Related
hi,
Having just purchased my M500 today im a noob to all things magician and m500!
Looking around this interesting site i notice a lot of talk about big storage. Sorry if this question has been asked before, but what is big storage?
Lets say i di the big storage thing......would i then loose my current orange rom on my device?
Is it easy to do? I've updated the rom on my c500 and that was straight fwd, can sombody explaain to m500 noob, but is willing to learn!
luvin the site.
I have a m500, and i have changed the original rom (as suplied with the m500) to bigstorage.
It wipes out the hidden partion that is used to brand the phone and increases the "storage" partion (which as default is around 7mb) to 27mb, the only downside is that the branding apps that are hidden are no longer on your device.
This means that when you hard reset the device you will have to manualy choose the files to install.
Imp
Thats a great explanation, thanks.
I've been messing around so far, and i think i understand the whole process. Coudl you just confirm this for me?
I have downloaded the big storage rom WWE.111 from the ftp and swapped the first 416bytes in hex editor with the first 416bytes from my rom which i've got from my ohone. i then load the edited WWE.111 big storage rom back into my m500 using the sd card method. An that will give me a bigstorage rom?
could somebody post the extrom of the m500 please ?
thanks
M500 Rom upgrade
I have been trying to upgrade it to 1.12 ROM, however when I used ntrw to write it onto my SD card, it said parameter incorrect, then when I flash my M500, it said Check Sum error. Any remedy? Also has anyone tried the Radio 1.13?
EggZenBeanz, thats right. should give you bigstorage....remember to ignore the error messages on your phone after you copy the rom from your sd card.
Dutty, there is already the orange m500 ext rom on the ftp site.
vz7, they are the same errors that i got when i big rom'ed mine (even tho i am still on rom 1.06 (not worried in upgrading the rom as yet)
as i said in the other post, i upgraded to 1.13 radio rom last night with no problem.
EDIT
if anyone wants my desciption of the orange ext rom (what each cab files do) give us a shout. i went though them one by one and isntalled them, to see if i wanted them or not.
Imp
Thankyou for clearing these things up. As the post suggested im a noob to all this, so i wanted to get it clear in my mind on top of reading all the tuts i could find.
So, when the rom hack has been applied and is working. i get 25mb extra storage, and i should loose all the clearview stuff etc.. Thats cool cheers.
Impossible said:
EDIT
if anyone wants my desciption of the orange ext rom (what each cab files do) give us a shout. i went though them one by one and isntalled them, to see if i wanted them or not.
Imp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't mind a discription of the cabs on the rom as im just about to "Go large".
I wouldn't mind a list of what each file does either - I'd thought about doing a big storage hack on my m500, but there wasn't anything available last time I checked.
Presumably I can copy all the files for the storage area onto my SD card, and save them for later?
Where abouts is the ROM on the ftp site? I couldn't see anything that specifically mentions the m500...
Edit - OK, I think I understand now...I found a useful guide that I followed.
The only problem is, I've only got a 1gb sd card, so the hex editor won't open the rom image after I've dumped it! Is there any way around this, or do I need to get 128mb card?
The file of the descriptions is a bit scruffy atm, i will tidy it up and post it again soon here. (scruffy file attached to this post, you need to be logged into the forums to dl'ed it)
the path to the m500 ext rom is ..... i cant connect to the ftp atm.
I backed up the ext rom on my desktop pc, and put the vital cabs on a sd card that i have spare and keep in my wallet, just incase the rom resets.
I had a similar problem to dan13l when i dumped the rom, the ntrw.exe app is a bit of a pig, as it dumps a image of the sd card, and not of the actual rom.... i used a 256mb card, i suppose you could partion the 1gig card to around 256mb then try it out?
something that i didnt read was, when performing the rom dump, is that the sd card will be fully erased during dump. So back it up if you need the data on it.
one word about one of the cabs in the ext rom, OrangeUK_ActionE_Connection.cab is a odd one. It encloses some apps that i didnt like installed on my m500 but it has the gprs settings inside it, i have managed to pull these out and put them in there own cab. This helps prevent installing the annoying "action" programs
Imp
Thanks for that Impossible.
I noticed you've mentioned another MMS version in that text file, is there an updated mms app somewhere?
I found the ext rom on the ftp - that'll come in handy I'm sure.
There appears to be three ways of applying the big storage hack:
1) Apply a rom with Big Storage already hacked into it. This involves copying the first chunk of the standard rom using a hex editor and pasting it over the new rom. Correct?
2) Manually edit two bits of hex on a dumped rom, and reflash using the modified version.
