First written: 07 Mar 2006
Latest update: 07 Mar 2006
Note: You can also download this document in Word format.
I-mate recently released new ROM images containing AKU2 (aka Windows Mobile 5.0 with the Messaging and Security Feature Pack) for their K-JAM Pocket PC. Because the K-JAM is a re-branded HTC Wizard device, these ROM images can also be used on other HTC Wizard devices, such as the Qtek 9100.
I own a stock Qtek 9100 with the September 2005 ROM images and have experienced slow communications, occasional device instability, and other unpleasant symptoms. Out of the box, my device details were:
ROM version: 1.1.7.5
ROM date: 9/22/05
Radio version: 01.01.10
Protocol version: 4.0.13.16
Extended ROM version: 1.1.7.105
I’ve been considering upgrading to the updated November images I’ve seen on the various forums. Because I couldn’t confirm that those images were officially released images, I’ve been holding off and hoping that an official set of images with the MSFP would be released.
Now that the I-mate images are available, I’ve finally made the upgrade plunge. By choosing to use the I-mate images I run the risk of having future support issues in the event of failure or problems; I’m certain I’d have to revert to a standard Qtek ROM image before getting any official support from my reseller. However, the potential feature and stability benefits are worth it to me. Here’s what I did to upgrade and how the process worked for me. I won’t talk much about how it improved my device in this document; if you’re interested in that kind of information, I’ll blog about it from time to time on either of my blogs:
My professional blog (e)Mail Insecurity (courtesy of my employer 3Sharp LLC).
My personal blog Devin on Earth.
When following these steps, I ran programs on both my mobile device and the laptop that has the associated ActiveSync partnership. For clarity sake, I will use the terms device to refer to the mobile device and host to refer to the computer that is partnered to the device via ActiveSync.
I used a USB connection between my device and host. To the best of my knowledge, use of the USB connection to update is mandatory, as the radio firmware is updated as part of the process (and would therefore clobber the link and leave the device non-functional).
Note: I provide this document only for informational purposes to help other Qtek 9100 owners know what the process involves to aid them in deciding when they wish to upgrade their own devices, not to provide instruction on how to do it. If you decide to use this document as guidance for upgrading your own device, you acknowledge and certify that neither I nor my employer support this process, nor are we in any way responsible or liable for any mistakes, data loss, device damage, warranty voiding, or other consequences of you performing this action. No nasty e-mail, no flames, and no lawyers! You should never perform any upgrade without first checking with your vendor’s support representatives to get their advice and directions.
Without further legalese or ado, here’s how I spent my summer vacation:
1. First, I made sure that I’d downloaded all the necessary tools and images:
· I started ActiveSync 4.1 or later from Microsoft. My device came with ActiveSync 4.0 on CD, but the updated image requires the use of 4.1 after the upgrade. It turns out that I’d already upgraded to it for other (non-mobile) reasons – but if I hadn’t, I’d have downloaded and installed this update first before doing anything else.
· Next, I got the AKU2 ROM images. This ZIP archive unpacks to a single executable installer that will completely wipe the device and use the existing ActiveSync connection to upgrade it to the latest ROM, radio, protocol, and Extended ROM.
· Finally, I got the lokiwiz tool. The latest version at the time of writing was 0.2b; If I did this at a later date I’d want to get the latest version. This tool allows users to manipulate various locks on the device, including the all-important CID lock that prevents loading I-mate branded ROMS on a non-I-mate Wizard variant.
Note: I’ve heard that some Wizard-based devices are locked by the carrier. If I had one of those devices, I would probably have needed to track down additional ROMS and the tools to load them after performing the procedure below. That’s part of the reason I’m so happy with my Qtek – it’s not locked in to a single carrier. Sure, I have to do some manual configuration to get the GPRS services running with my carrier, but I’ll take that any day in exchange for the freedom to switch carriers when needed.
2. Since the update process completely wipes the device, I backed up my data. I didn’t worry about any fancy utilities; I simply copied files to my host and made sure I’d done a full synchronization pass. I didn’t have to worry about contact, email, or calendar info, since I have my device configured to pull down everything from my Exchange server anyway. If I did have other data or had wanted to save some of my settings instead of restore them manually, I might have used one or more of the following options:
· Copying files and settings to removable storage.
