Database Users

Announcing the XDA-developers Special Edition ROM

We've all worked hard, but it's done. The
XDA Special Edition ROM v1.0
is ready for release. Click here for details.

Way good job.
Ill give it a try we I get a linux machine runnig.
any change of getting som kind of windows version ( I no this will be heard because you use dd for file manpilation).
Just keep up the good work and I let you know if I have got a rom in my machine 8)

Download it here !!!
Only yesterday I wondered what I could do for this community, and today's already my chance !
I followed the instructions for mkrom, got Othman's Qtek ROM to modify, and got a working ROM image, pretty much first try. It is way cool, and does everything promised on the page. I created a self-extracting archive that runs adaptROM and then the "Programme A" thing, so people don't need to build it anymore, they can just download it and flash their device..
http://cuba.calyx.nl/~jsummers/XDA/XDA-developers-SER-v10.exe
(The machine I'm on can handle quite a bit of traffic, but there may be other reasons why mirrors wouldn't be bad...)
Should work on all existing PW10A and PW10B devices. Please note that installing on U.S. 900/1900 phones (PW10B) carries a warning on the page.
Happy downloading. It's cool. Back up your stuff and install the new ROM today!
--
Jeff

Thnx Jeff Summers.
Your installer worked like a charm.
I will also create my onw rom with my onw boot sreen :wink:

Thanks XDA-developers and thanks Jeff
Chiani

.Net Compact Framework
Hi !
is there a way to include the .NET Compact Framework in your ROM?
How about SMS_Name, sms-fix?
Thanks for your work

auto-config is not working
Hi !
I used Jeffs exe to install the ROM.
Everything worked fine, except the Auto-Configuration.
It pops up every time i boot my device and does nothing. I answered the questions and choose reboot, after the reboot there are no settings in connections and next time i connect to the gsm-net it asks again to do autoconfig.
I used the ROM on my german XDA32 with O2 (not loop).
Radio-Version: 4.16
am i doing something wrong or is it a bug?... Jabba

Re: auto-config is not working
Anonymous said:
[...] I answered the questions and choose reboot, after the reboot there are no settings in connections and next time i connect to the gsm-net it asks again to do autoconfig. [...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to just select 'Do not ask me this again' once, and that should be the end of it. I decided to leave the option to the user because I figured some people like being asked every time they switch SIMs. But maybe I should take it out on future versions.
Let me know if you can't make it go away by selecting the checkbox, and I'll look into it further.

Re: Download it here !!!
http://cuba.calyx.nl/~jsummers/XDA/XDA-developers-SER-v10.exe
(The machine I'm on can handle quite a bit of traffic, but there may be other reasons why mirrors wouldn't be bad...)
I just posted it on use-net in alt.binaries.warez.pocketpc
Look for XDA developers romupdate.

One possible way to make the ROM image on Windows is to use CygWin. It's worked for me.

yes, the autoconfig goes away when i check the box, BUT i tried 3 times to let autoconfig do its job -> nothing. no configuration was done. finally i checked the box to make it go away. now i have to config the connections manually.
autoconfig does not work, it just says "you need to reboot" immediatly. and after reboot nothing changed. no config done. like i already said, i tried it 3 times.
am i the only one who is experiencing this?

a few questions:
- is the autoconfig dropdown empty? or does it contain a list of providers?
- dou you have an sd card? and a reader connected to your pc?
if so, can you write a rom image to sd, and save it to your pc disk
using xdarit,
and also use xdarit to write the NK.nbf (that can be found
in C:\Program Files\RUU\English) to sd, and then read
that sd image back to your pc, ( this is to convert the .nbf to .nb1
if you know how to use unix tools, you can also do this by
typing 'dd if=nk.nbf of=nk.nb1 bs=32 skip=8193' )
then compare those 2 .nb1 files.
they should be equal. if they are not, you should try to flash
your xda again, using the sd card you have now with the saved .nbf on it
that is more reliable than flashing using programme-A.

Thanks xda-developers AND the Jeff Summers who complied his ROM for US. Three PLAIN question
1) I'm happy that the 02 boot screen is gone but can I wool rather a non boot screen can your standard one be removed manually if not can you make this optional in the next version
2) Would I be able to reload the original ROM on the XDA i have to return to manufacture for servicing i two weeks
3)A minor Issue I i notice a square while mark in the top right corner appears sometimes is that know problem in the ROM.

