Database Users

ROM upgrading/cooking/tweaking

A simple but important question:
Do You changed your original ROM to a self-made?
Yes?
What ROM did You use? (Link would be fine)
why You flashed your ROM?
do you experience more performance?
known problems?
would You recommend it?
No?
do you think about doing it?
bad experience with doing it?

Yes, I changed.
1. Touch of HD 2.2 Full Edition.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=460640
2. Because I had to choose one and this seemed to be good choice. (And it was!
3. Yes, my hd seems to work faster.
4. So far I haven't noticed any problems. Sometimes the device won't show thumbnails of pictures in file explorer but it's not a big deal as you need just to change folder and all is fine.
5. Yes, it is worth testing. You should not be disappointed.

No:
1. I do think about changing rom but since I have customised and performance tweaked my HD already I wonder what a cooked rom will do. I know a cooked rom will likely perform better than official but what about a tweaked official with all your customisation and performance tweaks. What's the advantage?
2. Not tried yet.

ez2remember said:
No:
1. I do think about changing rom but since I have customised and performance tweaked my HD already I wonder what a cooked rom will do. I know a cooked rom will likely perform better than official but what about a tweaked official with all your customisation and performance tweaks. What's the advantage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly my opinion! This post could be mine
What's the advantage? Want to know it too, thats why i opened this thread!

Not YET, but I will later. I would like to be completely familiar with the stock ROM first in order to be able to have a good feel on whether there is improvement.
Honestly, I'm so satisfied with the stock ROM already. Don't seem to experience the problems that some describe, such as it beign slow, etc. I have no freeze after about 10 day of use so far, I find it very very fast.
I do want to flash a cooked ROM because I hope to see improvements in a few areas:
a) inability to make SIM contact hiding registry change stick. I understand that at least one of the cooked ROM has fixed this.
b) occassional stutters in music playing. Not sure if this problem is fixed in cooked ROM.
c) When selecting album, the storage card entry will show up only after I have selected ALL, wait for a while, then go back to reselect. Even then, the Storage Card entry does not always show up. Not sure if any cooked ROM has fixed this yet.
d) I don't like having the battary icon on the TF3D taskbar. I like it to show the date/time instead. Not sure if cooked ROM has fixed this.
e) The standard ROM has switched off the screen orientation UI switch. One needs to switch it on before we're able to assign Rotate Screen to a hardware key. I understand that at least one of the cooked ROM has rectify this.
f) I never like HTC task manager, and had always used Wktask in the past. If the cooked ROM uses Wktask and disable HTC task manger on today screen, I would consider it a plus.
g) I don't like the default calculator skin either but I never use this simplistic calculator anyway. Having a proper skin is nice though. After trying out Panomaric Calc, I think I'm going to stick with it.
h) I wish pressing hardware button twice does not result in dialing the last dialed number as it does now. I know we can lock the device to prevent this from happening while the device is in our pocket. However, once the phone is unlocked, it is easy to dial the last number without me realising it. I wonder if any of the ROM addresses this issue.
i) TF3D color. I wish we have an easy way to frequently change color for every tab, not just the home tab. I also love to see the 3D glassy taskbar and bottom bar back. If anyone know of any ROM that has that, please share here. I know I can flash all of them and find out for myself, but would be nice to know from those who have already tried.
j) I wish the TF3D music program is able to assign songs to a playlist more efficiently. ATM, I have to show the music on the screen, then click menu/add to playlist. This is too laborious. Or perhaps there is an easier way that I'm unaware of?
That's all I can think of ATM. I'm sure it's a matter of time before some of the cooked ROMs make these improvements.
So, I definitely will flash, but don't know when and which ROM yet.

1. Dutty's v1.1 HD Rom
2. Because I'm a flash-a-holic, and Dutty's been making incredibly fast and stable roms for a long time. Based on new 1.19 official rom, which has bug fixes and Dutty has tweaked performance.
3. Hard to say. Except for the annoying freeze problem, I've been fairly happy all along. Mainly, I trust Dutty -- the hodge-podge of settings I was using didn't seem as stable.
4. Only one - once in a blue moon, closing a lot of programs individually & sequentially from the home screens top right task manager button will freeze the device. Another user said this was reproducable, and Dutty is tracking it down...
5. Oh, heck yeah!

