iPAQ 1.20 ROM for non-bluetooth 3800s available, I think

[Ed Hansberry]

This is the link for the <a href="ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp21001-21500/SP21474.txt">ROM 1.20 readme file</a>, and <a href="ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp21001-21500/sp21474.exe">this is the ROM upgrade program</a>. Appears to be US English only for now. The iPAQ <a href="http://www.compaq.com/support/files/handhelds/us/locate/71_2593.html">regular download page</a> hasn't been updated yet, but if this is the finished ROM, the page should be fixed soon. Follow the directions and copy your important files over. It involves a hard reset and you cannot restore a ROM 1.15 backup to a 1.20 machine.<br /><br />Side note: If you have installed EUU2, you will need to do so again. ROM 1.20 comes with EUU1 and completely wipes out your iPAQ's ROM, including EUU2 <i>and</i> the contents of the iPAQ File Store.

[RickP in AZ]

I guess I am lucky that I'm soon to be in the market for a new PPC as it appears that I will never see a ClearType fix for my aging, PPC2k2 upgraded 3630... :-( A dear friend who will now go to serve my wife. (Hmm, bearing in mind my stories of "the seperation" it may be considered that I am going to be handing my Mistress off to my wife...)

RickP in AZ

[JMountford]

I called HP/Compaq tech support today to address some of the issues with my iPaq 3765, IE. Dust in screen, very, very poor battery life, and device lock up. They are issuing a return package and are going to repair my beloved iPaq. Keep in mind my device is about 8 months old. (I got it as soon as the 3700 was released.) I have no carepaq service, I know nothing about the waranty expiration or specifics, and they are going to fix everything. I may even call tomorrow and see if they will replace three of the buttons that are completely missing their icons.

ANyway they gave me no trouble whatsoever. Now there is a 3800 ROM update. Seems to mw like Compaq had a change of heart resently. :D :twisted:

[bblock]

Ed, this is great - thanks. Perfect timing, as I'm contemplating rebuilding my 3850.

However, you say "I think". Where did this update come from, if not the Compaq page? Is it safe to install?

[renz]

Any speculations when a German version will be available :?: (Or can I just use the English version with my German iPAQ?)

[Marc Zimmermann]

Any speculations when a German version will be available :?: (Or can I just use the English version with my German iPAQ?)

Localized versions usually lag a few days behind the English one.

Generally you can't install different language ROMs. However, it was possible to manipulate the installer to get around the language check with the older H3600 series flasher.

[Gerard]

Fails in my 3835, miserably. Can anyone explain this error?
http://www.luthier.ca/other/forum/error100.gif
I really need this to go in, as the spontaneous hard resets are getting ridiculous.

[marlof]

Is it safe

Toothache!

[Gerard]

Oh, Marlof, thanks for reminding me. ouch, indeed! But really, I don't know!

[paris]

well i will do the update at home in half an hour and contribute my impressions.

Well i could do the update here at work but its not a wise thing doing the update on an old pentium 200 pc that has already connectivity problems with activesync.

I will perform the update back home which i never had connectivity problems with activesync.

Hmmm why is my Rom 1.14 and not 1.15 anyway???
I guess its coz i bought it from the first batch that was released and the 1.15 is a later a bit updated version. correct??

[Marc Zimmermann]

Hmmm why is my Rom 1.14 and not 1.15 anyway???
I guess its coz i bought it from the first batch that was released and the 1.15 is a later a bit updated version. correct??

Yup.

[Marc Zimmermann]

A word of caution... keep in mind that you're installing an officially unreleased piece of software. If something goes wrong and you need to call Compaq service to get it fixed, you may have to face the fact that they don't want to see it as their fault and charge you to fix it. It may be worthwhile to wait a few more days until it's officially linked from the download pages, even if it is the very same code.

[Ed Hansberry]

However, you say "I think". Where did this update come from, if not the Compaq page? Is it safe to install?
It is from Compaq's FTP server. They usually don't make it public on the FTP server until it is done. Not sure why it isn't on the web page just yet.

[Ed Hansberry]

Fails in my 3835, miserably. Can anyone explain this error?
I think you are going to need to send it in. Somehow your serial number has been cleared from your device. See the June 27 entry at http://www.tekguru.co.uk/Arc_2002_06.html

[tccox]

Help, hefore I screw up my 3835.... I downloaded the file (SP21474) from your link , however the readme file states that this is a VERSION 2.14 ROM UPDATE, the date on the readme file is May 28, and the file size for the download does not match what the FTP description says. Has Compaq pulled a quick switch to prevent early updates ????

[paris]

hi guys i did download the file just an hours ago and performed the update in less than 10 minutes. It was quite easy since there is a guide that tells you what to do exactly. I would say that it is idiot-proof.

