A few lines about how the Orange Update works

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

Hi Guys!

In eager anticipation of the first UK Orange Update, here are a few facts about how the process works!

You select 'Orange Update' from your menu

The Action Engine server queries the first section of your IMSI, looking for your country/operator code. IF YOU ARE NOT USING AN ORANGE SIM, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO UPDATE!

Assuming this is OK, you are presented with a list of updates, and you select the ROM update.

This ROM update takes the form of a 700kb compressed EXE, which is then downloaded.

When the download is complete, the EXE is extracted into 4 files - LANG.XDP, OEM.XDP, OPERATOR.XDP and XDPRunner.exe. LANG.XDP and OPERATOR.XDP are small ROM image files, OEM.XDP is a 1.4 MB ROM Image Files. XDPRunner.exe is the app that loads these. You will need a lot of free phone space for this to work!

The phone now disables the radio, and, via XDPRunner.exe, calls another program to update the ROM files with these XDP images. A reboot is required between each one. This process will only commence if the SPV is connected to a mains power source.

Lo and behold, after the last reset, your phone is updated!

A point to note is that the updates are region specific. You will notice your software version is 1.1.6.x - the x is the region code. If you download an update for a different region, you will get an error.

THIS MEANS THE SWISS UPDATE WILL NOT INSTALL ON A UK PHONE! :(

Hope this info is useful (and correct?) :D

P

[Guest adrianfox]

Do I take if from this you have been given either a sneak preview of the update or some preferential info on it?

Adrian

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

Nope, just managed to get my hands on the Swiss Update, tried applying it to my phone (no luck), and so proceeded to find out how it worked!

:D

P

[Guest dma]

OK then, how do we do a roll back once we realise that it has actually made our phones worse :wink:

[Guest cseilern]

Paul,

this memory issue you raise worries me: I only have 1.5Mb internal storage left and internal memory shows 2.8Mb free. Given the filesizes you mention in your post, it looks like I may be in for a ride with the update (-I am sure I will not be the only one...).

Did you get any feedback as to available memory/storage from the person who showed you the swiss update?

(PS my lack of storage is largely due to a mysterious 4Mb file in the IPSM folder called MXIP_INITDB.VOL - other users say theirs is 400kb)

[Guest Honest John]

Paul, does the Update retrieval method you outline depend upon reatining GPRS? Frankly, I have dropped it as I have found no useful application as yet and really question the benefit of slow internet access on a tiny screen and great expense (after the £6.00 trial period ends).

I have cancelled my £6.00 per month subscription and hope that I don't miss out on updates as a result.

Thanks.

[Guest sbsdegb1]

when is this update coming ????

Anyone know.

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

cseilern:

I suspect quite a few people may have memory issues. My source for the Swiss Update was decidedly unofficial, so couldn't offer me any details on memory usage.

Honest John:

The update does not reply on GPRS. It could be downloaded over CSD, or via a passthru connection to your PC using the USB cradle.

sdsdegb1:

Who knows? One would hope this month, but it's impossible to say! Orange official line - 'the update will be out in December' :D

P

Applying the update may be a good time to bite the bullet and do a hard reset anyway (after backing up contacts etc. of course!)

[Guest Monolithix [MVP]]

I have no reason atm for a hard reset, although give it a month and it may, as i've never had any other windows installations last longer than a few months :D

In answer to dma i would assume that the only was to remove the updates is through a hard reset. shame really

[Guest cseilern]

thanks paul,

have found this nugget on www.smartphone2002.info:

http://www.orange.ch/spv/en/update.htm

it is the swisss spv update instructions page, and it looks like they have had an update since the second of January. by the looks of it you may be able to get the swiss update by setting the region settings to Swiss (-i have not tested, and it propably should not be tried by the faint hearted...)

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

Nope.

I have the swiss update, as mentioned above, doesn't work on UK SPVs.

As also mentioned above, downloading of update is IMSI Country ID related.

P

[Guest Ed]

Shall we start hosting updates as they come?...

I would be good to have a back catalog. Is it possible to extract the current rom and with some file switching, create an update package out of that?

I have host space if needed.

[Guest Deemon]

The update does not reply on GPRS. It could be downloaded over CSD, or via a passthru connection to your PC using the USB cradle.

So i take it that its a free download then..even over the phone ?

[Guest florin_m]

First of all thank's Paul for metion from where u have the infos :( and keep the credit for yourself :P u know what i'm talking about :evil:

So. if u wana make a database with all firmwares i'm willing to share all the updates as they come :D, but i need something from yourselfs. I need you to do a full backup (in diag mode with a mmc card at least 32meg choice option save all) from everyregion (france, denmark, swiss...all).

So i can make a upgrade/downgrade for all regions (just in case we need in the future :( )

So if u have problems with backups, let me know. I'm most of the times online on icq and yahoo mess.

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

Hey Florin!

As with some of the stuff you have done in the past, I wouldn't quote your name without your permission, I assumed you would rather stay anonymous!

P

[Guest rcraswell]

Monolithix -- One important thing to note. Once you've applied the ROM update, even a hard reset won't roll you back to a previous version. (This is why it's called a ROM update -- it reflashes the ROM. :twisted: )