Itsme: sorry i dont have a sd-card reader/writer. The dropdown menu is not empty, everything is there. i selected o2-germany.
btw: is the sms-fix in the rom too? sms-name i mean. is there any chance that there will be a german rom too?`
And there is one freeware tool written from a user at a german xda forum. it's an sms-char-counter (which is missing in PPC2002) it would be a good idea to add this too the ROM?!
the other guest: use the wallaby boot loader (reset with power-button pressed) to write your ce+boot to a sd card (this card will be overwritten completely!!) see the guide on this website.

the square mark is a very useful tool called 'switch', tap it, you will see.
you can download a rom that is official for your xda here
( that is assuming you are the person called 'guest' with the german o2 rom )
if you take a look at mkrom you will see how to modify the Special Edition rom to your needs.

Itsme: do i just have to change the dir-structure ? ie. program files -> programme etc???

This 'Guest' stuff is beginning to get to me. At least provide some identification, please. 'Guest', are you sure Autoconfig does 'nothing', it may be that it has created the GPRS settings, which i all it should do, we removed all the other crap it used to do. If it created no GPRS settings for you, I'll check the 'Germany - O2' file to see what's up...

Itsme: sorry i logged in with my last reply but forget to enter the username at the top of the reply (now i know there was some login error, otherwise the username-textfield will not be displayed).... i hope that i'm "in" now
in settings/connections there are no settings set for internet and work! "new" is the only item to select.
i tried that auto-config again, but still no settings...
sorry again for the "guest" stuff.
Jabba

XDA developer Itsme
I was the Guest who mention the boot up after reset. I will be returning my XDA for services soon. Can i reload the original back with no problems? I had XDA 02 UK Radio Unit v31413 AND Radio Stack v4.
i notice the XDA developer SP Edition ROM Version date is 03/10/03 are we head of time??????
the boot up after soft rest (XDA developer bootup') i look at the instruction i have very little knowledge to follow the instruction (i'm a newbie). Any simple suggestion

it should be no problem to change your rom to a previous version
you can download the official o2 rom here
your radio stack was not modified by the special edition rom, so no need
to change it.
the date, mmm. not sure which of the digits is the month day or year.
I don't think I understand what you are trying to ask with your other question. ( or even if it is a question )

Newbies, ROM 4.00.05 -> 4.01.00, Wallaby 5.17 (Oceania/As

Hi All,
After a LOT of reading and mucking about, I've been able to update my ROM, get full use of GPRS and revert back to the manufacturer's ROM. There are a number of instructions, some of which are pretty dangerous. The following forum topic is the invaluable guide you need to read if you wish to revert back from a T-Mobile installation :
http://xda-developers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3274
The place to get your ROM's is http://www.yorch.net, from the ROM Kitchen. Use the XDA Tools from the above forum link to burn ROM's you download from Yorch's onto your beloved XDA (use the .nb1 format, NOT the .exe method and burn using XDA Tools through your USB cradle).
I happen to have the 5.17 Wallaby bootloader which means that it will not let you simply whack in an SD card with a new O/S and burn off a backup ROM, it won't happen. Don't try to upgrade your Wallaby bootloader. The safest method is to use the Wallaby bootloader patch which can be downloaded from a link at the top of the forum topic link I posted above. That allows you to do a simple O/S restore from your SD card, providing you have an SD reader which presents your SD card as a new drive on your computer. The instructions are simple, just use xdrit as per the instructions in the forum topic link above.
So, from my experience I backed up my original ROM using XDA Tools and stored it on my hard disk in .nb1 format. I then downloaded the .nb1 for 4.00.16 and installed it using XDA Tools without a hitch. Everything worked fine, but I wasn't comfortable until I knew I could revert back to my original ROM. So my next step was to write the Wallaby Patch tool onto my SD card using xdrit using the instructions as laid out in the forum topic link above (take note, use the 1K header option in xdrit). The SD card reader I used was an X-Drive that you normally use for digital camera style stuff. Once written, I put the SD card in the XDA and did the bootloader boot (hold the power button whilst pressing the reset button), and was then given the option to press the Action key to go into the diagnostic mode which is where the patch program resides.
I then took the SD card out, leaving the diagnostic screen still open, put the card back into the X-Drive, formatted it using default options in Windows XP, then wrote the ROM backup I had (you can use any ROM here) onto the SD using xdrit, selecting the 3.5K header option (because we are still using Wallaby 5.17 regardless of patching). The last major step was to place the SD card back into the XDA and select Restore SD and accepted the risk notices. The restore appeared to go fine, but at the end it said Incorrect CRC. That in itself is a worry, but I had at least restored to a point where I could burn whatever ROM I like using the simple XDA Tools method, which is exactly what I did after reviewing the connection info (once more), going to 4.00.05.
Before I originally went to 4.00.16 I recorded all my connection details, including proxy info. When I went to 4.00.16 and re-entered all the gprs info, I found that the internet worked, but MSN Messenger would not connect, stating that the proxy info was incorrect - even though the values were exactly as originally setup. That was one major reason for wanting to go to another ROM. However when I ultimately got 4.00.05 on, I kept getting exactly the same error message with MSN Messenger. The answer came from a hint in another forum topic where someone (with AT&T I think it was) said not to put anything in the proxy info. That did the trick. Un-ticking the proxy option allowed the internet and MSN Messenger to work perfectly.
For Telstra GPRS (I think this is universal) the access point name is : telstra.wap.mnc001.mcc505.gprs
GPRS Authentication method is PAP authentication.
Hopefully this info might help someone out there, because I spent close on 8 hours sweating over trying to get my original ROM back up and running.

