WM5 (UK T-Mobile) to WM6 (Black Majik) and the latest (1.43) Radio

[Guest Tony W]

My Experience of Upgrading – thanks to Modaco and XDA Developers Update to this post here: http://www.modaco.com/index.php?showtopic=...id=831355

Having just successfully upgraded everything I thought fellow (junior) Hermes owners might like to know of my experience. For those of you about to embark on such a move, and especially for those on T-Mobile UK, you will hopefully find this useful. There are plenty of links throughout this post that should help.

1. Preparation. Having read what felt like all the information here on this forum, and others, I finally decided to start the upgrade work to take my Vario II (UK T-Mobile Hermes) to the latest (phone) radio, the latest Windows Mobile Professional 6 Black Majik build and also to CID and SIM unlock the phone to boot! All without a single problem after a significant amount of reading – but most significantly by simply following the instructions and understanding what they were asking me to do before carrying out what might actually render my Hermes a ‘Brick’ with no warranty! The XDA Dev Hermes Wiki is a great place to start and so is the upgrade guide. Warning: If you are nervous about the upgrade there is a serious amount of reading required to counter those fears.

2. Backing up. I keep very little on the actual device so all I had to do was note all the settings and backup the call records and SMS messages. I used Pim Backup to backup the calls and messages and in fact found plenty of installation .cab files that could be run from the device to restore the T-Mobile settings to allow GPRS, SMS and MMS etc.

3. The Upgrade. I did the upgrade in 7 stages getting more ambitious with each, I did not encounter one single problem and did this over a 3-day period plucking up courage as I went. This is not the optimum path to upgrade but allowed me to get familiar after first protecting my investment with Hard-SPL from OliPro – I also wanted the radio most initially:

Insurance 1

. Using

Paul’s guide

I dumped my old T-Mobile supplied WM5 OS ROM so that I had an option to get back to at least the basic WM5 build should I need to consider warranty claims. This worked OK but was undoubtedly the most complicated part of this process that use many quite advanced tools – not for the beginner I would suggest! I doubt that many will do this and I would not recommend it (I can post the dumped ROM) as others already have now) Warning: if done wrong I suspect that this is the most likely part of this process to wreck the device!

Insurance 2

. Having read the guides (see MrVanx and his

Hermes Guide

) I upgraded the IPL and SPL with

Hard-SPL

(thanks Olipro) to avoid ‘bricking’ (wrecking) my phone -took less than 10mins.

Radio

. The radio was my first upgrade goal because I’d read good things about improved reception etc. So I went straight for the latest extracted radio ROM (1.43.00.00) from the XDA Radio ROM page as this had good reports on UK T-Mobile. - took only 6 mins.

WM6. Having read lots (and lots and lots…) I opted for the Black MAJIK ‘cooked’ ROM because it had so many good reviews (see XDA and 4WinMobile and Modaco) and liked the look of it (note: you can easily change the theme away from Black to more conventional appearance). The download site is

http://wmblack.info/

and there are lots of applications and configuration files here. (thanks Jasjamming) - after some pre-reading the actual upgrade too only 5 mins!

WM6

. Having read lots (and lots and lots…) I opted for the Black MAJIK ‘cooked’ ROM because it had so many good reviews (see XDA and 4WinMobile and Modaco) and liked the look of it (note: you can easily change the theme away from Black to more conventional appearance). The download site is

http://wmblack.info/

and there are lots of applications and configuration files here. (thanks Jasjamming) - after some pre-reading the actual upgrade took only 5 mins!

SIM & CID Unlocking

. To get access to the extended ROM for additional storage space I had to use Pofs cooked radio ROM to make the device "Super CID" - this also removed the SIM (operator) lock and the CID (language) lock. I was then able to use HTweakC (one of many tweakers) to mount and unlock the ROM. This fix now allows me to use any operator SIM card, install any language OS ROM and also to mount and unhide the Extended ROM (Note: in WM6 it appears that this fix by Pof is required to write to the Extended ROM whereas in WM5 it can be done solely with a registry hack). Thank you Pof because the batch file did it all without problem (albeit I was really quite nervous because the Hard-SPL was removed and the radio downgraded temporarily). - this took a longer 18 mins in total (after reading). – this left me with the wrong radio and the potential to ‘brick’ my device with subsequent upgrades so…..

Insurance

. I put Hard-SPL back on (to protect the device) before…

Radio

. Re-upgrading back to the latest radio

I now had a perfectly functioning Vario II with all the latest software ROMs installed and it was future proofed against my further upgrades and testing of ROMs that will certainly come after this….

