Develop Bugs

CLEAN O2 XDA IIs Reset (Skip ALL crap o2 software install)

I was reading through some previous threads on how to get rid of the dreaded O2 Active software that installs upon a Hard Reset.
One of the options people gave was to do a hard reset and select the infamous "Corporate Mode". Unfortunately I did not have this corporate mode option with my version of the ROM (1.31 WWE).
What I did notice, however, was after the Hard Reset, all this crap O2 software installs itself with a convenient little "warning" message stating it will do so.
In order to skip the O2 software install, just do a quick soft reset right before the software begins to install itself, and score, a fresh CLEAN O2 free install!
PS: I was also having problems getting T-Mobile GPRS to work on this device. But after a nice clean install with no O2 crud, GPRS worked fine.

All good - one major problem...
No MMS Settings - not even the MMS Options in menu!
Someone suggested on another forum to copy the .cab from ext ROM first, I cannot do this with File Explorer.
On a Palm I would use Filez - any similar prog for PPC?
Alternatively - how did you overcome this yourself if you have another way?

The hard reset once re-booted should start to load the OS at the end of this you are presented with a screen (for around 30 Sec) it is at this stage you select Corporate mode and enter the 0506 key - if you leave the device unattended then it will time out and load all the active rubish that wrecks the phone - mike

All sorted thanks.
Did the Corporate start so clean machine. Still got some crap.
So, instead soft reset just after hard reset before ANYTHING installed. Then installed all the .cab files that did not have O2 in the name from ext ROM. The MMS details I wrote down prior to Hard reset this time.
Sorted! Yay!

After the hard reset and corp install - what remained on the unit that you didn't want? - just interested - Mike

WM5 on BA - Why Upgrade?

In all the excitement of the hacked ROM coming out - I need to ask one question. Why should I upgrade my BA to the WM5 ROM? What benefits does it offer over the existing WM2003SE ROMS?
I'm tempted like everyone else just to bung it on and update it every day for the next few weeks until it's working properly - I'm also tempted to wait for the official O2 1.4 ROM that works properly.

I must admit that I'm going to wait before upgrading to WM5. I see no compelling reason to upgrade other than "beacuse I can". I wouldn't necessarily wait for the official O2 1.40 ROMs though, you might be waiting forever. I use the imate 1.40 ROMs with no problems.
Having said that, I hope to get hold of a "spare" Blue Angel this week & might experiment with WM5 on it

The existing 1.4 ROMs are annoying for me because I have problems with GPRS and disconnections and a few other niggles that are hard to live with - whereas tghe O2 ROMs have these niggles fixed - hence the wait for the O2 1.4 ROM.
I was thinking of tinkering with the WM5 ROM, but not for a little while until a few things are sorted out, just to see what the interface was like but if it's too much hassle.....
I've got my heart set on an O2 Exec which looks like it might be out soon.

I use it and apart from lack of camera function and a longer boot up time, I MUCH prefer it over 2003SE. First it has a revamped design and it makes 2k3se looks boring.
OK, there are some stability issues but what can you expect for a leaked rom?
If you don't vitally depend on your BA i'd give it a try, and if you don't like it, get activesync 4 and flash back.

Now, seeing how we came accross WM5, is there reason to believe we will be getting the FINAL version of the WM5 firmware for the BA??
In other words, is Mamaich's patched WM5 version the best we're going to get??
What do y'all think?

man(darkblak) is askins simple...if someone knows what benefits gets with wm5...if someone had experience should tell us...im interested in that to... will be blueangel with wm5 faster or slower how will be in performances and itc...
10x in advance

