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How do I ensure the privacy of my qtec 9090 when selling it?

I am planning to sell my qtec 9090. I already did a hard reset which supposedly erased all my data. It is a well known fact though that erased data on memorysticks and harddisk can be easlily recovered. Should I take extra measures to prevent this from happening on my pocketpc? And if so which measures do you recommend? Thanks in advance fo the help!

Hi HXC.
You don't need to worry. Your device, know here as the Blue Angel runs WM 2003, which means all data (particularly emails, contacts, appointments ect.) is stored in RAM. It is not flash, but real RAM so there is no way to recover the data once hard reset was made.
The only thing that isn't wiped out by HR is the File store / Flash disk directory (I am not sure if your device has one and of its exact name).
But the only thing that might be there are file you put there manually or apps you chose to install there.
Deleting them should suffice as there are no readily available tools for pocket PC data recovery, but if you are still concerned there was a shredder tool somewhere (don't remember exactly) check out MemMaid and Pocket Mechanic.

Removing programs from the phone

The problem I'm having is that when I go to settings > system > remove programs, it only lists the first 11 programs that I've installed myself, so I cant see / remove newer programs since they are not listed there.
The programs (all cab files) were installed through usb via active sync.
Is there a tweak or a registry setting that can be used to keep that program list updated and show every program installed.
If not, how can I uninstall a program completely from within my phone itself ?
I'm trying to avoid uninstalls through active sync.

I wish I had an answer for you. I have been looking for an Installation Monitor, Registry Monitor, Filesystem Monitor tool for a long time now but I don't think there is one out there. What an Installation Monitor essentially would do is monitor any cab that you install and create a log of what that cab added/modified. That way, when you come to uninstall it you could perform a FULL uninstall and it would truely bring your device back to what it was before you installed the cab.
There are many of these types of tools for Windows XP/Vista but I haven't seen anything for WM6. Also there may be some limitations as these installation logs could be quite long. Regular Windows software such as "Advanced Uninstaller Pro" and they seem to do a good job.
I wish there was one for WM6 because everytime I install something and don't like it and remove it, it seems to leave hundreds of files lying around. I hate that...
The closest thing I have seen to an uninstaller program that goes beyond the standard Windows uninstaller is SKTools. It has an option to perform a "deep scan" for installed programs and it attempts to remove all files that that cab added and revert all registry keys back to their original state. I am still testing it out on Windows Mobile Emulator. It looks like if the original cab didn't create an installation log, WM doesn't know it got installed.

I just experienced this for the first time myself, although I have about 20 programs in my remove programs list. Opera 8.65 doesn't show up in the list of installed programs, even though it is there and still works. I was trying to uninstall it from main memory and try it on the storage card but I guess I'll have to hard reset to really get rid of it. Any other ideas?