In conclusion i must say, that im not convinced yet...
Someone who knows the device good enough should just Hard reset the device and customize and tweak it for his own, with the applications he or she likes and the tweaks he knows (!). This way he or she will get a device completly known by the user.
BackUp this state so you can go to it back everytime you want. TADAAAA you have YOUR personal perfect device ROM

A couple of questions...

Hi guys,
First and foremost, this is my first ever WinMo device (I've been semi-lurking on XDA for many months now )! I just started it using it yesterday, and I'm still on stock ROM. It'll take me a while before I grow a pair and start flashing like a crack-addict. Anyhow guys, I'm on the 1.18 ROM I think because when it starts up, this is what I see.
R 1.09.25.14
G 52.49a.25.26i
D 1.18.23358
Having said that, I do have a couple of questions that I hope some of you folks can help me out with.
1) Why is it that even when it's idling, up to 30 ~ 40% of the RAM is used? Is this a result of the TouchFLO3D and other background processes?
2) I've tried searching for this in this forum and nothing showed up...but, is it just me, or is my video camera extremely blur? Everything is out of focus? Can a screen protector influence this? I have a matte screen protector (which I'm loving by the way, hurray to no fingerprints!) with no hole cuts over the video camera.
3) With my previous phone, after sending an MMS (I have the 400-texts a month), the GPRS (Or is it Edge?) would stop itself. On the TouchHD, it shows that a data-connection, in this case; Edge, is still running. Is this normal? Do I have to manually go to the Comm-manager and disable the connection whenever I've finished sending an MMS? I disable it out of fear that I would get charged or something.
4) I find it very hard to look at my SPL version, as whenever I hold down both vol-keys and then power up the phone, I only see the tri-color screen for like 2 seconds before it asks if I would like to do a factory reset. Is this how it is supposed to be, or am I doing something wrong?
I'll try to keep all my future questions within this post as well, but for now, I have to say, I'm totally loving this phone. I've seen a couple of errors already, with issues like services.exe crashing and stuff like that. Regardless, I still have to admit that this phone is gorgeous, and totally awesome right out of the box. I still don't get what's all the hate towards WinMo, and yes, I'm totally fine with single-fingered touch!
Thank you to everyone on XDA. This site is a tomb of WinMo knowledge .
Cheers!

Congratulations on your first winmo device!!! And Congratulations on your new Touch HD!!!!
1)yes -- everything uses ram on your PPC even system(like on Desktop PCs)
2)Try http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=463783 find something that makes photo quality better, but it also might be Rom fault( I didnt have such problems when I had stock my rom 1.14
3)try NoData -- it will completely disable data connection!!!! Or downlaod HdTweak and I think that there are some settings that makes your phone to turn off data connection when idle!!!!
4)You need to hold only one volume down button and power button!!!!
read http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=463783 and youl find all kinds of hidden features of your phone!!!!
If you have any other questions then ask -- the forum is friendly and people help in any way they can!!!

Kristaps-K9-Lv said:
Congratulations on your first winmo device!!! And Congratulations on your new Touch HD!!!!
1)yes -- everything uses ram on your PPC even system(like on Desktop PCs)
2)Try http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=463783 find something that makes photo quality better, but it also might be Rom fault( I didnt have such problems when I had stock my rom 1.14
3)try NoData -- it will completely disable data connection!!!! Or downlaod HdTweak and I think that there are some settings that makes your phone to turn off data connection when idle!!!!
4)You need to hold only one volume down button and power button!!!!
read http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=463783 and youl find all kinds of hidden features of your phone!!!!
If you have any other questions then ask -- the forum is friendly and people help in any way they can!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kris,
Thank you very much! That helped a lot. I will look into getting something like NoData installed alongside HDTweaks or something. Also, thanks for clearing that up with the Bootloader. Im actually already itching to try out some of the custom cooked ROMS but I'm still debating if I should do HSPL or USPL.
Here are a couple of more questions:
1) I've been doing a lot of reading on the whole flashing thing, but if I'm going to go through the HSPL route, do I need to dump my original SPL before overwriting it with HSPL?
2) Does WinMo utilize registries like how the Desktop OS-es do when it comes to keeping track of installed and uninstalled programs? Like, when you install a program, and then uninstall it, does it still leave a registry trace? In short: Will your PPC bog down over time as a result of installations/uninstallations?
Thank you so far!,
Cheers.

