Installing software on Microsoft Windows CE 5.0 Core

Question

I have bought a Wayteq N470 gps device without navigation software. Underneath it runs an OS based on WinCE. The main interface doesn't allow me to run any software (no file browsing), therefore I can't install my navigation software. How can I procceed? How can I install software on a crippled pocketpc?

Answer 1

Is there a way to get to a full keyboard? If so, you might be able to alt+tab or ctrl+alt+delete your way out of the program and into the OS.

Otherwise you might be able to make some kind of virus that can get you back to the core OS via the USB slots.

Answer 2

You CAN install your navigation software. Guess you mean iGo.
Search around the internet. You have to specify the Folder of your navi software in a config file.

Then, copy your whole iGo/whatsoever to your memory card, and that's it.

Answer 3

A quick Google seems to tell me this has Pocket IE on it? If this is true, are you able to download and save files to local storage, such as images, etc.? Most CE-based Windows Mobile software is available in .cab files. I can't think of a freeware Windows Mobile application right now but some googling should find you one.

Once you've downloaded the .cab file, you might try accessing it in IE using the "file://" scheme in the URL, such as:

file:///My Documents/somefile.cab

Then I believe Windows Mobile will "execute" the .cab and install it.

Of course, it's possible that the configuration of Windows Mobile on this device has been modified to prevent any of this. Microsoft delivers Windows Mobile to OEMs in an "adaptation kit," which means the OEM actually builds a customized version of the OS tailored to whatever they want.

In that event your only hope is if there is a service or recovery mode that allows the running and possibly installation of custom firmware and therefore a modified version of Windows Mobile (or even Linux or Android). Most devices of this type have such a mode (don't know it for this device) but you still have to know how it works (this information is usually not freely available) and have something to install (information on how to do this is also usually not freely available).

But, this was fairly common with the old 5.x and 6.x Windows Mobile phones, mostly from HTC (http://xdadevelopers.com), but for other devices such as this I'm not particularly hopeful they have hacker communities behind them.