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View Full Version : Here’s something you will LOVE – YES, a GREAT hx4700 WM5 AKU 3.5 (!!!) upgrade!!!!


Menneisyys
07-02-2007, 07:11 AM
It seems Russia can’t be beaten when it comes to hobbyist programmers & hackers (in the good meaning of the word, of course). It was just a few days ago that I’ve reviewed the best Sinclair Spectrum emulator ever written, UnrealSpeccyPPC, of Russian origin, and, now, a brand new ROM version has been released for the HP iPAQ hx4700, with all the additional goodies WM5 AKU 3.5 has (much faster IEM, Messaging no longer having IMAP outbox storage issues etc.) - and, of course, GREATLY enhanced performance.

The previous, official hx4700 WM5 upgrades are both slow (because of REALLY lengthy compaction sessions), unreliable (in many occasions, they require a lengthy soft reset to resume) and outdated (being the heavily outdated AKU1.1 only). Fortunately, some Russian coders / hackers have saved us and given us a REALLY good, fast and up-to-date (AKU3.5) upgrade.

http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/iPAQAKU35About.bmp.png

Indeed this ROM version is a BIG step ahead of the original AKU 1.1 coming with the last (and, unfortunately, final), 2.01 (2.03) ROM upgrade officially released by HP.

I’ve dedicated SEVERAL, well-known articles to the WM5 upgrade of the HP iPAQ hx4700 (see for example THIS (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=1096&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1)) and I know pretty much everything about WM5 running on the model. Therefore, I was anxious to flash my hx4700 (for which I’d like to thank Hal Goldstein of Smartphone & PPC Mag again) to start testing.

First, let me elaborate on the (dis)advantages of the new version compared to the official (2.01/03) one. Note that the current, tested upgrade version is dated at 24-06-2007. If you have an older version, you WILL want to upgrade.

Advantages

The new version just can’t be compared to the old, 2.01 (2.03) ROM version. It’s far superior in EVERY respect:


when, in the main storage, no write operations take place, there is absolutely NO compaction, not even with completely filled-in storage memory!!!

As usual, I've made some VERY thorough tests so that we can see some objective benchmark results of filesys compactions, the biggest enemy of all WM5 upgrade users. As usual, I've used the excellent acbTaskMan (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?s=acbTaskMan&sentence=AND) to find out whether there are any compactions.

When I've only put some 1 Mbytes of files in the main storage, over a 12-hour test, there were not any compactions. Seeing these GREAT results, I've decided to run another test; now, with heavily filled-in central memory. After mass-copying some 62 Mbytes of files to the main storage (so that only some 16 Mbytes remained free), I encountered no additional compactions either during the 12-hour test - after the initial compaction, which took about 20 minutes (for, again, 62 Mbytes). A screenshot of this test is HERE (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/hx470012hours12MFree.bmp.png). Make sure you compare it to the 2.00 / 2.01 charts - the difference is staggering! Indeed, the new version is WAY better, compaction-wise, than the old one.
when there are writing operations, the accompanying compaction takes definitely less time than with 2.01 (albeit still takes SOME time)
the goodies of AKU3 (far faster IEM, AKU2 enhancements, reintroduced old ActiveSync connection model etc.) are all worth upgrading (albeit they aren’t as important as with a PPC Phone Edition model)
a soft reset only takes about 25s, which is WAY better than was before (45s; see THIS (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&title=are_wm5_devices_indeed_slow_to_boot_in&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1))

Every old, hx4700-specific app is included (as opposed to earlier versions of the hack) and working OK; for example, in THIS (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/iPAQAKU35Navpoint.bmp.png) screenshot, Navpoint and HP Image Zone (but NOT Dockware!) is present (and is also Pocket Office, which is missing from the Lite version, should you not need it).

Disadvantages


no A2DP support as of yet – connection attempts will just not work as can also be seen in HERE (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/iPAQAKU35A2DPProblem.bmp.png). This means you will NOT want to upgrade if you absolutely need A2DP. I’ll report on when a working solution is found – the hackers are already working on it.
The folder icon is pretty badly flashing with the built-in TodayPanel. If you don’t like this, just disable the latter (after all, it’s pretty bad-looking). Of course, this is a VERY minor problem - unlike the lack of A2DP support.

