Database Info

Flashing ROM question.

Question about ROM flashes.
I'm actually an IT professional in the work related field, so any basics need not be explained. I am still new to Windows Mobile devices and would like to know what this means for my phone.
The way I view a "ROM" is as a firmware, or static programming on a chip. Maybe even a CMOS imprint. In this field, such things are semi-permanent at a component level. For instance, you don't download a .cab file to upgrade your bios (as many "ROMS" seem to come in .cab files), you boot your system on a floppy and run an application that flashes your CMOS with the new image.
What would we assume the "ROM" is on Windows mobile phones? Is it a chip hidden inside of the phone, separate from the primary memory? Is it simply considered all that is in the \windows directory? I don't see why .cab files can flash the ROM.
This leads me to the question, if you do a hard-reset, I assume there's secondary memory on the phone with the \windows folder and all the factory defaults. The memory must serve no other purpose other than to harbor these defaults in the need of a hard-reset. Does flashing your "ROM" also apply changes to this chip containing the default OS image?

Hi, here a short description:
ROM:
The ROM is quite similar to a computers harddisk AND RAM (All-In-One), but the OS has to and additional software can be integrated via flashing and is therefor fixed. All data you flash will stay in the ROM after a Hard-Reset.
Some ROMs also contain a Bootloader-ROM and/or a Radio-ROM
Bootloader-ROM:
This is quite similar to a computer's BIOS
Radio-ROM:
The firmware to your PDA's built-in connection devices (e.g. GSM, Bluetooth, WLAN,...)
Hard-Reset:
A Hard-Reset is similar to a comlete reinstallation. Some computer vendors add a recovery CD/DVD to their products. On a Windows Mobile Device the Recovery-disc is integrated in the ROM and will be automatically installed during a hard reset.
And to complete this one ;-)...
Soft-Reset:
A Soft-Reset is similar to a cold restart of your computer. By the way, there's no possibility to "shutdown" Windows Mobile like you are used to with Windows XP or Vista.
Oh, and you cannot install a ROM using a cab-file. Cab-files are "executables" to install additional software. They can only be installed on the device. ROM's have to be installed from a connected computer (There's also a resolution to install a ROM from a Storage Card, but i am not used to it and cannot give you more information about this. But you'll find it, searching in the forum).

jon_k said:
Question about ROM flashes.
I'm actually an IT professional in the work related field, so any basics need not be explained. I am still new to Windows Mobile devices and would like to know what this means for my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me Too.
jon_k said:
The way I view a "ROM" is as a firmware, or static programming on a chip. Maybe even a CMOS imprint. In this field, such things are semi-permanent at a component level. For instance, you don't download a .cab file to upgrade your bios (as many "ROMS" seem to come in .cab files), you boot your system on a floppy and run an application that flashes your CMOS with the new image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is firmware on the chip, but like a BIOS, it exists after the phone is off, the battery removed, etc. The stuff in the cab files that you install doesn't. Well, let me retract that. The stuff in the cabs and your data stays there after a soft reset, and removing the battery (at least for a short while, YMMV), but my experience has not been that the data stays there after the battery is out for a while (again, YMMV).
jon_k said:
What would we assume the "ROM" is on Windows mobile phones? Is it a chip hidden inside of the phone, separate from the primary memory? Is it simply considered all that is in the \windows directory? I don't see why .cab files can flash the ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is a chip. Most of the time, they don't use discreet transistors for these time of things. They are prohibitively large and expensive to solder together to make the memory, not to mention power hungry.
To answer your second question, if you peruse the various ROMs here, you will see the following:
Base operating system: This is a common denominator. This is Windows CE/ Mobile edition, WM6, whatever you want to call it.
Additional CABs: This is the flavor the chef uses in his/her kitchen to make the ROM do what appeals to them (and their audience). These can techniclaly be split out and individually installed if the cook puts them as a cab file that you copy to the phone and install from that file downloaded.
jon_k said:
This leads me to the question, if you do a hard-reset, I assume there's secondary memory on the phone with the \windows folder and all the factory defaults. The memory must serve no other purpose other than to harbor these defaults in the need of a hard-reset. Does flashing your "ROM" also apply changes to this chip containing the default OS image?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What will happen when you hard reset is the ROM that was flashed to the phone will be as it was when you first burned it to the phone. Here's an example: You buy the Kaiser marketed as an AT&T Tilt on 1/1/08, use if for 6 months, and on 7/1/08, you hard reset it. It will be the same as when you turned it on for the first time.
Another case: You buy the phone on 1/1/08, and download a ROM from Dutty, or whomever, and you carefully follow the noob instructions (like I did), and flash it on 1/2/08. You do a hard reset on 7/1/08, and now the phone is the same as when it was last upgraded, so it will be the 1/2/08 version that it goes to.
Clear?
Hope this helps, and if there are others that want to correct me, please do so.

