Custom ROM's for Treo 650-proceed at your own risk

Custom ROM's are a great thing. Brayder Technologies introduced JackFlash and JackSprat around the days of the Palm V, and more recently Shadowmite has come into the spotlight for his work with Treo, which will be outlined below.

HUGE DISCLAIMER: ROM UPDATES ARE ONE THING, CUSTOM ROM'S ARE ANOTHER. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. MYTREO.NET ASSUMES NO LIABLITY FOR NON-FUNCTIONING UNTIS FOLLOWING FROM ATTEMPTS TO APPLY CUSTOM ROMs.

The reason why we want custom ROM's is to maximize the limited space on our handhelds. We can remove things that are not necessary or useful to us and add things that we prefer.

It is important to note that it is not enough to simply remove things from the ROM, in order to enjoy the benefits of a custom ROM, you must also add. The reason is that the Treo has two types of memory: RAM and ROM. The RAM is the stuff that we use daily and that our meters tell us how full it is. The ROM is always full, period. Even if it isn't full, it will still take up the same amount of space.

This heading has two pieces: the first is detailed instructions, the second is a list of applications that have been tested in the ROM to work or not work. PLEASE ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTE YOUR EXPERIENCES SO THAT WE ALL GAIN!!

So, let's get to hacking.

I. Materials needed:

1. A Treo 650, not a Treo 600
2. SD card
3. SD card reader/writer for PC
4. Master File Description List∞, available in Adobe Reader from Shadowmite's website (graciously documented by Ohmster)
5. a COLOR printer is a real plus for the List in step 18
6. Treo 650 ROM tool, also available from Shadowmite's site for Windows∞and for Mac's∞
7. enough time to proceed slowly and carefully

II. Procedure

The procedure is essentially the same as the installing the ROM detailed in the updating the ROM section, except that we insert a few extra steps between 7) and 8). So, one needs to backup and hard-reset Treo, etc all the way up to step 7), which is extracting the files from downloaded ROM file. So, after step 7) of the ROM installation process is where we begin.

This is guide that has been successfully used on an unbranded GSM model. Although the original method that Shadowmite developed and Ohmster documented was for CDMA models, their method can be modelled for GSM adaptation. The instructions should be even clearer and easier for CDMA users.

