I've read, I think, everything in here about Extended ROM.
I know it is possible to unlock it, and I've done it.
I know it is possible to create a custom ROM.
What I wonder is, how useful and/or important is this?
Putting more items into Extended ROM does not increase the available RAM or storage ROM, does it? I thought at first that programs installed from there, stayed in that area, and didn't take up precious storage ROM, but that doesn't seem to be the case. (If it IS, then there really IS a huge value to it, so correct me if I am wrong)
Since the Extended ROM only has a little under 10 MB available, and I've got scads of room on my 2 GB SD card, of what value is it to put my loading programs onto Extended ROM? The only value I have been able to determine is that everything that is in the Extended ROM will automatically reload upon Hard Reset, where if I have it on my SD card I have to manually reinstall after each Hard Reset. Now, auto-loading programs, is in itself a NICE thing, but not a critical thing, yes/no?
Please enlighten me if there are more good things about tweaking the Extended ROM that I have missed.
I look forward to a lively discussion, or to be shot down in flames if I am looking at this with a blind eye.
IMHO you're right that putting CABs into Extended ROM is not that useful. For me, a recent backup is much more useful
But you can install apps into Extended ROM, saving internal storage space this way. Why not a storage card? There are apps that are better not to be installed on a storage cards, like Today plug-ins. Also, there are people who have more than one flash card, and they need software to access card's content installed somewhere off the cards (to play movies or to format cards)... Extended ROM is here.
You may find other reasons, but the key point is: the most useful feature of Extended ROM is to install apps on it.
I keep my ringtones there as well.
As I understand it...
cushcalc said:
Putting more items into Extended ROM does not increase the available RAM or storage ROM, does it? I thought at first that programs installed from there, stayed in that area, and didn't take up precious storage ROM, but that doesn't seem to be the case. (If it IS, then there really IS a huge value to it, so correct me if I am wrong)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. I believe it acts as a repository for applications or tweaks to be installed to 'personalise' a ROM after a hard reset. Good place for things like operator-specific settings...
cushcalc said:
The only value I have been able to determine is that everything that is in the Extended ROM will automatically reload upon Hard Reset, where if I have it on my SD card I have to manually reinstall after each Hard Reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not everything present in the Extended ROM has to install following a hard reset... what is installed, and in what order, is controlled by the config.txt file. You could have other installation CABs in Extended ROM and just install them later, if you like (browse using Total Commander). Bear in mind also that not all applications can be installed automatically following a hard reset; if an installation requires user input, it can't be installed automatically, because I hear this will crash the installation. Also, I don't think you can choose where automatically-installed apps are put: I think they can go on the device only, not on the Storage Card. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!!
cushcalc said:
Now, auto-loading programs, is in itself a NICE thing, but not a critical thing, yes/no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep... I don't think any of it is critical, after all ROMs have been released on xda-developers that are totally clean (empty extended ROM, no customisations). But it is useful especially for tweaks and operator-specific settings, etc.
well i am building my own with just the T-mobile uk setting and 2 other cabs files that ring tones and tomtom (map on card). So these are installd when you do a hard reset, so i dont have to bother installing again! (still working on the reg to enter the strings for it to setup my gps pairing on its own)
But i have not do anything like this before, but sick of having to re do everything everytime i hard reset or do a new rom!
mmm... i believe i also read somewhere, that accessing the internal memory is less energy consuming than accessing external storage cards...
but i am really not sure about that...
Related
I've been running the clean version of Crossbow for some time now. Other than a few minor hiccups (and I mean minor) it is as slick and good looking as hoped.
Now for the fun... I know that the extended ROM does NOT run on Crossbow, though I'm not sure why. I would like to know. The loving wife extended rom unlocker DOES work, but it also causes the creation of a second storage card folder when the TIF and inbox attachments are stored on the storage card, and it renames the actual storage card "storage card 2".
I'm not really sure of the behavior of the extended ROM because I've never paid much attention to it. The questions are as follows:
1) Does the extended ROM write to the OS side of the ROM without affecting the memory available for additional programs?
2) Are the programs able to be removed though the CP applet?
3) Is it possible to write my own extended ROM and flash it to my device without weird or disastrous consequences? (I can always make an ext. ROM with my favorite programs and not use a whole lot of room on my Mini SD card.) I would simply keep a copy of the unlocker on both MiniSD cards.
I know some of these questions may have been asked before, but some have not. I would really like to clean off my MiniSD's to carry a few more songs and tidy things up a bit. Help from the gurus or those already running WM6 is what I'm after. Thanks in advance.
3)
Hey. I'm using the Touch-IT wing 2.3 ROM. I love it, but it doesn't leave much free space on the system hard drive. Is there a way to move some of the extra programs that come with the ROM to be moved to my 2GB MicroSD card? Or tweak the ROM so it installs these applications on the storage card?
