Updating Nokia firmware in Vmware under Linux

It was a bit of a struggle to get everything working... but here's how I did it.

  1. Install VMWare 2.0.0 under Ubuntu Linux (due to kernel changes, the older version of vmware could no longer compile the kernel modules (asm/semaphore.h changed to linux/semaphore.h and the kill_proc function was removed from the kernel).
  2. Browse to vmware's localhost web page and install the Firefox/Mozilla plugin for it, restart firefox.
  3. Upgrade VMWare hardware version of my pre-existing Windows vmware image, add USB hardware if not there, let Windows hardware detect and install drivers as necessary, reboot if needed.
  4. mount -t usbfs none /proc/bus/usb -o devgid=500,busgid=500,busmode=664,devmode=664 (I set the devgid and busgid to my uid, which was the admin account in vmware. Maybe you use root and don't need to do something, or maybe it was just strange for me.. no idea.)
  5. Browse to Nokia's website and install the Nokia Software Updater. Reboot windows.
  6. Plug in the Nokia phone, select Nokia mode (as opposed to storage mode or another mode).. mount the device in the VMware image. Any read/write errors here are probably permission related in regard to /proc/bus/usb/.
  7. Shutdown Windows, find the vmware.log file and do "grep path:" vmware.log.. find the entry corresponding to the Nokia phone. Copy & Paste the Numbers/Numbers after the path: bit. (maybe it's 1/2/3 for you or just 1/2)
  8. Edit the .vmx file in the same directory, add usb.autoConnect.device0 = "path:THOSE/NUMBERS". I also added usb.generic.skipsetconfig = "true" but I'm not sure that's necessary. You are actually binding that particular USB port on the host to that VMware image. You may want to undo this afterwards.
  9. Start up the Windows guest again. The phone should now connect automatically.
  10. Run the Nokia Software Updater.. cross your fingers.. if it doesn't work, uninstall and reinstall the software. Apparently the USB device drivers get screwed up often enough and this fixes them - at least, it did for me.
  11. The Nokia Software Updater SHOULD now detect your phone.. if it doesn't, it's probably the device driver.. uninstall and reinstall Nokia Software Updater. It should find any new firmware for your phone and commence installing it.

The reason why you need to use usb autoconnect with the path option is because (it would seem) that the phone reboots into a firmware update mode and changes its identity.. and if it doesn't respond fast enough, then the Nokia Software Updater aborts (causing you to wonder whether you just turned your phone into a brick - luckily it wasn't the case for me).

Good luck!

(For the record, I ended up embarking on this journey when the Nokia Software Updater just stalled at the start screen on my girlfriend's laptop - a common problem, google would suggest.. Please Nokia, give us a Linux firmware updater!)

— by Robert Thomson, created 12th Dec, 2008, last modified 12th Dec, 2008 | 1 comment | Tags: Tech

gnokii --reset hard != reboot

I held a short memorial service for my SMS archive. At least I'd backed up my phonebook before doing it. Seriously, it looks innocuous if you read the gnokii manpage.

— by Robert Thomson, created 11th Dec, 2008, last modified 11th Dec, 2008 | Tags: Tech

Why git is better than X

WhyGitIsBetterThanX.com prompted me to take more than a superficial look at git (Version Control System), and I'm very impressed. I think I'm a convert, forever destined to look down on other VCS' with a slight air of disgust.

Update: Commenter KK wanted to point out http://git.or.cz/gitwiki/GitSvnComparsion for a less koolaidy comparison.

— by Robert Thomson, created 7th Dec, 2008, last modified 8th Dec, 2008 | 1 comment | Tags: Tech

Chess Board!

No more lonely nights browsing websites (no, not those websites)! We now have a chess board... and the books Chess for Dummies and Complete Idiots Guide to Chess. :-) We still need to buy a pack of cards and a couple of board games. :) We must also find some sports we can do during winter here.. there's not really much to do in the city center itself since it's all historic, so it will take 20 to 40 minutes on a bus each time..

