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I'm as green as it gets when it comes to Andriod and all of these custom roms for it and the phones. I am extremely technical, senior dev for 10 years. I know a bit of *nix as well, so command shells aren't new to me and the concept of mounting. I've loaded lots of ROMs (and donated!) on my Windows Mobile device (Touch Pro), so that I have licked fine. Just, now I have an andriod device...
But for the like of me, I am having a hard time finding simple basic instructions on how to load a ROM. All I see are things like "boot to RA". Yes, I've searched and searched with VBulletin's limited forum search (used google to crawl the site too, nada).
What does "RA" mean, and how to do I get to it? LOL See my delima! Does it mean "Root Access", and does that mean I have to root my phone (I am assuming that?). Just don't want to brick my brand new phone!
I just picked up a Sprint Hero and want to load Fresh ROM on it. I have not even activated it!
OS is: 2.27.651.5 I assume this is the "2.1" that people are talking about?
So, if this is the 2.1... Does that mean I cannot root it? And therefore, I cannot load any custom ROM on it?
For example, here are the instructions to load Fresh ROM (and my questions):
•Download and copy the zip to the root of your sdcard
Ok, no problem. The zip is on my flash card. But, do I need to expand it?
•Reboot to RA and do a data wipe / factory reset (REQUIRED)
Again, Reboot to... "RA" what? Root Access?
Also, in the rooting instructions, I don't see anything about "data wipe / factory reset" from whatever this "RA" is.
•You may also need to wipe sd:ext if you are having troubles booting.
How do I do that?
•If you are running Fresh Toast and ext4 then you’ll need to partition back to ext3 if you want to use apps2sd
Say what? How do partition, ext3? ext4? What are those? apps2sd?
Yeah, very new...
The rest of the instructions seem easy enough.
Thanks in advance guys!
You need to root your phone first.
After that the RA everyone is talking about is rebooting into recovery. If you have the android sdk loaded you can send a command like adb reboot recovery or you could also turn on the phone while holding the home button. Then you can do all the wiping and loading of ROMS(just make sure they are for a CDMA hero)
You will need to go into settings -> About phone -> Software Information and look at your firmware version. If it is 2.1 then you can't do anything until an exploit is found. If you are 1.5 then you can root your phone. The easiest way is with fresh kitchen. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=655225
Thank you centran! Fresh Kitchen looks super clean. I'll give that a shot (when I can...).
Humm. The phone came with 2.1-update1 as the firmware.
So I guess that means I am SOL?
yep. sorry
Is there a way to use the normal HTC Utility and flash the ROM to an older version? Sprint has pulled the older versions of the ROM from the site. But, I am sure there's one floating around here somewhere.
Thanks again!
Nope, HBOOT fails to flash, and even though we maanged to bypass HBOOT, main version check still fails.
Looking forward to the hack when it's accomplished! Thanks!
Hahahaha... And as soon as I give up hope, handed it to the wife and said, "Sorry, we can't hack it at this time", I see on xda's homepage that the Hero 2.1-update1 has been rooted!!!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=694572
Now, does this mean I can snag any of the custom ROMs here and slap it on it? Or, do I need to/should wait for an RUU-hacked version?
Yep, just Root it and then flash away. No need to wait for anything.
Thanks again for the reply!
Hi guys I just recently did the "How to Root Sprint 2.1 Release for CDMA Hero" in the developers area and I need help choosing rom. I mostly use my phone to surf the net/update my FB/ check my gmail/ download music from music junk etc. I want to be able to do everything I normally do on a normal 2.1 updated hero minus the usesless nascar apps/footprints etc. I want to be able to have live wallpaper and be able to tether as well as save apps to my SD card.
Can you guys suggest me at least 3 separate roms that will allow me to do this? Each one I click seems tempting and really considering giving them a shot. I hear everyone saying do a NANDROID backup what is that exactly? Where do I go to see how to do this? I definitely need help. I also want to know how can I go back to my stock 2.1 sprint rom if in the end I just don't end up liking any of these modified roms (doubt it). I will try and keep browing and reading. Thanks guys for helping me out.
Try them all. It's the only way.
But how it's my question I don't see tutorials...I just wanna make sure I don't f up my phone. i have insurance but still i'm cautious about it. I was thinking this one
ALOYSIUS 2.1
Crown510 said:
But how it's my question I don't see tutorials...I just wanna make sure I don't f up my phone. i have insurance but still i'm cautious about it. I was thinking this one
ALOYSIUS 2.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just responded to your PM
I used the 1.5 Versions of Aloysius, it was good. Haven't tried the 2.1 versions.
Crown510 said:
I want to be able to do everything I normally do on a normal 2.1 updated hero minus the usesless...apps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Question is, do you like Sense? If not, go for DarchDroid. (Unless you use MMS, then go for Ic3Rom). If you like sense, go for DamageControl.
Damagecontrol is a great Rom. Very stable and has built in UI program for disabling Sprint apps, launcher, live wallpaper or even sense all together. There's also apps2sd, JIT compiling, memkiller adjustments, dalvik to SD and swapping options. Just be cautious you don't change a setting without prior research to see what effects it will have on your system. I've been on DC for about a month now and can say this Rom is killer.
And as ALWAYS...do a nandroid backup before making any changes.
