me in getting all the ROM's I wanted, then when I went back again the download didn't work. I guess it's just on and off, so unless Yorch finishes getting married or someone else makes another kitchen it's a matter of pot luck. You can get away without using the kitchen if you can find another download source for ROM's, whether it be FTP or whatever. Just remember if you get an exe you can usually pull it apart with winzip to get the .nb1 or .nbf out of it.
Now, for Q1 :
An operating system ROM is generally just under 32MB, but when zipped from Yorch it's usually about 14 or 15MB - the operating system ROM will NEVER be smaller than that. I'm not sure about the exact radio stack size but I know it's a lot less than that. Also, doing some homework about the operating system ROM helps. eg. reading about the 4.01.00 ROM tells you that it's not a radio stack upgrade, it's an operating system upgrade - and the filename and the size of the file you receive reflects that.
Q2:
answered above...
Q3:
I think the bootloader is just pot-luck depending on when you phone was released. To check your bootloader it will reset your device completely, but I read somewhere that if you turn the radio (phone) off it doesn't hard reset. If you're worried, do a full backup first. But basically when you're ready to look, reset your phone while holding the power button and it will tell you the bootloader version. Don't be too turned off by that, I have read that SD card readers can be picked up very cheap if you look around, and that's all you need to get you out of trouble regardless of the bootloader version.
There's no real risk (but I won't guarantee anything), just make sure your phone is fully charged before mucking about with SD upgrades. Also make sure the radio (phone) is switched off before upgrading... using the bootloader/sd card method you shouldn't need to be concerned. I'm not sure what effect having your phone on and receiving a call while using XDA-Tools can have, but someone did mention it somewhere.
I'm a newbie too, but there's really not much you need to know, just a few caveats.

Yorch's Kitchen has been working OK for me the last couple of days. It takes maybe about 5 mins to "cook" before telling me that the ROM is ready. The 4.00.05 ROM gave me a lot of ActiveSync problems, so I went to the 4.00.16 ROM tonight and it looks like it's behaving better.
My SD reader is a Microtech Zio. It appears as a disk drive in windows, but the newer XDArit can't initialize a connection to write to the SD card. I used the "dangerous" older version of XDArit instead (available on Yorch's site), and it's worked OK for me (so far?).
One thing I wish I had realized before I started playing - going into the bootloader will reset your phone most (some?) (all?) of the time.
While I was flashing the ROM tonight I could see the GSM light flashing - I had the same "hope no one calls" feeling tht others must have had. Note that this was while I was flashing from an SD card in the bootloader - so apparently the process doesn't deactivate the phone while it's ongoing.

Muchas Gracias!
Ebswift, if ur a newbie then ur the god of the newbies. Thanks for all the help and for making me see the light. Much appreciated...

A quick Q:
Is the process for installing an .nbf file the same as that for installing an .nb1 file?
I have cooked a few ROMS to an .nb1 format and installed those OK, but now I have one in .nbf that I'd like to install.
So what I'd plan to do is put the nbf onto an SD card using XDArit, and then stick the card in the PPCPE and reboot to the loader. Is that it?

So what I'd plan to do is put the nbf onto an SD card using XDArit, and then stick the card in the PPCPE and reboot to the loader. Is that it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do it that way (onto the SD card), or if you're not already using a T-Mobile ROM you can use XDA Tools which is easier. Basically the capabilities are spelled out for you with the available file types in the drop downs when you select a source.

Newbie looks for basics informations (upgrade/change ROM)

Hi to all
I was looking around the different forums, but I was not able to find the basics ... how to make a backup, how to upgrade (I have O2 ger 1.60.00 and would like to upgrade to the 1.60.52 or even try the special xda-developers rom (special edition) ...
Is there a brief (but also) complete expanation manual somewhere I was not able to find?
thank you
ps.: it is really a great machine and this is a great forum, exactly the best for the best