OK, let’s move on to installing the upgrade.

Installing

First, get the upgrade HERE (http://4pda.ru/forum/uploads/img-41937-CEOS_AKU3_52fixed.rar). (Should it not work, I’ve also made it available HERE (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/img-41937-CEOS_AKU3_52fixed.rar).)

Note that there is an alternative, “lite” version HERE (http://4pda.ru/forum/uploads/img-40289-CEOSAKU3_52lite.rar). It lacks Pocket Office and is considerably older than the above-linked, full version; therefore, I recommend going for the former.

The RAR file (unpack it WinRAR) only contains one file, CEOS_AKU3_52.nbf, which you’ll need later. First, however, you’ll need to run the old, official 2.01 upgrade utility, even if your hx4700 already has WM5 2.01 on it.

Should you not have the official 2.01 upgrade, sp33318.exe, on your desktop PC, download it HERE (ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp33001-33500/sp33318.exe).

Run it and, after it has decompressed itself to c:\iPAQ\SP33318\, the installer will auto-run hpRUU.exe in there (if it doesn’t, run it by hand).

In the first dialog, check in the checkbox (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/RUUUtility1.png) and click Next. Go straight on UNTIL you see the Update button at the bottom. Do NOT click it: it’s now that you must overwrite the old file CEOS_UPD.nbf in c:\iPAQ\SP33318\ with the new, "hacked" CEOS_AKU3_52.nbf, renaming the latter to the former as can be seen for example in HERE (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/CEOS_UPDOverwrite1.png) (Total Commander screenshot). Only after this will you need to click the Update button.

Note that if the above doesn’t work, you will need to use the boot loader approach with Solnyshok’s hx4700 flash utility (http://4pda.ru/forum/uploads/img-39857-Hp4700flashutility_by_Solnyshok.rar) (also available HERE (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/img-39857-Hp4700flashutility_by_Solnyshok.rar)). See the XDA-Dev thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=311140) for more info on using it. You’ll also need this utility should you want to switch back to ROM version 2.01 – then, using sp33318 won’t be possible any more.

After the upgrade has finished and the first boot screen appears (without going further), you’ll need to clean reset the handheld by holding down Contacts and Messaging buttons and resetting the device at the same time. Make sure you press Calendar when asked about clean resetting the device.

Is the NavPointService bug fixed?

(See Question 4 in the New HP iPAQ hx4700 WM5 upgrade: Questions & Answers (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=1096&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1))

No. Make sure you follow my tutorial on fixing it.

Real VGA

You’ll need to download THIS file (http://www.winmobiletech.com/sekalaiset/OzVGA-HTC-Univ-WM5-Khashim.rar) and just install it – as was the case with version 2.01 (see tutorial HERE (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=1197&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1)). Note that no Connectivity icon will be shown and, therefore, you’ll always need to click its placeholder to see the current state of your connection (screenshot (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/hx4700ROMRealVGANoIcons.bmp.png)). The Wi-Fi icon does work (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/hx4700ROMRealVGANoIcons2.bmp.png), though.

Note that for example THIS (http://4pda.ru/forum/attach/843948/VgaRes_WM2005.rar) file (recommended for example HERE (http://www.google.com/translate?u=http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=43808&st=180#entry842707%20&langpair=ru%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8)) doesn’t add more icons either.

I’ll let you know when a better RealVGA hack is released.

Legality issues

Now that the excellent folks at MoDaCo have also decided to let for some non-hardcore ROM hacking / cooking (http://www.modaco.com/index.php?showtopic=256280), I’ve also reconsidered my stance regarding “cooked” ROM’s. As the update makes a, because of compaction and other major bugs, pretty much useless platform into a perfectly usable one, I don’t think you need to have any headache concerning the legality of this upgrade.

Other screenshots

About screen showing the AKU version (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/iPAQAKU35About.bmp.png)

USB to PC icon (http://www.winmobiletech.com/062007hx47700AKU35/iPAQAKU35UsbToPC.bmp.png) (this icon, being introduced in AKU2, was missing from the previous version)

Acknowledgements

A BIG thanks to Solnyshok for pointing my attention to the update.

