Database Info

Odd thought: non destructive upgrade procedures...

OK, so here is the story.
I took my P800 on a trip (3 weeks) and left my SX66 (BA) at home. When I came back, the battery was dry and all my data was gone (argh! and no SMS backup! :evil: ). I have a complete backup file from activesync that I can put back onto the BA but I was thinking...
I can download the Spec Ed. ROM from the SX66 standardization project (or any other ROM for that matter) and install it on my BA which will have newer software versions (and hopefully more stability) - contacts and dates are no problem - they are synced. I feel REALLY lazy to go back and install all the software from the beginning though. I had a CD of software (dont know where it is now), but I dont feel like looking for it or trying to get things installed from the beginning.
I had a weird thought - why don't companies make the ROM upgrades non destructive? When you upgrade your OS on your computer you are not required to format and install - so why should you do it on your PDA? it makes absolutely complete sense - no?
Secondly I know that WM2005 is not out on the BA yet (maybe even ever ) - but it doesn't hurt to ask... "Can someone tell me if I can download and install WM2005 on my BA?" (if I could - I would not mind reinstalling things lol)
Just my little rant

Why aren't you using backup software. That will backup nightly if you want, so you can recover a system from hardreset in 3 mins? This will also work after a ROM upgrade.
I export my registry (just cus I'm a geek) and backup daily just in case, after I screwed myself re-installing everything after a hard reset
As you can see from the BigStorage hacks, ROM upgrades don't just upgrade what's on the ROM, but can also redefine the memory layout in terms of storage and extended rom. So I guess by default everything gets wiped, in anticipation of that kind of jiggery pockery.
V

My only backup was activesync
I think I will restore to see what apps I had, then upgrade and reinstall

Do keep frequent backups after that. With a 1gb card, or even Big storage, you can keep a full backup available at all times. Mine's only about 14mb, including Local and Storage backups, and that's with lots and lots installed.
V

WM5 Upgrade Problems

Hello,
I've updated my I-mate PPC to WM5, trying various different ROMS.
Everytime I reflash, all of my contacts, appointments, notes etc stay on the phone. Also the software I installed before flashing stays in the system. Is this normal? How do I get it to completely wipe everything and put on an entirely new system so it's like a brand new phone?
Also, the storage size stays at 14.57MB, which isn't enough. Why isn't it making it bigger to say 32MB or whatever the Rom is supposed to set it at??
Sorry if this is all just because I haven't read the instructions properly but I can't seem to find the solution to these problems.
Cheers,
Tim

you format diskinchip from the bootloader

any chance of getting some more info? doing a search for diskinchip gives me nothing... really all I want is more storage memory than 14.57 MB...
Cheers

HELMI SP2
Hi there
Use the ROM provided by moeya. Helmi SP2! Great rom.
Itll automatically give you 30mb storage, instead of 15mb.
All th details to format the chip is in th readme, provided with the download!!
Chizz

pyrotim2000 said:
Hello,
I've updated my I-mate PPC to WM5, trying various different ROMS.
Everytime I reflash, all of my contacts, appointments, notes etc stay on the phone. Also the software I installed before flashing stays in the system. Is this normal? How do I get it to completely wipe everything and put on an entirely new system so it's like a brand new phone?
Also, the storage size stays at 14.57MB, which isn't enough. Why isn't it making it bigger to say 32MB or whatever the Rom is supposed to set it at??
Sorry if this is all just because I haven't read the instructions properly but I can't seem to find the solution to these problems.
Cheers,
Tim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should read this: http://buzzdev.net/index.php?option=com_phorum&Itemid=125&phorum_query=read,26,6594
And this: http://buzzdev.net/index.php?option=com_phorum&Itemid=125&phorum_query=read,26,6657
Read them all to save yourself time and problems now and in the future.
Regards
llbasha

i-mate PPC to WM5
Hello Tim,
please note that the upgrade from PPC to WM5 is not possible in some cases it can run and get installed but in most cases it might damage the device main board and in this case the device will no longer works and also note that the windows mobile 2005 is not easy to work on the 2003 operating system like what the PPC got. and also about the storage size on the PPC its not enought because of the programs that get installed with the operating system of the PPC and take from the size of the actual memory on the device i hope you take the advice in conisderation about upgrading to wm2005.
Brad

thanks guys I've installed the Helmi rom and am very happy with it...
one thing that I wish it had, that other WM5 ROMs have, is a memory icon on the bottom taskbar. Is it as simple as a registry edit?