PoisonWolf said:
Kris,
Here are a couple of more questions:
1) I've been doing a lot of reading on the whole flashing thing, but if I'm going to go through the HSPL route, do I need to dump my original SPL before overwriting it with HSPL?
2) Does WinMo utilize registries like how the Desktop OS-es do when it comes to keeping track of installed and uninstalled programs? Like, when you install a program, and then uninstall it, does it still leave a registry trace? In short: Will your PPC bog down over time as a result of installations/uninstallations?
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) dont know about that!! but Im using HSPL and Im happy with it !!!! there are alot of guides in the forum on how to get SPL back(i think),, anyways Im not a pro with SPL's n'stuff-- only with Winmo itself!!!
2) dont know exactly about that bog down, but your PPC will get slower with apps installed--for example- custom rom with no apps takes, lets say, 2 seconds to open windows folder, in file explorer,, but same rom with apps takes 3 seconds----but it is different with different roms!!!!
BUT if you start flashing custom ROMs then you wont notice speed drops due to app instal/uninstal -- cuz you will flash roms often, just to search for the perfect one
about hspl -- make sure you take the right one-- the one witch supports 1.56 rom, cuz alot of custom roms are based on 1.56 rom!!!

PoisonWolf said:
Kris,
Thank you very much! That helped a lot. I will look into getting something like NoData installed alongside HDTweaks or something. Also, thanks for clearing that up with the Bootloader. Im actually already itching to try out some of the custom cooked ROMS but I'm still debating if I should do HSPL or USPL.
Here are a couple of more questions:
1) I've been doing a lot of reading on the whole flashing thing, but if I'm going to go through the HSPL route, do I need to dump my original SPL before overwriting it with HSPL?
2) Does WinMo utilize registries like how the Desktop OS-es do when it comes to keeping track of installed and uninstalled programs? Like, when you install a program, and then uninstall it, does it still leave a registry trace? In short: Will your PPC bog down over time as a result of installations/uninstallations?
Thank you so far!,
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have always only used USPL - mainly so that in case I have to send the phone in for something, the warranty won't be void. Although, if you have HSPL you could put the stock SPL back on.
Anyway, USPL has worked fine for me and I have flashed a number of times. I currently have Dutty's 3.7 XT ROM and I am happy with it. You'll find that once you flash a non-stock ROM, you'll never want to go back to a stock ROM.
I personally recommend going with USPL - unless you plan on flashing your ROM very often to try things out.
The first time I flashed, I was nervous and I read a bunch of info on it in preparation. Once you are well informed, it is a no-brainer. Where you can do some irrepairable damage is by disconnecting the cable during the flashing process (if you go the usb route). That would cause your phone to become a brick - and you have no choice but to send it in at that point. So, just make sure your battery is more than half full, and that you don't cut the connection in any way until the phone restarts itself. Other than that, you'll be fine.
Also, it is recommended that after a flash process, you hard-reset 2-3 times before using the ROM. I usually just take the battery out as soon as the "smart mobility" screen with the red ROM info at the bottom appears. Then I put it back in, hard-reset, and repeat that process 2-3 times. After that, let it boot fully and go through the screen calibration process etc.
Like Kristaps-K9-Lv said - make sure that you end up with a 1.56 spl because now most ROM are based on that.
And yes, after installing and removing many programs, your phone will become slower. When that happens, you can just hard-reset. And if you have a program like spb backup, (where you backed up your phone after you installed your standard programs and set up the phone to your liking), then you can just restore that file in no time.

Guys,
Thanks for your help so far. I appreciate it. So WinMo does use the archaic registry system when it comes to keeping track of installed/uninstalled programs. That sucks. I've tried (and did not like = uninstalled), changescreen and fingerkeyboard, for some odd reason, I very much prefer the normal full-qwerty.
Right now, I've read a lot, but I'm still confused on a couple of things. When you guys say USPL, do you still need to change your phone's SPL ? For example, If I intend to install a 1.56 based ROM, do I use a 1.56 USPL, or do I use USPL to install the ROM, whilst making sure that my phone already has 1.56 SPL?
In order to get 1.56 SPL, I need to install one of the official ROM upgrades right? Was it ship.exe or something?
Cheers.

