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loc4me

11-13-2006, 10:14 PM

As most of you know www.hackndev.com has posted instructions on how to manually install the LD ROM here (http://hackndev.com/node/196). Whether you want to do this b/c your Microdrive failed or you are swapping out the MicroDrive for CF card, the instructions are the same. Hackvdev instructions are a bit vauge for the novice user and are even more so if you are not familar with Linux. For those of you who would rather stay with in the familiar Windows environment, here is a guide for extracting the ROM from LD update 2.0 and reinstalling it. As usual, I accept no resposibility for damage to your computer, your palm or your marriage for spending to much time "messing" with your palm. ;)

Step 1: Tools needed

LD Update 2.0, here (http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/lifedrive/lifedrive_update.html#windows)
Unzipping utility. WinRar, Winzip, 7-zip, or anyother will probably work. I used WinRar.
Install Shield cab extractor, here (ftp://ftp.sac.sk/pub/sac/pack/i6comp02.zip) or here (http://cdmediaworld.com/hardware/cdrom/files.shtml). The file is I6COMP02.zip.
Python 2.5, here (http://www.python.org/ftp/python/2.5/python-2.5.msi)
HacknDev python scripts, here (https://svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/hackndev/linux4palm/tools/). You need unpdb.py and makecafe.py.
DD for windows, here (http://www.chrysocome.net/dd).
Simple file Joiner, here (http://www.peretek.com/sfj.php)

Step 2: Install software

Install i6comp.exe, DD for windows and Python and any of the other software that you dont already have an equivalent tool for. Follow recomended instructions. You must add the instalation of i6comp, python and DD to your path.
To add locations to your path just right click on My Computer, go to properties, then the Advanced tab. Click on the button at the bottom that says Environment Variables. Select PATH variable and add the directories that contain i6comp.exe, DD.exe, and python.exe.

Step 3: Extract

Unzip "LifeDrive_Update_2_0_EFIGS_win.zip". In it you will find an exe file called "LifeDrive 2.0 Updater.exe". Use your unzipping file utility of choice to extract the files from "LifeDrive 2.0 Updater.exe". Using WinRar, all you have to do is right click on "LifeDrive 2.0 Updater.exe" and select extract from the shell extension menu. You will have to figure out how to do it using other programs. It should extract all files to a folder called "Disk1"
Now we have to extract LD ROM files from the file "Data1.cab". These are cab files created by InstallShield so the "normal" method of extracting Microsoft cabs will not work.
Open a command window and navigate to the directory containing "Data1.cab". Type "i6comp x data1.cab". This should extract all the files from the cab file. You can specify a folder to extract it all to if you like. Just type "i6comp" to get the useage commands.
Now you will see around 58 or so files extracted from the cab file. We are interested in the "brahma-palmos.zip.?.pdb where ? is letters a-j. This is a several part zip file that contains the ROM.
Now open up python. Navigate to the directory containing these zip files. Run the script unpdb.py for each file. ie. "unpdb brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb a.zip".
Once you have done that for each file you need to join them all together in a single zip file. Use any file joiner of your choice. Google "Simple file joiner 2.0"

Step 4: Customize

Now unzip your zip file you just greated and you will see all the files that are contained in the LD ROM.
You are now free to customize the zip file untill you are satisfied. I do not know what is safe to remove and what is not. I have no idea what will make the LD ustable. Hopefully soon mrp123 will post a list of what is safe to remove and what is not b/c he has had some trial and error with removing items and is more familiar with that.

Step 4: Write ROM back to CF/MD

Now you have to write your customized ROM back to your MD or CF card. Opening up the case of your LD WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY so proceed at your own risk. In order to write the ROM back to the disk you will need to use DD for windows.
Since you have modified the contents of the zip file you need inform PalmOS you have b/c it expects a certain size. For this HacknDev has another python script makecafe.py. See the website for useage. You will need to modify the script and b/c the size of the zip file is hard coded in it. Thanks to mrp123 again for pointing this out. You can read his post here (http://www.1src.com/forums/showpost.php?p=956787&postcount=39).
Now you just need to follow the rest of the directions on the HacknDev site. I will quote them below if that is okay?

To make a valid ROM partition, we need to stick an 'acecafe0' header on the front of the zip that tells the PalmOS bootloader where on the disk (in sectors) and how long (in bytes) the zip is. I wrote makecafe.py to do just that:

$ svn cat https://svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/hackndev/linux4palm/tools/makecafe.py > makecafe.py
$ python makecafe.py -c brahma-palmos.zip > rom-partition
$ md5sum rom-partition
639952c7a50e8d12d1d9351f3cbe9aa6 rom-partition

Since PalmOS expects some strange C/H/S values that confused every partition manager I tried we need to manually partition the disk. The command below will write the stock partition table to the file table.sct.

$ echo 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQEABlgPCD8AAACACwIAAFgQCAAoHAu/CwIAgLAAAAAoHQsLz13xP7wCAIBLdwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVao=' | python -c 'import base64,sys;sys.stdout.write("\0"*432+base64.b64decode(sys.stdin.read()))' > table.sct

The next step WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY. Remove the two rubber non-slip things from the screw holes near the top of the back of the LifeDrive. Unscrew the screws with a torx or appropriately sized flathead screwdriver. Insert something strong and flat into the slits on the sides of the handheld. Only insert it part of the way or you'll damage the plastic. Carefully prise the metal back off. Unscrew the two screws at the bottom holding the plastic frame in place. Disconnect the speaker plug (in the square hole next to the speaker) and remove the plastic frame. Disconecct the battery plug. Void you warranty by breaking the 'void if removed' sticker and remove the microdrive.

Plug the microdrive into your PC. If you're using an IDE->CF adapter, turn your PC off first and when you turn it back on, issue this command to turn off DMA:

hdparm -d0 /dev/hdX

If you're using a USB CF reader /dev/XdX will be something like /dev/sda. With a IDE->CF adapter it will be something like /dev/hdc.

Write the partition table to disk:

$ dd if=table.sct of=/dev/XdX conv=notrunc

1+0 records in
1+0 records out

And now the actual ROM partition:

$ dd if=rom-partition of=/dev/XdX seek=134079 bs=512 conv=notrunc

40001+1 records in
40001+1 records out

Put the microdrive back in your LifeDrive, reconnect the battery and with any luck, watch it boot PalmOS. The other two partitions will be automatically formatted by PalmOS, so you don't need to worry about them.

I hope this guide is a little bit of help to all those who would like to try to edit the LD ROM using only windows. I will update and add a little more clarity to some of the steps if needed. I really just wanted to get this out there so you all can give it a try so this is a pretty rough draft of my notes. If you get stuck just post a questions and I am sure one of the many brilliant palm users on this forum can help you out. Also, sorry about any spelling mistakes. Thanks.

-Mark

Bexuanmai

11-14-2006, 01:50 AM

I'm add PATH to Enviroment
but I can't do "i6comp x data1.cab" command
Window Command says that
i6comp is not recognized as internal or external command , operable program or batch file
Did I have a mistake ?

The folder included i6comp is C:\temp\i6comp02\Release
I added to PATH enviroment = %SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem;C:\temp\i6comp02\Release

SoS

11-14-2006, 05:22 AM

I hope there aren't any typos in that list of instructions...LOL :D

tomlouie

11-14-2006, 08:00 AM

Mark, this is incredible, thank you for taking the time to figure this out and writing it down.

Do you mind if someone grabs this text and sticks it into a Wiki, kind of like this:

http://howto.wikia.com/wiki/Howto_replace_microdrive_with_compactflash_in_LifeDrive

Tom

mrp123

11-14-2006, 09:05 AM

I'm add PATH to Enviroment
but I can't do "i6comp x data1.cab" command
Window Command says that

Did I have a mistake ?

The folder included i6comp is C:\temp\i6comp02\Release
I added to PATH enviroment =It's not necessary to do all that. A simpler method is copy i6comp.exe in the same directory as where you extracted from the LifeDrive Update executable. It doesn't matter what the directory is. In a DOS prompt, navigate to that directory (which I assume you know how to do correctly). Type in the i6comp command and it will work. That's how I used i6comp (and other DOS executables).

Bexuanmai

11-14-2006, 10:49 AM

I did extract data1.cab
and now I'm stuck at "Navigate to the directory containing these zip files"
I checked the manual but still confuse so I need your help

loc4me

11-14-2006, 12:49 PM

It's not necessary to do all that. A simpler method is copy i6comp.exe in the same directory as where you extracted from the LifeDrive Update executable. It doesn't matter what the directory is. In a DOS prompt, navigate to that directory (which I assume you know how to do correctly). Type in the i6comp command and it will work. That's how I used i6comp (and other DOS executables).

Yes, That works well too. Also another way to do it is just copy the executeable into C:\Windows\System32\ It will then be available to use in any directory.

loc4me

11-14-2006, 12:52 PM

I did extract data1.cab
and now I'm stuck at "Navigate to the directory containing these zip files"
I checked the manual but still confuse so I need your help

If you dont know python just copy the folder with the contents you are looking to extract into the C:\Python directory. Then just give python the path when you are running the script. Just put the folder in the same directory as the executable of python.

loc4me

11-14-2006, 12:55 PM

I am sorry if I am jirk but I dont know anything about Python;
How I do that:
"5-Now open up python. Navigate to the directory containing these zip files. Run the script unpdb.py for each file. ie. "unpdb brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb a.zip"."
How do I navigate in Python?
Can you describe th method plz

Thank you very much for the help

A very simple method to do so you dont have to learn python is just copy the files you want to work with into the same directory as the executable of python. This is messy but you dont have to worry about giving the script a path or location to the files. Works....but ugly. haha

mrp123

11-14-2006, 03:32 PM

A lot of what you wanted to know about files in ROM but were afraid to ask and afterward wished you didn't... (i.e. It's a long post).

I'll try to be as thorough as possible so that while doing this you don't have a problem that I didn't already face and call out expletives. If you have your own problems or deviate from this, then good luck. I won't be able to help though there's likely a solution.

Here's some filler background. Skip if you just want to get into the thick of it:
I should explain that when I cleared out my ROM, I recognized that I swap apps in and out of RAM frequently for various reasons. As such I don't ever want to tie myself down if I can help it. Therefore, I chose to clear everything I possibly could from ROM so my device simply turns on, works in English, all system functions work but does nothing else unless I load it in RAM. I wanted a clean slate to do with as I wish. However, you may not want that. Finding this was no easy task. I tried many ROM configurations, most were stable, some completely not and and some somewhere in between. If any ROM were unstable, I had no problem rewriting a known good ROM back. And I kept backups of everything including my original ld.img in case of catastrophe.

Some are reporting their LifeDrives turning to bricks as they modify it. I don't know why as I wasn't there. Static electricity? Damaged hardware from careless error? Who knows? All I know is mine is working better than factory condition as far as I'm concerned after all the mess I put it through and I couldn't be happier. I also exercised extreme caution bordering on anal-retentiveness handling or doing anything and everything. I can only suggest you do likewise.