— by Robert Thomson, created 21st Nov, 2008, last modified 10th Dec, 2008 | Tags: World

Locked out of house, and rescued by firemen!

Yes, in Italy, firemen come to your house when you're locked out. 'twas cool! And we met all of our neighbors! We have a second lock, to which we have no key, that we only use from the inside.. it must have clicked shut when we closed the door. Luckily, we had an open window, and with a long enough ladder, it was reachable.

— by Robert Thomson, created 9th Oct, 2008, last modified 9th Oct, 2008 | 1 comment | Tags: World

Internet in Perugia

We have achieved that which we thought impossible. We now have Internet at our apartment in Perugia! It is a miracle! After over a month of wrangling with technical difficulties (which they never mentioned when we called to find out about our order - instead claiming that we were not customers, and trying to sell us something, thus leading us to assume our order was dropped, and to us placing a second order).. And so it is, that we now have Internet in our apartment. We probably could have had it a couple of weeks ago, had the modem (or instructions, since we had a spare modem) arrived sooner. But now we are officially customers, and we shall cherish our new-found status.

— by Robert Thomson, created 9th Oct, 2008, last modified 9th Oct, 2008 | Tags: Tech

Will work for food

.. if I'm ever that desperate. But seriously, since I'm going to Italy for 10 months, and quitting my job to do it, I will probably look for some projects to keep me busy, and with the current state of the share market, I'd feel better earning money instead of digging into my savings. :-) So if anybody has any 100% remote part-time work for me (python, perl, linux, whatever) at realistic rates, starting November, let me know. The Django remote work job-board looks like an interesting option, if you weed out the adverts wanting something-for-nothing.

— by Robert Thomson, created 2nd Oct, 2008, last modified 2nd Oct, 2008 | Tags: Tech

Off for another week in Perugia..

Tomorrow, I'm off for another week in Perugia. I'm looking forward to it, just like last time. The only downside is that I have to stay overnight in Florence, due to the timing of the flight and the last train, and the expense of a Saturday morning flight.. It's been getting progressively colder there, so I will take some warm clothes with me this time. I'm sure I'll be fine, since it's actually colder in Holland right now.

This round of packing is a little tough, though.. What's the largest set of clothes and other items that I can take with me that will still leave me with everything that I need here for my final 3 weeks here but that I can easily take with me next time. My final work day is on the 31st of October.

I also spent some money on things that I can't take with me, such as a washing machine, microwave, mattress, etc., and it would be nice if I could recoup some of the expense.. but I guess I'll be putting those things up for sale in my final week, unless the flatmates wish to purchase them from me (which would be ideal) for the next tenant, or the next tenant themselves.

— by Robert Thomson, created 2nd Oct, 2008, last modified 2nd Oct, 2008 | Tags: Private, World

Italian service providers just hang up if they don't understand you..

It's quite ridiculous. You call, you ask if you can speak to somebody who speaks English.. they say, "No." .. so you attempt to use your pre-formulated sentences to get across your message.. they interrupt you, then you say that you don't understand, and they hang up. Gar!

— by Robert Thomson, created 9th Sep, 2008, last modified 9th Sep, 2008

Emergency Root Canal Treatment!

I had that on Monday (yesterday), because of one of my bottom front teeth. Luckily, it wasn't very painful. The nerve of the tooth was mostly dead, and the anaesthetic worked a treat anyway.. I didn't even dribble my water afterwards!

I'm sure I could have gone without pain meds today, but as the day wore on, my overused mouth was starting to make itself known, so I decided to take a paracetamol+caffeine (for the caffeine, really!) and later an ibuprofen tablet as a preventative measure. I'll probably also take one just before I sleep, so there's less chance of me waking up.

Apparently dead nerves/gum infection usually occurs because of some prior accident, and the only accident I could recall happened when I would've still had my baby teeth, so that's almost certainly not the cause. So, no idea why!

— by Robert Thomson, created 26th Aug, 2008, last modified 26th Aug, 2008 | Tags: World