Modify the ROM in other PDAs.

[ctitanic]

Hi, there is a huge interest in other communities about what you are doing in here. I can say only one word, unbelieveable.

I have a few questions,
1- has anyone tried to do the same using any other Pocket PC?
2- is there any thoughts about to create a version of mkrom for Windows (I believe that the current one is for Linux)?

TIA

[Hark0]

Hello!

I have very interested in mkrom version for windows too....

Hark0
[www.klonycs.net]

P.S. Frank, please email-me if you have more info about this topic. :)

[Peter Poelman]

Ehm, Windows as in the 95/98/ME/2000/XP family of desktop Operating Systems does not run from ROM, it runs from disk. It does not have persistent RAM, and as such does not have a cold-boot vs. warm-boot, unless you count OS installation as a cold-boot.

You can modify properties of the installation procedure using installation scripting, and you can 'freeze' an install you like by creating an 'image backup' of the drive it's installed on.

[Peter Poelman]

Duh! The above shows how dense I can be. Ofcourse you mean running mkrom on Windows instead of unix, not running mkrom for Windows.

You should be able to run it on Windows already, if you install the ActiveState perl environment and mess with it little.

I'm thinking maybe we should offer an environment through a perl script and samba or ftp right here... Hmmm...

[Anonymous]

Yes we were talking about to run the mkrom on windows.
What you are saying about the Perl enviroment could be a solution but I'm not really familiar with that. Could be simplest to recompile or create a version of mkrom for Windows (to run on windows)?

I know you are busy guys but I think you have not understood the magnitude of what you have done. Right now you can find 1000s of users willing to modify the ROM of there PPCs, no matter what kind of PPC they have. So please... think with a wider perspective.

I have a few things I have tried in my page www.pc-counselor.com/e740rom.htm and as you can see there, in the case of a Toshiba e700 series is very easy to get a copy of the rom and put it back. A lot easier than in HP devices. ;)

[ctitanic]

That was me in the previous message, I did not notice I was not logged. Sorry

[bdarras]

a windows box with http://www.cygwin.com/ unix tools will do too.
make sure you select perl and bash in the cygwin setup tool.

[ctitanic]

Keep in mind that for those who are not familiar with Linux and perl, etc all these instructions sound like chinise.

:lol:

[Anonymous]

You could also use a CD-ROM version of Knoppix.

No hassle to install Unix, just boot from CD and make one of your HD partitions write-enable. :D

[bdarras]

I think I managed to create a rom image with MKROM on windows, and since I've never done anythign like this before, I thought I'd try to explain the process I followed so that other unskilled user like me could do it as well.
to all you advanced user, please feel free correct this if it is wrong.

1. MKROM

Download the MKROM distribution archive from http://www.xda-developers.com/mkrom/

… read the page while you’re there!!

Unzip mkrom.zip somewhere easy to find (not on your desktop, because your desktop is not easy to find in a DOS/UNIX window, I would suggest c:\mkrom\)


2. O2 ROM

Also download the Radio Unit Upgrade from:
http://www.sourceo2.com/O2_Developers/Launched_devices/O2_xda/default.htm

Once downloaded right click on Radio_Unit_Upgrade_v31703.exe and select “winzip/open with winzip” (if you don’t have winzip, download the demo at http://www.winzip.com)

In Winzip Locate the the file nk.nbf and extract it to your c:\mkrom\ folder (be careful, by default winzip will create a folder called “English” and put nt.nbf it in that folder. You don’t want that! It should just be in the c:\mkrom folder)


3. install CYGWIN

MKROM needs to be run UNIX or Linux (don't know which) by default but you can apparently run it on windows by using one of these:

• Activestate (http://www.activestate.com/)
• Knoppix (http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html)
• CYGWIN (http://www.cygwin.com)

I tried CYGWIN

• Download setup.exe from http://www.cygwin.com
And run it. (this is a small software that allows you to chooses which bits you want to download and install)

• I selected “install from the internet” but you can also download first then install from the local drive.

• on the next screen I left all the default as they were. I don’t know whether DOS or UNIX text file type is better here, so I just left the default: UNIX.

• On the next screen select a FTP server from the list.