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
To do a nandroid you will need a program that can flash a recovery image (allows you to boot up your phone without your OS). I have ROM Manager. But there are others. Once you have flashed a recovery image, backup your OS. This will do a complete backup of your device, so you can always restore where you previously were. I would also recommend making a copy of your backup to your computer HD for safe keeping. Android Police has a couple excellent tutorials on accomplishing this.
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
Personally, I recommend Fresh. Simple, it's got everything you need, and it just seems to work better than DC on my device. DC had some issues with su and felt slow to me.
Hello,
For the past few days i have been trying to find an answer to my question but so i've come up short. With regards to loading a custom rom, what is the process of ensuring that the correct radio image gets loaded as well? I have went as far as modifying my stock rom with dsixda's kitchen (great by the way, very easy to use), but I have not figured out what to do with the radio.img. I incorrectly assumed that it would be retained in the build, and now I'm a bit worried to try it until i know for sure where it needs to go.
Thanks for all your help,
Flashing a new ROM doesn't affect the radio at all. You could change your ROM 6 times per day and still have the same radio.
I'd say your best bet is to search around the forum and find one of the flashable .zips for whatever radio you want. They are out there cuz I remember doing that a while back. As long as you flash one meant for CDMA (DO NOT FLASH A GSM RADIO!!!) you should be fine.
Here's the one that a lot of us are using right now, the newest Radio that came in Sprint's 2.1 Stock release: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=681703
Ok well that makes sense. I would use that radio, but I don't have a sprint device, so unless I am completely lost I should just stick with what I as my radio image. I have just gotten a bit confused with all the talk about using sprint rom's in non-sprint phones and losing the ability to make/receive calls,data, ect.
Just so I am clear, as long as I am clear, since I modified my stock rom to add root, wifi tethering, blah blah; the radio will be fine. So essentially, loading my rom would have no more effect on the carrier files than a master reset would. Am I over simplifying it?
Thanks, you are the first person is 5 different forums that explained this to me.
Ok yes, you shouldn't flash a Sprint radio if you're not on the Sprint carrier. Your provider may not recognize it and your phone might not even get signal.
And yes you're also correct that adding root, wi-fi tether, and other such apps/mods will not have any effect on your radio at all. The radio is basically just what the phone uses to receive its signal from the tower. It's like you said...if you're not having any signal/data problems, you really don't need to worry about updating your radio.
Finally, you're also correct in that you shouldn't flash a Sprint-based ROM to your phone if you're not on Sprint. The frameworks and operating files are built somewhat differently in other providers ROMs, so a Sprint-based ROM on your non-Sprint phone likely wouldn't even work.
There are other ROMs for a few other carriers out there in the Development forum. Browse around there to see if one of those will work for you.
Sounds like you understand it all just fine
Thanks, I went ahead and took the plunge and loaded my own rom and it worked flawlessly, well with the exception of my custom boot screen image and the boot sound. I guess I need to just take baby steps I guess. Does anybody know where I can get some get directions on creating custom bootup features? I read somewhere all I needed to do was open the media folder and edit the images as I see fit. It seemed easy enough, but on startup, the screens froze and I got no sound. It did load all the way but I would like to correct this if possible.
Thanks again
A somewhat basic boot animation tutorial (that doesn't seem really good in my opinion, but a good start at least): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=639471
Some boot animation instructions: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6651435&postcount=2
Boot animation preview tool: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=676385
There's lots more stuff out there if you search the forum for "boot animation". Looks like some ppl just modify existing boot images to their liking rather than completely building from scratch.
Thanks, I will give them a try. I am still a little afraid to try some of the tried and true custom roms out there for fear of incompatability with my radio, so I am gonna work with what I got and continue to work on my own. Thanks again for all your help
chromiumleaf is totaly right, if your not real familiar with flashing radio's stick with the one your carrier provided a wrong radio flash can brick your phone quick.
for the boot animations when cooking them into your roms, copying and pasting your new bootanimation into the /system/media folder in your working directory, and leaving the option in the kitchen unchecked will give your better results, also here's some more info that might be helpful in building them.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7574576&postcount=12
Just make sure u delete the bootanimation.zip file in the media folder before u add ur boot animation cause the zip will always over rule ur animation.
Hi all, in a couple of days time I will be receiving my first ever Android device, the Motorola Milestone. I've already done some research on the phone as well as on Android itself, and understood most of the necessary basics. However, there are still many things I don't understand quite yet, and would like some help with clarifying them.
My first question is regarding the custom roms. I myself have been a long time user of Windows Mobile so I know most of the stuff that is relevant to Android as well. From what I know, the bootloader on the Milestone is still locked, but people have found ways to load custom roms on it. Can someone link me to the guide on how to do this? Now before someone tell me to search on the forum or on Google (which I already have), I just want to point out that the ones I found seemed to be outdated, and that they're for older Android versions??
My 2nd question is, do custom roms like IceandFire or Froyomod come with their own custom kernels? Because I want to be able to overclock my phone, and if it comes installed with its own kernel then I don't want to risk bricking it by flashing another kernel on top of it......I hope that makes sense??
3rd question is, which rom is the best for speed and battery? I'm guessing it's IceandFire and it builds upon the latest CM7?
And lastly, are there any crucial apps that you guys recommend I should install, or any tweaks etc I should use?
chaoscreater said:
Hi all, in a couple of days time I will be receiving my first ever Android device, the Motorola Milestone. I've already done some research on the phone as well as on Android itself, and understood most of the necessary basics. However, there are still many things I don't understand quite yet, and would like some help with clarifying them.
