[READ FIRST] The Definitive Guide to Unlocking & Rom Upgrading G3 Wizards

[Dr Puttingham]

OK, a word from the DOC.... to the wise ...
If one has successfully unlocked their G3 device they won't be complaining that their device doesn't have the themes, ringers, little tweaks and proggies installed by the extended ROM as these things will be installed...

Vippie has prepared a nice tutorial named Howto flash a Wizard... a little tutorial! that is a "must read" IMO, please take the time!

jpmche has published an unlocking guide for our Spanish only amigos here at [Favor de Leer antes de Preguntar] La guia en Español para Des-bloquear el Wizard

mestrini recommends saving your CID block that is backed up when running the Lokiwiz tool. Lokiwiz will save it as a bin file and it is useful if you encounter a "Data Crashes. Please contact your service center" error. Please take a look at his thread.

btw, a G4 PDA will report an IPL and SPL similar to 2.21.0001 and a G3 PDA will report something similar to 2.21 (notice the G3 doesn't have the trailing .0001!)

Read between the lines here... almost ALL the postings of problems posted in the ROM threads are directly due to people not truly unlocking their device.

In the real world there is a phrase ... RTFM, loosely translated to "Read The Freak'n Manual"... Faria in particular took pains to create a manual for unlocking G3 devices. I've personally unlocked probably close to 50 Cingular 8125's and a few T-Mobiles. I've seen PROBABLY every situation with a G3 device here.

A couple of things...
1st - Most of the custom ROM's here require that your device be CID unlocked.
2nd - CID unlocking, as well as flashing a custom ROM, will void your warranty.
3rd - There is always the chance, even after all precautions are taken, that you might brick your device. This, however, is extremely unlikely unless you have a G4 PDA and attempt this.
4th - Please don't cross post. This particular thread was "stickied" to keep it at the top where noobies can see it and veterans can attempt to help. My attempt with this thread is to alleviate the posting of obvious CID unlocking problems in the chef's threads so that they can concentrate on perfecting their ROM and not answering questions that have been already been answered countless times before and really have nothing to do with their ROM.
5th - Faria and I reference the Button 1.05 ROM. You DO NOT have to use the 1.05 to unlock your device but you may instead use an official 1.x ROM (Lokiwiz .2b only works with 1.x ROM's) if it will allow you to downgrade to it. Often, however,the only way to downgrade to an official 1.x ROM is to downgrade to the 1.05 first... catch-22.
6th - This technique is the best way to downgrade a device to a previous version, for instance when you need to return to an official "shipped" ROM for warranty reasons.

PLEASE take the time to read all the way through this before making the decision to unlock your phone. We are not responsible for you bricking your device.

If you have a G3 device and follow Faria's instructions, which I only repeat time after time, you WILL have a working device..... no shit!
If you have a G4 device DO NOT FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS, YOU WILL BRICK YOUR DEVICE!!
Also, if you DO have a G4 Wizard, please do NOT post anything here regarding how to unlock your device. This is for G3's only, please start your own thread...

So... being that my friend Faria's primary language isn't English (though he has a better mastery of it than many of my fellow Americans...) I'll expound on it ONE LAST TIME ...

Please do not use the PC for anything, including browsing the internet, checking email, playing freecell, or anything while this is happening! Have nothing going on in the background.

mestrini advises (and I agree!)

I've come to realize that many "NO COMMUNICATION" errors are due to low voltage battery so i think it would be good to include in your guide to have a full (or almost) battery before using any RUU.

1. Glance through Faria's original thread on this (he wrote the book!!)

2. Download Button's 1.05 ROM at RapidShare or Badongo

3.. Downgrade your ROM to the Button 1.05. Let it go through the whole setup please...
Note: If your device fails at 98% with a 302 error follow Vippie's advice and try the Xda_MiniS_LaunchROM_v154102 instead.

4. Download lokiwiz - HTC Wizard Unlocker UPDATE Version 0.2b

5. Extract the afore mentioned file to the root of your C drive. Do NOT extract to a folder with spaces...

6. Open Activesync WITH YOUR DEVICE NOT CONNECTED! and delete your partnership.

7. Connect your device and cancel the partnership. (You're a guest )

8. Open ActiveSync, Explore and copy enablerapi.cab from your PC's C:\ (remember that's where you extracted lokiwiz to...) to you device, I don't care where.

9. Pick up your PDA, File Explorer, find the enablerapi.cab and click it.

10. (Back to your PC) ... <Start> <Run> <cmd> <Enter> to give you a most wonderful MS Dos prompt (be afraid, VERY afraid!)

11. In the MS Dos box (mouses not allowed!!!) type "CD\" <enter> (no quotes)

12. Type "lokiwiz.bat" <enter> (Actually, if you have XP, type lok then <tab> it SHOULD complete the filename, YMMV.

13. You will see a screen that has ...

U. Unlock
L. Lock
C. CID Unlock (SuperCID)
Q. Quit

14. Hit the U key on your PC and press <Enter> ... your PDA WILL REBOOT upon completion !!!!!!!

15. Wait for your PDA to reboot, rerun the lokiwiz batch file (if you hit the up arrow key twice on your keyboard it will retype "lokiwiz", then hit <Enter>) then hit the C key on your PC and press <Enter> ... YOUR PDA WILL REBOOT UPON COMPLETION !!!