PDA Set up for Newbies

There are a lot of great things on this web site, but not much for the real newbie. This submission is to help newbies get up to speed. The concepts and some details here can help almost any newbie with any PDA.
I’ve worked with computers for 30 years since they were driven by “audio cassette” tapes. BUT I’m a PDA newbie! When I got my PDA, a Cingular 8525 (HTC Hermes), I compared it to my last cell phone and was amazed that it had a color screen. I had no clue how I was supposed to get it to do what I wanted it to do. Since I‘m retired, I spent long hours on many days researching, finding free software, and learning and doing things to make it what I wanted. These are the results. I’m not going to go into all the research, just give you the findings and actions. Read your manual or download one from the Internet to learn the very basics of your phone. Try every possible button, menu and program to see what they do. Don‘t be afraid to crash your PDA at this point so long as you know how to do a Hard Reset (HR). I’m not going to give keystrokes on how to find the following data. Just don’t transfer important information to the PDA until later.
First, decide what you need to do versus what you would like it to do. Here’s what I wanted. I travel a lot and wanted a mini computer I could do MS Office work on, access the Internet to take care of business, call home on, find my way in strange locations, and enjoy a little. IOW, do what my desktop does except I wanted to carry it in my pocket.
One thing that will happen while you are doing all the following is that many of the PDA programs will show up as installations in your “Add/Remove Program” program in your Control Panel on your desktop. Since this includes entries going into your registry, it can lead to different problems. I use Norton Ghost back up to totally back up my system drive, let things happen as they will, then restore it back to normal when I’m all done. Then I install only ActiveSync, MyMobiler and Remote Keyboard plus a few others than I want to sync with when I connect occasionally. You should strongly consider doing this yourself.
First, I found out what I had - A full install of WM6 with several programs I really didn’t want and a real problem when I began loading program I wanted - not enough memory. The device says I have 64 Mb of RAM and 128 Mb of Flash memory (this is the “hard disk” storage available). When I looked at memory allocation it said:
Storage Program
Total 44.77 48.77
In Use 10.96 23.55
Free 33.81 25.20
This means out of the 128 Mb of storage 44.77 + 48.77 = 93.54 Mb were available and being used. Where’s the rest? Being taken up by the Extended ROM which holds the installation and system programs you are safer NOT playing with unless you know how to - like RegEdit, Task Manager (not Task), etc. These are system “hidden” files you can play with and really screw up your PDA. With “AdvancedConfiguration” you can set Extended ROM to be read and used. Also, almost ½ of the total available area set aside for Program installation on the hard disk was already used. I tried and found I could NOT delete or move any of the originally loaded files in “Windows” folder. We’re stuck with the bloat.
I haven’t found out for sure but (someone correct me here, please) the Storage seems to be used for a dedicated operating Page File or programs loaded into active operating memory type of work based on how many running programs you have running right now and the Program refers to the actual Flash (hard disk) space set aside for installations. Think of your desktop as having only a 50 Mb hard disk and having to have the operating system, Page File and programs plus storage on it. Doesn’t leave much.
A neat little trick I learned is that when you do a HR and are reinstalling the OS it pauses for 3 seconds with an explanation screen at one point before going on to install other proprietary programs (some of which were junk to me). If you want to know what was different, back up all your personal data and do a HR and let it run fully. Check all the Settings and Programs screens to write down what you have. Do it again but push the Soft Reset (SR) pin in the hole when it gets to that 3 second pause and let it reboot. It will stop the extended installation. When you do this you will find the numbers are now:
Storage Program
Total 44.77 48.77
In Use 5.77 22.85
Free 39.00 25.92
IOW, you cut your Page File use (running programs loaded into memory) by ½ but you didn’t really change what was taking up your Flash memory. That’s because during the install every program is loaded into the “Windows” directory and then installed or not. If not installed, they just sit there and can’t be deleted or moved.
In order to change this memory bloat I had to find a different way. The only way I could find was to “cook” my phone and hope it didn’t turn into a “brick” to throw away or send back to the factory for a fix. I began looking at what was available. Keep in mind that I had written down ALL the programs installed by WM6 full and WM6 Lite (fast SR at 3 second screen). I had decided what I would like to have and what I didn’t need or want. This is important to do before this next step.
I am very experienced at installing lots of OSs over the years from CP/M (really, really old), DOS, Windows XT up to Windows XP (very different from XT) and tweaking the hell out of them. Doing it on the PDA had me a little concerned because it’s so tiny and different (so what, right?). I learned that it really is about the same as my desktop in setup and running. The first time I did it, I was worried and then surprised at how easy and straight forward it was. If you are concerned about this step and have this particular PDA, go to http://www.america.htc.com/support/8525/software-downloads.html , download the most current OS and do an install from your desktop to PDA with it. If your phone bricks send it to the factory, it’s their system. Once you’ve done it, it’s much less worrying. If you have a different phone do a little Google research and/or read more on this forum for your particular phone.
I researched different ROM cooks to see what they had compared to what I wanted. I came up with Shamanix and K-Flex as most likely for me. Their installs went just as easily and safely as the WM6 did. Don’t look at just the pretty colors, look at what programs they have and how they function doing what you want. Do some “WM6 FREE SOFTWARE” Google searches to find out what is available out there and what you can get it to do. Here are the test results with both Full install and Lite install:
Shamanix K-Flex
Full Lite Full Lite
Total 66.18 50.77 66.18 50.77 66.80 44.77 66.80 44.77
In Use 2.66 21.00 2.63 18.77 9.11 28.52 2.78 23.19
Free 63.52 29.77 63.55 31.99 57.69 20.25 64.01 25.70
FIRST - Now 66.18 + 50.77 = 110.95 for Shamanix and 66.80 + 44.77 = 111.57 for K-Flex versus only 93.54 Mb for WM6. Suddenly the OS installation files squeezed out an extra 18 Mb of Flash storage for other things. That’s a LOT when many programs average as little as 200 Kb (fit 90 in that free space). Next, K-Flex used almost as much Flash (hard disk) storage as WM6 but Shamanix only used 18.77 in the Lite install which freed up almost 6 Mb for more programs.
Sounds good, right? Remember, check what each OS provides, how you like the looks and what you want on you PDA. Since camera, media and online gaming usage are not important to me, Shamanix Lite is best for me. It still requires a few additional installs to replace what it doesn’t provide but that’s better than the bloat.
(PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT REPLY)

