Windows Phone Radio on updates, ChevronWP7.updater not FUD

By Rich Edmonds
last updated

Windows Phone Radio, Microsoft's official Windows Phone 7 podcast, returns with hosts Brian Seitz and Matt Akers to discuss the weekly update blog posts by Eric Hatula (NoDo) and later joined by Brandon Watson to talk about the ChevronWP7.updater.

Firstly, let's cover what is really meant when updates are in the "testing" stage over on Where's my update? (opens in new tab)...

"It doesn’t mean that they’re [carriers] the ones exclusively testing at that point. It’s a partnership at that point with ourselves, the mobile operators and also with the OEM…maybe the mobile operator finds some things that we need to go address in the operating system of the phone and we will go do that work and then create another package for them to go and do some more testing on, so it really is a collaborative effort even in that stage. It’s not as cut and dry as it might sound…Once we’re getting into the “testing” phase we’re getting into the final stretches of this thing [updates] being deployed for your phone."

Now comes Brandon and the whole discussion about the potential issues surrounding the ChevronWP7.updater tool that users have been using to force-update their devices with NoDo. 

"The net result is that it [the updater tool] was putting phones in a state where they couldn’t be updated from us [Microsoft]. They could be updated, but beyond that, they would not be updatable."

Brandon also mentions they are going to produce material in the near future that puts into detail how the tool is putting phones into an un-updatable state. For the time being, the team is attempting to work out how to reverse the problem without having users resort to having their devices flashed back to the original ROM by their carriers. He stated that this is a real concern and is definitely not FUD.

It seems the continued plea is to not update your phone prematurely and be patient as NoDo will come - easy for some to say. I wonder what'll come first, the solution from Microsoft for the people who have used the tool or the NoDo update for those who haven't (and are on the same network)?

Source: WindowsPhoneMetro (opens in new tab)

