Develop Bugs

Deleting files from an unlocked ExtROM

My most new annoying experience...
Everytime I delete some files from ExtROM that I don't want to install in the event of an hardreset, they reappear again after a softreseting the device. :twisted:
Even powering the device down, and waitting more than 10secs, as several times suggested in this forum.
Maybe a silly question, but any ideas to overcome this?

Don't tell me the only way is to coock a new .nbf Extended ROM!?
It is? :?

have you try formatting the extended storage? i used resco file explorer to format it after unlock the extended rom storage.

No I didn't format, as I wanted to delete just some files.
Should I Format?
And then?
- reflash the ExtROM .nbf, and delete unwanted files?
or
- just copy the ones I want to keep?

Also realized that extra files copied into, disappear after softreset :evil:
This thing seems to have own life...
Nothing of these behaviours were happening with previous ExtROM form Qtek (1.13.151 WWE).
Is it a different philosophy between Qtek and i-mate, for ExtROM?
Why these different behaviours?

Conchas said:
No I didn't format, as I wanted to delete just some files.
Should I Format?
And then?
- reflash the ExtROM .nbf, and delete unwanted files?
or
- just copy the ones I want to keep?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well... i have no experience in reflashing the ExtROM.nbf, so i prefer the second option, it worked on me , sorry can't much help

see my comments on the following thread..maybe that will help..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?p=240962#240962

eagle 1 said:
see my comments on the following thread..maybe that will help..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?p=240962#240962
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the hint. It worked!
Finally I think that I got the complete picture.
All difficulties to unlock Ext ROM on this new i-mate ROM, and a comment at another thread, made me think that once unlocked, it wouldn't be needed to repeat it again after further Hardresets. Changing the Reg settings accordingly, would be enough (WRONG!).
Silly conclusion... in fact Ext ROM was visible, but still protected.
The mommentary ability to delete and add files, leaded o a false confirmation that every thing was ok.
Now I can delete and add files to Ext ROM without problems!
Thanks all, the moved me to the rigth track.

Well after a hard reset this time I did not run the un-locker cab again, just changed the registry values. I have deleted a number of cabs, and installed two programs to the space freed by deleting the cabs. I've turned my device off for a couple of hours, and did a soft reset. So far this time my ExtROM is still there, as are my programs.
Granted this is not what I expected to occur.

dah54 said:
Well after a hard reset this time I did not run the un-locker cab again, just changed the registry values. I have deleted a number of cabs, and installed two programs to the space freed by deleting the cabs. I've turned my device off for a couple of hours, and did a soft reset. So far this time my ExtROM is still there, as are my programs.
Granted this is not what I expected to occur.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Realy strange...
That were also these comments which caused my confusion before. Now I don't know what to think anymore :?
But will follow only the procedure that works for me.
Unlocking ExtROM on this ROM, turnned to be a really tricky procedure.
For me it only works if I enter the Reg settings manually...
Any attempt to insert them with a Cab file turns into failure to unlock ExtROM. Independent if I run the unlock tool before or after, followed by a softreset :evil:

You have to edit the "Config" file.

Guide to Cook Extended ROM for Uni?

Hi,
looking for a guide to cook my own Ext Rom. I have looked at the Wiki, but found only tools for the Wiz. Can I use the same tools, or will I get into trouble. If there is a good Uni walk-thru available it would be highly appreciated. I already searched the forum, but did not find what I was looking for...
Thanks.

ireneus said:
Hi,
looking for a guide to cook my own Ext Rom. I have looked at the Wiki, but found only tools for the Wiz. Can I use the same tools, or will I get into trouble. If there is a good Uni walk-thru available it would be highly appreciated. I already searched the forum, but did not find what I was looking for...
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I unlocked my Extended ROM but I delete stuff it in. It seems its read only. Can anyone help me clean it up? I am sure that the WM speed will increase if the Ext ROM is clean. Also how can i lock it back after i clean it?

