(you can follow the author on twitter: twitter.com/benjezzy)
Whether it be “Vodafone”, “Orange” or “3″, we’ve all been subject to carrier branding on the software and sometimes on the hardware. Today, we take a stand and decide to go the “un-branded” way!
In this guide, we will show you how to unbrand your phone in order to get rid of those pesky carrier traces left on your phone’s sofware and how to update to newer firmwares much faster.
Note: By unbranding your N97, you will void your warranty since you are changing the product code. But fear not, if anything goes wrong, I will show you a way to revert to your original product code if you ever need to send your phone back to Nokia. I (& N97fanatics.com) take no responsibility if you are not able to follow simple instructions!
For this you will need:
- to know your Nokia N97’s product code (found under the battery, on the same label that holds you IMEI number) It should read something like “RM-505″.
-a full backup of your phone, just in case
- the following software: JAF & it’s emulator (link in the post)
-your Nokia Data/Charger cable
-between 30 minutes & 1 hour of your time
-some decent reading skills (better read through the post and comments a few times before you try it out)
Note: I’ve tried this method only on a Windows 7 PC. I have no idea how to do this on Mac/Linux. You could try using Wine/Bootcamp : let us know how it goes for you.
Note: For all of you using Vista/Windows 7, Ive included some OPTIONAL steps which should make sure you don’t run into any compatibility problems.
Step 1: Find out your Product code & Firmware version & the Product Code you need
- To find your firmware version, type “*#0000#” in your phone. If anything else than “12.0.024″, you will need to update at the end.
To understand what we’re doing, we first need to understand what a “Product Code” does: its a serves as a way of identifying the specific phone model that we have, whether it was a special edition or not (remember the N73 music edition?), the default language, the “zone” in which it was purchased and finally if it is tied down to one single carrier.
- Once you have both these details, make sure to keep a copy of them safe somewhere. If anything goes wrong, you will need them to revert the changes we are about to make.
- Now, checking this website out, you’ll be able to find the new product code you should use. Only use a product code relevant to your area. I’m in the UK, hence I used this one “0570817″ which corresponds to this: “0570817: RM-505_EMEA_EURO_QW1 Black”. Not sure the colour changes anything but why take the risk?
Step 2: Install the software
Next step is downloading & installing the software bundled HERE.
Open the archive file and you should have these two files:
Install both of them and you should now have these icons on your desktop:
Step 3: Launch the emulator
- Double click on the “OGM_JAF_PKEY_EMULATOR_V3.exe” program.
If you get this error:
Then go to the program path:
(Where ” Windows 7 (C:)” is your main drive)
and delete the WinScard.dll
That should sort it for you. If it doesn’t work straight away, try rebooting your system
- Once the program opens up, make sure you have the same settings as below & click on “GO” .
Optional:
If you’re using Windows “7″ (and on sometimes Vista), you will surely get the following screen:
All you have to do is right click on the program, open the “Compatibility” tab and use Windows XP SP3.
Now you should have the same screen as in Step 3.
Step 4: Launch JAF
For the next step, your Nokia N97 should be plugged in and in “PC SUITE” mode.
- Double Click on “Launch JAF” shortcut.
- When the following box appears, click on “OK”
- When greeted with the following screen, click on “BB5″:
Step 5: Changing the product code
- Now tick “Prod. Manager” and click on “Service”
- Now click on “READ VALUES “.
- Now that the values are visible, they are also editable. Copy paste your new Product code and click on “WRITE VALUES”
Make sure you use the correct Product Code!
Step 6: Upgrade Software using PC Suite / OVI Suite to update
From now on, no more screenshots, you know the drill!
- Open up the Software Updater and check for updates. If you had done this in order to get new firmwares faster, the new one should be waiting for you, its time to update. If not, perform a restart.
Step 7: If anything goes wrong…
- After debranding my N97 and restarting it, my screen went completely crazy & epilectic on me with red, green and yellow stripes appearing (and No, I was not on acid! ) All you have to do is perform a hard rest:
While pressing “delete”+”spacebar”+”ctrl” switch the phone on. It will delete your phone memory drive but not your “Mass Memory” drive. - Even if your phone doesnt want to start up for some reason and I can’t help you sort your problem, you should know that this method also work when your phone only switches on without displaying anything. Using the same method, rechange your product code to your original one and send it to your nearest Nokia Customer Service Center.
- The comment section is yours, post any of your problems and I’ll do my best to help out. Your best chance of finding me is to follow me on twitter ( twitter.com/benjezzy) and ask me a question.
General Knowldge:
- The JAF program is NOT infected with a trojan, its just a false positive. In order to acces the phone’s data, it uses code that ressembles the protocol used by viruses.
- Don’t be tempted to play around with the other settings! Its hard to reseist, I know, I know.
- Since I unbranded my phone & updated to v12, it hasnt crashed on me once, unlike before. This is no miracle solution but it sure does help.
- If this was helpfull, please retweet and spread the word (and the love)!
Related Articles:
- How To: Set Up Ovi Files On The Nokia N97
- Nokia N97 Firmware Updated To Version 11.2.021
- Nokia N97 Firmware 2.0 Is Out! Update Now & Use These Tips
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Amir has written 6 articles for your enjoyment.
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