My first question is regarding the custom roms. I myself have been a long time user of Windows Mobile so I know most of the stuff that is relevant to Android as well. From what I know, the bootloader on the Milestone is still locked, but people have found ways to load custom roms on it. Can someone link me to the guide on how to do this? Now before someone tell me to search on the forum or on Google (which I already have), I just want to point out that the ones I found seemed to be outdated, and that they're for older Android versions??
My 2nd question is, do custom roms like IceandFire or Froyomod come with their own custom kernels? Because I want to be able to overclock my phone, and if it comes installed with its own kernel then I don't want to risk bricking it by flashing another kernel on top of it......I hope that makes sense??
3rd question is, which rom is the best for speed and battery? I'm guessing it's IceandFire and it builds upon the latest CM7?
And lastly, are there any crucial apps that you guys recommend I should install, or any tweaks etc I should use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=983516
This is still the best way to get a custom ROM loaded up onto your phone. What you want to start with is flashing the vulnerable recovery from http://android.doshaska.net/rootable by using RSD Lite. To do so, you need to put the phone into Bootloader mode (power+Dpad-up) You can google RSD Lite, make sure you use the latest version along with the latest USB Driver version from Motorola.
RSD Lite is a very finicky program, if you have any errors flashing, your best bet would be to try this post: http://androidforums.com/droid-all-...hing-process-0x7100-rsd-lite.html#post1274587
Once you flash the VR (vulnerable recovery), you will want to put OpenRecovery on your SD Card. I recommend using OR 1.46 and placing FuFu's minimod on the SD Card as well. It will overwrite existing files in OR (look for it in Milestone Development). From here you can root the phone in OR (by using power+x, then camera+volume up) and reboot, backup all data you want saved, before flashing a ROM.
Once that is done, get the custom ROM that you want (I find speed + battery can be Cronos, CM7 or FroyoMOD for a Froyo ROM) and place it in OpenRecovery/updates. You will also want the most up-to-date version of Google Apps for Cronos or any Gingerbread ROM (except MIUI).
Gapps: http://goo-inside.me/gapps/gapps-gb-20110613-signed.zip
Now, turn the phone off, and put it into recovery mode (power+x, then camera+volume up), select apply update.zip and you are now into OpenRecovery.
Here is where you will flash your custom ROM and Gapps. Wipe both cache partition and dalvik cache, then wipe all data. Select Apply Update under Miscellaneous Menu and select the ROM you want. Once it is done, wipe both caches (not data) and flash Gapps. Wipe caches again. Finally, change the baseband to your country and reboot.
The first reboot will take a while, as the ROM is configuring itself for first time use.
That is how to flash a custom ROM and get started.
2- Custom kernels are not available for Milestone, as our bootloader is locked. Overclocking the phone is done through the 10overclock file in system/etc/init.d . All ROMs that I know of are overclock, most to 1GHz (from 550MHz). You will not be able to flash any kernels, and DO NOT try ROM Manager, it will temporarily brick your phone.
Crucial apps, I would say are Root Explorer, TitaniumBackup. Those are the two that are very useful for root users, if you flash multiple ROMs or need to access system files.
Hope this helped.
awesome, thanks for the reply mate!
Hmm 2 things i'm confused with. Isn't there an app called "Milestone Overclock" that lets u overclock without installing custom kernels?
Also, from what I know you need to have the bootloader unlocked in order to install custom roms. I already know that Motorola is still keeping the bootloader locked and that as of now, there isn't a way to unlock it. Then how come we can install custom roms?
Also, since you mentioned ROM Manager, I did a quick search and it seems to be able to manage multiple custom rom installs that you have. But then you said don't try it or it will brick the phone, so I don't understand whether I can install it or not?? Personally, I love testing out different roms as well as new builds. It would be nice to dual boot or choose between different roms to use. But i'm not sure whether I want to go forward with this since your comment implies to me that I shouldn't install Rom Manager?
Lastly, this is the part I found most confusing with Android (or with Windows Mobile as well). I found some guides that tells you to install Clockwork Recovery Mod or something like that. Some of them even mentioned using Nandroid or something. There seems to be different methods & tools/softwares for different devices (or even the same device) and it can be confusing to keep up with them. My question is, are there major differences between them? Which one is better and should I keep them up to date?
chaoscreater said:
awesome, thanks for the reply mate!
Hmm 2 things i'm confused with. Isn't there an app called "Milestone Overclock" that lets u overclock without installing custom kernels?
Also, from what I know you need to have the bootloader unlocked in order to install custom roms. I already know that Motorola is still keeping the bootloader locked and that as of now, there isn't a way to unlock it. Then how come we can install custom roms?
Also, since you mentioned ROM Manager, I did a quick search and it seems to be able to manage multiple custom rom installs that you have. But then you said don't try it or it will brick the phone, so I don't understand whether I can install it or not?? Personally, I love testing out different roms as well as new builds. It would be nice to dual boot or choose between different roms to use. But i'm not sure whether I want to go forward with this since your comment implies to me that I shouldn't install Rom Manager?
Lastly, this is the part I found most confusing with Android (or with Windows Mobile as well). I found some guides that tells you to install Clockwork Recovery Mod or something like that. Some of them even mentioned using Nandroid or something. There seems to be different methods & tools/softwares for different devices (or even the same device) and it can be confusing to keep up with them. My question is, are there major differences between them? Which one is better and should I keep them up to date?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried Milestone Overclock, but I never really used it to overclock the phone. I prefer changing the voltages and speeds with the 10overclock file. If you read the description of Milestone overclock, it "tricks" the kernel into thinking it's supposed to run at a certain speed.