Fairly good explanations.
It makes a bit more sense now.
I'll post my new understanding of the control structure and functionality based on everyones post above. If you want to confirm, deny, or alter any of my perceived facts I'd appreciate it! I just like to know a basic understanding of the device functions internally so I can be educated when tinkering with things.
The radio ROM = ROM that controls the radio. Contains frequency ranges/broadcast tweaks for different locales, probably if tweaked can also allow illegal higher wattage transmission power. Some interesting (and surely FCC illegal) hacks are probably available here.
The device ROM - the upper level functions of the phone. Probably has support for the type of WIFI and bluetooth adapter you have. Has to have compatibility to interface with the radio ROM for phone functionality to be supported. Also is what interfaces with the GPS radio, probably the phone, links the keyboard to the OS, etc. Probably handles API between radio ROM and Windows mobile?
The Windows Mobile OS, which is the operating system itself. It communicates with the ROM, and is limited by what the ROM is limited by. Any .cab's or software retrieved here will enhance the OS, nothing more. A hard reset will bring the OS back to it's original state. (Though ROM upgrades remain.) Any cabs installed or changes to \windows in general made will be lost during a hard reset. It restores all content under \windows to it's default state.
Sounds about right with my new understanding. I think for now I'll avoid flashing the ROM. I'm pretty content with modifying the Windows registry hive since it can easily be restored with a hard reset if I bork up a registry key. Unlike the registry, a ROM if a member here misses something (I doubt they're working with much device documentation) a small coding mistake by them could ruin the phone.
Maybe I'll be more prone to start flashing ROM's if there's a way to extract the current ROM for my phone. Perhaps I can update the ROM through ATT or HTC, and use a packet sniffer to sniff the location (likely http URL) of the ROM file.

One further question though,
Until several minutes ago I thought the ROM simply contained device drivers, etc. Stumbled upon this post however.
rkorzuch said:
Tool worked perfect on my AT&T Tilt. Just installed the HTC ROM. Much nicer than the AT&T ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm now assuming the ROM contains the OS that is flashed on to the internal storage card as well, with it's own custom branding on the OS, own default application set, etc. As well as it's normal functioning with device communication etc. Is this safe to say this is how it works?

jon_k said:
One further question though,
Until several minutes ago I thought the ROM simply contained device drivers, etc. Stumbled upon this post however.
I'm now assuming the ROM contains the OS that is flashed on to the internal storage card as well, with it's own custom branding on the OS, own default application set, etc. As well as it's normal functioning with device communication etc. Is this safe to say this is how it works?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes jon_k,
The ROM contains the WM OS. That is what the cooks are changing primarily (more specifically, most of them change/add/delete the bundled apps that come as part of the shipped OSes). Most now are also expanding the RAM/storage portion of the ROM to allow for more usable storage. More and more cooks are also ripping out some of the MS bloat .
You should do a hard reset and then force a soft reset before it does the device customization part. You will end up with a Tilt with none of the AT&T bloat (game demos and such). If you don't like it, hard reset again and let it finish.
If you get real adventurous you can install HardSPL and one of the cooked ROMs (or the HTC one).

