Mobility Site - View Single Post

2xMcK · 05-30-04, 03:10 PM

Hi, I saw that long thread about the new rom DELL released last week for our X3, and I have some fresh information which may be useful for you. I'm not responsible of any damages you can cause with it. You know rom update is a delicate process. Read and follow these steps as carefully you can. I have tested and it worked for me.

It is possible to flash our rom from a SD card. Just copy the .IMG from dell to your root directory in the SD card. You will need about 32Mb free space on it. You can use your own axim or an external card reader.

Backup all your data and copy all your Built-in storage data to your PC or SD card, as all of it will be deleted. You should backup your actual rom with the pc utility provided by dell too. Make sure your battery is fully charged and plug the ac adapter.

Now press the magic key combination scrollenter + contacts and without release them press the tiny reset button. After a while you will see the bootloader messages. Release the buttons and DON'T TOUCH IT AT ALL until it shows you the windows' welcome screen.

It will first read all the .IMG to check header, size and checksum.
If correct it will read all the .IMG to the ram.
Now it will erase all your rom, and flash the new rom image. Then it reboots. You will see the dell logo for a few minutes, wait patiently until it finishes. On first bootup after rom upgrade it will take it more time than usually. Now align the screen, you already have you new rom running. ;)

Notes:
-I think this procedure is safer than dell's one, as you just use the axim to flash. Your pc isn't involved.
-If you messed your axim rom and it doesn't even boot, if your bootloader is ok (first 256k of rom) you will be able to flash a new image to it.
-It won't check Rom versions, it just will check if that image is correct. You will be able to flash every X3 rom you want. No A01 ->A00->A02 trick to flash is needed.
-I think you can restore your .RIS images just by renaming them to .IMG and following the same steps, but I have not tested it yet.
-Make sure you only have one .IMG file in the card.
-If you press the magic key combination without a SD inside the axim, it will ask you about a special test utility. It will test Rom, Ram, touchscreen, buttons, leds, sound... Maybe useful if you are having problems with some of these. WARNING: Test utility will erase all your ram, make a backup before. It won't touch your builtin storage.

I will be glad to hear your experiences.
Good luck.

05-30-04, 03:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
2xMcK Aximsite Prospect DAP Site StaffDAP Site StaffDAP Site Reviewer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Valladolid, Spain Posts: 19 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Flash ROM from SD card Hi, I saw that long thread about the new rom DELL released last week for our X3, and I have some fresh information which may be useful for you. I'm not responsible of any damages you can cause with it. You know rom update is a delicate process. Read and follow these steps as carefully you can. I have tested and it worked for me. It is possible to flash our rom from a SD card. Just copy the .IMG from dell to your root directory in the SD card. You will need about 32Mb free space on it. You can use your own axim or an external card reader. Backup all your data and copy all your Built-in storage data to your PC or SD card, as all of it will be deleted. You should backup your actual rom with the pc utility provided by dell too. Make sure your battery is fully charged and plug the ac adapter. Now press the magic key combination scrollenter + contacts and without release them press the tiny reset button. After a while you will see the bootloader messages. Release the buttons and DON'T TOUCH IT AT ALL until it shows you the windows' welcome screen. It will first read all the .IMG to check header, size and checksum. If correct it will read all the .IMG to the ram. Now it will erase all your rom, and flash the new rom image. Then it reboots. You will see the dell logo for a few minutes, wait patiently until it finishes. On first bootup after rom upgrade it will take it more time than usually. Now align the screen, you already have you new rom running. ;) Notes: -I think this procedure is safer than dell's one, as you just use the axim to flash. Your pc isn't involved. -If you messed your axim rom and it doesn't even boot, if your bootloader is ok (first 256k of rom) you will be able to flash a new image to it. -It won't check Rom versions, it just will check if that image is correct. You will be able to flash every X3 rom you want. No A01 ->A00->A02 trick to flash is needed. -I think you can restore your .RIS images just by renaming them to .IMG and following the same steps, but I have not tested it yet. -Make sure you only have one .IMG file in the card. -If you press the magic key combination without a SD inside the axim, it will ask you about a special test utility. It will test Rom, Ram, touchscreen, buttons, leds, sound... Maybe useful if you are having problems with some of these. WARNING: Test utility will erase all your ram, make a backup before. It won't touch your builtin storage. I will be glad to hear your experiences. Good luck.