Oh yeah, thanks to the XDA Developers, Yorch and the whole XDA community. ROM updating really is easy when you've got the right info, and I can tell you it's really worth upgrading to PPC 2003 (WM2003?), it seems so much more stable, my GPRS has never stayed on as long and it's fun! You can get creative in the ROM kitchens (such as http://www.yorch.net), adding the software you like.
Just a piece of advice, search the threads for problems with any ROM you want to try out first so that you know the traps before it's having a party on your XDA at your sanity's expense.

I have some more observations now that I'm getting more comfortable with doing ROM updates. There are some advantages in going from the 4.00.05 ROM to 4.00.21, such as button lockout while off.
When I initially did the 4.00.21 upgrade I happened to go into the "band" option in phone settings and left the options unselected. Unfortunately setting this to nothing defaults to USA which is totally incompatible with Australia. The result was the phone would not synchronize and I could no longer go into phone settings. The fix for this scenario can be found in this thread : http://xda-developers.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2893&sid=1e7be62705d2831332c7f0bd5a75e364. It's standard stuff to the die-hards, the scariest thing in the world for us newbies.
Once you set the band for Australia (same as Europe - 900/1800 I think it is) you then get a signal, can synchronize and start customizing your settings. You can get rid of most of the T-Mobile garbage, so far everything is working fine.

Thanks for that buddy, i'm about to do the same downgrade tonight (once Yorch's kitchen is back working properly). You saved me many many hours of pain!
Thanks to all who add to these wonderful forums.
Steve

Just to keep this info updated for the Aussies (and same applies for Asians, and Europe too I think), basically the same applies for 4.01.00 as I explained for 4.00.21 further back. 4.01.00 seems much the same as 4.00.21 at the moment.

Hi guys,
I have a similar set-up as yours, ie I am in Australia nd I upgraded my rom to a 4.00.16. I would like to downgrade it to the original O2 one as I have to return the phone to my company (I am being made redundant).
I tried the method you described but I failed. Basically, I can write the patch on the SD card and when I put it back into the device nothing changes...
Could you please be more specific as to what you did ? Typically, did you switch off the device then put the card then stop/soft-reset or else ?
As well, I only have the NBF version of the O2 rom that I got from the update on their site. Do you think it works or should I try to find a "pure" NB1 rom (I think there's one on Yorch's website).
Thanks a lot in advance for your help.
Bob.

Hi Bob,
Sorry to hear you have to give up your XDA, hope you have replacement work for your redundancy.
Once you have written the Wallaby Patch onto the SD card using XDRIT you reset the device using the stylus and hold down the power button at the same time (with the SD card with the patch in place). That will load into bootload mode, and you press the action button at that point to actually go into the patch.
Once the patch has loaded you leave the device on, and remove the SD card, write your ROM image onto it using XDRIT, and place the SD card back into the phone. On the patch screen select "Restore from SD" using the little directional arrows button below the phone screen. It will then ask you to confirm, then you will see the progress - it takes about 5-7 minutes.
The details on how to write the patch and write ROM's are further up in this thread. I think you can use the NBF file but I am not certain. If you don't want to risk using an NBF you can use the same method above, but revert to the 3.17 ROM from Yorch, then you should be able to use the ROM upgrade from O2 to get a clean install of the manufacturer's ROM.
Let us know if you have any problems.