New idea:New ROM Backup Install Packs

I'm a newb at all of this and this is just a suggestion. One of the things that has stopped me from flashing is the well-known time-consuming process of re-installing programs, settings, tweaks, etc. i imagine after doing it a dozen or so times, it gets faster and easier, but I'm still leery.
What if it were possible to create a package of common and not-so-common programs/tweaks, etc. that could be installed via backup package? It would require at least one volunteer (mostly likely the ROM cooker but it could be anyone). This is how I see it working:
1) Person A installs a new ROM.
2) Using that fresh ROM, Person A would then install demo versions of the most popular commercial apps and also install the most popular freeware titles, tweaks, etc.
3) Person A would then do a backup using Sprite or SPB Backup.
4) Person A would then make that backup, a New ROM Install Pack, available to other users of the identical ROM.
5) Anybody who has installed that same ROM could then simply use that backup to re-install all of the apps and registering the commerical apps with their own serial numbers. They could also simply delete the programs they don't want.
The commercial apps are all demo software so there are no warez or copyright issues involved.
Yes, it would be time-consuming for the volunteer and that person could be rewarded with Paypal Praise or simply a very kind thank you. Restoring from a backup takes maybe 10 minutes. Hundreds and thousands of other users could forever be spared the hours and hours of re-installing apps.
What do you all think?

diar,
While that may sound all good the realitity is that it doesn't work out for the better.
First who's to say everyone uses all those apps? What free apps do you use? I use my phone for work so i have ftp, tftp, putty, wifi apps, vpn, mail apps, biz contacts apps, etc. I don't care for the Audio apps or the 10083829 games or whatever.
Second, it makes the ROM too big and slow. And personally the reason some of us move to these roms is to make them smaller and faster.
Also have you actually tried using that sprite backup or and backup feature where you backup form one phone and go to another? Its horrible. sure if you must use it go for it but it is never quiet the same. i've even had problem with that on the same phone.
However your intensions are in the right place and that is why you have apps like pmmbackup to help you with these kind of things. but another thing you can try doing is learning to create cab files to do the things you want. Heck before the network config wizard was put into the roms i created a cab file to configure all my network settings to i would have to enter my AT&T settings, and with the 8525 i had to have a cab for the keyboard settings. Etc.
Check it out this forum has many how tos to get you started and if not live.com is always there for you.
-Other

I haven't tried it myself but i was just browsing the spb website (great stuff!)
The Program 'spb clone' might do what the topic starter hates to do (re-install all the settings and programs)
or am i wrong and is 'spb clone' not working with different roms..?
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/clone/

No experience with clone, but I'm fairly certain that it assumes all the hardware is identical and running the same ROM.
Problem with backup/restore software is each ROM is unique, has slightly different software installed or not. If you do a backup with Voice Command embedded in the ROM but then restore it to a ROM without it, I don't think it works...

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

How do you Back-Up before a flash?

Well just been reading the Flashers Anonymous thread and started to get the hint that you could back up all of your settings rather than just things like contacts w/ PIMbackup.
What do you use and what does it do?
Thanks.

I use sprite backup 6.5.4. Backs up contacts, registry settings, installed programs, preferences...pretty much everything.

telegraph0000 said:
I use sprite backup 6.5.4. Backs up contacts, registry settings, installed programs, preferences...pretty much everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello , see the bottom of my signature, Sashimi, its awesome, take the time to see the videos he has, awesome app, it will set up just about everything after a new rom flash.
lupe
sorry, was trying to quote mcspikesky, not telegraph000, my bad

i sync with activesync
stuff on sd don't for obvious reasons require backup
and to get back to the org rom if need be is just flashing
that version rom