3) Run a tool against a dumped rom to make the changes for you.
Now, I was working towards 2 until I had my sd card problem. I'm going to buy a 256mb card on my way home tonight and try with that. Am I right in thinking that if I dump my m500's rom, then apply the hex changes, that rom could be used for all m500's? As I understand it, option 1 is only relevent if you're applying a rom from one device to another (so a Jam to an M500, for example)?
So, in theory, once one of us has managed to modify the m500 rom (as you've done already, Impossible) then that rom image could be uploaded and used on all m500's? Also, if someone uploads an unmodified m500 rom, that could be used to revert back later if needs be...
Is all this correct? I think I'm starting to get my head around things.
the comments in the cab file description are a bit funny, its my own personal scrall that i found out over the test i did on the cabs, i think i found newer vesions on the ftp and installed these apps instead of the ones that orange comes with, and the "about" on the app confirmed this.
I will revisit the file soon and tidy it up making it more helpful.
i dumped my m500 rom (with the intention of keeping the 1.06 version that came with my m500) then i used mksBigStoragerENG.exe to patch it to bigstorage.
If anyones intrested in me uploading the 1.06 rom with big storage i will, but you have to remember that this has not got any orange branding on. the next step if you did use this rom would be to apply the choosen cab files to apply the settings/apps you want.
Also, i dont mind uploading the original rom (complete with the ext rom) but i think that was on there when i last looked at the ftp.
dan13l, i did just realise, even if you formated your 1gig card to a smaller size, the dump will clear that out
prehaps you could find a different hex editor? or even use the mksBigStoragerENG.exe app that I used to patch mine, instead of a editor (which reverts the rom file from your storage card size, back down to its original size of around 62mb)
Imp
Yay! It worked
Now I just need to reinstall everything.
I'll post everything I did later, got to go and eat something now!
Impossible - thanks for your help. Do you have the GPRS settings you extracted? I don't want to have to install the whole action engine thing...
Thanks again all.
All sorted - I managed to extract the gprs settings myself and create a cab.
FYI - the latest MMS app I found was dated May, and doesn't appear to work on the m500. I've not tried the March version yet.
GPRS settings etc are available on buymobilephones.net
V
Noob alert
Is there a nice HTML guide which tells a muppet how to do this? How to keep any Orange apps copied somewhere else and re-install after the hack IF wanted? A list of the additional Orange apps and what they do?
Thanks.
Meth
can someone post the link to the orange extrom - i can't find the ftp....
cheers
al
ftp://ftp.xda-developers.com/Magician/Extended_Roms/M500_WWE1.06.175/
Methanoid said:
Noob alert
Is there a nice HTML guide which tells a muppet how to do this? How to keep any Orange apps copied somewhere else and re-install after the hack IF wanted? A list of the additional Orange apps and what they do?
Thanks.
Meth
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to the link posted by sporkguy and download everything - that's the contents of your extended rom.
Next, go here: http://tinyurl.com/dhgoc
That's about the best guide I've found (although there are a couple of good ones on this site). Follow the steps on there to use the mksBigStorager executable to patch your rom.
I think it would be possible to upload a pre-patched rom image for the m500 to the ftp, and simply write that to an sd card (using the last section of the guide linked to above).
Please can you take a loo at this screen grab. What do i stand to gain from the storage hack? This piccy is pre storage hack.
Hi all,
Almost everytime I check the forum I see a lot of rom upgrade & BIG Storage questions. Apparently not everyone is familiar with the wiki and search options on the board. That's a shame cause almost all the questions are answered in the already existing threads. So why a new thread about the same topic?
1. I'm chauvinistic and want my name on the board ;-)
2. To aggregate a part of my knowledge in one place for easy access.
3. To promote the wiki
- So if you tried to upgrade your rom and got an error 120: follow this description http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=MagicianRomUpgrade
- If you failed in upgrading your rom somehow & now you're stuck in the bootloader: just make sure usb connections are allowed in Active Sync, connect your magician with usb to your PC and run the rom upgrade program again.
Sometimes it helps at this stage to downgrade ActiveSync to version 3.8 (see the post from benenglish).
- If you need to go to bootloader for any reason (including incorrect rom upgrade) press 'camera, power and soft-reset' all at the same time for some seconds, till your screen fades and reads: Serial V1.0x. When you connect it to usb it should read ' usb V1.0x
- If you want to change the language from your magician (not including from or to Greek, cause those roms and devices are protected), just use http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=MagicianRomUpgrade again.
- If you want to flash your magician with a charmer or any other rom, please don't you will loose your device when you kill your bootloader and that's very likely to happen while flashing a not suitable rom.