Also, holding the on button down doesn't turn the backlight off anymore - is there a fix for this??

How fast is your Orbit?

Hey folks,
I've had the O2 Orbit for just over a week now and have been trying various things with it. However, I noticed it took me 1 min and 2 seconds to access the windows directory!
Is this normal? Please post how long it takes you to access the folder...
Thanks!
SG
My Orbit Specs:
WM OS 5.1.342 (Build 15096.3.0.0)
ROM version 1.25.206.2 WWE

25 secs. Only had spb shell running as well.

Wow! That's quick, wonder why mine's so slow? Please all, post your times!
my specs are exactly the same as yours! what build and version of WM5 have you got?

WM5 is extremely slow at accessing the Windows directory using File Explorer. I find its quicker when using something like Total Commander, but even then its not as quick as WM6. Nothing to do with the processor speed, bug (if you like to clall it that) in WM5.

Yeah, I used File Explorer. Hmmm... you make an interesting point.
HPJ - what version of Windows Mobile are you using?

I'm on WM5. It's about as vanilla as they come. Like I said, I am only uing SPB shell....nothing else...the rest is out of the box! (And I might even ditch shell as it seems to run my battery down quicker.)
Oh, I have the storage card fix...that's it.

Yeah, I have the Currupt SD Card fix too...
All I have done is installed TomTom Navigator 6 , iGo-my-way and a couple of games.
This still doesn't explain why there's a vast difference in time to access the windows folder. Would be good to see what others are getting.
One thing I noticed is that my phone is unlocked. I put my Orange sim card in and it works!
Also, I've got an icon put on by O2 that actually lets me close programs down from the Today screen..
SG
markquinton, could you give us your time too?

yeah Ive got the icon from o2 with a load of things on it....
have you timed the opening again?? sure it wasnt just a one off? seems a bit odd, mine always opens before 30 secs

I've tried accessing the folder 4 times, it takes over a minute each time...
SG

o2 Germany released an official Windows Mobile 6 ROM, maybe that will satisfy you.
Just my two cents.

If you look at my common file dialogs you should get a time of 15-18 seconds for a windows directory on a wm2005 device to display. After that its ~7 seconds for a sorting in order of name, size or type if you click on the header. Thats showing all files (ie not hiding dll's etc as many file explores do).
Get it here from my old site http://odeean.veritel.com.au/programming_files/commonDialog.htm

SG - I wouldnt mess with the German WM6 (unless you really know what your doing).
If you've tried all else, and you're still within your 14 days, get o2 to pick it up and send another. And chuck something free in there for messing you about.
It just shouldnt take over 1 min, and you might find other problems if the phone has some core problem....could just be a lemon

Thanks for the adive HPJ.
This is something I did think of. But everything else seems to work ok.
There are a few reason that makes me want to hang on to it though:
I had spent 2 days getting my calender up to date.
I only use Outlook at work, but due to security we cant sync any devices to our computers. Do you know the best way to get my Calendar off the Orbit?
For all the other software I've put on, I've got a back up on my home computer so real problem putting these back on.
The other thing that makes me not want to give it back is that the phone is unlocked. I'm using an Orange sim card in there and have still got my O2 sim in my old phone. Are all the Orbits unlocked or did I just get lucky?
SG

You've got some cool files on your website Odeean...

someguysomewhere said:
Thanks for the adive HPJ.
Are all the Orbits unlocked or did I just get lucky?
SG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all contract phones from o2 UK are unlocked

Aha! That's good to hear, thanks Amino...

