Hack your iPAQ

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/i_can_do_it_good/UnNamed.html">http://www.geocities.com/i_can_do_it_good/UnNamed.html</a><br /><br />In what has to be one of the more hard-core hacks I've seen on a Pocket PC, someone named "VASSILLIOS" has found a way to switch the language installed on the iPAQ. So if you have a French-language iPAQ and want to change it to English, this will show you how. A word of warning: it's not for the faint of heart. If you don't know what a hex editor is, this probably isn't something you should try.<br /><br />If only HP would have made this easier for us by simply having a language ROM download that would let you switch languages at whim.

[ErorZ]

Could this be illegal ? How does licensing for Pocket PC work ?

[Jason Dunn]

Could this be illegal ? How does licensing for Pocket PC work ?

I think it might be, strictly from the point of view that I don't think Compaq would WANT you to do it. Morally, I don't see a problem with it - you're not "stealing" anything, you're converting the language of your device.

[jmurphy]

None of this is new, BTW. (well, maybe the howto itself is new...)

Compaq deliberately made it difficult to change languages, because during the early days of the iPaq shortages, people were buying non-English 'paqs and converting them to English.

One of the first ROM upgrades that appeared fixed a bunch of stuff, and also made it difficult to change languages.

I'm betting ROM language is encoded in the serial number somewhere/somehow, and any service performed by Compaq would result in the ROM being flashed to the "correct" language.

John Murphy

[heov]

Well, if this works on the ipaq, it might work on the toshiba too! One could buy those cool Casio and Toshiba products that hit japan and never the states, and convert it to english:) However, I doubt it would be that easy...

[Marc Zimmermann]

Morally, I don't see a problem with it - you're not "stealing" anything, you're converting the language of your device.

The problem may be with licensed software contained in ROM which is not the same in all countries. For example, AvantGo is not in the German ROM for Pocket PC 2000.

[Pony99CA]

If only HP would have made this easier for us by simply having a language ROM download that would let you switch languages at whim.

The whole point of resource files is to make it easy to create the same application with different languages. I'd think combining Pocket PC language-specific resources with XIP ROM updates could allow language swapping to be done.

Other applications, not having their resources in the same place, would be at risk, of course.

Steve

[ctitanic]

None of this is new, BTW. (well, maybe the howto itself is new...)



I agree (http://www.pc-counselor.8m.com/How_to/how_to__pc_counselor.htm#spanishrom) And that guy is not the first one. Even the how to is not new ;)

I'm hispanic and beleive me I have a lote of friends of mine that have done the procedure over and over.

Another thing. This apply only to iPaq 36xx I never have found somebody that has done this in 37xx and 38xx because Compaq have not released ROM copies for these devices. The new ROM of 3870 has been released only in English. BTW I downloaded it and checked and it's seen to me that once you have the ROM available in other languages it can be cracked in the same way.

Note: There is another way where you don't have to calculate any thing, just change the 3 letters for the Language, that way was found and recommended to me by PepeGG, creator of NetRunner. ;) Check the link for more information.

[justBe]

i know those instructions work for 36xx only, but what if you get a rom (in the language you really want for youre ipaq) from someone else with the same model and flash that on youre device????

i wonder why microsoft didnt make the pocket pc with user selectable languages, like windows xp for example, you just install the multilanguage cd and each user decide what language to use, maybe windows ce 4.0

pd: anyone tried linux on the ipaq here? i want to test it but dont want to go to that mess if is not worth the work.