Discussions of interest

XDA-Developers (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=311140) - this is THE most important thread for English speakers

4PDA (Russian) original thread (http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=43808) (note that there is another thread (http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=43458) also linked from XDA-Dev; it’s just some non-relevant personal stuff)

Brighthand (http://forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?t=240370&page=2)

PxDxA (part in Chinese) (http://www.pxdxa.com/read.php?tid=34803&fpage=0&toread=&page=1)

Here’s the FAQ (http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=43808&st=0#entry833845) (English “translation” HERE (http://www.google.com/translate?u=http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=43808&st=0#entry833845&langpair=ru%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8))

Note that you won’t need the BUG clock FIX link (http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=43808&st=180#entry842707) (still linked from the 4pda thread) any more.

In HERE (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1331238&postcount=97), you will find some additional, useful, generic AKU2+ registry hacks (usable on all WM5 PPC's, not just hx4700's).

Verdict

Go and install the upgrade - unless you really need A2DP, you will REALLY like it. A must.

UPDATE (later the same day): if you overwrite the contents of the already installed OzVGA (see above) in \Windows with the contents of THIS (http://4pda.ru/forum/attach/843954/newvga.rar) file, you’ll get all the taskbar icons. (Thanks to XDA-Developers forum member xktygfhnbb for the link (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1335408&postcount=114)). Note that, during copying (in standard SE VGA mode - do NOT do it in real VGA!!), you will see some original files not overwritable. This is NOT a problem - leaving them alone (that is, leaving the old versions) won't cause any problems.

UPDATE (06/28/2007): some answers to questions I've received:
unfortunately, there's still no WPA-2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WPA2) support and, given that cooked ROM's for, say, the Wizard also had problematic WPA-2 support, I don't think it'll work either
it seems you don't need to do apply the fake server hack either, unlike in the previous, 2.01 version
CF handling seems to be OK (it was fixed in 2.01)
Bluetooth seems to be pretty stable upon resumings. So far, I haven't encountered out of (driver) memory errors (which plagues most other Widcomm BT stack-based devices / OS versions) when resuming the device with Bluetooth enabled. This is definitely good news. (I only wish A2DP were supported.)

UPDATE (06/30/2007):: Do NOT try to upgrade your device under Windows Vista, only under Win XP! See for example THIS (http://www.mobilitysite.com/boards/ipaq-hx47xx-series/214399-here-s-something-you-will-love-yes-real-great-wm5-aku-3-5-upgrade-new-post.html) for more info.

UPDATE (07/01/2007): follow Jon's remarks HERE (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=2046&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1), in the comment section, to unbrick a Vista-bricked device. BTW, THIS (http://forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?t=226521) is the thread he's linking.

UPDATE (07/02/2007):
You can fix the above-mentioned flashing folder problem by just disabling "Wireless" in Settings / Today / Items
The A2DP problem has been fixed. Just download THIS (http://4pda.ru/forum/attach/852921/_QwertY__Widcomm_Act.cab) (also mirrored HERE (http://www.winmobiletech.com/sekalaiset/_QwertY__Widcomm_Act.cab)) file and install it. Original (Russian language) post HERE (http://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=43808&st=390#entry852921). It's working just GREAT with my Plantronics 590A: GREAT sound quality (as always with the Widcomm BT stack), no distortion, absolutely no problems at all (for example, excessive CPU usage). This all means that, now, the upgrade is highly recommended for A2DP users too.

emuelle1
07-02-2007, 04:17 PM
Menneisyys, I cannot thank you enough for this post. I got so frustrated with the horrible performance of WM2005 on my hx4700 that I went back to 2003SE this past weekend. I came across your post this morning, and after following the instructions, I now have a working install of this ROM. I look forward to the better performace that this should offer me.

For anyone reading this, Menneisyys mentions

After the upgrade has finished and the first boot screen appears (without going further), you’ll need to clean reset the handheld by holding down Contacts and Messaging buttons and resetting the device at the same time. Make sure you press Calendar when asked about clean resetting the device.

I followed this, and my device sat at the "Cleaning up" screen for more than a half hour. I finally soft reset it hoping for the best, and my device booted up into the new ROM. So far it's working great.

buckyg
07-02-2007, 08:48 PM
Yes, I had the same issue as emulle1. I did the soft-reset after waiting 20-30 minutes and all was well also. This is *much* better than the last official ROM.

