custom rom making for CE - now the fun really begins!

Hi all,

Can someone help me???

have a quick question about SABOOT.NB0.

I have a NEC 900c with Firmware Version: P530_42 1.8.5
Bootloader version: 4.5.1 or 4.5.1-6.

Also, I have a NEC 900 Firmware Version: P530, V5.5
Bootloader version: 3.2

Per comonex's web page recommendation
http://hpcmonex.net/nec900/files/updater.txt

"if you currently do not have bootloader version 4.10, make sure you also copy the SABOOT.NB0 from the package, to update the bootloader to 4.10."

Well, I downloaded the XIP_CMONEX_V2_0 folder. Under the folder, I found 4 fies. They are as follow.
howtoflashv2_0.txt
UPDATE.exe
UPDBL.NBO
XIP.BIN

Pls. let me know how can I obtain a copy of SABOOT.NB0

thank you,
--kai

For the 900c, the XIP_CMONEX_V2_0 folder you downloaded isn't meant to update the BootLoader, as you would eventually be able to tell from its name. Find a zip file that has update in the name, such as updatekit_OS2_02_bootl_4_10.zip and get the SABOOT.NB0 file from it. Alternatively, find the place that ONLY updates the bootloader and do that on its own first, without having a XIP.BIN on the CF.

For the 900 not-c, it probably works the same, but is outside my experience.

Regards, Don




Edited by DonL0001 2007-11-29 5:20 PM

i believe you already sent me an email (and i did answer now)... why post this in an unrelated thread too :/


Geared2003, you could try installing this: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=200b2fd9-ae1a-4a14-984d-389c36f85647&displaylang=en

Hey CMONEX, can we use these tools to work with the Pioneer AVIC-S1 rom you have recovered for us?

Now that I can restore my device easily(Thanks to you), I don't mind playing with it.
Thanks

Great, it works now. Thanks a lot !

Edited by Geared2003 2007-11-30 1:52 PM

hey, yes definitely you can use it for the avic s1
that has a simple layout anyway, same xipchain as 900c, just a xipkernel, xipchain data and OS.

any questions, just ask in this thread

Geared2003: great!

Any special tips for a beginner like me? I've been around computers for so many years but never worked with a CE device.

well, start reading the docs... and have the image ready (the one i made)..

if you have problems with determining the rom layout... i can describe the header in that image for you. that'll determine it nicely.
...i've still not had time to write that other doc that'd detail some known headers and image formats :/ but one of them will be the uboot format which many PNA's, including yours, have.

what you'll need to see is how much larger the OS part can be, i think the flash dump we have will help nicely with that.. we can see where the userdisk part starts, etc.

Edited by cmonex 2007-11-30 11:24 PM

Cmonex, your tutorial is very precise and clear enough: another excellent contribution.
However, the process for creating custom roms is still very tedious: it is something for very patient people... I would not call that "fun". I think I am too lazy for such a task...

Has anyone else tried to make a custom ROM ?

Edited by Geared2003 2007-12-02 5:42 AM

which part seems tedious? for me it seems it is absolutely not tedious any more.. you just drop your files in xipport after compressing them with dumpromx (for the time being). can you tell me what seemed tedious about this? thanks


p.s.: this is now basically the same as cooking a WM6 rom on xda-devs, similarly easy (relatively easy?). except for the missing relocation tables in modules, and fewer not perfect tools for module relocating/rebasing, so you can't play with modules as freely yet. but files, really similarly easy and most people will only want to play with files.

Edited by cmonex 2007-12-02 12:49 PM

I tried to make real efforts though: I played with your latest 900C custom ROM ( V2). I tried to follow your tutorial but I gave up due to the numerous extra steps needed for editing V2... There are so many steps and cryptic things to do: the whole process is tedious, and I think it will be for the majority of users here.

So this is my suggestion: How about making a simplified "900c ROM update kit", that would ease the creation of a custom ROM, based on the most important additions of your latest ROM ? This kit would come with some "ready-to use ingredients", like the Out folder already containing the base files and modules, and a dummy NB0 file with enough free space to compress new files. I have already seen such "update kits" among HTC smartphone users.

Uhm, yes, for the Epson PX-8 and for the DEC VT-100 but not yet for the 900C.
But I'm sure I will.
( Oh,yes, and a DiskOnChip hack for a Capio-II thin client to let it run Linux instead of CE 2.0)

michelbel... fancy writing a low level nand dumper for the 900c's nand? it should be similar to the bsquare powerhandheld's doc, which is where the dumper would be really useful
anyway i'm glad if you find the rom stuff useful.


Geared2003: very good point about making a "kitchen" - i can do that quite quickly.
of course if someone doesn't want to deal with the extra steps they'll have less space in the rom, i think those steps aren't that hard at all, please can you tell me which parts about that were not clear or seemed too difficult?
and, again, xda-devs rom making is similar, shifting files around most of the time, can be tedious sometimes, yes. but nothing too bad..

Edited by cmonex 2007-12-03 8:01 PM

Cmonex, how much space does (or is it do...having a brain freeze here) the extra steps free up and make available for applications?

Rich

Edited by Rich Hawley 2007-12-04 6:41 AM

Cmonex, can you describe the rom layout for the S1?

Thanks