Recovery & Booting from CF!

**JmE** · 08-05-03, 09:03 PM

If this is old news, sorry....

Thanks to Ell, we see a way to boot from CF or from SD. This could be useful when coupled with the Dell forum link to repairing messed up firmware flashes. (http://forums.us.dell.com/supportfor...essage.id=3524 second post from bottom, page 1).

Ell suggested this page http://www.pocketpcdn.com/articles/autorun.html which lead us to playing around with making a CF autoboot. After a couple of failed attempts, I remembered that my Merk Manual of Medicine auto runs Mobipocket when the SD card is inserted. I looked at the card and there is a directory 2577 which is the CPUID for StrongARM. Sure enough, there is an autorun.exe in there.

I made the directory 2577 on the root of my CF card, copied CPUID to it, renamed CPUID to autorun and it works!

So, when I insert the CF card, CPUID automatically runs...

This may be helpful in some cases?

-JmE-

BTW: If this is old news, please forgive me :)

08-05-03, 09:14 PM

Good find!!!!

**JmE** · 08-05-03, 09:18 PM

Ell and I were working on a problem in IM... I was just about to give up when Ell sent me the link. It was realy Ell's find, I just played around to find out how to make it work!

:)

-JmE-

08-05-03, 10:00 PM

So now we can buy broken Axims, flash illegal copies of Windows Mobile 2003 to them, and sell them for profit? COOL!

:p

j/k

Howard2k · 08-05-03, 10:18 PM

awesome, good to know. Does it still require the ROM operational though?

**JmE** · 08-05-03, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shrink
So now we can buy broken Axims, flash illegal copies of Windows Mobile 2003 to them, and sell them for profit? COOL!

:p

j/k

Now BEHAVE! :P

Seriously, this is only one step in perhaps the right direction. I do not know at what point the Axim would look at CF and run it. It might not help at all, or, it might give a way to recover from one of Dell's patches (not like they ever mess up people's Axim's, right? ;) )

I would really love to find a debug mode (like HP's "parrot"). I have been searching all over the web and so far no luck. What OEM makes the Axim for Dell, Compel or something like that???

-JmE-

BTW: I hope to raise you in IM tomorrow and ask for a favor. If not, I will email tomorrow.

**JmE** · 08-05-03, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Howard2k
awesome, good to know. Does it still require the ROM operational though?

Unsure as of yet... it may be a way to load firmware back on or it may not. I suspect that the Axim would have to have something working on it, but I noticed in the Dell post (link in the original post) that the OP was having firmware trouble... but he was apparently able to get to file explorer.

I am hoping since I can't find a debug mode on the Axim (yet), that it would be smart enough to look at the CF if it could not load the OS??? I really don't know yet. I suspect it is a dead end, but nice to know just in case.

Besides, there are various levels of messed up firmware. This might be a step in the right direction for some problems, but certainly not for all (if any).

The short answer, I have no idea yet. I suspect it would require some level of ROM to be alive and kicking.

-JmE-

BTW: If anyone is interested, please poke around the web (like towards the OEM for the Axim) and see if you can find a debug mode.

**JmE** · 08-05-03, 10:43 PM

Possibly Wistron is the OEM for the Axim....

http://www.wistron.com/index.html

-JmE-

Howard2k · 08-05-03, 10:45 PM

I'm 99% sure it's Wistron

pat2k8 · 09-21-03, 09:36 AM

This thread needs more attention!!! I am the current owner of a dead AXIM that Dell won't warranty. I used this thread to help me try to restore my ROM. No luck, but I know there is an answer somewhere. (secret bootloader mode, special adapter?)

Dell has an NDA for these things and nobody is supposed to let out the repair tech for them!

There has to be a growing group of people out there who have been refused replacments by dell and some other curious geeks who can help further our cause???

Post ANY relevant info you may have Please!

Thanks patrick

pat2k8 · 01-06-04, 08:04 PM

http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showt...5&pagenumber=1

Pinuzz · 01-08-04, 12:40 AM

Not only more info.....this is the best and final solution!
Parrot for axim!

Anyway my next PDA will be a Compaq or another brand! but never an axim!

For the first months:

No support,
No bootloader
SD problem!!!!!
Upgrade CD Problems!
and many other assles!

come on.......

anyway, now is working again....

chuckpo · 01-08-04, 09:20 AM

load the OS from an executable? I have a copy of 2002 in executable form, could someone with a dead Axim load 2002 from that file and then upgrade to 2003 from the regular upgrade disk from Dell?

I have never tried to use the file on my Axim but it DID upgrade my Amigo from 2000 to 2002. If the rom is mucked up would it work? I"m not sure but PM me if you want to try! The Amigo was a strongarm processor as well.

This file is 8.9 megs (its a zip file)

chuck

Tom61 · 01-08-04, 06:28 PM

Don't use an Amigo image on an Axim, that has different hardware and would likely mess up the Axim.

You can easily get the necessary rom image to flash the Axim via the bootloader trick. Get the 'A01' rom update from Dell, run the executable. Go to where you had the program extracted, there will be one or two .img files there. The H is for Advanced models, the V is for Basic models. Copy the file for your model to a Compact Flash card (using a card reader or other Axim), and do the trick listed in the Linux forum. It'll take a few tries to get. If you see a white screen, you've done it right, if you get a Dell screen, you need to try again.

Tom61 · 01-08-04, 09:26 PM

I just finished a How-To on Flashing the Axim. (to recover from a bad upgrade mainly)

http://tom61.arcadecontrols.com/axim_bootloader.html