nuclear said:
I unlocked my Extended ROM but I delete stuff it in. It seems its read only. Can anyone help me clean it up? I am sure that the WM speed will increase if the Ext ROM is clean. Also how can i lock it back after i clean it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
read only? after a softreset the files are still there? so u can use extended ROM "unhider" from indra.AKU3.2.BETA5R2....so u unhide and unlock it...then delete and the files are deleted forever ;-)
see attached ZIP ;-) install / execute both on PPC

pixx said:
read only? after a softreset the files are still there? so u can use extended ROM "unhider" from indra.AKU3.2.BETA5R2....so u unhide and unlock it...then delete and the files are deleted forever ;-)
see attached ZIP ;-) install / execute both on PPC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes after a soft reset i still see the extended rom and all the files within it. The files are those Cingular and all those service providers etc and some skype and other stuff. The extended ROM is giving me 10MB of space on the device and I find it quite valuable. Rather than having it occupied by unneccessary stuff. Now this Ext-ROM unhider you speak of will let me write/read things from the Ext-ROM? Does it work with other AKU versions? Like helmi's aku 3.5? Thanks pixx

Be Careful
As always, care needs to be taken unlocking and unhiding the ExtRom. You can use the tools provided and they work well.
- First make sure to rename your 'storage card' to something else than 'storage card' since unhiding the ExtRom will make that the 'Storage Card' and your apps will not run from the SD anymore..
- It is not possible (as far as I know) to lock the ExtRom once you run the tools. But you can delete all the files inside to make it clean.
- The extended Rom space (10MB) cannnot be merge with the other storage, but you can install apps to it, or use it as storage space for attachments or whatever.
I am still lookng for a cookbook to make my own ExtRom...

ireneus said:
As always, care needs to be taken unlocking and unhiding the ExtRom. You can use the tools provided and they work well.
- First make sure to rename your 'storage card' to something else than 'storage card' since unhiding the ExtRom will make that the 'Storage Card' and your apps will not run from the SD anymore..
- It is not possible (as far as I know) to lock the ExtRom once you run the tools. But you can delete all the files inside to make it clean.
- The extended Rom space (10MB) cannnot be merge with the other storage, but you can install apps to it, or use it as storage space for attachments or whatever.
I am still lookng for a cookbook to make my own ExtRom...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright I formatted the Ext-ROM ^^ . Now that its empty i will relock it which will speed up the device right?

No (re-)lock possible afterwards... just leave it as is.

ireneus said:
No (re-)lock possible afterwards... just leave it as is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No relock possible even after a hard reset? A hard reset usually restores the device to an unmodified state but it doesnt restore the data right?

Never tried the hard reset uption so I can't tell if that will work, I flash my device about once a week with different (new) versions.
I may try next time I flash. Does anyone know?

Actually there is a way to relock the Ext ROM. I can't find the thread I read it from, but from what I remember you have to copy the registry settings BEFORE you unlock the Ext ROM. Then install Buzz's Ext ROM Unlocker. After a soft reset, the Ext ROM is now unlocked. Now customized it to your heart's content. Then cut and paste the original Registry settings to replace the new one. Another soft reset and your Ext ROM is now locked again. This is what I read from another thread. I had never tried this proceedure myself, so I can't guarantee it will work.
But, this is what I usually do whenever I customized my Ext ROMs:
1st: Install Buzz's Ext ROM Unlocker.
2nd: Soft Reset.
3rd: Customized the Ext ROM with CAB files.
4th: Perform a Hard reset to check if all the CAB files installed properly.
5th: Once I know every CAB files worked and installed properly, I now proceed with installing my other applications.
So basically, my rule whenever customizing my Ext ROM is: DO IT FIRST BEFORE INSTALLING THE REST OF YOUR APPS. This way you don't have to worry about LOCKING it afterwards.