• Now you’re presented with a list of packages to download. By default, you won’t get all the necessary ones (the ones for the PERL scripts).
I didn’t know which particular package was needed so I’ve just selected the whole DEVEL section. ( to do that, click on the DEFAULT next to DEVEL and it will change to INSTALL.
If someone could tell us which particular packages are actually necessary, this would cut down on the 100Mb download
The rest can stay as is.

This will download then install, nice and clean!


4. runnig MKROM

Double click the CYGWIN icon and this will open a “DOS” window (I know it’s not DOS, but it looks like it)


You will see a prompt with

YourUserName@YourComputerName ~
$

type in :

cd c:\mkrom

or whatever you’ve saved it to (now you see why it’s better to keep it simple)
the XDA-Developers have included a README in mkrom.zip which specifies you then need to type in:

chmod +x tounicode

then you’re ready to go:

type the following:

bash mkrom.sh nk.nbf

let it run for a while, (it took a bit over a minute on my P700Mhz)
when you see the prompt again, you’ve done it!

As described in http://www.xda-developers.com/mkrom/ you now have 2 files in c:\mkrom\out\

xdaromimg-1.nb1
xdaromimg-1.nbf

I think the file xdaromimg-1.nbf is the same as the nk.nbf that’s in jeff’ release.
http://cuba.calyx.nl/~jsummers/XDA/XDA-developers-SER-v11.exe

It’s exactly the same size, but I don’t know how to check whether they are exactly the same files.

the next step is to rename your xdaromimg-1.nbf to nk.nbf and replace the one that's in XDA-developers-SER-v11.exe with your new one. (do this still using winzip) save it and run the exe.


!!!!!I haven't tried to flash my XDA!!!!! but I just I'd share my experience with you, please tell me if I've got all of this right.

Ben Darras

[Anonymous]

XDA- developers, Jeff, anyone else,

Could you confirm that this procedure is correct, before we start shooting ourselves in the foot! :shock:

Regards

Alex

[Peter Poelman]

Does cygwin have perl installed by default?

Jeff did something else we recommended, which is take the files needed for EzWAP from a machine with the O2 ROM installed, and copy them to one of the files directories of the new ROM.

But EzWAP is quite large, so if you never use WAP you could copy other stuff there that more suits your needs.

Otherwise, the above procedure looks correct at first sight. Mind you we use a Linux box, and we have no experience doing this under Windows.


We recommend all people that burn ROMs they built themselves have an PC SD-card writer have experience using 'XDArit', so they can always use the bootloader method to get back to where they were. Flashing the .nb1 file using 'XDArit' and an SD card is marginally safer, since using 'Programme A' could overwrite your bootloader if something went really, really wrong.

Once you have established a new ROM will get the unit back up to the point where it connects via ActiveSync, others can flash it without too much danger. But if you want to avoid all danger and be completely on the safe side then do not make your own ROMs...

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the answer, Peter Poelman

Does cygwin have perl installed by default?
no it doesn't, I suggested...
...By default, you won’t get all the necessary ones (the ones for the PERL scripts).
I didn’t know which particular package was needed so I’ve just selected the whole DEVEL section. ( to do that, click on the DEFAULT next to DEVEL and it will change to INSTALL.
If someone could tell us which particular packages are actually necessary, this would cut down on the 100Mb download

Thanks for the additional info and the warning.
I love what you guys are doing here!

Ben

[kalex]

Jeff did something else we recommended, which is take the files needed for EzWAP from a machine with the O2 ROM installed, and copy them to one of the files directories of the new ROM.

But EzWAP is quite large, so if you never use WAP you could copy other stuff there that more suits your needs.


I'm using the NK.nbf that came from Jeff's download. this is the one that has ezwap files in it? If so can i download o2 rom update from there website and use it to build a custom rom? i don't need ezwap on my ppc and rather use it for something else. is my logic correct?


thanks


alex

[Peter Poelman]

I'm using the NK.nbf that came from Jeff's download. this is the one that has ezwap files in it? If so can i download o2 rom update from there website and use it to build a custom rom? i don't need ezwap on my ppc and rather use it for something else. is my logic correct?

Correct. You can download mkrom like it is now, not add the EzWAP files, and you'd have more space for your own stuff in there.

[cerberos]

If you want to check that two files are identical, try the unix 'diff' command (which should have been installed with cygwin)