Menneisyys
07-04-2007, 08:32 PM
Glad it worked for both of you :)

UPDATE (07/03/2007)::a related thread at BrightHand (http://forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?t=243731) with another tutorial (cross-posted HERE (http://www.aximsite.com/boards/ipaq-hx47xx-series/214653-5-step-process-upgrade-new-aku-3-5-2-rom.html) too); worth checking out. Also worth checking out THIS (http://www.aximsite.com/boards/ipaq-hx47xx-series/214399-here-s-something-you-will-love-yes-real-great-wm5-aku-3-5-upgrade.html) Axim/MobilitySite and THIS (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=55843) PPCT thread.

quetopaq
07-05-2007, 09:10 PM
First of all, thanks Menneisyys for bringing this to our attention. I would never have found the kozhura thread, and I had completely given up on the WM5 update purchased last year.

I can confirm the issue that emuelle and buckyg had with the update following your instructions. My iPAQ too sat for about 30 minutes yesterday with the screen saying "Cleaning Data. Please wait" (or similar) after the initial hard reset as instructed by Menneisyys.
I finally dared just a regular soft reset and it booted ok.

I agree, performance is nice so far (without measuring exactly, I perceive it similar to 2003SE), and I have loaded programs so far all into regular memory, with no tweaking at all.

juni
07-06-2007, 05:55 AM
How could I have missed this? I must test it tomorrow. Thank you :)

tivoboy
08-10-2007, 12:54 AM
I tried running through this, only one problem Seems that it hangs at CLEARING DATA after the reset.

Should one just do another reset, or let it sit and cook. It has been 1+ hours now.

buckyg
08-10-2007, 01:04 AM
Tivoboy, yes, that is what my post was about. I was stuck there also and did a soft-reset. Everything worked okay then.

Frugal
09-24-2007, 09:31 PM
This does seem a little quicker than the standard rom but unfortunately installing this rom uninstalls pocket msn. Big disadvantage if you use pocket msn.

crashdau
10-31-2007, 12:00 AM
I did this the other day and it worked very well. This is a great job done well. Great find Menneisyys !!!

However, I'm noticing an issue. Is anyone else experiencing a battery issue? My IPAQ will not show me the current charge on the battery. Is there an update I overlooked after doing this upgrade?

Update: Just did the DST update (IPAQ has been sitting for quite some time) and now I am getting the battery status again.. Weird.

VulcanTourist
11-09-2007, 05:57 AM
Okay, so in reading this and realizing that it's NOT me causing the poor performance in the HP WM5 upgrade (what a wasted $40), then discovering that people have actually blended new installs of WM5 for the hx4700, and THEN discovering there's even a WM6 upgrade... which the heck do I choose? Given an actual choice between WM5, or WM6 on this hx4700 (or Familiar Linux with GPE or Opie), which am I supposed to choose? What are the pros and cons of each, what should my criteria be? Do I choose neither and go back to WM4.2 (or go to Linux) because they've proven buggy in the months since?

Now 'scuse me while I sit down for a moment to stop my head from spinning! *thud*

juni
11-09-2007, 06:59 AM
Tell us more about this fabled WM6 upgrade. :)

VulcanTourist
11-09-2007, 01:41 PM
I found it linked from one of the referenced threads in this one here. It can also easily be found using Google. I'm looking right at it now:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=325727

Its author is the same guy that produced this WM5 ROM, kozhura, and the thread is already months old, from August. I've already downloaded the file, so now I have tweaked ROMs for both WM5 and WM6 sitting here burning a hole in my hard drive. The QUESTION is which one I should use, or neither?

Tell me again how this is "fabled", when people are actually using it? I suspect you're not the right person to answer my questions.

crashdau
11-09-2007, 03:02 PM
Keep us up to date on this one. If it works for the 4700 I might have to try it out.

VulcanTourist
11-09-2007, 04:07 PM
*sigh*

Did you not actually read the OP of this thread nor the one to which I linked? The issue at hand is not whether they "work", because people are using both of them. The issue at hand, and the question I need to answer, is which one is the better more effective upgrade. I'm sure both have pros and cons, and I was hoping someone could summarize them, rather than me (and every other newcomer) having to slog through 100+ pages of posts in two or more xda-dev or brighthand threads.