ROM Manager and Clockwork Recovery Mod do not work on Milestone. The only recovery that works with the Milestone is OpenRecovery or Androidiani OpenRecovery. Unfortunately, the only way to flash the ROMs is through OR or AOR, so you will have to repeat the processes every single time. I have gotten used to where all of the options are for FuFu's Minimod, so I am able to do it quite efficiently
The best way to backup a ROM, system data and the such is by Nandroid backup. That is the only sort of backup that you can do. It is recommended to do one every time you flash a custom ROM, but I only did it after I rooted and before I flashed my first custom ROM. You can do it through OR. That is the only way that will work. CWM and ROM Manager will just temp brick the phone and you will have to reflash a stock SBF all over again.
i see.....in that case there's no way to install 2 different roms to allow dual booting then? What about the app "Boot Manager", will that work? I found it on this site here:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/0...ted-user-should-know-about-part-4-apps-26-33/
One last question, I came across this popular app that is recommended by many Android users, called Apps2SD. My understanding to this is that by default, any apps/games that you install on your device will install to the internal memory, and that this Apps2SD app basically lets you install to your memory card? So my question is, does this lag the phone somehow? I like to have many apps and especially games installed on my phone, would doing this affect the performance or something? I know this is the case for Windows Mobile, but not sure about Android.....
chaoscreater said:
i see.....in that case there's no way to install 2 different roms to allow dual booting then? What about the app "Boot Manager", will that work? I found it on this site here:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/0...ted-user-should-know-about-part-4-apps-26-33/
One last question, I came across this popular app that is recommended by many Android users, called Apps2SD. My understanding to this is that by default, any apps/games that you install on your device will install to the internal memory, and that this Apps2SD app basically lets you install to your memory card? So my question is, does this lag the phone somehow? I like to have many apps and especially games installed on my phone, would doing this affect the performance or something? I know this is the case for Windows Mobile, but not sure about Android.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I follow AndroidPolice as well. I don't know about Boot Manager, I heard about it, but I haven't heard any reviews of it yet.
Two things when it comes to phone storage and apps on the Milestone: Old hardware makes for a lot of games to not work at all, and low phone storage space.
Almost every ROM comes with apps2ext support, which is a more advanced version of Apps2SD. You can follow this tutorial here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10994672&postcount=226
Apps2ext will trick your phone into thinking space on the SD Card (the ext partition) is actually part of the phone's internal memory. You will be able to get a lot more apps on the phone this way.
Ahh cool, that saves me the trouble of me having to install an extra tweak.
Hmm I know Milestone is old, but not that old is it?? I don't know of any games now days that require heavy hardware specs or anything......i'm just hoping that emulators will work fine on it. I mean, my iPod Touch 3rd Gen only has about 120MB of free RAM, and the CPU is crap as hell and yet I could run GBA games like Pokemon or Golden Sun fine no problem (with sound of course). I'm hoping it'll at least work smoothly on the Milestone since I'll be attempting to overclock it to 1Ghz, which should run it significantly faster in theory.
BTW I found this great tweak for the CM7, here's the link:
http://chromloop.com/2011/07/how-to-make-cyanogenmod-7-for-milestone-a853-lighter-and-faster/
are there any ones similar to this? I'm a tweak junkie addict, I like to make my device run as smooth and as fast as possible. When I still had my HTC Touch Pro and Xperia X1, and even Nokia N900 (which uses Maemo 5), I tweaked the crap out of them and got more juice and power and made its performance so much better. I'm hoping I can at least do the same for the Milestone, except I couldn't seem to find many tweaks...
Oh lastly, I know one of the big problems with Android is fragmentation. There're already some apps out there in the Android market that are exclusive to certain Android versions. The same app has a version for Froyo (v2.2) and Gingerbread (v2.3). This is true for some of the mods or tweaks on XDA. So my question is, are custom roms like CM7 using Gingerbread? I'm guessing yes since it says 2.3.5? In that case, would I be able to simply install the latest mod/tweak or apps/games from XDA or the Android market? Or must I find the versions that is identical to mine?
E.g. if I install CM7, can I still install a mod that is for Froyo?
chaoscreater said:
Ahh cool, that saves me the trouble of me having to install an extra tweak.
Hmm I know Milestone is old, but not that old is it?? I don't know of any games now days that require heavy hardware specs or anything......i'm just hoping that emulators will work fine on it. I mean, my iPod Touch 3rd Gen only has about 120MB of free RAM, and the CPU is crap as hell and yet I could run GBA games like Pokemon or Golden Sun fine no problem (with sound of course). I'm hoping it'll at least work smoothly on the Milestone since I'll be attempting to overclock it to 1Ghz, which should run it significantly faster in theory.
BTW I found this great tweak for the CM7, here's the link:
http://chromloop.com/2011/07/how-to-make-cyanogenmod-7-for-milestone-a853-lighter-and-faster/
are there any ones similar to this? I'm a tweak junkie addict, I like to make my device run as smooth and as fast as possible. When I still had my HTC Touch Pro and Xperia X1, and even Nokia N900 (which uses Maemo 5), I tweaked the crap out of them and got more juice and power and made its performance so much better. I'm hoping I can at least do the same for the Milestone, except I couldn't seem to find many tweaks...