Note I obviously added nothing to the ROM, so I cannot comment on adding apps of choice. Someone else may want to comment on their experiences. You will find a list of all the files contained in the default ROM in a file named boot.conf which is a good starting point. I never modified that file nor had one issue as a result but someone may want to comment on their experiences. I will list what I deleted, what I kept and what must stay.

The Thick Of It:
I decided I only need my LD to work in English. So right off the bat I deleted all files that have in the filenames “_deDE” (i.e. German), “_esES” (i.e. Spanish), “_frFR” (i.e. French), “itIT” (i.e. Italian), “_ptBR” (i.e. Portuguese). That obviously only leaves files containing “_enUS” (i.e. English). These are overlay files (.oprc) and always work in conjunction with the associated base prc file (.bprc). You'll notice the .oprc and .bprc file names are extremely similar or exact. You must choose what language(s) you prefer to keep. As a result when you hard reset, you'll notice those other language options no longer appear in the setup menu and only English (or whatever language(s) you kept) is there. In other words, this worked correctly and there is no hidden consequence.

Also note, if you want to add these .bprc and .oprc back to RAM if they're not in ROM, you can try HotSyncing them in but HotSyncing is fussy about files it transports. For the times it doesn't work, your alternative is simply to change the file extensions of those files from .bprc to .prc, and .oprc to .prc (yes, really, that's all) as RAM cannot recognize them as .bprc and .oprc. Transfer these files to an SD card or the LD's user storage partition and then transfer them into RAM using a file manager of your choice. I only used Resco Explorer because it's never given me a problem during those times FileZ shows its own limitations by not putting some files in RAM (a good example is installing Dmitry's copy of NetFront manually as opposed to his automated version).

I deleted the T-Mobile advertisements. Those files are:
hdr_tmobile.gif
next_arrow.gif
tmobile.css
tmobile_benefits.html
tmobile_benefits.jpg
tmobile_hotspots.html
tmobile_index.html
tmobile_lady.jpg
tmobile_rooftop.jpg
tmobile_signup.html
tmobile_singup.jpg
tmobile_support.html
tmobile_support.jpg
tmobile_uses.html
arrow.gif
back_arrow.gif
btn_ready2sign.gif
btn_signup.gif
TMobileHotSpot.prc
I don't use or want the included default backgrounds, mp3s, LifeDrive “introductory” movie/advertisement or sample office documents. Plus the multimedia files can't compress further and so bloat the ROM. So delete all files of your choosing that end in .jpg, .mp3, .doc, .ppt, .xls. Palm broke it's LD “movie file” into several smaller files which appear as “100.asf_512k_a” through “100.asf_512k_j” Delete all 10 of those files to get rid of the 1 movie.

Here is my final list of all the files I kept in ROM and still remain stable. The zip file amounted to 4,789,657 bytes using a very light compression scheme which amounts to over a 75% reduction. Real world numbers that go with this list are 63.4MB of 65.2MB of RAM free. 22 sec soft reset (microdrive), 13 sec (CF card) (these times are with the splash screen removed as described below). Available DbCache as reported by Resco Explorer: 16116K. Not too shabby. Of course, these performance numbers change according to the what apps you choose to put in RAM. Use your own discretion.

8305Fw.3.0.71.p3.pdb
AboutBoxLib.bprc
AboutBoxLib_enUS.oprc
AddressSortLib.prc
ADPCMCodec.prc
AglkglLib.prc
AirSAM.bprc
AirSAM_enUS.oprc
AirSAMprv.bprc
AirSAMprv_enUS.oprc
AJL.prc
Amil.prc
AppSlipAttMan.prc
AppSlipFind.prc
AppSlipGoLCD.prc
AppSlipHome.prc
AppSlipMenu.prc
ArmLog.prc
ATPhoneDriver.bprc
ATPhoneDriver_enUS.oprc
Audio.prc
AzBluetoothSlip.prc
AzGeneralSlip.prc
BFViewer.prc
BGService.bprc
BGService_enUS.oprc
BigDAL.prc
Brightness.bprc
Brightness_enUS.oprc
BtCommVdrv.bprc
BtCommVdrv_enUS.oprc
BtExgLib.bprc
BtExgLib_enUS.oprc
BtExt.prc
BtLib.bprc
BtLib_enUS.oprc
BtManager.bprc
BtManager_enUS.oprc
BtManPnl.bprc
BtManPnl_enUS.oprc
BtStack.prc
BtTransport.bprc
BtTransport_enUS.oprc
ButtonsPnl.bprc
ButtonsPnl_enUS.oprc
CategoryLib.bprc
CategoryLib_enUS.oprc
certs.pdb
CodecPluginMgr.prc
ColorThemePnl.bprc
ColorThemePnl_enUS.oprc
CompressionPng.prc
CompressionZlib.prc
ConnectionPnl.bprc
ConnectionPnl_enUS.oprc
ConnectLib.bprc
ConnectLib_enUS.oprc
CPMLib.bprc
CPMLib_enUS.oprc
DateTimePnl.bprc
DateTimePnl_enUS.oprc
DCL.prc
DefaultDirectories.bprc
DefaultDirectories_enUS.oprc
DefaultHelperLib.prc
DefConnectionDB_enUS.pdb
DevicePatch.bprc
DevicePatch_enUS.oprc
DeviceResLib.bprc
DeviceResLib_enUS.oprc
DigitizerPnl.bprc
DigitizerPnl_enUS.oprc
DMA.prc
DmTxn.prc
DriveModeApp.bprc
DriveModeApp_enUS.oprc
DriveModeLib.prc
DynDevInfo.prc
EFIGSDevRsrcs-2XNew.bprc
EFIGSDevRsrcs-2XNew_enUS.oprc
EmPalmUILib.prc
Emul68K.prc
EncryptionReset.prc
FakeNetLib.bprc
FakeNetLib_enUS.oprc
FAT32.prc
Favorites.bprc
Favorites_enUS.oprc
FCCMLib.prc
FileBrowser.bprc
FileBrowser_enUS.oprc
FileBrowserCacheLib.prc
FileBrowserLib.prc
FormatsPnl.bprc
FormatsPnl_enUS.oprc
GoLCDExt.prc
GoLCDLib.prc
Graffiti2LibNew.bprc
Graffiti2LibNew_enUS.oprc
Graffiti2Pnl.bprc
Graffiti2Pnl_enUS.oprc
HandednessPnl.bprc
HandednessPnl_enUS.oprc
HardKeyRecord.prc
HardKeyRotate.prc
HardwareUtilsLib.prc
HardwareUtilsLib68K.prc
HDDriver.prc
HiddenPIMsSupport.prc
HostControl.prc
HotSync.bprc
HotSync_enUS.oprc
HsNav.bprc
HsNav_enUS.oprc
HTMLLib.prc
IIDataLib.bprc
IIDataLib_enUS.oprc
ImageUtilsLib.prc
ImgFile.prc
IMUMathLib.prc
InputAreaPnl.bprc
InputAreaPnl_enUS.oprc
IrCommDrvr.bprc
IrCommDrvr_enUS.oprc
IrLib.bprc
IrLib_enUS.oprc
LanguagePicker.prc
LatinLocModuleNew.bprc
LatinLocModuleNew_enUS.oprc
Launcher.bprc
Launcher_enUS.oprc
LcdOverlayManager.prc
LifeDriverVData.pdb
LiveMode.bprc
LiveMode_enUS.oprc
LiveModeSync.prc
LocalLib.bprc
LocalLib_enUS.oprc
LocalReceive.prc
LocsLib.bprc
LocsLib_enUS.oprc
LoopNetIFLib.prc
MapLib.prc
MathLib.prc
Media_Tips.bprc
Media_Tips_enUS.oprc
MfgTestExt.prc
MIDataLib.bprc
MIDataLib_enUS.oprc
MImgPlugIn.prc
MMCCard.prc
MMDiskLib.prc
MMVCal.bprc
MMVCal_enUS.oprc
MMWave.bprc
MMWave_enUS.oprc
MoHiSp1Lib.prc
MP3Codec.prc
MPEG1LIB.prc
MPEG4Decoder.prc
MPEG4LIB.prc
MVLib.prc
MyFavorite.bprc
MyFavorite_enUS.oprc
NetServices.prc
NetTrace.prc
NetworkPnl.bprc
NetworkPnl_enUS.oprc
NMSCPT.prc
OwnerPnl.bprc
OwnerPnl_enUS.oprc
PadHtalLib.prc
PalmAppResources.prc
PalmImageLib.prc
PalmPhotoLib.bprc
PalmPhotoLib_enUS.oprc
PalmRFSLib.prc
PalmSGHiResFonts.pdb
PalmVMFontLibrary.bprc
PalmVMFontLibrary_enUS.oprc
PdiLib.prc
PhoneLib.bprc
PhoneLib_enUS.oprc
PhonePnl.bprc
PhonePnl_enUS.oprc
PhotoManager.prc
Photos.bprc
Photos_enUS.oprc
PIMsSupport.prc
Ping.prc
PinletClassic.bprc
PinletClassic_enUS.oprc
PinletStdKeyboard.bprc
PinletStdKeyboard_enUS.oprc
PinletTriCell.bprc
PinletTriCell_enUS.oprc
PinMgrLib.prc
PmConnectorLib.prc
PMHDB.pdb
PmKeyLib.prc
PMNDB.pdb
PmNetLib.prc
PmPPPNetIFLib.bprc
PmPPPNetIFLib_enUS.oprc
PmSysGadgetLib.bprc
PmSysGadgetLib_enUS.oprc
PmSystemLib.bprc
PmSystemLib_enUS.oprc
PmTraceLib.prc
PmUIUtilLib.prc
PowerPnl.bprc
PowerPnl_enUS.oprc
Preferences.bprc
Preferences_enUS.oprc
PreviewPhotoLib.bprc
PreviewPhotoLib_enUS.oprc
Queries.prc
RelHtalLib.prc
RotExt.prc
RotMgr.prc
SAMgr.bprc
SAMgr_enUS.oprc
SecurityAppPatch.prc
SecurityPnl.bprc
SecurityPnl_enUS.oprc
SerialDriver.prc
SerialLib.prc
SerialPhoneTask.bprc
SerialPhoneTask_enUS.oprc
Setup.bprc
Setup_enUS.oprc
SharedContentTips.bprc
SharedContentTips_enUS.oprc
ShortcutLib.bprc
ShortcutLib_enUS.oprc
ShortCutsPnl.bprc
ShortCutsPnl_enUS.oprc
SLIPNetIFLib.bprc
SLIPNetIFLib_enUS.oprc
SmartTextEngineLib.prc
SndFileStreamLib.bprc
SndFileStreamLib_enUS.oprc
SoundsAlertsPnl.bprc
SoundsAlertsPnl_enUS.oprc
SplashLifeDrive.prc
SplashscreenColor-2X.bprc
SplashscreenColor-2X_enUS.oprc
SslLib.bprc
SslLib_enUS.oprc
SslLibCrypto.bprc
SslLibCrypto_enUS.oprc
StatusBarLib.prc
StatusBarMgrLib.prc
StatusBarResources.bprc
StatusBarResources_enUS.oprc
StdGSMDriver.bprc
StdGSMDriver_enUS.oprc
SyncMedia.prc
SystemNewXScale.bprc
SystemNewXScale_enUS.oprc
SystemNotify.prc
SystemPatch.prc
sysZLib.prc
TattooArtist.prc
TcpHtalLib.bprc
TcpHtalLib_enUS.oprc
TxnLogLib.prc
UI.prc
UIAppShell.prc
UPDD.prc
USBDriver.prc
VideoAccess.bprc
VideoAccess_enUS.oprc
VPNPnl.bprc
VPNPnl_enUS.oprc
VPNShimLib.prc
wifibusiflib.prc
WiFiCoreLib.prc
WiFiGlueLib.bprc
WiFiGlueLib_enUS.oprc
WiFiLib.bprc
WiFiLib_enUS.oprc
WiFiNPPI.bprc
WiFiNPPI_enUS.oprc
WiFiPnl.bprc
WiFiPnl_enUS.oprc
WiFiSetup.bprc
WiFiSetup_enUS.oprc
WiFiSlip.bprc
WiFiSlip_enUS.oprc
boot.conf
Some points worth noting:

