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Upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5

With the official introduction of Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft also announced to finally support Widgets.

people who are still using Winmo 6 or 6.1 may upgrade to 6.5 easly.

Why should you upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5?

Disregarding the mixed coverage the OS has gotten—which tends to compare it to more modern software like iPhone OS and Android—6.5 is much, much better less terrible than 6.1, especially for touchscreen phones You’ve probably heard about the new graphical start menu and fantastic Titanium home screen; they’re great, but there’s a lot more to appreciate. IE has been updated; all menus are now finger-friendly; the whole system has inertial scrolling; there’s been a system-wide cosmetic refresh. That’s not to mention the upcoming Windows Mobile Marketplace, Microsoft take on the App Store. On top of that, at least in my experience, it’s pretty snappy.

This How To is based around my experience with a GSM HTC Touch Diamond. The process is largely the same between the few handsets that can run 6.5, but for the sake of brevity, I’m sticking to one handset, and its QWERTYed brother, the Touch Pro. For further guidance on other phones, head over to the XDA forums.

What You’ll Need:
• An HTC Touch Diamond or Touch Pro (GSM only)
• A (free) account at XDA Developers
• A Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM (Lotsa choices here: Diamond, Pro) i prefer and what i used is BsB 6.5O Black
• A Windows PC, set up to sync with your handset
• A device flashing utility (Both)
• A bootloader (Diamond, Pro)
• A device radio (Diamond, Pro—Make sure to download from the “Original” list, not the “Repacked” one.)

A brief intro for beginners.

CID lock (aka vendor lock): put on your device by the manufacturer to prevent installation of a ROM not released by them.

HardSPL: This modified bootloader allows a much safer flashing process to take place since it reduces the chance of permenently bricking your device. It also removes the need to CID Unlock the device since it ALWAYS reports SuperCID when flashing. See the official thread for more info.

Hard Reset: Similar to a soft reset, by performing a hard reset you completely wipe your device and restore it to the position it was in when you first turned the device on after it was purchased or after a new ROM is flashed.

Radio: The radio stack is responsible for the phone functionality of the device. This includes GPRS, GSM, UMTS, and GPS operations as well as camera functionality. The version you use depends on who your carrier is as users have reported versions working better on one carrier than the other. The wiki pages contain the latest versions available to download and install.

ROM: The ROM holds the Operating system and other components such as the bluetooth and wifi stacks. The ROM is accompanied by the Radio, Ext_ROM, SPL and IPL. Carriers such as T-mobile or Vodaphone taylor the ROM to their specifications and version numbers do not carry the same meaning across different carriers. IF the carrier you use supports the device well they will usually release regular ROM updates.

RUU – ROM Upgrade Utility: It’s the s/w used on your PC to do a ROM upgrade for your PPC;

IPL – Initial Program Loader: It’s the bootloader for PPC. It boots up SPL;

SPL – Secondary Program Loader: Loads the actual OS;
WWE: World Wide English Edition;
SSPL: SSPL is a modified bootloader which is loaded into RAM when run, this allows us to overwrite any aspect of the ROM, Radio or Bootloader far easier than using mtty.

What I used

HARDSPL: RUU_Signed_1_93OliNex_HSPL_UnsignedEdition

Radio: Radio v1.09.25.23 (Quad Band)(52.51.25.26H) Download HERE

(Please note that choosing a radio totally depends on your requirement, you may need to seek a proper one which best fits your needs. see this thread for a list of available radios

ROM:i prefer and what i used is BsB 6.5O Black

Before you get started, you’ll probably want to back up your contacts and personal info. I’d recommend PIM Backup, which I’ve used for years. Or you could try Microsoft’s new, free online service called My Phone. This How To will replace all your device’s software, so if you have anything worth keeping, you’ll need to back it up.

OK, Here we go

STEP 1

1- Update HARDSPL

1.1 Download the Diamond Rom Updater Utility (RUU) from this thread

1.2 download HARDSPL from link above or of your choice

1.3 extract all files along with RUU in one separate folder.

1.4 establish connection with your device and pc with active sync.

1.5 run the file ROMUpdateUtility.exe and follow on screen instructions.

1.6 after final click Your device will display a completely black screen.  A Progress bar will appear on your computer screen, and after a while your device will display a grey screen with progress bar.  Be patient while your device is being updated.

Once your device is finished updating, it will automatically soft reset.  Click the ‘Finish’ button to exit the RUU program.

To confirm is Hard-SPL is on your device, manually enter Bootloader by pressing the Volume Down and performing a soft reset at the same time.  If successful you will see the tri-colour screen and the SPL  will be displayed

Note:

The signed version of Hard-SPL will allow you to only flash signed ROMs which have been tested and proven safe by the ELITE team (recommended).  The Developer Edition allows you to flash unsigned ROMs, but you’d better know what you’re doing if you don’t want to end up with an expensive paperweight.

Step 2

Upgrade to Radio,

Download Radio above or of your choice,  put all files in a separate folder along with ROMUpdateUtility.exe (which you download in first step) click on ROMUpdateUtility.exe and follow on screen instruction till it completely finishes

Once your device is finished updating, it will automatically soft reset.  Click the ‘Finish’ button to exit the RUU program.

note:

If the radio came with its own bootloader, skip to first step

Step 3

Flashing Rom – Update operating system.

This is when we get down to actually installing our new OS. This is the step that’ll take the longest, and it’s the biggest leap of faith, since you’re replacing your device’s main software. Luckily, if you’ve come this far, it’ll be a snap. Same process, different .NBH file. Onward!

1.Pair your phone to your PC

2. Extract your Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM, which should be an .NBH file of about 80-100MB, in a separate directory along with RUU which you downloaded in first step

3. Run the ROMUpdateUtility.exe, and follow the instructions. Same warnings as before—don’t let your PC or phone sever the connection at any point.

4. This time it’ll take a bit longer, but shouldn’t top 15-20 minutes.

5. Your phone will reset, and you should see a fresh Windows Mobile 6.5 splash screen. It might look hacked or unprofessional—don’t be alarmed! The guys who so graciously put together these ROMs, which often take a good deal of tweaking, leave their marks on the software in various ways. Anyhoo, you’ll have to let your phone run through a set of initialization routines for a little while. Just follow along.

21. WinMo should automatically guess your carrier and apply the appropriate connections settings. If not, you can do it from the device’s Settings page, found in the top level of the new start menu. As for the settings parameters, Google is your friend.

Thats it!!

Please be sure that you dont disconnect your phone with activsynce at any time as this can crash your phone.

you can find some screen shots of my device here, which i recently upgraded to 6.5