[Windows Phone 7 Development and Hacking] experience7:
@ Mods: I read the tutorials here on how to unlock Windows Phone 7 but most of the time I felt like there's missing some information. I know that there are already a lot of tutorials and guides but I thought it would be good to collect it a bit. If this thread is inappropriate feel free to remove it :o

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Unlock your phone

[Developer unlock; ChevronWP7; Application Deployment]​

1. Check the OS version of your phone

First step is to check which OS version your phone is running as ChevronWP7 doesn't work with NoDo (or higher) update installed on your phone. Just take a look at the following page on your phone: settings > about > more information.

7.0.7004 = compatible with ChevronWP7 | No updates installed; OS version when Windows Phone 7 was launched

7.0.7008 = compatible with ChevronWP7 | Pre-NoDo update installed

7.0.7390 = not compatible with ChevronWP7 | NoDo update installed

7.0.7392 = not compatible with ChevronWP7 | NoDo update installed; certificate update for security improvement installed

7.0.7401 = not compatible with ChevronWP7 | Pre-Mango update

(BETA! NOT OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE YET!)

installed

7.0.7661 = not compatible with ChevronWP7 | Mango update

(BETA v1! NOT OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE YET!)

installed

7.10.7712 = not compatible with ChevronWP7 | Mango update

(BETA v2! NOT OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE YET!)

installed

7.10.7720 = not compatible with ChevronWP7 | Mango update

(FINAL - FOR DEVELOPERS ONLY! NOT OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE YET!)

installed

If your phone is running an imcompatible version you've to flash a ROM which hasn't got NoDo installed. Take a look at

xda-developers | Forums

and scroll down to your device. Enter the development section and search for a flash guide and a machting ROM file. I can't explain the process more exactly as it depends on your phone model.

2. Install Zune software

If you don't already have the Zune software on your computer, follow this link and install it:

zune.net

3. Add registry entry

Now you have to add a entry to your Windows registry. ChevronWP7 will need this entry to connect to your phone. There are several methods - use only one!

Method 1:

Install

Windows Phone Developer Tools RTW

. The entry will automatically be added.

The setup is enourmously big but later you'll need it anyway! So I really advise you to choose this method!

Method 2:

Download this .reg-file to your hard drive and execute it. Click "Yes" in the first popup and "OK" in the second one - the entry is now added.

Method 3:

Add the entry manual: Open up the registry editor (Command: regedit.exe | Default path: "C:\Windows\regedit.exe"). Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsPhone\ProxyPorts. If the folder/key doesn't exist yet, create it. Search for the entry DeviceReg. Create it if it doesn't exist: It's a 32-bit DWORD called "DeviceReg" with this data in it:

Hexadecimal: 69c5

Decimal: 27077

4. Check "hosts" file for "developerservices.windowsphone.com" entries

Now it's best to also edit the "hosts" file. Here's what you've to do:

Open up "Notepad" (Start - All Programs - Accessories - Notepad) - It's best to right click it and press "Run as administrator" in the menu. Else it could happen that you don't have the permission to edit the file. Then click on File > Open. Now copy this line:

%windir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

and paste it in the line file name. Then just hit the enter key.

Now search for lines which contain developerservices.windowsphone.com. If you find such lines just remove them entirely. Finally press File > Save.

5. Install certificate on phone

Next step is to install the certificate from ChevronWP7 on your phone. The easiest way is to open up the browser on your device and type this URL into the adress bar:

db.tt/fFwKQIy

Consider the use of capitals and small initials letter!

(You don't have to install this on your computer)

After you opened the page you can see a big shield. Under the symbol there's a message saying "Press to open the file ChevronWP7.cer". Follow this instruction and confirm with install and ok.

6. Download and run ChevronWP7

To get the unlock tool follow this link and save the

ChevronWP7.exe

file somewhere on your hard disk. Now do the following steps:

- Connect your phone to the computer

- Wait for Zune to start up (If it doesn't start up, open it manually)

- In Zune click on the tab phone

- There you have to pay attention to two things:

- If Zune is syncing files to or from your phone just wait until it's finished

- Now check the relationship between Zune and your phone. If you can read something about a guest relationship you've to click on "Change Sync Relationship" and follow the instructions to get a full relationship.

