How To Hard Reset The N900 To The Factory State

As I have mentioned before, unlike Nokia’s Symbian devices, the N900 does not have a code that you can enter to format the device and restore it to the factory state. However, if you like playing with software in the extras-devel repositories, chances are that sooner or later you will like a fresh start and want the N900 to be restored to the state in which you first picked it up.

There is no seemingly easy way to do this and I really hope Nokia is doing something about it. That being said, how do you go about accomplishing the task? The answer is to flash both the N900′s OS and the 32 GB mass memory. This can be done on a Mac, a Linux or a Windows machine. Since windows is the most popular OS, I will show you how to do this via Windows.
Before we start, please note that this would be done using the command line interface, it may seem tricky but let me assure you that it is simply enough for anyone to accomplish.

• Download and install the latest version of Maemo Flasher (e.g. maemo_flasher-3.5_2.5.2.2.exe). Since this is a command line application you will see no shortcut on the desktop or in the Program Files option under the Start menu.

• Next, Download the latest firmware (.bin) file, it will look like “RX-51_xxxxx_ARM.bin”. You will need your IMEI  number to access the downloads, it can be found on the box or by going to Settings > General > About Product.

• Also download the Vanilla eMMC image (.bin file) from the same page. It will look like “RX-51_2009SE_1.2009.41-1.VANILLA_PR_EMMC_MR0_ARM.bin”

• Save both  to C:\ProgramFiles\maemo\flasher-3.5\. My suggestion is to rename them to something simple such as RX-51.bin for the firmware and R.bin for the eMMC, this will make typing the commands easier later on.

• Make sure that the battery is fully charged and switch off the device.

• Open the Command Prompt by going to Start then Run and type cmd, then press Enter.

• Change directory to the flasher’s program path by entering:

cd "C:\ProgramFiles\maemo\flasher-3.5"

• Connect the USB cable while holding the ‘u’ key on the N900. Within an instant you will see a USB icon on the top right corner of the N900. Now leave the ‘u’ key.

• Run the following command:

flasher-3.5.exe -F RX-51.bin -f -R

• I typed RX-51.bin because I had renamed the file earlier, otherwise it would have been: (this was the name of the latest firmware, the name may vary after a new firmware comes out)

flasher-3.5.exe -F RX-51_2009SE_2.2009.51-1_PR_COMBINED_MR0_ARM.bin -f -R"

• You will see text similar to the one below on your PC.

• The update will take about 3 minutes after which the N900 will reboot and display the Welcome screen with Regional settings.

The next step is to flash the Mass Storage or the eMMC. The first few steps are identical to the way you would flash the firmware. If you are following on from the above and already have the command prompt open, you can directly proceed to step number 3.

• Open the Command Prompt by going to Start then Run and type cmd, then press Enter.

• Change directory to the flasher’s program path by entering:

cd "C:\ProgramFiles\maemo\flasher-3.5"

• Connect the USB cable while holding the ‘u’ key on the N900. Within an instant you will see a USB icon on the top right corner of the N900. Now leave the ‘u’ key.

• Execute the following command:

flasher-3.5.exe -F R.bin -f -R"

• I typed R.bin because I had renamed the file earlier, otherwise it would have been

flasher-3.5.exe -F RX-51_2009SE_1.2009.41-1.VANILLA_PR_EMMC_MR0_ARM.bin -f -R

• You will see text similar to the one below on your PC.

• The flash will take around 1 minute after which the device will reboot.

• The bright Nokia screen will come up on the screen with the USB icon on the top right followed by progression dots with yellow LED blinking for a few seconds. The device will then turn off and go into charging mode with the yellow LED blinking (NOTE: If the device appears to reboot, unplug the cable.)

• Unplug cable and wait for device to turn off completely. You may hear a sound (punk) of the device turning off.

That’s it. You have now hard reset the N900 to the factory state. This procedure can be used to update the firmware on your device as well, if you wish you can leave formatting the eMMC if your intention is only to update the firmware. Please make sure that the battery on your N900 is completely charged, otherwise you might brick it.
This guide has been adapted from this immensely useful wiki on maemo.org.
Disclaimer: Please do this at your own risk.