Forums are great, but there's rarely enough "oversight" or summarization of what goes on. The Collective Consciousness doesn't benefit as much as it could. In this instance specifically, while Menneisyys' (OLD) post here about the kozhura WM5 ROM is great, where's the grander review comparing the strengths of both that and his WM6 ROM? *That* is what I'm after!

juni
11-10-2007, 09:02 AM
It is fabled to me since I've never heard of it before. I'd really like it if Menneisyys would give it a go.

As far as the WM5 upgrade is concerned: I've been using it for quite some time now and hasn't had any problems with it.

Why don't you test out the WM6 rom and tell us how it went?

VulcanTourist
11-10-2007, 10:41 AM
I'm already using the kozhura WM5 ROM now. It does appear to perform faster, but at least for me there's a cost: even before installing or running any applications, there was only about 30MB of RAM free, with about 28MB occupied by something which wasn't visible as tasks. My guess, based on something I read, is that one of the performance enhancements was an increase in some of the internal caching the OS is doing. So that might be a significant trade-off. I doubt if 30MB free as a baseline is enough for me, and I can't afford the $170 it would cost to have the RAM upgraded to 128.

Also, there are features present that are NOT present in the HP release, but there are also some conspicuous things MISSING, like the HP iPAQ Audio utility. It also lacks, or did lack, "A2DP" support for stereo bluetooth headphones (another luxury I can't afford but many have). I have yet to go back through those huge xda-dev or other threads and find out if there's a way of restoring things like that after the fact (and what sort of hit I'd suffer for them not being in ROM.

This is why a CHART needs to happen, one comparing the relative compromises that WM2003SE, HP WM5, kozhura WM5, and kozhura WM6 ROMs! I'm a lousy guy to do it, for neurological reasons you don't need to hear, but I can contribute some observations for somebody else doing it. Menneisyys seems like just the organized and detail-oriented guy to do it, frankly, from what I've been reading of his other explorations. It took me a couple tries to get the ROM replacement going; I used the bootloader.exe approach, which relies upon some components of the HP upgrade but does a swap and then sets up a TTY session with the internal bootloader and copies the ROM over. Took about 10-15 minutes and then a clean reset. I'm at a loss whether to stick with it now or revert or try the WM6, and what really freaks me out is that I can't notice what ELSE might be missing beside just the iPAQ Audio utility and its control over the hardware equalizer.

VegasRook
11-10-2007, 06:27 PM
I'm a little confused.

Do I need to go out and buy WM5 for the 4705 first? If so, where do I do this? I haven't seen it anywhere.

Thanks

Frugal
11-10-2007, 06:47 PM
Why don't you test out the WM6 rom and tell us how it went?
I installed the WM6 rom and I love it, it's faster than WM5 and has better features. The latest rom is very impressive. I won't be going back to WM5.

Frugal

VulcanTourist
11-10-2007, 09:48 PM
What better features does it have? I thought I recalled reading that it was missing more of the original apps. There were definitely things kozhura left out of the WM5 ROM, like Pocket Informant (which for me is NBD, because I have a registered current copy).

I was liking WM5, but after applying OzVGA and patches to recover the icons and installing a better SIP for VGA (the Goamo), I then installed just a few more apps and managed to bork it bad enough that it required a clear reset (and lost everything I'd done with it up to that point).

I have the WM6 ROM already, which I downloaded at the same time. I guess now would be a good time to try it, but I'd like to be objective about comparing it rather than subjective... I need to start making that chart! Maybe I should start by listing the apps and functions in the WM5 ROM, how much free RAM and storage, and what else?

Frugal
11-10-2007, 10:29 PM
The extra features are quite subtle like mobile office is slightly improved and PIE has VGA support. Not a major upgrade over WM5 but mine is a lot faster.

Kozhura has removed the following from the rom

Windows Live
Today Panel
Pocket Informant
Dockware

Windows live and Today panel can be downloaded from that thread, Dockware can be downloaded from the makers site, not sure about PIM as I never used it so haven't made any attempt to replace it but I have replaced all of the other removed programs

Currently I have 53.73 MB storage free (this is with TomTom installed on the device but map installed on SD) and 25.42 MB program free. I currently have Windows Live, Today, File Explorer, Memory and ActiveSync running. Don't know how this compares to WM5 as I don't usually bother to check as I don't run enough aps at once for memory to be an issue.