1. Back up your Treo. You can back up your Treo to either your PC or your SD card. If you back up to your PC via hotsync, then there is a nice freeware which can be installed to your Treo that is called SyncAll (all one has to do is right before the sync, open the program and click "force all to sync"), and it will move all the files, including preferences and such that don't normally get synced. If you backup to your SD card, there are numerous programs for accomplishing this. It is important that the number of backup-to-SD programs are limited for the Treo 650 due the NVFS file system.
2. After you backup your Treo, then hard reset it. A hard reset is important to empty out the memory and give the update plenty of room to work. Although many people have reported no problems without hard resetting, the most prudent course is clear it out since we have already made a thorough backup.
3. Connect your SD card to your computer. You can skip steps 4 and 5 if the SD card if empty. Proceed to steps 4 and 5 if you are planning to use the same SD card that you use for daily purposes
4. Make sure that the card has about 15 Megabytes of free space, which is about the size of the ROM usually after it has been unzipped.
5. On the SD card, find the PALM folder. It should not be hidden or deep in other folders. It should there on the first click of the card, just right on the top. Rename the folder to whatever you want, Monkey for instance. Just make sure that it is NOT called Palm. This will be changed back later after the update.
6. Download the ROM
7. It is likely that the ROM will be in a .ZIP file. So, unzip the file and extract the contents to your computer and remember the location that you extracted them to. Notes: It will really be easier if you can extract the files from the downloaded ROM .zip to a location in the root directory of your PC. So, rather than saving the file at C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name\My Documents\Treoupdater\ etc., it will really be better if you can save it to C:\Treoupdater. This becomes especially important in steps 10 and 11 for selecting which files you want to reject and accept. Well, it’s not really important if you have a widescreen 20 inch monitor. In which case, might I suggest customizing your ROM for you and you can reimburse with a monitor like yours? :-)
8. Start the ROM tool by opening the folder that was downloaded from Shadowmite's site. In the Windows version, there is a file called T650tool. Double clicking that will start the program.
9. Once the program has started, it asks you to "Choose location" above the left panel. You will need to use the file browser in the left panel of the screen to find the extracted ROM files that you unzipped.
10. Once you find that folder, then continue inside of it through the Device Customizer folder
11. In the Device Customizer folder, find Treo650.XXX folder where XXX is the abbreviated name of your carrier or ROW for unbranded GSM models.
12. Once in the Treo650.XXX folder, subfolders will not appear below it in the left pane. Look in the centre panel and find a file called ace-palmos.zip
13. Once you have located ace-palmos.zip, then you click on it once and select "Open ROM .zip" in the top left corner above the left panel.
14. wait a moment while Shadowmite's program verifies the ROM, as a note, I have noticed that the status windows tends to get hung sometimes, so when the centre pane changes and it shows the file at the top of the list as (underscore)(underscore)MMservers_XXXX.cpdb (once again where XXXX is your carrier), then you may proceed to the next step
15. click once in the centre panel
16. choose "select all" above the centre panel
17. wait as the computer works and the right pane gets filled with files
18. At this point, it is time to start removing from or adding files to the ROM. I choose to remove files first since it is the hardest part of the process. It is useful to have the Master File Description List∞from Shadowmite's website (graciously documented by Ohmster) printed for easy reference without having to switch back and forth between your internet browser and the T650tool. The document is really great in color because files that are in green are known to be safe to delete and those that are red must stay. If one doesn't have access to a color printer, then it is better to just switch back and forth because a greyscale or black and white printout won't be useful. Currently, the document is for CDMA phones; however, it can easily be used for GSM phones as long as we think before we leap.
19. The place for removing files is in the right panel. Files are listed in alphabetical order. Double clicking any files in the right panel removes it from the ROM. So, one can happily proceed removing those files that have been marked as green in Ohmster's document. If you make any mistakes, you can simply find the file again in the centre panel and double click it to add it back to the ROM. It is crucially important to make sure that the files are EXACTLY the same ones. Close doesn't count in this case. The document is very clear about what application that various files belong to. READ THE NOTES ON EACH FILE BEFORE DELETING THEM. Therefore, only delete the files for the applications that you want to delete. Currently, Versamail, QuickTour, RealPlayer, and WorldClock can be removed. For CDMA users, some of the Sprint specific programs can be removed also. Information is currently not available for removing Cingular specific programs, such as XpressMail.
20. When you get down to the D's, you need to heed the caution that Ohmster made with regard to "DefConnectionDE_xxXX.pdb" You must retain at least one of these language files, which would be the language that you want to use the handset in. The unbranded, SIM-free GSM model from PalmOne has many more instances of this multiple language support than the CDMA model. This is because the CDMA model is really intended for the Untied States, and the GSM model has global support. Time and future will indicate if it is safe to delete these other language packs in the GSM models. For the meantime, it is safe to delete the unneeded language packs for the "DefConnection" file.
21. When you get to the G's, GSM users will note that we do not have the "GetBC.prc" file. "GetBC" is part of Sprint's Business connect which is a carrier specific program. Continue forward, no need to delete things that don't exist.
22. In the H's, GSM user's also do not have the "Handango" files. Continue forward, no need to delete things that don't exist.
23. In the L's, Ohmster denotes that you can delete the native launcher, you know the plain old white background with icons thing. BUT I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO MAKE THE UNIT RUN SUCCESSFULLY AFTERWARD EVEN WITH ANOTHER INSTALLED, I WOULD AVOID DOING THIS UNTIL IT IS PERFECTED
24. !!VERY IMPORTANT FOR GSM USERS!! When you get to the MM's. Versamail files generally begin "MM", which stands for MultiMail. Well, right in the middle of a large group of Versamail files is another group of files that begin with "MMS". If you aren't careful and are going through quickly, you might delete those too. if you delete these files, you destroy your ability to send and receive picture messages. Be EXTRA careful and delete only the files that Ohmster has indicated are okay to delete.
25. In the P's, look out for "PalmSGHIResfonts.pdb" it is okay to delete, but will effect Blazer as well as Versamail. I left it in because I like Blazer.
26. After you go through the entire document and have removed what you want to, then you are ready to start adding new stuff.
27. Decide what you want to put in the ROM. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT YOU SHOULD ONLY PUT PROGRAM FILES IN THE ROM, NOT DATABASES. Only put in .prc's and not .pdb's. If you have any questions, post it in the forum. The reason that .pdb's can't be put in the ROM is that the information in the ROM does not change, so any changes that you make will be redundantly stored in the RAM, which defeats the whole purpose. Most people can add between 10 and 15 files (again .prc's and not .pdb's) depending on what they delete. Obviously, the more you delete, the more room you have to add stuff. You will be able to check how much space you have left or how much you are over at the end of the process...sorry, no way to see beforehand as far as I know
28. After you have decided what applications that you want to add to your new ROM, then you need to use the left panel to navigate to their location.
29. Once you have located them in the left panel, you can double click on them in the centre panel to add them to the left panel
30. do this for each file that you want to add to the ROM
31. If you add a file that you didn't want to, just double click it in the left panel to remove it from the ROM.
32. When you are satisfied that you have not deleted anything that you weren't supposed to and that you added what you wanted to, then you can click "Build it" below the left panel
33. The computer assembles the custom ROM, and puts it in the same location as the extracted files.
34. AT THIS POINT YOU WILL SEE A NEW BOX BETWEEN THE "BUILD IT" and "EXIT" BUTTONS. IT WILL TELL YOU HOW MUCH ROM SPACE YOU HAVE USED AND FILLED. IF THE NUMBER ON THE RIGHT HAS A MINUS SIGN (-) IN FRONT OF IT, THEN YOU HAVE ADDED TOO MUCH AND YOU NEED TO GO BACK AND REMOVE SOME STUFF
35. You can exit the T650tool by clicking "Exit" in the bottom right corner
36. Using your PC's file browser, go the folder where the extracted files are located.
37. Go in that folder go through PALM->Device Customizer.
38. In the Device Customizer folder, you will find a new folder called "Custom ROM"
39. Go into the Custom ROM folder and copy the folder and file that are in there. I used the Select All function and then Copy
40. Go back up one level to the Device Customizer folder
41. Go into the Treo650.XXX folder, and choose to Paste the two files that you copied from the Custom ROM folder. It will say that they already exist and ask if you want to overwrite the current ones. You need to say "'Yes" that you want to overwrite the old files.
42. Go back up to the Device Customizer folder
43. delete the Custom ROM folder and there may also be a folder called ace-palmos.zip-temp. You can delete that one too.
44. Go back up two levels, and then choose to Copy the PALM folder
45. Go to your SD card
46. On your SD card, paste the PALM folder and all of its contents. That is why it was important to rename the folder in step 5 if you are using your regular-duty SD card.
47. Remove the SD card from the computer
48. Plug the Treo into the hotsync cable. It is required that the Treo be plugged into its power source
49. Insert the SD card
50. WAIT
51. WAIT SOME MORE
52. DON'T GET ANCY
53. The unit may turn itself off and on a few times during the process
54. Eventually after 5-20 minutes, the initial welcome and setup screens will appear and you will need to choose language and time and location and such.
55. Remove the SD card and delete the ROMupdater folder named "Palm" because if you put it back in with that ROMupdater it will automatically start again
56. If you backed up your Treo using the Hotsync, then go into C:\Programs Files\PalmOne\(hotsyncID) and copy the "Backup" folder to a safe, secure, separate location.
57. After the Backup folder has been copied, go back to it and then DELETE the files that you added to the ROM. You want to do this because they are already in the ROM and now it would be redundant to put them back in the RAM. I do not backup to an SD card, so I am not sure how one would remove the redundant files from the SD card backups. Possibly they don't get copied, or possibly you can just delete the redundant file. Maybe someone who has experience can amend here.
58. Restore the Treo using either Hotsync or the SD card backup program. If you used the SD card backup method, you can remove the SD card, place it in the computer, delete the ROM update folder named Palm, and rename the old PALM folder again to PALM.
59. Enjoy the fresh ROM and all of its advantages.

