Card Reader/writer problems for backing up phone bios

[Guest wideawake]

Just bought a card reader (CF/SD) so that I can backup my Smartphone full save before I attempt the DK update.

I have already saved my IPSM on my 8meg card so have tried to back it up onto PC.

The reader wants to format it (it registers my other 128meg card which has some music on)

I bought the reader beacuse I know that active sync through phone would have tried to format card.

How do I use my reader to transfer the files in the original format to my PC without formating?

(or as I am beginning to suspect can I not use any card reader, does it have to be a particular brand? etc)

Please help.

[Guest xanadu]

Just bought a card reader (CF/SD) so that I can backup my Smartphone full save before I attempt the DK update.

I have already saved my IPSM on my 8meg card so have tried to back it up onto PC.

How do I use my reader to transfer the files in the original format to my PC without formating?

Please help.

You can't copy the IPSM backup to your PC, as it is in a special format that is only recognised by the SPV bootloader.

Windows will not recognise this format.

You will have to keep this on the SD card.

[Guest wideawake]

Bugger.... thats not I wanted to hear. That was my main reason for buying the reader/writer (contary to some other posts I don't think the data transfer is that much faster than through Phone/Usb)

I thought I had read somewhere that people had managed to dump the bios into hex?

Guess I should stop dreaming about my phone, and base my world around facts.

Vannila Sky moment.

[Guest HelloDave]

You need a hex editor to copy the raw data from the SD card and dump it to a file on your PC. You can use WinHex to backup and restore the files, but you're right; it can only do it using a card reader/writer, not ActiveSync

[Guest wideawake]

Ok, I knew I had heard it somewhere, thought I was going mad there....

Would it be Ok to dump from data card, save to PC, wipe data card, then at a later date restore to data card from Pc?

Or will this cause corruption (I only have two SD card's 8meg and 128meg) I do not want to tie up my 128meg card with "all" save whilst I try out DK upgrade. I have used the 8meg for IPSM

I plan to restore old pre DK rom (saved on PC, then card) when UK version comes out, so that I update from old UK rom.

Thanks.

[Guest xanadu]

You need a hex editor to copy the raw data from the SD card and dump it to a file on your PC. You can use WinHex to backup and restore the files, but you're right; it can only do it using a card reader/writer, not ActiveSync

I have tried this and found that it does not work.

I used Hex Workshop v4.0

It only recognised a few bytes on the SD card.

[Guest wideawake]

Hmmm I have done a more "exclusive" search on this forum and can see all this has been discussed previously. But with no conclusion.

Did anyone manage to get a copy of the ROM onto their PC?

[Guest HelloDave]

I did manage to copy the contents of an MMC card to a file, but I haven't read it back to the card, so no idea if it worked! It seems to be a bit hit and miss; sometimes WinHex will open my SD/MMC card, other times it will say "The device is not ready"

[Guest HelloDave]

Ah, think I might have found the problem! WinHex can't read from my card reader (drive F:) initially because it isn't mounted under windows, but if I click on F: in explorer, and cancel the "Do you want to format this disk" dialog it is then able to "see" it and read the contents of the SD card. Presumably Win 2K doesn't mount an unformatted drive unless you give it some encouragement.