Thanks Mate.
I have tried once again to patch my Wallaby 5.17 (funny name, isn't it...). It failed. Once I go into the bootloader and press the OK button, I get to the diagnostics screen and nothing else is happening.
Could you shed some light on this ?
Thx.
Bob.

Re-reading your posts...
Would it be possible for you to send me the wallaby patch tool you used ? I tried the one from here (http://xda-developers.com/XDArit/wallaby-patch-tool.nb2), as is and renamed to nb0, but it seems to be the key.
Basically, even though I get the following message : "Successfully copied image of 514 blocks", after having chosen the 1k header, as it's explained in the very detailed post you mention, I still get to the diagnostics screen instead of the patch one...
Thx again in advance for any help.
Bob.[/img]

I tried the one from here (http://xda-developers.com/XDArit/wallaby-patch-tool.nb2), as is and renamed to nb0, but it seems to be the key
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, I had no problem at all with the bootloader... one thing though is that you don't rename the .nb2 to .nb0, you use the file as-is. In XDARIT you should be able to select the .nb2 file to write to SD.
It is a diagnostics screen that you get to, that is the purpose of the patch. In that diagnostics screen should be options such as backup ROM to SD and restore ROM from SD. If it still doesn't work for you then maybe I should send you the versions of the patch and XDARIT that worked for me.

Hi,
I am using the O2 3.20.06 ENG ROM and 4.21.00 Radio. Do you think I can upgrade to 4.00.21 ROM directly?
Should I just run the exe file from the Yorch.net? Is it that simple?
What about the radio? Do I have to install a new one or is the 4.00.21 ROM included the radio?
Also, why people need to upgrade bootloader to higher version? I am using bootloader 5.15.
Thanks very much in advanced.

Well, I wouldn't use an exe for upgrading, and I wouldn't try upgrading the radio unless it's an official one posted by your supplier.
Use a .nb1 ROM from yorch and use XDA-TOOLS to do the ROM upgrade. Remember that if you go to a T-Mobile ROM you will need to use the SD card method to change to a different ROM.
Don't try upgrading your bootloader, 5.15 is fine. It's the higher versions that can be problematic and require the patch.

Thanks very much for your reply.
I am about to upgrade my device.
Just a few more questions,
1. Is this 4.00.21 ROM worked okay with the 4.21 Radio in Asia?
2. Also, other encounter a problem with SD card with this new 4.00.21 ROM, have you find any? (every 48 hrs the device wipe out the data in the SD card!)
3. It seems to me when using SD card method to change ROM with bootloader 5.15, the procedure is the same as upgrading or downgrading, isn't it?
4. The file from Yorch.net "upgrade" is only nbf file. It's not nb1. Is it the same?
Cheers,

Hi Chris
1. Yes, 4.00.21 does work fine with the 4.21 radio. I've touched on moving from 900/1900 to 900/1800 band if you should strike that problem.
2. Funny thing that, but I just checked and my SD card is erased after some 3 weeks of no problems.
3. Yes.
4. I do know that if you make a ROM in Yorch's kitchen you can choose .nb1. If you download an 'upgrade' I'm not quite sure what you get.

Not successful with the upgrade
Thanks so much for your reply.
From Yorch.net "upgrade", I can only get the 4.00.21 nbf file which is not nb1.
I can't use xdarit to burn that rom to SD card, an error occurred. But when I use the new OSImagetool, I can burn the ROM to the SD card and I can even change the name to nb1 file.
For both cases (nbf or nb1 file), I put the SD card in my device and press to the bootloading mode, nothing happen!
The device can't detect there is a ROM upgrade there. How can I do that?

Chris,
You need to download the .nb1 from the Rom Kitchen link on Yorch, not from the upgrades link, if all you are getting is a .nbf. With .nb1 you can use the osimage tool or xdrit with the sd method.
The bootloader will not restore from sd unless you have a correctly written image. In Yorch's kitchen you will see that .nbf is tagged for advanced users, that's a strong hint that different methods need to be used to install those.

I see....
Thanks v much.

Sorry for the delay in reply but I had gone back to Europe for Christmas.
I would be happy to use your wallaby patch file as mine doesn't seem to work. You can mail it to me on [email protected].
Thanks in advance for your help,
Bob.

Ok Bob, I'll send it in a few days when I get back to a PC. But I can guarantee it's the same patch that I linked back to in this thread.

