How to flash a new ROM to your Wizard... a little tutorial!

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vippie

Senior Member
Nov 14, 2006
576
8
This guide was written a long time ago. I recommend people to use this more up to date guide:
Wizard Windows Mobile 6 for newbies


I've got a lot of post behind my name, but most of my posts are answers to the same questions over and over again. It seems very hard for "noobs" to find the answer to their question quickly on the forum. I quickly wrote a little step by step tutorial for them. Hope it helps!

Suggestions or corrections are always welcome.

You want to flash your wizard, but don't know where to start. Try this:

0. First determine if you got a G3 or a G4 device. When you turn on your device from can can see you're IPL and SPL version on the screen. If you got IPL/SPL 1.xx or 2.xx you've got a G3 device. If the IPL/SPL shows 2.xx.xxx1 you've got a G4. Go to step G3.1 if you got a G3 and G4.1 if G4.

G3.1 Does you're device start normally (yes) or is it stuck on the three-colored bootloader screen (no)? YES... go to step G3.5, NO go to step G3.2

G3.2 Turn off you're device totaly. Remove the SD card and disconnect the USB cable from you're device. Turn on the device while holding the camera button. You will get into bootloader mode (3 colored screen). Connect the USB cable to the computer and you will see USB at the bottom of your screen above the left softkey (Activesync will not connect in bootloader mode, but you can flash from this screen!). If you got IPL/SPL 1.xx go to G3.3. If you got 2.xx go to G3.4

G3.3 Download button rom and flash it to your device. Your device should startup again after doing this. Go to G3.5.

G3.4 Download wizard_love rom and flash it to your device. Your device should startup again after doing this. Go to G3.5.

G3.5 Is your device CID-unlocked (note: it's not the same as SIM-unlocked!)? YES... go to step G3.7, NO OR DON'T KNOW go to step G3.6.

G3.6 Follow this great thread by Dr Puttingham: The Definitive Guide to Unlocking & Rom Upgrading G3 Wizards. Don't skip step 17! Flash the T-Mobile 2.26 Rom! Go to step G3.8 if you got the T-Mobile rom with IPL/SPL 2.26 on your device after doing this.

NOTE: Some people seem to have problem with flashing the button rom in this step (stops at 98% with error 302). Replace button_rom with Xda_MiniS_LaunchROM_v154102 and follow the rest of the steps normally when this happens!

G3.7 Download T-Mobile 2.26 rom and flash it to your device! Done? Go to step G3.8.

G3.8 You're reade to flash the AKU2, AKU3, WM6 rom of you're choise! It wasn't that hard, was it? If you still got an older OS version after flashing then you're not CID-unlocked! Go back to start!

------------------------------------

G4.1 Does you're device start normally (yes) or is it stuck on the three-colored bootloader screen (no)? YES... go to step G4.4, NO go to step G4.2

G4.2 Turn off you're device totaly. Remove the SD card and disconnect the USB cable from you're device. Turn on the device while holding the camera button. You will get into bootloader mode (3 colored screen). Connect the USB cable to the computer and you will see USB at the bottom of your screen above the left softkey (Activesync will not connect in bootloader mode, but you can flash from this screen!). go to G4.3

G4.3 Download wizard_love rom and flash it to your device. Your device should startup again after doing this. Go to G4.4.

G4.4 Is your device CID-unlocked (note: it's not the same as SIM-unlocked!)? YES... go to step G4.7, NO OR DON'T KNOW go to step G4.5. (note: CID-unlocking a G4 is only possible by paying for it at imei-check!)

G4.5 Download enable-rapi.zip. Transfer Cert_SPCS.cab and EnableRapi.cab to your phone. Run Cert_SPCS.cab FIRST and EnableRapi.cab SECOND. Turn your device off and on or wait 5 minutes before soft resetting. Done? Go to G4.6.

G4.6 Follow this great thread by the-equinoxe: [solution] G4 SoftSPL Flash any ROM to CID locked G4 [UPDATED] and load the softSPL on your device using his method. Make sure you take a G4 safe rom (see the thread for details). After the steps you'll have the rom of your choise on your device!

G4.7 You're reade to flash the AKU2, AKU3, WM6 rom of you're choise IF the rom DOESN'T contain IPL/SPL. AKU3 and WM6 roms normally don't contain IPL/SPL. If you want to flash an AKU2 rom, make sure you take the G4 version. If you get an error 300 (invalid update tool) while trying to flash your device look at this thread!