Oh lastly, I know one of the big problems with Android is fragmentation. There're already some apps out there in the Android market that are exclusive to certain Android versions. The same app has a version for Froyo (v2.2) and Gingerbread (v2.3). This is true for some of the mods or tweaks on XDA. So my question is, are custom roms like CM7 using Gingerbread? I'm guessing yes since it says 2.3.5? In that case, would I be able to simply install the latest mod/tweak or apps/games from XDA or the Android market? Or must I find the versions that is identical to mine?
E.g. if I install CM7, can I still install a mod that is for Froyo?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course you still can. The best tweak for Milestone is under Android Hacking, it's zeppelinrox's supercharger script, which you run through Script Manager. That's the best you can get.
Sent from my Milestone using XDA Premium App
I thought custom roms like CM7 or IceandFire come with the supercharger script included?
chaoscreater said:
I thought custom roms like CM7 or IceandFire come with the supercharger script included?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some do, such as HO!NO!, but not all of them do.
Sent from my Milestone using XDA Premium App
Ok so I finally got my Milestone today!
I'm about to start rooting it and install CM7 on it. But before I do that, I have one important question. I know for Windows Mobile, almost all of the device requires you to do a hard reset after flashing a custom rom. I was wondering if the same needs to be applied to Android custom roms? Because it doesn't seem like it, I did a quick Google search and found this:
http://androidforums.com/optimus-v-...4-do-not-factory-reset-your-rooted-phone.html
So ya I'm not sure....
UPDATE:
Ok so I got my Milestone rooted, and installed CM7 on it. I came across a weird problem while doing it though. First of all, I'm using a 8GB Kingston microSD class 2, and it's brand new and hasn't been used before, so it obviously has nothing stored on it as it's empty to begin with. Ok, so as I followed the instructions, the first step is obviously rooting the Milestone, so I simply copied OpenRecovery to the memory card while my Milestone was connected to my PC. The weird thing is, when I opened "My Computer", I didn't see my memory card. Instead, I see "Milestone", so I opened it and then I see my memory card "Removeable Storage". I opened it again and here's the actual weird part, there're 2 files stored in it, called:
DevIcon
DevLogo
At first, I didn't think it was a problem because I thought they were just some dummy file or something. Also, the memory card is empty other than those 2 files. So after copying OpenRecovery to it and rooting it successfully, I then proceed to copy the CM7 custom rom file to the memory card. But this time, I still see the same thing. I don't see my OpenRecovery folder on it at all, there're no other files other than those 2 files on it. I tried Unmount and Mount in the SD Card settings, also unplugging my USB cable and re-plugging back in but it's the same. In fact, after 'Unmounting' the memory card, I couldn't even access it on "My Computer", as nothing shows up after I open "Milestone". Only 'Mounting' works, but again I only see those 2 files and nothing else.
HOWEVER, I then tried to take out the memory card and use my own microSD card reader, and bam I can see all the files on it, such as OpenRecovery and even the nanDroid backup that I made while following the instructions on that guide. So this is weird, why can't I access or see the contents on my memory card while the phone is connected to the PC??
I don't wanna create another topic for this since it's unnecessary, so here's my final question. In case something goes wrong in the future, what's the best way for me to revert back to stock?
I know I can use nandroid for this, but here's what i'm confused about. Nandroid makes a backup of the complete system, including the settings and apps installed correct? But what if you flash a custom rom, and then use a nandroid backup of the stock rom, will that still work? Or would you have to install the stock rom first for you to be able to use the nandroid backup?
Lastly, if the nandroid backup works regardless of whether you're using a different rom than the rom that the nandroid backup was made, then which option is better:
use nandroid to revert to stock, or using this guide here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11902513&postcount=7
Now I understand that for Milestone, custom roms are not actually flashed since the bootloader is locked. So would using nandroid be good enough?
chaoscreater said:
I don't wanna create another topic for this since it's unnecessary, so here's my final question. In case something goes wrong in the future, what's the best way for me to revert back to stock?
I know I can use nandroid for this, but here's what i'm confused about. Nandroid makes a backup of the complete system, including the settings and apps installed correct? But what if you flash a custom rom, and then use a nandroid backup of the stock rom, will that still work? Or would you have to install the stock rom first for you to be able to use the nandroid backup?
Lastly, if the nandroid backup works regardless of whether you're using a different rom than the rom that the nandroid backup was made, then which option is better:
use nandroid to revert to stock, or using this guide here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11902513&postcount=7
Now I understand that for Milestone, custom roms are not actually flashed since the bootloader is locked. So would using nandroid be good enough?
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Click to collapse
The best way to revert to stock will be to flash an sbf for your region that will wipe everything. They have those sbf's on and-developers.
Sent from my Milestone using XDA Premium App
Ahh I see, so in what situations will we be using nandroid to restore from the backup?
Also, the SBF file i'm using is from the guide that you linked me in your 2nd post. I'm using the EUROPE one because apparently it covers most of the countries around Europe, which includes New Zealand (where I live). I've had no problems with it, but just then I checked out the AND-Developers site like you suggested, and found this here:
http://and-developers.com/sbf:milestone221
It doesn't seem to have New Zealand but it does have Australia, which is like a neighbour to us. Will it be better if I flash the SBF to that instead?