WM5 on SX66 (Blue Angel)
I updated my SX66 to WM5 before the ROM was patched (by Mamaich)... and then spent the next few days working on the issues of performance/sound.
With sound disabled (prior to patch), the device was undoubtedly faster. I made registry changes to increase cache size, disable animations, etc. but I had made those changes in 2003SE as well... and WM5 still outperformed it by a significant margin.
As for the areas not dealing with speed/performance, the new OS requires some getting used to. Hardware buttons that are unassignable (old Windows and OK buttons are softkeys now) and a few other issues (such as GPRS on only when activated by Internet Explorer and Bluetooth shutdown on power off) were a little unnerving, but nothing that would make the OS unusable.
What makes WM5 indispensable is PERSISTENT STORAGE. This is the Holy Grail for all Windows Mobile devices prior to this OS. When your battery dies and your backup battery dies, you must re-load all of your aftermarket software and PIM info. Software such as Sprite Backup made this process easy... but what if you're mid-flight to another country without a laptop and your PDA crashes? This is not an issue with WM5. All after-market software and PIM data is stored to ROM (software install location is optional)... which means that it is stored in non-volatile memory. It is not lost during power/system failure. What this means in terms of device security is that the person that finds your PDA on your desk at work cannot simply "hard reset" it to remove all of your info and use it themselves... Your password/PIM data and software will still be secure/in place and only downgrading the device to 2003 and repartitioning the ROM will clear it.
At the moment, I have no issues with WM5 on my SX66. Editing the camera keys in the registry solved the issues with sound and there are plenty of patches available to reconfigure the hardware buttons, etc. But I'm learning to like the OS as shipped...
I've been using Windows Mobile for more than three years and this iteration is undoubtedly worth the upgrade. If you have the time and patience to read through these forums, make an installation checklist and then follow it to do the upgrade.
My checklist would read:
-Download patched WM2005 ROM
-Download MaUpgradeUT_NoID.exe
-Download all patch CABS
-Download DOC tool (Disk On Chip partition tool)
-Run DOC tool (if successful, the ROM size is now ~63MB in control panel)
-Copy and rename the HTCRUU.dll and HTCRUU.conf files to RUU.dll and RUU.conf
-Run MaUpgradeUT_NoID.exe (if the first try is unsuccessful, put device into bootloader mode. Rec/Media/Power/Reset all at once)
-After upgrade check functionality BEFORE applying any patches, there are as many differences between just SX66's as there are between all of the Blue Angel devices... some patches may NOT be required.
-Apply patch CAB's
-Apply registry edits suggested in the forums for performance improvement
I hope this enlightens those waiting to see the efficacy of this ROM upgrade. I have had a good experience with WM5, in spite of the initial problems. I'm happy with its performance and will not downgrade to 2003SE unless I screw up WM5 bad enough to make it necessary to re-partition the ROM... then I'll go right back to WM5.
Cheers all...

MRwheeler2: Where is the edited rom on the FTP site? I cannot find it where it says it was, BA/test or something like that. Where can I get it from
Also, I have noticed that using the standard rom I cannot change bootup images. It is constantly the stupid colour thing (how about that for a name!) and it's more like a TV test screen.

Download locations for patched ROM
Sorry for the delay... I was out.
You can download the patched ROM from: ftp://xda-developers.com/Uploads/Blueangel/WM5Pack/
There currentyly isn't a fix for the boot screen... I'm looking right now at the MSDN site for CE5.0 and searching their registry settings for Bluetooth and boot screen. Nothing yet... I'll post a new thread if I figure it out.
Hope this helps...

any reason that I'm getting permission denied errors?
I'm logged in but can't do it withe IE or FF, and firewall on or off.
One says permission denied, the other says can't find.

Download locations for patched ROM... continued.
Looks as if it was moved... Try the BlueAngel/BA_WM5/Shipped_Extracted_Updates folder and look for WM5_pack_v1.rar
That should do it...
Good luck.

Still says 530 permission denied. I tried looking in some of the higher level folders and still no joy.

Download locations for patched ROM... continued.
A 530 error is an incorrect login... Go to the "File" pull-down in Internet Explorer and click on "Log In" then when prompted, enter xda for both user name and password.
The default setting for Internet Explorer is to log in anonymously... most non-public FTP sites require some type of non-anonymous log in to ensure that the user has been referred from a site and not someone searching FTP servers.
Once you've logged in, you should be able to see a list of folders/files. You can use the "Folders" button if you would like to see a directory tree in the left panel.
Post a reply if you're successful (or if you're not)...
Later,
Mick...

10x mwheeler2 i will hawe that what u write in my mind...but 530 error i hawe still in ftp ... hope that will solve soon...