- Want a WWE BIG Storage rom the easy way? Follow http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=MagicianRomUpgrade and download ftp://xda:[email protected]_NK.nbf/BIG_Storage_nk_for_rom_1.13WWE.zip This NK.nbf is patched for BIG Storage, you only need to put it in the directory with the extracted shipped-rom.
- Want a BIG Storage rom in any language the easy way? Download a shipped-rom from the ftp or any telco and follow http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=MagicianRomUpgrade
- Want to get BIG Storage via a SD Card flash, read it here http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=MagicianSDflash
- Don't know what BIG Storage is? It is your ext-rom (with the operator customization cabs) exchanged for a larger internal Storage folder. So remember to backup those cabs before upgrading.
- When you want to revert from BIG Storage to the original Storage and ext-rom combination, make sure you put > 8MB data in your Storage folder before flashing it back with a normal rom. Otherwise you'll loose your Storage folder completely :-(. Seems that this might be a solution & doesn't work for everyone. Try it if reverting with empty \Storage folder isn't successful.
Any questions left, I guess so. Now don't be scared and put them on the board, nobody is going to eat you (at least not straight away) and someone will answer.
But remember that when this topic is still visible in the first page of this board I will probably stop answering new threads about BIG Storage and rom upgrading questions, I've done that for 5 months now and I'm starting to loose my interest.
Regards, M
Ps If you're really stuck in a rom upgrade & can't get it working, last resort is to pinpoint me to a location where I can download your rom-dump or the shipped-rom & I can prepare it for you. All it takes is a cup of coffee on my, for now, virtual world trip. Got Italy, Cyprus, Argentina, Asia, UK, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Turkey & US allready. So if you're living in any other country, especially Indonisia, Australia or New Zealand, be my guest.
Great job OLTP..
Your the man :lol:
- If you failed in upgrading your rom somehow & now you're stuck in the bootloader: just make sure usb connections are allowed in Active Sync, connect your Magician with usb to your PC and run the rom upgrade program again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AND USE ACTIVESYNC 3.8
My upgrade was stuck at this stage - removed Activesync 4.0 - Installed 3.8 and ran the firmware update again - its now "Upgrade Radio Stack - Please wait" with the progress bar going along on the screen.
Hope this helps
I've heard/read more complaints about Act.Sync 4.0. Though 4.0 is working flawless on my side, every contribution that works is valuable information. I updated the first post with it.
Thanks
Big storage
I did a big storage for my Mini by using a copy of my rom, changing the bytes as told in the guide to upgrading with a HEX Editor. I have installed programs to new storage gained but my main memory is showing very little memory. I have no programmes installed in main memory. What should I do now ?
How much memory have you got free. I got now, on my fully loaded device, 9.6MB storage & 22.5MB program memory occupied.
Did you happen to load all the cabs you copied from your ext-rom again? Those cabs install in RAM.
Cheers, M
stotage lost
pls help... i lost my storage when i flash my mini in my stock shipped rom i followed instruction of olps to soted data at least 8mb of files but it didnt works still lost my storage...
how can i back it again..is there any hope?..
thanks
First thing to do is to load the BIG Storage rom again. This should give you back the \Storage folder.
Now did you use the same rom version for BIG Storage as your original rom version? Some do claim it needs to be at least the same country version.
So pls try to revert to the same version only without BS & you can always try with an empty \Storage folder.
Seems that some tricks work out different on several devices.
Good luck, M
First thing to do is to load the BIG Storage rom again. This should give you back the \Storage folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks i got my storage is back...
Now did you use the same rom version for BIG Storage as your original rom version? Some do claim it needs to be at least the same country version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes i flash it wid the same version i followed the instruction on your post to be able to back the extended rom..
ill try again for the 2nd time...ill post if i succed
many thanks oltp
Can I upgrade my Mda compact 2 also with a sd-card like the compact ?
When I make a hardreset with the card in the slot, i cannot chosse to install from sd-card.
That's something I don't know. Try one of the board's for WM5 devices like the Wizard. Maybe you can find your info there.
Success, M
[edit] could you append it here too pls, if you find it?
Hi OLTP,
Right now I have 8.04mb free in storage memory (big hack). In MAIN memory around 3.10 mb in program memory (in use 23.47 mb). Storage (main) - in use 28.29 mb and free 2.55 mb. This keeps going less and less so from time to time as I use and close programs. So I keep doing a soft reset. I get critical memory short error. What do I do.
