iPaq 3850 ROM update problem

[southpaw]

I am having huge problems trying to upgrade the ROM image on my iPaq 3850. I am unable to get my desktop to recognise the iPaq once it is in USB update mode, and therefore cannot communicate with it. Has anyone any suggestions?

Thanks,

Conor.

[jenny571]

Conor

I had a similar problem. For some reason the coms port stops responding. What worked for me was I killed all ports except for the one which was connected to my iPAQ/rebooted/ and wham!!!!

No probs. Upgrade successfull. Too bad that only a few days later I went and bought the new 3950.

Try the above and see how you get on. No promisies but anything is worth trying.

Cheerio

[jau]

I'm in the same situation. During USB upgrade, IPAQ doesn't send correct indentification to PC and upgrade cannot continue. I think that previous reply is a another case, perhaps upgrading thru serial ports, isn't it?

[WxOKC]

I did not experience the problems you are having when I updated my 3800 to the 1.20 ROM last month.

As a thought...can you establish a new "pertnership"? Choose a new name like "Pocket_PC_2". There is no reason that the USB port should stop responding after you upgrade your ROM.

Do you have more information you could add?

[southpaw]

Thanks for the replies.

When I recradle my 3850 after entering "REMOTE UPDATE MODE" (the red screen you see after resetting), my desktop cannot set up a connection, as it does not recognise the device - it just keeps on trying to talk to the iPaq, and returns with the Active Sync error that it cannot find the device (i.e. Retry or Disconnect COM port).

If I proceed with the attempted upgrade, I get ERROR 113 - cannot communicate with device.

Any suggestion would be most helpful - this is driving me mad.

Conor.

[WxOKC]

I got my updated ROM here before it made it to the main page on the hPaq site...

Documentation:
ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp21001-21500/SP21474.txt

Update:
ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/softpaq/sp21001-21500/sp21474.exe

I cut/pasted some of these notes for you from the ftp site...

INSTALLATION NOTES:

2. Important: Disable the standby and hibernation modes on your
host PC. If standby or hibernation are activated during the
upgrade process, a critical error may occur.

4. Important: Do not interact with your device or remove it from power
or the cradle/cable once the actual update has started.

6. When the ROM Update Utility is used on a host PC for the first time, the
Operating System may not recognize the iPAQ as a USB device after placing
the iPAQ in update mode. Ensure the iPAQ is recognized by waiting
for the host PC to properly find and install the USB driver again before
continueing the update process. (This is not to be confused with the
ActiveSync warning, "Device Not Recognized".)



Looking at #6 makes me wonder if your PC needs to reinstall the proper USB device driver. Try following the advice in #6 and let me know what happens.

[Byrdman]

Dear Frustrated iPAQ 3800 series ROM Updaters:


It turns out this frustrating issue is just a matter of confusing and poorly written instructions on the part of Compaq.

Follow the Pocket PC ROM Update Utility instructions exactly:

* When you reach the point where it asks you to remove the iPAQ from the USB/serial cradle and place it in USB Update Mode, do so.

* Place the iPAQ back on the cradle and Active Sync should attempt to communicate with the device again, this time unsuccessfully. THIS IS OKAY! As long as Active Sync attempts to communicate with the iPAQ again you should be fine.

* Hit NEXT and continue with the Pocket PC Update Utility and the ROM update will begin.

* When the iPAQ asks you to "Remove the Battery" at the end of this process, that just means to perform a hard reset.


Basically, most users (myself included) think that the ROM update is performed via Active Sync, when it actually is performed via... yep... USB.

There should have been a clear indicator that lets the user know that they can expect Active Sync to fail to properly connect with the iPAQ while it is in USB Update Mode, but to just continue with the Pocket PC ROM Update Utility.

Okay, no need to spend the big bucks on a 3900! :-)

Yours,

Byrdman

[graemec]

Connor,

I found an excellent guide on how to perform the upgrade at www.pocketnow.com Give it a look it helped me.

Best of Luck!!!

Graeme