ROM upgrade help

I wanted to install one of the ROMs from www.yorch.net. But before doing so I have some questions:
1. If I choose to build ROM as an installer.exe, is installing it to my device as simple as running the .exe file? (of course with the device connected thru Activesync)
2. Is my present ROM (see specs below) supported?
3. If Murphy comes to visit and I screw up, will my phone be completely unusable or can I just reinstall old ROM, do hard reset and everything will be back to how it was?
My specs:
OS: Pocket PC ver 3.0.12039
ROM:3.20.06 ENG( 07/30/03) (O2 Asia I think since I bought it here in the Philippines)
Radio: 4.21.00.
Thanks

1 as far as i know yes havent don it to my own device yet though
2 a rom dont have to support a rom since it'll overwrite it
3 of cause merphy can also show his ugly face
but if all fails a sd flash reader writer can save many a tears
also if your phone is working ok then i would not mess with the
radio stack and beware because some roms include the radio stack
and if you try to update your radio stack to a US (900/1900) and you network is 900/1800 you could be in for a world of pain

ROM upgrade step by step
OK I'm really dying to give it a go but I'm just a overly cautious bloke. So I'm gonna outline what I interpreted (after reading lots of posts I think I'm getting it but not sure) to be the way do the upgrade. Please correct me if i'm wrong:
Equipment I have:
1. My notebook (Windows XP, Activesynch 3.7)
2. O2 XDAI
3. Cradle and USB connection.
Steps that I think I should take:
1. Place XDA on cradle and make sure it's connected with PC.
2. Backup?? (not so sure what to back up since contacts, calendar, notes are synched with outlook, docs are also synched, I have copies of cab and program files since I download them to PC before installing them to XDA.) If i'm missing something please slam a frying pan (this is a kitchen right?) on my head.
3. Go to www.yorch.net, check mark on all appropriate options, then (since I have to Unix box and dont know Unix at all) just go for the easy option of cooking the .exe install file.
4. Assuming, the .exe is downloaded to my PC. This time I just run it. I expect this to be just like installing PPC apps. If not, throw a tomato on my face
5. Assuming everything worked and Murphy's in the Arctic freezing his A**e off, then all I do now is hard reset.
6. I have a new ROM and I'm singing happy-happy-joy-joy.
To the wonderful people at xda-developers, am I in the right direction or am I as lost as Bill and Ted? If I'm lost, is there a step-by-step guide for non-unix programmers? (Sorry, there was a sticky but I thought it was for people with Unix boxes)
Once again, thanks for all your help and your patience.

2. Backup?? (not so sure what to back up since contacts, calendar, notes are synched with outlook, docs are also synched, I have copies of cab and program files since I download them to PC before installing them to XDA.) If i'm missing something please slam a frying pan (this is a kitchen right?) on my head.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i can think of one thing to backup and thats your current rom
so if you dont like the new rom you are getting you have the option to go back
of cause if the rom you have now is downloadble from a place you know like your isp then maybe it dont matter

Thanks for the reply. That's a good point. Question: When you back up old ROM, is it just the ROM that gets backed up or is it the whole content of the device, like how you do in PCs?
Also, since no one, besides you, has made any comments regarding the steps that I outlined, is it safe to say that they are the correct steps?
Thanks

When you backup your ROM, no stuff that you customised will be in the backup - the backed up ROM will be the same as when you received it from your retail shop, or if you upgraded, it will be the upgraded ROM without any of your stuff. Do a backup and store it on your hard disk.
DON'T use the .exe cooked ROM, use a .nb1 or .nbf, and use XDA Tools from this site to do the upgrade. It's very easy that way, and less dangerous. Don't upgrade your radio stack unless you know exactly what you're doing, or your phone supplier has made an update available just for you.
If you use a T-Mobile ROM above version 4.00.05 it blocks the XDA-Tools from updating the ROM. At that point you need to use XDARIT (from this site) to low-level write the ROM image you have onto your SD card using an SD card reader which shows the card as another drive on your computer. Once you do that you need to boot into the boot-loader (press the reset button while holding the power button) and follow the prompts to restore from an SD card. If you're unlucky and are running bootloader 5.17 (or above I think) you need to write the bootloader diagnostics patch (wallaby patch from this site) onto your SD card first before doing the boot into the bootloader thing. You can then remove the SD card, write the O/S ROM onto it with XDRIT, and put it back into your phone while it's still sitting on in diagnostics mode. Then you can restore from the SD.
It sounds complicated, but it's easy, as long as you have an SD card reader, and as long as you don't mess with trying to update the bootloader or do an unknown radio update. There's lots of info in these forums if you get stuck.
I made a thread that summarised all the steps using the new tools and ROM's at this address : http://xda-developers.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=3860. It's for Asian/European users, but if you are in the US the instructions are the same, except instead of using European 900/1800 radio you use 900/1900.

