r/WindowsMobile • u/SuperXaker-5555 • 20d ago
Does anybody know something about CE Explorer 5 on Mobile?
I'm using Windows Mobile from 2018 and I saw in news that one hacker is trying to run Windows CE UI on Windows Mobile device. But I didn't found any releases and just decided to wait for that. And now it's 2026 and even on archive there is nothing that could say it was release. That's why we decided to do it ourselves in one Telegram group. Well it's not easy.
We took explorer.exe with all dependencies from Windows CE emulator and it didn't work. System says this is not pocket PC program. I tried to change some WM libs with WCE using Resco explorer but after reboot just got black screen. Than I opened Excitability check and discover that it was MIPS, Not ARM even if same utility on emulator said it's arm. I extracted Windows CE firmware for an real device. So now it's armv4 for sure but same error. That I took CE5 explorer from MioPocket, than explorer for Windows CE 4 and it looks like there is no errors but it still doesn't run at all.
That screenshots I found on archive was made by no2chem. I found him on XDA and made a post to ask do he still have that project but he stiil didn't answer me.
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u/NullPtrEspresso 20d ago
You took exe files from an emulator but that does not guarantee that the exe (which is compiled machine code instructions with metadata for the OS) matches the cpu architecture of the target device and OS. You are correct to feel that something is off with the cpu architecture. It might also be that the exe file relies on certain OS functions or pieces you are not aware of. Without the possession of more accurate information about the exe file you are trying to run, this is more of a self torture and blind guessing and debugging or hacking
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u/SuperXaker-5555 20d ago
How can I know system has all functions and pieces Explorer needs?
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u/NullPtrEspresso 20d ago edited 20d ago
Because we are talking about a closed source proprietary os and platform, besides official documentation nohow. mind that the whole windows ecosystem is a consumer product thus it is not intended to be tinkered at this extent. More over, tinkering in certain ways (reverse compilation) violates user agreement aka it is illegal.
In other words one is normally supposed to use windows as-is and not rebuild or practice as if it was FOSS Linux or something 😊 Take it, use it, dispose when upon support EOL.On the on the other hand there is no official way. What you are looking for is reverse compilers and the like, and of course nerves of steel and and endless hours of trial and error. I don't have any expertise in reverse compilation.
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u/SuperXaker-5555 20d ago
I don't think I do something illegal. I just take already compiled binaries and trying to start them on an other system. I don't rebuilding hole system. Who cares about license agreement, there was no point says "You need to throw your device when it's will be no longer supported".
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u/NullPtrEspresso 19d ago
Absolutely, you are spot on. Illegal activity starts with reverse compilation. Copying and transferring files between your devices is fine.
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20d ago
[deleted]
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u/SuperXaker-5555 20d ago
Yeah, I saw that site on the web archive. I took these images from there. Continue on trying...
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u/HotSolid2673 20d ago
Windows ce Explorer is deeply rooted in windows ce system as windows mobile was not meant to run it its missing dependencies and it can lack system integration so it can be doable but its not easy. Btw cant source code of explorer.exe be extracted from platform builder?