someguysomewhere said:
I had spent 2 days getting my calender up to date.
I only use Outlook at work, but due to security we cant sync any devices to our computers. Do you know the best way to get my Calendar off the Orbit?
For all the other software I've put on, I've got a back up on my home computer so real problem putting these back on.
The other thing that makes me not want to give it back is that the phone is unlocked. I'm using an Orange sim card in there and have still got my O2 sim in my old phone. Are all the Orbits unlocked or did I just get lucky?
SG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use dotfred's pimbackup for calender (and contacts, and tasks, and sms...) backup.
and spb backup (the trial allows 5 x uses). save both to a storage card and execute on another orbit
(i agree, o2 don't lock their phones, and btw i don't own an orbit but all stock roms take forever to open windows)
i just tested the file explorer vs gsfinder, and the inbuilt file explorer was quicker

I have an Orbit. It takes mine roughly 6 turns of the colour wheel to get into the Windows directory with Resco Explorer. Its set to hide ROM files only; .dlls, .cpls, etc are shown as normal along with file extensions.
Its much faster after a hard reset. Its slows down as more files are placed in there. Sometimes (especially on the Universal) you can get a small reduction in the time by moving all the help files (htm and their relevant gifs/bmps/jpgs) to another folder (you could delete them, but then you would have to reinstall if you break something).
I think its the type of file that gets placed in there. If only software authors would stop loading the directory with squillions of little files, if only MS would set IE to use the SD card as the cache directory by default and if only various other things like ring tones, today plugins, etc could go somewhere else.
Decentralise, etc.

Thanks bbobeckyj for that program, I'll back my phone up tonight. So it's not just my phone that is slow
I understand where you're coming from ward, it's a shame that the device doesn't keep files in tidy places. This is the same for the Storage Card, there are folders created on there which have no files or stuff that never gets used!

Yeah. I keep finding folders called "FilesToBeDeleted". They're always empty.

New Wizard User Seeking Quick Guidance

I just got my first pocket pc in the mail yesterday. First off, I absolutely love it. I got the wizard - it was a very good price on ebay for the features, even if it is a couple years old (I think?). Regardless, it's a huge upgrade from a standard cell phone for a small price.
I've never used one before nor used windows mobile. It came with WM5 and I've managed to unlock and update it to WM6. I read somewhere that TNT.1437 was a stable release, so I installed TNT.1437 with TouchFlo. It seems fine, except I still get clocknot.exe notification every time I start (even after disabling auto update for time).
My main question is this - is TNT.1437 still a good release or is it getting old? If I remember correctly the thread hadn't had posts in a while. Is the newer TNT release near the top of the forum stable?
I am mainly looking for a stable release that won't mess up my calls. Even WM5 had huge improvements and features over my basic phone I had, so having the 'newest' software isn't really needed (although I don't mind it if it's stable).
Anyways, I'm just wondering if I should stick with 1437 or upgrade to something else before I start diving into it and installing my own apps and setting the phone up. If I do stick with it (or upgrade and still have the issue), is there a way to get rid of that clocknot.exe notification besides turning auto-update for time off, which doesn't seem to have worked? I also installed the trial version of memmaid as that was recommended in the same thread, it didn't find any notification issues.
Thanks in advance.

1st thing to remember is that it's not a smartphone. it's a pocket pc. Smartphone apps won't work on this (most at least) and vice versa although there are a few.
Smartphone's don't have touch screens.

My Experience
Here's the thread containing the latest TNT ROM and a lot of info on it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=367534
I'm using v1 of the last build and am having lockups on occation when the PDA is in standby. That said a lot of the posts indicate that sometimes you have to flash a rom several times or downgrade to a stock rom first before weird things go away. There was another post that suggested doing a soft reset followed by a hard reset after each rom is loaded to avoid rom instability problems. Also there was another post I read that said stability problems can be solved by using a specific utility (sorry name excapes me)that backs up the rom you just installed to your memory card and then reloading it from the memory card. None of this makes sense but I'm going to try these things if I can't get my lockup problem to go away with the latest build of TNT.
As for the notifications problem I fixed my through trial and error. Appearently there is a notifications queue or database that gets all screwed up. There are many tools out there (I used one called CheckNotifications) that let you fix the queue but in doing so you may break activesync and other automation. If found an app (FixASRunAt) that puts the neccessary entries back. I don't recall my exact procces for getting it working right but I do recall it took several passes at using both apps.
Good luck with your upgrade!

