I have a HPC GPS system which is pre-installed with Destinator OP GPS software. As a result, this is the only application that you can use on the device. I have been toying with the idea of finding a compatible Windows CE image to re-flash it but as I of yet I have been unable to do so.

The device is currently running Windows CE 4.2 and is a Centrality Communications Atlas-based device. The platform string is "ARWEN2.60_ECO_GPSH117" if this helps (but I can't make sense of it). Any help would be appreciated.

i'm sure you can do it without reinstalling the rom..

do you have a file explorer? any remote access to the device?

I can access the device through ActiveSync but that's it. No other access except for the GPS application.

Using the 'Explore' feature of ActiveSync I had a look around the device. Most of the files from Windows seem to have been stripped from the ROM. There are no application files at all except the GPS ones and the Remote Access for ActiveSync.

Problem with reinstalling the ROM is where do I get one that's compatible?

i guess activesync hid the system files from you

i wonder how you could execute an app remotely from AS or maybe have an app autostart off a card when inserted. (does the device accept memory cards?)

in any case if you get anything to execute that must be a file explorer so that you can then gain access to your whole device.

What about navigating to \Windows\Startup via Activesync and putting some kind of explorer app in there?

Failing that, use the Remoter Registry Editor and disable the GPS software from starting up. That might work.

No seriously the files are not there

I've unhidden all files the same as I do with my Windows Mobile Smartphone. The device is running the GPS application as its Shell. I gues it ain't gonna work

If you can use the ActiveSync remote installation you could write an install CAB and host install script and have it puched up to the device. You could then add initialisation commands into \windows\startup or into the init routine in the registry.

you will need to install the explorer shell then.
but first lets have a file explorer autostart. easier that way except if your device supports remote cab installation i would include entry changes for HKLM/init as well - but first try chazco's \windows\startup idea, copy a file explorer there for example the ARM version of gsfinder & soft reset. this would be the easiest way! or you already tried that?

If you get a file explorer up on your device try navigating to \Windows, just in case. Activesync can be instructed to hide the Windows files by device makers, so the explorer shell may be there. If it is its just a case of telling it to start (HKLM\init).

if the shell isnt there, you need explorer.exe, ceshell, shutil and optionally aygshell dlls, thats what TFGBD says

Hallow every body, my dad got a bunch of theas devices and when i got the suspecion that they where running WinCE i decided to try and get one to run it with Destinator only as an option, took me about 3 houres and i had it running worms 2 world party

The trick to it is to replace \ResidentFlash\DShell\DShell.exe with a file browser.
Thanks for sugesting GSFinder, initialy when I tryed Total Commander the app just crashed.

It's true that alot of things has been striped like the explore shell and if you try to go the the usual file brows menu in any program the program will crash, but thers alot of dll and other files that where just hidden from ActiveSync so things arent so bad.
Windows Media player 9 is still there and you can brows for files using the libery functiuon instad of open file to avoide it crashing.
Thers also a fully functional control pannel.

PIE has also been rmoved but it's render dll seams to still be there and can probably bed acced from the help program or a 3part browser program (working on one now).

Unfortunatly my pda/phone is running win mobil 5 so most dll's seams to be incompatible (AXXION run actual WinCE 4.2 not the mobile version), but installing GX.dll in windows allowed me to run Duke Nukem 3d.

Installing any cab's seams to fail (also when directly executed from the phone) but bouth DShell and Destinator is listed as installed items.

One wired thing i have found is that the landscape mode steams to be its native orintation witch confues a few apps causing thing to be taller then the screen and I don't know of a way to rotate the screen so fare even thoug I found some keys in the registry.
Also since thers no Explore I can't seam to open the sip keyboard, but using the remote display control from MS power toys I can use the pc's keyboard for now.

Hers a list of what i have running and what dos not run so fare.

