i900l Flashing Tutorial

[Guest gahbriel]

Hi people,

I’d like to share all I learned in the past few days trying to successfully update my i900l.

First of all, the i900l is a different device (even physically!) than i900. Basically, it supports more 3G frequencies (3 instead of just one), what’s needed in many countries in America. This way, if you update your i900l with an i900 ROM, you might have some serious troubles, even if don’t need these extra frequencies in your routine use.

Let’s go then (I take no responsability for any bad outcome, follow it at your own risk):

1. Requisites

I’ve done everything in Windows Vista, but people recommend you to use XP. Just check if your are using the correct version of the needed software for your OS. You will need the following:

a ) GrandPrix 1.6.4 or superior

. File: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8ie3738v

This is the application used to selective flash your phone, making you able, for example, to just flash the PDA part of it.

b ) SeaMan ROM

. File: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=22IQLCS6

. Thread: http://www.modaco.com/content/i9x0-omnia-r...s-the-real-one/

This is the only basic i900l ROM available so far and it’s in Spanish. Unsuccessful tries were made to retrieve other versions.

c ) The ROM itself

Thread: http://www.modaco.com/content/i9x0-omnia-r...is-165-mb-only/ (it’s split in 4 parts)

You will a ready to cook version of the ROM you want to upgrade your phone so as to be able to disassemble it. I tried to do it in a Samsung ROM but failed. An alternative, if you can find, is the disassembled ROM itself (made of 4 parts: eboot, PDA, phone and customer).

d ) i900 EXEcutor 1.2 or superior

. File: http://www.modaco.com/index.php?act=attach...st&id=25996

The application used to split your ROM.

2. Preparing

Make sure your device has at least half the battery and, if this is the case, that your notebook is fully charged on charging.

We’ll be flashing our phone part by part instead of using a simple ROM installer like the ones from Samsung.

You must be sure that you are using a good phone image, i.e., one from i900l. If you’ve flashed your i900l with an i900 ROM before, you must flash it again using the phone image from SeaMan ROM. Just follow this to do it:

a ) Open GrandPrix.

b ) Select Grandprix LV image on Step 1 combobox.

c ) Click on the Phone button and select the image.

d ) Uncheck Phone Bootloader Update

e ) Make sure you’ve set it up like in the attached image img1 and press Detect.

f ) Soft reset your PDA by pressing the small button next to your power button. If you can’t find it, just turn it off and after turn it on again.

Update will occur in the Omnia startup screen of your device. Just wait it to be finished then.

3. Disassembling

a ) Open i900 EXEcutor.

b ) Select on EXE_firmware your ROM.

c ) Press Go.

If any problem occurs, it means that the ROM version you’ve chosen isn’t appropriated for disassembling and must choose another. Otherwise, a folder with the same name of your ROM will be created in its directory with all the its parts separated inside.

4. Upgrading

a ) Open GrandPrix.

b ) Select Grandprix LV image on Step 1 combobox.

c ) Click on Loader and select the generated eboot.nb0.

d ) Click on PDA and select pda.bin.

e ) Click CSC and select customer.csc.

f ) Make sure you didn’t choose anything for phone and recheck if the selected files and the right ones because there are people that select the phone.bin where they needed to choose pda.bin and bricked their phone.

g ) Unmark Phone Bootloader Update.

h ) Check if you’ve set it up like in the attached image img2 and press Detect.

i ) Soft reset your PDA by pressing the small button next to your power button. If you can’t find it, just turn it off and after turn it on again.

Update will occur in the Omnia startup screen of your device. Just wait it to be finished then.

If you use Brazilian carrier TIM, negate all of its automated configurations, otherwise your phone will be restarting indefinitely. Additionally, you’ll need to do the steps on 5.2. As far as I know, this is the only carrier with this problem and it’s caused by its new chip (the 128k one).

5. Troubleshooting

5.1. If your device restarts or hangs before starting Windows Mobile.

Just reflash it again. Don’t worry because if the Omnia screen appears it means that you haven’t bricked your phone, just that a slight problem occurred during update and it must be redone.

5.2. If your device keeps restarting after entering Windows Mobile do the following:

a ) Turn it off and remove the SIM card.

b ) Turn it on again.

c ) Select Cancel on the emergency keyboard phone and press Send to enter the typical one.

d ) Type in it the code: *#1546792*#.

e ) Choose Pre Configuration.

f ) Type the password: *#81230*#.

g ) Change your country to Philippines and your carrier to Globe.

h ) Press Ok and restart your device.

I’d be very glad with your feedback and help in improving this tutorial. I hope that helps many people with similar problems.

I’d also like to share the authorship of this tutorial with all the people (especially from Modaco) that developed these methods. I’m just getting all that material together and passing my personal experience with it.

Regards,

Gabriel

PS: I believe it would be kind to stick this thread so as possible wanderers with this kind of problem find it fast.

[Guest iury_simas]

Hey Gahbriel,

I just figured another way to fix the restarting problem. This will keep your device original (without having to change it to Philipines), but it will require ROM Customization.

All you have to do is create an imeiBrazil.pfg file with your Operator's settings and put it in the OEMApps folder before cooking the ROM.

Since most of these problems are happening with TIM Brazil's 128KB TIM CHIP, I'm posting here the ImeiBrazil.pfg configured for TIM Brasil.

PS: I cooked myself a ROM with that. It has PDA_i900DXIA5 (Original without modifications) and PHONE_i900LJJHL3 (latest 1900L Phone part released so far). Works great and my preconfiguration settings are set for Brazil / Tim

ImeiBrazil.zip

Edited April 16, 2009 by iury_simas

[Guest lucas.pirolla]

You dont REALLY need to cook your own ROM in order to make the TIM's 128K SIM CARD work. Here's what I've done:

First thing, using Active Sync, made a copy of my original imeiBrazil.pfg to my computer.

Then flashed the new ROM as Gabriel teached us.

After that, I unlocked the phone (http://www.modaco.com/content/i9x0-omnia-http-omnia-modaco-com/277957/unlock-omnia-it-works/ ).

With Active Sync, copied back imeiBrazil.pfg to call phone's Window folder.

Hard reseted again the phone, but now selected Brazil / TIM

voi-la! 3G with TIM's 128K sim card!!

Thank you two guys for helping me and the community.

Lucas

Hey Gahbriel,

I just figured another way to fix the restarting problem. This will keep your device original (without having to change it to Philipines), but it will require ROM Customization.

All you have to do is create an imeiBrazil.pfg file with your Operator's settings and put it in the OEMApps folder before cooking the ROM.

Since most of these problems are happening with TIM Brazil's 128KB TIM CHIP, I'm posting here the ImeiBrazil.pfg configured for TIM Brasil.

PS: I cooked myself a ROM with that. It has PDA_i900DXIA5 (Original without modifications) and PHONE_i900LJJHL3 (latest 1900L Phone part released so far). Works great and my preconfiguration settings are set for Brazil / Tim