Welcome, I've had my wizard for two years flashed 5 or 6 roms, "its right" make good stable rom packed with useful software. I would suggest you read lots about any rom you install as if there are any problems its reported and usually fixed in rom thread.
If I might suggest Jaguar 4.0 rom, it is very stable and only a few programs leaving lots of space for you to test and add programs of your choice, you will want to try different programs. Some you stick with others will not be of use to you, the fun is in trying new things.
If you feel a little braver try the rom in my signature, I've had a few teething troubles but nothing major, anyway I can always change back.
Keep operator settings and instructions to hand, to make it easier when flashing, I also keep a list of installed apps so it is easier next time to remember what I use most often.
Finally welcome, there's now turning back now, it's addictive you know!

It most certainly is addictive.
Thanks for the tips thus far. I have one major question left - seeing as how there are so many ROMS out there, should I ever want to change to another one due to problems with the current one, or just to experience it, is there an easy way to keep program data and settings saved? There are certain third party programs that I would like to keep on the unit regardless of which ROM is running, so I'd like to be able to simply install them again and restore them to the state they were at with the previous ROM. I'm not sure how WM software works.
So far with TNT.1437 installed, I've just had a few problems, some of which may simply be the fact I'm new to WM and don't know what I am doing. It froze once or twice but that was it. It tends to run fine. The biggest issue I am wrestling with now is wifi connection. It always attempts to connect to previous wifi signals even when I am in a different location. If it would work as a laptop does (connect to a NEARBY wifi signal that you have provided a key for) then that would be great. But it keeps trying to connect to the campus network when I'm at my apartment, so I have to manually go in and figure out how to stop that and get it to connect to the apartment one here (out of like 10 options, which I only use one). Then I go to campus and I have the same issue and have to go in and make adjustments again. However, this is probably a WM issue and not a ROM problem.

As far as saving data or settings, I usually either back up the appropriate files to storage card or install to Storage card and just reinstall after hard reset. I don't think any back up utilities work if you change roms, but I'm sure some one will prove me wrong.
As for your second problem, I didn't even know it was one, so can't help you. Although thinking about it I've seen a program for assigning profiles to wifi connections or something along those lines, which is just what your looking for. Do a search. If I come across it will post a link for you.

Ixtana_ran said:
As far as saving data or settings, I usually either back up the appropriate files to storage card or install to Storage card and just reinstall after hard reset. I don't think any back up utilities work if you change roms, but I'm sure some one will prove me wrong.
As for your second problem, I didn't even know it was one, so can't help you. Although thinking about it I've seen a program for assigning profiles to wifi connections or something along those lines, which is just what your looking for. Do a search. If I come across it will post a link for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installing to a storage card seems like a good idea. When you install to a storage card, does it install the App there as well as data for the app? Do you even get a choice of where to do the install? Some files run as .exe on the desktop and then automatically install on the wizard. Others I have encountered have you copy a .cab file to the wizard and then just open it. Would you simply put the .cab file on the storage card and open from there? Is there a way to install via .exe to storage card?
I have a bunch of microSD cards around, so I'm waiting on a miniSD adapter to come in so I can actually use them with this phone. It will probably be easier to figure out once I have the adapter.

wow. ive had my wizard 5 months im still having problems understanding what i read about geting wm6 and touchflo. you experiance with do things allready?

Doesn't matter where you install from, when you get a storage card in, you are given a choice:- device or storage card.
Some don't like storage cards and after go on device memory, i.e. today plug ins. but its not written in stone, trial and error.

Thanks for all the help. It's a lot clearer than it was a few days ago now that I've played with installing some more.
My final question is this: I've learned how to install ROMS and search these forums for them (although I'm not sure on what each has to offer, as that will take some time). However, people mention when switching ROMs for whatever reason, the best thing to do is install an original ROM first, and then go on to whatever you want to install.
Where can I find the original ROMs for WM6? I've looked in the forums and did a search but didn't seem to come up with anything.
Would an original WM6 ROM work? Or would I need to flash back to a Cingular one with WM5 like it had when I first got it?
Anyways, just wondering about this. I imagine I just do it the same way I flashed the TNT ROM, but need to get a copy of the original ROM saved for future use.
Thanks.