Runs:
GSFinder
Tre registry editor
Duke Nukem 3D (spvDuke)
Worms world party
Scumm (no actual games tested)

Does NOT run
TCPMP
Adobe reader
Any exe from windows mobil 5 os.
myExtensions
PocketRar
psShotXP

And lastly heres some shots to prove my claims





P.s. At my school thers a few computers running 4.x i hope that i can mabey copy the explore shell or some other files from them altohough they are Cyrex processors so they are probably incompatible

Edited by AJenbo 2006-10-08 3:36 PM

hey.

cool. pics are nice!!

some tips:

check out my dlls on my site, especially the coredlls. they will be needed to run acrobat reader, tcpmp, totalcommander and stuff. i suspect your device has a basic core OS so many functions are missing from coredll.

use execheck (again on my site) to check whether you need coredll or something else.

check if you have aygshell.dll on your system. if not, you will need to get it from my site. you could try the cenet 4.2 aygshell on my site, as your system is 4.2 you have some chance to run it better than older systems (and even older ones can run it sometimes - depends on the app). that aygshell works really well most of the time. the other aygshells are ok too.

acrobat reader (and other stuff) also needs MFC. as acrobat reader is a pocketpc app you need ppc mfc. hpc mfc apps need hpc mfc. hexediting can help to have both versions of the mfcce300.dlls loaded in ram at the same time.

wm5 exes may need a OS version hexedit / cpu version hexedit (to c0 01 if you have ARM.. i assume you do), execheck will help with the OS version editing (easier than doing it manually). better to check all dependencies, the exe may need some of the dlls that come in the cab installer.

btw cab installing, you're probably missing wceload.exe on your device. i can send you one, associate cabs for it in gsfinder+ if it doesn't work out of the box.

and yes you can get explorer.exe on the system. give me some email address for this and for wceload

...ok i see you have aygshell. lucky enough

I notice from the one screenshot he already has the wceload.exe cab installer too. Wow! unload.exe too! Unload.exe is a companion app used with the "Add/Remove Programs" control panel applet. It seems like you may even have a full control panel... control.exe and perhaps the cplmain.cpl main system applet.

I'm really supised that ceplayer.exe is there too. Does the device even have any kind of media playing app in its GUI along with Destinator? Like a MP3 player or anything? If not, then that is really odd.

Looking at this, I can't help but think... Wow! What a lazy freaking OEM! :0 They could reduce the ROM size so much if they just removed all this crap that was not even needed for their Nav device. ;P Not that its a bad thing. Its good for you since it makes it more H/PC-like and should hopefully let you use more software more easily. But it just seems almost silly that they would leave all this stuff there when it was never used unless they almost wanted it to be hacked... ;P


Those computers at school are likely Windows CE thin clients with an x86 family processor. The Explorer on those(if they even have it) is in ROM anyway and can't be copied out. That is not really a big deal, though. If you are missing any system components, myself or cmonex can send you a version for your OS and processor type(I assume its some kind of ARM).
After looking at just a few screenshots listing the files in ROM, I would really not be suprised if the Handheld PC-like Explorer shell is not already there. Many similar GPS nav devices were like this. Tell us if you see an explorer.exe in \Windows.

Oh, and I noticed that you are using a really old fork of GSFinder and the Pocket PC version to boot! I suggest you get the latest Handheld PC version of GSFinder+ and use that instead. Heres a link for you:
http://page.freett.com/todamitsu/GSFinderE.htm
If you want a version that is already optimized for your 320x240 screensize, get TheReaperUK's version with dialogs resized for the Gizmondo from here:
http://giz.stu.ac/TTA/GSFinder104cGIZ.zip

PS: Did you say your dad got many of these? How? Were they free? Elaborate! If so, I may be interested in buying one for a fair price.. Thanks. BTW, can you tell me more about these "school computers". They sound really interesting.



Edited by TFGBD 2006-10-08 9:54 PM

oh if he has wceload then the cab installing fails because of the wrong cpu identifier in the device

you will need wceloadext to fix that.

TFGBD, navigation devices usually have mp3 software too. the two just go together