1) There probably are more files that could come out of this list but I was running out of time and patience to find them as each ROM trial took me about 1/2 hour start to finish plus who knows how much time to test and debug each. By the time I reached this point, it was becoming much easier to build an unstable ROM and I simply stopped deleting files as I already reached my goals. Maybe someone else who has the time may want to post their experiences.

2) I found Palm's naming convention to be fairly decent. You have a good idea what the file does by its name unlike a typical Windows environment. So you will have a pretty good idea of what you're doing. Just look. You'll see.

3) Standard PIMs. If you delete them from ROM but decide later to put them back in RAM (which I successfully tried), I heard Palm kept dummies of their old PIMs along with their new PIMs for 3rd party backwards compatibility and the like and I suspect those files have the word “hidden” in their filenames. In any event, I put them all back in RAM and they work perfectly.

4) The default DIA. The DIA contains shortcuts by default for VersaMail, Blazer, Contacts and Datebook. If you remove any of these apps from ROM (I deleted all four) the icons for those apps will no longer appear and the LD will put in default shortcut icons in their place (blue disk with a stylus shown diagonally) that do nothing because they're trying to launch apps that obviously don't exist. It's a little disconcerting when you first see it but that's no problem. You can still replace those icons with any app in RAM just as before.

5) I discovered if I installed an Internet browser to RAM and immediately launched it the first time without first establishing a network within the WiFi settings, it gives a network connection error message. Just go into the WiFi panel and select a network and it will then work. Note that this only happens the first time around and behaves completely normal afterwards, new and old networks alike (i.e. no need to first go into the WiFi panel every time you launch your browser). I don't know if this happened with the default ROM too as I never had an occasion to test this situation after a hard reset.

6) I deleted Blazer from ROM and found it was an oddity to later put back in RAM buts works fine all the same. You need to put BlazerApp.prc, BlazerApp_enUS.prc (or whatever language(s) you wish) HTTPLib.prc, NetFrontLib.prc, Web_Tips.prc, Web_Tips_enUS.prc AS WELL AS copies of other files from your good RAM (before you started this process :) ). Without them, I found Blazer still wouldn't work. Those files were “Blazer BF-History.pdb” “Blazer bookmarks.pdb” “Blazer cookies.pdb” “Blazer Field Autofill.pdb” “Blazer find Autofill.pdb” “Blazer URL autofill.pdb”. They may be constructed during hard reset from different files in standard ROM. Again, I didn't have time to find the exact culprit. Perhaps someone else will. I simply found what works. I found no need to put WebPlaceHolder.prc back in RAM. Note too, if you choose NetFront v3.1 and not use Blazer, I believe you still need NetFrontLib.prc in RAM for that to work, but I'm sure others can comment on that in more detail.

7) Documents to Go: I deleted it all from ROM. I purchased the upgrade (version 8 and version 9) and installed the upgrade to my stripped ROM following the DataViz's installation instructions as if my ROM were standard and all components of the Docs2Go worked as normal. Same story for PocketTunes although I bought the full version at the time, not an upgrade, so your mileage may vary.

There are some files that I deleted simply because I have 3rd party alternatives or have no use for them. I also discovered that the LD still needs them in ROM to remain stable even if I never use them. I have suspicions why but no facts. This list is NOT exhaustive so there may well be other files the LD absolutely must have. Also note, I included the English overlay files in this list not because it needs English to work but English was my language of choice. Substitute these overlay files with the language(s) of your choice.

DriveModeApp.bprc
DriveModeApp_enUS.oprc
DriveModeLib.prc
FileBrowser.bprc
FileBrowser_enUS.oprc
FileBrowserCacheLib.prc
FileBrowserLib.prc
HotSync.bprc
HotSync_enUS.oprc
Photos.bprc
Photos_enUS.oprc

By process of elimination, here is a list in no specific order of all files for user apps in ROM. Again, use the correct overlay files for the language(s) of your choosing. I only list English here because I already deleted all other overlay files as I mentioned above. And again, you pick and choose what to keep in ROM or not.
Clock
Clock.bprc
Clock_enUS.oprc

memos
Memo.bprc
Memo_enUS.oprc
HiddenMemo.bprc
HiddenMemo_enUS.oprc

Notepad
NotePad.bprc
NotePad_enUS.oprc

SMS
SmsLib.bprc
SmsLib_enUS.oprc
SmsMessengerNew.bprc
SmsMessengerNew_enUS.oprc

Tasks
ToDo.bprc
ToDo_enUS.oprc
HiddenTodo.bprc
HiddenTodo_enUS.oprc

Contacts
Address.bprc
Address_enUS.oprc
AddressLib.bprc
AddressLib_enUS.oprc
HiddenAddress.bprc
HiddenAddress_enUS.oprc

Card info
CardInfo.bprc
CardInfo_enUS.oprc

Calendar
Datebook.bprc
Datebook_enUS.oprc
DatebookLib.bprc
DatebookLib_enUS.oprc
HiddenDatebook.bprc
HiddenDatebook_enUS.oprc

Phone Dialer
Dial.bprc
Dial_enUS.oprc
Dialer.bprc
Dialer_enUS.oprc

Calculator
ScientificCalc.bprc
ScientificCalc_enUS.oprc

Blazer
BlazerApp.bprc
BlazerApp_enUS.oprc
HTTPLib.prc
NetFrontLib.prc
Web_Tips.bprc
Web_Tips_enUS.oprc
WebPlaceHolder.prc

Docs to Go
DGraphConverter.prc
DocsToGo.bprc
DocsToGo_enUS.oprc
DSLib.prc
DSlideLib.prc
DTTFonts.pdb
DvzSSFonts.pdb
DXTGAttachmentPlugin.bprc
DXTGAttachmentPlugin_enUS.oprc
GraphicsLibrary.prc
PP_P2P.bprc
PP_P2P_enUS.oprc
SheetToGo.bprc
SheetToGo_enUS.oprc
SlideshowToGo.bprc
SlideshowToGo_enUS.oprc
SS_P2P.bprc
SS_P2P_enUS.oprc
WordToGo.bprc
WordToGo_enUS.oprc
WP_P2P.bprc
WP_P2P_enUS.oprc
WTGFontPackage.pdb

VersaMail
MailPlaceHolder.prc
MIAttachLib.bprc
MIAttachLib_enUS.oprc
MMConduit.bprc
MMConduit_enUS.oprc
MMConfigFPI.bprc
MMConfigFPI_enUS.oprc
MMHtmlPlugin.bprc
MMHtmlPlugin_enUS.oprc
MMMailTo.bprc
MMMailTo_enUS.oprc
MMNotify.bprc
MMNotify_enUS.oprc
MMPhotos.bprc
MMPhotos_enUS.oprc
MMPluginMGR.bprc
MMPluginMGR_enUS.oprc
MMPRCPlugin.bprc
MMPRCPlugin_enUS.oprc
MMSDCard.bprc
MMSDCard_enUS.oprc
MMServers_BRAH.pdb
MMSmartAdd.bprc
MMSmartAdd_enUS.oprc
MMTextPlugin.bprc
MMTextPlugin_enUS.oprc
MMUnzipPlugin.bprc
MMUnzipPlugin_enUS.oprc
MMUpgrade.bprc
MMUpgrade_enUS.oprc
MMVCardPlugin.bprc
MMVCardPlugin_enUS.oprc
MMWizard.bprc
MMWizard_enUS.oprc
MMWordPlugin.bprc
MMWordPlugin_enUS.oprc
MultiMail.bprc
MultiMail_enUS.oprc

Camera companion
CameraCompanion.bprc
CameraCompanion_enUS.oprc

Expense
Expense.bprc
Expense_enUS.oprc

Solitare
Klondike.prc

Pocket Tunes
palmOne.pdb
PocketTunes.bprc
PocketTunes_enUS.oprc

Quick tour
Tutorial.bprc
Tutorial_enUS.oprc
TutorialApp.bprc
TutorialApp_enUS.oprc

Voice recorder
VoicePad.bprc
VoicePad_enUS.oprc

AddIt
AddIt.prc
AddIt_data.pdb
AddIt-Content.pdb
AddItVault.bprc
AddItVault_enUS.oprc
Some other noteworthy points
1) If you use the app UnCache, and you kept the PIMs out of ROM but later put them in RAM, you need to set them in the UnCache list. Otherwise, only the alarms will not function after a soft reset.

2) I posted this elsewhere but I'll post it again so it's all in one place. I despise that animated LifeDrive splash screen after any reset. It wastes time for an already lengthy process. The splash screen is only a .prc that launches with reset and could be launched any time manually if you so chose. The file name is called "SplashLifeDrive.prc" I found a free app called Dummy (http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&PartnerREF=&siteid=1&prodID=119795). The app does absolutely nothing by design. Rename “Dummy.prc” to "SplashLifeDrive.prc", place it in the ROM (overwriting the original, or course), your LD is still happy and you never see the splash ever again. It knocks about 3 seconds off any reset and decreases the size of ROM to boot. The only downside is you will aways have this app's icon in your launcher but you can manage it like you would for any other app icon built in ROM. It's quite a small price in my estimation. You may be able to delete "SplashLifeDrive.prc" from ROM and put nothing in its place instead and all still be well and good. I didn't try it nor did I have the time.