List of Programs That Have Been Tested

REMEMBER, ONLY .prc files go in the ROM, not .pdb's!!!

Programs that work in the ROM

AcidImage.prc
ActNames.prc (from Agendus)
Audacity Pro
AvantageRx.prc
BackupBuddyVFS
Backupman
Butler
CardExport2
CardKeeper
Cleanup (registered version)
ClipPRO-ClpP.prc
DateBK5.prc
Daynotz
Directory assist
DocsToGo.prc
FileZ
Graffiti Anywhere
HandyShop2.prc
Handzipperlite.prc
iSilo.prc (from iSilo 3.35)
LifeBalance
KeyguardTime+.prc
KeyguardTime+enUS.prc
mVoice.prc
net time
net select
Pix_OS_OS5 (theme for ZLauncher)
PowerRUN
PowerUp
SlovoEd.prc
snap
snap calc
snap dates
Snappermail.prc
SplashID.prc
Takephone
treoalarm
treohelper
UnistallManager.prc
ZLauncher (v5.2)

Replaced PhoneApp_SPCS with one the modified Treo one

Programs that don't work in the ROM

2day
4cast
flight status
keycaps
LispMe
mDesk
Phone Technician
Pippy
PocketC
PTunes.prc
pxaclocker
SplashPhoto.prc
SEVEN (aka Sprint Business Connection)

Variable performance-loses preferences and registration

AckWire
Microbe
PXA Clocker
RsrcEdit
VoiceLauncher
Xiino

REMEMBER, ONLY .prc files go in the ROM, not .pdb files!!!

---

CategoryFirmware
CategoryTreo650