Sounds like a plan
The next time I will apply a new ROM (probably within the next couple of days) I will try this. One more question: Do I have to backup the entire registry, or are there some specific settings I should back up?
Merry Christmas!

ireneus said:
The next time I will apply a new ROM (probably within the next couple of days) I will try this. One more question: Do I have to backup the entire registry, or are there some specific settings I should back up?
Merry Christmas!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned, I myself had not tried that approach. But to be sure, make a copy of the entire Registry and try it.
Another suggestion, if you have SPB Backup, this I already tried, so I know it works. Use SPB Backup to DO A BACKUP OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM BEFORE INSTALLING THE EXT ROM UNLOCKER. After the backup, install Ext ROM unlocker and unlock the Ext ROM. You can now customize your Ext ROM any way you want. To RELOCK it, just run SPB Backup to the BACKUP you created before you installed Ext ROM Unlocker.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

cktlcmd said:
As mentioned, I myself had not tried that approach. But to be sure, make a copy of the entire Registry and try it.
Another suggestion, if you have SPB Backup, this I already tried, so I know it works. Use SPB Backup to DO A BACKUP OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM BEFORE INSTALLING THE EXT ROM UNLOCKER. After the backup, install Ext ROM unlocker and unlock the Ext ROM. You can now customize your Ext ROM any way you want. To RELOCK it, just run SPB Backup to the BACKUP you created before you installed Ext ROM Unlocker.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@Ireneus
If your purpose is just to delete the files in the "\Extended_ROM" (actual name when hidden) without unhiding it, there are a few ways, all works.
Method 1
- Google, download & install "Total Commander v2.exe" (freeware).
- In Total Commander's command line, just type \Extended_ROM , and you will see it.
- Before you do anything, suggest you copy everything to somewhere in case you need it back again.
- And now you can do anything to it. If it is really "READ" only, Total Commander also can "UNREAD" it. Think Total Commander can delete files with the "atrributes" (hidden, read, system, archive).
Method 2
- Download Helmi_c AKU3.5 V1.3, extract it, look for the ms_nbf in the Empty_Extended_rom, flash only this ms_nbf into you device, it should be empty.
Method 3 (need to unhide first)
- I am lasy to find out which Registry, so before unhide, I copied all the "Registry HKCR, HKCU & HKLM" (hidden).
- download Extrom_Unhider.cab & UNI_ext_rom_unlock.exe (should be in this forum or FTP)
- run Extrom_Unhider.cab first and following by running UNI_ext_rom_unlock.exe, you have unhide & unlock the "\ExtendedROM".
- Press POWER key to powerdown, then Soft Reset.
- You can also now copy "Registry HKCR, HKCU & HKLM" (unhidden/unlock) to different location of above "Registry HKCR, HKCU & HKLM" (hidden).
- So depend you want to hide/lock or unhide/unlock, just copy the respective set of registry. Easy.
@cktlcmd
Copy of Registry & copy back was my posting, anyway I also cannot find where it is, but it works, I tried it myself.

"Not Enough Memory" troubleshooting thread

So, some of you have this error, some dont. So lets try and figure it out. Heres what we know.
The problem affects ALL Artemis WM6 ROMS.
Remember, the issue doesnt appear when just using it normally. Its only under certain circumstances. Heres how you re-create the problem.
Run Tomtom, this causes the error90% of the time.
Create a new word document and try to save anywhere.
Heres my setup and what ive tried to fix it.
Device: MDA Compact III
SD Card: 1gb
Ive tried font cache size, system cache, removing the memory card.
Please dont post "I dont get the error" if you havnt tried running tomtom or saving a word document.
Thanks

To add to the problem re-creation, I was trying to copy a directory with around 15 files in it from the internal memory to the storage card, the message just kept popping up for all the duration of the copy process, I stoppped clicking ok eventually. I looked at the free program mempry available then and it was pretty good at around 22mb.
Device: Orbit XDA
SD Card: 1gb

I too have noticed that looking at the free storage space seems to fix it for tomtom (but not word). There is something else wrong with Excel in that the "Save As" is in the wrong place, infact where it is isnt actually save as.