Further questions on ROM update
Thanks. It's becoming clearer and clearer. Have more clarifying questions:
1. How do you know whether or not you're including the radio stack with the ROM upgrade at yorch.net. I did not see any options there.
2. At www. yorch.net, nothing happens when I press the "Build ROM Now" command button. Is the download supposed to happen in the background or is there something wrong with my PC or the site?
3. I dont think I'm using the T-mobile ROM but how do I know if I'm runing bootloader 5.17? Is bootloader 5.17 only for T-Mobile users or all?
Once again, thanks for the help and bearing with a newbie.

2. At www. yorch.net, nothing happens when I press the "Build ROM Now" command button. Is the download supposed to happen in the background or is there something wrong with my PC or the site?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it should start to write some text about the progress of making the rom
and when it's finished then it should init a std download dialog

The meter down at the status bar does move, same as when you're loading a webpage, then it says Done. That's about it. Didnt see any other messages or dialogue boxes.
Can anyone confirm if it's up today or has it been down?
Thanks
PS. Tried to email using the email utility at the website but getting errors there as well.

OK, firstly to answer your question about Yorch's site... well it worked for me in getting all the ROM's I wanted, then when I went back again the download didn't work. I guess it's just on and off, so unless Yorch finishes getting married or someone else makes another kitchen it's a matter of pot luck. You can get away without using the kitchen if you can find another download source for ROM's, whether it be FTP or whatever. Just remember if you get an exe you can usually pull it apart with winzip to get the .nb1 or .nbf out of it.
Now, for Q1 :
An operating system ROM is generally just under 32MB, but when zipped from Yorch it's usually about 14 or 15MB - the operating system ROM will NEVER be smaller than that. I'm not sure about the exact radio stack size but I know it's a lot less than that. Also, doing some homework about the operating system ROM helps. eg. reading about the 4.01.00 ROM tells you that it's not a radio stack upgrade, it's an operating system upgrade - and the filename and the size of the file you receive reflects that.
Q2:
answered above...
Q3:
I think the bootloader is just pot-luck depending on when you phone was released. To check your bootloader it will reset your device completely, but I read somewhere that if you turn the radio (phone) off it doesn't hard reset. If you're worried, do a full backup first. But basically when you're ready to look, reset your phone while holding the power button and it will tell you the bootloader version. Don't be too turned off by that, I have read that SD card readers can be picked up very cheap if you look around, and that's all you need to get you out of trouble regardless of the bootloader version.
There's no real risk (but I won't guarantee anything), just make sure your phone is fully charged before mucking about with SD upgrades. Also make sure the radio (phone) is switched off before upgrading... using the bootloader/sd card method you shouldn't need to be concerned. I'm not sure what effect having your phone on and receiving a call while using XDA-Tools can have, but someone did mention it somewhere.
I'm a newbie too, but there's really not much you need to know, just a few caveats.

Yorch's Kitchen has been working OK for me the last couple of days. It takes maybe about 5 mins to "cook" before telling me that the ROM is ready. The 4.00.05 ROM gave me a lot of ActiveSync problems, so I went to the 4.00.16 ROM tonight and it looks like it's behaving better.
My SD reader is a Microtech Zio. It appears as a disk drive in windows, but the newer XDArit can't initialize a connection to write to the SD card. I used the "dangerous" older version of XDArit instead (available on Yorch's site), and it's worked OK for me (so far?).
One thing I wish I had realized before I started playing - going into the bootloader will reset your phone most (some?) (all?) of the time.
While I was flashing the ROM tonight I could see the GSM light flashing - I had the same "hope no one calls" feeling tht others must have had. Note that this was while I was flashing from an SD card in the bootloader - so apparently the process doesn't deactivate the phone while it's ongoing.

Muchas Gracias!
Ebswift, if ur a newbie then ur the god of the newbies. Thanks for all the help and for making me see the light. Much appreciated...

A quick Q:
Is the process for installing an .nbf file the same as that for installing an .nb1 file?
I have cooked a few ROMS to an .nb1 format and installed those OK, but now I have one in .nbf that I'd like to install.
So what I'd plan to do is put the nbf onto an SD card using XDArit, and then stick the card in the PPCPE and reboot to the loader. Is that it?

