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!
Related
Hello,
I read a lot about the big ROM flashing and did this on my XDA mini. Anything seems to work so I'm quite happy until now. One point of concern is still there... what about the apps from the ExtROM that I copied for backup on my harddisk? Using an XDA on the O2 network, we are talking about apps like Homezone and O2 settings.
If I understood the BigROM thing right, I deleted the ExtROM that was executed on a hard reset before. Therefore, after BigROM,
- no O2 app will be loaded after hard reset
- no autostarter, like in the O2 ExtROM, is necessary any more since nothing is loaded after hard reset
- after hard reset, all apps have to be installed once again
- best way to keep the apps secure and appropriate is install all apps once and frequently backup the whole setup
Is this the right way to look at the changes?
Another question about the O2 files: Besides the homezone control, are there alternative programs for the rest (Java, Today screen) or do I need the special O2 apps due to the settings coming with them?
Any help appreciated!
Yes you got it all right! After the Big Storage ROM the Extended ROM bit was deleted from the ROM. The space consumed by the Extended ROM is now available for you to use under the /Storarge folder.
Now, to install the required extended ROM programs just copy them to any folder on the PPC and click on them from the file explorer.
However I would suggest to install a program called CABINSTL. This allows you to run CAB files and install them in the folder of your choice instead of the default folder that consumes some of your precious RAM. I would install these CAB files in the /Storage folder, thus making benefit of the Big Storage ROM
The same applies to any other program you install. Always install it in /Storage. If you don't, after the Big Storage upgrade the only benefit would be of having some extra storage space. If you have an SD Card you don't need this space so might as well use it to install programs and free up the RAM.
If I use the cabinstl programme to manually install my Orange ExtRom files after a BigStorage install - even when I choose a different install location (eg. /Storage) the utility is still installed into the default location (usually somewhere in /Windows/).
I have the same problem. Also i pushed the option not to delete the cab file, but after install they are deleted I know i can make them read only, but i cannot do this trough explore of activesync.
It appears that some CAB files have their install location 'hard coded' into the file so it cannot or should not be changed.
I guess that this is to ensure that the utility works correctly so I don't suppose that there is much that we can do.
You can edit the CAB on your PC and define your own folder. However this is not recommended as the code for these programs may have some paths that are hard coded as well.
Anyway these couple of CAB files will not impact your overall RAM situation at all. On mine I only installed JAVA, MMS, Bluetooth and Camera patches from the Extended ROM. I don't need the rest.
Thanks for your help! So is it okay to install anything in the storage that goes there without complaining? As I installed PocketPlus there, Windows looked at it like on the memory card and displayed a message that installing apps there could become a problem during startup.
Thanks again and bye!
I've done the big storage patch on my Magician. And I understand that if you restore files from a backup made when one didn't have big storage, one is likely to have just wasted time on the patching as the file structure would revert back over-writing some (hex?) values, with the possibility of losing access to the Storage folder completly.
So here's my question. would it work both ways? Say I re-flash my Magician with the ROM it came with, and that I have a backup from a ROM that has the BigStorage patch, and then restore from that backup, what would happen? Will the backup from BigStorage ROM override the shipped ROM's file structure? Or will it just mess things up?
I realize that this may seem pointless to most users. But I am missing a registry key for a Bluetooth function (syncing via Bluetooth, and I think it's just one key...). Let's just say I don't have the guts to re-flash my Magician two more times (back to shipped ROM, get what I need, then to BS ROM) given the risk posted above.
Could anyone shed some light on my question?
Thanks
Don't know what kind of backup you're referring too. Is it a rom-backup then yes you're reverting to normal storage. With a RAM data backup you're not going to write to ROM & cannot change the addresses you mention.
Did you load the BT patch ext-rom cab after the boot or do you have plain WM2003Se now?
My advice: load the cabs with patches from your ext-rom.