3) I installed what I wanted in RAM clean after a hard reset, then immediately created a full backup with NVBackup (http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&PartnerREF=&siteid=1&prodID=121637) for that extra layer of protection, as if were all in ROM (i.e. ROM on the fly). NVBackup is good to use all the time, so this step is a bit redundant and a woobie.

As always, questions and comments are welcome.

IamAJD

11-14-2006, 10:49 PM

Hmm.
I beg for assistance.
I was using these methods to make a custom ROM on my CF card.
Things were going well.
The LifeDrive was booting off the CF card and Expense, Addit!, QuickTour, old DocsToGo, old PTunes, and non-English languages were all gone!!
After making ONE MORE MOD, my LD refused to boot.
I recopied the previous image and it still refused to boot.
I tried several other things... and still no loading bar.
I put the original, unmodified MicroDrive back in and it *STILL* isn't working.
It just sits on the PalmOne screen with no loading bar.
What is the most likely senario for what I did wrong?
I was always very gentle, but perhaps I somehow damaged the "IDE Cable"?
Or is it more likely that I somehow fried the main board?
Does anyone know of any places to get reasonably affordable LifeDrive parts?
Anyone have a dead LD they'd be interested in selling?

mrp123

11-15-2006, 02:09 AM

Hmm. That's too bad, that it was working fine after the mods and now not for no apparent reason. My only no-boot sitautions were before I figured out how to correctly write the ROM and never had one since.

Since I'm not looking at it, I can only go off what you describe and what I've seen elsewhere. I agree your guesses for failure are plausible. Did you remove the main board to make sure the other end of the cable is still seated properly? You can test the disk's media cable with a multimeter and test for continuity at each pin position. I did that once for another's dead LD and it wasn't easy. But you'll have to be patient and creative to test for intermmitant breaks for each pin. And don't quote me but I vaguely recall one of the pins does not have continuity perhaps by design because it had no continuity at one of the pins (don't ask me which. 13 comes to mind but its been too long a while) but the cable worked pefectly when installed in another known good LD. Who knows? I don't have a CF pinout chart handy.

It's possible the board went too. But again, there are too many unknows here.

I once looked into Palm selling spare parts for another's dead LD. Palm apparently doesn't care to get involved with that kind of business. I couldn't find any other source for LD spare parts but you may fare differently.

loc4me

11-15-2006, 10:46 AM

Can someone help plz?

I tried the windows one of python with no luck it said that unpdb.py is not defined!?

tkz

If Python is giving you that error it can not find unpdb.py. You have to place that script in the /Scripts folder. Try moving the script file and try again. Also what are you using for the TX Rom image?

Dan_Aykroyd

11-15-2006, 05:49 PM

HEy.. any way to low-level write the HD by using the standard cable (without opening the case)?

I think that hotsyncing or copying using lifemanager might work... :confused:

:p LOL

Nahh, there isn't (and more importantly, won't be: an app to write from within to the disk or something) no way in hell right? Thanks.

mrp123

11-15-2006, 10:45 PM

Any ideas?Sorry. I spent so much time making the LD ROM work, I have no more to work on a TX ROM. Just didn't want to leave you hanging. ;)

loc4me

11-18-2006, 10:36 AM

Ok guys
I get in my PC one directory with all the files from the TX ROM
I took off what I didnt want & I put some new stuff(nothing weird)
Now as I dont have a LD ,I dont need the partition stuff.
BUT........Do I just make one zip file or do I have to recreate the 5 (a,b,c,d,e)overflow.zip.X.pdb ?
How can I do his?

thank you

I have no idea how to work with the TX rom. It is easy to extract the ROM from the Zip files but i dont know how to get it back to a writable form to write back to the TX. This is where you figure it out and let all of the other TX owners know how. I would post over in the TX forums b/c they might know a bit more about the structure of the TX. dmitrygr might know b/c he has made some tools to modify the TX rom. Sorry I cant help though.

trallala

11-19-2006, 02:07 PM

Hi,

a big thank you to loc4me and mrp123 for providing the information and taking the time to make such detailed description. At the moment I am busy optimizing my rom :)

@mrp123 (or everbody else): What is the advantage of minimizing the rom and putting everything in the ram? Just faster reset time ?
I still try to figure out if I should minimize the rom or put essential applications (like tcpmp, netfront, agendus, etc...) in the rom. But I can't figure out the pros and cons. Maybe you can clarify ?

TIA!!!

mrp123

11-19-2006, 11:34 PM

What is the advantage of minimizing the rom and putting everything in the ram? Just faster reset time?I went this route for three reasons, all somewhat related.
1) Just to see if I could.
2) I prefer to always start with a clean slate should I want to. It has nothing to do with reset times or anything. If I ever want any app to go bye bye for any unforeseen reason, I can and not have to crack open the case and write a ROM again.
3) (i say this next from memory, without digging through the forums) I vaguely recall if one uses the app UnCache by Dmitry, its effects are only limited to apps that are in RAM only. If an app is locked in ROM, UnCache has no effect on that app. So you would see a performance boost if you have this combination. How much of an increase? I don't know. I didn't test rigorously, by I was averaging about 43 sec soft resets before changing the ROM and average about 30 sec now. However, that's not clear because I also abandoned a lot ROM apps outright which reduces reset times.
I'm seriously considering paring down my apps even more because the soft reset times are very important to me.

IamAJD

11-20-2006, 05:33 AM

Alright... my LifeDrive is functional once again. Everyone, be VERY CAREFULL around the main board. I recommend grounding yourself before doing anything to discharge any static.

I wanted to add a little more info about some of the files. First off, you CAN completely delete LifeDriveSplash.prc without any ill effect. Second, DefaultDirectories.bprc (and associated language files) seems to be okay to delete. Third, double check that you didn't accidentally delete one of your language files before making your ROM or you might be up until after 6 in the morning trying to figure out why BlueTooth isn't working... :P

Does anyone know anything about SplashscreenColor-2X.bprc? I would like to find out where the PalmSource boot screen logo is stored and change it... "because I can." That is, of course, *IF* I can. My suspicions are that its in SplashscreenColor-2X or maybe SystemNewXScale.bprc. Of course, if it is SplashscreenColor-2X that doesn't really explain why there are different language overlays.

SEANxk

11-23-2006, 02:10 AM

[QUOTE=mrp123]A lot of what you wanted to know about files in ROM but were afraid to ask and afterward wished you didn't... (i.e. It's a long post).

I have two questions: 1, .bprc and .oprc IF I want to install *.bprc changed into *.prc, I have to install *.oprc at the same time? Or I only install one of them, that is ok?
2, I have got a different ROM with Chinese language, and I find in this ROM without the files: BFViewer.prc, LifeDriverVData.pdb and sysZLib.prc. I dont know the functions of these files, and they are necessary??

thz thz.....

Angeloff

01-05-2007, 06:17 PM

I know that this forum if for LifeDrive, T/X.... But I need help with this and it seems that you are the perfect people to answer.

I have a Palm Tungsten E2 (I didn't have enought money for the LifeDrive T_T when I boughted the E2)

I'm starting to hate it because it doesn't reads FAT32 formatted SD cards. Another forum said that I can take the FAT32 file from a LifeDrive and install it in the tungsten E2, but I did it already, I extracted the file, renamed it to look like the original from the tungsten E2 (FATFS), I changed the information details but when I copy it to the palm it does not replace the one in the ROM and it just make my palm unable to read any SD cards unless I delete the file that I have copied so I want to know....

How can I delete the original file from the ROM?

If I delete the original one, the new from the LifeDrive will replace it?

It's the tungsten E2 going to load the LifeDrive FAT32 file?

Thanks!!!

Angelo

potnoodle23

01-17-2007, 10:54 AM

This is probably a dumb question, but do i need to remove the MD from the LD if I only want to trim down the ROM?

I would like to clear a load of the crap out of it that I don't need, but I don't have a CF to IDE adapter or a 4GB CF card as I wasn't planning on swapping out the MD. If I do need to remove the MD to get it done, then I'll get hold of the CF card and adapter and replace the MD with it!

mrp123

01-17-2007, 11:40 AM

Tdo i need to remove the MD from the LD if I only want to trim down the ROM?To use these, methods, yes. It's not too difficult so long as you're extremely careful.

potnoodle23

01-17-2007, 12:17 PM

Thanks for the quick reply MRP123!

Do you have any recommendations for a CF card (I, II, III Extreme IV). I'm not sure if the LD will support IV.

bill57785

03-12-2007, 02:08 AM

Hi there. I am running Linux,a dn I completed all of the step just fine. I had the same checksums, etc. Anyways, I finished up, unmounted my Compact Flash card, and placed it in the life drive. Now it won't boot, and Linux won't even recognize the card being plugged in. The old MD is fried, so I am trying to use a CF card. Ask me any questions you have that might help you give me an answer. Thanks.

Madtech

04-08-2007, 12:12 PM

Hi Everyone, New subscriber but i have read all the related treads, but when it commes to the unpdb part in python it just writes
`unpdb brahma-palos.a.zip.pdb a.zip`
and no new file is created i am not that familiar with python (nor the english dictionairy)
Please show me the light...
Thanks and keep up the good work..

Working hard on a future life flash...

GrayWolf

05-02-2007, 09:33 PM

I have gotten to the section
"Now open up python. Navigate to the directory containing these zip files. Run the script unpdb.py for each file. ie. "unpdb brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb a.zip".

when I type the command I get

"File "<stdin>", line 1; the command is displayed and the message
"SyntaxError: invalid syntax" is displayed.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

aka.bugle

05-03-2007, 07:08 AM

Graywolf,
Sounds like a path problem... are you using cygwin? error message looks like it can't find the file to work on it... try copying all the files ( brahma-palos.a b c d ect .zip ) to your python directory.

aka.bugle

05-03-2007, 09:39 AM

Back to the meat of installing the Rom...
is it necessary to dd the table.sct every time a new rom-partition is written to the CF?

GrayWolf

05-03-2007, 06:42 PM

"Sounds like a path problem... are you using cygwin? error message looks like it can't find the file to work on it... try copying all the files (brahma-palos.a b c d ect .zip ) to your python directory."

I am using Python 2.5 and have not used cygwin. I put the Python directory into the Path environment, and have tried putting the files (brahma-palos.a b c d ect .zip) into the Python directory. Should I be using cygwin? Thanks.

GrayWolf

05-04-2007, 01:23 PM

Well, I seem to have found a solution. Even tho I put Python 2.5 into my path, it would only work if the bramha-palmos.zip.?.pdb files wer in the C: (root) directory. Also, the instructions say to:

"5. Now open up python. Navigate to the directory containing these zip files. Run the script unpdb.py for each file. ie. "unpdb brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb a.zip".