So what I'd plan to do is put the nbf onto an SD card using XDArit, and then stick the card in the PPCPE and reboot to the loader. Is that it?
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You can do it that way (onto the SD card), or if you're not already using a T-Mobile ROM you can use XDA Tools which is easier. Basically the capabilities are spelled out for you with the available file types in the drop downs when you select a source.

ROM upgrade - how to create your own rom-questions ???

hi i have been looking through this formu but cannot really find what i am after. sorry in advance but if it was covered in other threads please give links.
i would like to upgrade my rom (current i am using pre-installed tmobile mda pro rom) to something batter. the problem is there is so many things in this forum that makes me conufused.
Is it possible (probably it is- but how) to upgrade my ROM by creating my own ROM eg take the best radio rom and extended rom with the stuff i want eg some application i am using right now - instead of normal keyboard get resco keyboard and instead of file explorer get resco explorer and so on and on and put them to the extended rom .
is there any soft to do it ? can someone provide me with links where i can find out something more about ROM cos wiki isnt really helpful and seems to be out of date.
any help wanted !
cheers, cudo
ps. or put tomtom to the extRom...rom that would feauture all the good stuff.

what a pity nobady is willing to help me..maybe u vac just point me to some accurate threads within this forum, if ther are some.
cheers, cudo

To put another Radio ROM in is trivial.
Take out the other two (ExtROM and OS) ROM images and just flash in the Radio file. I did this and didn't even need a hard reset.
To put TomTom into your ExtROM is easy too.
Once you have done your hard reset with your new ROM images and the ExtROM has loaded, you have 10MB of space that you can reclaim. There are instructions at the top of this forum for unlocking the ExtROM and making it appear as another memory area.
Please use backup software regularly so that you don't have to reflash the unit until the next OS upgrade.
Creating a ROM image is more hard work, and I don't know for sure that all the information is accurate. This is only my understanding of the process.
Install the programs that you want in your ROM to your PDA and make a note of the locations of all files and registry entries that are installed.
Take a recent ROM image and unpack it to your desktop.
Delete the programs that you don't want to install, and then search through the hives for the entries that relate to those programs. Delete those too.
Put the files and registry entries of the programs you are putting into your ROM into their post-installed locations.
Rebuild the ROM image.
Flash it in.
Hopefully this won't break your PDA if you get it wrong, I'm guessing that this is very much a trial and error process.
I haven't tried this.
Use this information at your own risk, it could break your PDA.

how do i separate the rom images from each other..i mean radio, os and extended roms ? when i unzip the UNI_TMUK_130114_130232_11003_WWE_BL101_Ship i am getting loads of files but cannot see the right ones.
cheers, cudo

Advice and/or help..

1st i have to say this site and all the people here ROCK!!!! very informative,sometimes even with illustrations. i'm learning here.
1. I ordered an unlocked AT&T 8525 w/ WM5, BUT.....when i received it,it was never unlocked & it had WM6 professional on it..so of course i came here and Sim & CID unlocked it quick. "THESE GUYS ARE ALL AWESOME" .
Now this is what i have installed on my AT&T 8525(bare with me guys,plzz)
HTC Album
HTC Audio Manager
HTC Audio Manager Today Plug-in
SPB Mobile Shell2
SPB Phone Suite
SPB pocket Plus4
Tiermann SlideSound
Shape Services IM+SP
PocketCM Keyboard 0.14
SJ Keyboard Skin-Touch
csKB_Cert
Cloudy Fa 2G DialPad
TeddyKing & AX3l ZoomSMS
Storage Program
Total 44.77mb 48.77mb
In Use 31.57mb 38.76mb
Free 13.20 10.01mb
i know,i know i am soooo noob,lol
but i noticed alot of you guys have alot move free space than i do but with more programs/apps/games etc. installed
i've heard alot about this "HARD-SPL" APP, should i have installed that after i unlocked my phone & installed the Apps or should i have installed some of these roms to save more space? gee i'm a noob,i've never had a windows based phone. Ooh BTW i have a 1gb storage card,hopefully gettin into a 4 0r 8gb.
my friend even has an app which he doesn't tell me where he got it or show me on his phone the name.but when he opens his keyboard and closes it,it responds quickly into landscape and back to portrait,REAL FAST. what App is that..he doesn't wanna share his knowledge, that is why i told him about this site but can't find it..wow he newbie..but anyways, hope to learn more & more from you guys...ALL YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME WITH ALL YOUR WORK ON APPS/PROGRAMS,KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
Thanks In Advance for all the help...be safe fellas

