[Windows Phone 7 Development and Hacking] Martin7Pro:
Hi friends. I am also a member of "halfbricked warning ignorants" club from last month. Then I have made a lots of discovery. But I am experienced C/C++/Pascal/Assembler/PHP desktop koder and debugger, not WM/WP hacker. Then my ideas may be totally wrong, comment them, please (big sorry for my English):

I have found four possible methods for repairing halfbricked devices:

1. JTAG. But, only four WP7 models are supported (connector+software). Answer from gsm-technix@live.de: "HTC 7 Pro is no Supported by JTAG! Sorry we can not help for this Phone." Do you know somebady, how difficult is JTAG software writing? When I will have any source examples, I can probably make it.

2. To wait to new HTC OEM update with totally new SPL version. For any models probably never :-(. But, only 3 people writed posts about Zune update success to any world phorum. And, nobody from them have confirmed me this information by private message request. Can you somebody confirm it?

Next points are posible only for unlocked devices and only when point 2 is real:

3. HTC OEM Update sended to phone by UpdateWP.exe. My experience - Update cab sender does not work for my halfbricked Gold (may be I have corrupted desktop windows for it). But, I have a partial success with localisation part of Mango update cab sended to my NoDo phone by UpdateWP.exe. Some HTC OEM updates are uploaded on XDA (not for my Gold :-( ), then somebody probably can try it. My batch example: "UpdateWP /iu c:\xxxxxxx.cab.pks /enablebackup > UWPLog.txt", where xxxxxxx.cab.pks I have only renamed from one from original mango update xxxxxxx.cab file, which I xcopied from "C:\Users\{UserName}\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Phone Update\{PhoneID}\Update" in time of Zune Mango update. Is it possible, or do I have wrong result impression? From this update experiment I have Czech hardware keyboard (in Settings/Keyboard i have only Dutch, Spain and English, which is setted there), some Czech messages and copy/paste feature on my phone, which I have not seen before it (may be I have not note it). But, TouchExperience crashes after a few of seconds I mean everytime from this update experiment. Is possible to make own and right signed "SPL HTC OEM update part cab.pks", or take official update cab (to discovery MSUpdate address http://download.windowsupdate.com/msdownload/update/software/dflt/2011/.....oemupdate_release.cab.pks.....) for all phones (my O2O-DE Gold)? Exists a way to signed repack SPL_Signed.nbh file to cab.pks? By any Kitchen (more on the bottom)? Can somebody explain pks extension file structure? Does not it historically something for Apple/Mac desktops? I have found something in http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=520009 thread. I have tried CeCabMgr_Setup.exe on my Windows 7 home, but installation is impossible. MS executables Makecab and Cabarc probably not sign cab well, is not it? Do you know somebody "Cab File Maker 2.0"? I mean it may be virus, but by help this is software for cab repack. By my little binary analysis it really contains Makecab calling and GUI for cab packing. Have you anybody experience with it? Edit: I have used it finally and created cab file is not probably usable to UpdateWP.exe (Update Error 8000FFFF = probably "Update is prohibited by registry values". When I use any "wrong" cab.pks file from XDA, I have got obviously Update Error 800B010A). Do you know somebody, if OEM_8x50_BLDR.cab.pkg (from Schubert) packing to cab.pks file is possible to Gold update? Any parts of update are named "Schubert...", does thats mean other parts are universal for all WP7 devices? Is "BLDR" equal to "SPL"? I mean not, my SPL_signed.nbh and BLDR files are too different by binary comparison. Can I use some Manual Kitchen (for example http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=952979) to unpack cabs from SPL_Signed.nbh and replace BLDR by first Gold bootloader? Or, probably, htcRIE (http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=884239)? But in Schubert package is BLDR file and also certificate dsm file, that may be cause of my error (from another update experiment, I did not try BLDR update still), is it right?

4. Force Zune HTC OEM reupdate. I have changed my registry key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Platform\DeviceTargetingInfo" to "BootLoaderVersion = 1.2.2250", also FirmwareRevision, RadioHadwareVersion, RadioSoftwareVersion, ROMVersion and SoCVersion are rewritable (only to phone restart) and Settings/About use this values also like any desktop applications too. But for Zune HTC OEM update forceing I must change also OS version (replacing in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Versions" has no effect) and divide actual official Mango update to MS and HTC parts (probably U2M7720/U2B2 can do it, but Microsoft have changed this division two weeks ago and U2M7720 probably still does not work - I cannot use HTC Connection setup for Mango unlock now, in unlocked NoDo restored from backup this works well). Second way is "normal" desktop Zune hacking. I can do it, but I mean any policies handshacking is made in update time between phone and MS server, where Zune is participated only as internet provider, then Zune hacking may not take success.