The latest version of the WM6 rom (released in the last 48 hours I think) has full A2DP support and does not have any issues like flashing icons and so is probably closer to "done" than the WM5 AKU 3.5

Hope this helps.

Frugal

Frugal
11-10-2007, 10:42 PM
Almost forgot, transcriber was also removed but can be downloaded from within that thread. Again I never use it so didn't bother to replace it.

Frugal

VulcanTourist
11-10-2007, 11:25 PM
Nope, Transcriber isn't a big deal for me, either, and I already have Dockware and some of the rest separately. Have you seen any measured performance comparisons of the two, or just subjective comments (which really amount to nothing if you don't know the person personally)? That's why I want that comparison chart I'm blabbering about, because subjective statements are worthless and that's all I've read of the WM6 ROM so far. Meneissys had claimed to have been objective in his review of the WM5 ROM (and given his other reviews I think he probably was), but I haven't actually gotten to see his "numbers" yet. I think I need to look for a dupe of this article here on another site, where maybe the rest of the data he collected might also be shown. Then, if I can collect the SAME numbers for WM6 I can make an informed choice!

I think in the meantime I'm going to burn the WM6 ROM in for a bit anyway, since I'm back to square one with the WM5 one. Say... is there any evidence that "one too many burns" might actually hurt the Flash ROM in these? Is it possible to flash ROMs so many times that it becomes impossible? I'm hoping it's a ridiculously big number, given what I'm starting to do. :roll:

Frugal
11-11-2007, 12:12 AM
All my results are subjective, however the difference is noticeable. Can't give you numbers but I can say that my 4700 is a joy to use now. I've seen a big enough improvement that I have no desire to go back to WM5.

Frugal

VulcanTourist
11-11-2007, 01:24 AM
I've installed the WM6 ROM myself now, and subjectively it does appear quite snappy. I think I also like the UI a bit more. Another detail that I can't overlook is that I'm left with more free RAM with kozhura's WM6 ROM than with his WM5 one, at least a few MB more. Let's see how it holds up when I kick it into VGA and start installing and customizing....

juni
11-12-2007, 08:24 AM
Thank you all for testing it out. I'll do it myself next weekend. :)

crashdau
11-13-2007, 03:33 PM
Hey, Vulcan and Frugal....can you post a few screenshots of the things you like most about WM6 upgrade?

VulcanTourist
12-01-2007, 11:47 PM
Hey, Vulcan and Frugal....can you post a few screenshots of the things you like most about WM6 upgrade?
:? Err, screenshots can't really quantify it. The benefits aren't at all about the appearance.

ds50137
12-26-2007, 05:40 AM
I have an HX4700. And frankly I love it - but aps are starting to get harder to find.

Can/is it recommended to go from 2003 se to 2006 - if so, how? do I need to go to 5.0 first? Can I used the 5.0 version listed here as I can't find a version on the HP site any longer? Can I skip 5.0 and go straight to 6.0?

Probably, someone has already answered these questions, but I didn't see it.

Thanks all.

Russ Smith
01-01-2008, 06:32 PM
ds50137: I did exactly that. I jumped from PPCs to UMPCs several years ago and just recently returned. My hx4700s were still running 2003SE and I went straight to WM6. Naturally, you shouldn't restore a backup from a previous OS. That's just asking for all manner of woe. Instead, sync with your desktop before updating, install the new ROM, and sych as a new device. Then reinstall all your software. (You may have to update some programs for WM5/6 compatibility too.)

Constant Caffeine
01-18-2008, 12:54 AM
Does anyone know where the v2.01 ROM can be found? I believe it has been removed from HP's website and has been replaced with v2.02.014. All other sites I Google'd turn up bad links.

I believe I have saved v2.01 somewhere on a DVD, but it may take me a while to find it and reading this tread has made, well, impatient.

Any help is appreciated.

VulcanTourist
01-18-2008, 01:30 AM
You will neither need nor want it to flash Kozhura's WM5 or WM6 ROMs. The WM5 stuff from HP is sluggish and ill-behaved, not worth the $40 to buy and not worth the time to install, now that *other* options exist.