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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-04-09 7:54 PM
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Hi folks!
I really want to get my hands on a Sat Nav (PNA) and unlock it, to use it as a little Windows CE-PocketPC-ish PDA. I know Windows CE and how it works, that's not a problem.
I desire a unit which matches the points below:
1.) Persisting changes after suspending the device
2.) Connecting to the internet
3.) Not too expensive (I'm willing to pay 50€ at maximum)
4.) Running Windows CE 5.0 or above
5.) Pretty good battery life

Think you know something? Thanks so much!!
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CE Geek Page Icon Posted 2016-04-10 12:06 AM
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I've seen lots of CE 5 and 6 PNAs on eBay here in the US. The used CE 5 ones are going for as low as 10 USD plus shipping, while there are still new CE 6 ones there going for about 35-40 USD. They usually require registry access to unlock, but that's usually pretty easy since they connect to a PC via ActiveSync, and then you can use CeRegEdit on the PC to change registry values on the device. Then you can add explorer.exe to the startup queue in HKLM\init in place of the navigation program. Some have a link to get to the CE desktop, so you can avoid those steps if you want to.

I have a couple of CE 5 PNAs and a couple of CE 6 ones. All are synchronizable with ActiveSync, and all are suspendable, meaning you can wake the device immediately and pick up where you left off. All the ones I have last about a week in suspend before the battery runs down. One of the CE 6 ones I've gotten hold of even saves database info in the Object Store when shut down or reset, though most PNAs dump these data when reset or shut down. The only way you can deal with this is to back it up using a third-party backup utility capable of backing up databases. Most of these devices dump files installed in \Windows as well, so you have to change the values in HKLM\System\Explorer as in this tutorial -

http://www.hpcfactor.com/support/cesd/s/0127.asp

- substituting \ResidentFlash or \SDMMC for \NandFlash, depending on where you put the shortcuts.

Good luck getting Internet access. None of these devices have built-in WiFi, and I've yet to see one with USB host capability, which would allow for the possibility of using an RT2870- or RT3070-based USB WiFi receiver after installing the driver.
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-04-10 6:01 AM
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Thanks for your reply So, just to clearany misunderstandings, do the PNAs you mentioned retain,for example, desktop shortcuts? I just want to make sure And also, could you reccommend me a specific model, so I won't accidently grab a bad one?
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CE Geek Page Icon Posted 2016-04-10 7:18 AM
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I've had limited experience brand-name-wise. The two CE 5 units I have are both Nextar PNAs. They retain registry settings but do dump anything installed outside \ResidentFlash or \SDMMC when rebooted, as well as any databases added by any applications. I edited the values in HKLM\System\Explorer\Shell Folders to change where the system looks for them. Both of the CE 6 devices also dump whatever is installed in \Windows, \Program Files, etc when rebooted, but one of them, a Peak PKC0PA, also dumps a few registry settings, and I have no clue why it dumps those while retaining others. For example, in HKLM\System\Explorer\Shell Folders, after reboot the values for \Programs and \StartUp remain as I had changed them, but \Desktop defaults back to "\Windows\Desktop."
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-04-10 10:10 AM
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Thanks a lot for the reccommendation I'll look out for one of those Nextar units, they seem to be dirt cheap. Just one more final question: On the unlocked Nextar unit, does it look like a default Windows CE taskbar and title bar style, and is the desktop background changed?
Thanks a lot
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Rich Hawley Page Icon Posted 2016-04-10 1:41 PM
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Wifi has always been a problem...my favorite CE gps was an HP310, 800x600 screen, standard CE desktop...but SD slot was not SDIO, so no SD wifi card. USB port was memory card only. Have owned a dozen car gps units, all as CEGeek stated...no I/O. Easier to just buy a pocketpc that has bluetooth, wifi, and gps already built in.
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-04-10 3:48 PM
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Okay, thanks a lot for your help! I thought about buying a PPC, but I think it'd be more fun unlocking a Sat Nav, for the kicks
I've ordered a Mio C230 off eBay now, nobody bid and the auction was ending in one minute, it was just 18€, nothing big.
I'll tell you once it's arrived
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CE Geek Page Icon Posted 2016-04-10 11:27 PM
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That's a good one for hacking. There's a whole interface you can install called MioPocket:

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=136798&whichp...
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-04-11 12:29 PM
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But i thought you could install Miopocket on any Windows CE ARM device?
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-04-11 2:17 PM
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I'm currently making my own unlock package for the Mio C230, built from some of MioPocket's files, which leaves the system in the most clean and standard looking way, I don't really like the UI of MioPocket
I prefer the solid gray standard theme from Windows CE.
God, I can't wait for it to arrive!
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CE Geek Page Icon Posted 2016-04-12 1:04 AM
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Theoretically, you can install it on ARM CE devices other than PNAs, but you run the risk of a software conflict that might brick the device if you're not familiar with the device or the package. But like you I prefer the core CE interface, so I just pulled stuff from that package that I found useful. (MioPocket does set up a link to the CE desktop though, unless I'm recalling incorrectly.)
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-04-12 5:56 AM
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Okay, awesome I've heard that the Mio C series have heavily shred Windows CE installations, do you know anything about that
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CE Geek Page Icon Posted 2016-04-12 7:40 AM
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Haven't heard that, but you might look through the thread I linked to see what people who tried it say.
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-04-12 10:10 PM
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By the way, how did you unlock your PNAs? I'm looking for a way to simply boot to the desktop, but I'm afraid of bricking it
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CE Geek Page Icon Posted 2016-04-13 12:09 AM
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It's typically done with a registry edit in HKLM\init. The manufacturer usually replaces the string value explorer.exe in Launch50 with the filename of the navigation software program loader. What I do is use the registry plugin in Total Commander to copy the Launch50 value to non-volatile storage (either the internal flash storage or a memory card) as a backup .reg file that I can copy back if necessary, and then edit the Launch50 value in the registry back to explorer.exe. I also check all the other LaunchXX values where XX is higher than 50 for other non-system executables and copy those over before deleting them from the \init subkey. (Generally, system files have a 0 as the second digit; for example, one of my CE 6 PNAs has a Launch60 value of ServicesStart.exe. I leave that one in place of course.) Then the device boots directly into the CE desktop.
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