Unlock Mio C710

ianj · Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:37 pm Post subject: Unlock Mio C710

Hi,

Got my new Mio C710 last week and have been playing with it. Loving the navigation, way better than my old Navman SmartST with iPAQ jacket!

Anyway, I'm always curious about how these things work and was triggered by trying to explore the memory to add the new voice on pdamill.com. Underneath the MIO screens is a full Windows CE device, it just needs unlocking (at your own risk of course) ;-)

I found in a french forum on gpspassion.com a link to the following page with an "unlock-c510-mioskins.zip"
http://miojaco.mioskins.net/zip/telechargement.php3#debridage

If you cannot explore the \flashdrive over a bluetooth connection then you must then do the following:

Instructions are included in the zip file (in French) which you should follow - read them through several times until you are happy (but essentially you are asked to make a copy of the MIOMAPV3 cd on to your hard drive and rename miomap.exe in the installs folder. Then add the "miomap.exe" and other files from the downloaded zip).

Run setup from your new folder and choose to restore your miomapv3.1 software. This will upload the new miomap.exe.

If you can explore the flashdrive with bluetooth then simply rename the miomap.exe on the C710 and upload the files from the zip.

Once restored, perform a soft reset and select miomap from the front screen as normal - hey presto, you have a file explorer!
navigate to \flashdrive\MIOMAP\\Miomap\ and double click on MIOTOOL.exe, this starts a keyboard app. Then double click the unlock-c510mioskins.cab. This requires an "enter" key press to install so once the install dialog is open, click on the little abc icon top left to expand the keyboard and press enter.

Perform another soft reset and you get a desktop and file explorer.
You now need to go to \flashdrive\utils\total commander\ and delete the french language file, then go to \flashdrive\miomap\miomap and delete the fake miomap.exe and rename the original back to miomap.exe.

You can now start miomap from the desktop (although I also had to retransmit my maps). You can also use activesync (download from MS) to explore and transfer files easily to the whole unit, not just the flash drive.

I have installed a new mp3 player from www.winamPAQ.com (choose the NEXIO160 version) which is way better, minimises and plays in the background, and still mutes for phone calls!

All I need now is a better PIM!

If you are happy as it is then please leave it alone, but that MP3 player was really annoying me as the advertised "minimise" button was non-existent. In theory I can watch DivX films on it now, play games, plus not get lost anywhere in Europe of course!

I hope this is of use to someone, let me know how you get on!

Ian

alix776 · Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 4:00 pm Post subject:

just a word of warning should anyone want to give it a go you could invalidate any warnenty you have on the device by unlocking it if it does go wrong you could also end up with an expensive doorstop

while we have no problem with people discussing ways to do this kind of thing i felt it appropriate that we should add a warning
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device Lumia 950 xl

ianj · Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 7:09 pm Post subject:

Of course, I did say "at your own risk"! Luckily though, the operating system is stored on a ROM image like most WinCE devices and so a hard reset together with a restore of the flash drive makes it good as new - just make sure you have your backups!

Ian

ianj · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 2:22 am Post subject: Unlocking update

After some trials (and errors) I have found the following. If you wish to add any other programs, put them on the flash drive so that they aren't cleared on a hard reset!

The file \windows\ppath.txt is what maps the front screen to the various programs so for example:

Change [Calculator]\windows\calculator.exe to [Calculator]\windows\explorer.exe
and [Music]\windows\mp3player.exe to [Music]\my flash disk\winampaq\winampaq.exe

Now mainshell looks the same as before bu does what you want.
To get it back to starting up to the original default (but now with a button to get you out to explorer) you must make a registry change:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\init.
Delete Launch 80
Modify Launch 50 to "ST.exe"

Soft reset and the C710 now behaves as it did out of the box but with a better MP3 player and the option to get out to explorer (I can always run the calculator, or a new one, from there).

Anyway, I'm going to stop fiddling for a bit and get some sleep!