5. Re-Building. I used a .cab file created by Lordsmiff on Modaco (here) to configure my T-Mobile settings and it all worked. I used the backup of the call logs and SMS messages from the Pim Backup software to restore those and then I started the installation of all the software I wanted. Of course I also had to configure pop3 access to my e-mail, enter my correct Device ID and all my personal details.

6. Problems. I had very few problems. The Internet connection would not work for my pop3 account access (OK for web browsing though) and I found that a setting (settings-connections-connections-Advanced (tab) and Select Networks button) needed to be changed to “T-Mobile Internet” from “My Work Network”. Not all of my call log was reinstated so I lost some calls. I also found out initially that I could not get full ‘write/delete’ access to the Extended ROM because it needed to be SIM/CID unlocked (or at leats part of that) before running one of the tweaking programs. That was all!

7. My Software. I installed all my usual software with no problem and all is working very well: Spb Mobile Suite/backup & Diary, SK Tools, TT6, Modaco CamerAware, Comm Manager Pro, and MS Livesearch.

8. Result. All is great so far and I have a nicer looking, slightly faster, better radio reception phone that holds 3G longer. Bluetooth pairing with my handsfree Jabra BT250 is fine and the BT pairing to my GPSlim 240 is OK too. Wifi at home also works without issue (still limited range as before). Yes it all took lots of effort to avoid the problems but it has been a free upgrade and I owe a few donations to those that made this possible – a GREAT BIG thank you to all you cooks and developers out there .

I hope this helps some of you - of course reading the Wiki is excellent free guidance offered by many (some not so politely!)

I’ll report back here on any problems I have and if anyone spots an error then please let me know and I will fix it so I do not mislead others.

Good Luck!

EDIT - I have posted an update to this here: http://www.modaco.com/index.php?showtopic=...id=831355

Edited July 15, 2007 by Tony W

[Guest UndeadDevil]

Well done for posting such a in-depth report, I hope this helps alot of other users. It answers alot of questions some people have about upgrading there Hermes.

Welcome to Black, Enjoy you much faster Phone :) (It is for me compared to WM6...)

Are you using the latest versions of the SPB Software? Older versions are know to cause problems with WM6.

I think that CAB might include T-Mobile's Proxy Settings, I suggest checking because they slow down your net...

BTW: Have you installed the 3G Video Dialer, its much better than the 2G one (Looks much better) and seems to fix some Bluetooth Issues for those people having them with there Handsfree Devices.

Edited July 4, 2007 by UndeadDevil

[Guest Rob.P]

Quality post Tony, I've already upgraded to shadow, wish your post had been around when I first decided to do it would have made me less nervous.

A wycombe boy none the less as well, good on ya :) (Where I grew up and most of my mates still live there)

[Guest jimbouk]

If you don't use video calling, then I actually recommend not installing the video caller cab. It slows the rom down over time.

I have flashed all the black roms and with Shadow and Majik, the video dialler cabs install has an effect on device responsiveness. I just hard reset mine to remove the video dialler and its so much faster again.

[Guest The Doctor]

Good to hear another success story :)

The only way you can brick a device with Hard-SPL is a bad radio flash that corrupts the radio bootloader (which, mercifully, is bloody hard to do). Normally bad radio flashes just result in NO GSM errors which can be sorted by reflashing another radio, however if you manage corrupt your radio bootloader you are well and truly buggered as you'd need to send it back to HTC so they can reprogram the Qualcomm chip in your device.

Phil

[Guest Tony W]

Well done for posting such a in-depth report, I hope this helps alot of other users. It answers alot of questions some people have about upgrading there Hermes.

Welcome to Black, Enjoy you much faster Phone :) (It is for me compared to WM6...)

Are you using the latest versions of the SPB Software? Older versions are know to cause problems with WM6.

I think that CAB might include T-Mobile's Proxy Settings, I suggest checking because they slow down your net...

BTW: Have you installed the 3G Video Dialer, its much better than the 2G one (Looks much better) and seems to fix some Bluetooth Issues for those people having them with there Handsfree Devices.

Hi,

I am on the latest versions of the Spb products and all are working fine thanks. I did indeed find a problem with the T-Mobile cab file that was on the 4Winmobile site - I think that was for a US config. I noticed the proxy issue and could not delete it - it kept reappearing everytime I soft resetted (even after waiting 30 mins or more to get the change into the registry). The cab file that I mentioned above is from Lordsmiff and he is on T-Mobile UK - that worked fine although I have noticed that at least collection of my mail is slightly slower than on the original WM5 Pocket Outlook client - the delay seems to be in actually logging onto my ISP's server. Once logged on the e-mail flows down OK.

