how to update firmware for SmartQ5 and SmartQ7
June 8th, 2009
1.download SDUpdateToolV1.1
2.decompress the file and install it , then you will see the shortcut on the desktop
3. click


4. select product type: SmartQ5/SmartQ7

5.select drive of SD card

6.select SD card type: SD/SDHC

7. click

8. download newest firmware and copy it to your sd card
9.click “+” and power button to update your device.
Related posts:
- Video of Third party firmware Mer running on SmartQ5
- SmartQ7 unboxing and firmware,support USB 3G network card in the future
- News about new firmware for SmartQ5
- Offical firmware v3.0 for SmartQ5
- Third party English Firmware for SmartQ5 Mer v0.12
- Mer 0.14 released for SmartQ5 and SmartQ7
- Numpty Physics for SmartQ5 and SmartQ7
- How to get free Offical Wince for SmartQ5/SmartQ7
- how to install Android on SmartQ5
- how to install wince 6.0 on SmartQ5

Is there a USB driver for this device? It wasn’t included in the box I received. This flash software looks like it was designed for using your Windows PC to flash the device, but no version of Windows that I have tried recognizes the device.
Nevermind – I now realize that it is a computer itself and you can’t hook it up to another computer as a USB device. I wish I could figure out why I can’t an error when using the package installer though.
click menu -> preference -> syssetting ,click Enable bluetooth and usb host
if it shows “Enable bluetooth and usb host (close mode of removable disk)” , you can use Q5 as a usb disk , connect Q5 to PC with usb cable , but you can only see the SD Card disk ,you can’t access to integrated memory. if you want to see some files of rootfs or home, you need copy to your sd card at first .
you don’t need need usb driver. if your computer has driver problem , please take out of sd card, use sd card reader to read it
Do you have any idea why I get this error every time I try to install something with package installer?
Init SD Fail
[Errno 2]No such file or directory: ‘/tmp/LOOP_FILE’
have you insert sd card?
please check if there is already soft.img in your sd card, delete it at first and try to install deb package
if it doesn’t work , try to format your sd card
when i use SDUpdateTool i get error message “Cannot write Image File to SD Card”….
I have tried two standard SD cards ( 1GB & a 2GB card) and same error on both.
Both have been formated to fat32.
Any ideas whats going on ?
Thanks
hi ,
1.check if the sd card was protected
2.use some format tool to format
3. use linux to format
4. download new SDUpdateTool , select the right device ,and drive , sd card type .
i tried your advice but get same problem. I downloaded a SD card formatter and also tried on a linux box and the problem persists.
If i format the cards as standard FAT rather than FAT32 i get a chinese error message but i can see the work FAT32 in it…so i am assuming it is telling me that it must be Fat32 ?
Is there any way i can extract the image from the bin files and copy them directly to the SD Card ?
Thanks for you help
yes, it must be fat32, do you select the right device and sd card type ??
@admin
yes, definetly selecting the right device and card type
Same problem happens on both cards…
If there was a way to get the extracted files from the image i can try copying them directly to the card ?
sd card must be flashed by SDUpdateTool at first , then you can copy image to the sd card.
i flash my sd card everyday , i don’t know what’s the problem is
.
try to borrow a new sd card, and do it in another computer
Same problem as above. I trield 4 SD cards so far, and same message error :
Cannot write Image File to SD Card”
I wish someone can advise rather than repeating the above.
Cheers
i don’t know what problem it is
i have flashed my sd card in this way for many times , does your sd card locked or is there something wrong with sd card reader ?
SD cards are unlocked. XP and vista OS.
Same massage.
Stopped the firewall/antivirus/windows defender…no change.
@Memo
it’s very odd
i have flashed three different sd cards .
please check
1. sdupdate software ,install vcredist_x86.exe
2. check sd card and reader
3. select right options when flashing
I tried to update my smartq 5 but I can’t find how to…
it put me on the system manager setup…
+ and power button don’t work
hi
copy firmware to sd card and flash sd card by SDUpdateToolV1.1
then insert sd card and press “+” and power button
Ok.
With all respect, this devise is a total waste of money.
The trouble I paid alot to get it, and to send it back will cost alot.
Flashing the devise won’t work, and it is like a robotic replies from admins here. I do not they know what is happening. The same answer that does not work.
Now the devise is locked in sort of login screen. I emailed the guys, and they do not seem to know. Rubbish same robotic answers.
ie. if anyone have spare money want to donate abroad, buy this stupidQ7. Otherwise, get somehing even if it costs a bit more and has decent support. And do not buy from abroad.
@Memo
ask your seller about these problem ,we’re not in charge of your after sales service. and do not blame others if you don’t know how to use it , try to learn by yourself,no one is born to use this device well .
because these is no space left in your root partition ,so it gets into login screen automaticlly. you can see the status of partition at the bottom of the file manager, make sure it has spare space in your root partition .you can flash the device to solve this problem.
i have flashed sd card for many times , i don;t know why it doesn;t work for you.
@Memo
Don’t update it. Just get a fresh image from the website (v.3.0) and copy it onto a freshly formatted SD card. Hold down the + button and then plug it in while you are holding it down. I’ve done it several times with the Mer images and the ubuntu ones. Worked for me. I agree that the Smartq 5 sucks though. Tough luck for us. If you hold on a couple months, one of the other options (WindowsCE in English or Mer) may make the device more worthwhile.
The login won’t work user whatever ID/pwd.
No afer sale service for a broken device… seems very interesting. his is why no one should buy this device.
And again, the flash won’t work, and to edit anything on the device won’t be possible (can not login!!). I used it for few days only, no updates, and of course no support.
he device seems to rely only on the SD card to flash etc. If this does not work, how will be it be sorted?
I did not have any reply for three days now. What ever they sugested was already on here.
So, a device that I used for few hours and then did not work, now in one of the drawers waiting to be burnt… I won’t recooment buying it.
And I do not want a device to let me learn something. It is there to serve me, and I can look afer it later, not from the start.
@Memo
hi,
you can enable usb -host and set root account after you reinstall rom , and when the login screen comes out , you can connect to usb keyboard and mouse , and type user name and password.
Can not go beyond the login screen.
I bought a usb keyboard for it, and used it. Used user/user in login and many different combinations…
I can not reinstall the ROM.
I spent alot of time trying to sort this out. Bought three different SD cards and a keyboard trying to sort it out.
Nothing changed. I can not access the device.
@Memo
is there “*” when you type by usb keyboard?
you need enable usb-host to use usb keyboard, try root/root, root/ (blank)
@Memo
may i ask how do you connect sd card to pc? what system are you using now?
Sorted now with the new SDtools version. Now able to use the SD card.
for he sake of information: I have two computers, XP and Vista.
The keyboard worked fine. * for the password entry. The login did not work, as simple as that.
However, again finally managed wih the new version of SD tool.
http://www.jiongtang.com/blog/html/smartq5/sdupdatetool-english-version-v1-2.html
WHy can’t I see the other peoples comments?
it’s strange , there are many comments for this post
Hi!
Upgrading SmartQ5 is such a “easy” task!
1. SD card has to be formated (preferably on Windows) to FAT32

