HACKING THE 2125 [UPDATED]
Recently I purchased a new cell phone, the Cingular 2125 (yes, you should have gotten my new number …). This is the first “advanced” or “smartphone” I have purchased, and so far, I’m mostly impressed. The feature set is pretty extensive, it’s quite stable, the reception and call quality is absolutely stellar, and with the exception of the fact that it runs Windows and that there is no Wi-Fi, I couldn’t be happier with it. As with any new piece of technology I purchase, I like to push it to the edge, unlock every feature and build everything from the ground up. Nowhere on the web seemed to get it right with the Cingular 2125, so I thought I’d chronicle the adventure that was hacking this phone.
WARNING:
You could easily break your phone (although probably not permanently), with these procedures. Figuring all of this out took me a great deal of time and a lot of research, and I offer it up to others as a fast-track to a much better phone. However, no instructions, however good they are, can ever replace actually knowing what you are doing. Do this all at your own risk.
UNLOCKING:
As with any advanced phone, if you want to do anything fancy with it, you’ll have to application-unlock and SIM-unlock the phone. This basically kicks “the man” off your phone, who constantly tells you what network you can and can’t use the phone on, and what software/firmware/ROM you can and can’t run on it. Since I wanted to install a custom ROM image, this was a necessity. Let me first say that this phone has the exact same hardware as the Orange SPV C600, the T-Mobile SDA, the QTEK 8310 and the i-Mate SP5. These are all manufactured by HTC as the HTC Tornado, so all procedures listed here will work just as well on any of these phones. NOTE: Yes, you do need a Windows PC and an ActiveSync connection between your smartphone and your PC for this stuff to work!
Grab RegeditSTG, which is a nice registry editor for Windows Mobile 5. You can find a copy here. Copy the .zip to your phone in any folder you’d like, and use the filesytem browser to find it, unzip it, and run the included executable. From here on out we’ll use this program extensively to edit the registry of the phone. Since we’re going to reinstall the phone with custom firmware, we won’t bother to customize the start menu so this application is easily accessable. Just open it with the filesystem browser. You’ll find the registry keys you’ll need to edit in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Security/Policies/Policies. Edit the values 00001001 and 00001005 to values of 1 and 40, respectively. Reboot your device. The phone is now application unlocked. We’ve still got 2 more unlocking procedures to do, so hold your horses. NOTE: Many online tutorials instruct you to change the value 00001017 to 144. This is unnecessary.
Grab the SPV-Services tool here. Copy the zip to your phone, extract and open/install the .cab file included in the archive. When this package has been installed, you can delete the rest of the junk in the archive from your phone. Now, on your desktop, extract the archive and run the SPV application. Complete the steps to unlock your SIM and change the CID.
Now, your phone is completely unlocked and you’re reading to build new firmware into ROM.
INSTALLING BETTER SOFTWARE:
The ROM image that comes with the Cingular 2125 has an outdated, locked down, very annoying version of Windows Mobile 5 running on it. To top it all off, access restrictions build into the image prevent you from even having admin rights over the filesystem. The solution is the i-Mate SP5 firmware. Not only is this image much more stable and up-to-date, but it doesn’t include all the annoying Cingular crap you find on the old image. The ROM image is available freely from here. You want the image called i-mate_SP5_NRE_2.5.333.1.zip. Make sure you select the SP5 image and NOT the SP5m image. Also, we select the Northern European (NRE) of the software instead of the World Wide English (WWE) for reasons that will become obvious later (the NRE image has more features, essentially, and it’s easy to set your phone back to US settings).
Make sure your phone is connected to your PC securely, and run the included i-Mate installer. About 15 minutes later, you will have a nice freshly-flashed phone which is leaps and bounds better than the stock software. NOTE: Reflashing your image will completely erase everything on your phone, including contacts, settings, preferences, calendars, etc. Make sure you back up your data first. If you’re on a Mac, I suggest checking out the alpha build of The Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 2.5. If you have a Windows PC, you can simply use the included ActiveSync software.