Regards

[Guest jimbouk]

Is your email using imap - as that seems slightly slower on WM6 - pop seems faster.

(then again mail servers response times fluctuate daily anyway)

[Guest UndeadDevil]

Hi,

I am on the latest versions of the Spb products and all are working fine thanks. I did indeed find a problem with the T-Mobile cab file that was on the 4Winmobile site - I think that was for a US config. I noticed the proxy issue and could not delete it - it kept reappearing everytime I soft resetted (even after waiting 30 mins or more to get the change into the registry). The cab file that I mentioned above is from Lordsmiff and he is on T-Mobile UK - that worked fine although I have noticed that at least collection of my mail is slightly slower than on the original WM5 Pocket Outlook client - the delay seems to be in actually logging onto my ISP's server. Once logged on the e-mail flows down OK.

Regards

The CAB on the WinMobile site is the correct UK one and was uploaded by me (I got it from XDA-Dev's Wiki) The one that Lordsmiff posted is also from the XDA-Dev Wiki but it also setups up the Proxy which could well be why your e-mail takes longer to connect.

[Guest Tony W]

The CAB on the WinMobile site is the correct UK one and was uploaded by me (I got it from XDA-Dev's Wiki) The one that Lordsmiff posted is also from the XDA-Dev Wiki but it also setups up the Proxy which could well be why your e-mail takes longer to connect.

The one I got from the 4WinMobile site also set up a proxy with the actual proxy entered - perhaps there is more than one? The cab frm Lordsmiff does not enter an actual proxy fo rme - BUT it does tick the box "This network uses a proxy server......" - I can remove that tick but it keeps reappearing!!

I wonder if the tick in that box is causing the slowness even though no proxy server detail is entered? Does your Vario II have this behaviour too? If not then could you post a link to the cab file that you used so I can try that?

BTW - given that the cab is just making the reuired registry changes I have assumed that I can uninstall it after it has been run? Seems logical - unless uninstallation actually changes anything back!

Thanks

[Guest UndeadDevil]

The one I use is at the bottom of this page http://www.4winmobile.com/forums/local_links.php?catid=8

On that CAB i have no proxy settings and the Tick box "This Network uses a proxy server to connect to the Internet" is un-ticked.

I would assume its just registry settings but if you open the CAB's in WinRAR you can see some applications in there as well. (If you view all the files some of them have the Standard "This Program will not run in Dos" Message at the top)

[Guest Loconinja]

Has anyone tried this?

http://www.4winmobile.com/forums/local_links.php?linkid=42

[Guest Rob.P]

I had severe issues with that proxy tick and the fact that it wouldn't go away, it was stopping half my apps talking to the net including Live. I used the cab Undead posted and it worked a treat and sorted the connectivity issue out.

After reading your post yesterday I finally decided to upgrade to Majik (had only upgraded to shadow a few weeks ago), glad I did now the 1.43 Radio has solved a few minor issues I was having and the OS seems a bit faster than my shadow install. Getting a good 3G signal atm as well, but that could all change, I think T-Mob tweak it a lot.

Edited July 5, 2007 by Rob.P

[Guest nsm]

Hi Tony; I'd definitely be interested in your T-Mobile WM5 dumped ROM - as that sounds like the hardest thing to do..

[Guest Tony W]

Hi Tony; I'd definitely be interested in your T-Mobile WM5 dumped ROM - as that sounds like the hardest thing to do..

Hi,

I am uploading now and can send a link but it looks like you'd get what you want from people more experiened that me on XDA Developers here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread...t=extended+ROMs. This post seems also to confirm that this dumped ROM works - make sure you use the UK T-Mobile version. Note the comment about lacking T-Mobile WnW access though - this is obviously because the person that did the 'downgrade' back to T-Mobile OS (WM5) forgot to first reinstate the Extended ROM. If you need that Extended ROM - then I have attached it. This would add (automatically after basic OS installation) all the normal T-Mobile configuration.

Hope this is of help

Regards

T_Mobile_UK_Vario_2_ExtROM_WWE.zip

[Guest nsm]

Hi,

I am uploading now and can send a link but it looks like you'd get what you want from people more experiened that me on XDA Developers here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread...t=extended+ROMs. This post seems also to confirm that this dumped ROM works - make sure you use the UK T-Mobile version. Note the comment about lacking T-Mobile WnW access though - this is obviously because the person that did the 'downgrade' back to T-Mobile OS (WM5) forgot to first reinstate the Extended ROM. If you need that Extended ROM - then I have attached it. This would add (automatically after basic OS installation) all the normal T-Mobile configuration.

Hope this is of help

Regards

Many thanks Tony - plus thanks for initial post - my weekend is now planned out.