(if your Pocket PC Phone does NOT reboot each time, you didn't do it right! Stop and make that work, trust me!, then go on)

16. Watch the rebooting of your PDA, if BOTH IPL and SPL are 1.xx then great. Quite probably your IPL will be 1.xx and your SPL will be 2.xx. Rerun the button 1.05 ROM downgrade a second time and it will become 1.x on both IPL and SPL. You don't need to redo the unlocking.

17. My suggestion, take for what it's worth, is to download and install the T-Mobile 2.26 ROM
This will give you a strong 2.26 IPL and SPL to work with.

Now you SHOULD have a IPL and SPL of 2.26 to work with. If not, you screwed up! Don't attempt to install someone's hard work and bitch before you do these steps!

EDIT for Step 17 - Download and install the 3.08 IPL/SPL rather than the 2.26, your choice! (I suggest doing the T-Mobile 2.26 first but that's me


IF, by chance your device hangs and never completes the flash (always give it a LOT of time, with no programs running, hopefully after a fresh reboot of your computer) you'll be stuck in (hopefully) the bootloader screen. It's very scary (at least to me the 4 or 5 times my own custom ROM's have been bad) all is not lost. Each time (after trial and error) I was able to restore. If this happens reboot your PC and then rerun the Button 1.05. It will act like it doesn't see it at first but have faith! I've tried this by using various provider's shipped ROMs and it always tell me it can't communicate. But, if I reboot, the 1.05 has always worked.

If you still have issues, uninstall ActiveSync. REBOOT! Download and install ActiveSync 4.5 Don't create a partnership. Try to run the 1.05 again.

Also a good idea is to delete your Windows temp folder. With XP this is typically
"C:\Documents and Settings\PC User's Logon Name, whatever that is\Local Settings\Temp" (Show hidden files need to be checked)
Most of you can paste this into your "RUN" box and click OK
cmd /k del "C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Temp" /s/q/f
(type exit and hit enter when it completes)

Also, a good idea is to close all apps, shell to a command prompt by clicking <RUN>, typing cmd and clicking OK. A nice black MS Dos box awaits. Type CHKDSK/F and enter. Then type Y and hit enter. Type exit and hit enter. Reboot your PC and let it go through the data integrity test. Try again.

A last note. If you DO ever go back to the 1.05 ROM for any reason you need to repeat the lokiwiz steps as you won't be able to install a 2.x IPL/SPL bootloader.

A last disclaimer
Faria originally posted this unlocking technique using Button's 1.05 and machinagod's lokiwiz 0.2b. I have merely attempted to simplify the steps.

Final note
Microsoft has asked that all ROM's be removed from the FTP and we have complied. I have searched the internet and found the Button 1.05 and T-Mobile ROM's and updated the links here. Thanks to whoever posted the Button 1.05!

Enjoy!

[Brando457]

awesome guide, and i just want to thank you guys for doing so much for the community

[molski]

Great job Dr. P. and real wise words!


Regards,

Molski

[vseehua]

Can this thread be stickied?

If anyone wants it, i think i might want to write a thread for newbies later... just to point them to the right direction...

[molski]

Originally Posted by vseehua Can this thread be stickied? If anyone wants it, i think i might want to write a thread for newbies later... just to point them to the right direction...

Yeah, this thread should be stickied....and XDA-Dev should make me a mod of this forum, so I could delete every cid-unlocking question


Molski

[DUlrich1227]

great post !

bravo doc !

[Dr Puttingham]

Thanks guys!

[andy_morgan]

Originally Posted by faria i also sugested that applying new members should not be able to post when registred ,they shoud waith a week or more ,therefore forcing them to read ,in order to fix their problems.this i belive would make the forum wizer and allot cleaner by simlpy applying that rule. what do you think guys?

Having read varios forums I don't think that would cure the problem. The best solution I think would be as Molski suggested in having moderators with the ability to delete repeating questions. My own suggestion would also be to give people of a certian level (ie: senior member) the ability to start and moderate thier own threads, therefore giving you the ability to keep a thread on topic.

[rkwhyte2]

Originally Posted by faria thanks steve for the kind words. i for one i m not coming back untill there is some clean up in his forum, the admin has contact me and said they are looking at the issue.since this is a non paid jod and everyone got lives it could be a very long while. i also sugested that applying new members should not be able to post when registred ,they shoud waith a week or more ,therefore forcing them to read ,in order to fix their problems.this i belive would make the forum wizer and allot cleaner by simlpy applying that rule. what do you think guys?

First...great job Dr. P Although you have typed the same thing many times before. I know I read them all.

Now... I agree with what Jose has said here. I for one spent a long time reading and learning before I felt comfortable messing with my phone and I work with software and hardware for a living. Many of the new owners of these phones come on here and jump in with both feet and then the trouble starts. Perhaps Molski should be a mod on this forum, it might help (Molski i will tell you now it is a thankless job.) at least then things would be cleaner around here. I know that everyone has other jobs but couldn't troublemakers be banned sooner than they are and is it really that hard to block an IP? I'm done rambling besides i have to get back to work.

Kirby

[alexn2]

Wooh everyone's back at least to offer their 2 cents and Dr. Puttingham, we Americans do speak good ole English maybe colo(u)red sometimes . Faria thanks for commenting. Molski keep up the good work and Summiter, please reach out. This place is not going to be the same without you folks.