Thanks.
The best way is: at first install, when you see your Today Screen, it will install all the programs after 3 seconds, do a softreset before it begins to install them and then install your programs yhourself and then you have the option to choose where you can install them, main memory, storage card...
The preinstall apps are stored in the OS ROM so they cannot be moved or deleted short of making your own ROM. Heralds lack the ability to BigStorage. This means that no matter how much you take out, your storage space will always be the same size. (Or at least that what I've been lead to believe...)
But yea, like he said, stop the ExtROM launch.
With Wizcode PocketMechanic, you can move installations... so this may something close to what you may be trying to do.
I moved all the Tmobile crap and everything else over to storage card and I haven't had any problems yet.
I have just done a ROM upgrade to WM6.1 and plan to reinstall the various apps I hade on the TyTn II (which is only a week or so old). I have searched on Google and looked in the Wiki, FAQs and searched the forums with all manner of search terms but cannot find an answer to what may be a dumb question.
When installing apps is it better to install on device or storage (where the option is offered)? I would have though Storage better to keep memory on device free but wonder if certain progammes and any files they create when being used are better or essential to run on the device because of either pathname issues or speed of access?? Any help appreciated.
I plan to re-install:
Phat Notes
List Pro
SPB Wallet
Co-Pilot
Sprite Back Up
You understand the issues already. I don't use any of those programs so cant comment on them specifically but I install the few bit's of software I do use on my device and only Tomtoms maps, my music and my user created things like docs and photos go on my storage card - thats simply because there isn't enough internal memory to hold all of that and I don't want to run the risk of programs not being available if I take my card out (although that doesn't often happen). I've found that installing Tomtoms voices to internal memory sometimes helps prevent missing words and problems with voice navigation otherwise you could just test out things each way and see which you prefer.
People here have reported they can load many programs at once and the TyTN IIs memory management capabilities keep on top of the situation to prevent running out of internal memory. Unless someone else here has experience installing all those programs both ways, I suspect you'll need to try it and see which you prefer.
Personally as a guide, any program that requires autostart (e.g. all SIPs, SPB GPRS Monitor), I try to install in memory.
Any other program that starts only when I start them, I install into storage card.
IMO, its better to load programs on your memory card so that you don't clutter up your phone memory and consequently slow it down (to be honest, i have never faced this on my TYTN 2, but i guess its a habbit from my Atom days...) I only load today plugins (like Ultimate Launch, RL Today etc..) on the phone 'cause these programs don't work if you load them on the card.
I use Destinator for GPS and this program installs itself on the phone by default, so I copy the destinator folder to the card and overwrite the shortcut for the .exe file in the windows>programs folder to make it work from the card...
So here's my pick
List Pro - Memory Card
SPB Wallet - Memory Card
Co-Pilot - Memory Card
Sprite Back Up - Memory Card
I like my phone clean...
Thanks. After more pondering I think installing all on the device may be better. I can get a full back of them all then using sprite and, as you say, if I take out the SD, or if it dies, I will have no access to data. The programmes are only small and even their files (which i suppose I could create on the storage) are small. I think that create on device, store on device and back up to storage may be better. I will be unlikely to install much else other than Mobile Shell and Phone suite by SPB.
That said I MIGHT go the Card route. No perfect answer I suppose. I'll try the ROM upgrade then a card install first perhaps. If I don't like I can always re-install on the phone. I suppose it's easy enough to back up the card contents and the back up/synch options with the programmes should allow back ups on the main PC (or even My Docs on the phone).
pdaPhone_TM said:
Personally as a guide, any program that requires autostart (e.g. all SIPs, SPB GPRS Monitor), I try to install in memory.
Any other program that starts only when I start them, I install into storage card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second that.
Before the Kaiser I used to put the few programs that were really system-related and/or that I'd still need if the card was out (utilities, explorers, startup items, programs that had today plugins) on the device, and all the rest and big apps on the memory card.
But the Hermes had 40MB free when fresh and empty after a hard reset. Now my Kaiser has about 120MB free when empty, so I just put everything in the internal memory, including MioMap with my country's map, and GPS tuner with maybe 10MB of JPG maps. The only exceptions are 2 very large apps (60MB together) that I anyway barely ever use but just have "in case", those are on the card.
And even after that I still have 35MB free on the device
It use to be a challenge choosing which ones go on main memory or SD card. Some were a no brainer, like Memmaid or Resco Explorer. The very nature of their operation dictated they are on main memory. As another stated, if it was a start up program it had to be on main memory. Sometimes it was a trial and error to find out.