I did open (start) Python, and got it's command line. When I typed the command as above, Python returned an error. At first, it was a Syntax error, but later it changed (after I moved the bramha-palmos files to the root) to Term not Defined. Ended up typing "unpdb.py bramha-palmos.zip.a.pdb a.zip" at the DOS command line in the root to get it to work!
I then used Simple Joiner to join the zip files (joined file name should be bramha-palmos.zip). Tried WinZIP v.10, no joy. Downloaded WinRAR 3.70 current beta and it worked!!!!
Next step is to purchase a CF 4 gig card!!!

aka.bugle

05-08-2007, 09:19 AM

Got my LD back from Chris Short.... yesssssss! :cool: he put in ANOTHER Patriot card... and it works 100% ... (I got a RMA # from Patriot memory for the bad card, and they should be sending me a good one , so hopefully I'll have a spare!)

Sooooooo.... I've got my lightened rom in, but I didn't have success with replacing pocket tunes w/ my newer version. Anyone have any luck with this (MRP123?), can you elaborate on inserting pocket tunes and Docs to go into the rom? :confused:

mrp123

05-08-2007, 11:02 AM

I've got my lightened rom in, but I didn't have success with replacing pocket tunes w/ my newer version. Anyone have any luck with this (MRP123?), can you elaborate on inserting pocket tunes and Docs to go into the rom? :confused:I put nothing back in ROM as that's my preference so I might not be of much help here. You say you didn't have success, but that's too vague. Can you give more detail?

aka.bugle

05-08-2007, 12:15 PM

7) Documents to Go: I deleted it all from ROM. I purchased the upgrade (version 8 and version 9) and installed the upgrade to my stripped ROM following the DataViz's installation instructions as if my ROM were standard and all components of the Docs2Go worked as normal. Same story for PocketTunes although I bought the full version at the time, not an upgrade, so your mileage may vary.

Pocket Tunes
palmOne.pdb
PocketTunes.bprc
PocketTunes_enUS.oprc

According to your post you put pockettunes back in the rom, at least thats the way I read it. Anyway with my stripped down rom, I've got room to clear up some ram, and I'd like to put the newer apps in rom, I mean the rom is going to take up the same amount of space weather its stripped clean or stripped clean then fattened back up with preferred apps.
I tried puting just pockettunes.prc in rom (ver 4) didn't work... so I put the original overlay in too. pockettunes crashed, then tried renaming the prc to bprc, still crashed.
Gotta read some more but I think the treo users have updated their custom roms w/ newer ptunes...

mrp123

05-08-2007, 01:50 PM

I tried puting just pockettunes.prc in rom (ver 4) didn't work... so I put the original overlay in too. pockettunes crashed, then tried renaming the prc to bprc, still crashed.Sorry. I don't use v4 of PTunes so I won't be of much help. Good luck.According to your post you put pockettunes back in the rom, at least thats the way I read it.Just to be clear, in my 2nd paragraph (http://www.1src.com/forums/showpost.php?p=958297&postcount=12), I explained I only removed files. It's also nice with UnCache
because apps in ROM always get launch code (http://www.1src.com/forums/showpost.php?p=899048&postcount=7), defeating the purpose of UnCache IMHO.

edb100

05-19-2007, 07:41 PM

finally got around to editing my rom and replacing the HD with a CF and I just wanted to thank all who made it possible.... could not get it to work through windows though and ended up using Linux... As an added bonus I noticed that I only have to pump the power button once to turn off my Lifedrive.... double pump syndrome is gone. thanks again!!

sergioq

05-24-2007, 09:49 AM

Alright... my LifeDrive is functional once again. Everyone, be VERY CAREFULL around the main board. I recommend grounding yourself before doing anything to discharge any static.
.

Hi I'm brand new, I've been reading the posts for a while.

How did you get back your LD back to life?

I've been trying rewriting my fried MD earning some experiencie, but at the moment I think my motherboard is dead.

Edit: I've removed wrong conclusions

rhondalicious

06-12-2007, 11:45 PM

First: I had some problems figuring out how to create the table.sct file in cygwin and dd, so after some searching I found a table.sct file that someone had posted and used that. However, we still have this probelm with it not booting.

Secound:
I have not been able to actually get the dd commands to place the image on the drive. I can't figure out how to tell it where the flash drive is. It is indicated as drive H on windows, but how do I tell Cygwin where it is?

potter

06-13-2007, 11:38 AM

Step 1: Tools needed
[...]
7. Simple file Joiner, here (http://www.peretek.com/sfj.php)

[...]

Step 3: Extract
[...]
6. Once you have done that for each file you need to join them all together in a single zip file. Use any file joiner of your choice. Google "Simple file joiner 2.0"

Minor note. You should be able to use the command prompt to perform the joining; no external tool required.

> copy /b brahma-palmos.zip.?.pdb brahma-palmos.zip
brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb
brahma-palmos.zip.b.pdb
brahma-palmos.zip.c.pdb
brahma-palmos.zip.d.pdb
brahma-palmos.zip.e.pdb
brahma-palmos.zip.f.pdb
brahma-palmos.zip.g.pdb
brahma-palmos.zip.h.pdb
brahma-palmos.zip.i.pdb
brahma-palmos.zip.j.pdb
1 file(s) copied.

Assuming that the above picks up the source files in the correct order. If it does not then try:

> copy brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb brahma-palmos.zip
Overwrite brahma-palmos.zip? (Yes/No/All): y
1 file(s) copied.
> for %i in (b c d e f g h i j) do copy /b brahma-palmos.zip+brahma-palmos.zip.%i.pdb
[...]

archangel

06-13-2007, 11:56 AM

Hate to ask a stupid question, but I'm finally getting the courage to try this.

If I follow the methods described here I will be able to put this straight onto a flash card without having to mess with my MD at all correct?

It would be nice to have the MD untouched in case I can't figure this out.

potter

06-13-2007, 12:50 PM

If I follow the methods described here I will be able to put this straight onto a flash card without having to mess with my MD at all correct?Yes, other than the obvious pulling of the MD from your LifeDrive

archangel

06-13-2007, 04:45 PM

Yes, other than the obvious pulling of the MD from your LifeDrive
Thank you. I have already ordered one of the approved CF cards and will start tinkering with this right away.

Anyone have a feel for how long a CF drive will last? Just wonder if using it this way could cause it to have a really short life span.

archangel

06-13-2007, 05:57 PM

I have a question on this step.

Since you have modified the contents of the zip file you need inform PalmOS you have b/c it expects a certain size. For this HacknDev has another python script makecafe.py. See the website for useage. You will need to modify the script and b/c the size of the zip file is hard coded in it. Thanks to mrp123 again for pointing this out. You can read his post here.

I finished removing the apps I didn't want, do I now zip the remaining files into brahma-palmos.zip? I did this as a test and ran makecafe.py. It gave me weird results in the DOS prompt section with smiley faces. Is this correct?

rhondalicious

06-13-2007, 11:04 PM

Well, I kept fiddling with my LD last night/this morning, and I still cant get a table.sct file of my own - so I'm still trying to use one some guy posted in the comments of a blog (hooray for google)? It sort of seems to work - I finally figured out how to get the information onto the flash card instead of just someplace on my c: drive called "h" (location of my cf card).

The problem now (I think) either lies in the aforementioned table.sct, or in the line I edited in the python script - the line asking for the file size. When you look at a file's properties, it first tells you the file's "real" size, and then it tells you the size on the drive - which one does the python script want? When I put in the size on the drive, it tried to load the information onto my CF card, but it seemed to have stalled halfway through, again leaving me with a lovely brick. Oh yeah, and my MD isn't working now, either. :(

I'm at the point where I haven't looked at my LD all day long because I'm getting depressed. I'm seriously thinking of calling in my brother in law who knows linux and making him do it for me.

mrp123

06-14-2007, 11:28 AM

I finished removing the apps I didn't want, do I now zip the remaining files into brahma-palmos.zip?Yes.It gave me weird results in the DOS prompt section with smiley faces. Is this correct?Doesn't sound it to me. I did it in Linux though.

mrp123

06-14-2007, 11:35 AM

When you look at a file's properties, it first tells you the file's "real" size, and then it tells you the size on the drive - which one does the python script want?The "real" size, expressed in bytes. You didn't brick your LD because of this error, because I experimented with all different values, correct and incorrect, and it only would hang in the boot process when wrong.

rhondalicious

06-14-2007, 07:56 PM

Ok, I am making one last ditch effort to get this to work. I get to the point where I am trying to image the CF card and get an error. I did the following command and received the following error. What am I doing wrong?

C:\>dd if=rom-partition of=\\?\Device\Harddisk2\DR8 seek=134079 bs=512
rawwrite dd for windows version 0.3.
Written by John Newbigin <jn@it.swin.edu.au>
This program is covered by the GPL. See copying.txt for details
Error writing file: 87 The parameter is incorrect
40299+1 records in
40299+0 records out

Madtech

06-17-2007, 06:32 AM

I finished removing the apps I didn't want, and i saw a file named ``Boot.conf`` Anyone of you edited this file :confused:

Since it contains the booting information !?

aka.bugle

06-17-2007, 07:47 AM

mrp123 stated he never edited this file, and that it was unnecessary to do so.

Madtech

06-17-2007, 09:54 AM

mrp123 stated he never edited this file, and that it was unnecessary to do so.

Sorry i might have missed it... :o Will not touch it

Tanks aka.bugle

archangel

06-18-2007, 04:36 PM

Edit: Okay I seem to be getting somewhere with cygwin. Hopefully, I can get past the makecafe sectioin.

Nope, stuck again. When I run this

$ md5sum rom-partition
639952c7a50e8d12d1d9351f3cbe9aa6 rom-partition

I get this result

Administrator@Darkside ~
$ md5sum rom-partition
754c727358749229de1e6a03b570905d *rom-partition

Why is it giving me a different md5sum? Actually, does this even matter? Is the 6399 number for an unaltered ROM?

Okay. I changed the sda to sdd and it looks like it was writting to the CF card, but when I look at the card it looks unchanged. How do you tell?

Anyway I hooked up the LD and booted the Palm, but all I get is the PalmOS screen and then nothing.

What next? What did I do wrong?

archangel

06-18-2007, 10:04 PM

potter

06-19-2007, 08:18 AM

When I run this

$ md5sum rom-partition
639952c7a50e8d12d1d9351f3cbe9aa6 rom-partition

I get this result
Administrator@Darkside ~
$ md5sum rom-partition
754c727358749229de1e6a03b570905d *rom-partition
Why is it giving me a different md5sum? Actually, does this even matter? Is the 6399 number for an unaltered ROM?
No it does not matter. The 6339 would be the check sub for an unaltered ROM file.

potter

06-19-2007, 08:21 AM

archangel

06-19-2007, 10:15 AM

Tried all the advanced options possible, but it looks like the boot sector on both drives is unsavable. I can turn them into data drives however.

I've also lost all the work I had put in on the LifeFlash so its a complete failure for me all the way around.

