Tweaks & Projects

Format A Blackberry

2010-02-08T17:21:00.002-05:00

Well i ran into a situation earlier today when my BB Curve 8310 ran out of space and started acting haywire.

It would take too long to attempt to clean out the applications individually so i thought a full format/restore was in order. I looked around the interwebs and found the best way to do this is with the help of the javaloader wipe command.
Below is a step-by-step breakdown of the procedure.

The obligatory warning. I'm in no way responsible for you losing your data or for any damage to your phone.

Download JL_Cmder zip archive.
JL_Cmder is a batch file that runs javaloader for you but when i tested it didnt work in Win7, skipping JL_Cmder and using javaloader directly solves Win7 compatibility issues.
Extract JavaLoader.exe and place it somewhere you can reach (C:/).
Download the BB desktop suite.
Install the BB desktop suite.
Use the BB desktop suite to backup anything you need (Address Book, Calendar, Notes, etc...) using the advanced backup and restore function.

Now that we have backed up our data and have everything we need we can proceed with the wipe.

Hit start, run, cmd (Win XP) or start, "search programs or files" type cmd (Win 7)

Type [ "C:\javaloader.exe" -u deviceinfor ] (without brackets). This should show you your devices hardware id, pin, and a bunch of information, we are just using it to ensure that javaloader can find your device.

Type [ "C:\javaloader.exe" -u wipe ] (without brackets). This will initiate the wipe and produce the following output:

Allow your BB to reset and you should be presented with an error 507 message.

Launch the BB Desktop Manager and you will be greeted with the following error message.

Click retry, wait a minute and then click the Application Loader option. Click the Update Software start button. This will take a few minutes while it connects to your BB and reads the device info.

The Application Loader will present you with a few OS options.

Pick the one you would like (preferred is always the latest) and click next.
This will install the basic BB OS, to add extras (applications, languages, etc..) click the options button.
Choose the application you want added and then click next.
You can choose whether you want updates from BB sent to your email or not, when your choice is made click next one last time to review your options and then click finish.

You will be presented with the following update screen. This will take a long time to finish so just step away from your BB and make sure to keep it connected until the process is done.

When the OS install is complete you will need to transfer your backed up info back to the BB. Just use the advanced backup and restore option again, this time transferring from the desktop to the BB.

You might have to specify the backup file before anything is listed in the left column of the backup 7 restore function, to do this just click "File" in the top left and choose your latest backup file.

Enjoy....

Crack PDF

2009-08-04T13:14:00.003-04:00

I downloaded a perl book to help me in a new project im working with. The book was seperated into a series of chapters (ch1.pdf, ch2.pdf, etc ...) which made searching a complete pain in the ass since i had to search each file individually.

The pdf files had security enabled to limit assembly, page extraction, etc.. so i found a neat little program PdfCrypt.

Since i didnt know what the password was i just used it with the optional empty password and voila! Open document.

C:\>pdfcrypt.exe ch1.pdf unlocked_ch1.pdf "" 11111111

I created a batch file to process all the pdf chapters and then i was able to construct them into one single file. A little bit of work will make my life easier for weeks to come.

Getting a Solutions PublicKey Token

2009-04-14T15:49:00.001-04:00

I was working on a sharepoint workflow. I signed it with a strong name key file but now I needed to find out what my public key token was. This took some hunting online but in the end I found the solution here.

I created a custom external tool in Visual Studio 2008 to call SN.exe and pass the –T"$(TargetPath)" argument. Now finding my public key token is as easy as accessing the drop down menu.

RAM Issues

2009-01-30T21:21:00.009-05:00

Built a new rig the other day:

Processor	Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield
Motherboard	DFI LP DK P45-T2RS PLUS
Memory	4 X 2GB OCZ Reaper (OCZ2RPR10664GK)
Power Supply	Zippy GSM-6600P(G1)
Video Card	MSI Radeon 4850
Optical	Samsung TS-H653N
HDD	Raid0 = 3 X Samsung SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB
Case	CM Centurion 590
CPU Cooler	ThermalRight Ultra 120 Extreme
Case Fans	6 X Scythe S-Flex SFF21G 120mm
Fan Controler	Zalman MFC1

Everything runs fine and it OC's to 3.2GHz easily, just ran a memtest and was surprised to see these errors. Now i'm going to spend the next month or so figuring out wether its bad RAM, or messed up settings.

How to Build A Buffered JTAG

2008-12-07T07:22:00.002-05:00

Comin Soon....

How to Mod a PSP Slim

2008-12-07T02:26:00.001-05:00

I scoured the internet trying to find out how to succesfully mod a PSP slim but all i could find was conflicting information scattered all over the place. So after succesfully modding my PSP i figured i should post a comprehensive guide.