- Keep sure that the device stays on the homescreen (where the live tiles are) for the next steps - the lockscreen mustn't be active! [Just touch the display and scroll up and down every few seconds to avoid this.]

- Run the downloaded ChevronWP7.exe and check the two boxes:

Ensure your phone isn't PIN-locked

Install certificate on phone using Internet Explorer at "http://www.chevronwp7.com/cert"

- Now finally click on the Unlock button - The button turns into Relock which means that your device is unlocked now. If this didn't work for you - with an error message coming up on your screen - try this:

Instead of using the latest version of Zune, try an older version. Here's a link where you can download version 4.7.01: Zune v4.701

Don't click the Relock button now! Just close ChevronWP7.

Leave Zune running in the background as we'll need it again in a few minutes.

Don't disconnect your device now! Continue with step 7 or your device will relock itself the next time you connect it and Zune identifies it.

7. Keep your phone unlocked

7.1 Install registry editor

As you can read above your device will be locked if you connect it again (Zune will identify your phone and lock it again). To prevent this we've to edit an entry of the phone registry:

First of all we need a registry editor for Windows Phone 7. Well, there's not a uniform way to edit registry on all devices (HTC, Samsung, ...), yet. So you have to search a registry editor which enables full registry access on your device. [I'll update this with some suggestions soon!] Then you've to open Start > All Programs > Windows Phone Developer Tools > Application Deployment on your computer. Select the downloaded .xap file (Registry Editor) and click on Deploy. Wait until the process is finished. Now disconnect your phone from the computer.

7.2 Modify the registry

Now open the Registry Editor on your phone. Now navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Microsoft > DeviceReg.

Now scroll to PortalUrlInt, remove its value data and save it. Do the same with PortalUrlProd. Both entries should now be "empty" (but not deleted!).

8. Installing updates

8.1 Pre-NoDo & NoDo update:

After you've followed the steps of my tutorial, you can install both the Pre-NoDo and the NoDo update without loosing the unlock.

8.2 Mango update:

There's already a BETA version of Mango out there which is intended for developers - but with some additional steps you can also install it without being a developer (and even without having a developer unlocked phone)! This update

WILL REMOVE YOUR UNLOCK AND DISABLE THE USE OF HOMEBREW APPS!

-> You won't be able to sideload apps anymore and you won't be able to use tools like registry editors and file explorers! Basically, if you want Mango update + jailbreak you've to prepare your phone while running NoDo (or earlier). To explain the process shortly: There are official apps which read out files information and apply changes to the phones registry. Just imagine a connection managing application which has got one file for every single provider containing informations like APN, Passwords, ... . Okay, so while you're on NoDo you can add your own files to this application - but these ones won't contain information about a provider. Instead they'll tell your phone to change several registry entries. And example would be the "Connection setup" app for HTC devices. People can add a .provxml file to the app. Then they update to Mango with loosing the developer unlock but not the file. On Mango they open up the "Connection setup" (<- You have to use this official tool - sideloaded apps won't work at that time as you're not developer unlocked yet) and can see the entry of the .provxml: There will be several networks to choose from (e.g. "T-Mobile", "Vodafone", ...) and also a entry called something like "Developer unlock". Well, this is because of the .provxml file. Then you just have to choose and run this file and the changes will apply - your phone is unlocked again! Just search and you'll find much tutorials here on how to use provxml method on HTC, Samsung, ... devices. I unlocked my Omnia 7 running Mango BETA v2 using this method.

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Wow, you're done! Now you can connect your device to your computer without loosing the unlock.

I'll try to always improve this tutorial and keep it up to date :)

Please click on "Thanks" if it helped you! :)

Please tell me if you find something disordered or mistakes. And please be kind as this is my first tutorial :o Thanks :)​