[Guest Tony W]

Many thanks Tony - plus thanks for initial post - my weekend is now planned out.

Hope all goes well - but do not blame me if the wife/girlfriend/dog/mates feel left out! This can be seriously time consuming :)

Regards

[Guest Tony W]

This is an update to my original post at the top of these postings

My Black MAJIK Experience - Going well so far!

All going very well still and no problems at all with any software. Some slight slow-down after installing all the software but that is to be expected with any OS build. The main problem with slow-down (only slight) appears to be caused by Today screen plug-ins - the HTC Home Plug-in in particular.

Likes: Very Stable, absolutely no Micro SD card issues (had them with WM5), looks and ease of use of the WM6 Internet sharing capability which even my daughter can share on her Mac laptop!

Dislikes: very few indeed - go for it! There is a newer Black "Satin" in creation (JJ working on this right now) which is based upon the official HTC WM6 build - might try that next when others have posted on their experience. My only small dislike is the lack of contrast on the start menu with the black theme - in bright light it's easy to miss selections.

Problems: On a couple of occasions the speed dials have gone missing (suspect I caused it). I locked-up the device once and had to hard-reset but that was my fault again because I used too many Today screen plug-ins and it would not boot completely. Now have Monocube Safe Mode 2 (recommended) installed and so I can push the limits of Today plug-ins and not fear being unable to boot-up now.

Radio - I had absolutely no problems with the 1.43 radio but of course had to try the even newer 1.47 version. This new one seems little diffrent so far so I'll give a week. Do not forget to check Hard SPL is still on your device before flashing updates - the super CID/SIM unlock removes Hard SPL - so you need to put it back. BTW - there are instructions on how to remove the SIM lock without applying the Super CID fix - they seem more complicated but it might be worth a look before you embark upon the Super CID route.

Unless you see more from me then assume that my experience with Black MAJIK and the latest radios (1.43 and 1.47) are all going well. If you want more detail before embarking then just PM me - but read this whole post first.

[Guest jimbouk]

Have a look on XDA Devs WM6 forum now, there's the superb new HTC Homeplug from the Kaiser - which gives you five tabs (speed-dial and profiles are the new ones) - and there's a set of coloured icons you can import too...

I would try the freelance cab on about post 276 as he seems to have fixed the auto profile that keeps changing the profile even when it shouldnt!

Edited July 15, 2007 by jimbouk

[Guest mrdo]

anyone have any feedback on any roms based on the official wm6 release ?

i'm looking to upgrade my orange m3100 for the first time ...

:-)

[Guest Tony W]

anyone have any feedback on any roms based on the official wm6 release ?

i'm looking to upgrade my orange m3100 for the first time ...

:-)

Try looking on XDA Dvelopers here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=355. You will find plenty here on such use of the WWE (English) Dopod WM6 release. There are also some new builds of that ROM that have been customised to give the T-Mobile appearance - take a look here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=317647.

Suggest that you look at the first link and then start reading from there. I am still on Black MAJIK and it is good. A new version is also being created called Black SATIN and that is based on the official WM6 ROM - however, there were some problems and that has now been withdrawn till JJ can solve them. Search for Black SATIN at the first link.

Regards

[Guest mrdo]

hi tony, i regularly look at the xda devs site but i was looking for feedback from you guys - i trust the feedback from you guys rather than the word of some of the characters over at xda. :-)

[Guest jimbouk]

anyone have any feedback on any roms based on the official wm6 release ?

i'm looking to upgrade my orange m3100 for the first time ...

:-)

The re-wrapped official HTC/DOPOD rom seems fine. You will find however that most of the later versions of cooked roms are actually better than the official ones - as the cooks live with the devices and iron out bugs and problems that the networks/HTC may miss (or deem unimportant).

It really depends what you want. You can choose between fully loaded roms with loads of extras, "lite" roms with maximum memory space or official roms with some network bloatware.

These days flashing a new rom is really easy. If you are till on Orange, just run the ORANGE UK cab by RABDO after flashing and your device will have all the correct O settings.

Make sure you follow the guides over at xda though.

[Guest mrdo]

cheers for the feedback. i will probably go for black satin whenever i can be bothered installing my apps all over again ... yawn.

:-)

[Guest MikeSel]

Thanks to your guides I finally built up the confidence to go for it!

An it went without a hitch! I am very impressed with it :)

[Guest jchamier]

Thanks to your guides I finally built up the confidence to go for it!

An it went without a hitch! I am very impressed with it :)

Same here, I installed the HTC Official ROM from Asia, along with Hard-SPL and its much faster on my Vario II.