Sony Ericsson DB2020 Filesystem Modifications
---------------------------------------------
Access to the internal filesystem of a Sony Ericsson DB2020 based cellular
phone yields a seemingly endless array of possibilities for modifications
and enhancements adding to the overall experience of the end user.
The ability to perform such modifications allows one to use their phone in a
way or manner that was never intended or expected by the phone manufacturer or
service provider.
FAR Manager + SEFP
------------------
Filesystem exploration and manipulation is very simple and straight forward
using the FAR Manager and Sony Ericsson Flash Plugin. The FAR Manager + SEFP
plugin combination also has the ability to apply custom .vkp patches to the
phones firmware.
Raw Filesystem Extraction
-------------------------
Using the applications main2raw.exe and SEFStool4.exe it is possible to extract
the entire filesystem from an unencrypted filesystem image to disk. This is a
useful method for exploring the filesystem and getting a feel for where files
and settings are located within the filesystem and minimizing the risk of
accidental damage to your phones current operative filesystem.
The extraction of the filesystem from the image file is done using the
main2raw.exe application:
main2raw K790_R6BC002_FS_AMERICA_2_RED52.fbn 2020
SEFStool4.exe is now used to convert the raw filesystem image into a directory
structure that can be explored just as it would be on phone itself:
sefstool4 K790_R6BC002_FS_AMERICA_2_RED52.raw 2020
MENU.ML
-------
Location: FS/TPA/PRESET/SYSTEM/MENU
Function: The MENU.ML file is simply a customizable .xml file that stores
settings and values for the phones main menu and navigation
functions.
LAYOUT.XML
----------
Location: FS/TPA/SYSTEM/LAYOUT
Function: The LAYOUT.XML file is again simply a customizable .xml file that
stores setting and values relating to the visual layout of the phones
menu.
The Modifications
-----------------
The modifications outlined below have only been tested and verified working on
the Sony Ericsson K790 and should only be applied to this phone model.
Information and modification techniques for alternate Sony Ericsson models can
be found all over, listed below are sites with endless resources and
information pertaining to various cellular phones as well Sony Ericsson phones:
http://www.se-nse.net/
http://www.topsony.com/
http://www.howardforums.com/
Network Operator Logo Removal
-----------------------------
Initially phones are shipped programmed to display the cellular network
operator logo, I find them to be obtrusive and somewhat offensive. It is usually
my primary objective to rid my phone of this unwanted nuisance immediately after
possession. Thankfully, removing this logo on a Sony Ericsson DB2020 based
phone is as easy as adding a small snippet of code to the phones layout.xml
file.
Scrollbar Removal
-----------------
Purely for esthetic purposes one can remove the appearance of unsightly
scrollbars from their phones internal menus. By simply altering the default
value of "2" to "0" for each instance of this code within the phones layout.xml
file:
Custom Menu Icons
-----------------
Within the menu.ml file, there will be twelve instances of this code (one for
each function within the menu):
RN_SHORTCUT_LIST_PREPLAY_ICNRN_SHORTCUT_LIST_PREPLAY_ICNRN_SHORTCUT_LIST_PREPLAY_ICN
In order to apply a custom icon set to the phones menu one needs to change the
"unselected" and "selected" icon sources from "internal" to "file" and provide
the location to the custom icon source. Custom icons should be located in the same
directory as the MENU.ML file to maintain simplicity (FS/TPA/PRESETS/SYSTEM/MENU).
The modified code should look like this:
playnow.pngplaynow_sel.pngRN_SHORTCUT_LIST_PREPLAY_ICN
A custom icon file set consists of twelve or twenty four individual .png images
representing a specific function of the phones menu. Each function can have a
"unselected" and "selected" icon representing the status of each menu function.
Custom Startup and Shutdown Animations
--------------------------------------
Again, purely for esthetic purposes. To apply a custom startup and or shutdown
animation to your phone, simply replace the existing content with your custom
content. Both startup and shutdown animation files reside in the
TPA\PRESET\SYSTEM\SETTINGS folder and are labeled as follows:
STARTUP_IMAGE_SEMC
SHUTDOWN_IMAGE_SEMC
Both files are 176x220 pixels and can be in either .gif, .bmp or .png format.
Remove the SMS storage limit
----------------------------
By altering the default storage location of SMS messages it is possible to
store upwards of 1000 SMS messages.
Navigate to the directory FS/IFS/SETTINGs/MESSAGING and modify the file
pref_store.txt to store SMS messages in the TPA folder instead of the
smsdata folder:
/smsdata/messaging
/smsdata/messaging/sms
/smsdata/messaging/sms/msg
/smsdata/messaging/sms/FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
/smsdata/messaging/sms/FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF/pending
/smsdata/messaging/sms/FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF/sm
/smsdata/messaging/sms/FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF/sr
/smsdata/system/messaging/sms
To this:
/tpa/messaging
/tpa/messaging/sms
/tpa/messaging/sms/msg
/tpa/messaging/sms/FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
/tpa/messaging/sms/FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF/pending
/tpa/messaging/sms/FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF/sm
/tpa/messaging/sms/FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF/sr
/tpa/system/messaging/sms
You will now need to create the directory structure within the TPA folder to
reflect the changes made to the pref_store.txt file.
Remove pre-installed content
----------------------------
Pre-installed content such as ringtones, games and themes can not be deleted
from the phone itself. With access to the phones internal filesystem any
pre-installed content can be deleted without restriction. Listed below are
the locations to various pre-installed content:
Games: /tpa/preset/system/ams.
Games: /tpa/preset/default/java
Sounds: /tpa/user/audio
Sounds: /tpa/preset/default/audio
Images: /tpa/user/image
Images: /tpa/preset/default/image
Themes: /tpa/user/theme
Themes: /tpa/preset/default/theme
Video: /tpa/user/video
Frames: /tpa/preset/system/multimedia/pe/frames
Frames: /tpa/preset/system/multimedia/pe/funlayer
Clipart: /tpa/preset/system/multimedia/pe/clipart
Conclusion
----------
The above customizations are only a very brief example of what can be
accomplished through the manipulation of the phones internal filesystem. There
are virtually endless modifications that can be applied to most Sony Ericsson
phones. As long as you ensure that you have made the appropriate backups you
need not worry about permanently fucking up your phone through improper
modification or manipulation. Experimentation will open up new possibilities
never imagined, don't let apprehension get the best of you.
- highjacked
(01/27/08)