So I'm fairly new to android about three months now, and need help.....
1) How do you modify system files and apk's? (tried Estrongs but it won't let me use root access even when i click the always allow prompt)
2) Can someone explain exactly how i partition for Apps2SD ( PM me if possible)
3) Can you change bootscreens with a .zip flash? if so does anyone have a link for the cynanogen mod nexus boot as used in Darchvanilla??
Thank you and any help is deeply appreciated.....
did you just make 2 threads of the exact same thing???
That search feature has been breaking all damn day!! I swear we need a HUGE Search icon in the middle of the freakin forum.
not purposely i'm on a slow connection and clicked it twice???
abov3dis said:
not purposely i'm on a slow connection and clicked it twice???
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Click to collapse
Then why are some of the questions different on the two threads?
abov3dis said:
So I'm fairly new to android about three months now, and need help.....
1) How do you modify system files and apk's? (tried Estrongs but it won't let me use root access even when i click the always allow prompt)
2) Can someone explain exactly how i partition for Apps2SD ( PM me if possible)
3) Can you change bootscreens with a .zip flash? if so does anyone have a link for the cynanogen mod nexus boot as used in Darchvanilla??
Thank you and any help is deeply appreciated.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) mount to your pc pull the apk you wish then use "7 zip" to extract it
2) boot into recovery(home + end call) go to partition...partition swap + file + ext
3) yes you can flash a boot screen using a zip file
For the bootscreens use Fresh's new kitchen. It has the nexus one bootscreen and a couple others. Then you just hit a couple of buttons and its on your phone without having to manually edit or even boot into recovery.
Now that I have rooted it, what can I do?
Like, how do you get all those custom themes and stuff, and how do you do it?
Wrong forum and I think you should do some reading before actually trying out stuff.
My recommendation is, before applying themes or other modifications, nandroid backup is always a good idea. For the theme/framework modifications on this forum, there are a few options. One might be flashing the zip file through clockwork recovery (if the themer has posted the file). If framework-res.apk is just posted, you can try using adb or root explorer and replace the new framework with the old framework.
Again, some reading would help
Just wondering if there is a mechanism for running a custom post install script after flashing a rom, specifically CM.
There are things that I always do after I flash a rom and it would be nice to be able to do these as a part of the flashing process, so I don't forget. For example, symlinking /system/etc/hosts to /data/data/hosts. I also would like to remove the videos app as it serves no purpose since the 3D gallery displays my videos in it.
It would be awesome if I could have a script on the SD card that would just get executed right before reboot after the rom was flashed.
A bit less elegant than what you're suggesting, but I just made an update.zip to do that symlinking. Have to apply it with ROM Manager after flashing (so an extra reboot when flashing a new rom), but it beats booting into recovery and doing it by adb.
Link if anyone is interested: http://oysteivi.tihlde.org/adfree-symlink.zip
With this flashed, the "adfree android" app seems to work nicely when I tick "symlink from /data/data/hosts".
Didn't feel a need to remove the videos app, but it should be easy to add it in there. Just add something like this to the update-script in the zip:
delete SYSTEM:app/Videos.apk
(untested, and you'll have to replace "Videos" with the actual apk name. I'm too lazy to check what it is )
This is pretty much what I was looking for, thanks a lot!
Hi there,
Thanks a lot, due to this zipfile I finally got adfree working appropriately.
zorro
I have a Captivate I just upgraded to, from a BlackBerry. [FINALLY]
After reading around for a week or two on XDA it's about time I ask the questions I've been searching so long for.
It's a couple questions, but I have no idea:
I'm running the latest Cognition rom. Though it's nice and all, can I have my old boot animation back? How?
Ever since I started researching Android and their themes, I've fallen in love with chancellorr's minimalist themes, notably this one from his deviantART account: http://chancellorr.deviantart.com/gallery/26259232#/d33q9jd. I've been trying to get his setup ever since I started. Help please?
How do I use MetaMorph? I'm not sure if it's the main theming app for Android, but it's nothing like Winterboard on the iPhone, I have no idea what I'm doing! Help with that too, please?
What's the nicest and most customizable launcher for Android?
Anything else I might need to know to help further customize my Captivate? What I should be worried about, and how I can prevent issues loading themes and the like.
Thanks for helping me out, loving this Captivate so far
bugmenever said:
I'm running the latest Cognition rom. Though it's nice and all, can I have my old boot animation back? How?
Ever since I started researching Android and their themes, I've fallen in love with chancellorr's minimalist themes, notably this one from his deviantART account: http://chancellorr.deviantart.com/gallery/26259232#/d33q9jd. I've been trying to get his setup ever since I started. Help please?
How do I use MetaMorph? I'm not sure if it's the main theming app for Android, but it's nothing like Winterboard on the iPhone, I have no idea what I'm doing! Help with that too, please?