Download locations for patched ROM... continued.
For those still looking for the patched ROM...
try this:
ftp://xda:[email protected]/BlueAngel/BA_WM5/Shipped_Extracted_Updates/WM5_pack_V1.rar
The above link is on the wiki page for the upgrade:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=BA_5.1.1700_build_14343_Upgrade
There is a walkthrough on the site and some helpful information...
Later,
mick...

Well - after reading all the stories about persistent storage and speed I was about to go ahead with the install until I found out that my main application TomTom 5 would not install - a quick search later found a workaround - seems like everyone is pulling together on this.
So I'm now running WM5 on my O2 XDA IIs and it's not too bad - it's no worse that O2's existing "beta/official" ROM (1.31) and there is very little reason not to go for the upgrade as it's easy to install - just a little hairy with the funny screens at the start.
I can't say that the I have noticed much difference with the speed issues once all my baggage is loaded on the machine. I'll keep checking the reg fixes etc from time to time.
The interface is much the same as the old interface apart from a few nice touches - but as someone said earlier the ability to re-map certain keys is a pain - until you become used to the context sensitive buttons.
All in all - probably worth the upgrade - you just have to get used to the new ways that some things work.

Where can I download the files to update my SX66 to WM5
I did try to search the fourm but can someone please send me the web link to where I can down load the files to upgrade my Cingular/Siemens SX66 to WM5?
Thank you and I have donate to BA***
mwheeler2 said:
I updated my SX66 to WM5 before the ROM was patched (by Mamaich)... and then spent the next few days working on the issues of performance/sound.
With sound disabled (prior to patch), the device was undoubtedly faster. I made registry changes to increase cache size, disable animations, etc. but I had made those changes in 2003SE as well... and WM5 still outperformed it by a significant margin.
As for the areas not dealing with speed/performance, the new OS requires some getting used to. Hardware buttons that are unassignable (old Windows and OK buttons are softkeys now) and a few other issues (such as GPRS on only when activated by Internet Explorer and Bluetooth shutdown on power off) were a little unnerving, but nothing that would make the OS unusable.
What makes WM5 indispensable is PERSISTENT STORAGE. This is the Holy Grail for all Windows Mobile devices prior to this OS. When your battery dies and your backup battery dies, you must re-load all of your aftermarket software and PIM info. Software such as Sprite Backup made this process easy... but what if you're mid-flight to another country without a laptop and your PDA crashes? This is not an issue with WM5. All after-market software and PIM data is stored to ROM (software install location is optional)... which means that it is stored in non-volatile memory. It is not lost during power/system failure. What this means in terms of device security is that the person that finds your PDA on your desk at work cannot simply "hard reset" it to remove all of your info and use it themselves... Your password/PIM data and software will still be secure/in place and only downgrading the device to 2003 and repartitioning the ROM will clear it.
At the moment, I have no issues with WM5 on my SX66. Editing the camera keys in the registry solved the issues with sound and there are plenty of patches available to reconfigure the hardware buttons, etc. But I'm learning to like the OS as shipped...
I've been using Windows Mobile for more than three years and this iteration is undoubtedly worth the upgrade. If you have the time and patience to read through these forums, make an installation checklist and then follow it to do the upgrade.
My checklist would read:
-Download patched WM2005 ROM
-Download MaUpgradeUT_NoID.exe
-Download all patch CABS
-Download DOC tool (Disk On Chip partition tool)
-Run DOC tool (if successful, the ROM size is now ~63MB in control panel)
-Copy and rename the HTCRUU.dll and HTCRUU.conf files to RUU.dll and RUU.conf
-Run MaUpgradeUT_NoID.exe (if the first try is unsuccessful, put device into bootloader mode. Rec/Media/Power/Reset all at once)
-After upgrade check functionality BEFORE applying any patches, there are as many differences between just SX66's as there are between all of the Blue Angel devices... some patches may NOT be required.
-Apply patch CAB's
-Apply registry edits suggested in the forums for performance improvement
I hope this enlightens those waiting to see the efficacy of this ROM upgrade. I have had a good experience with WM5, in spite of the initial problems. I'm happy with its performance and will not downgrade to 2003SE unless I screw up WM5 bad enough to make it necessary to re-partition the ROM... then I'll go right back to WM5.
Cheers all...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Licenced Software CAB conversion

Does anyone know if you can take a piece of software that you have purchased in CAB format, with a Licence Key and change it into a package?
Since the software isn't OEM is it still the same method to create a package?