· Manually copying other information to the host via ActiveSync, wireless, etc.
· Use some other methods for backing up system settings. I’m told that some backups made by other utilities may not be recoverable under new ROMs because file formats and locations may have changed. This is a special concern when switching from one vendor’s ROM images to another like I did.
3. I used lokiwiz to unlock the device CID:
A. On my host, I extracted the lokiwiz ZIP archive to my desired folder. I used My Documents\HTC Updates but the actual choice of folder doesn’t matter.
B. I copied the EnableRapi.cab to the device.
C. On the device, I executed the EnableRapi.cab file. The device warned that it is unsigned, which I was expecting. I let it run and clicked OK when it finished. This enabled the use of the Windows Remote API (RAPI) protocol between the host and the device, which allows host-based applications to perform management updates.
D. I ensured that the device and host had a current ActiveSync connection.
E. On my host, I opened a command line prompt (cmd.exe) and executed the lokiwiz.bat batch file with no parameters.
F. I selected the C. CID Unlock (SuperCID) option by typing c and pressing Enter.
G. The batch file extracted and copied over files to my device. When it was done, the device rebooted. I waited for it to re-establish the ActiveSync connection and finish the synchronization pass.
4. On my host, I extracted the ROM image ZIP archive to my desired folder. It created a single executable file named K-JAM_WWE_216901_2169101_020710_ship.exe.
5. I again ensured that the device and host had a current ActiveSync connection. I then executed the K-JAM_WWE_216901_2169101_020710_ship.exe file on the host and clicked Next to start the installer.
6. The installer unpacked files for a few seconds then disappeared from the host screen. After a few seconds, the PDA Phone ROM Update Utility launched and displayed a warning screen.
7. I enabled the I understand… checkbox to acknowledge the warning that all of my information would be deleted from the device then clicked Next.
8. I showed that I was able to follow the displayed instructions by:
· Disabling standby and hibernation on the host.
· Charging the device battery to at least 50% (fully charged is best).
· Ensuring that the device and host had a current ActiveSync connection.
9. I enabled the I completed the steps indicated above checkbox and clicked Next. I was careful to follow the directions to not launch any other programs while the update process was running. In the future, I’d shut down a few applications that were previously running, just to be on the safe side.
10. The utility interrogated my device then displayed the current ROM image version. I clicked Update to tell the utility I wished to upgrade that version, Next on the following screen to verify that I did in fact really mean it, and Next one more time to actually begin the update.
11. The connection between my host and device was broken and re-established as the ActiveSync screen disappeared from the desktop. After a few moments of a funky multi-colored boot screen on the device, I saw a progress bar on both the host and device. The upgrade took approximately 10 minutes; I did not remove the USB connection or launch any program during this time.
12. When the update completed, my device rebooted. I clicked Finish to remove the update utility. My Qtek originally displayed an HTC splash screen during boot; after the upgrade it now shows an I-mate screen.
13. I now needed to setup the device. My device stepped me through the familiar Windows Mobile setup routine, but also asked me to select my carrier package. Since none of the packages were for my US-based carrier, I clicked Cancel. The device then installed other software and rebooted. It will be interesting to see if there’s a pre-packaged .cab that does contain the settings for my carrier. In the meantime, I had to manually configure the device to connect to my GPRS service.
14. I also needed to re-establish the ActiveSync partnership between the device and host, including provisioning my Exchange settings.
At the end of this process (which really didn’t take very long at all – perhaps 15 to 20 minutes if I hadn’t been typing it all up as I went), I have a sexy, fast Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC that includes support for the MSFP. Whether or not it will solve my other problems, I don’t yet know. You can bet, however, that I’ll be blogging about it in the next few weeks.
In case you were wondering, here are my device details after the upgrade:
ROM version: 2.16.9.1
ROM date: 2/6/06
Radio version: 02.07.10
Protocol version: 413.1.03
Extended ROM version: 2.16.9.101
That Protocol version “413” isn’t a typo – at least not on my part. My Qtek really does say that.
You can use the contact forms at either of my blogs to send me any questions or comments. Thank you for reading!