M
Oh sorry, I forgot to mention that but i think you answered my question. Suppose I made a backup (with the BS ROM) using Sprite software, and I re-flash my Magician with the shipped ROM that I backed up, and restore from the Sprite backup, what would happen? And given your answer, I'm supposed to expect that the Sprite backup is not capable of changing the addresses, right? So then I'd have the BS registry settings, shortcuts, and blahblahs, but only 7.6MB useable memory in the Storage folder?
To answer your question, yes I did load the CAB files I needed from the ExtRom including BTHUSB_PATCH_AKU26.CAB (which I think is for Bluetooth?) but to no avail, as I've lost the capability to sync using Bluetooth ever since I did the BS patch. I even loaded that CAB file a second time just in case, but still to no avail. (Note that the hardware works though. I can make a device pairing and all that...)
I'm trying to avoid re-flashing my Magician twice just to get that registry key as that would be my last resort. Hahahaha
In any case, here's a list of the CAB files I loaded, if it matters.
Band_Select_Enable.sa.CAB
BTHUSB_PATCH_AKU26.CAB
CAB-ArcsoftMMS-2.0.022-Magician-O2Asia-ENU-21Mar05.CAB
CAB-Customization-Magician-O2AsiaWWE-31Jan05.sa.CAB
Caller_ID_Magician_Generic_WWE_RC13.CAB
CameraWizard_O2Asia_Customize.CAB
CV2.41.386_wwe.CAB
default_103133.sa.CAB
DelAddStarMenu_092404.sa.CAB
DialerSkin_Landscap_091104.sa.CAB
DialerSkin_Portrait_091104.sa.CAB
Fix_dual_SIM.sa.CAB
JMM101257_wwe_1004.CAB
O2_Base_v103116.sa.CAB
O2_Default_103133.sa.CAB
O2Auto.sa.CAB
PhonePad_Magician_Generic_WWE_RC12.CAB
SmartDialing_Magician_Generic_WWE_RC13.CAB
Version_WWE_111922.sa.CAB
Including 2 CAB files for my service provider. Is there anything else that I could have missed? I used the config.txt in the ExtRom folder as basis for the CAB files to install.
PS: I'm not quite sure what you meant by 'patches' from my ExtRom...
With the 'patches' I meant some of the cabs you installed from the ext-rom, eg for BlueTooth, battery & camera.
I'm only using usb for syncing, so I'm unable to confirm BT sync works for me, no BT hardware on my PC. Still you got a strange prob. Did you try a hard-reset & are you using the latest Sprite version?
M
I've done one hard-reset a week after I flashed my Magician with the BS ROM so that I could test a previous Sprite backup (Sprite ver 3.2 if that helps), since I was just curious as to if the backup would fully restore everything [and it did btw].
Curious, what would the latest/lower version of Sprite backup have to do with my problem?
With previous versions I sometimes got notifications that the registry backup/restore wasn't fully successful.
Sprite will restore all RAM data & the \Storage data not the size, so you could end up with a partial restore when you try to restore > 7MB to the standard \Storage folder.
Did you check all Act.Sync settings on your Magician, guess you probably did a 1000 times?
Regards, M
Yes I did check all the Async options on my Magician. I did run into a problem regarding Bluetooth with the Magician's Async and speculated that I was missing a registry key. Check out the post I made here regarding that http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=50937.
After getting boh113's registry file, the `Bluetooth option came back but still wouldn't work. So I'm assuming that the addresses don't match with my Magician.
I gave it some thought and the only way I came up with to get back the Bluetooth functionality was this:
1) re-flash my unit with the ROM it was shipped with
2) deal with the \Storage folder problem if any
3) extract the whole bare registry
4) re-flash my unit with the BS ROM
5) merge the extracted registry (I'm not sure if this'll cause unforeseen problems)
6) pray
hahahahaha! Hopefully I'd get back Bluetooth syncing. Of course I'd try to avoid doing this as this would be my last resort. I will most likely need a whole day for this, and I doubt I can do that this week. Might try next week if I put up enough guts.
I MIGHT be missing some DLL files in \Windows although I doubt that. But it's still a possibility..
I do have one more question.