2nd half of first post
(Continued from beginning of thread)
Next, I bought a 2 Gb microSD card. That’s great for storage, but I want to install programs to that location, especially the ones I don’t use very often and can run slow safely (cards are much slower than RAM). Save the Flash storage for anything that needs processing speed like music, video, gaming, etc. Once you have a card installed, every time you want to install a program, it asks where to install. If you have access to ER enabled you can select from Device, Extended ROM or Storage Card. Use Storage Card as 1st, and Device 2nd. I tweak installation folders on my desktop but on the PDA you can’t. If it’s going to the Storage Card it will create the proper folder automatically like most Windows installations do in Program Files. Also, if you already have it loaded, it will tell you it must uninstall the prior one before it can install the new one. Actually, they’ve made PDA pretty idiot proof which is a good thing.
Before I go any further, here are two almost mandatory FREE programs you MUST HAVE!!!! MyMobiler and Remote Keyboard can be found many places. Both will allow you to connect your PDA to your desktop with a USB cable and set your PDA aside while you do everything on your desktop. It gives you a copy of the PDA screen on your monitor you can zoom plus use the normal mouse and keyboard on so long as the mouse is hovering over the PDA screen. Sooooo muchchch eeesieeer!!!!!!! In fact, it should be your first two installs before anything else!
Here’s a helpful hit on installing programs. Many times an installation program will come as a .exe file you run from your desktop. What it usually does is extract and create a folder that will hold a couple of files ending in .CAB. Then it will copy the appropriate .CAB to your mobile device. Then it will run the .CAB for installation. The .CAB is the important part. All the rest essentially sets up your desktop to run the .CAB on your PDA. Many times the installation program will be a .ZIP, .RAR, or other compressed file or even a .CAB file. If it’s a compressed file, uncompress it and look for the .CAB. When looking at .CAB files you will often find several with identical names except for the few letters just before the “.CAB”. These are the same but designed for different types of operating systems. I’m sorry I can’t rediscover the link for the details (maybe someone reading this will give us the link later) but I did learn that those with .ARM, .ARM4, Xscale, or rarely PXA, OMAP, or Samsung S3C24xx are for the newer PDAs running WM5 or WM6. Every PPC2000-2003 and every smartphone on the market (at least that I know of) is an ARM device. The others are for older system. If in doubt, try to run each one. The ones that are incorrect will NOT install. Only the one that IS correct will. From then on you will know which type to copy to your PDA. Once copied to a named folder (I use “Install CABs”) on the Storage Card, they can be simply clicked on at any time and installed. To regain memory or stop using it, use “Remove Programs” in Settings/System to get rid of them. You can reinstall anytime later.
One thing I did was move almost all of the CAB files for the programs I wanted to a designated folder on the Storage Card. One suggestion from others is to rename each CAB with a “#-“ in front of the name with the number corresponding to importance of that CAB to you. That way, when you do a reinstall, or HR, out in the field, your CABs are with you and you can see which ones should be loaded first. This works well if there is some conflict with installs one after another. Personally, I haven’t run into that so I rename them to a shorter name that identifies what it is (e.g. in35prtv33.24.arm4.cab becomes PocketPool.cab). The next thing I do is use the settings or preferences in each program to make a folder on the Storage Card the default folder - like My Documents, Favorites, Downloads, etc. Now they won’t be lost if I have to HR the PDA.