What's the nicest and most customizable launcher for Android?
Anything else I might need to know to help further customize my Captivate? What I should be worried about, and how I can prevent issues loading themes and the like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes; the boot animation resides in /system/media/bootanimation.zip. To replace it, put the new bootanimation.zip on your SD card and move it over with root explorer. Should you not have root explorer, run the commands below via AndroidSDK/tools (put the bootanimation.zip in the /tools folder too)...
Code:
adb push bootanimation.zip /sdcard/
adb shell
su [i](should change from a $ to a #, dont forget to accept superuser on the phone too)[/i]
cp /sdcard/bootanimation.zip /system/media/
exit
exit
adb reboot
2. As this seems to be designed for a different device, it would require decompiling the frameworks and such and porting them over to captivate-esque code; that would work with the captivates framework.
3. This thread should teach you how to MetaMorph.
4. It's a matter of opinion. The two big ones are Launcher Pro and ADW.Launcher, both come with their own advantages and disadvantages. Want a transparent app drawer background? ADW. Want to hide apps in the app drawer? LauncherPro. Best way to find which one you like is to try them yourself, but as for customizable, i would say Launcher Pro as you don't have to jump through hoops to change the dock background.
5. Don't try to flash a theme that was designed for a different phone. When you theme a ROM, you theme the framework, which is tightly bound to the rest of the software. Changing the Captivates framework to the Evo framework for example would cause problems, as the Evo frameworks calls for different values in different places. The code isn't necessarily different, but the layout and string values will be different too.
All in all, this phone is pretty unbrickable. Get used to making backups and flashing back from a bad flash, and before you apply a theme, make sure you back up whatever files this theme calls for you to replace! Most of the time, even with a theme that doesn't work(assuming it's for the captivate), you'll still retain basic functions. Backup is key!
Enjoy the new toy!
geokhentix said:
1. Yes; the boot animation resides in /system/media/bootanimation.zip. To replace it, put the new bootanimation.zip on your SD card and move it over with root explorer. Should you not have root explorer, run the commands below via AndroidSDK/tools (put the bootanimation.zip in the /tools folder too)...
Code:
adb push bootanimation.zip /sdcard/
adb shell
su [i](should change from a $ to a #, dont forget to accept superuser on the phone too)[/i]
cp /sdcard/bootanimation.zip /system/media/
exit
exit
adb reboot
2. As this seems to be designed for a different device, it would require decompiling the frameworks and such and porting them over to captivate-esque code; that would work with the captivates framework.
3. This thread should teach you how to MetaMorph.
4. It's a matter of opinion. The two big ones are Launcher Pro and ADW.Launcher, both come with their own advantages and disadvantages. Want a transparent app drawer background? ADW. Want to hide apps in the app drawer? LauncherPro. Best way to find which one you like is to try them yourself, but as for customizable, i would say Launcher Pro as you don't have to jump through hoops to change the dock background.
5. Don't try to flash a theme that was designed for a different phone. When you theme a ROM, you theme the framework, which is tightly bound to the rest of the software. Changing the Captivates framework to the Evo framework for example would cause problems, as the Evo frameworks calls for different values in different places. The code isn't necessarily different, but the layout and string values will be different too.
All in all, this phone is pretty unbrickable. Get used to making backups and flashing back from a bad flash, and before you apply a theme, make sure you back up whatever files this theme calls for you to replace! Most of the time, even with a theme that doesn't work(assuming it's for the captivate), you'll still retain basic functions. Backup is key!
Enjoy the new toy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for answering :]
2. Where can I find Captivate frameworks? I always see different amazing looking themes, but no frameworks specifically for Captivate.
4. Learned that the hard way. Scared myself two days after getting it by trying to flash a theme for the G1 and had to wait half an hour to flash back to stock ROM, so I've started to backup more now.
bugmenever said:
Thanks so much for answering :]
2. Where can I find Captivate frameworks? I always see different amazing looking themes, but no frameworks specifically for Captivate.
4. Learned that the hard way. Scared myself two days after getting it by trying to flash a theme for the G1 and had to wait half an hour to flash back to stock ROM, so I've started to backup more now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can find them on this board. A theme almost always changes the framework, which can point to a couple files. These aren't all of the files in theming, but generally, these 2 are almost always changed.
/system/framework/framework-res.apk
/system/framework/twframework-res.apk
Themes usually come as a .zip file, which is intended for you to flash with CWM(ClockworkMod Recovery). Cognition comes with ROM Manager I believe, if it doesn't, DL it off the market. Open it, click Flash ClockworkMod, select Captivate, then you can reboot into recovery and flash themed updates.
Put the themed .zip on your SD card
1. Open ROM Manager, and Flash it, selecting Captivate.
2. Select Reboot into Recovery. (On the first attempt, you might have to click "Reinstall Packages" when it boots into recovery, to get you into CWM for the first time.)