If you want to take my advise do NOT NEVER EVER backup any thing else than your PIM because every new ROM WILL have different registry settings and custom chef tweaks!!!
You may backup your username and opera settings using Sashimi and Opera Backup but keep everything else out of you backup.
You may also play with installed programs on the SD card. A lot of them do work just by creating a link into the Windows\Start Up\Programs folder.
For my part I DO have a full backup all the time in case a ROM hard resets and you reinstall it but for new ROM flashes please use only PIM backup. Though SPB Backup for example offers a backup/restore mode to restore "after new ROM flash" it DOES NOT WORK if the new ROM has dramatic changes!
Note:
If you have programs which don't work linked really take a look into the Sashimi installer.

Right...I backup a rom to try out a new one...and if I don't like it, I go back to the previous one and restore. Yes...Sashimi rocks...
*Proud member of XDA's flashers anonymous.

Sashimi is a great way to go; it's a little more flexible than UC in my opinion, and I think it's a good idea to import your settings and install your cabs after you've messed around with the new ROM instead of during customization. That way, you know what cabs to install. I've got a small library of some useful reg settings over here, as well as some settings files and what-not that you can install to back up things (I need to update it one of these days). I've also got a step-by-step that does an ok job of backing up manila settings (it's far from perfect). In the very least, you should back up reg keys that hold registration info for software you've bought, like sk tools or mobile shell. It's easy to find the keys, and you really don't want to waste your time re-entering crap like that every time you flash, do you?
I agree, though, you don't want to do a wholesale import of the entire registry, which is what Sprite backup will do for you. That's just crazy. You want to be as selective as possible. I think that even using something like the rom upgrade backup mode with spb backup is a bad idea. There's a good chance you'll over-write some nice performance tweaks cooked in by the chef with old reg settings that don't work as well. You'll also never really know how well the new rom works, because you won't get to use it with the proper settings.

Is there any good software for backing up email account settings? I hate setting them all up after each rom flash.

Backing up email accounts and settings
I use SPB backup, well worth the money, to back up my PIM data and emails.
Didn't miss a single beat over God knows how many flashes.
I just back up prior flashing, flash, restore, done.

I have both Sprite & PIM running scheduled backups every day - but after a flash only use PIM to restore to prevent the registry complications.
Also have a decent UC setup installing apps, editing the registry for me etc, and have made some cab files (or edited install cabs) to register anything which requires it.
I've found that syncing with activsync before running the PIM restore prevents me getting duplicate contacts / meetings, but this might just be because i have a setting wrong!
Never tried Sashimi, i got UC working, and it does everything i need it to!
@ Maxh - i have an XML file which is called in the UC setup which restores all my e-mail accounts and settings (only leaves the password blank for me). UC isnt easy to get sorted first time, so have some patience, and build it up slowly (mine calls 33 cabs & 16 XML files, so if i change anything, i dont have to re-write the whole thing, just edit out the removed / changed file)

people should realize though that
take
joe have a tmobile branded rom version 1.234 that his device came with
joe upgrades to custom blabla rom version 1.567 don't like it and want to go back
joe will not get more back by flashing a backup he made himself of the 1.234 rom
then he will be just flashing the rom 1.234 he can download at tmobile
a rom is a rom and it makes no difference if it was the very bits originally stored on his device
then a rom from the site as long as version and branding is the same

Best Back Up? Question

After two weeks... and several soft resents and only two hard resets... I now have everything set up and working well and smooth on my TP2 (Sprint). All my email, preferences and setting are exactly what I want themn to be.
My question is. What is the best way to back ALL of this up. Is there a programs that can save this 'state' and created a sort of restore point; so that is everything goes kablooey, I can get the device back to this exact state easily? Freeware preferable, but not a must.
I know I am noob, but I am trying to learn so thanks. It was a long time coming and WinMo 6.1 is a so different to me that the Palm system I was using until now.
Please let me know... It is greatly appreciated.
Matt