I did install the EEU version 2 afterwards and all is working fine now. All that is left now is to install all my appz and sync with my PC.

here is the list of software i am going to install( Dashboard, Wisbar, WorldMate, CoolCalc, Tom Tom City Maps, ewallet, simple sms, pocket divx, dex-plor, cash organizer, ia album, ia phone manager, kse truefax, pocket artist, pocket tv, battery pack, brainstorm,fifa 2002,bust em,eliminator,cubeex,slurp,diamondmine and lots of alarm sounds) ups forgot the most important one Calligrapher 6.4

let me know if i missed a critical app that i dont have:)

Paris Paraskevas
www.cyusers.com

[paris]

Help, hefore I screw up my 3835.... I downloaded the file (SP21474) from your link , however the readme file states that this is a VERSION 2.14 ROM UPDATE, the date on the readme file is May 28, and the file size for the download does not match what the FTP description says. Has Compaq pulled a quick switch to prevent early updates ????

the rom file is dated on 12/7/2002, i guess i went trought a 2 week test period (note the rom file is in a directory and it is not the exe file datated on may, you need to run the exe file to apply it thought) and the read me file is for the update utility not the actual rom update.

[Ed Hansberry]

Help, hefore I screw up my 3835.... I downloaded the file (SP21474) from your link , however the readme file states that this is a VERSION 2.14 ROM UPDATE, the date on the readme file is May 28, and the file size for the download does not match what the FTP description says. Has Compaq pulled a quick switch to prevent early updates ????
May just want to wait. Another few days isn't going to hurt. The ROM image in the installer is dated July 12, so it definitely isn't 2.14. The Readme is old.

I'd wait and see what happens on the web site over the next few days.

[Hyperluminal]

I'm going to be going to Russia tomorrow, and I'm going to want to have my iPaq on the trip... so I guess I'll wait until I come back to install the update, just in case it messes up my iPaq, because I probably wouldn't have a chance to get it fixed by tomorrow.

[sirtin]

The update UTILITY is version 2.14. The ROM is actually 1.20 and is updating fine right now on my iPAQ. I did have to copy the .nbf file into the same directory as the update utility though. That was kind of odd and annoying.

Read a couple success stories on pocketpcpassion.com for the update...so I'm trying it out now.

[sirtin]

Still works, not a brick. :)

[Ed Hansberry]

I'm going to be going to Russia tomorrow, and I'm going to want to have my iPaq on the trip... so I guess I'll wait until I come back to install the update, just in case it messes up my iPaq, because I probably wouldn't have a chance to get it fixed by tomorrow.

Definitely. I don't even install software updgrades before going on a trip.

[friedmanj]

Can someone else test the new ROM while cleartype is enabled in Agend Fusion. It looks just as bad as it originally did on my 3835.

[kmsavage1]

I installed the 1.2 rom update in my 3835 last night. No problems, just the expected pain of having to reinstall all of my applications. It went smooth as silk!!

[gwinter]

Fails in my 3835, miserably. Can anyone explain this error?
http://www.luthier.ca/other/forum/error100.gif
I really need this to go in, as the spontaneous hard resets are getting ridiculous.

The 38xx series keep it's "magic numbers" like model, serial number and other asset data in the flash ROM. It is possible to erase or corrupt this area if you're not careful while messing around with the ROM content.

The older series keep those numbers on a separate chip and as far as I know, there's no danger of corrupting it while messing around with the flash rom.

[Gerard]

gwinter; a guy named Nate helped me out. He offered a hex edit to change my device ID in the ROM file, as mine is a 'developer' iPAQ - something I'd not suspected. I got it from a developer, so... Anyway, here's that thread page:
http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56642&perpage=10&pagenumber=4
It's a simple edit, replacing 'iPAQ 3800' at the beginning of the file with 'ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ'. I'll install it now, if I can. Thanks for your efforts, too.
........................
Well, no go. One thing that's odd is that the 'ff' pairs are lowercase; I can't get them uppercase. In his advice it comes out ff instead of FF. I get an error saying the image is corrupt.

[RavenSBNC]

There is NO way to do this without a hard reset? I doubt I'll do it if I have to hard reset, it just seems not worth it.

[gwinter]

gwinter; a guy named Nate helped me out. He offered a hex edit to change my device ID in the ROM file, as mine is a 'developer' iPAQ - something I'd not suspected. I got it from a developer, so... Anyway, here's that thread page:
http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56642&perpage=10&pagenumber=4
It's a simple edit, replacing 'iPAQ 3800' at the beginning of the file with 'ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ'. I'll install it now, if I can. Thanks for your efforts, too.
........................
Well, no go. One thing that's odd is that the 'ff' pairs are lowercase; I can't get them uppercase. In his advice it comes out ff instead of FF. I get an error saying the image is corrupt.

There are ways to get around this so that you can flash the rom. However, the rom upgrade will not disturb/restore the portion where the asset data is stored (remember that the data is unique for every device). Thus, that asset data portion will remain corrupt.

This does not affect the operation of the device. The problem arises when you use program which, in order to get registered, requires you to have a valid device serial number. I suggest having HP/Compaq to fix it.

There is NO way to do this without a hard reset? I doubt I'll do it if I have to hard reset, it just seems not worth it.

Doing the steps as instructed will place the device in remote USB update mode. At this stage, all data on the device is still intact. In fact, you will find that even after successful upgrade, the data in RAM is still intact. Data in "iPAQ File Store" would have been deleted, however, because the ROM upgrade will overwrite that portion of flash rom.

[Wuss912]

are there any backup utils that will work as far as restoring data back to the ipaq once the update is finished?

[kerphis]

The download page finally updated to include the ROM update 1.2. Go and download it now! :D