ALMOST DONE:
The phone will reboot once after it has reflashed, so don’t be alarmed if it takes a number of minutes to start up the first time. This is normal. Now that you’ve booted up the new version, go ahead and reinstall the RegeditSTG. The upgrade will have wiped our previous registry changes, and so you’ll need to go ahead and change the registry as we did above and reboot again. When you reboot, you’ll notice that your “E” symbol at the top of your phone that used to indicate an EDGE network is now a “G”, meaning GPRS network. Don’t fear, you’re still in an EDGE network, your phone just doesn’t know how to tell you you’re in an EDGE network. A simple reigstry modification and reboot will do the trick. NOTE: This is why we installed the Northern European version. The World Wide English version does not have the “E” symbol built in, so it can’t notify you if you’re in an EDGE network.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Drivers/BuiltIn/RIL and set the value EnableDifferGprsEdgeIcon to 1. Reboot, and you’re done. Congrats, you have stuck it to the man, completely unlocked your phone, built way better software on to it, and probably learned a great deal in the process. This tutorial/introduction to this procedure was taken from a mashup of other sites. None of them had it completely right, so I’ve posted my experience. Cheers.
UPDATE:
Without a doubt the coolest thing you can do with this phone now that it is unlocked is play fullscreen video with any codec. Obviously, since this is a Microsoft product, Windows Media Player on the phone supports WMV, but who actually uses that crap. If you want to watch your DivX files, I’d first recommend getting a huge MiniSD card (I just ordered a 2GB card from TigerDirect). The prices on these have really come down recently. Then, head over and grab TCPMP here. It’s a pretty solid, VLC-like client for Windows smartphone. If you want to put a movie on your phone then, you probably don’t want it to take up the whole 700MB. The Pocket DivX Encoder for Windows is pretty great. Everything is set up, just drag and drop a DivX and out pops a nice file perfect for the smartphone, with a much smaller footprint as well. I’ve been playing around with this as of last night and I love it. It’s like having the functionality of a 2GB iPod Video. Note that without fully unlocking your phone first, your video will look choppy and terrible. Afterwards, it’s smooth sailing.
this is fantastic.
granted, i don’t understand a thing.
(someone mentioned this). yes, i’m aware, it doesn’t make any sense to talk about firmware and rom as if they are interchangable, but when i wrote it it was so terrible with ‘firmware’ every 5 words i had to change something. most people wouldn’t know or care about the difference.
no one except truly l33t nerds. It really is almost enough that I want on of these things… I mean I already have Cingular. Do you just have the regular $39.99/month plan?
well no … that sort of doesnt exist. they have “packages” now if you go to a cingular store, so i end up paying quite a bit more than 39 a month. even if you select 39, after taxes and fees, a modest amount of internet data, it increases pretty rapidly.
oh and with a phone this nice i do pay a couple extra dollars a month so i can pretty much just throw it against a wall or drop it into the ocean from an airplane and they give me a new one.
I would buy you another one if you were able to drop it into the ocean from an airplane.
that can be arranged. maybe when they come out with a major hardware revision …
Thanks for the informative article. Just in case do you know where I can get a backup of the original 2125 firmware that comes from Cingular?
Thanks
there’s no real mechanism for backing up the original firmware, however, you can always go back to the old firmware at the HTC site. i don’t have a link with me at work but if i find it later i’ll let you know. i think if you goggle it you should find the original firmware without much problem.
so i followed the directions to the letter and installed the imate OS on my 2125. however, my video play back is still choppy and now i even notice lag when changing screens and scrolling. is there something i’m missing?
yes. the phone is not unlocked. you should go back into the registry and rechange the registry keys. make sure your CID hasn’t been reset to the old value either. this should fix your TCPMP issues.
as far as the lag with changing screens, i’m not sure what that’s about. i haven’t noticed that at all.