Please, post answers, comments and corrections. I want to repair my halfbricked Gold, but some results may be usable for all devices (for any devices those are triable just now becouse update files are known).

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News:

There http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1267010&page=4 cab sending solution is confirmed, but only for HD7. Can you try it somebody for another halfbricked phone model (simple download is known for Schubert, Trophy, Mozart, http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1306415 , http://www.google.com/#q=http://dow....,cf.osb&fp=1fa3271a3bec2fae&biw=1846&bih=952 )?

Attention! Read http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=19413942&postcount=33

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More news:

I do not beleive my eyes. Some Chinese author claims there http://www.qdppc.com/thread-91955-1-1.html (I must register in Chinese language, hihihi), then GoldCard from other device by Y-cable can flash SPL_Signed.nbh to HalfBricked device. What do you mean about it? I thought GoldCard need USB-mode functional...

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Bricked SPL (version < 5.xx) repair to 5.xx by HTC OEM Update confirmation:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=19443918#post19432145

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Any little results:

1. To force HTC update ChevronWP7 official unlock is not necessary. When you have dev-unlocked NoDo backup, install U2M7720, push "DoNotU2B2", "OK", "Done", "Chevron unlock", install Mango by Zune and HTC update will occure itself.

2. My phone has SPL 5.10 now, but no line on bottom of tricolore. Somebody told the same here. Can you everybody explain, how is forced your update (along x after Chevron unlock, on intact Mango x after any unlocking experiments before Mango installing, on official x custom ROM)? I had official ROM, SPL halfbricked after 3.xx update. I think this is no right idea, but, may be: official ChevronWP7 unlocked halfbricked phones have fully funkctional SPL 5.xx after HTC update, other halfbricked phones without USB mode. And, non-halfbricked ones have fully funkctional SPL 5.xx all. But, I mean problem is dependent on model/brand/SPL version.

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By my little today discovery "Normal" halfbrick = one line on tricolore = probably error on any bottom SPL adress. More lines (not Serial/USB) on tricolore, possibility to make "Enter USB mode.." by shot+Volume down = probably (I mean) problem on higher SPL addresses. May it be dependent on impossible inner SD card reading in bootloader execution time? I am working on application for SPL code executing from working unlocked WP7 now, but probably it will unsuccessible solution. Some people (http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f692/windows-phone-7-handsets-stuck-usb-host-mode-1332481/ etc.) write about GoldCard solution possibility, but can you enybody confirm it? My phone has no hardware electrical answer from USB in this status by my as yet trying. But, may be, any external signal can wake it.

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GoldCard unbrick success confirmed after 3.xx halfbrick -> 5.xx halbrick by OEM update:

[/COLOR][/COLOR]Only for HTC 7 Pro (Gold), probably only for O2O-DE brand:

http://htc7pro.howto.cz/O2ODEHTGoldHTCOEMUpdate2011.cab .. must download all 47MB! It is only copy of my phone HTC update, for analysis, with no chages, probably unusable for other phones.

You can try use it for halfbricked phone repairing (somebody confirms success on http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=19530970&postcount=7). But on your own risk! My own phone stay halfbricked still :(, probably GoldCard solve this "small" new halfbrick :)

Some GoldCard preparation file links: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=19607654#post19607654

I will try it (have any confirmations) and (if success) write here FULL UNBRICK MANUAL. M.

SIMPLE UNBRICK SUMMARY:

1. "Big" halfbrick (one line on tricolore) -> Force HTC OEM Update (3 possible ways, by my posts, if not occured itself).

2. If success, you can downgrade SPL (by my posts or by GoldCard).

3. If not fully unbricked ("small" halfbrick = only Serial/USB miss on tricolore), use GoldCard (in small halfbrick is possible to force USB mode by power+volume down+shot pressing after restart).

See news on http://htc7pro.howto.cz in future ...

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2nd December 2011: I have got valid SPL-1.7.2250.0 now (HSPL x Mango brick -> Big halfbrick SPL 3.xx -> force HTC OEM Update -> small halfbrick 5.xx -> downgrade by GoldCard -> :)). I am going to finish full unbrick (and SPL downgrading) manual. Look for my post on the weekend. M.