How to change language in my 4700?

kienlion · 05-12-05, 10:30 AM

I've bought a 4700 with French Windows Mobile. Now I want to change it to English version. How can I do it now? I've tried a lot to find the English Update ROM from HP website and all over the WWW but couldn't. Anyone can help me? Thanks a lot!!!

ShALLaX · 05-12-05, 11:21 AM

Legally, you cant change the language - you are licensed to use the French ROM only. Your only recourse is to send it to HP and ask them to change the language for you. Though a possibility is that you wait for the "highly anticipated" HP ROM update which should show up this month. You may be able to get the English version of that to work.

toby77jo · 05-31-05, 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by ShALLaX

Legally, you cant change the language - you are licensed to use the French ROM only. Your only recourse is to send it to HP and ask them to change the language for you. Though a possibility is that you wait for the "highly anticipated" HP ROM update which should show up this month. You may be able to get the English version of that to work.

They have released an english ROM update now version 1.1

I also have a french Ipaq 4700 and would like to know how to use the update and make it english instead. I have tried the guide for an ipaq 3900 http://www.pc-counselor.com/How_to/39xxROMlang.htm but it does not work. Please can somebody help me.

/TJ

brazzmunk · 05-31-05, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by kienlion

I've bought a 4700 with French Windows Mobile. Now I want to change it to English version. How can I do it now? I've tried a lot to find the English Update ROM from HP website and all over the WWW but couldn't. Anyone can help me? Thanks a lot!!!

you could change the language by fooling the update program into thinking you are actually updating the same language.
for example if you want to change from french to english you would do as follows:
1. download english rom
2. make copy of extracted rom ( ex eng.rom and eng1.rom)
3. use hex editor on eng1.rom and change ENG to FRA
4. start the update with eng1.rom and go untill it chaecks the rom version.
5. overwrite the eng.rom with eng1.rom and proceed with update.

the other thing that would work is if you have 2 ipaqs, but that's most likely not the case

toby77jo · 06-01-05, 04:18 AM

Originally Posted by brazzmunk

you could change the language by fooling the update program into thinking you are actually updating the same language.
for example if you want to change from french to english you would do as follows:
1. download english rom
2. make copy of extracted rom ( ex eng.rom and eng1.rom)
3. use hex editor on eng1.rom and change ENG to FRA
4. start the update with eng1.rom and go untill it chaecks the rom version.
5. overwrite the eng.rom with eng1.rom and proceed with update.

the other thing that would work is if you have 2 ipaqs, but that's most likely not the case

in the new update i can not find ENG and change it to FRA, where can i find the ENG in a hexeditor

faudau · 06-01-05, 05:33 AM

This doesn't work with the 4700 roms....firstly they use a different code than ENG or FRA for English for example it is RAT for german TRE, but if you change this the RUU will complain that the rom is invalid. Someone will have to figure out a better method to change the language as HP has implemented further steps to prevent changing the language.

I have also tried taking backing up the current ROM to an SD card and changing it to ENG on there (since on the SD Rom it shows up as GER but the Reflash fails every time.

StormLogiX · 07-08-05, 06:01 AM

I have found a way to change the language of the iPAQ without hex editing, checksum calculating and language code searching hassle.

I'll give an example here, in my case from German to English:

1:
Download the ROM Update of your original language, e.g. German, and the ROM Update of you target language, e.g. English.

2:
Start the target language ROM Update (e.g. English) until it says that the language of the device is wrong and break the installation with cancel.

3:
Start the original language ROM Update (e.g. German) until it successfully checks the original rom version. BUT DON'T PRESS THE START UPDATE BUTTON!

4:
Go to the temp installation folder of the original language ROM Update (e.g. c:\iPAQ\SP29835 for German) an rename the *.nbf file to *_bak.nbf.

5:
Go to the temp installation folder of the target language ROM Update (e.g. c:\iPAQ\SP29841 for English) and copy the ROM file (*.nbf) to the German folder. Rename it to the original language's *.nbf file name. (e.g. hx4700_11009_GER_AKU26.nbf for German)

6:
Go back to the installation and press the Update button.

7:
Wait

I'm a happy user of English ROM now!

psilo · 08-02-05, 09:17 AM

Thank YOU VERY MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hated that french version

is_levy · 09-01-05, 08:05 AM

Thank U very much it works fantastic

imported_drkostas · 09-01-05, 08:08 AM

It should also have worked if you started in bootloader mode and tried then to run the english rom upgrade program

imported_Gadjet · 09-07-05, 10:38 AM

Brilliant, just what I was looking for, I'll try it out as soon as my German 4700 arrives.

imported_Gadjet · 09-14-05, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by StormLogiX

I have found a way to change the language of the iPAQ without hex editing, checksum calculating and language code searching hassle.

Thanks very much my German 4700 is now fluent in English.

faudau · 10-12-05, 03:37 PM

Wow! just wow all the different things I tried and that was all it took. Fantastic thanks alot!

Hassler · 10-29-05, 12:59 PM

can anyone tell me what is Bootloader mode is and how to do that
I'm using 2415 and want to re-flash my ROM

gof1949 · 02-10-06, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by StormLogiX

I have found a way to change the language of the iPAQ without hex editing, checksum calculating and language code searching hassle.

I'll give an example here, in my case from German to English:

1:
Download the ROM Update of your original language, e.g. German, and the ROM Update of you target language, e.g. English.

2:
Start the target language ROM Update (e.g. English) until it says that the language of the device is wrong and break the installation with cancel.

3:
Start the original language ROM Update (e.g. German) until it successfully checks the original rom version. BUT DON'T PRESS THE START UPDATE BUTTON!

4:
Go to the temp installation folder of the original language ROM Update (e.g. c:\iPAQ\SP29835 for German) an rename the *.nbf file to *_bak.nbf.

5:
Go to the temp installation folder of the target language ROM Update (e.g. c:\iPAQ\SP29841 for English) and copy the ROM file (*.nbf) to the German folder. Rename it to the original language's *.nbf file name. (e.g. hx4700_11009_GER_AKU26.nbf for German)

6:
Go back to the installation and press the Update button.

7:
Wait

I'm a happy user of English ROM now!

This procedure works for H2210 as well.... replacing the CHINESE Rom Version 1.10 with English version... and rescued my "bricked" H2210. (All I had was the bootstrap loader version 1.11 displayed.)
Thanks heaps

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