I unlocked the phone but when itry to flash the rom i get this message . error no 294 invalid vendor ID Please help
i’m not sure what that error is. i never saw it. the only thing i could think of is the CID change issue. other than that … not sure. anyone seen this before?
it was the CID Issue , Now the phone is flashed and is working better than ever . I have one more issue . i cant get rid of the roaming symbol . Here is a C**P from SPV developers .com
Owners of this (imate SP5m) and the imate SP5 (HTC Tornado) will be glad to hear that the push email update is now available. Download the new 2.6.331.2 version here. There’s many other extras in this update too, including file beaming over Bluetooth (which should be part of ANY Smartphone as default I believe!), improved radio, support for cell broadcast display and line2, extra MMS space and a newer client, frames functionality for IE (woohoo!) and much more.
The iMate update will also let you set the timeout of the keypad light, plus there’s improvements to the voice dial, communication manager, reminder functions, car kit (contact list sync) and Java.
Only attempt to perform this update if you own an iMate SP5 or SP5m, and back your stuff up first. All in all, a fantastic update for the SP5 and SP5m handsets – I’m especially impressed with the Bluetooth file sharing, IE frames support and extra MMS space, which are common issues that need resolving in a lot of Smartphones.
Links – SP5 English Update – SP5m English Update – Other Updates
Since my phone is now a SP5 shoul i do this update
Thanks
your phone is an SP5, essentially, it is not really an SP5m. i actually don’t know if the sp5m update is likely to work on the 2125, however, i would bet against it. that 2.6.331.2 firmware was released at the same time as the i-mate_SP5_NRE_2.5.333.1 firmware that you just installed on your phone, and it does include support for things like IE frames, bluetooth file sharing, email push, etc.
if you find information about whether or not the SP5m firmware will work on the 2125, let me know. i’m not convinced you will notice any real difference between the two revisions.
i haven’t ever seen the roaming issue. i’m assuming you don’t mean the G/E issue? glad to hear your’re happy with your new phone :)
Great Info! Do you know how to get rid of the “i-mate” splash screen?
well, no … but i do know it is possible. you just need to know where that image is and size/format. i believe if you search for cingular 2125 over at modaco.com (where much of the information for this post was found — but not all of it), you’ll find someone who talks about it. sorry i can’t be of much more help on this one — it doesn’t bother me that much.
I am thinking of upgrading to Cingular 8125 ,Do you have a step by step guide for that phone also
nah i dont … the hardware is totally different. i’d suggest looking somewhere at modaco.com
did all mods but get ‘driver not found’ for wifi. any ideas please?
stupid question: if the cingular 2125 has the same hardware as the other phones (e.g., Orange C600) does that mean that it actually has wifi hardware that will be activated once doing the firmware hack that you describe?
no, it doesn’t. it’s fully capable of running the same software, but the wifi hardware is not present in the 2125. don’t ask me why cingular felt it necessary to remove this without changing the price point.
actually i know exactly why … so 2125 users have to use their crappy pay-per-kb version of network access.
Good stuff. It answered my question of how to fix the really annoying input bug in my Cingular 2125 and now I’m convinced that this is a really flawless phone :D
I tried installing the i-mate_SP5_NRE_2.5.333 but my computer just tells me it can’t be installed and then my phone just sticks on the screen with the bars of colors until i take out the baattery to restart it.
Hey I have a question, once I unlock this phone, can I use my unlimited sidekick data plan with it, and if I can, do u have the qualifying settings. Or is it automatic
yes you can — no it is not automatic, and no i dont know the settings. i remember it taking me quite some time to look up the cingular settings … it was quite a pain actually.
Just flashed my phone following every step above. THANK YOU THANK YOU for posting this. I was fed up with the rom that came with the phone and read nothing but horror stories about updating with htc’s new 2125 rom. Will definitely be watching this post/page for more phone tips.
Gracias Acosta!!
I unlocked my phone and every thing went smooth. My a2dp went good but now my phone is running slow. I takes a few seconds to go to a programe or contacts. Could you tell me why?
for Grendel, i found this link regarding the splash screens:
http://www.2125resource.com/tweaks/splash.html
First of all I would like to say I loved the detailed walkthrough very much- it provided everything I expected.