As far as I know, you have 5 options
1) PIM Backup - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=299705
FREE
Really good at backing up ALL your text messages, contacts, appointments, etc. It can run automatically if desired. I've had issues when trying to restore emails and email accounts to my phone, but those aren't that hard to setup without it.
2)Microsoft MyPhone - http://sn1-p3.myphone.microsoft.com/mkweb/Start.po
FREE
Service works well. It backs up your info (Text, contacts, appointments, email) to the "cloud". It will even backup your files too, like photos and songs. You can also have this run on a schedule as well. Also has tools to locate your phone if you lose it (GPS location, make your phone rings even if it's on silent) but you gotta pay for them.
3) Flexilis Mobile - https://beta.flexilis.com/
FREE
Same as Microsoft MyPhone, but it's all free. They're still working on the GPS location function for the TP2, however their "scream" function is pretty cool, even works of the phone is set to silent too.
EDIT: forgot to mention, I wouldn't advise setting up the firewall on this program, I've had issues when trying to connect to ANY wifi spot (even my home's) when the firewall is on.
4)SPB Backup - http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/backup/?en
$24.95
Haven't actually tried this one but from the looks of it, it can backup "System Data" which I think means system preferences.
5) Resco Backup - http://www.resco.net/pocketpc/backup/
$19.99
Looks like it will backup EVERYTHING, the new version will also upload your backup to the FTP server of your choice. Haven't tried this one yet either
Also I know there is a program floating around the Rhodium forums that will re-installed ALL your programs. I forgot the link though.

I use MS MyPhone and SPB Backup... SPB is pretty easy to use, but so is MyPhone, but with MyPhone there have been some glitches in the past (which I experianced, like the contact restore issue) but those seem to be resolved now at least ( I know I havent had the issue again since getting the new version). SPB costs money, MyPhone does not. Both are simple, and easy to use. I would suggest trying them all, find the one you like best and stick with it.

I use SunnySoft BackupManager 4.x.
This software will restore you to whatever point in time it was when you did the backup. This software can be customized to backup the whole device or just parts of it.
I tried SPB on previous winmo phones and did not like it.
I also have had no issues with getting the software from 1 phone to the other. All it took was an email with my new phones key sent to them to get a new code for the new phone.

+1 for SPB its worth the money backs up and saves everything.

Sprite Backup isn't bad. Used it a lot on my MotoQ9c with no issues.

huntm856 said:
Sprite Backup isn't bad. Used it a lot on my MotoQ9c with no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, just make sure you use the same version for restore as you did while backing up. Tried to restore my roommates palm treo (a couple years ago) and the program didn't want to because it said that the version I backed up with was to old.

+1 on SPB Backup. And when they say it backs up everything, they mean everything. Data, apps, the works. Great program and well worth the money IMHO.
I've tried Sprite Backup but it gave me problems. I tried doing a backup, reflashed my ROM, and when I tried to restore the file wouldn't work. All my data was gone. So -10 for Sprite Backup.

Sprite works for me
I've used Sprite on my Wizard and on my Fuze/Raphael.
This is the copy I'm using now, copied from my Fuze, and it is working fine:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jnxk4wzojh3
One thing you might find is that it usually works best to restore to a device that is factory fresh, i.e. hard reset to factory specs, or to your base ROM whatever that is. If you have a stock ROM you may get an error when you try to run the restore file directly.
I keep a copy of the Sprite Backup.CAB on my storage card, and load it after the hard reset, then use it to open the backup file.
If you have a cooked ROM you probably can just run the exe backup file.

colorado_al said:
If you have a cooked ROM you probably can just run the exe backup file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am think about this... but I have not the first clue on how to flash a new ROM, where to find one that is right... is there a faq on this whole process.
I just want a nice stable system...

My vote is with SPB backup.
It makes backups on schedule, I do one every day, then automatically copies the backups to my desktop when I connect it by activesync.
Smooth, reliable, I've restored 1/2 a dozen times without a problem.
Worth the money.