Also, will flashing a SBF change the radio? Or does only changing the baseband change the radio? Because i'm getting weak signals from 2G/3G sometimes, and my Wifi has problems sometimes not being able to connect properly. Either that, or it shows that i'm connected but i'm not getting any data, apparently a lot of people have problems like this after I did some searching around.
chaoscreater said:
Ahh I see, so in what situations will we be using nandroid to restore from the backup?
Also, the SBF file i'm using is from the guide that you linked me in your 2nd post. I'm using the EUROPE one because apparently it covers most of the countries around Europe, which includes New Zealand (where I live). I've had no problems with it, but just then I checked out the AND-Developers site like you suggested, and found this here:
http://and-developers.com/sbf:milestone221
It doesn't seem to have New Zealand but it does have Australia, which is like a neighbour to us. Will it be better if I flash the SBF to that instead?
Also, will flashing a SBF change the radio? Or does only changing the baseband change the radio? Because i'm getting weak signals from 2G/3G sometimes, and my Wifi has problems sometimes not being able to connect properly. Either that, or it shows that i'm connected but i'm not getting any data, apparently a lot of people have problems like this after I did some searching around.
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Click to collapse
1. when you're phone will not start anymore, it's good to have one before every new flash cause you never now what's gonna happen.
2. funny thing is i know where New Zealand is (not near Europe) . about the baseband ... yes every sbf has the region specific baseband 's (you cant flash a radio only change baseband 's).
baseband can be found on dexter's (http://dext3r.komodin.org/) page but they are already included in OR (not sure about fufu's). i can't be very precise because i don't remember.
custom rom's don't think they change baseband 's, (the .zip ones)
Ya ur right, NZ is not anywhere near Europe lol
but I did do some research on which SBF I needed before I flashed it, and I found out that the Europe SBF works for NZ as well, it was mentioned somewhere I can't remember.
About the baseband, I'm still a little bit confused. First off, I already know that you can change the baseband under OpenRecovery. The thing is, there are no options to change the baseband to New Zealand, so which one should I pick? Also, here's the part I'm confused about. You said that the baseband are region specific, and yet we can choose the baseband we want in OpenRecovery.
So since I flashed the SBF for Europe, what will happen if I then change the baseband to say Argentina (one of the options under OpenRecovery)? Will it crash or something?? I don't even know what baseband i'm using right now, I haven't changed anything, I only flashed the SBF for Europe and that's it. I can still go online using 2G/3G and txt no problem, but I'm just not sure if the baseband i'm using is suppose to be correct for New Zealand or not...
BTW just another side question (sorry I'm really new to the Android scene!):
I've found a few custom roms that doesn't use the current kernel we have for Milestone. As far as I know, the bootloader for Milestone is locked, therefore we can't properly flash a custom rom onto it, as well as replacing the kernel as well. So what I'm confused with is, if some of these custom roms don't use the current kernel on the system, then how does it work? Does it use its own kernel, and if so then shouldn't that replace the system's own kernel before it can be used??
Here's one of the custom rom topic where I read from, in case ur wondering:
This is the Froyo FRG22 image for our Milestone. but as this is not using the kernel, there are some limit to functions based on kernel requirement. But its close, and works great and is alot faster.
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=734802
The same goes for the custom roms. I don't understand how they can run on Milestone even though it's not properly flashed. Like some others have mentioned, the so-called "custom roms" that we have now are just a layer of image or skin on top of the stock rom. The weird thing is, it runs faster and most of the pre-installed stock apps that came with the stock rom are removed, thus giving us more space for internal storage. But how does this work if the custom roms haven't actually flashed onto our phone? Or did it overwrite/modify the files on the stock rom? If so, then isn't that just flashing onto the phone then?
chaoscreater said:
About the baseband
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Click to collapse
changing baseband's that are not supported by your network op will lead to no signal whatsoever.. i don't remember if there is a problem with only data. try other baseband, in theory it will not crash anything, so do a nandroid backup before
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=734802
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that is an old post from "25th July 2010, 05:52 AM" moto started to leak kernel from January 2011 give or take a month, so back then froyo was used with the eclair kernel. kernel from milestone was never changed to other than moto signed, only modules loaded at an early stage, thanks to kabaldan/nadlabak and other if exists
custom roms =
moto kernel
kernel modules (this helps on overclock , app2ext ... others)
mods to system files, apps
hope you understand cause i don't know if i make it clear at the end of the post
edit:
The same goes for the custom roms. I don't understand how they can run on Milestone even though it's not properly flashed. Like some others have mentioned, the so-called "custom roms" that we have now are just a layer of image or skin on top of the stock rom. The weird thing is, it runs faster and most of the pre-installed stock apps that came with the stock rom are removed, thus giving us more space for internal storage. But how does this work if the custom roms haven't actually flashed onto our phone? Or did it overwrite/modify the files on the stock rom? If so, then isn't that just flashing onto the phone then?
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Click to collapse
i doesn't make any sense, you will end up with no memory , only kernel remains, other things gets rewritten.
Code:
http://www.vodafone.co.nz/roaming/welcome-to-nz.jsp
this get out of what i know. with the frequencies,
basebands/frequency i have 900/1800
for data check if there is a problem with your apn settings
I see, thanks for your thorough explanation
Ya I know that changing my baseband will probably give me better signals, but I'm asking which one is best for Vodafone NZ because there isn't a baseband for New Zealand.
For the data part, were you talking about my wifi problem, and suggesting I check the APN settings? Don't worry that's been solved already. I flashed to the New Zealand v2.1 SBF and now it's working very stable. But like I said, after flashing to that I now have problems with connecting to my operator whenever I switch to 2G. However, 3G works fine so there's no problem with that.