Should I flash with my saved original ROM (the one I had before doing the hack) and then immediately flash the saved Big Rom ? Please let me know. You are the Guru.
@ Galahad: What kind of software did you install after the update? & how's the memory pressure right after a hard-reset (don't forget to make a proper backup first)?
Do you use cabinstl to install cabs to another location then 'default' (which is RAM)? & tell Act.Sync to install to Storage or Storage Card, otherwise your RAM will be used up very soon.
My advice no need to reflash right now, a hard-reset should be sufficient to see what is causing your prob.
M
After the hack I had installed couple of commercial software, all into storage memory thru active sync which prompts you where you want to install. I choose storage memory (26.92). I keep doing this for all the commercial software I need to install. When I finished doing this I had 6 mb free. so far so good. Then I started installing cabs files from Ext Rom copy on harddisk, with cabinst. These were smart dial cab, O2 connect and a few other (which I thought necessary) cab files. These too I installed into storage memory. If my memory serves me right, I started experiencing a sudden slide down in memory after this. Before this I had around 25 mb memory free. Then suddenly the slide down in memory. In fact Resco today plug in shows me the dramatic slidedown as if the memory is getting sucked down a black hole.
I will do a hard reset as suggested by you and then load my software into storage memory. This time I will not install cab files from Ext Rom. Is that OK ?
Your O2 software is def. causing your probs. If you need some apps from it, try WinCECabManager. With it you can see which files are stored where on your device. After cab installation you can move them to eg. \Storage\Windows & change all links & reg keys referring to those files. Or change tea cab-file of course. It can take some time, but ves a huge amount of RAM.
M
Thanks ! I will try your suggestion. Have never used WINceCab Manager. Hope it is not too technical.
Not for me, it's a bit like explorer. But then again I'm not standard.
Some good news !
Like I said, I had around 24 mb free memory after the big storage hack (after installing all applications, whether in storage memory or storage card).
The good news is that all my FREE MEMORY has come back. Don't know really how it happened. I was using my blue tooth device which I switched thru the icon on the screen bottom right.
In error I touched the icon to rotate screen orientation. When I finally got my orientation correctly, I also got all my lost memory.
IMAGINE THAT !
Thanks for all your quick responses and great help you gave me. I will surely emulate you helping ways.
oltp said:
Hi all,
- Want a WWE BIG Storage rom the easy way? Follow http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=MagicianRomUpgrade and download ftp://xda:[email protected]_NK.nbf/BIG_Storage_nk_for_rom_1.13WWE.zip This NK.nbf is patched for BIG Storage, you only need to put it in the directory with the extracted shipped-rom.
But remember that when this topic is still visible in the first page of this board I will probably stop answering new threads about BIG Storage and rom upgrading questions, I've done that for 5 months now and I'm starting to loose my interest.
Regards, M
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear OLTP, I am not able to find the patched nk.nbf on the ftp. Kindly check it is not there.
When I use nbfdec.exe for decoding the NK.nbf it gives me crc error and the decoding fails. whereas with the same set of NK.nbf,ms.nbf and radio.nbf I have success fully upgraded my magician to WWE1.13 with radio1.13 Kindly help
Hi guys (and gals)
First, thanks to c_shekhar for the Himalaya WM5 roms. Top Job
I'm quite new to WM5 and it has taken a little while for me to work out
how the XDA memory usage has changed from older PocketPC versions.
I thought I'd share how I think it looks for others, like me, who are using WM5
for the first time, thanks to the great ROMS on this site.
I've probably got bits of this wrong. Feel free to correct me
1st we need to understand what memory is in an XDAII:
128MB RAM (non-volatile after soft reset | volatile after hard reset)
32MB Flash ROM - Integrated with CPU (non-volatile after soft or hard reset)
32MB Flash ROM - Disk On Chip (DOC) (non-volatile after soft or hard reset) *
* All or part of this will get formatted if you select YES on the FORMAT STORAGE option on hard reset on WM5
The 32MB DOC Flash Rom is divided into two 16MB partitions by default:
Half goes to extROM
Half goes to persistant storage
Pre WM5 the memory map looked like this:
PRE WM5 - MEMORY MAP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
...................| Storage (Installed Program Files, My Docs etc
128MB RAM.| Programs (running apps)
...................| Pocket PC OS (i.e. running state)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
32MB Flash / CPU..| System ROM (i.e. where the ROM .nbf goes) (/Windows folder?)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
16MB Flash DOC.| extROM (hidden by default. Contains vendor specific apps / hard reset - system startup)
16MB Flash DOC.| Persistant Storage (/Storage folder on pre WM5)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre WM5 pocketPC versions allowed you to dynamically select the amount
of (non-persistant) storage / Program space via the memory applet. Obviously
a hard reset would lose any programs installed into this RAM area of memory. Also the file system had a /Storage folder so you knew where to put impotant files that a hard reset wouldn't wipe out.
