Xda EXec aka JasJar...can you remove the O2 branding & active UI?

[bananasplit]

Hi! I have an O2 branded Xda Exec, and was wondering if there's any way to remove the O2 Active UI that I hardly use anyway? I heard that one this is removed, the unit speeds up considerably.

Any hints, links, tips will be highly appreciated? Thanks! :)

[Darius Wey]

There are a number of ways, some more superficial than others. Choose the one which suits you best:

(1) Delete the active.lnk shortcut file in \Windows\Startup, then soft-reset. This doesn't delete O2 Active itself, but just the shortcut that starts it up after every boot.

(2) If the installation procedure on the Xda Exec hasn't changed, then following a hard-reset (backup your data first), there'll be a small window of time where the device goes into a phase of O2 customisation (installing CABs, etc.). If you soft-reset or yank the battery out before it has a chance to finish, then your device will continue without any bloatware.

(3) Flash your device with a non-O2 ROM. This really isn't recommend, since (a) it voids your warranty, (b) it breaks the end-user license agreement, and is thus illegal, and (c) is extremely difficult to perform, anyway.

[ChristopherTD]

Option (2) is the safest. After an incident with switching back and forth between TrueVGA and MS VGA I had to hard reset this weekend and took the opportunity to remove all the Orange Branding (by soft resetting just before it start to "Customise")

Everything seems to work fine, I had to manually set up the GPRS connection, but it all looks sweet so far, and I have about 6MB more RAM.

BTW, for the JasJar (HTC Universal) there is a very active forum at http://forum.xda-developers.com/index.php - it may be heresy to recommend another forum in this one, but if you have the time to trawl through all the threads (there are many) you can find some tremendously useful stuff.

[bananasplit]

Thanks for both of your replies! Isn't there a way to actually delete the O2 software from the unit and not just avoid installing it by yanking the battery or doing a soft reset?

Also, I would like to install programs on an SD card, but the check box to "installt o the default destination folder" is greyed out and I can't see any commands in the menu to uncheck it. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[ChristopherTD]

Under WM5 the install location seems to be decided on the PPC when the install is underway. It pops up a box saying where do you want to install this. The check box on the PC itself isn't active.

I don't know about the O2 software, but removing the Orange software after it was installed was quite tricky (apparently). I never tried it, but when I hard reset then I decided to skip the customisation and I am pleased with the results. It seems snappier, but that is also likely to be a result of a fresh install. The 6MB of extra RAM is a tangible benefit though.

[Darius Wey]

Thanks for both of your replies! Isn't there a way to actually delete the O2 software from the unit and not just avoid installing it by yanking the battery or doing a soft reset?

Some OEMs include a few basic applications in the Remove Programs applet, but for the most part, extensive OEM customisation cannot be removed simply. Hence, the soft-reset/battery yank procedure is the quick and easy solution.

Also, I would like to install programs on an SD card, but the check box to "installt o the default destination folder" is greyed out and I can't see any commands in the menu to uncheck it. Any thoughts?

As ChristopherTD has mentioned, the procedure has changed a bit. Now ActiveSync automatically copies the CAB over to your device, and then you get a window popping up on your Pocket PC asking which of the two storage areas you wish to install the application to.

[bananasplit]

I did try to install and it did prompt me whether to install in the ppc or storage card. Thanks for this one!

As for the O2 bloatware, I read in another forum to do a hard reset, and when customisation starts, to select corproate profile, and it installs the basic stuff, no O2 stuff whatsoever! My PPC is fast now, and was able to install Spb POcket Plus, Time & Weather, Clearvue PDF Viewer and eWallet on the PPC, and a couple of games on the card, but not without a hitch though.

I discovered that for the PPC to NOT HANG, you have to install the Spb in the PPC itself, as sometimes the SD card driver does not initialize, and leaves you with a PPC that does not respond to anything. Had to do the hard reset twice before able to trace the root of the problem.

Moral of the experiment: load today plugins that need to initialize in the PPC, and the rest in the SD!

Thanks for your help guys! Not to mention the prize I won!