Superman859 said:
Thanks for all the help. It's a lot clearer than it was a few days ago now that I've played with installing some more.
My final question is this: I've learned how to install ROMS and search these forums for them (although I'm not sure on what each has to offer, as that will take some time). However, people mention when switching ROMs for whatever reason, the best thing to do is install an original ROM first, and then go on to whatever you want to install.
Where can I find the original ROMs for WM6? I've looked in the forums and did a search but didn't seem to come up with anything.
Would an original WM6 ROM work? Or would I need to flash back to a Cingular one with WM5 like it had when I first got it?
Anyways, just wondering about this. I imagine I just do it the same way I flashed the TNT ROM, but need to get a copy of the original ROM saved for future use.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although the wizard was tested my MS with wm6, it was never released as stock. For stability, always flash your carrier rom before a new rom (wm5... you can get it at htc)
Octavio's roms have been the most stable for me. 6.3 with wm6.1 works great. Also check out www.pointui.com for another type of touch interface. I think you would like it.
Oh... and don't become like us. I flash the rom now more then i use it. Dang things addictive.

Alright. When you say I can get it from HTC, are you referring to this URL?
HTC Download
I just want to make sure I am saving the correct version to revert back to in between ROMS. The site doesn't really provide much description about what it is.
Edit: I tried to install the ROM from the URL above, but it gave an error and said I need a newer update utility. Not sure why...Anyways...Can anyone provide a link to where I can find the original ROM I should flash to between other ROMs? If it makes a difference, I have Cingular (AT&T) - originally had WM5 now it has TNT.1437 (WM6) and I went through steps for hardSPL if that makes a difference (IPL 2.21.0001 SPL 2.21.01ip) as seen on the wiki. Phone is a G4 and works fine other than a few bugs / freezes up on ocassion, but I'd like to try other ROMs
EDIT: The ROM above did work, but I had to remove the HardSPL I had added earlier. That must've been the problem. After removing it, I installed stock ROM without any trouble - time to try a new ROM!

Extreme N00b here - How do I install 6.1 on my US Treo 750?

I am not the type of person that does hacks or uses cooked ROMs, but since I have been told that Win 6.1 is not forthcoming for my Treo 750, can someone please tell me in simple terms how to install it? I am in the US, have AT&T for my provider, and have a Treo 750.
Here is what I have tried:
I already have the 60+ MB cheeimg.nbh file sitting on the root folder of my 2GB Storage Card. I tried many times - hold down the push-to-talk button and then push the reset button. Nothing happens, except for three bright colored bars. Or am I not waiting long enough? I dunno.
I read that the Storage Card is supposed to be reformatted to 32-bit (or something like that) - I don't have a tool for this, and all my apps are installed there. I don't want to lose everything. Or will I anyway? Is there some sort of SD card reformatter?
I have downloaded things like the CheetahUnlocker.exe, the RUUWrapper.exe, the Treo750Radio1[1].54.07.00.rar file, and the Treo750_OS5_2_19199WWE_STD.rar file. I don't know what to do with them.
I don't want to unlock this phone; I am still going to run it on AT&T, I just want the 6.1 OS, that's all. It is getting silly. I was going to just buy another phone, but really, the 750 is fine - it runs great. I just want to try the 6.1 OS. If it is even better than 6.0, then great.
My wife wants me to just junk it and get an iPhone, like she has. I don't want to do that, the 750 is great for me.

Oh, well, guess no help here
Just so you know, I am not trying to trick anybody, and get them in trouble, or anything. Surely, someone has been able to get WinMo 6.1 installed on their AT&T-branded Treo 750.