Things have all changed with WM5. Thus: (Based on c_shekhar 3.50a ROM)
WM5 - MEMORY MAP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
...................| 37MB Programs (running apps)
...................| 40MB RAMDisk Storage (Non persistant storage /RAMdisk folder)
128MB RAM.| 24MB PagePool (PocketPC OS Cache ares (?))
...................| 27MB Pocket PC OS (i.e. running state)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
32MB Flash / CPU | System ROM (i.e. where the ROM .nbf goes) (/Windows folder?)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
16MB Flash DOC.| extROM (hidden by default. Contains vendor specific apps / hard reset - system startup)
16MB Flash DOC.| Persistant Storage (14MB Formatted space)**
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
** WM5 no longer has a /Storage folder. Now /My Document /Program Files etc
reside in this persistant area
Obviously one benefit to this re-arrangement is that a hard reset does not wipe
out your installed program, assuming you don't FORMAT STORAGE in the WM5 hard reset screen.
If you are using c_shekhar's ROM then the extROM area is not used. In fact its
probably is sitting there invisible to you with the old pre WM5 vendor apps wasting space. There are tools to make this 16MB partition visible and merge it into the existing 16MB DOC partition to give you 32MB of persistant storage.
Instructions >here<
To check how much storage space you have:
Start>>Settings>>System Tab>>Memory
Storage Total will be circa 14.60MB for standard Install
Storage Total will be circa 30.53MB for merged extROM modification
There are also ways to change the size of the PagePool and RAMdisk but they are not discussed here. Search for c_shekhar + PagePool + RAMdisk
I hope this has been helpful
Please post any corrections, or further useful info
Regards
S_F
sawyer_family said:
Hi guys (and gals)
I hope this has been helpful
Please post any corrections, or further useful info
Regards
S_F
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very helpful indeed
thanks for all the research
Sorry to ask you silly questions... I am a newbie about PDA. And I stil didn't understand clearly concerning why extROM exist in PDA.
1. What is the real function extROM ?
2. I read from your writing, If I used c_shekhar rom it means extROM doesn't have any function anymore. Is it true ?
3. What are the risks if I merge extROM to storage ?
I hope you would like to be kind to explained this for me.
Regards
Selangkahlagi
Well..
selangkahlagi said:
Sorry to ask you silly questions... I am a newbie about PDA. And I stil didn't understand clearly concerning why extROM exist in PDA.
1. What is the real function extROM ?
2. I read from your writing, If I used c_shekhar rom it means extROM doesn't have any function anymore. Is it true ?
3. What are the risks if I merge extROM to storage ?
I hope you would like to be kind to explained this for me.
Regards
Selangkahlagi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...again I could be wrong here, and c_shekhar would know more about his ROM, but I think the general idea was:
1. XDA Manufacturer (i.e. HTC) provides main system ROM i.e. the pocketpc OS
2. The network supplier, or distributer (e.g. O2) provide the extROM ROM
Then when you hard boot the OS loads and autoruns and installs the branded
applications from the extROM to give you a clean branded install after a hard boot.
The extROM is readonly and invisible so you don't mess it up and can always
get back to the standard installation O2 or other supplier provided in the box.
My understanding is it is only used during a hard boot to install branded apps.
If you decide to install a ROM like c_shekhar's then he installs all the software
you need into the main system ROM. He doesn't use extROM to provide any
other applications that would install on a hard boot. In fact I assume he
takes out any call to the autorun in extROM which is why there are no app loads
when you hard boot his ROMs.
So you have a choice. Leave extROM alone and let 16MB of nonvolatile flash
rom sit there with O2 apps you'll probably never use again. Or, merge it into
the 16MB of storage space and get circa 32mb or storage.
There are always risks from flashing a pda device and messing about with flash
memory, especially from a non-official source. But then there are huge benefits from
c_shekhar providing us with a fantastic WM5 ROM that we otherwise wouldn't
have.
Hope this is correct and helpful.
S_F
What Needs To Be Done?
Dear all ,After upgarding rom of Shekhar My device stopped Reading MMC And SD card,unfortunately till now i have not get any reply about this issue ,can some one help me outof it ?
Require help >>>>>>>>
Thanks In advance.
creations_31 said:
Dear all ,After upgarding rom of Shekhar My device stopped Reading MMC And SD card,unfortunately till now i have not get any reply about this issue ,can some one help me outof it ?