BTW, I have another problem. After flashing to the New Zealand v2.1 SBF, I couldn't access my OpenRecovery anymore. I didn't delete or change any files on my memory card, so if I could access OpenRecovery and root my device as well as flash a custom rom when I was still on Froyo, then why can't I do it again when I flash to Eclair?
I *think* I know the reason, is it because it patched the vulnerable recovery or something? I think this is what I need to do to fix this:
http://android.doshaska.net/rootable
I haven't done it yet coz i'm busy these days, but i just need a confirmation so I know that it is indeed the case.
I *think* I know the reason, is it because it patched the vulnerable recovery or something? I think this is what I need to do to fix this:
http://android.doshaska.net/rootable
I haven't done it yet coz i'm busy these days, but i just need a confirmatio
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Click to collapse
true story . it should say something about eocd marker and fail.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=698059
For the data part, were you talking about my wifi problem, and suggesting I check the APN settings?
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Click to collapse
sorry... i don't know, last night i thought i read something else, about working 3g and 2g not ..must be the skittles... to much rainbow
i suggest finding out what country baseband are similar to New Zealand and flash/apply that one )
Hi guys, I have an old G1 at home that I've been using as a time killer, to play chess and some music. I want to try changing the ROM on it, because I have some problems with it, but i'm not sure where to begin. I'll give a quick rundown of the phone's problems and what I'm trying to do. This is an old machine I bought for my dad awhile ago. It's not been used for some time and I wanna to do something with it. It has a lot of problems which I don't understand. For example I cannot connect to google nor through a data plan on a simcard or through Wifi. I've seen threads having some tips on this but none helped. Same problem with some applications - facebook, teamviewer and so on. They just won't connect, although wifi works fine with the browser, so I don't know what going on. There are other problems as well and I think it's running slower than it should because it won't even manage to do stuff a generic G1 should - videos have to be heavily converted to even run - trying any video player is useless - it'll lag as hell. I have to convert to a specific audio and video format with lowered fps, then it runs ok, but still only using the generic video player. Anything else will just become a comic book.
Anyway - this is a phone I got off eBay and it already came rooted and with the Super D rom loaded (kernel 2.6.29.6-SuperD) So because all the problems I want to reflash it completely to try find out, whether it's all hardware related or the rom's unstable... Now, because it is already rooted and I'm new to this, I don't know where to start.
I have looked through a few rooting/flashing guides, but my problems is: I don't know whether I need to do it all, or can skip a few steps, because it being rooted already. For example whether I need to downgrade anything again, or not before going on. My first important question is, is there a point in flashing anything higher than android 1.6? As the phone is very limited with it's resources, I'm not sure, whether for example flashing the 2.2 froyo CM rom will do any good. Secondly: there are several different guides out there and I don't know which one is good for me. I believe I tried the one click thing once, but it didn't work then, but not sure what was the problem. I presume it is because I either didn't have to do all of it, or I didn't do something else I was supposed to.
So all in all, if someone could point me to a good guide, that would take in account the option, that it already is rooted and I just need to change the Rom, it would be greatly appreciated.
Magicnet2 said:
Hi guys, I have an old G1 at home that I've been using as a time killer, to play chess and some music. I want to try changing the ROM on it, because I have some problems with it, but i'm not sure where to begin. I'll give a quick rundown of the phone's problems and what I'm trying to do. This is an old machine I bought for my dad awhile ago. It's not been used for some time and I wanna to do something with it. It has a lot of problems which I don't understand. For example I cannot connect to google nor through a data plan on a simcard or through Wifi. I've seen threads having some tips on this but none helped. Same problem with some applications - facebook, teamviewer and so on. They just won't connect, although wifi works fine with the browser, so I don't know what going on. There are other problems as well and I think it's running slower than it should because it won't even manage to do stuff a generic G1 should - videos have to be heavily converted to even run - trying any video player is useless - it'll lag as hell. I have to convert to a specific audio and video format with lowered fps, then it runs ok, but still only using the generic video player. Anything else will just become a comic book.
Anyway - this is a phone I got off eBay and it already came rooted and with the Super D rom loaded (kernel 2.6.29.6-SuperD) So because all the problems I want to reflash it completely to try find out, whether it's all hardware related or the rom's unstable... Now, because it is already rooted and I'm new to this, I don't know where to start.
I have looked through a few rooting/flashing guides, but my problems is: I don't know whether I need to do it all, or can skip a few steps, because it being rooted already. For example whether I need to downgrade anything again, or not before going on. My first important question is, is there a point in flashing anything higher than android 1.6? As the phone is very limited with it's resources, I'm not sure, whether for example flashing the 2.2 froyo CM rom will do any good. Secondly: there are several different guides out there and I don't know which one is good for me. I believe I tried the one click thing once, but it didn't work then, but not sure what was the problem. I presume it is because I either didn't have to do all of it, or I didn't do something else I was supposed to.
So all in all, if someone could point me to a good guide, that would take in account the option, that it already is rooted and I just need to change the Rom, it would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing I would do is just factory reset it through recovery (power on while holding home) and see if all works after this. Super d is for sure one of my favorite donut ROMs and it shouldn't be having the issues you have.