Ian

Sallyann · Lifetime Member Joined: Jun 23, 2006 Posts: 768

Well Ian, I had a go at unlocking my C710 this evening. I followed the instructions carefully, and at first it all seemed to go OK. I got the revised startup screen, and when I ran Mio it told me just what you found, that the maps had been wiped. Unfortunately when I tried to send the maps from the CD, it couldn't connect to the C710. Neither could I see the device at all using Mio Transfer, or Windows Explorer. Also running ActiveSync on the C710 told me that it wasn't connected.
I got round it by copying the maps to an SD card connected to my PC, and then copying them within the C710, and then it worked OK.
However I still couldn't get the USB connection to work, and as this is vital I decided to do a hard reset and a full restore from the CD. So I'm back where I started.
I will have another go when I have some more time, but in the meantime it's reassuring to know that if all goes wrong you can safely recover to the original condition.

Sal

lbendlin · Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:01 pm Post subject:

I tried TCPMP on the 710 and it works pretty nicely. Obviously the volume control doesnt work but the rest is just fine.

You have to start ActiveSync on the Mio with the cable connected. It will no autosense.
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ianj · Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:38 pm Post subject:

Yes, the active sync must be triggered from the C710 once connected to the USB lead. Make sure Active Sync is configured to listen to the USB port. On mine, Active sync comes up with an error message but, on clearing, you can use the explore function to move files. (I must confess that this was how I restored the maps on mine).

I have also found that you can unlock it through bluetooth file transfer (and not have to restore the maps) by copying the files back and forth to rename them and add the cab files.

I guess that you can also do it by backing up to an SD card (and backing that up) then modify the SD card to add the new files and restore it.

I'm trying to find out how to map the keys to work the volume in the music player - no joy so far.

Ian

lbendlin · Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 3:58 am Post subject:

Sallyann · Lifetime Member Joined: Jun 23, 2006 Posts: 768

Simebaby · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 14, 2006 Posts: 53

Can anyone help me with this? I've followed all the steps to the letter (doing this via BT), but when I've installed the .cab file and performed a soft reset, I just get the Mio home screen again - no windows desktop etc.

This is on a 510 btw.

thanks

Si.

lbendlin · Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 2:11 am Post subject:

did you actually execute the CAB file on the Mio ?
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Matzon · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 23, 2006 Posts: 5

I've successfully modified the c710, and run all sorts of stuff.
However I am unable to get somekind of Dial-up-networking going - neither via ActiveSync nor via bluetooth.
Ideally I would like to be able to go online with the device, using my mobile phone as bluetooth-dun.

Has anyone had success with this ?

Dilcymro · Frequent Visitor Joined: Mar 09, 2006 Posts: 376

[b]matson wrote.

Matzon · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 23, 2006 Posts: 5

sure

I've modified the french cab file to the bare minimum required to run total commander and ActiveSync (the french cab will work fine, I just modified it becuase I keep wrecking my c710 in my search for bluetooth-gprs :D)

Use bluetooth file-explorer interface to overwrite miomap with the one from the zipfile (basically total commander), and copy over miotool and the cab file too.
1: Start "miomap" - which launches total commander
2: Start miotool (keyboard, needed to press ok to dialogs)
3: Start the cab file
4: Soft-reboot

Having already placed this stuff on my flashdisk, I can "hack" my c710 in 3 secs after a hard-reset by only executing step 3 and 4.
(the cab file should be read-only, else it gets deleted on install.)

I am using ActiveSync 3.8 which doesn't complain on connect, unlike 4.2.

Once activesync is running, copy over whatever programs you like, in my case I have the following running fine:
Video: TCPMP - http://tcpmp.corecodec.org
Audio: WinamPAQ - http://www.winampaq.com/
System: WR-Tools ResInfo - http://www.wolfgang-rolke.de/wince/ (I have yet to find a proper freeware working task manager)

Dilcymro · Frequent Visitor Joined: Mar 09, 2006 Posts: 376

Hi matzon,

Thank you for all that......I think I will put it down to one of those things I wished I had never asked Out of here

Regards....Dil
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