Require help >>>>>>>>
Thanks In advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong thread to be asking in. But SD slot works ok on my XDA with 3.50a.40CS
I'd suggest you go back to an official ROM version and verify its not a hardware fault.
sawyer_family said:
...again I could be wrong here, and c_shekhar would know more about his ROM, but I think the general idea was:
1. XDA Manufacturer (i.e. HTC) provides main system ROM i.e. the pocketpc OS
2. The network supplier, or distributer (e.g. O2) provide the extROM ROM
Then when you hard boot the OS loads and autoruns and installs the branded
applications from the extROM to give you a clean branded install after a hard boot.
The extROM is readonly and invisible so you don't mess it up and can always
get back to the standard installation O2 or other supplier provided in the box.
My understanding is it is only used during a hard boot to install branded apps.
If you decide to install a ROM like c_shekhar's then he installs all the software
you need into the main system ROM. He doesn't use extROM to provide any
other applications that would install on a hard boot. In fact I assume he
takes out any call to the autorun in extROM which is why there are no app loads
when you hard boot his ROMs.
So you have a choice. Leave extROM alone and let 16MB of nonvolatile flash
rom sit there with O2 apps you'll probably never use again. Or, merge it into
the 16MB of storage space and get circa 32mb or storage.
There are always risks from flashing a pda device and messing about with flash
memory, especially from a non-official source. But then there are huge benefits from
c_shekhar providing us with a fantastic WM5 ROM that we otherwise wouldn't
have.
Hope this is correct and helpful.
S_F
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good Sutdy and informations for the newbees. appriciations for sawyer_family. There exists the autorun program for installing the third party S/Ws and configurations at the time of hard reset developed by buzz. But, I have not provided it in the ROM. It can install the S/Ws and configurations from the resrve space into the RAM just like it used to be with the ExtROM. Here the advantage is that ExtROM can be placed on the Storage card. Like I am using it on my device to install the third party S/Ws and all the stuff at the time of hard reset. I have placed all these stuff in folder called "Storage Card/ExtROM". May be I provide it in my next release If people require. ......
c_shekhar said:
Good Sutdy and informations for the newbees. appriciations for sawyer_family. There exists the autorun program for installing the third party S/Ws and configurations at the time of hard reset developed by buzz. But, I have not provided it in the ROM. It can install the S/Ws and configurations from the resrve space into the RAM just like it used to be with the ExtROM. Here the advantage is that ExtROM can be placed on the Storage card. Like I am using it on my device to install the third party S/Ws and all the stuff at the time of hard reset. I have placed all these stuff in folder called "Storage Card/ExtROM". May be I provide it in my next release If people require. ......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice idea c_shekhar, it is a brillian idea to put extROM in storage card. It will safe much place in ROM. I will waiting your work mate !!!!
sawyer_family said:
...again I could be wrong here, and c_shekhar would know more about his ROM, but I think the general idea was:
1. XDA Manufacturer (i.e. HTC) provides main system ROM i.e. the pocketpc OS
2. The network supplier, or distributer (e.g. O2) provide the extROM ROM
Then when you hard boot the OS loads and autoruns and installs the branded
applications from the extROM to give you a clean branded install after a hard boot.
The extROM is readonly and invisible so you don't mess it up and can always
get back to the standard installation O2 or other supplier provided in the box.
My understanding is it is only used during a hard boot to install branded apps.
If you decide to install a ROM like c_shekhar's then he installs all the software
you need into the main system ROM. He doesn't use extROM to provide any
other applications that would install on a hard boot. In fact I assume he
takes out any call to the autorun in extROM which is why there are no app loads
when you hard boot his ROMs.
So you have a choice. Leave extROM alone and let 16MB of nonvolatile flash
rom sit there with O2 apps you'll probably never use again. Or, merge it into
the 16MB of storage space and get circa 32mb or storage.
There are always risks from flashing a pda device and messing about with flash
memory, especially from a non-official source. But then there are huge benefits from
c_shekhar providing us with a fantastic WM5 ROM that we otherwise wouldn't
have.
Hope this is correct and helpful.
S_F
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Click to collapse
Thany you sawyer_family, you help me much to understand this topic.
Need help guys! How can i delete the files contained in my phone's storage or ext rom? I tried deleting the files but as soon as I soft reset my device, all of the files keep coming back... It really drains my battery big time and I want to get rid of it. How can I permanently delete the files contained in my phone's storage? Hope someone could help me here, thank you in advance!
