Expert: Werner "Menneisyys" Ruotsalainen

(Note that if you’ve never heard of ignore_my_docs, you can safely skip this article. It’s only meant for users of previous Windows Mobile operating systems that would like to know whether ignore_my_docs is still in effect.)

There is still a lot of confusion caused by ignore_my_docs explained for example in THIS (this is the most important article!), THIS and THIS threads / articles.

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UPDATE (11/02/2007): There's a version specifically meant for the T-Mo Dash is at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=340762 . Also, if you have a MS Smartphone (as opposed to a Pocket PC), it MUST be application unlocked for the hack to work. See for example See for example http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=2004&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 for more links on application unlocking. Note that app unlocking is absolutely legal.

UPDATE (10/02/2007): there is an even better, easier-to-install and, what is more, even MS Smartphone (Windows Mobile Standard)-compatible hack. Just download the CAB file linked from THIS post (I’ve also mirrored it HERE, just to be on the safe side, should you not want to register at XDA-Dev to access the download), install it (by simply clicking it on your handheld), power down your device (if it’s a Pocket PC – in order to make sure the Registry changes are all flushed) and restart it.

This hack will add full BT DUN to both platforms. I’ve thoroughly tested it on both my WM6 HTC Universal (a Pocket PC) and WM6 HTC s710 / Vox (a Smartphone) and found it excellent. Note that the traditional, BT PAN-based Internet Sharing will still work alongside with the added BT DUN (tested on both devices).

Note that it has a minor annoyance. After you terminate the connection, you will still be unable to access the Net on the Pocket PC or Smartphone that you used as a modem (also see THIS and THIS for similar bug reports). The solution to this is pretty simple: instead of (lengthy and/or awkward) soft resetting your handheld, just make sure you tap either the data connection icon in Comm Manager (this seem to be sufficient with Smartphones) or, as with, it seems, with Pocket PC’s (like the Universal), just dis- and, then, re-enable the phone connection itself (or, alternatively, en-, and, then, re-disable Flight mode). This all makes this small bug easy to live with.

Finally, Smartphone users: remember NOT to long-press the Red dial button to lock your device – it’ll also terminate the call. Instead, use the standard lock menu accessible via the Power button.

There is also a tutorial on making USB connection work with Modem Link HERE, should it be messed up. Also, the entire thread might be worth giving a read, should you still have problems.

Thanks for FX Belloir for pointing out this hack!

(end of update, the now-outdated original article follows. This means you’ll want to prefer the new hack explained above, NOT the old one I still keep for historical purposes only. It's only the first sections, which explain what this is all about, are worth reading for casual users.)

Anyone having read my article New dial-up networking model of the WM5 AKU3 – a must if you use your WM phones as modems knows WM5 AKU3 (and, of course, WM6) has dramatically changed the way dial-up networking is handled – not necessarily in the good direction. (Please DO read the article if you don’t have a clue what I’m referring to and you have ever wanted to use your Windows Mobile handheld as a cellular modem!)

Microsoft, so far, haven’t really done anything to the problem, except for publishing an article (also discussed for example HERE). Therefore, hackers needed to concentrate their forces on solving the problem. After the first failed attempts (for example mine, as is explained in the first-linked article), at last, some excellent XDA-Developers folks have managed to enable this feature with a comparatively easy-to-do hack. I’ve developed the hack further, making it compatible with several handheld models and ROM versions (the previous version available at XDA-Developers doesn’t support the Universal, Wizard and, probably, several other models because it doesn’t do any forced Registry import – it might only be compatible with the P3600.)

The hack makes it possible to use most WM5 AKU3 / WM6 devices in the traditional (pre-WM5 AKU3) DUN dial-up method, in addition to the new, in WM5 AKU3 introduced Internet Sharing.

This means you can use BOTH technologies and can have the advantages of BOTH approaches. With the “traditional” DUN dial-up, you still have the freedom of NOT having to manually start / reconnect Internet Sharing AND the ability to use clients not supporting the BT Personal Area Network (PAN) profile required by the new Internet Sharing. And, as Internet Sharing is still supported, you can still have a real internet sharing approach, making it possible to use the Internet on both the Windows Mobile device acting as a modem and the client that connects to it (and can still have the other goodies Internet Sharing also offers: for example, the accessibility of the phone even with an ongoing Internet session.)

Again, it’s almost impossible to emphasize how important, how revolutional this hack is! If you’ve EVER tried to use your WM5 AKU3 / WM6 Windows Mobile phone as a modem you know Internet Sharing can be a REAL pain in the back, particularly if the client you’d like to use it from doesn’t support BT PAN.

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Now that Microsoft has, finally, officially released the forthcoming, by Windows Mobile 5 users, highly anticipated AKU3 (please read this article on what different AKU's are different in) for device manufacturers and rebranders, a lot of new articles have been published on it.

The latest one worth checking out is that of Hong Kong-based website Phone Daily. The original article is here, the English "translation" of it here. (Note that BabelFish wasn't able to translate the original page; this is why I had to edit the original page and remove the implicit REFRESH tag to avoid BabelFish promptly switching to the main (Chinese) homepage of the site. The modified and, now, BabelFish-compliant page is here. Remembering this trick can be pretty useful when you plan to translate any page from Phone Daily - or, for that matter, any web site that is incompatible with BabelFish because of the quiuck redirection.)

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I’ve just updated my article on the USB networking model of WM5 originally published here with the latest AKU2.2+-related information.

To summarize the changes for people that aren’t interested in the technical details: in the latest, AKU 2.2 (or later) WM5 upgrades available for many HTC (i-mate, Qtek, T-Mobile, Cingular etc.) Pocket PC phones and some unconnected PDA’s like the Dell Axim x51v, it may be preferable to deactivate the, by default, enabled "Enable advanced network functionality" checkbox in the newly (in AKU 2.2) added Start / Settings / Connections / USB to PC applet. It’ll result in a (in cases, far) faster USB connection when you cradle your Pocket PC and will also get rid of the numerous firewall incompatibility problems.

Well-known Russia-based mobile-centric news source Mobile-Review.com has just published the English translation of their great writeup on everything Adaptation Kit Update (AKU). The article is pretty much up-to-date (the original, Russian version was published a little bit over a month ago), unlike most of the AKU-related articles out there. I heartily recommend the article if you don't know what these AKU versions are all about.

(Note that the original Russian version of the article is here if you don't like the mistakes in the English translation.)

Please note that, as far as DUN vs Internet Sharing is concerned, the article has a factual error, which is explained here.