I have a question about the regedit. I need to change the Internet explorer settings back to a ‘pda’ format. I keep getting an error message which says the my internet connection is not configured properly and to verify settings in data connections.
HELP PLEASE! – anyone know which TomTom version will run on my QTEK 8310…?
After using this 2.5.333.1 imate stuff, the Direct Push(MSFP) from Exchanged stopped working, after I reverted back to the Cingular software it worked…ideas?
well .. i dont know anything about direct push from exchange but remember that all the settings that govern data transmission on the cingular network are reset when using imate firmware — you’ll have to go to cingular help to get those settings back. they’re all over the net if you just search. since i dont use MSFP i’m not sure i can tell you whether or not they’ll be of any use though. i’m sure someone has tried it. maybe something over at modaco.com.
this is a great article, I tried to install the RegeditSTG and it wouldnt work. It says that it is an invalid Win32 Application…any idea’s on what I should do?
hmm weird. what type of extention did you have? should be something like a .cab and you should install it using the mechanism in the windows mobile software on your machine. i dont have a windows machine anymore so i can’t check but it worked for me.
found this link on a back link to my site, thought i’d comment on the registrystg problem…
if you downloaded registrystg to use on a 2125, you will get .exe file. just move the .exe file to the 2125 (not the storage card), place it under “windows/start menu” so it shows up in your start menu. it will work that way.
registry tools have to remain on the device itself to work properly.
also check out Breaksoft Mobile Registry editor. this is a remote registry tool that you can use on your desktop to edit your device’s registry.
i have a cingular 2125, do you have any idea how can i dismantle my phone??; cause i need to clean the inside of my screen… thanks
here is a guide on how to disassemble the 2125:
http://www.2125resource.com/tweaks/disassembly.html
just becareful not to get smudges on the screen, it’s a PITA to get off. and when you wipe the screen, start from the inside and work out. if you contact the rubber tape around the sides, it will leave black marks on the screen that are hard to get off.
I haven’t unlocked the phone yet but I am wondering if there is a shortcut to exit programs? Only the CorePlayer has an “Exit” option on the screen. Internet Explorer, Outlook, Solitaire, Camera, etc do not. The only way I have found to exit these programs is to go to the task manager and select “Stop All” from the menu.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Bryan
to my knowledge that’s the only way. honestly you dont need that memory for phone operation and loading and switching between apps is far faster with everything open. i havent noticed any decrease in performance with pretty much everything i use open (ie, camera, tcpmp, contacts, etc.)
Well I successfully completed the guide above. I am now running the iMate firmware.
I was pretty freaked out when my internet didn’t work but I quickly found the solution on Cingular’s website. I had to reenter all the connection settings.
GRPS Connection Settings:
* Connects From: The Internet
* Access Point: wap.cingular
* Username: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
* Password: CINGULAR1
* Primary DNS: Leave Blank
* Secondary DNS: Leave Blank
* IP Address: Leave Blank
MMS Settings:
# Name: Cingular MMS
# MMSC URL: http://mmsc.cingular.com
# WAP Gateway: wireless.cingular.com
# Port: 80
# Connect Via: The Internet
# Max. Sending Size: 300K (mine would only let me choose 250K)
# WAP Version: WAP 2.0
The reason I did the upgrade was to improve performance in TCPMP. It seems to have had a small effect but not enormous. The phone still chokes a little on large files with a lot of motion. I increased the buffer size etc and that help. I also changed the video quality to “Low”
For my purposes I don’t know if the upgrade was necessary but I learned a lot about my phone in the process.
Thanks for the support acosta
Bryan
good to hear the upgrade was a success. i noticed a bit more difference in performance when i did mine but i’m sure hardware revisions, etc. make that vary phone-to-phone. thanks for posting those connection settings! i’m sure people who come here to hack their phone will appreciate it.
When you say “edit the values 00001001 and 00001005 to values of 1 and 40, respectively”, are you referring to the value names or the value data?
When I try to paste the i-mate_SP5_NRE_2.5.333.1.zip file into the file directory of my phone, it says there isn’t enough memory to do that. How do I get more space on the phone itself and not on a miniSD?
