After running the stock Android 2.2 ROM for almost a year it has become super slow and i seek a change.
Hence the research into Root Hacking/Recovery Modules and custom ROMs.
I have very little experience, however I did custom ROM my Motorola Xoom a while ago.
Between these two sites I found everything I needed:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1016084
http://www.t-mod.org/182-2/desire-tutorial/
And for everything else see here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=809328
***This is just a brief extract of the above sites and a couple others of how I modded mine***
****The above sites have videos and comments and lots more information****
1) HBOOT
[quote from t-mod.org]
The first thing you need to do is check the HBOOT version of your phone.To do this, power off your phone, and then hold down Volume Down+Power. You will be presented with a white screen, with some green text at the top. This is HBOOT Mode. If it displays HBOOT-0.93.0001, Reboot the phone by selecting FASTBOOT, then select REBOOT to reboot the phone as normal and continue onto the next section.
--- Turns out I had HBOOT-0.93.0001, I believe it came with the Telstra RUU.
###What is ROM and RUU?
ROM
The custom ROM is a colection of software to run properly a electronic device, in our case the phone...
basically the android operating system, sense ui, and the standard apps contained in a file that is loaded onto the phone.
RUU
The RUU is the acronym is ROM Update Utility, wich bringing the phone in the initial state: stock rom, stock recovery, stock hboot. And, of course, NO root. Only good for waranty.
2) UnrEVOked
[quote from t-mod.org]
First, Install HTC sync as normal, making sure all options are selected. Then, once HTC sync has been installed, go to Programs and Features (Add/Remove Programs in Windows XP), Select HTC Sync from the list (and only that), and then uninstall it. This will uninstall HTC sync, while keeping the drivers installed.
Next is the installation of the HBOOT Driver. Go back into HBOOT mode, and then
http://unrevoked.com/rootwiki/doku.php/public/windows_hboot_driver_install
After that, reboot the phone as normal, connect the phone to your PC, (Make sure it’s in USB-Debugging mode) and run the UnrEVOked installer, reflash_package.exe.
###What is UnrEVOked
[quote
http://unrevoked.com/rootwiki/doku.php/public/forever]
unrevoked forever is a tool to set your Android phone's security level to S-OFF. The security level is a flag stored on the radio; when the flag is S-OFF, the bootloader (HBOOT) will no longer check the signatures of firmware images before flashing them. This allows custom firmware images to be uploaded, including unsigned boot, recovery, splash1, and hboot images (as well as official images that have been modified). When the system is S-OFF, the NAND flash memory protection is also reduced; this allows all partitions (including /system) to be written to while the operating system is booted.
3) Backups
[quote from t-mod.org]
Now that your device is rooted, it’s time to back up your data. If this is a new phone, Skip this step, otherwise, go to the market and install Titanium Backup.
Good things to Backup:
Bluetooth Pairings
Wi-Fi Access Points
[BOOKMARKS] Internet
[SMS/MMS PREFS] Messages/[SMS/MMS/APN] Dialer Storage (These restore your SMS/MMS messages)
When you have have backed up the data you wish, exit the application, and then plug your device into the PC in Disk Drive Mode. Make a copy of the TitaniumBackup folder, and put it somewhere safe on your PC. (Make sure you do this, as the SD card is going to be reformatted very soon!)
4) AlphaRev
[quote
http://alpharev.nl/]
###What is AlphaRev?
HTC implemented security on their newer generation phones. This flag, called @secuflag, controls whether your phone has
it's NAND or flash unlocked. Most noticeably, S-ON (security on) will read-lock your /system and /recovery partition, to name a few. Also, secuflag controls whether zip files being flashed through recovery or fastboot, are signed by HTC.
The now notorious S-OFF (security off) will disable this NAND security.
Since we are unable to access the Radio NVRAM itself (where secuflag is stored), we turned our attention to HBOOT.
5) Partition your SD-Card
ClockWorkMod Recovery now allow you to Partition your card from within recovery mode itself
After installing AlphaRev, your phone will automatically boot to Recovery Mode, Shown by a Black screen with either Green or Blue text. Use The volume buttons to scroll, the Trackpad button to select, and the Back button to go back.
6) NAND Backup
Use the ClockWorkMod Recovery tool to create a ROM Backup to roll backup if you ever bricked an aftermarket ROM.
You can copy it off to your PC after.
7) Flashing a Custom ROM - Using ClockWorkMod
Download a ROM such as the popular
http://download.cyanogenmod.com or SENSE ROMs (usually ported from the HD Desire) e.g. Cool3D (
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1040121)
- Select Wipe Data/Factory Reset, then Confirm. (You do not have to select Wipe Cache, as the Wipe Data/Factory Reset option does this automatically.)
- Select Advanced, then Select Wipe Dalvik Cache.
- Select Install Zip from SD Card, then select Choose Zip from SD Card.
- Select Reboot System Now and wait.
--- I went with the Cyanogen (CM v7.0.3)
--- NOTE: this ROM doesn't include market and other little google apps so you must install gaaps
8) Google Apps for Cyanogen via
http://goo-inside.me/gapps/
Download the zip of the correct Cyanogen version you are running.
Put the .zip file on your sd card, then boot your phone into ClockWorkMod Recovery, do a nandroid backup (i skipped this), then wipe dalvik cache (and i skipped this), then flash the gapps .zip, kind of like when you flash a rom
9) Complete
---T9 Search Dialer isn't available on the CM
I am looking at how to get one
---No T9 Keyboard
I am looking at how to get one
---Restoring Data
Install your apps and use Titanium Backup to restore phone data.
i'd suggest before custom ROMing your phone do a contact and sms backup with a third party app.
I had trouble restoring these.
Possibly use GMAIL and upload all your contacts before you begin?
---Facebook Calender
NOTE: Facebook invites/bday will not come through to the CM7. What you can do it export Facebook calender into your Gmail account.
http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/02/15/how-to-sync-facebook-events-with-google-calendar/
---Link Facebook Users
1.hold down on the name
2.click edit contact
3.click menu
4.join
5.then the person you want
---Link Facebook Pictures to Gmail
I used a sync program call syncmypix (it was free). It also allows you to see whatapp pictures as whatapp pulls it from gmail.
---HTC Sense look a likes + Calender
[quote from laydros @
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=748233]
###Why can't I have Sense on ASOP?
Long: CyanogenMod is an open-source, community developed project. It is taking the open source portion of Android (Android Open Source Project - AOSP) and modifying it for several reasons, that appeal more to power users. Other than the speed benefits, most of the reasons to use CM are greater configuration and additional utilities, not ease of use or looks. Then the closed-source (proprietary) Google Apps are added to the open source layer.
Sense is HTC's "special sauce" to get customers to buy their Android and WinMo phones instead of a competitors. I don't know much about how it works on WinMo, but on Android it adds an additional framework layer.
Applications you download from the market use the standard Android framework. That is why some applications only work on 1.6 and up or 2.0 and up, the older Android framework just didn't have the features used in the application. Most of the Sense components, such as the launcher, widgets, dialer, etc. use the Sense framework, which is why you can't just swap them into CyanogenMod.
[end quote]
Alternatives:
>launcher pro plus [i am using this, so far so good]
>beautiful widgets
>s2 calendar widget 2
Other Information
More background info here
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1534924