You're right, I haven't noticed this before with excel. I can't remember if it was like this before, was it? It won't be easy figuring this little memory issue out. I hope someone has a trick up their sleeves.

I have the WM6 emulator running on my pc and the excel thing isnt there. Comparing the registry settings on the emulator with my device. I would love to hear if anyone does actually have Word working without issue.

BREAKTHROUGH!
OK. I installed the original Orbit rom and... IT WORKS!!!! So the question is what did bepe and the guys do when they de-branded it? The orbit rom has an Ext-Rom with a load of branded stuff PLUS! some patches. I bet one of these patches fixes the issue!
These custom roms have NO Ext-Rom at all, hence the increased storage space. however in the process of removing the ext rom they have managed to cause these memory errors.
So guys, any chance of a rom close to the Orbit rom but with the English language and Ext rom left in tack?

Great work mate, it is the removal/merging of the extended rom that's causing the problem then. Maybe it's not even a patch in the extended rom, maybe it's the way the extended rom was merged that's causing it. This surely deserves more looking into.
Great breakthrough

Word FIX!
Thanks to pvdhelm for the tip on this one. Attached is a patch to fix the memory issue with word (and only word). To fix it for other apps you need to view the memory in the control panel and click on "Storage Card". The word fix is pernament but the other memory issue it only until you reset your phone.

Absolutely brilliant, so it looks like missing registry entries!! We need to find out what was in the original extended rom then to find out if we're missing anything else. Looks like only me and you here, you should post this fix in the main threads mate.
Cheers and well done.

I have a copy of the rom, tried isntalling it all but to no avail. It looks like on boot up the system thinks it has a different ammount of ram due to the ext rom being merged. By displaying the ammount of storage it realises it has a different ammount and fixes it. Until the next reboot. So if anyone knows what changes when you view the storage that may be fixing it I would love to know.
Or if somone can make a rom with the ext rom still in place.
EDIT: Heres one just for the MDA Compact III without WiFi users. It applys the Word memory errror fix but also fixes the Comm Manager issue and does so just for the MDA as it removes WiFi from the list.

Maybe this is a clue for you all. I have never had these errors, ands I use Tomtom daily and have tested word for you again with no fault.
The difference? Well I upgraded to WM6.0 the original way before USPL patch and flashed the OS only. I'm assuming you with problems used the ROM installer method. Am I right with my assumption? If so that should narrow down the culprit.
I used Bepes original WM6 WWE OS only upgrade, therefore the Ext ROM on my device is still the old T-Mobile WM5 one and was simply not allowed to run. So it can't be right to assume there is something missing from an EXT ROM patch.

It's most certainly the extended rom being merged then, there's nothing else to it.

gajet, can you give me the exact steps you took. I went from the T-Mobile rom to Black and blue then to the others. I uses USPL first though.
Can you give me a quick set of steps you took i.e Original T-Mobile rom, then ran USPL, then updated to Bepes.
Also, if you used bepe's can you also tell me which rom update util you used? as the one ive tried has errors at the end.
Thanks

dannyoneill said:
I have a copy of the rom, tried isntalling it all but to no avail. It looks like on boot up the system thinks it has a different ammount of ram due to the ext rom being merged. By displaying the ammount of storage it realises it has a different ammount and fixes it. Until the next reboot. So if anyone knows what changes when you view the storage that may be fixing it I would love to know.
Or if somone can make a rom with the ext rom still in place.
EDIT: Heres one just for the MDA Compact III without WiFi users. It applys the Word memory errror fix but also fixes the Comm Manager issue and does so just for the MDA as it removes WiFi from the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VERY interesting reading!
If you move this thread, please drop a link on here for us, thanks. The first one to crack this problem will be worshipped from afar I am sure!!