NOTE: If you tried to flash a G3 rom with IPL/SPL in the rom on a G4 you probably will have a bricked device! DON'T flash the new 3.08 and 3.09 IPL/SPL to your G4!

NOTE2: If you got problems flashing with softSPL: Follow this great thread by mun_rus: Solutuion found: how to flash any rom to CIDLOCKED DEVICE. If your device won't start after flashing you can use step G4.2 and G4.3 and try again. Also look at this thread by eddieitman: Faria G4 Step by step installer with instructions to make sure you did all the necessary steps!
 
Last edited:

mfrazzz

Senior Member
Sep 12, 2006
2,449
6
Falcon, Colorado
Nice one.

One thing I've found is since the Mods split the WM6 stuff to a seperate forum a lot of noobs are in that forum and they don't see the stickies over here now (I've had a couple PM me directly asking where this Wizard Upgrading forum is at that I refer to in my posts :rolleyes: ). So I think we need some stickies like this or something in the WM6 forum (or a sticky at the top of that forum with a pointer to this forum and maybe certain posts over here).
 

ladude626

Member
Nov 5, 2006
35
0
I found this solution much better than shelltool for flashing my G4 CID-locked Wizard:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=271043

Shelltool can only flash the OS while using this modified RUU you can task the OS, splash screen, and the radio. Plus this modified RUU will also flash Wizards that do not bootup normally.
 
Last edited:

vippie

Senior Member
Nov 14, 2006
576
8
You can't flash a touched OS that way in a CID-locked G4.... only some 2.26 roms will work. Trying this with WM6 will go to 100%, but you're "old" OS will startup again.
 

JBLaze407

Member
Mar 22, 2007
8
0
Say i downgrade my phone to the T-mobile ROM but have a cingular phone...do i need to have my phone SIM unlocked to use it or since i changed ROMS it doesn't matter...
 

mfrazzz

Senior Member
Sep 12, 2006
2,449
6
Falcon, Colorado
Say i downgrade my phone to the T-mobile ROM but have a cingular phone...do i need to have my phone SIM unlocked to use it or since i changed ROMS it doesn't matter...
SIM Unlocking only allows you to use SIMs from a different carrier on your phone.

CID Unlocking allows you to flash different Carrier / Country roms on your phone.

If you are only CID Unlocked, you can flash Tmobile, Cingular, Qtek, etc on your phone, but your device will still connect to the same carrier that your SIM is setup for. So for me, I'm on Cingular. I flashed the TMobile 2.26 ROM and I have the complete TMobile look and feel, but my carrier and phone connection was still Cingular since thats what the SIM is for.

I always flash the TMobile 2.26 rom on my phone now before upgrading to a new custom ROM. Its more stable (IMO) than the CIngular 2.25 (at least numerous issues I used to have went away by doing this, but then the custom ROM may be really fixing that, but I like having the latest IPL/SPL for my base).

As always... YMMV
 

JBLaze407

Member
Mar 22, 2007
8
0
SIM Unlocking only allows you to use SIMs from a different carrier on your phone.

CID Unlocking allows you to flash different Carrier / Country roms on your phone.

If you are only CID Unlocked, you can flash Tmobile, Cingular, Qtek, etc on your phone, but your device will still connect to the same carrier that your SIM is setup for. So for me, I'm on Cingular. I flashed the TMobile 2.26 ROM and I have the complete TMobile look and feel, but my carrier and phone connection was still Cingular since thats what the SIM is for.

I always flash the TMobile 2.26 rom on my phone now before upgrading to a new custom ROM. Its more stable (IMO) than the CIngular 2.25 (at least numerous issues I used to have went away by doing this, but then the custom ROM may be really fixing that, but I like having the latest IPL/SPL for my base).

As always... YMMV

Thany you very much for the info...
 

vippie

Senior Member
Nov 14, 2006
576
8
If I have CID-unlocked G3 T-Mobile Wizard with custom WM5 ROM installed .... why do I need to downgrade to T-Mobile 2.26 ROM before going to WM6 ?