Sukir420,
Not quite understand the question. Sorry, but you are referring to too many things without much details.. ExtROM, files in it and 'Storage' are two different things , The files in ExtROM are used by the device to install additional applications which are there in it, when you Hard Reset your device, and otherwise they just lie there eating that space.
It would help if you post more details about your device and current versions of Radio/ROM/ExtROM and whether your device is SupeCID unlocked etc.,
Anyway, act any of the below at your own risk.
a) If you would like to delete files in ExtROM first unlock (search this forum to get the extrom unlocker) it and make it visible then use a tool like TC (type /Extended_Rom folder) or Resco Explorer and delete filesfrom it. Alternatively you can pick up one of the empty ext ROMs floating around and flash that then unlock it to use that space as storage.
b) Do not understand or comment on whether files in ExtROM could significantly impact the battery drain!! , to my knowledge files in ExtROM may not impact battery too much.
rbalu72 said:
Sukir420,
Not quite understand the question. Sorry, but you are referring to too many things without much details.. ExtROM, files in it and 'Storage' are two different things , The files in ExtROM are used by the device to install additional applications which are there in it, when you Hard Reset your device, and otherwise they just lie there eating that space.
It would help if you post more details about your device and current versions of Radio/ROM/ExtROM and whether your device is SupeCID unlocked etc.,
Anyway, act any of the below at your own risk.
a) If you would like to delete files in ExtROM first unlock (search this forum to get the extrom unlocker) it and make it visible then use a tool like TC (type /Extended_Rom folder) or Resco Explorer and delete filesfrom it. Alternatively you can pick up one of the empty ext ROMs floating around and flash that then unlock it to use that space as storage.
b) Do not understand or comment on whether files in ExtROM could significantly impact the battery drain!! , to my knowledge files in ExtROM may not impact battery too much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, okay sorry for that. I am then referring to Ext Rom. Yes, sir I would like to flash an empty ext ROM for my uni but I can't seem to find one. If you could please help me with this I would definitely appreciate it Sir. The files located in my ext Rom has an autorun file with it and again, sorry for implying that about my uni's battery getting burned too quick.
My Uni is superCID unlocked and I am using Tomal's WM6.1 Rom right now. I had this problem since I flashed my Uni with the "WM5 faster than WM6 ROM" for its video calling feature but I was too hooked to WM6 that's why I flashed back to Tomal's.
So, if anybody can help me with an empty ext rom to flash, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks guys!
Here you go
You can find Empty Ext Rom here
Surprised to note taht when you are on Tomal wm 6.1 (hopefully 8.2) you should not have ext rom as is unless it is 'NOT UNLOCKED'.
Tomal's Rom makes the ExtRom as 'Storage' which is visible and uable for storing files.
Ensure that your Extended Rom is unlocked and Visible before flashing this empty one. Other alternative is, use the unlocker tool and reflash your current Tomal version, if you can manage to reinstall the applications you got post Hard Reset as that would for sure make ExtRom as 'Storage'.
Attached is a working Ext Rom unlocker(at least it worked for me)
All the best !
The link for the empty extension rom states "Page not found", if you could please provide a mirror for this file, thank you very much sir for your big help.
Uploaded the ms_.nbf file which is Ext Rom for you to rapidshare.. Hope this helps
http://rapidshare.com/files/147183731/ms_.zip.html
As a tentative newcomer to the world of flashing ROMs, I've searched the forums but not found clarification on the following:
If I was to flash a cooked ROM onto a Windows Mobile device (say a Touch HD on the UK T-Mobile network), would the phone still have access to the settings/configuration it needs in order to access the T-Mobile network for data, SMS, etc without any further work or reconfiguration required on my part?
If so, where are those settings held such that they are unaffected by flashing?
If not, would I need to locate and back up the necessary settings prior to flashing? How is this generally done to ensure that no settings are missed?
Thanks in advance to those taking the time to reply.
most new roms have the major networks info built in.. so it should set your network up automatically both for SMS and phone usage.. about data connections.. I don't think it would be set up automatically unless the rom is already setup for a specific network.
Everything is affected by flashing. all your data and configuration will be erased thus you will have to setup the data connection again.
you can backup your data prior to flashing
you can find a backing up guide in my signature under the GUIDES thread
I see - thanks. I've noticed a few mentions of ExtROM - is this the part of the ROM where such settings are stored?
Also, when using a device such as the Touch HD which (unless I am mistaken) has no onboard storage, when a user installs a new program onto the device, where are the new files (DLLs etc) actually installed to? And where is the registry held so that it can be updated during installation (or when editing manually)?