I think it could be an order of upgrade issue, heres the latest.
1. Downgraded to T-Mobile WM5 rom
2. Ran USPL
3. Upgraded to Bepe WM6 using the EXE version
The word issue is no longer there but the out of memory in Tomtom is. Also no ext rom.
It would be good to know from others and gajet what steps they took and which files they uses to do it. Especially as gajet still has his extended rom.

I've tried:
official t-mobile wm5 to german wm6 to bepe uspl &
official t-mobile wm5 to bepe uspl
Both times I have had the error with tomtom but no problems with word.
Both times temp fix (looking at storage) worked (sorry about font cache red herring - thought I was onto something there).
Just tied chi-tai extended battery plugin with the storage showing on the homepage (as a way to force system to get correct memory) but no joy.
I have htc touch com manager and phone skin but not the home plugin.
Cheers
Matt

I think Ive cracked it. Just doing some final testing but watch out for a new "How to" thread.

go Danny go.
Look forward to seeing it.
Will test and report back once you've posted.
Cheers
Matt

Sadly the original thread was edited to reflect the OS update was repackaged but eddie2k still goes on the reexplain the process in this thread.
eddie2k said:
then use winrar to unpack the (bepe) wm6 wwe rom in this page (written in red). flashed using bootloader method.
after u get german rom installed , run ARTE os flash utility from xda ftp (log in properly) link don't work if not logon properly..
ftp://ftp.xda-developers.com/Uploads/Artemis/arte.zip unpack
copy os.nb from first folder (bepe) wwe rom to arte folder and rename os.nb to windows.nb then run UpgradeRom.bat
hard reset, soft reset done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now I didn't bother installing the german O2 release as my MDACIII was CID locked, so I just used ARTE package with Bepes WM6 .nb renamed and flashed the OS only, then after hard resetting, at the point of about to load EXT ROM soft reset.
This thread was also the guide although you could skip the process of extracting the .os from a ROM package as Bepe originally provided us with the raw windows.nb file.

Thanks gajet, Ive just posted the steps. Your post was deffinatly the key. Once I saw you still had your ext rom I knew we could do it.
Answer is here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=313486

Config Question

OK peeps, I've figured out a lot of "stuff" by reading and practicing. One thing I can't figure out of find a topic on is how to change the initial config screen. I really don't even know if that's the name of it. It's the screen which runs the preautorun and all of the cabs from preconfig.txt. 1. what's the name of the file and 2. how do I change it? Thanks guys.
R

Do you mean on the BS rom or the NBS rom?
If you mean the BS rom then you are talking about user customisation. It's a fantastic idea that lets you use a text file to run cab installs off the memory card, however all the cabs installed will be to main memory.
That is a text file on th memory card called "SDConfig.txt".
Otherwise you're talking about EXT Rom. It can be a pain as it takes up a heap of memory for the carrier apps it installs (mms/gprs settings are generally installed for your carrier here). The only way to stop this from going through is to reset the Hermes BEFORE it goes through the customisation. You are able to unlock the extrom with schapps advanced config (the very first one) which you should be able to find on here or the touchpro site.
Cheers...

ultramag69 said:
If you mean the BS rom then you are talking about user customisation. It's a fantastic idea that lets you use a text file to run cab installs off the memory card, however all the cabs installed will be to main memory.
That is a text file on th memory card called "SDConfig.txt".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know about how that works, I'm talking about the screen itself while that stuff is installing. I tried to find a screenshot as an example, but no dice. I thought maybe there was a 240x320 png file to customize while that stuff was installing. Thanks for the quick reply.