Any Takers?
This cant be to much of a hard question!!! can anyone answer? please

Tried it with Phone Alarm. sort of worked at the second attempt. But not quite. If I spent more time on it I reckon I could have got it to work but just don't have the time.

crazyC said:
Tried it with Phone Alarm. sort of worked at the second attempt. But not quite. If I spent more time on it I reckon I could have got it to work but just don't have the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but you can actually do it? what do you do about the activation codes etc?

The code is probably just stored in the registry or a config file after you enter it, in which case just make an RGU in the package putting the right data into the right place.
Some software might encrypt the code.. but even then usually putting the right encrypted string in the right place will work.. You may have to have the owner information set exactly the same each time (as this may be hashed into the generated key) but this isnt a problem as you can set the owner information in the RGU as well.
If you get a program where you cannot track the installation to see what happens when entering serials etc.. try SKTracker.. you can use it to watch the ppc for changes to files, databases and registry and dump those changes for analysis... so you install it.. make a reference dump.. then install/register the app.. then dump again.. then compare to see what has changed.
Some apps it wont work with of course.. but i'd imagine for most it will be possible yes. The worst that happens is you have the app installed in trial mode.. and a text file burned to the ROM with the serials you have bought in it to re-register it when needed after a hard reset.

Yeah - SK tracker is fantastic. Generally it just involves exporting a reg key from your PPC and then putting it into the cab/package along with your owner name (in some cases).
All my licensed software has been set to install via cabs including the keys. Not found any that cannot be done this way.
Problems arise with more complicated installs that involve interfacing with the system. Just using the normal conversion process with the PA cab did not work, needed to run SK tracker and fix a load more reg entries that were changed by the instll prcess. Improved it but still had issues with no sounds etc. I must have missed something, and have temporarily given up. The cab only takes a minute to install anyway.

Stupid question - are ROM files REALLY ROM files?

Hi. I am relatively new with the PDA scene and as much as I would have loved to read an answer to my question from some other thread instead of starting a new one, I could not do it cos there are none. At least in "idiot's guide" style.
To the question that is stated in the title. As much as I have understood, there are (at least) three storage areas on a device (mine being Vodafone v1520) - the ROM, the EXT ROM and the files that we see on under "My Device" in Explorer. Some of the files have been marked as "ROM" if to look at the properties and those cannot be deleted (at least I haven't found any way) but they can be overwritten (with Resco or smth). The point of my question is that when I overwrite the WELCOME.GIF file (marked as ROM file, it's VF splash screen) it does overwrite it nicely (confirmed) but when I hard reset, it's back. Although I don't understand also why after overwriting I still see the VF logo instead of my own file, that is a separate issue.
The reason I am asking this is that nobody in this forum has been able to answer me how to unlock the EXTROM part on that ASUS P550 that I have. So I thought maybe if I change the STARTER.EXE or GENERALINSTALLER.EXE to something pointless, the EXTROM part won't be installed.
Although I suspect the VF logo is displayed from EXTROM part while booting, cos there is nowhere else that same file in normal storage.
Summary:
1) Does changing files marked as "ROM" really change ROM files or is it until the next hard reset and why?
2) Does anyone know how to unlock and unhide the EXTROM part on ASUS P550?
3) Does anyone know where the VF splash screen comes from while booting?
If anyone has ANY information on these issues, PLEASE enlighten me. It seems that there are a lot of senior members who have the knowledge but are quite unwilling to share it. I don't know why but it seriously sucks that they don't reply to threads or PM. I thought this forum was for helping each other, not giggling behind the screen: "I know something You don't". At least that is the impression that I have recently gained when trying to contact people that have the knowledge.
Thanks.

