[MDA, XDA, 1010 Software Upgrading] sheran_g:
Updating your Qtek ROM using the 'SD Card' or 'Bootloader' Method

Forenote:

Even though I have centered these instructions to refer to the Qtek 1010 specifically, please note that they can also be applied to the following devices: O2 XDA / HTC Spaceneedle / PW10 / PW20 / Siemens SX56 / T-Mobile MDA

How do I update my ROM with an SD Card?

This is a question I see so often on the XDA-Developers Forum and I will try to present as detailed instructions as I can.

But first:

Flashing your Qtek is VERY VERY dangerous. I have already lost one Qtek by accidentally flashing it incorrectly. Please remember this. I will not be held responsible for anyone's trashed Qtek.

Ok.

Having said this, lets get on with the upgrade:

Requirements:

A Qtek with at least a 70% Charge on the Battery

A PC/Laptop with a USB Port running Windows NT, 2000 or XP*

An empty SD/MMC Card of at least 64Mb

An SD/MMC Card Reader

The XDA Developers' XDA ROM Image Tool (XDArit)

* The XDA ROM Image Tool will only work on Windows NT, 2000 or XP

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Step 1 -

Always Backup your Data

Always have a backup when you play around with your Qtek in this manner. If you have a backup it saves you so much grief. A VERY important point to remember: Similar to your Operating Systems (Windows, Linux, BSD, etc.) the Qtek has what is known as a Boot Loader. This is a location in the Qtek's ROM (Memory) which is first invoked every time the device is reset. This collection of 'instructions' will load the actual Operating System (Pocket PC 2002, Windows Mobile 2003 PE) and actually start up the Qtek where you see your pretty little 'Today' screen and will enable you to run all your programs. Read this next line VERY CAREFULLY:

If your Boot Loader gets trashed for any reason, YOU WILL HAVE A DEAD QTEK. THERE WILL BE NO EASY WAY TO RESTORE YOUR QTEK TO A WORKING DEVICE. IN ESSENCE, YOU WILL END UP WITH A $500 PAPER WEIGHT. I will NOT be touching on any points which involve modifications to the Boot Loader.

Let's first find out how to enter the Boot Loader:

You enter the Boot Loader by performing a Soft Reset while holding down the Power button. You should see a screen similar to this:

If you have Boot Loader Version 5.17 or higher, then please stop reading now because I will only cover Boot Loaders 5.14 & 5.15.

The technique for upgrading with a Bootloader higher that 5.15 is given on the XDA-Developers site. You can find it here.

Next, press the Button which usually brings up your Contacts. You should then see the following screen:

Select the option ' CE ROM TO SD' and press the Action button. YOUR SD CARD WILL BE OVERWRITTEN COMPLETELY AT THIS POINT. Don't have any data on it. You should see this:

The above process should take a few minutes. At least more than five.

Let me explain what we have just done. We have entered the Boot Loader and asked it to Dump the entire OS ROM to our SD Card. It WILL NOT back up your settings or third-party applications. It merely dumps the entire OS to the Card. This is the backup we will use should, God forbid, something goes horribly wrong.

After the ROM is dumped to the SD Card, you will see this screen:

Pressing the Action button at this point of time will reset the device and it should start up as normal.

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Step 2 -

Copy your old ROM onto your Hard Disk

Now that you have got a copy of your old ROM on the SD Card, we can now move it to someplace safer on your hard disk. You will use the XDA Developers' XDArit tool for this purpose. The instructions follow.

Remove the SD Card from the Qtek, put it in the Card Reader connected to your PC and start up XDArit.

Choose 'Read from SD Card' and name your backup ROM:

Press OK and the ROM will be copied from the SD Card to your Hard Disk as you specified.

Great! You now have a backup of your old ROM. We will now continue to write the new ROM onto the SD Card using XDArit.

From the main XDArit screen, choose 'Write to SD card'. Here is what should be visible:

Under the 'Windows CE' field, select the Browse button and choose your new ROM to be written onto the SD Card.

Notice that even though the 'Bootloader' field is filled out automatically, it is not ticked. LEAVE IT THE WAY IT IS! This is where so many people go wrong and completely trash their Qtek's. For added safety, I make sure to delete the contents of the field, just in case.

Click 'OK' and wait while the SD Card is written. Ensure that you see a 'Successfully written xxxxx blocks' message from XDArit (which I have not been able to screen capture). This will probably save you from writing something corrupted onto your Qtek.

Right! Now you've got your new ROM all setup on your SD Card. All that's left is to flash it to the Qtek. On to step 3

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Step 3 -

Writing the new ROM onto your Qtek

So you've got the ROM on your SD Card. What next? Read on:

Insert your SD Card into your Qtek and reset to enter your Bootloader. When you do this, the Bootloader will automatically detect that you have a CE ROM in your SD Card and will ask you to press the Action button to flash the Qtek with this ROM. Press the Action button and wait for the flashing process to complete:

Once the flashing has completed, (after 6-7 minutes) you should be prompted to perform a Cold Boot or a Hard Reset:

Congratulations! You've just flashed your Qtek ROM using the 'SD Card' or 'Bootloader' method. Enjoy your new ROM.

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