How to connect PC to my Nokia N900 over WIFI?

Did you know that almost every command you type in X-term can be typed in remotely from your computer (via PUTTY), saving you finger pain It is also possible to use a ‘windows explorer’ like experience (WinSCP) to copy/move files from your computer to your Nokia N900 and vice versa without the use of a USB cable. In fact WinSCP can be used to manage your files better on your N900.

All you need is a mini app called Open SSH installed on your Nokia N900 and WinSCP on your computer. Click the Open SSH link above or download it from your Application Manager.
(edit: 19/05/2011) – What is SSH? Wikipedia says the following;
Secure Shell or SSH is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channel between two networked devices. The two major versions of the protocol are referred to as SSH1 or SSH-1 and SSH2 or SSH-2. Used primarily on Linux and Unix based systems to access shell accounts, SSH was designed as a replacement for Telnet and other insecure remote shells, which send information, notably passwords, in plaintext, rendering them susceptible to packet analysis.^[2] The encryption used by SSH is intended to provide confidentiality and integrity of data over an unsecured network, such as the Internet.
NB: You must have a WIFI router and your Nokia N900 needs to be connected to your home or work network via WIFI. Remember every device connected to your WIFI network has an IP address and your N900 is no different. Below are the steps for setting up Open SSH, finding out your N900′s IP address and configuring WinSCP to access your Nokia N900. This only needs to occur once.

1. Once Open SSH is installed, it will prompt you for a password, so type one in and remember it.
2. Install WinSCP on your laptop or computer. Follow the default prompts.
3. Open X-term on your Nokia N900.
   1. Gain root by typing “sudo gainroot”.
   2. Type the following line to determine what your IP address is for your Nokia N900:
      ?

      1	ifconfig wlan0

   3. A bit of information appears on the screen showing your MAC address and IP Address.
      
   4. Note your IP address (inet addr:) down – In my example, the IP address is 192.168.0.9
4. Close X-Term on Nokia N900.
5. Open WinSCP on your laptop or computer.
   1. Click the New button. (This will allow you to create a shortcut).
   2. Host Name = the IP address (e.g. 192.168.0.9).
   3. User Name = root
   4. Password = (the password you chose in step 1).
   5. Port Number = 22.
   6. Protocol or File Protocol = SFTP
   7. Allow SCP Fallback by checking the box.
      
   8. Click the Save button and replace the words “root@192.168.0.9″ with a proper name e.g. Nokia N900.
      
   9. Check the box that says “Save password (not recommended), unless of course you are happy to type in your password each time.
   10. With  the Shortcut created, you can now setup the default directory one will enter in when you log into your Nokia N900. Click on Edit and select the Directories from the left hand menu.
   11. Your default folder on your N900 is /home/user/MyDocs
   12. Your default folder on your PC or laptop can be any defined location. (I have created a folder called My Nokia N900 so in the screenshot example this is where it defaults to everytime I load up WinSCP).
   13. I switched off “Remember last used directory” because I want to default to /home/user/MyDocs
   14. The other choices or checkboxes are personal preference.
       
   15. Click  Save.
   16. Highlight your newly created shortcut and click on Login. (Next time this is all you will have to do).
   17. You’ll be logged into your Nokia N900 on the right pane and your computer on the left pane.
   18. Now you are free to copy, move files from one side to the other and vice versa. WinSCP is very similar to Norton Commander. E.g. if one highlights a file in /home/user/MyDocs all the available commands appear at the bottom of the screen.
   19. Basic WinSCP Commands are as follows:
       1. Double clicking on the .. takes one back a folder.
       2. Clicking on the bar that says Name will filter the list in alphabetical order.
       3. There are icons at the top of the page very similar to Windows Explorer.
       4. One can also right click to see a context menu.
       5. F2 = Rename a folder or file.
       6. F5 = Copy (if you highlight a file or folder on the right side and press F5, the file or folder will be copied to the left hand side and vice versa).
       7. F6 = Move.
       8. F7 = Create a folder.
       9. F8 = Delete a folder.
   20. Other things to take note of:
       1. Hidden folders are greyed out (E.g. see folder in /home/user/MyDocs that start with .images, they are slightly greyed out. Normally these folders are not visible in your basic file manager on the Nokia N900, it’s so you don’t delete them by mistake).
   21. To type commands as if one were typing in X-term, one can load up PUTTY. Do this by press CTRL+T or by going to the Commands menu and selecting “Open in Putty“.
       