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

30 Comments
  • I had to google "FUD". lol
  • Did it state "See Microsoft"?
  • No it said "See SilverRubicon".
  • Urban Dictionary. The app is free.
  • MS, please stop wasting time trying to make everyone feel ok about a huge delay on the 1st update, and get with finishing the deployment of it.In addition, please learn something from this so that there are not CONTINUOUS delays w/ EVERY update.Thanks.Consumer Advocate
  • You just need a little patience. It will be here any week now. Well, not this week as the entire team will be attending MIX, but it will be soon. Probably not next week, need a little time to decompress from the conference. The week after, well, there are meetings to discuss the conference, then there's the scheduling meetings for Mango. Ok, maybe it will be June. Don't quote them on that, these things tend to slip. Oh, and there's no blocking of updates going on here.
  • So ATT customers, are we ready for another week of heartache and pain? The reason so many people are looking for update alternatives is because of carriers like ATT that apparently can't program their way out of a paper bag. I know they have to test their "software and network stability" before releasing the update, but that's quickly becoming codeword for sipping coffee at work while watching reruns of Cheers. At this rate I'm sure Santa Claus will get NoDo before I do. (and I hear North Pole carriers have some pretty sweet deals)
  • Nope. I already updated my Focus via the timing trick--not the updater tool Walsh created--so I'm sitting pretty. Love finally have copy & paste.
  • Thanks Chevron team. I'm so glad you released a program that forces the update and will now require Microsoft to spend more of their resources to clean up your mess.
  • Really? What does this even mean? "They could be updated, but beyond that, they would not be updatable." Why believe a word this guy says? There's already evidence to the contrary that this is not the case. I guess we won't know until Microsoft actually ships an update post NoDo, but that may not be until 2012. Nobody should worry about that until then.
  • Nice way to contradict yourself, there's "evidence" that it doesn't break things yet there's no way to tell since there's no new update to test with. Good going there man.
  • There is evidence though. People have gotten a second update after going to NoDo through ChevUp (7389 to 7390) and HTC phones have successfully received their post-NoDo OEM updates as well.
  • You are misunderstanding what they were trying to say. They were saying it WILL update you to NoDo but, in doing so, Microsoft will NOT be able to push updates to you...you will be forever in either non-updatable or manual-only mode (meaning you would likely need ANOTHER tool to update in the future).
  • Exactly my point.
  • What the Chevron team did was immensely helpful and forced Microsoft's hand to move faster. Also, they have no obligation to "clean up" something you were not forced to partake in. Lastly, it's not like MS seemed to be using their resources for anything other than updating iOS and Android apps.
  • No it didn't, it took time off of working on whatever else they were workong on and having to look at the tool and test it to see if it broke anything and how and why. Sure they have no obligation to clean up this tools mess but the fact they are should be a good thing unless you're fine with not getting any sort of support for a phone you might have paid $500 for. I give them a big thumbs up for actually looking into it, better to be safe then sorry, what would happen if a large number of phones are screwed up? MS doesn't need even more negative PR even if it's not their fault in the first place.
  • Couldn't agree more, sir.
  • Honestly, if you're a WinMo 6.5 vet from XDA and jumped at the chance to use Chevron Updater, you probably weren't worried about official MS support anyway. Those worried about bricking their phone, or having it go out of warranty are the ones that probably didn't use the ChevUp.I'm not against MS looking into it, I just don't think it's necessary. If you took the risk, and by some magically misplaced hex bits your phone is "un-serviceable", then I'd bet you already expected to stay on the manual path.
  • Spyral, you are a fool. First off, Microsoft said, ad nauseum, TO WAIT FOR YOUR CARRIER. Second, Walsh and others said "use at your own risk". Third, nobody was FORCED to use any of the bypass methods to get the updates. Fourth, this is actually a good thing in the long run because it reveals more things that Microsoft needs to consider as they mature the OS and their update process.So, sit down, shut up and color. Let the adults talk.
  • Again, I still think Microsoft is bluffing. How the Chevron tool can place devices into "un-updatable" state when it uses Microsoft's own dlls and servers is beyond me.
  • Just wait and they'll tell you why and how from the testing they did. They said as much in the podcast.
  • Was this before or after they discussed the update that would be released in early December, January, February, March or April?
  • Are all these consurns only for the Chevron tool? Or is it also when you used the "netwerk disconnect in Zune" method? Many used also that one...
  • Just the tool, if you used the Zune only trick then it should be fine.
  • why not just release the rom so we can flash it ourselves... im sure the chevron guys could make the process easy.
  • The original support tool MS released that fixed a some problems people were having iirc actually does flash your phone. It's this tool the chevron people took and used as the basis for their own update tool. But I figure the two processes don't actually match. And while you can get NoDo fine now maybe you can't get the next update at all because of something that was changed? MS tested and in the podcast said they'll release the info they found out soon. We can all just wait and see when that time comes.
  • The WP7 teams favorite word "soon". The update will be here "soon", the evidence will be here "soon". Everything is "soon" and yet, never "soon".
  • There are a lot of users on the XDA forum that used the tool to update their phones to NoDo. Days later when the update was released by their carrier, Zune got the update. They actually went through the update again using Zune this time and there was no problem. The only issue is that they can't revert to a pre-NoDo as the second update actually backup the NoDo that they received using the Cheveron tool. So thats not really a problem because they have successfully updated and there is not reason to return to pre-NoDo.
  • @ScubaDog...Whats up. I mis the Backstage days. :-)
  • there's an easy lesson learned hereeither the carriers MUST update in a timely fashion or MS push the update out themselvesMS can easily set a deadlineI can understand why they want to keep a good relationship with the carriers etc - but not at the expense of the platform as a whole.The carriers want their chance to put their branding etc in to the updates - so fine ... all MS need to say is "We'll be pushing the update out on the official release date - you guys can have it for testing a month before that and release whenever you like...but any of your handsets that haven't received an update from you will automatically get one from us because we'll be pushing the same version number and we WILL be on time"Right now the carriers are all sitting on this a little too long - and it's hurting the platform. Let's face it - carries don't WANT their handsets updated. It costs them testing and development time they dont want - and it prevents them from selling the latest model. MS need to give them a reason to WANT to hurry their asses up. Either they get the updates out on time (or early) or MS will push it and the carriers lose the chance to include their branding and customisations.