Talk about live and learn.

potter

06-19-2007, 12:08 PM

Don't know if this will help, but look pertinent:
Windows XP Resource Kit: Troubleshooting Disks and File Systems
Repairing Damaged MBRs and Boot Sectors in x86-Based Computers (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457122.aspx#EEAA)

Madtech

06-19-2007, 02:28 PM

archangel

06-19-2007, 11:00 PM

I was able to repair one drive finally. I also gave LifeFlash another try and got all the way to the dd step, but still have a problem. This is what I'm getting on the final step.

$ dd if=rom-partition of=/dev/sdb seek=134079 bs=512 conv=notrunc
dd: writing `/dev/sdb': No space left on device
39622+1 records in
39622+0 records out
20286464 bytes (20 MB) copied, 96.968 s, 209 kB/s

Any idea why I'm getting +0 records out instead of +1. I'm so close, but keep falling short. This is a Patriot 4GB card and shows up as a Toshiba when I plug it in.

sergioq

06-26-2007, 06:30 AM

Oh well. I have destroyed both of my hard drives with the dd program. I can't believe no one posted a major warning that the default sda posted on the instructions was the c drive. I also tried b which was my second hard drive. I have tried installing windows on both, but both refuse to boot.
I was able to repair one drive finally.

You can recover the damaged HDD disk by rebuilding MBR with an undocumented FDISK's function of Win98 or Win2K, booting from a Win98 or Win2K booteable floppy disk. Be sure to leave connected only the damaged HDD, one each time:

FDISK /MBR

Then "Partition Recovery" or another that kind of tool to recover HDD partition, and so internal data.

If you don't care about HDD data, once you fixed MBR you can reinstall windows from scratch, or access the HDD through WinXP and format the HDD using WinXP's disk management.

I can't believe no one posted a major warning that the default sda posted on the instructions was the c drive. I also tried b which was my second hard drive.
Please be aware of this:

Win XP mounts the HDD as the first SCSI device it means "sda" then your CF adaptor will automatically be mounted as "sdb"

If you have a second HDD it wil be mounted as "sdb" then your CF adaptor wil be mounted as "sdc" an so on.

"Try and error" method is to READ from the device -sda, sdb or sdc- you believe is your CF adaptor -try doing an image of the CF- while reading from the CF, remove your CF from the adaptor, you will receive an error message that the incoming device or media is no longer available or something like that, if you don't get the error message, try again with a different device name. Once you get the error message then you will be sure about THAT is the right device name of your CF adaptor and can safely write data on it without damage your HDD(s).

Hope this help :)

sergioq

06-28-2007, 12:19 PM

I also gave LifeFlash another try and got all the way to the dd step, but still have a problem. This is what I'm getting on the final step.

Any idea why I'm getting +0 records out instead of +1. I'm so close, but keep falling short. This is a Patriot 4GB card and shows up as a Toshiba when I plug it in.

The problem seems to be the error message you receive when you write the ROM file to the CF that "...dd: writing `/dev/sdb': No space left on device..."

I do not know why DD does that, I'm so far from to became a Linux expert, but analyzing a post ROM writing image of the CF I could see that the file is truncated when is writing to the CF and finishes with the error, so the ROM image into the card is unusable by the Palm OS.

I've found a workaround, I've done a 1KB longer ROM image file adding zeros at the end with the Hex editor, then when truncated I lost the end of the file containing the zeros, which I don't care, then I've got a complete ROM image file into the CF.

I hope that someone could help explaining or fixing the DD error...

Hope this help.

archangel

06-30-2007, 09:43 AM

I've thrown in the towel on the LifeFlash, but it was an interesting attempt. I still have a working LifeDrive so I will just continue to use it while I decide on a future device.

NoZ

07-27-2007, 03:18 PM

Hi guys,

I'm trying to mod my lifedrive too.
But i can't get the unpdb.py file, can anyone send it to me?

thx

archangel

07-28-2007, 01:03 AM

I went ahead and paid $95 for the premade card from usedpdaparts.com.

Finally I can have a LifeFlash.

GrayWolf

08-01-2007, 06:07 PM

Any thoughts about using a 4 gb SD card in a CF/SD adapter? I have an adapter and 4 gb SD card, can I just transfer the files to the SD card, place in the adapter and install in the Lifedrive?

markmecard

08-15-2007, 12:03 PM

Hi All (New user)

Both my LifeDrives are now fried - definite HD failure on one and corrupted HD on the other. I've got a SCANDISC Ultra II SDCFH-4096-902, A USB Card Reader and most of the software to make a first attempt at replacing one of my MD's with a CF. I’m using windows and have already done a ghost backup of my C drive (just in case).

However, I cant find the two Python scripts loc4me listed in his original message unpdb.cy and makecafe.cy. The HacknDev link (svn.sourceforge.net/... ../tools link resolves to an error page, and I've spent a couple of hours scouting around trying to find them withour any luck.

Please could someone either point me at a location for these scripts or even send them to me?

Yours in hopeful anticipation - and thanks in advance

Marcus

Nadie

08-17-2007, 02:39 PM

markmecard

08-22-2007, 05:35 AM

Many thanks Nadie, the URL worked. :)

I had managed to find what I thought were the scripts, but after doing a bit of a crash course in Python, managed to open them in the IDLE editor and discover that they were not the right scripts. Thanks to Nadie's advise, I have now got the correct scripts but I am now stuck again.

I cant get past the "Navigate to the directory containing these zip files" step. I am not totally sure what this means, but I assume it means open a DOS window, change to the directory with the brahma-palmos files, Python and unpdb script (cd c:\ld in my case) run Python and at the python promt (>>>), enter the 'unpdb brahma-palmos.a.zip.pdb a.zip' string.

Every time I run the unpdb.py script on my extracted braham-palmos file I get a 'syntax error'. I suspect that this is due to the way that I have Python 2.5.1 installed. I like the look of Pyhton but my programming skills are shakey and old (last bit of programming I did was in machine code many many moons ago), but looking at the unpdb script, it should report an error if you execute it without the two variables (brahma-palm input file and zip output file) and while I can get this 'usage' error using IDLE, I cant get it using the >>> prompt in a DOS cmd window.

I have set the PATH variable in Windows and also tried exectuing the command in the root (C:\) directory, and also copied unpdb into the 'scripts' directory, but I always get the same syntax error.

The python site states that they always try to ensure Python is backward compatible, so I dont think its a question of the unpdb script not working with Python 2.5.1, but I could be wrong. Also, the help system was not working correctly but I have now fixed that having run a routine in the Python 'docs' directory, so I suspect that I have other routines to run to perform more setups, but I'm having difficulty trying to search through the various Python websites to discover what I need to run or what environmentals to set.

The other possibility is that something went wrong with extracting the brahma-palmos files, and that it is they (it) that are causing the syntax error, but I think it may be my Python install (or the way I'm using it) as I dont get the scripts 'usage' runtime error at the >>> prompt in the dos shell.

I'll keep going on this as I NEED my lifeDrive back and I will post updates.

In the meantime, any suggestion or idea's would be gratefully received.

rgds
marcus

markmecard

08-22-2007, 06:27 AM

I am replying to my own message as I found a helpful tip and progress has been made. The tip is go back and re-read the previous posts again with you glasses on and eyes open :o

I re-read Greywolf's message (#38) and realised that the script needs to be run from the Dos promt and not the Python >>> prompt. :o

I openned a Dos shell in windows and got the following (sorry cant figure out how to paste in a copy of the Dos window, so I will retype it, with my comments in Navy)

Microsoft Windows 2000 [Version 5.00.2195]
(C) Copywright 1985-2000 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>cd\ld <-- At the Dos prompt, change directory to location of bramha-palmos.. files and unpdb.py script

C:\LD>unpdb.py <--- Run the script without the input (brahma-palmos) or output (x.zip) files.
Usage: C:\LD\unpdb.py <pdb file> <out file> This is a CORRECT error message which is from the unpdb script file and shows that Python is installed and that the PATH command is setup correctly

C:\LD>unpdb.py brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb a.zip <--- The script was run and a.zip was created the same size as the original brahma-palmos file.

Well, so far so good! :) - thanks to Greywolf. So I will press on with the next step and post back progres (probably when I get stuck on the dd stage).

rgds
Marcus

markmecard

08-23-2007, 11:06 AM

I have been making some progress, albeit I am now stuck!

I have ended up using a mixture of Locc4Me's guide, the hacndev site and the wikia guide to get me this far.

I got the python unpdb script run on the ten brahma-palmos zip files, joined them together and got an incorrect check sum for brahma-palmos.zip. So, looking at the hackndev instructions, it would appear that when the join happens you need to skip the first 32 bytes, since it contains a 'HACKSPLIT' header. So I loaded cygwin and ran the hacndev line ls brahma-palmos.zip.?.pdb | sort | xargs -ti python unpdb.py {} - | dd skip=1 bs=32 > brahma-palmos.zip, however this still gave an incorrect checksum when I ran md5sum brahma-palmos.zip, and I could not open the zip file as it reported it as incomplete or corrupted. I then looked at the hacanddev notes and decided to run the 'dd' element of the unpdb line only on the 1st palmos zip file and not the subsequent files as follows

$ ls brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb| xargs -ti python unpdb.py {} - | dd skip=1 bs=32 > a.zip

I then ran the following for the remaining files, where ? is letter b to J.

$ python unpdb.py brahma-palmos.zip.?.pdb ?.zip

I then used simple file joiner to join a.zip thro j.zip into brahma-palmos.zip and checked the validity of the files as follows

$ du -b brahma-palmos.zip
20479778 brahma-palmos.zip
$ md5sum brahma-palmos.zip
242847c981475636f7b74c7ba9a40379 brahma-palmos.zip

I got the same file size and checksum for my brahma-palmos file as hackndev - :)

I openned brahma-palmos.zip with zip and it contains 1203 files, 36,728KB. It has a windows (properties) size of 20,479,778 bytes as required by makecafe.py

so far so good I think. :) :)

I am not trying to remove any apps yet, just want to get one of my life drives going again, so I used the hacndev instruction in cgywin to create the partition table as follows

$ echo 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQEABlgPCD8AAACACwIAAFgQCAAoHAu/CwIAgLAAAAAoHQsLz13xP7wCAIBLdwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVao=' | python -c 'import base64,sys;sys.stdout.write("\0"*432+base64.b64decode(sys.stdin.read()))' > table.sct

Next I followed the hacndev text to stick an 'acecafe0' header on the zip file and checked the result.

$ python makecafe.py -c brahma-palmos.zip > rom-partition
$ md5sum rom-partition
b3183c172d7df058627a7cf215c39def rom-partition

Unfortunately, this is incorrect. The hacndev site shows the md5sum result should be 639952c7a50e8d12d1d9351f3cbe9aa6.

I checked the DEF_LENGTH in makecafe.py and it matches that of my brahma-palmos.zip file, namely 20479778. I re-ran makecafe in the Python
dos window with the same error.