aiiro
The answer to your "stupid" question - "are ROM files REALLY ROM files" - is NO.
The question is not stupid and the files are really not the files.
Actually you have only the information about the files in ROM - the name, the size and other attributes. That's it.
You are not really overwritting anything when you copy the different file with the same name to ROM.
If you somehow dump the ROM from your device - you'll get real files.
Welcome Gif can permanently be changed only in dump.
Unlocking EXTROM .... I am not sure that I got what you mean. And why do you want to do that. But do the following: with Resco Registry go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\StorageManager\Profiles\TRUEFFS_DOC2\FATFS
Change MountHidden value from 1 to 0
You will be able to see the EXTROM content.
VF splash screen definitely comes from Windows folder of your device while booting - it's a part of the ROM.

OK, thanks for a quite thorough reply, but I still don't get it then - why does Resco (or similar prog) ask to overwrite the file? OR, if it doesn't overwrite it, how do I see the new file in Windows folder and the prog looking for splash screen file does not?
The EXTROM fascinates me because after hard reset the device is installing some "Auto Installation packages" and as far as I have found out those come from the EXTROM. I suspected that the WELCOME.GIF came from there too but now I am not sure. Might have to dump the ROM somehow and look into it but there are not many people with P550 and like I said those who have, don't have the willingness to help with that.
BTW, thanks also for the tip about the registry, but I have tried all the registry tweaks that I have found (including the abovementioned) but none of the works...
Thanks again and looking forward to Your (or anyone else's) comments.

aiiro said:
OK, thanks for a quite thorough reply, but I still don't get it then - why does Resco (or similar prog) ask to overwrite the file? OR, if it doesn't overwrite it, how do I see the new file in Windows folder and the prog looking for splash screen file does not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Resco has been done like you have!
Try to do the following: copy your own Welcome.gif to Windows folder. You will be prompted to overwrite. Say yes. Then simply delete that file. It will not disappear - the old version of file will become visible again. ROM is not a number of files - it is one file which contains a copy of the data that later will be written (flashing process) straight to a read-only memory chip.
(Pay attention on my words "read-only")
Imagine yourself a wall painted with a hell of 100 dollar bills. You can see them. But you cannot take one of them. You can even glue you own bill upon the drawn one. It will work. But when you wash the wall (hard-reset) - your real paper bill will be washed down and the old painted one will appear (sorry for metaphor)
BTW, thanks also for the tip about the registry, but I have tried all the registry tweaks that I have found (including the abovementioned) but none of the works...
Thanks again and looking forward to Your (or anyone else's) comments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing works probably cause the registry is write-protected. Unlock your registry by changing the following:
HKLM\Security\Policies\Policies\00001001 = 1
HKLM\Security\Policies\Policies\00001005 = 40
But! You would do it with the digitally signed regedit. For example - one is attached. Unzip it to your device, run it, change the security policy settings, reboot. Then try to tweak your Asus again.
The attached regedit has OEM Sign 2005 - hopefully it will work for you.

Thank You for a thorough explanation and especially for the metaphore - it was very helpful.
But about the registry - wow... I mean I haven't even heard of unlocking registry...
As usually, answers are generating new questions. The ones I have now are:
1) How come some of the registry tweaks made with Resco still work even now - like showing the clock instead of battery (changing the TBOpt key) etc and the values are still there after soft reset?
2) Resco is also digitally signed, isn't it?
3) If I use this app, will hard reset still create a clean registry? (The answer to this probably is "yes" but I still ask just to be sure).
4) Can I seriously f**k up something with this method?
Thanks in advance.
But