If I understand correctly, the installed ROM cannot be changed unless you replace it completely by flashing. So if the ROM contains the operating system (including the registry) then how is it possible to edit this?
clockworktangerine said:
I see - thanks. I've noticed a few mentions of ExtROM - is this the part of the ROM where such settings are stored?
Also, when using a device such as the Touch HD which (unless I am mistaken) has no onboard storage, when a user installs a new program onto the device, where are the new files (DLLs etc) actually installed to? And where is the registry held so that it can be updated during installation (or when editing manually)?
If I understand correctly, the installed ROM cannot be changed unless you replace it completely by flashing. So if the ROM contains the operating system (including the registry) then how is it possible to edit this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Touch HD actually has 512 MB of ROM memory (on-board memory)...
As far as the ExtRom, this is a part of memory that most device carriers use to put their "junk" in. These are normally either hidden, or otherwise not accessible by normal means. Anyways, the settings (as nir36 pointed out) are in the ROM itself, so whether you have an Extrom or not is irrelevant as far as network settings.
Just to put it in simple terms, flashing a device means completely wiping out everything you have in there... kinda like formatting a hard-drive. The only thing that is left is the bootloader, which is not located in the rom memory, so this doesn't get wiped out with an OS flash.
Lastly, the registry is part of the OS. Therefore, when you wipe out your OS by flashing, the registry goes bye bye as well...
Hope this helps some...
egzthunder1 said:
The Touch HD actually has 512 MB of ROM memory (on-board memory)...
As far as the ExtRom, this is a part of memory that most device carriers use to put their "junk" in. These are normally either hidden, or otherwise not accessible by normal means. Anyways, the settings (as nir36 pointed out) are in the ROM itself, so whether you have an Extrom or not is irrelevant as far as network settings.
Just to put it in simple terms, flashing a device means completely wiping out everything you have in there... kinda like formatting a hard-drive. The only thing that is left is the bootloader, which is not located in the rom memory, so this doesn't get wiped out with an OS flash.
Lastly, the registry is part of the OS. Therefore, when you wipe out your OS by flashing, the registry goes bye bye as well...
Hope this helps some...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this reply
I understand that the ROM is on-board memory and that a flash replaces all of it, including the OS.
What I don't understand is how registry edit tools (e.g. Resco) work. Since the registry is part of the OS and resides in the ROM, how can the registry be edited, i.e. written to, so that the changes are still there even when the phone is turned off and back on?
(I am presuming that the registry editing tools don't do any kind of flash operation.)
ok, first of all, registry settings are not saved on the ROM but on the internal storage.
the ROM files CAN be replaced but only "apparently" not "really".. that is, when you flash a rom, the files from the rom will stay on the device whether you replace them or not.. but if you copy over them, the device will read from the new files WHILE still keeping the other rom files (since they can not be deleted).
the touch HD has 512megs of ROM memory and 256megs of RAM memory..
nir36 said:
ok, first of all, registry settings are not saved on the ROM but on the internal storage.
the ROM files CAN be replaced but only "apparently" not "really".. that is, when you flash a rom, the files from the rom will stay on the device whether you replace them or not.. but if you copy over them, the device will read from the new files WHILE still keeping the other rom files (since they can not be deleted).
the touch HD has 512megs of ROM memory and 256megs of RAM memory..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright I'm getting closer to fully understanding! Here's a couple of statements and follow-up questions, please correct me where I'm wrong.
Statement:
So when copying over a file that is in the ROM, the original file remains in the ROM but the system somehow knows to read from the replacement file, which is held elsewhere on the device.
Question:
How does it know when a ROM file has been replaced, and where to look for the replacement file?
Statement:
If the replacement file is installed to the device, but cannot itself be in the ROM, then presumably it must be in the RAM. If so, then I would expect that turning the phone off or removing the battery would clear the RAM, causing the replacement file to be lost, effectively resetting the changes.
Question:
Is this the case or is there some internal battery which keeps the RAM alive, and only an explicit hard reset can clear the RAM?
Please can anyone help with my follow up questions?
Thanks
1. yeah.. it stays.. dunno how the reading is done tho
2. when a rom is replaced all those files which you replaced are erased. flashing a rom is like performing a format, nothing is kept and the OS is reinstalled.
3. flash memory is not like computer ram.. it uses capacitors to reserve data.. and it takes years before it is erased
Ah so it's Flash memory, right!
So the internal Flash memory is used both as a RAM workspace and for storage space for stuff installed to the device...apps etc.
Thanks Nir!