You can make a backup on a Storage Card or simply through ActiveSync-Tools-Backup/Restore.
If you upgrade you need to know a few things:
First of all I'm assuming you have an XDA II, with 1.60 O2 ROM. If you upgrade to a custom or hacked ROM you run the chance of a voided warranty with O2. You mention upgrading to O2's 1.60.52, which is within the "Brand ROM, and will not void your guarantee.
Regarding backups prior to ROM upgrades, I only backup my contacts and calendar, and email if you desire, but I do not perform a full backup. I have read that this can create problems when you try to reload a full backup that had an older ROM. I'm not sure, but I do not take the chance. Besides I have all my Programs, skins, dial pad skins and other stuff saved on my PC. After I do the upgrade I form a new partnership and automatically my contacts and calendar are loaded back on-no big deal. The time consuming part is reloading the applications, but it only takes an hour or two. Once again, no big deal.
Get the 1.60.52 ROM from O2 or this source or others, but make sure it is the manufacturers and not a hacked ROM.
Connect your device via USB, not serial.
The desktop or workstation you use to partner and upgrade your device should be XP operating system, or NT, 2000.
Make sure your PC (Desktop) has the screen saver and automatic power off set to "none". This is important.
Perform a hard reset (press power button and soft-reset at the same time.
Re-connect PPC and PC. Make sure you have a solid partnership. Guest is OK.
Simply open the ROM Upgrade and let it do its thing, loading ROM, ExtROM, and Radio Stack.
Do not interrupt anything, disconnect or anything else. Once again be patient.
I'm no Electronic or Computer Technician. All my training and use of any type of computing system is self-taught, trial and error. This doesn't mean recklessness, however. I have upgraded my device 3 times now, with the procedure outlined above, with no trouble. It has worked flawlessly.
The ROM Upgrade software does the work, not me. I just need to make sure that I have a good connection with my PPC and that I do not lose that connection while upgrading.
I hope this helps.
I'm sure there may be better ways of doing it, but this has been my experience and it works.
Ed

make an image of my ROM

hell guys how can i make an image of my mobile ROm with all the software I have installed so next time I just need to flash again the image I backed up....something like Ghost for PC....do u know anysoftware...better freeware?
thanks a lot
a hope this topic can be hepful for some other newbie
cu

Giordano said:
hell guys how can i make an image of my mobile ROm with all the software I have installed so next time I just need to flash again the image I backed up....something like Ghost for PC....do u know anysoftware...better freeware?
thanks a lot
a hope this topic can be hepful for some other newbie
cu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
You need:
1. SD card (128MB is big enough)
2. Terminal program that can speak through the USB port
3. A CID-unlocked device
Boot to the loader (hold CAMERA while powering on) - the "three color screen". Plug in the phone and kill the wcescomm.exe process on XP (this is the ActiveSync USB driver process)
Start your terminal program and hit return. You should get a command prompt.
Type: "r2sd all"
The phone will dump the enitre ROM, including the extended ROM, to the SD card.
When done it will tell you. Remove hte card and store somewhere safe.
To restore, insert card, hold the CAMERA key and turn the power on. There will be a brief prompt telling you to press the VOICE key if you wish to restore from the SD card. Press the VOICE key.
The phone will restore.
This will work even if you brick it, so long as you can get to the tri-color screen.
Note that it appears NOT to back up the SPL - I just used this to return to the T-Mobile ROM from the new I-Mate one, and EVERYTHING restored EXCEPT for the SPL, which remains at the former level. Not quite sure why..... it should have dumped it all, but that's missing.
However, the restore appears to be fine and it both loaded and went thorugh customization without incident.

great it's very easy actually...but I didnt get it what u mean for terminal program....is there any detail
thanks so much in any case

An ASCII terminal program that can talk out the USB port.
Terraterm (there's a patch for it) is one option; there are several others as well. Basically you need to be able to open an ASCII terminal connection to the USB port on the device.

GREAT THANXXXXXX 8)

SPL`
What is the SPL?

There are two little pieces of code that start up the phone. "IPL" or Initial Program Load" and "SPL" or "System (or software) Program Load"
For reasons I don't quite understand the SPL does not get restored reliably off a SD restore. It doesn't hurt anything, but it does leave you with a changed version number on the splash screen.