Along with the information in the above paragraphs, I do something else because I’m gone when I’m most using my PDA. On the Storage Card (a copy on each card I have) is the installed programs in the normal “Program” folder which are my operating files and a copy of the “Install CABs” folder which also includes a backup of my Contacts. One additional item is a “Serials” folder in the “Install CABs” folder. This has a .txt file of all the registration codes I need plus copies of all the altered (cracked) files I need if I have to reinstall anything on the road. So long as I can Hard Reset my phone, I can reinstall everything back to normal and continue as I need. Since I have several Storage Cards this is on each card. The balance of the Storage cards will have different eBooks, music, DVDs, etc. that don’t all fit on one card. That way, I have several backups of critical files plus entertainment as needed. I use a small dot of different colored paint on the bottom edge of each card so I can tell which card is in the phone at any time.
With all the above, if my PDA freezes or stops working properly, the universal fix-it is to do a Hard Reset. If that doesn’t work, I’m SOL. If it does I’m in business. All I do is a HR (Lite) and soft reset at the 3 second warning. Then I go back into my Storage Card and reinstall those programs I need to get back to where I can work.
Once you have things loaded and working properly, you can consider tweaking the system. During this process you may have found multiple editions of software you want to use like three different registry editors, five different tweak programs, etc. Go ahead and compare and see which ones you want and delete the rest. On a PDA it’s fairly easy. When everything is said and done, you can do a clean HR and only load those specific versions you want and have a fresh, clean, trim system to backup as your first installation process.
Finally, so you can see the results I came up with in this process, here’s a list of the programs I installed. All are on and working. None of them have to be cleared before I can have room to open another one. These are the final versions of similar programs such that there is minimal overlap but expanded utility when more than one is installed.
Sound Pocket Dictate
Mortgage CALC
WkTASK
Touch Caller
Tao Java
GSFinder+
Pocket Mechanic
Adobe Reader
ActiveX Flash 7
Sompy Media Player
enAlarmPPC
True Term Translator
TT Swedish-English
TT Spanish-English
TT Portugese-English
TT Italian-English
TT German-English
TT French-English
Town Compass US Travel Directory
Town Compass DataViewer
Tagalog for Travelers
SKTools
Paris Guide
Metro
mCity Tours
Google Maps
Flashlight Colors
UniSync
Spb Pocket Plus
tGetFile.dll
MIcrosoft .NET CF 2.0
Maufait Instafind
DinaSoft Tap Text
DinaSoft MemMaid
DinaSoft HandyMenu
CallFirewall
Tab Web Viewer (IE)
Dictionary Manager
Schap's Advanced Config 2.0
Yahtz
Warefare Incorporated
Vision Quest
Trivial Pursuit
Super Wild Wild Words
Space Adventure in Infinite Space
Smart Mahjongg
Dames are Trouble Game
Word Mojo
Ultimate Bowling Fighter
Mazera
Mars Need Cows
Hellfire
Bzzz
Realms
1001 Crossword Puzzle
Xplodus
Xonix
Pocket Spades
Patience
JumpyBall
Hot Death Uno
Advanced Lines
Here are my original results on memory usage.
Storage Program
Total 44.77 48.77
In Use 5.77 22.85
Free 39.00 25.92
Here are the final results
Storage Program
Total 66.18 50.77
In Use 36.55 25.77
Free 29.63 25.00
In other words, by opening and freeing the Extended ROM, Putting as much on the Storage Card as possible and applying a few tweaks for caching and folder locations, I still have almost as much of both Storage and Program Memory as I started with to run almost anything without having to remove and reinstall programs on the fly.
It’s a lot easier than you think and idiot proof in most cases. Don’t fear playing with your PDA and making it what you want. Have fun and ENJOY!
Dr. Ken Rich