Note: Some of the newest PSP models are unmoddable. If you have a TA-88 motherboard then your chances are slim, some work and some dont. The only way to know is to perform the mod and see.

In my opinion the easiset way to mod a PSP slim is to use a "pandora battery" and a "Magic Memory Stick"!

Pandora Battery: A modified battery that allows the PSP to enter service mode.

Magic Memory Stick(MMS): A memory stick with the necessary files to install modded firmware.

You could always buy a pandora battery and a MMS but where is the fun in that!

Google both of them and you can buy them for ~$30

You will need:

A PSP
A mini-usb cable
Memory Stick (1GB or bigger)
Fine tipped soldering iron
Razor or knife

I - Make a Pandora Battery:

Start with an unmodified battery, a used battery can be bought cheap off ebay.

Use your knife or razor to trace over the edges of the battery until it pops open. Dont apply too much force, just keep going over it. This will reduce the chance of puncturing the battery cells.

When you get the case open and both end seperated it should look like this

Carefuly bend back the pcb (printed circuit board) untill it lays flat on the table, it should look like this.

Locate the eeprom chip that we need to modify (shown in the pic below). The options for modification depend on your particular skill level/ equipment availability.

Option 1: use the soldering iron to heat pin 5 (red square) and needle nose pliers to bend it upward. This is the best option since it allows youto easily revert the battery back to its original state.

Option 2: use your razor to cut the trace (blue square), use an ohm meter to make sure that you did it correctly.

Option 3: Cut pin 5 using wire cutters. This option is not recomended because you are likely to cut several other pins while attempting or cause more damage to the board.

Congratulation, you now have yourself a pandora battery. Close up the case and use some tape to keep it closed.

II - Make a Magic Memory Stick:

Note: I can only take credit for the batch file that i wrote to make things easier. All credit goes to the guys at pspmod, hercules, and dark alex for their continued contributions.

Download the needed files:

Mirror 1

Mirror 2

The files were packed using the rar archival format. Unpack them to your desktop using winrar.

Double click "Magic Memory Stick Creator.bat" to start the batch file. Just follow the prompts, it contains all the instructions necessary. When the batch file is done it should say "Congratulations you now have a Magic Memory Stick".

The batch files is dependant on the windows enviroment variable %windir% if for some reason your computer does not have that variable or the batch file is simply not working then you can install the files needed the manual way. The batch file uses the "set /p" command which is not implemented in eralier versions of windows (95, 98) and will probably not work with them. I'm considering writing a C++ program instead of the batch file but it all depends on the ammount of time i have (no promises).

Manual Installation (only if batch file doesnt work for you):

Plug your psp using your mini-usb cable
Format your memory stick (settings-> systems settings->format memory stick)
Locate the files you just downloaded and copy the msint, mspformat, and despertar_v3 folders to your c: directory
Open a command window (start->run->type cmd and press enter)
type "CD C:\" (without quotes)
type "mspformat \mspformat.exe X" where X denotes your psp drive letter.
Follow the prompts, when it is done it should say "drive succesfully formated ..."
Disable USB mode, remove memory stick, re-insert it, and enable USB mode again.
Open a command window (start->run->type cmd and press enter)
type "CD C:\" (without quotes)
type "xcopy despertar_v3 /e /y X:\" where X denotes your psp drive letter.
Wait for it to copy all the files.
type "msinst\msinst.exe X msinst\msipl.bin" where X denotes your psp drive letter.
When its done it should say "Write MS BOOT CODE"
Congratulations, you now have a magic memory stick!

III - Install Custom Firmware (CFW)

Now that you have everything you need all you have to do is install.

Note: Charge the battery untill it reaches atleast 78% or the modded firmware will refuse to install. To check battery charge goto Settings->System Settings->Battery Information.

Plugin the modded (pandora) battery and insert your Magic Memory Card. Turn on your PSP and all the lights will start blinking.

Note: If the green light comes on and the screen stays black thenremove the battery and re-insert it while holding down L (Left trigger).

You should now see a black screen prompting you to press X to install. Wait for it to get done. It will say "install success...press X to reboot", press X the PSP will reboot and you my froend will have custom firmware!

IV - Whats Next?

The pandora battery will not allow you to turn on your psp unless the AC adaptor is plugged in. You need to either fix your battery by reconnecting pin 5 or download Time Machine which will allow you to use your pandora battery as a regular battery.

Backup your games and put place the created ISO files in your PSP ISO folder. These can now be accessed under the game menu.

Download all the great homebrew apps and emulators you want. I recommend Snesy and UltimatePSPtube.

Buy a Photofast CR-5400 and two 16GB MicroSDHC's to and enjoy 32GB of total goodness! I didn't want to splurge so i bought two 8GB off amazon. The total cost with the photofast was around ~$60.