I pressed on an used 'dd for windows' to write the partition table and then the the rom-partition to my Scan Disc II flash card. The table seemed OK, BUT for the rom-partition 'dd' reported

40141+1 records in
40141+1 records out

insted of
40001+1 records in
40001+1 records out

as shown on the hacndev site.

I tried the flash in the lifedrive and only got the reset screen, but it will not reformat the remainder of the drive and sits on the PalmOne screen, suggesting it cant see the disc (fault on the mobo?) or it cant understand the disc as there is something wrong with 'rom-partition'.

So now I am stuck and unsure where to go next.

I think I am OK up to the point where I created brahma-palmos.zip, but if someone could confirm that the zip file should contain 1203 files, 36,728KB I would be grateful.

I would also be grateful if someone could point me at a way of emailing the guy who wrote the hacndev guide.

Finally, has anybody got any idea's?

rgds
marcus

exiqing

08-24-2007, 03:32 AM

When I write ROM to CF card, cygwin always tell me this message:
dd: writing 'dev/sdd' no space left on device

HELP!!!!

markmecard

09-17-2007, 10:26 AM

I have a working LifeDrive again :)

It is difficult to put my finger on exactly what I did to get past the md5sum error I was having, as I have tried so many different things including, buying a new 500 gig disc, rebuilding my system and freeing a 120gb disc to load Linux on - without success, which is why I went back and sorta started again.

I think the reason it worked this time was using python inside cygwin rather than standalone. I suspect that it is something to do with how linux treats line terminators (newline in windows/DOS, line feed in Linux – which is a default selection when installing cygwin) so running the uppdb.py script from the cygwin $ prompt created the rom-partition file with the correct md5sum checksum.

I re-loaded cygwin, downloading the setup file to its own directory this time on the root drive (C:\cygsetup), and using it to overwrite my c:\cygwin directory.

Then, having run the setup file once to install the cygwin, I ran it again, this time selecting to install the optional 'devel' tree items, as well as 'python' and 'git'.

I managed to create an UNMODIFIED image with the correct md5sum checksum. So I opened a DOS window and used rawwrite for windows to dd the partition table and rom image to my SCANII card, installed it in the Lifedrive, procured a really strong Brownian motion inducer (cup of tea), plugged in the charger and watched it power-up reset, format the rest of the card and allow me to sync with my PC in a matter of minutes (followed by an embarrassing 2 minutes of dancing round the study with pure joy!)

The life drive has been working extremely well for the last 5 days and is SO MUCH FASTER, and now that the new battery is fully charged, it has a noticeably longer period between charges!

The only problem I have had is in trying to get SMS to work over bluetooth, but I don’t at this point think it is a hardware issue, but rather an incompatible software issue which I'm still working on.

Hope this helps any one else out there. I will keep an eye on this board for a couple of weeks if anyone has any questions.

rgds
Mark

sokolofskid

10-27-2007, 11:22 AM

Arg! ...ok I kow it's on this thread everywhere...but I still don't understand. "Now open up python. Navigate to the directory containing these zip files. Run the script unpdb.py for each file. ie. "unpdb brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb a.zip". First where is a link to get unpdb.py. Second how do I save it to my harddrive. Third how do I open it with Python. Fourth after I do open it with python how do I get it to extract brahma-palmos.zip files a-j? Fifth...is there anything else to do if I did it wrong. Basiclly start from scrath on how you downloaded unpdb.py what you did with it and stuff. Give me step by step instructions on how to get this part working...then I should be ok. Thank you.

hghg

11-07-2007, 07:02 AM

Hi, I´m having problems finding unpdb.py and makecafe.py, can somebody post a link or maybe send me them by e-mail, hghg@intelnet.net.gt, Thanx in adance.

potter

11-07-2007, 09:26 AM

Hi, I´m having problems finding unpdb.py and makecafe.py, can somebody post a link or maybe send me them by e-mail, hghg@intelnet.net.gt, Thanx in adance.Try:

https://hackndev.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/hackndev/linux4palm/tools/unpdb.py
https://hackndev.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/hackndev/linux4palm/tools/makecafe.py
Note: These are direct links, you will need to right-click and select 'Save Link As...' (Firefox) or 'Save Target As...' (IE), otherwise you will get page where you are looking at the Python code.

hghg

11-10-2007, 08:01 PM

aloney

11-18-2007, 12:32 AM

Help please
I am building a CF card for my LifeDrive because the MD crashed.
I have successfully created the rom-partition file with the correct size and md5 checksum. I have also created the partition table table.sct (I have not seen a checksum so i can't confirm this file to be correct).

I run dd if=table.sct of=/dev/sdb1 bs=512 conv=notrunc to write table.sct to my CF card (SanDisk Ultra II 4GB). Results:
1+0 records in
1+0 records out
512 bytes

I then run dd if=rom-partition of=/dev/sdb1 bs=512 seek=134079 conv=notrunc
My result is not the same as what I have seen on this and other forums. I get:
40001+1 records in
40001+0 records out (I think it should be 40001+1)
20480512 bytes (I think it should be 20480802)

The LD will not boot. It sits at the Palm screen. I have tried soft reset and hard reset.
I am using Cygwin. I've also tried RawWrite dd with no better results

Any suggestions on how to successfully write the rom would be greatly appreciated.

vinzer

12-08-2007, 12:54 AM

Hi, I´m having problems finding unpdb.py and makecafe.py, can somebody post a link
The links above did not work.

potter

12-10-2007, 11:34 AM

Hi, I´m having problems finding unpdb.py and makecafe.py, can somebody post a link
The links above did not work. unpdb.py: See Post #718 (http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111497&page=48#post1006170)
makecafe.py: See Post #739 (http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111497&page=50#post1020514)

speed_netbr

01-23-2008, 10:27 PM

Abnormal

01-24-2008, 01:13 AM

rbsfou

01-25-2008, 06:30 AM

Hi, thanx for the quick answer Potter, Now I´m Stuck in hdparm, I´m running hdparm under Cygwin but I get a "Command not found" message, also I have no Idea about what letters I have to use in /dev/XdX instead of X, I'm using a USB CF reader that windows recognizes as Drive E, any Ideas? Thanx again.

hdparm is a linux only command used for setting transfer modes on IDE interfaces - you would not need it in your case because you do not have your CF connected via IDE and are not using Linux.

cygwin 'fakes' unix device files to map to raw block devices in windows, see
this link (http://uranus.it.swin.edu.au/~jn/linux/rawwrite/dd-old.htm) (basically use dd --list) - once you have determined the correct device you can use this as the parameter to dd.

rbsfou

01-25-2008, 06:35 AM

I run dd if=table.sct of=/dev/sdb1 bs=512 conv=notrunc to write table.sct to my CF card (SanDisk Ultra II 4GB). Results:
1+0 records in
1+0 records out
512 bytes

You are trying to write to partition 1 of device sdb. Try just /dev/sdb.

I then run dd if=rom-partition of=/dev/sdb1 bs=512 seek=134079 conv=notrunc
My result is not the same as what I have seen on this and other forums. I get:
40001+1 records in
40001+0 records out (I think it should be 40001+1)
20480512 bytes (I think it should be 20480802)

conv=notrunc has NEVER worked for me. Maybe it works for windows users, but i use OSX. I guess you are on linux, i have not tried it there, but "conv=sync" gives me your result (i.e. num records out +1). Also use /dev/sdb again.

speed_netbr

02-12-2008, 11:14 PM

Double check the model number on your compact flash card with those listed here http://howto.wikia.com/wiki/Howto_replace_microdrive_with_compactflash_in_LifeDrive

I had a slightly different Sandisk Ultra II model (last 3 digits) and was having the same problems you seem to be having. After making sure to buy a known compatible model it worked first try.

Hello Abnormal

I am using a card DANE-ELEC, after trying with a card of Sony that has not worked, but still with the same problem.

I tried to follow the steps of MARKMECARD, but do not run in the script and my cygwin CHEKSUN not matched that of explanations.

Someone help me?

Booorad

02-14-2008, 09:45 PM

Is there a simpler way to do this if I want to move from micro drive to another microdrive. My first one is fried but I have another one that I would like to use. Can I partition it effectively in a simpler way?

Booorad

02-15-2008, 11:02 AM

Here is my initial post to explain more of the problems I am having. I posted it in the wrong topic.

"Can someone help me? I have run the unpdb.py script on every brahma-palmos.zip.X.pdb (b-j). When I try to run it on brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb, I am told that no such file exists in the directory. I can see it in the directory so why is it telling me that it doesn't exist? I have successfully created b.zip through j.zip. I need help on "a" before I can continue."

I need to either figure out how to get around this problem or find a simpler way of partitioning a new Microdrive. I am, however, assuming that the process of installing the palmOS on a new microdrive is the same as doing it on a CF card.

VectorX

03-09-2008, 06:02 PM

I am having a problem of a different sort. I managed to get the unpdb.py script to work and it changed the pdb files to a.zip...etc. Anyway, after I joined them using the file joiner, winzip, winrar, poweriso, and 7zip couldn't open them. It gave me an error that the file was either corrupt or of an unopenable type. What to do from here?

VectorX

03-09-2008, 06:17 PM

Nevermind. I figured it out. Ok, let me clarify something for everyone (n00bs, like me). Here's the way I did it, and it makes sense to me. First, install python to your C:\. So it ends up with a path like this C:\python25. Then, put the unpdb.py into the python25 folder along with the brahma-palmos stuff. THEN, go into your Run bar and type cmd. It'll open a Dos prompt. Type cd\. Then, type cd\python25. That will put you IN the python folder. THEN, you can procede to type (without the quotes) "unpdb.py brahma-palmos.zip.a.pdb a.zip" and do that (while changing the corresponding letters) for each file. WHEN IN FILE JOINER, make sure the list is in alphabetical order OR ELSE IT WILL NOT EXTRACT.

JNCMD90

03-17-2008, 09:48 PM

I TRIED THE LINK https://svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/hackndev/linux4palm/tools/makecafe.py
BUT IT FAILED. MAYBE IT IS AN OLD LINK. DO YOU HAVE AN UPDATE?

JIM :confused:

IM TRYING TO RESTORE MY BOOT PARTITION, I THINK THE RESET IS STUCK TRYING TO READ IT OR MY DRIVE MAY BE BAD.

potter

03-21-2008, 09:46 AM

unpdb.py: See Post #718 (http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111497&page=48#post1006170)
makecafe.py: See Post #739 (http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111497&page=50#post1020514)

kernelcrusher

04-11-2008, 01:12 AM

I just want to know if this system works for non compatible cfs; Will this ROM mod make CFs in the non-compatible list boot upon cold/warm boot or device reset?