You should pm a chef, they might have more information.
I'm assuming you mean the loading apps screen...

ultramag69 said:
You should pm a chef, they might have more information.
I'm assuming you mean the loading apps screen...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Roger that

getting rid of extrom

hi,
this might be a stupid question being asked and answered 20 times before but i didn't find anything and that's why i'm asking here in particular:
is there a way to get rid of the extrom?
i did this with my blueangel before and it was easy and since the universal has too little memory for my needs and the programs in my extrom suck, i want to do it with that device too. plus i don't want the extrom to be flashed and compiled into a nbf file, but, again, comparable to the extrom for the blueangel i want it to be pt simply on the sd card, which brings the enormous advantage to be highly customizable and i don't need to carry around cabs (in the moment for programs that i don't want anyway) while i don't have space for the programs i need.
so my actual question would be:
- can i use repart_doc.exe and xda-unlock.cab to resize the extrom to 128kb and put an extrom on the sd card instead?
- does the extrom have the same format as on the blueangel (autorun.exe, cfg.txt, bunch of cabs)?
- can i do that in wm6.1, because on the BA i had to go back to wm2003 and couldn't do it in wm5 and above?
greetz, Chef_Tony

Don't think that by getting rid of extrom you will increase your memory. I think maybe blueangel was able to change amount of memory used between storage and program. This is not possible on uni, and it's set at 64MB a piece.
Perhaps wiki:MemoryStorageTypes will help.

the point is: it is generally possible, i know that from the blueangel, and it has nothing to do with the ratio of "program memory" to "storage memory" because that only exists for ramdisks, like back in the day in wm2003. the extrom is always a part of the storage space, just that it's hidden and locked by default, and with the blueangel you could easily resize it.
to explain a little more, since apparently this is not known to universal users:
the blueangel in wm2003 has:
32mb rom
112mb ram (program memory and ramdisk storage space, dynamically, still both lost in power failure)
44mb storage
16mb extrom
for wm6.5:
32mb rom (nothing changed so far)
112mb ram (ONLY program memory, RAM like known from the pc)
60mb storage (old storage space + old extrom made to one partition, usable for installing programs and storing files.)
don't get me wrong, i appreciate your answer, it just doesn't quite get my point.
and about your link:
let me quote a small passage:
Code:
ExtendedROM
Type: Internal Storage
Size: Is usually 9.96MB
What: Extra memory which doesn't survive a soft-reset.
Use: Anything you don't mind losing :)
eh?: This could be considered as a RAMDrive on a PC (that is, in that it's volatile, but not that it takes up any Program Memory)
+info: I use this for all cache (eg PIExplorer, Opera etc)
NB. Again, this is either made available or wasted space you can't use (see FlashDisk NB).
really? the extrom is lost after a soft reset? and how does it install the system enhancements after a hard reset? /irony
the contents of that article are simply wrong. or maybe something got mixed up...
i will just give it a try with the blueangel's tools, and if it works, i will re-post because it will revolutionize the way to look at roms, like it did in the BA section, although i fairly doubt that it would work since i can impossibly be the first to think of something like this.
thanks for your answer,
cheers,
Chef_Tony

ok, i fugured out how to unhide and unlock the extrom and deleted the contents. if i manage to join the former extrom, now "storage" with the original storage space, i finally can use the full memory potential of the device. if anyone wants to give me a hint, i would really appreciate it. probably then, the extrom can also be installed from the sd card and my original plan, not to carry around useless cab files, finally worked.

You are right, I've changed the wiki. Storage does survive soft rest (I wonder if it survives a hard-reset).
VNint did some tutorial on combined storage - can be found here. And Cotulla made a ROM - can be found here.
Hope this is helpful.

great to have you here at the Universal forum Chef_Tony. Sorry I can't offer any technical assistance, just came to give some encouragement
Keep up the good work!

-Jonny- said:
You are right, I've changed the wiki. Storage does survive soft rest (I wonder if it survives a hard-reset).
VNint did some tutorial on combined storage - can be found here. And Cotulla made a ROM - can be found here.
Hope this is helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great change -Jonny-!!!
It is getting better every day!