G'day Joee and welcome. 1st, the reason other people have a lot more free memory is because they're running a cooked rom... This means that all the bloat programs/carrier crap has been removed and other better apps put in. You can find the cooked apps by going to the wiki and doing a search for hermes cooked roms.
Now, so saying, you need to install the Hard SPL onto your phone BEFORE you flash a new os as this decreases the chance of "bricking" your phone or increases the chances of recovering it if you do(we all have this happen sometime).. I'm glad you asked this before becoming another noob begging for help because he's bricked his phone and cant recover. As I say though, there is still a chance of permanently bricking, no guarantees. If you decide to flash your phone up you need to be aware that if something goes wrong and it has to be returned you may find your warranty voided. However ther are ways to return your phone back to the stock rom if you look.
You may read about radio roms and think you need to flash yours up to the latest... WRONG.... Depending where you are and who your carrier is depends on what radio rom you should have. If you find it works fine, DONT TOUCH IT as mast bricks are caused by flashing the radio rom and having something go wrong during the flash. 9 times out of 10 you cant recover, even with Had SPL.....
Now you're sufficiently afraid of flashing, Please read Mr Vanx's guide as this will REALLY help if you decide to do it. I personally recommend flashing using the sd card method as it is safer and you dont need to kill anyone who even looks at your computer while its flashing. Using the computer can cause hassles with people accidently hitting reset buttons, pulling out usb cables or just a good old fashioned blackout. SD card method just relies on a file on your sd card and the fact you have 50% battery power.. You can find out how in the wiki...
Anyways, if I haven't frightened you off completely, I would suggest , as a first rom, TNT SE. Its a fairly stable rom with a heap of 3rd party apps or if you want LOTS of memory go with a lite rom... Anything from Schapps, Matt_KR(also known as pandora), Faria, K's Pays or PDAViet (many more but you get the drift). Wait for a little while until you get experienced with wm06 before trying wm6.1 - still has teething problems.
Well, Welcome & Happy Flashing......

ultramag69, your pointing me the right way,thanks!!!! also thanks for responding to my thread,i'm glad i ran into this site. you guys are doing lots of amazing things with alot of the apps/progs,all in all you guys are AWESOME!!. i'm glad you answered me before i would had made a mistake and brick my phone. As for the carrier i'm using, i'm using " IMMIX WIRELESS", i think they are associated with Keystone. so once i "reset my phone to factory settings i use "hard-spl" & use a rom, i automatically lose all the "junk" AT&T add to their phones. yeah,free space i guess,COOOL. Oh BTW,what hard-spl do i use? V7 or V9? probably will be hard to find the "lite Rom" as you suggested.
thanks alot for the help again & hopefully learn alot more before i actually do the "HARD-SPL" flash & go modding happy.

Ok, you DONT need to reset to factory. you can just Hard SPL your phone straightway. You can then install a rom as well. Just remember that when you flash a rom you will wipe everything off the phone.
As to what Hard SPL to use, if you read about each one you will find that ver. 9 is for developers, people who muck about and improve things on our phones. We get the benefits later, but if you just wanna start off easy to flash and upgrade I'd go with ver.7. You can upgrade SPL's later if you start to get into flashing hardcore...
If you did some reading you would've found this out. I like helping people, I was where you are now once, but some people DO get nasty if a question is asked with you not looking through the forum first. Chances ae your question has been asked AND answered multiple times over. Word to the wise......
AS for the flashing.... flash Hard SPL off your computer. I find this easiest as it literally takes about 2 secs.... Howver for the rom I would suggest the SD card method(It's my personnel favourite)as its safer than with the pc. If you follow the guide you will need to backup your sd card then format it fat 32... If you've already formatted fat 32 and want to keep all the apps installed and pics etc... on there I've found you can just install the .nbh file directly onto the card WITHOUT formatting and loosing anything. Just remember to ename it to "hermimg.nbh". Put your hermes into bootloader with the card installed and it will automatically detect and start the flash process. Follow the prompts.... MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GREATER THAN 50% BATTERY POWER... very important..
Happy flashing and good luck.....

thanks again
ultramag69, thanks alot & i'm sorry if i asked q's that were answered b4, i guess i would i have to search with the correct wording 0r word...once again thanks for the help..i know i will learn alot from every1 here and who knows i'll be like you guys in no time
thanks again

thank you very much,did my 1st flash rom,i used Faria R32...nice,fast & good storage..you pointed the way for me & i thank you for the help...like i always say,YOU GUYS ALL ROCK!!!