With the Kaiser and its massive memory increase, now my rule is, everything goes to main memory and only games go to the SD card. I still have over 40mb left, and that’s more than my last phone had to start with!
Having pondered even more!!!! Think I may go the device route for the small apps AND keep their files on the device (using the SD card for back ups along with the PC). I may do a split install for the Co Pilot sat nav. Seems more sensible to have the APP installed on the device but have its maps installed on an SD. Figure the maps will eat up a horde of memory on the device. I'll likely also use the SD for photos and music.
Having done it all the other way round I'm now ever pondering:
Clear Storage (hard reset)
Re-flash ROM for clean system
Hard Reset again (which seems to be good practice)
Install all in the right places!!!
All this MAY be a bit drastic and I wonder (seeing as everything is currently working!!) whether simply an uninstall/re-install of the apps might be good enough or even a hard reset followed by re-install.
Hard reset already clears your system, no need to reflash. Do a hard reset and reinstall your stuff, that's it.
Thanks. I ay do just that. Only thing I didn't do (I think) is hard reset after I installed the ROM so I'm wondering whether to bite the bullet and completely do the whole lot again in case in not hard re-setting after flashing I've stored up some future problems.
Also, on the sat nav front, any thoughts on this? I was wondering whether to put both the programme (Co Pilot) and the maps on storage or put the programme on the TyTn and just maps on storage??
i've installed nearly everything to the storage card. it might be a bit slower but i have had no trouble with anything... so far.
goodpill said:
i've installed nearly everything to the storage card. it might be a bit slower but i have had no trouble with anything... so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to ask... what is the reason for installing everything to the SD card?
GWelker62 said:
I have to ask... what is the reason for installing everything to the SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i like to keep maximum memory free. usually only run a program or two at a time but i have some rather large data files in email etc.
just a personal preference from many years of pda's
Hi. i've upgrade to wm6.5 but i don't know where to put the extrom files.. can anyone help? thanks in advance
first make sure that, when you go to settings -> system -> memory the top left number "storage: total" says 60MB.
if that is the case, the only thing you need to do is after the first hard reset after flashing you insert an sd card, containing a folder called EXTROM\ and then it will install automatically.
that is how to do it, now for the why:
the reason, why you should check out your storage size is, because some people do not follow the wiki while upgrading and then forget the storage resize, which is a process to unlock and resize the original shipped extrom space, which is protected in case of hard resets and "customizes" your phone in wm2003se, by for example installing a t-mobile bootscreen, a dial pad, a wallpaper and theme and some programs. it is about 16 MB of size. this extrom is useless in wm6.5 because the rom comes with its own extrom, with better programs in it, like the new office, and internet explorer. but to allow the phone to access the new extrom, parked on sd card, you need to get rid of the old one, plus it gives you 16MB more storage space.
if you have not done it yet, please re-post and i will guide you through that. and as mentioned before, to install the extrom, just put an sd card, containing the folder EXTROM\ in your device after flashing, so that it is available after the hard reset and for the first boot, a tiny window will show up saying "Customization will start in 3...2...1" and in the end it soft resets.
all it basicly does is written down in the cfg.txt in that folder, meaning you can also customize it by maybe taking out cabs and putting in your own, and changing the cfg.txt to match that.
i hope all potential follow-up questions are also answered, except for how to resize your storage exactly. but we'll see, if that is necessary at all. so please re-post you storage size and whether it all worked out the way i said.
greetz
Chef_Tony
Thanks for your reply.. it helped... now i'm have some isues with the sound is too low.. do you kinow hot to fix it? thanks in advance
this might be redundant, but have you tried just setting it louder, after a hard reset, the default volume is not set to maximum, you have to set it higher yourself, that is for the ringer volume, the system volume and the in-call volume.
hi.. i did put all to the max... with de volume key.. still is low
Awhile back (4 months)I installed a weather program from here to add my town to the weather page on my touch pro. Ever since I did this it crashes touch flow. I have been searching for a fix ever since and nothing has fixed it.. I have searched the forums here and tried several solutions to no avail.
I am at the point that I guess I'm ready to reset the phone and start over. I have quite a few programs installed on a storage card and want to know if they will work after a total reset or do I need to find the app installs for all these programs while I can still see what I have installed on here?
the links to launch the apps will no longer be there. its always a good idea to save the "source" cabs in a directory on the storage card. if you need help, i have a massive collection of apps in cab format, just gimme a shout.
Indeed, programs often require registry edits, and occasionally require the registration of libraries, file types, and other issues that make SD card installation an unfriendly alternative.
Better to do as drdrewdown mentioned, and make yourself a repository. I put mine on 4shared (see my sig, lower right), just to make sure I have what I want/need from anywhere. Even SD cards break down, sometimes.