2. You need to have some free unallocated space at the end of the SD card (the FAT32 partition has to be a little bit smaller, than your SD card!). I used gparted on Ubuntu to resize the partition (resp. create completely new, smaller one). I had aboud 11 MB unallocated space at the end of the SD card. FAT32 has to be done on windows. If you have no such space – “Cannot write Image File to SD Card”.
3. Use the SDTool (I did it as the admin).
4. You will obtain a couple of chinese tee marks…
5. Copy the firmware to the SD card.
6. Hold the + buton, plug the power
7. Done. Hopefully!
The whole problem for me was NO UNALLOCATED SPACE AT THE END OF THE SD CARD! No space, for firmware = no luck!
By!
I am considering purchasing the SmartQ 5. What is the right type of memory card to buy, standard SDHD or micro SDHC? I am also consiering the installation of Windows XP in order to use some of the programs I have on my PC. Has anybody ytried doing that?
@Jose Rodriguez
i suggest 8gb card
sorry , you can;t install xp to SmartQ5
SmartQ5 package
http://www.jiongtang.com/shop/smartq5-screen-guard-usb-otg-cable-leather-case-p-83.html
HI
i formated in gparted in linux, download as apt-get install gparted o yum install gparted, depends of the operative system
I had the same issue with getting the SD card to work. The SD tools did not work for me on 2 SD cards on 2 PC’s. I also tried repartitioning my card as stated above and that did not wor. I found on another forum that someone fixed this by formatting their card in their digital camera. This worked!!!!!. Mine is a canon, I selected low level format, the forum person had a Pentax. I think the repartitioning method above is subject to luck or maybe a format in Linux would work also but my Smartq was bricked and I don’t have a Linux PC to use. Also if you are flashing a Smartq7, you need to hold the function button down when you plug in the charger, you will get the orange light and the flash menu.
Here are the directions from the english manual:
Method A: Copy the firmware to the root directory of an SD card, hold down the \+\ button(Q5) or “Function” button(Q7) while the device is shutdown, and then connect the charger. When the orange LED light appears, the device is entering into the firmware upgrade mode. Be patient. The screen will show the upgrade process. When it is finished, the device will be automatically restarted. (Warning: Do not cut off the power or unplug the charger during the upgrade process.)
Method B: If you can not upgrade the firmware using the above method, try the following method. First of all, ensure that the SD card uses the FAT32 format, use the SD card upgrade tool(http://www.smartdevices.com.cn/files/SDUpdateToolV1.1.rar) to modify the SD card (this should not damage any files stored on the card, but for insurance, please backup the SD card). Make sure the SD card is inserted into the device. Hold down the \Function\ button(Q5) or “Enter” button(Q7) in the shutdown mode and then put the “power” key to turn on the device. When the orange LED light appears, the device is entering into the firmware upgrade mode. Be patient. The screen will show the upgrade process. When it is finished, the device will be automatically restarted. (Warning: Do not cut off the power or unplug the charger during the upgrade process.)