You just need to search a little harder, but the wiki is where you should start.
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Cheetah_Upgrade

Well, here goes...
I copied every single file on my Storage Card to my PC, as a backup, just in case I needed anything. I downloaded the 6.1 cheetah file mentioned here.
I didn't know how to format my Storage Card to Fat32, so I googled 'format storage card windows mobile' and found a program called Flash Format, on CNETX. It has a trial version. I installed it to my device (not the Storage Card, obviously), and it formatted the Storage Card drive to FAT32 in a few seconds. Then I followed the steps shown here.
I rebooted, and guess what happened? It set my OS to Australia's at WM6.0, not 6.1.
[email protected]$%@#$%!!!!
So I started up the old 6.0 updater that I got from Palm, and it said nope, you already have a newer version.
%&*%&*&^!!!
So, I started it back up, and stopped at the first screen. Then I searched my PC for the payloads.xml file, and found it, and the 6.0 CHEEIMG_FW.nbh file, renamed it to CHEEIMG.nbh, stuck it into my Storage Card folder, and started the bootloader.
I rebooted, and guess what happened? I am still at the Australian version.
*#%^&%&!!!

Ok, finally figured it out - whew!
Look, if this happens to you, do this:
1. Launch the Official Palm updater (Treo750_2_25_ATT_EN_DesktopUpdater.exe).
2. When the window pops up, do not click Start. Instead, do a search on your PC for a "payloads.xml" file.
3. Edit that file; change the high version to 2.3
4. Now, click the start button on the updater.
I kinda liked the Australian version, because it had MSN Messenger and some other things that AT&T USA did not have. But it also was missing the AT&T Proxy app. And it seemed to run slower?, I dunno, although it did work fine for me.

Oh, well, I guess I don't want WinMo 6.1 that bad!
I was scared there for a while - this is silly. Other people have WinMo 6.1, but I will never have it for my Treo 750? I guess they are not in the business of supporting old phones, just selling new phones.
I guess I will just stay with the old WinMo 6.0 until this phone eats it. Then I will buy a new phone.

Why are you being so dramatic? Of course you can have 6.1 on your phone ... it's really not all that difficult.
First, you have to run Hard SPL. Instructions and the download are a 'sticky' on the top of this forum. You must do this step. If you don't the OS upgrade won't work.
Then use the SD card method to upgrade your OS to 6.1. Forget editing payload files and the like. It's simple and works.
I know you said you don't want to unlock your phone, but honestly, it makes no difference to your ability to use the Treo on the AT&T network by doing so. In fact, you won't even know your phone is unlocked.

Thank you very much. It works now.
Okay, I didn't know that I needed to unlock the phone (and that unlocking would not affect my AT&T service). Thanks. I thought people only unlocked phones when they were going to sell them for use with another carrier. This is my first unlock.
Steps included:
1. Connect the Treo 750 via ActiveSync to your PC.
2. Run the CheetahUnlocker.exe program.
3. Ignore the stuff that says Hermes, and just click the buttons.
4. (If you didn't do this already), get FlashFormat from CNETX, and install it on your Treo 750, then run it to format your Storage Card to FAT32.
5. Copy the WinMo 6.1 cheeimg.nbh file to your Treo's Storage Card, in the root folder.
6. Hold down the PTT button and then click the reset buton under the Storage Card door.
7. You now have Win Mobile 6.1. Whoo hoo.

Hmmm. Now my Voice Command app is gone
That is wierd. I had Voice Command before, (on my Treo 750) and now it is gone. Anybody ever have this happen?

Voice Command and Remote Desktop were not part of the WM6.1 build as far as I can tell. At least not on the one I'm using (Full version, not Lite).
You can get the CAB files for each of those and install them separately. I did install the Remote Desktop, but don't use VC, so never bothered. I did see that some people were saying that older versions of VC 1.6 were having issues, but it seemed to be hit-and-miss.
Sorry I don't have the links handy, but I'm sure they can be found with Google.

startngate said:
Voice Command and Remote Desktop were not part of the WM6.1 build as far as I can tell. At least not on the one I'm using (Full version, not Lite).
You can get the CAB files for each of those and install them separately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked, and lo, I found the CAB files. Thanks for the info.

where did you find the CAB files. I'm trying find out those file....
thanks