Good question.... have you flashed T-Mobile rom before? If you haven't you will get the strong 2.26 IPL/SPL. It prevents many problems! This step is to prevent people to upgrade to WM6 with other IPL/SPL!
 

mfrazzz

Senior Member
Sep 12, 2006
2,449
6
Falcon, Colorado
If I have CID-unlocked G3 T-Mobile Wizard with custom WM5 ROM installed .... why do I need to downgrade to T-Mobile 2.26 ROM before going to WM6 ?
You want to downgrade so that it cleans up things that are possibly left from a previous install. The Official ROMs have everything (IPL / SPL / OS / Radio / Extended ROM / etc). If you go straight from a custom rom to another custom rom you may find you have stuff left over because the new custom rom doesn't clean up everything. I've seen where things are left in the message queue, so you start getting pop errors about not finding something when that was on the previous ROM.

While it takes extra time, flashing back to an official rom gives you a clean base for the custom rom to work off of. Well worth it for me so I always do this. Takes an extra 15 mins or so, which is better than wasting a day chasing some issue that wouldn't have been there.

BTW: Congrats on getting your post promoted to a Sticky! :)
 

pdagenius

Senior Member
Nov 4, 2006
551
34
You want to downgrade so that it cleans up things that are possibly left from a previous install. The Official ROMs have everything (IPL / SPL / OS / Radio / Extended ROM / etc). If you go straight from a custom rom to another custom rom you may find you have stuff left over because the new custom rom doesn't clean up everything. I've seen where things are left in the message queue, so you start getting pop errors about not finding something when that was on the previous ROM.

While it takes extra time, flashing back to an official rom gives you a clean base for the custom rom to work off of. Well worth it for me so I always do this. Takes an extra 15 mins or so, which is better than wasting a day chasing some issue that wouldn't have been there.

BTW: Congrats on getting your post promoted to a Sticky! :)

Is it also recommended that a downgrade to T-Mobile 2.26 is followed for unlocked G4 phones?
 

mfrazzz

Senior Member
Sep 12, 2006
2,449
6
Falcon, Colorado
Please update the first post

Hi Vippie,

Can you please update the first post so that when you tell people to get to the bootloader screen that Activesync will NOT connect, but if it says USB above the left softkey that it is connected? This is something I've had to tell people over and over. People see that activesync doesn't connect so they stop and don't go any further.

Thanks! And again, excellent work on this guide. I'm pointing people to this now as I like how its laid out and gives G3 and G4 info in one place (since so many newbies don't think its important to tell us what they have or anything) ;)

BTW: Has this been put into the Wiki?
 

vippie

Senior Member
Nov 14, 2006
576
8
Hi Vippie,

Can you please update the first post so that when you tell people to get to the bootloader screen that Activesync will NOT connect, but if it says USB above the left softkey that it is connected? This is something I've had to tell people over and over. People see that activesync doesn't connect so they stop and don't go any further.

Thanks! And again, excellent work on this guide. I'm pointing people to this now as I like how its laid out and gives G3 and G4 info in one place (since so many newbies don't think its important to tell us what they have or anything) ;)

BTW: Has this been put into the Wiki?

Good one.... updated the starting post! Thnx!
 

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    This guide was written a long time ago. I recommend people to use this more up to date guide:
    Wizard Windows Mobile 6 for newbies


    I've got a lot of post behind my name, but most of my posts are answers to the same questions over and over again. It seems very hard for "noobs" to find the answer to their question quickly on the forum. I quickly wrote a little step by step tutorial for them. Hope it helps!

    Suggestions or corrections are always welcome.

    You want to flash your wizard, but don't know where to start. Try this:

    0. First determine if you got a G3 or a G4 device. When you turn on your device from can can see you're IPL and SPL version on the screen. If you got IPL/SPL 1.xx or 2.xx you've got a G3 device. If the IPL/SPL shows 2.xx.xxx1 you've got a G4. Go to step G3.1 if you got a G3 and G4.1 if G4.

    G3.1 Does you're device start normally (yes) or is it stuck on the three-colored bootloader screen (no)? YES... go to step G3.5, NO go to step G3.2

    G3.2 Turn off you're device totaly. Remove the SD card and disconnect the USB cable from you're device. Turn on the device while holding the camera button. You will get into bootloader mode (3 colored screen). Connect the USB cable to the computer and you will see USB at the bottom of your screen above the left softkey (Activesync will not connect in bootloader mode, but you can flash from this screen!). If you got IPL/SPL 1.xx go to G3.3. If you got 2.xx go to G3.4

    G3.3 Download button rom and flash it to your device. Your device should startup again after doing this. Go to G3.5.