Pre-activated TomTom + maps in a cooked ROM? **NOT WAREZ**

Hi, I would like to give my dad my old Kaiser and my copy of TT6 now I don't need them.
However, I doubt very, very much that he will remember to keep it charged (He uses his phone like once a month) and it will most likely hard reset, losing the TT install.
I was wondering, is it possible to set it up so that should it hard reset, he will not need to reactivate tomtom maps.
I am thinking something along these lines:
1) Install a bit of s/w that monitors for registry changes.
2) Install TT6 and the maps, and activate.
3) Take a dump of the registry changes, and a copy of the files installed to the device
4) Build a CAB to install the REG and files in the right places and inject it into the ROM.
I guess that the maps could be installed to the SD card, as long as the s/w had the correct activation info then they would be OK?
Would that work? Any advice appreciated.

If a device running WM5 or newer goes flat it doesn't lose any of the applications or software that are installed, this used to be the case with WM2003SE or earlier OS, so let him have the device and it won't give you any issues with lost applications/ hard resets.
If you are still worried about this consider Sprite Backup, but it really isn't needed for this - Mike

evilc said:
Hi, I would like to give my dad my old Kaiser and my copy of TT6 now I don't need them.
However, I doubt very, very much that he will remember to keep it charged (He uses his phone like once a month) and it will most likely hard reset, losing the TT install.
I was wondering, is it possible to set it up so that should it hard reset, he will not need to reactivate tomtom maps.
I am thinking something along these lines:
1) Install a bit of s/w that monitors for registry changes.
2) Install TT6 and the maps, and activate.
3) Take a dump of the registry changes, and a copy of the files installed to the device
4) Build a CAB to install the REG and files in the right places and inject it into the ROM.
I guess that the maps could be installed to the SD card, as long as the s/w had the correct activation info then they would be OK?
Would that work? Any advice appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another approach could be to keep the required cabs in the extended memory, modify the autoinstall.exe (usually by changing the autoinstall.ini) that runs after a hard reset to install the required files.
the only problem is that you would have to manually register the application.
(simply making changes in the reg. will not register/activate TOMTOM).
maybe you could have a note installed that would have the required registration info??
the other way would be to use a pre-activated tomtom.

Moving apps to SD card. Real advantage ?

Hi!
I'm considering to move apps to the sd card. But, I want to know whats the real advantage to do this.
It's just the more space on internal storage ? Or may be an easy way to "reinstall" apps after a system upgrade ?
If I upgrade to cupcake (for example), my apps still there ? If I just make the "ln" command, the apps "reappear" ? I think not, but ...
Any comment will be apreciated.

registry
you would have to have some kind of backup of registry or at least the registry keys for the programs you would be "reinstalling". Task Manager by FdcSoft is one good program that can do it (I think it is a module called , mine is v3.1). Total Commander is another one that says it can back up registry or registry keys but mine always gets stuck. In all other respects though it is an indispensable tool.
possibly the best approach to use instead, is keep a library of your cab files (make them read-only with Total Commander before you install so they don't disappear), and then when you do an actual reinstall it will do the registry stuff for you, perhaps more correctly than trying to piecemeal restore from registry key backups. I also like to save a shortcut to the websites I got the cab files from, to check for updates later. you can save to favorites, then get them from \windows\favorites in Total Commander and cut/paste them into the library on the storage card.
this way if you need to rebuild your system you have all the original install files in one easy place to work from, and a cleaner registry should be the result.

not sure about dream...?
my post a minute ago was assuming my news reader took me to the XDA forum for HTC wizard - however now I see you asked about Dream. So the basic concepts still apply, but specific programs I mentioned might not.

yes, the sd storage option will allow you to save internal space for stuff like email,sms, and mms.
also, as far as i know updates dont require you to reinstall applications. only baseband radio updates require losing programs. of course many people say you should "wipe" (eg restore) your phone after updates to ensure a clean install....your mileage will, of course, vary.

pinetreehater said:
yes, the sd storage option will allow you to save internal space for stuff like email,sms, and mms.
also, as far as i know updates dont require you to reinstall applications. only baseband radio updates require losing programs. of course many people say you should "wipe" (eg restore) your phone after updates to ensure a clean install....your mileage will, of course, vary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've been RC29, RC30, RC33 and have not had to wipe at all .. you never have to wipe .. but depending and how much stuff you modify on your phone you could screw things up to the point where a wipe is necessary

I had to wipe when I went from RC30 with a custom theme to RC33 for some reason. I got the infamous flashing-android-loop-screen thingy. After a wipe it installed without a hitch.