aiiro said:
... answers are generating new questions. The ones I have now are:
1) How come some of the registry tweaks made with Resco still work even now - like showing the clock instead of battery (changing the TBOpt key) etc and the values are still there after soft reset?
2) Resco is also digitally signed, isn't it?
3) If I use this app, will hard reset still create a clean registry? (The answer to this probably is "yes" but I still ask just to be sure).
4) Can I seriously f**k up something with this method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read your PM - sure I don't have any subscriptions, but it's OK (I mean PM) - it works.
So:
1. The point is that not the whole registry is write protected - only several "important" parts mostly in HKLM. Normally - if you change someting in HKCU - it will work even with the protected registry. The vendor only protects the keys and values that can cause some "critical" system changes.
2. If to tell the truth - I know that Resco has digital signature - but anyway the permission level of it does not allow you to modify the protected keys. So that's why I offered you to use Regedit, signed with the customizers.
3. For sure - after HardReset you will return to factory defaults completely - it means you registry will again become clean and write-protected.
4. It depends upon what you mean writing "seriously". The worst thing - to damage the bootloader, but you will never do that modifying the registry. So - feel free to do whatever you want - you will always be able to return to factory defaults.

OK, thank You very much for the explanation! I have bookmarked like 200 pages related to PDAs, which means that if even only every 10th page gets bookmarked, I have gone through thousands of pages in 4 months and I haven't stumbled on this information before. So everything You have enlightened me about here is most useful, thanks again!
I hope I will not push it but since You have been so helpful and seem to know stuff, I am risking asking some more questions. First of all, would You happen to know a good "idiot's guide to flashing ROM"? I have read those on the wiki but as they are for HTC devices and asus mobile club russia does not have any basic explanation in English, it's pretty hard to catch the idea. I know that much that there is a PC involved with some kind of programs etc, but that's about it. I don't even know what the hell is a bootloader. There also isn't any good PDA architecture drawings lying around in the net
The second question is also related to hardware. I have the Vodafone v1520 as mentioned above and it has a small annoyance - the earpiece volume adjustment during call does not work. The slider moves and I hear the clicks getting louder or quieter but the volume level of the caller voice does not change. I took it to a repair shop and they told me that it's a faulty hardware but I know that there are people with exactly the same problem in this forum and I find it hard to believe that they installed some kind of faulty earpiece on all these devices. Or is that possible? What do You think?
Thanks.

aiiro
Sorry dude but both your last questions are about the specific device - your Vodafone. To answer - I should buy Asus P550 and get an experience first. It's only 700 bucks in my country but I am not sure that I really wanna have it. My current device (pretty old now) is P525 and the next one will probably be Diamond or something better and more expensive.
Second thing - I am not IT professional - I am just a user. OK, I always use my own (cooked) ROMs but it does not mean that I can give the answers to all your questions!

OK, I knew I was pushing it a little bit and in no way did I mean that You should make some kind of spendings. I just thought maybe You had any ideas and maybe ASUS devices are similar enough that they are compatible ROM-wise with each other or something like that.
Anyway, thanks for those thorough replies - You have been most helpful! As soon as I will have some time I will try the registry things out.
Thanks again and good luck!

try to install this cab file ,I make it .you can QQ me by my QQ:421264988 my E-mail:[email protected]
i'm sorry ,I chinese ,and my English is very poor
安装这个CAB文件试试,我的手机也是P320,安装完解锁成功,但在删除程序里看不到之后安装的程序,欢迎和我交流,我的QQ:421264988 E-mail:[email protected]
对不起,我是中国人,我的英语很差

Modified registry values don't survive reboot?
Try switching the device off before reboot.
The registry is not flushed to disk at every write.
And search the net for
flushing registry pocketpc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

newxda-new said:
Try switching the device off before reboot.
The registry is not flushed to disk at every write.
And search the net for
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if you reset the handheld without putting it into suspend mode before, you risk losing configuration data (registry settings)?

welcome.exe problem

Hello,
I have the HP iPAQ 214 device and i'm facing a problem: it is not booting and giving the error: "A problem occured with welcome.exe".
In fact i installed a new calendar application without doing a soft reset after. When i tried to synchronize with my PC, i couldn't do it correctly so i did a soft reset and since the device won't boot. I did already several hard resets and i'm having the same error everytime.
So could you please help me, i've only had the device for 1 week now.
Thanks for anyone trying to help.

1: It MIGHT help if you told us WHAT app in question you installed;
2: As you might also have noticed, or you were just merry-posting, this is the DIAMOND dev corner.
3: The sensible thing to do here, would be maybe to contact the application support (if it's a commercial app); freeware anyways most of the time have community-driven forums too.