    G3.4 Download wizard_love rom and flash it to your device. Your device should startup again after doing this. Go to G3.5.

    G3.5 Is your device CID-unlocked (note: it's not the same as SIM-unlocked!)? YES... go to step G3.7, NO OR DON'T KNOW go to step G3.6.

    G3.6 Follow this great thread by Dr Puttingham: The Definitive Guide to Unlocking & Rom Upgrading G3 Wizards. Don't skip step 17! Flash the T-Mobile 2.26 Rom! Go to step G3.8 if you got the T-Mobile rom with IPL/SPL 2.26 on your device after doing this.

    NOTE: Some people seem to have problem with flashing the button rom in this step (stops at 98% with error 302). Replace button_rom with Xda_MiniS_LaunchROM_v154102 and follow the rest of the steps normally when this happens!

    G3.7 Download T-Mobile 2.26 rom and flash it to your device! Done? Go to step G3.8.

    G3.8 You're reade to flash the AKU2, AKU3, WM6 rom of you're choise! It wasn't that hard, was it? If you still got an older OS version after flashing then you're not CID-unlocked! Go back to start!

    ------------------------------------

    G4.1 Does you're device start normally (yes) or is it stuck on the three-colored bootloader screen (no)? YES... go to step G4.4, NO go to step G4.2

    G4.2 Turn off you're device totaly. Remove the SD card and disconnect the USB cable from you're device. Turn on the device while holding the camera button. You will get into bootloader mode (3 colored screen). Connect the USB cable to the computer and you will see USB at the bottom of your screen above the left softkey (Activesync will not connect in bootloader mode, but you can flash from this screen!). go to G4.3

    G4.3 Download wizard_love rom and flash it to your device. Your device should startup again after doing this. Go to G4.4.

    G4.4 Is your device CID-unlocked (note: it's not the same as SIM-unlocked!)? YES... go to step G4.7, NO OR DON'T KNOW go to step G4.5. (note: CID-unlocking a G4 is only possible by paying for it at imei-check!)

    G4.5 Download enable-rapi.zip. Transfer Cert_SPCS.cab and EnableRapi.cab to your phone. Run Cert_SPCS.cab FIRST and EnableRapi.cab SECOND. Turn your device off and on or wait 5 minutes before soft resetting. Done? Go to G4.6.

    G4.6 Follow this great thread by the-equinoxe: [solution] G4 SoftSPL Flash any ROM to CID locked G4 [UPDATED] and load the softSPL on your device using his method. Make sure you take a G4 safe rom (see the thread for details). After the steps you'll have the rom of your choise on your device!

    G4.7 You're reade to flash the AKU2, AKU3, WM6 rom of you're choise IF the rom DOESN'T contain IPL/SPL. AKU3 and WM6 roms normally don't contain IPL/SPL. If you want to flash an AKU2 rom, make sure you take the G4 version. If you get an error 300 (invalid update tool) while trying to flash your device look at this thread!

    NOTE: If you tried to flash a G3 rom with IPL/SPL in the rom on a G4 you probably will have a bricked device! DON'T flash the new 3.08 and 3.09 IPL/SPL to your G4!

    NOTE2: If you got problems flashing with softSPL: Follow this great thread by mun_rus: Solutuion found: how to flash any rom to CIDLOCKED DEVICE. If your device won't start after flashing you can use step G4.2 and G4.3 and try again. Also look at this thread by eddieitman: Faria G4 Step by step installer with instructions to make sure you did all the necessary steps!
    1
    I'm trying to get a copy of this file as well. I've combed the net and these forums for hours looking. There is a torrent out there, but no seeders. The Wiki link to the file is nil as well. If anyone would be so kind as to post up a working link or the file itself I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

    Maybe PM some of the old posters who have moved on but perhaps still have some old files on an old computer. I have a wizard folder on my old desktop at home and will look tonight. I think I have button ROM and a few other old goodies. But the file you are looking for doesn't sound familiar.

    I don't come to this device forum anymore.. I just happened by and saw the msg.

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