I assume I did the following successfully since my Magician works:
a. shipped ROM backup + dumping
b. hex-editing on the shipped ROM to make it a BS ROM
c. flashing with BS ROM
So here's my question, though I see it to be silly. Would it be safe to re-flash my unit with the BS ROM (that I patched) instead of doing it again from scratch (i.e. the 6-step procedure I listed)? My unit will still have the 20+MB \Storage folder right?
Hello,
I'm exeriencing some random lookups with my s620, i think because:
1) memory leaks on the apps I have to use
2) i used to install anything i found on the first week of use and thus bloated/corrupted something
an answer could be to do an hard reset.
i have also problems with my JVM and found a new version on a forum (here?) so my question is:
If I modify the contents of my phone (like /Windows) and remove, modify or corrupt some files, will an hard reset make my phone like on the first day
or...
hard reset is just cleaning user partition, if you modified/removed some files of Windows you are screwed ?
Thanks
It will wipe out any registry changes and everything else. Your phone will be reverted back to the same state as the day you bought it.
So at first boot, WM copies itself from firmware (write only) to work area (read write) ?
I have a small new phone operator that use special software to connect to their networks. Is it possible that they add this software/network preferences (not sure to find GPRS settings) "outside" the firmware and that my phone will revert to an unbranded HTC or is it more likely that they have a custom rom ?
Just to confirm: I install the new midlet manager, if it break everything I can ALWAYS revert by hard resetting ?
no most of windows is run directly from the rom
only chanable stuff like registry is in ram/flash you have write rights to
and yes you can always hardreset
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
I've noticed as jargon changes some of the less adept to the inner workings of their phone may need a reference for these terms. Maybe the Mod already has a reference page but the search did not produce it. Anyway, maybe if everyone adds their terms here Ill collate and repost so it will make it easier for the MOD and XDA. Below is a previous post with some additional added to it.....
Terminology:
Manila: The standard HTC interface with the big digital clock and tabs. The HD2 comes with Manila 2.5 (= HTC Sense)
ROM: Read Only Memory, but for our purposes usually means the operating system itself, which can be written to the ROM of the device. Originally rom had a piece of black plastic over a small window in the center of the rom chip. You would "peel back the tape and flash a light on it. This would erase the rom and you could update it by reprogramming the room... ERGO "Flashing the ROM". Now this is done through software only and cooked ROMs are customed Flashed roms...same thing.
Radio: Usually refers to the part of the OS controlling radio functions, which are the phone signal receiver, Bluetooth and WiFi. This also contains the GPS drivers.
Cooked: A ROM that has been modified by a ROM 'chef' to make it either more up to date, more functional, or to give more available memory. Some better than others, and all technically void your warranty.
Bricked: A 'cooked' ROM needs to have the boot sectors of the device modified to allow the ROM to be installed. If this hasn't been done, the the device can get stuck in the middle of the update, hence the term 'bricked': it becomes basically an unusable brick. There can be ways out of it, but sometimes it's terminal.
Flash: The process of updating the physical ROM with a new ROM OS image
SSPL/HSPL/SPL: The SPL is like the BIOS of a PC. Stock SPLs don't allow updates other than from the manufacturer or the phone operator. SSPL (SoftSPL) is a temporary software fix that allows the ROM to be updated and HSPL (HardSPL) is a permanent fix that protects from bad ROM flashes.
RRU/NBH: RUU stands for ROM Update Utility and it is the PC executed process to update a ROM. It has a few steps such as checking versions, battery status then putting the device into a mode to allow the ROM update (Bootloader mode) then doing the actual update. The NBH file is the actual ROM file itself that overwrites the ROM. It is possible to copy the NBH file to a storage card and rename it, then do the update without connecting to a PC.
RAM. Random access memory. This is usually refers to the temp ram in the phone. BTW the flash drive or SD card essentially is a ram chip that has some additional features to allow longer time storage of information... so when you remove power from it is still keeps the information intact on the SD card.
Add more as there is much more jargon out there. Thanks