Thank you.

dmitrygr

04-11-2008, 03:59 AM

nop, only powerdrive will do that

Thireus

04-12-2008, 02:25 PM

Hopefully soon mrp123 will post a list of what is safe to remove and what is not b/c he has had some trial and error with removing items and is more familiar with that.

Can someone tell me where this list is?

Electro68

04-12-2008, 02:40 PM

Can someone tell me where this list is?

See post #12 Here http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119585&page=6&pp=15

:)

Thireus

04-12-2008, 03:55 PM

See post #12 Here http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119585&page=6&pp=15

:)

Hahaha, thanks a lot :) My eyes need glasses ^^

Thireus

04-13-2008, 07:29 PM

Hi there!

I did some changes on my ROM by deleting some apps. But I have a problem: I'm French and thus I wanted to delete any other languages, but it seams that I have to keep enUS files, because if I don't do that when I erase my RAM (Hard/Soft reset) my palm do a reset loop :s.

Can someone tell me what are the enUS files that I must keep to fix this prob?

(Actually I let all frFR and enUS and everything works perfectly)

Electro68

04-13-2008, 07:49 PM

JavaJiveJump

05-10-2008, 09:26 PM

I just want to read the files from my old MD that came out of my LifeDrive. I have a USB to CF connection and using Windows XP.

Any ideas there?

TIA

cgo372

05-21-2008, 01:21 AM

Hi!
To Dmitry, any chance to see Nurom for Lifeflash soon?

palmmann

05-21-2008, 07:10 PM

Hi!
To Dmitry, any chance to see Nurom for Lifeflash soon?
from what he's said he has it done, but hasn't decided on a encryption/distribution method yet so it hasn't been released. also, he's on vacation (or was, idk) so no work is being done right now.

cgo372

05-22-2008, 01:29 AM

Thanks for the info

hghg

05-26-2008, 11:55 PM

hghg

05-29-2008, 09:54 PM

Hi everybody, thanx for all your help, Now I can't create or find de Table.sct file, I think it is the last thing I need to revive my LD. I am running the Echo.... from the command promt(hope it is the correct way). But I get an error that says 'import error..etc..., can somebody point me in ther right way. Thanx again for your help.

Well, after beeing looking for a way to create table.sct I found a post in other forum that direct me to a site that has a .zip with the rom-partition and the table.sct, so now Im trying to dd them to my MD but I get:

40001+1 records in
40002+o records out
using cygwin.

if I use dd for windows i get an error that says sonthing like thers no more space in the device or sonthing like that, the thing is that dd detects that the derive is full.

If I plug the MD in the LD nothing happends, not even the palm logo.

I have read a post from markmecard who had the same problem or something like that, but he succeed using Rawwrite for windows, but it works as long as I now just for floppy drives, somebody has an idea about how to dd from the command promt with rawwrite? Thanx again for your help.

vbph2k

06-24-2008, 07:04 PM

mrp123

06-25-2008, 02:39 PM

Well done mrp123 Can you please post the image of your modified lifedrive ROM so we can try it using WinImage to our lifedrive.
Thanks for the compliment. I'm so sorry but I can't help with you with that for a number of reasons.

You can read this thread and search the forum for help and tips contributed by many people to craft your own ROM. The processes I followed were listed in the forum already. It's been a while, so I don't remember the places to point you. Take advantage of searching.

Or if you're uncomfortable, try waiting for Dimitry (palmpowerups.com) to release his nuROm app. It's supposed to allow easy editing of your LD ROM, for a cost. I don't know anything more about it because I personally don't need it. I just know of it.

That's all I can say off the top of my head. I spend little time tinkering with my LD now so I only occasionally visit this forum (that's another discussion..). Others probably can help you more than me at this point. Good luck.

rbsfou

06-27-2008, 06:03 PM

I'm still amazed about how many people seem to be attempting to do raw block device access under windows and then come crying to this forum when they have got the device wrong and nuked their machines primary disk. FFS!

Is it REALLY that hard to boot a linux live cd and follow the many guides that exist for creating the MBR and copying the LD rom to the CF card???? Are people really such die-hard windows fans / linux technophobes???

I would like to see this thread dead and buried and some more meaningful threads on how to actually edit the rom, what works what does not, tips and tricks etc (such as the threads i was posting to a few months ago, but which seem to have become buried).

The author of this thread seemed to have this intention, but it's just turned into a support thread :( :(

echenlon

09-08-2008, 11:48 AM

ok, I've done everithing, I have the table, the correct C/H/S an original not modified ROM (runing kubuntu live CD) bun when I use

$ dd if=rom-partition of=/dev/XdX seek=134079 bs=512

40001+1 records in
40001+1 records out

I obtain 40001+0 records out, I can't make it work, ofcourse, the lifedrive doesn't boot.

what can I do now?

////EDIT////
I tried $ dd if=rom-partition of=/dev/XdX seek=134079 bs=512 conv=nocturnc
and $ dd if=rom-partition of=/dev/XdX seek=134079 bs=512 conv=sync

both give diferents results but diferent from the needed result, aka= thon't work

dmitrygr

09-10-2008, 06:10 PM

you need to install md5sum and python....or use linux

JavaJiveJump

09-24-2008, 03:36 PM

or wait for Dmitry's "NuRom" for LifeDrive. ;)

eaguiler

12-29-2008, 12:31 PM

I had made the change in two steps having the image file. With Cygwin you only need to copy the image to the CF and its OK in 3 hours. I will generate my image archive for personal research but if anyone needs the archive please tell me. Salutes

vibo

12-29-2008, 03:06 PM

I finished removing the apps I didn't want, and i saw a file named ``Boot.conf`` Anyone of you edited this file :confused:

Since it contains the booting information !?
Well, it is already confirmed that editing boot.conf is possible, but with one precaution:
the file must end with empty line. The rest is more or less obvious: you can either rename your new apps to match the names of deleted stuff; or you can simply add new lines e.g. romDB=whinehack.prc
db=PalmFiction.prc
etc.

vibo

03-12-2009, 08:39 PM

After I modded the ROM some months ago with the minimal system setup (i.e only essential files) according to the post #10 (http://www.1src.com/forums/showpost.php?p=958297&postcount=10) of this thread, got some weird OS behavior - every second button press caused Hotsync to launch, even when I disabled any buttons assignments to Hotsync. 2) TomTom 6 doesn't start anymore, but it was absolutely fine with unmodded ROM. Anyone has an idea which files in the ROM are essential for TomTom 6? And what is causing Hotsync to start when I press for example power button? Very annoying and seems that I need to revert to the original ROM :(

Update: It seems I got what causes Hotsync to pop up every time I press powerbutton. Under Prefs->Buttons->More there are assignments to cradle and modem buttons, which you can use with any application BTW. When I re-assigned them to Files, the same popups happen now to Files. The bad thing is when it's up, it never goes to sleep mode and battery drains very fast. A temporary workaround is to assign these buttons to a dummy app, but I still don't know why this sh*t happens.

bizzybody

06-26-2009, 01:31 AM

I would like to see this thread dead and buried and some more meaningful threads on how to actually edit the rom, what works what does not, tips and tricks etc (such as the threads i was posting to a few months ago, but which seem to have become buried).

The author of this thread seemed to have this intention, but it's just turned into a support thread :( :(

How about DIY hacking to use larger than 4GB CF cards? PowerDrive's great for those who want to buy a solution, but real hackers (and folks with no spare change) "roll their own". ;)

Just because one guy figured it out and has made an app to do it for $ is no reason for nobody else to bother to try.

If you need a CF to IDE adapter, check out DealExtreme. $2.38 - free shipping, but it comes on a slow boat from China. (Hong Kong actually, but since the Brits gave it back...)

I'm actually pretty happy with the stock microdrive, but increasing the "RAM" size a bit would be nice. Despite putting on all my most favorite MP3's, I still have nearly 3gigs free. Aside from how long it takes to soft reset, the only big drawback I've run into is it can't play videos from the drive without stuttering, even when they're resized so TCPMP doesn't have to. (So I just put them on a 2Gig SD, no problem!)

bizzybody

12-05-2009, 03:30 AM

Last night my LifeDrive became a DeadDrive. It was working fine, then I popped in my SD card with e-books and the thing went *scritch-scritch-scritch* the telltale sign of a hard drive that's gone bad. :( I poked the reset button and it came up to the Palm boot screen and hung there.

Couldn't turn it off so I just left it to run down overnight.

I just got finished creating two ROM images from the Update 2.0 download. One has everything as stock, the other I removed all the non-English files, all the T-Mobile and Addit crap and also took out all the example MP3, jpeg and document files plus deleted the LifeDrive advertising video. It's chunked into several pieces, use the same file joiner you use on the big zip file if you want to watch it.

I deleted all the lines in boot.conf that matched the files I deleted, and made sure to leave an empty line at its end. Trimmed it down to 9070 K, after running the makecafe.py script on it.

What's an odd coincidence is Staples e-mailed me a 15% off coupon yesterday, good on anything except computers, Apple and Bose products, copy and print services, etc.
%15 off a 4 gig Sandisk CF will help a bunch in resurrecting my LifeDrive^H^H^H^H^HFlash

What I'm not clear on is if I need to partition the CF or does that happen automatically when it's first booted, assuming it likes the ROM and will boot?

Do I need md5sum or just DD? I'm doing this on XP Pro SP3. Do I need cygwin? Great fecking huge download for cygwin for such a small project.

bizzybody

12-18-2009, 04:58 AM

I got a 4gig Sandisk Ultra II from Staples. Found a table.sct file to download from someone who has put a CF in their LifeDrive.

dd for Windows isn't liking some of the commands I've seen in various Linux instructions for writing the table.sct

dd if=table.sct of=\\?\Device\Harddisk3\DP(1)0-0+9 conv=notrunc

It doesn't understand conv=notrunc What's the dd for Windows version of that?

This command wrote the image to the card, but doesn't boot.

dd of=\\?\Device\Harddisk3\DP(1)0-0+9 if=rom_partition --progress --size

The Linux version has seek=134079 bs=512 conv=notrunc on the end.

I've yet to see an exact, step by step, with what software is required for altering the C/H/S of a card in WINDOWS.

What'd be really nice is a complete how to for doing this in Windows. Don't mention Linux or PowerDrive or hare off onto anything else besides exactly what's needed. Don't leave out *anything*, make no assumptions that the person reading it already knows anything. Write it for The Compleat Novice, who does not want to download a several hundred megabyte live linux CD image just to get a piddling few megabytes of data onto a Compact Flash card.

vonfefer

06-26-2010, 12:34 PM

Since it is possible to edit the LifeDrive ROM has anyone managed to use the Tungsten TX (after the Enterprise update) wifi files to make the lifedrive access WPA2 wifi encripted networks?

Thanks in advance

debilbao

08-08-2010, 12:48 PM

Hi
After customize, i've zipped files again. Next step is a little fuzzy, what i need to create new image and restore it?

I'm using original drive, not a CF

Thanks