[Q] Advice sought for flashing Hermes 200

Hello all,
I am running a 64 bit Win 7 PC and an unlocked Hermes 200, with Win 6, which I wish to upgrade. I have used the Easy Hard-Spl v7 and the Hermes bootloader is showing an IPL 0f 1.04 and a SPL of 2.10 olipro. I have not flashed a phone ROM before and I wish to be safer than sorrier having bricked the Hermes.
I have the HTC_TyTN)WWE_3.54.255.3_6275_1.48.00.10_108.exe file which I wish to flash to the Hermes. I have renamed this file as a .zip file and extracted 8 files including RUU_Inside.exe (55,490kb). Again, I renamed this file as a .zip file and extracted another 8 files icluding RUU_signed.nbh (93,566kb). I am assuming that this is the file I need to flash.
To flash the Hermes ROM, I need to do:
1. have a 2Gb non-SHDC microSD card formatted to FAT32
2. rename RUU_signed.nbh to HERMIMG.nbh and copy this file to the root folder of the SD card
3. insert the SD card into the Hermes and start the bootloader
4. comfirm flashing on screen by pressing the power button
5. wait about 30 minutes
6. once flashing is confirmed as complete, do a soft reset
I am hoping that somebody that knows more than me, which is all of you, will confirm that my sequence of actions is correct or else point out my errors.
Many thanks for your help and advice,
Crag345

That is ok.
I think in step 4. that you will not confirm with power button, but with other one. Doesn't matters, it will tell you whitch one to press.
First flash AT&T ROM and than ROM image that you want, it is told on almost every [ROM] thread.

Searched high and low, can't find ROM
Before anyone bashes me for asking this, I've searched this forum and many others all evening and through the night and several times previously -- and EVERY SINGLE download link for any ROMs is broken. Can anyone help me locate a WM6.1 ROM that should work on a Cingular (now AT&T) 8525 (HTC Hermes)? By the way I'm no noob, I have successfully flashed ROMs to my HTC Wizard (AT&T 8125) and my HTC Apache and even cooked ROMs for it.
crag345, I'm in about the same boat as having thoroughly researched and being prepared to install a ROM for this thing (except still needing the ROM...hahaha) -- in general your approach seems solid, and those are the steps I've found too for flashing the Hermes from SD card.
Additional steps you might want to take, as found in some forum posts --
0. Make sure you have a ROM version that is compatible with your phone (you probably already did this, but extremely important so worth mentioning).
1.a) scan the SD card to verify integrity. Some have done this using a WM program called Storage Tools (I found Storage Card Tools, I think it is the same they were talking about, for $15). But in the wiki it says you can just use Properties, Tools, Error Checking (I found this on Windows desktop PC by right-clicking the drive letter first - they didn't mention that). I think the point of using Storage Card Tools was this guy had no access to a PC.
2.a) Copy or write down all the settings you can find in the phone, especially MEdia Net (this is from my own experience, after flashing you can't get internet, picture messaging, and similar stuff to work until this is re-entered). You can get there using Settings, Connections, Connections, and under MEdiaNet tap on Manage existing connections (might be called something else if you are with a carrier other than AT&T). Tap Edit, and go through each screen, capturing or writing down the settings.
2.b) Be sure your battery is charged, or phone plugged into charger.
7. Some forums on very similar HTC WM devices also advocate doing a hard reset after flashing a ROM. Not sure how necessary but it can't hurt. Possibly also of interest, if your carrier's ROM includes bloatware, you might be able to eliminate it by RIGHT BEFORE IT INSTALLS their customizations, hit soft reset button. Worked great for me on one phone, but on another phone it failed to stop the carrier customizations.
8. If pic msgs do not work, try going to MMS Options (in Messaging app), Menu, MMS server. (Menu and option names may vary depending on WM version). My notes are for AT&T -- Server name: type in anything. IP address: wireless.cingular.com. Port number: 80. Server address http://mmsc.cingular.com. Connect via: MEdia Net. send limit is 600KB.
---------- Post added at 08:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:13 AM ----------
also, 2.a)1. Obviously, back up any data you have in the phone's internal memory. My Documents, and anything customized you've saved at the \ root level or another subfolder in internal memory. Also back up calendar and contacts -- if you are using Google exchange sync this won't be a problem, it will all come back when you re-establish the account settings and sync -- but if not, you might want to use a PIM backup utility. SK Tools is my favorite.
2.a)2. If you have a registry editor, you might want to use it to export some customized settings for your programs, then you can much more quickly restore those settings after flashing or hard resetting the device. I use an app TaskMgr.exe in the RegEdit screen for exporting subtrees, especially in HKCU, Software. You'll see folders the correspond to apps you've installed. One to not overlook if you customize button settings, is \Microsoft\Shell\Keys. You can inspect items to see if the data is something you care to quickly reinstall. Tap and hold and you can export. This way you can restore PORTIONS of the registry. The new OS will have a registry that is sure to be different in many significant ways so you don't want to export the whole registry and reimport it all. Once you have flashed &/or hard reset a device, you'll need a program that reads .reg files in order to easily reinstall your preferences. If you have SK Tools, even the lite version, once it is installed the system will recognize .reg files.
2.a)3. A few apps don't seem to store their settings in the registry or anywhere that can easily be saved. WkTask (an EXCELLENT task manager and task switcher program) is like this, and also TCPMP (awesome media player). So, look through the various settings and write down how you like it set up, makes restoring much easier later.

