A56>C56 conversion

[Rebel_lord]

well with the first post ... dat's okay ... u just have to unlock it (not just flash it) and den upload the proper batter epproms ... umm maybe you're almost outta batteries ...

[deanjen]

just PM you about the procedure and problems I have last night...

Seem to me that the phone is just "dead"... Now the software can recognize it as C56, and the unlocking process seems to be okay, but the flashing process isn't working at all...

And, can't power it on, and can't charge it(no battery indicator).

Anybody? As much as I didn't pay much for this guinea pig...still wanna try to make it work...:P

[mosquito_R]

Originally posted by deanjen
Seem to me that the phone is just "dead"... Now the software can recognize it as C56, and the unlocking process seems to be okay, but the flashing process isn't working at all...

And, can't power it on, and can't charge it(no battery indicator).

Just curious... did your phone start life as an A56i (NOT A56)? Learning from previous posts on this thread and other threads, it seems that the A56i is not compatible with the "no test point" method in Freia, which is what we are using with the A56>C56 conversion instructions. Could that have a bearing on the outcome of your phone?

So now your phone's being recognised as a C56, and was unlocked successfully, does that mean it isn't working because it didn't have the 5 EEPROM blocks containing battery info in the beginning of the process? If so, just load the original 5 blocks in the .eep file.

If your phone started life as an A56i, there would have been no need to do the conversion as the A56i contains almost all, if not every, feature that the C56 has.

Hey, if the phone is still under warranty and you still got the receipt, you could try your luck at doing a warranty claim at the dealer (though this suggestion throws all ethics out the window, and I for one won't want to do this).

cheers,
Mosquito_R

[deanjen]

Oh, this is a Cingular A56...not the AT&T A56i.

now the problem is like this...any process will ask me to turn on the phone(just push the button, right?)... But now I can't even do that...

let along flashing the *.eep file(by the way, how do you flash this one? same as the *.fls file?)....

oh well...so frustrating...

[mosquito_R]

Originally posted by deanjen
Oh, this is a Cingular A56...not the AT&T A56i.

Good!

now the problem is like this...any process will ask me to turn on the phone(just push the button, right?)... But now I can't even do that...

I trust that you'd just momentarily tap the power button to get the process initiated, not holding it on until the phone powers up. From what I read in your posts, it probably just makes a flatulent sound and then dies.

let along flashing the *.eep file(by the way, how do you flash this one? same as the *.fls file?)....

oh well...so frustrating...

For the EEPROM files, you use the EEPROM tools. Pls look at the earlier pages in this thread to see which version to get. Then load the 5 blocks from the .eep file and then use the "Save selected" method. This step is also mentioned in the conversion instructions.

Good luck!

Mosquito_R

[deanjen]

okay, downloaded the EEPROM tool...UnRAR it...

But then...can't use it...

something with a COMDLG32.OCX that is not right...?

Any alternative way? Or any way to fix this?

[deanjen]

okay, just tried the Freia again...now this time it can recognize the phone and can unlock it(or read it)...

Still, can't flash it. Try to flash it the first time, and it'll just give me the error message that it can't read some blocks.

Tried the 2nd time...now I can't even power it on...

I wonder if something else is wrong...cause when I was flashing couple nights ago...I left the computer there for flashing(it did take a while) but my little cousin then went into the room to use internet...maybe she did some nasty trick?:P

Any suggestion(other than court-martial my little-devil cousin?:P)?

[deanjen]

Okay, got that COM.... files...but now one more file missing...DUH...

let's see how many updates I need from Microsoft...

Anybody ever tried this under Linux? :P

[deanjen]

Okay, modification of my post...

The error happens when I wanna load the file...message is shown below:

Run-time error '6':
Overflow

I hope I don't have to use some program to re-write this program...any fix?

[mosquito_R]

Chinese WindowsME is not the most popular operating system; could that be a liability in operating the EEPROM tools software?

There should be a total of 3 OCX files to install into your comp.

When doing stuff with phones on the comp, try not to use ANY OTHER applications, just to keep things safe. So, your little cousin could have done something perhaps...

At the way things are going for you, I'd still say that you should just load the EEPROM blocks into your phone first. Forget about flashing now...

Here's a rough outline of what you should do for the conversion.
1. Read A56 firmware (ie. copy it into the comp)
2. Take EEPROM blocks from A56 and save into a .eep file. (5 blocks with your battery info)
3. Write C56 firmware into A56 (flashing)
4. Unlock C56.
5. Write the 5 EEPROM blocks into your now converted phone.

To my understanding, you're already at Step 4. So, just deal with the EEPROM stuff first!

However, given your operating system, could that have caused some of your problems? Do you have another computer with perhaps XP? Or Win98?

Still scratching my head...

Mosquito_R

[deanjen]

unfortunately both XP and WinME I have are chinese versions, and both just can't seemt o run the EEPROM TOol correctly(when I press the "load" buttom and try to load the *.eep file...it just give me a overflow error...on both my computers; let alone read anything from phone...

[deanjen]

nah...it's okay...at least I learned about the cellphone... Not bad for a $20..(that's how much the phone has cost me).

[mosquito_R]

Originally posted by deanjen

unfortunately both XP and WinME I have are chinese versions, and both just can't seemt o run the EEPROM TOol correctly(when I press the "load" buttom and try to load the *.eep file...it just give me a overflow error...on both my computers; let alone read anything from phone...

Perhaps users of other Windows versions with different languages could share your experience here please? Since I know a fair bit of the information on this process is in Russian and Spanish, there are definitely people running non-English Windows who have converted their phones successfully.

Have you tried another version of the EEPROM tools?

nah...it's okay...at least I learned about the cellphone... Not bad for a $20..(that's how much the phone has cost me). [/QUOTE]

Yes, $20 is really no big deal (I had the same mentality in the beginning when I was fooling around with my first A56), but don't toss the phone away yet! I hope you'll be able to have another chance on another computer and/or with different software. This is really a good little phone, and after conversion, you'll love it that much more!

cheers,
Mosquito_R

[deanjen]

Well, $20 for a learning experience is pretty good...besides, I'll have another A56 coming in soon for torture...:P

Maybe because I'm using COM cable instead of USB one...?

[mosquito_R]

If you've read much earlier posts (and also do a search in the Siemens forum for data cable topics), there should be no difference between USB and serial cables, provided that they are all properly configured. IMO, the USB is a little easier to use, but that's mainly because I'm too lazy to fiddle around with settings and such and would prefer my computer to do it for me.

So you got another A56 incoming??? Lucky you...

cheers,
Mosquito_R