   22. This will open a terminal screen very similar to what one sees on your Nokia N900 and from here you can run anything you would have run in X-Term. As an example I have run the same command I ran on my Nokia N900 at the beginning of this tutorial to display my IP Address. You’ll see the exact same results.
       
   23. One last thing and it is to do with security and peace of mind. If you want to quickly disable SSH on your Nokia N900, then there is another great little app called “SSH Status and Switcher” (click link to download) or download it from the Application Manager. Once installed, click on the notification menu. You will see it on one of the lines showing a status. If it is showing ON, tapping it will STOP SSH and a SSH stopped message will appear. Repeat steps to switch it back on.

credit to http://www.mynokian900.com/2011/05/how-to-connect-pc-to-my-nokia-n900-over-wifi

Install MeeGo 1.2 Community Edition on the micro SD card of the Nokia N900 with Linux!

How to flash MeeGo 1.2 Community Edition on Micro SD Nokia N900:
Attention! This tutorial is for advanced users! Mishandling may cause a malfunction of your Nokia N900, loss of all data and operating system of origin (maemo 5)!

Before starting, all downloaded files (kernel + + 1.2 WHAT MeeGo Flasher) has to be in the same directory to simplify the flash of 1.2 WHAT MeeGo on the Nokia N900.
It is recommended to have a micro-SD Card 8GB Class 10! (Speed ​​read / write 10Mbps minimum).
1 - Download the image 'daily build' "*. raw.bz2" available here: http://repository.maemo.org/meego/n900-de/daily/ (version compiled at least once a week).

Select the folder of the latest version, then "/ images /" and finally "mg-n900 handset-armv7nhl-it-stable /" in the tree to find the *. raw.bz2).
2 - Unzip the file "*. raw.bz2" for file "*. raw" over 3.5 GB
3 - Rename the file "meego.raw" to simplify the controls as a result of the installation.
4 - Download the file " "Corresponding to the image" *. raw "previously downloaded. (The file is located in the same directory).
5 - Download the tool to flash the kernel in the N900, "Flasher-3.5", available here: http://tablets-dev.nokia.com/maemo-dev-env-downloads.php
6 - Copy to the root of your N900 the file "meego.raw" mode via "mass storage".
7 - Start the terminal of your N900 and become "root" on the console: 

"sudo gainroot." (Requires installation of the package "rootsh" available in the repository "extra testing").
8 - Run the N900 in the terminal, the command 

"mount" 

and then locate the partition on your Micro-SD card (mmcblkXpY, X and Y can be 0 or 1, in most cases, the partition is / dev/mmcblk1p1 or just / dev/mmcblk1). [The card must first be formatted to FAT].
9 - Remove the partition with the command "umount / dev / mmcblkXpY" (X and Y: 0 or 1 or / dev / mmcblkX, often with X = 1).
10 - Type the command

"dd if = / home / user / MyDocs / meego.raw of = / dev/mmcblk1."  

Leave it to the phone, nothing is displayed during the transfer operation MeeGo on Micro-SD card, after several long minutes, a message will appear with the number of blocks copied. (Allow about twenty minutes).
11 - Turn off the N900 having disconnected the USB cable.
12 - In the terminal on your PC (Linux), run Flasher-3.5 with the command 

"./flasher-3.5-l-b-k-the-kernel vmlinuz-downloaded".
13 - Start your N900 by plugging the USB cable first, the script will automatically find the USB port which is connected to your N900 and load the Linux kernel temporarily keeping Maemo intact.(It is recommended that you disconnect the USB cable during loading to avoid bug).
14 - Your N900 starts on MeeGo!

Here is the summer edition by NSUFFYS- Thanks to him

credit to http://nsuffys.blogspot.com/2011/08/installer-meego-12-community-edition.html