tsugaguy said:
Before anyone bashes me for asking this, I've searched this forum and many others all evening and through the night and several times previously -- and EVERY SINGLE download link for any ROMs is broken. Can anyone help me locate a WM6.1 ROM that should work on a Cingular (now AT&T) 8525 (HTC Hermes)? By the way I'm no noob, I have successfully flashed ROMs to my HTC Wizard (AT&T 8125) and my HTC Apache and even cooked ROMs for it.
crag345, I'm in about the same boat as having thoroughly researched and being prepared to install a ROM for this thing (except still needing the ROM...hahaha) -- in general your approach seems solid, and those are the steps I've found too for flashing the Hermes from SD card.
Additional steps you might want to take, as found in some forum posts --
0. Make sure you have a ROM version that is compatible with your phone (you probably already did this, but extremely important so worth mentioning).
1.a) scan the SD card to verify integrity. Some have done this using a WM program called Storage Tools (I found Storage Card Tools, I think it is the same they were talking about, for $15). But in the wiki it says you can just use Properties, Tools, Error Checking (I found this on Windows desktop PC by right-clicking the drive letter first - they didn't mention that). I think the point of using Storage Card Tools was this guy had no access to a PC.
2.a) Copy or write down all the settings you can find in the phone, especially MEdia Net (this is from my own experience, after flashing you can't get internet, picture messaging, and similar stuff to work until this is re-entered). You can get there using Settings, Connections, Connections, and under MEdiaNet tap on Manage existing connections (might be called something else if you are with a carrier other than AT&T). Tap Edit, and go through each screen, capturing or writing down the settings.
2.b) Be sure your battery is charged, or phone plugged into charger.
7. Some forums on very similar HTC WM devices also advocate doing a hard reset after flashing a ROM. Not sure how necessary but it can't hurt. Possibly also of interest, if your carrier's ROM includes bloatware, you might be able to eliminate it by RIGHT BEFORE IT INSTALLS their customizations, hit soft reset button. Worked great for me on one phone, but on another phone it failed to stop the carrier customizations.
8. If pic msgs do not work, try going to MMS Options (in Messaging app), Menu, MMS server. (Menu and option names may vary depending on WM version). My notes are for AT&T -- Server name: type in anything. IP address: wireless.cingular.com. Port number: 80. Server address http://mmsc.cingular.com. Connect via: MEdia Net. send limit is 600KB.
---------- Post added at 08:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:13 AM ----------
also, 2.a)1. Obviously, back up any data you have in the phone's internal memory. My Documents, and anything customized you've saved at the \ root level or another subfolder in internal memory. Also back up calendar and contacts -- if you are using Google exchange sync this won't be a problem, it will all come back when you re-establish the account settings and sync -- but if not, you might want to use a PIM backup utility. SK Tools is my favorite.
2.a)2. If you have a registry editor, you might want to use it to export some customized settings for your programs, then you can much more quickly restore those settings after flashing or hard resetting the device. I use an app TaskMgr.exe in the RegEdit screen for exporting subtrees, especially in HKCU, Software. You'll see folders the correspond to apps you've installed. One to not overlook if you customize button settings, is \Microsoft\Shell\Keys. You can inspect items to see if the data is something you care to quickly reinstall. Tap and hold and you can export. This way you can restore PORTIONS of the registry. The new OS will have a registry that is sure to be different in many significant ways so you don't want to export the whole registry and reimport it all. Once you have flashed &/or hard reset a device, you'll need a program that reads .reg files in order to easily reinstall your preferences. If you have SK Tools, even the lite version, once it is installed the system will recognize .reg files.
2.a)3. A few apps don't seem to store their settings in the registry or anywhere that can easily be saved. WkTask (an EXCELLENT task manager and task switcher program) is like this, and also TCPMP (awesome media player). So, look through the various settings and write down how you like it set up, makes restoring much easier later.
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I might have a few on my old hhd, I'll dig through tomorrow and let you know (;
do you just need oem?