If that does little or nothing than write down all info from bootloader (power on while holding camera) here and the version of recovery you have (written in recovery screen)
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Hi. Thanks for the quick reply. I've already reset it multiple times, but it didn't change anything. What most angers me, is the Wifi issue (because I know my dad has been using his dataplan and it worked fine and when I tried it later, it just didn't work anymore) and the video thing.
As for the info:
Hboot-1.33.2005 (Drea11000)
Clpd-4
Radio-2.22.23.02
Recovery is ClockworkMod Recovery 2.5.0.7
Magicnet2 said:
Hi. Thanks for the quick reply. I've already reset it multiple times, but it didn't change anything. What most angers me, is the Wifi issue (because I know my dad has been using his dataplan and it worked fine and when I tried it later, it just didn't work anymore) and the video thing.
As for the info:
Hboot-1.33.2005 (Drea11000)
Clpd-4
Radio-2.22.23.02
Recovery is ClockworkMod Recovery 2.5.0.7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is strange, try finding a ROM called donut by Laszlo, search is down right now but it should be within the first five pages or so in developers thread. Put on sdcard along with this
http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=23212708291678371
First flash super wipe in recovery and then flash new ROM
If it all does not work still we will go from there
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Right, so I've got some new info on this. I wanted to go reflash, but just for the sake of it, I re-wiped though recovery and nothing changed. then on the second time, the market suddeny started working through wifi, which it has not for the past few months, even after 3 or 4 wipes. So it started working, but the signal kept failing. It found the first application, downloaded, installed, then "network problem" so I reflashed using the files you mentioned. It worked beautifully on the first fly, for which I am grateful. This was my main concern - I had no idea, whether I needed to change the radio or bootloader or anything prior to trying to flash the rom. So the rom works nice, the market and facebook and teamviewer do connect now using wifi, but I keep loosing the signal. Better said - he stays connected to wifi, just that the applications keep throwing network errors and loose connection. So I presume, it will be either hardware related, or I was wondering, if a change of radio might help... Secondly, I keep getting one more problem I had with the old Rom and that is - when using ES File explorer, when I close by pushing the back button, it closes and then an error says it stopped working and needs force closing. Wondering how this kind of error can transfer between different Roms. Again - posibly hardware related? I don't know.
Anyway, the rom works nice, so I'll try it out and see if it's better than the previous one. One question though - when flashing to a different Rom, do all of them have specific requirements for radio and bootloader and recovery and so on, or is the setup I have ok for flashing anything, that is suited for the G1?
EDIT: One more thing I just remembered. The Superwipe, as I read the description, was supposed to wipe everything + the SD card as well. First of all I noticed that it took just about a second or two, which I thought was a bit too quick, but the SD card was not wiped at all, so I'm thinking, that theoretically there could be a file on there, that causes the problems, that have transfered from Rom to Rom, as it was not wiped at all. I'll reformat the SD card, superwipe it, reflash the Rom and see what will happen. Will post the results first thing tomorrow.
It only wipes ext partition not fat32
Only newer ROMs will require a different bootloader/radio, which also will give you more ram so it is preferred. See ezterrys post on the 2708+ update or read the through the thread below this on where I discussed the benefits of upgrading with another dream user
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Right, so from what I see from the other thread of yours, CM5 should be a good Rom to try. I will definitely wanna go there, cause while the current Rom seems a bit better than the Super D, it seems it uses up more memory - can't install as many apps as before and I'm keeping it pretty low on apps. And I definitely want to see, whether it will improve any of the lingering problems I've been having, or whether it'll be worse. So judging by what you told the other guy, I already have the right bootloader as I have the 2005 with fastboot enabled, but I'll have to update the radio. Here's what I'm not sure and that is, which to choose. Should I stay with the current SPL and get the same radio the other guy had (RADIO-2.22.19.26i) or should I go straight for the 13d SPL with radio-2.22.27.08? I would say, for now would be safer to stay with current SPL, update the radio and then flash Rom + Gapps and see what it does. Plus if I remember right, you said that to get the ramhack I need the 13d spl, which doesn't support fastboot...
You got it all, well you don't need to change radios, the one he has is a Europe version, yours is more us. Both work fine for cupcake, donut and eclair ROMs. You can try out the other if you were getting poor reception but not needed
Cm5 will work fine for you as of now, just full make a backup, wipe, superwipe, fastboot -w whatever, then flash ROM, then gapps then reboot
The ram hack is awesome but so is learning fastboot. I do recommend you at some point upgrade to the .13d SPL but I think its a good idea to flash a few things first and be comfortable before doing so. If you have issues having fastboot is helpful in fixing things
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Ok. So what I did is partition the SD card using the nice "Mini tool partition wizard" and went for a 250 MB ext4, made a backup, left the radio be so far, wiped, flashed the CM5 and Gapps and I have to say I'm impressed at how swift the Rom works. It appears to be generally faster than both the SuperD and Laszlo Donut Roms. I have been testing it only a short while yet, but the wifi, although it shows constantly weak signal (one or two lines), it hadn't lost connection yet, which gives me hope and the apps2ext seems to work perfectly right away. At least I'm able to move them around and it installs straight there, without any failure so far and the apps work so thumbs up.
This deserves a big thanks to you for the supplied info. Before I wrote this thread, I was about to try one of the long guides - which would take me through downgrading and everything - you saved me a lot of stress man I'll play around with this and will try going for the ram hack a bit later. I'll let you know any bugs I notice...
P.S.: You were right to suggest getting familiar with fastboot and adb - it's a great thing and it's good to know I've got it set up and running fine.