NM. I figured it out!
Thanks for the instructions! Everything seems to be working fine. I do have one question. The icons, videos, and the images seem a bit pixellated. Is that normal? Would one expect the video quality to be similar to that of a video Ipod?
good to hear you figured that out. i havent seen anything like you seem to see with pixellated icons, videos, etc. the video quality is definitely NOT on par with that of the video ipod — don’t expect it to be that good.
Ok, there is a new problem. I believe this problem also existed with the original ROM image. The phone constantly fails at recognizing the mini SD card. Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions as to a solution to this issue? Thanks.
I just wanted to check and make sure this process still works. I am getting a refurb 2125 as a warranty replacement for my bastard mpx220 and I would like to hack the 2125 :)
Thanks
I want to use downloadable ringtones, is it possible to use other ones, other than the default tones, when I downloaded a ringtone it goes to media player. what gives? Thanks
if you copy your mp3s to the my documents folder they will show up in ringtone settings.
i have anewly purhcased 2125. and i keep hanging up on people because when the phone is looked and someone calls in it has answer and ignore options and when i pull it out of the holder it either answers or hangs up on people…..any fixes to get those keys adjusted or fixed
thanks for the great info. Just got a 4gb card, can it work? Please help.
you know i don’t know the answer to that. i personally have a 2gb card and it works great — i do remember someone somewhere on the net mentioning some issues with larger cards, including the 2gb, however mine worked fine. if you’ve got it, give it a whirl and let us know (post the model of the card as well).
Thanks for posting hack notes! Besides the better video playback are there any other benefits to switching to this new firmware? I’m trying to decide whether its worth the risk. Thanks!
if you are gonna always stay with cingular and you don’t want to install custom or a lot of other applications, then not really. but … i’m not exactly sure what the risk is — i’ve done this many times now and never had an issue.
PLEASE HELP MY SDA WONT TURN BACK ON. I followed all the steps and I went to us the ROM Image andit started to update then it would advance anymore. Its like it stopped working. SO I had to disconnect. Now it wont turn back on. Any suggetions?
i haven’t that experience in at least 5 re-flashes of my phone. anyone else???
Copy the zip to your phone, extract and open/install the .cab file included in the archive.
I don’t understand how to do this. I’ve copied the winrar archive file called Cert, but then I can’t unzip it on the phone. stuck at step number 2
made it through and got the I-mate ROM on, but now I can’t edit the registry. Access denied.
Its good
Worked like a charm….best walkthrough around…just did it so don’t know if there are any issues….it did crash my the I-mate program crashed my laptop twice and I had to use my PC instead to make sure that I didn’t flash the phone and then the comp crashed before I got a program on the phone. Anyway, it worked. Thanks.
Has anyone tried this new image from HTC? It looks newer than the one used in thsi article, just curious if they have made any improvements.
http://www.htcamerica.net/support/docs/To_CWS_20130_284222_022501_Ship.exe
So, I tried the “new and improved” image I asked about above, and for lack of better words…it sucks. I just reflashed back to the version described in this article.
Has anyone found a version similiar to this that will enable DirectPush and work on our phones?
DO you know what GPS program can be installed on 2125?
Clearview from cingular can not install on 2125 now.
Do you have any suggestion?
Thank you
Hi, I’m using imate sp5m and Qtek 8300, have instaled tomtom 5.20 and want to connect with HI-406BT external gps receiver. Need some help, the receiver needs com 8, on the mobiles can use only com 6 and com 7. How to add com 8?
before i do anything i thought i should ask first ….can you do this on mpx220 or if not do you know any blog or forum that has info about it cause i searched up n down came out zero results thanks a bunch in advance.
Great Guide , man you really know your way around smartphones. I have a Sp5m but kept on upgrading it with WWE ver, this info abt NRE is great thanks for such a nice update.
my text messages are taking hours to send and receive now, why?
after upgrading i lost my voice tag option/cabability is there anyway of reinstalling it