3. Once inside CWM, Install ROM from SD Card > Choose ROM from SD card > theme.zip
It's pretty hard to brick this phone, so don't be afraid to experiment a bit. Generally, most captivate themes are available here in teh Apps & Themes board, but make sure you read the thread to see if there's any information about it being compatible with your current ROM or not.
That's awesome!
Is there anything I would really need to get started up with this phone? I used to have an iPhone and I'm used to their framework, so... :]
Hoping to become a master at this.
I would say ROM Manager, Root Explorer, Titanium Backup, and NinjaMorph are all musts. I would say update to one of the newer roms too; like Perception. The newer kernels are much faster. If you're into customizations, it's worth modifying the rom before you install it (please note however, to always keep a stock unmodified copy of the rom you're modifying, incase it doesn't work).
It's pretty easy. Open the Rom's .zip(like perception, etc etc) in 7z or WinRAR
Apps go in /system/app if you want them to be system-installed (can't remove them, samsung/atnt bloatware is installed in the /system/app for example..well was)
OR the /data/app , which is pre-installed but on a user level, uninstallable like any app downloaded from the market.
Anything theme related goes in /system/framework
Kernels/Modems/etc go in the /updates folder
drag, drop, replace. No need to uncompress and recompress. Whatever you download, assuming it's not an odin flashable, will generally be in the same file system as the rom you're modifying, so it's easy to swap them out. This way themes install with the rom, please note however that if you do install a theme in such a way, features like the all-boot menu (Reboot/recovery/download on power menu), or any extra animations or unlock screens may not work; unless the theme you're building in has them too!
Woops. Accidently double posted.
Hey everyone, I'm not sure why all of the 3rd party apps on MIUI Revamped are installed as system apps and we can't remove, so I made a little script to remove all those. Here's how:
Download my script attached and remove the .txt ending so it ends in .sh
- Download Gscript Lite from the market.
- Start Gscript, leave it to take Superuser access, and close it
- a new folder called "gscript" was created on your internal sdcard;
- Copy my script in gscript folder on internal sdcard:
/sdcard/gscript
- Start Gscript and then press:
Code:
Menu --> Add script --> Load file
select the script, and check 'Need SU' if not already clicked, then save;
- A new script is added!
- Press on the script you want and it will run thru and remove those apps!
**If you want to customize which apps get removed**
Open the script with a text editor and remove lines from there or add more.
To find the name of the app, you can open the MIUI Revamped ROM download and go into the System/app folder and look at the app names.
HAVE FUN!!!
I appreciate your effort but sounds like using adb or rootexplorer would be easier. If this causes problems with my rom it will be removed. Download revamped for what it is.if you don't like what's in revamped then run stock. You really should have asked before having peopl altering my rom. If you uaw this and encounter problems DO NOT REPORT IN ReVaMpED thread.
nickmcminn60 said:
I appreciate your effort but sounds like using adb or rootexplorer would be easier. If this causes problems with my rom it will be removed. Download revamped for what it is.if you don't like what's in revamped then run stock. You really should have asked before having peopl altering my rom. If you uaw this and encounter problems DO NOT REPORT IN ReVaMpED thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are entirely too offended by this. We all use your rom because we love how it runs, but all the live wallpapers and extra apps, A LOT of people don't use. And until now I have been removing them via adb or other root uninstallers. It takes too long since you update your rom every friday. Quick question, why put all these 3rd party apps in the system/app folder? You completely missed the point of my post. It could very well have something to do with how you build your rom, I don't know I'm not a developer. Again, I'm not sure why you are so offended. If I was tweaking the hell out of your rom or something I could understand but its just removing some apps. Why the hostility?
lupascu.marius said:
You are entirely too offended by this. We all use your rom because we love how it runs, but all the live wallpapers and extra apps, A LOT of people don't use. And until now I have been removing them via adb or other root uninstallers. It takes too long since you update your rom every friday. Quick question, why put all these 3rd party apps in the system/app folder? You completely missed the point of my post. It could very well have something to do with how you build your rom, I don't know I'm not a developer. Again, I'm not sure why you are so offended. If I was tweaking the hell out of your rom or something I could understand but its just removing some apps. Why the hostility?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because sir for you never asked us to make these mods. Second there's no hostility just speak the truth. There are proper ways to go about things and this sir isn't. I am standing 100% behind my partner, except he doesn't want this take down and i do. All this does is cause problems and confusions. IF YOU USE THIS TO ALTAR OUR ROM, PLEASE DON'T REPORT BUG'S.
once again no personal attack just there is a proper way of doing things thank you.
Thread in hiatus while we investigate...
Regards,
M_T_M
@OP...I will contact you via PM soon.