PoisonWolf said:
Guys,
Right now, I've read a lot, but I'm still confused on a couple of things. When you guys say USPL, do you still need to change your phone's SPL ? For example, If I intend to install a 1.56 based ROM, do I use a 1.56 USPL, or do I use USPL to install the ROM, whilst making sure that my phone already has 1.56 SPL?
In order to get 1.56 SPL, I need to install one of the official ROM upgrades right? Was it ship.exe or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
read cRaCKwHoRe's guide for flsahing 1.56 roms here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=505377 it will make it clear for you, or atleast in the end youll be able to flash your rom!!!

Hi guys,
Im back with another question. I am bumping my old thread to prevent creating another unnecessary thread. I have recently tried messing around with the whole FingerPressure and PressureThreshold settings through Registry edits, and I was wondering if anyone else has noticed if it's even worth changing these values?
After a screen alignment, my values are like 35 (Finger) and 100 (PressureThreshold) respectively. I've now changed them to 100 and 300 respectively. After a soft reset, I still do not feel any significant changes with the responsiveness of the screen (not that it isn't responsive, just not MORE responsive). The same went with the "high" setting via HD Tweak.
So is there a point to even changing them? I've also read that changing these values to exorbitant values can actually damage the digitizer. Any truth to this? (Like 100000, etc).
Cheers.

Hi Wolf,
I did change the sensitivity in hdTweak and also Adv.Config 3.3 and I noticed a difference when moving from the "Advised" option to the highest option.
However, there is a number of cabs you can try too - try searching in Themes and Apps forum, and also in the Dev & Hacking.

Top o'the morning to yee

I was given an SPV M3100 with a cracked screen, bought a new one off eBay for just of €20, fitted it, fired it up and everything works !!
I removed the Operator SIM lock and CID lock so I can use my VodaIE sim (was previously locked to OrangeUK)
According to the "About" screen it says the following
CE OS 5.1.195 (build 17743.2.3.0)
Memory 48.93mb
The splash screen after the initial Orange screen says "3.0 Black windows mobile pro"
Does this mean it's been flashed with a new rom ?
I'd like to flash it with a rom that needs the minimum of stylus use for navigation (fingers like sausages), what would be the best for this ?

Looks like its been flashed before, BUT, thats a fairly old rom. It might be an idea to check your SPL, if its not 2.10 oli then its not the safest. Go to the Hard SPL sticky in the Upgrading part of the forum to download Hard SPL V7. Install this (go to page 116, post 1160 for the sd card method - this can be used to flash roms to, just drop the steps using SSPL.exe(soft SPL) as you now have Hard SPL on your device). This will give better protection for when you flash your Hermes.
As for the rom, unfortunately these devices aren't like the Iphone where its all geared for the fingers. You will need to use a stylus in every rom. So saying, look in the WM06 part of the forum, you might like to use the Manilla or Titanium roms. Please note however that these may cut down on the storage memory. Also, read a bit about the rom as the chefs generally tell you whats in the roms. If you want specific things either look for a rom thats closest to that or use a lite rom and add the apps yourself.
I tend to opt for the Lite roms myself as I then pack the phone with a concoction of apps to my liking and I don't really like Manilla or Titanium. Everyone's different and whats good for one may not be good for all.
Hope that helped...
Cheers...

iPhone ?!?!?! go give yourself 20 lashes for even mentioning it !
I'm running a Hackintosh, although I still have to boot into XP to do bit's and bob's though.
The Manilla and Titanium roms seem to be more what I was lokking for, it's really the basic functions and navigation that needs to be "fat finger freindly", the main use is really going to be just as a phone, so calls and texts

I know, I don't like the Iphone either, but it is more finger friendly than our devices...
You may need to install a custom onscreen keyboard if you want to have that more finger friendly but remember, the more space used up by the keyboard, the less space to see what you're writing. At the moment I'm using Darkvisions (the latest build) and it has a pretty good onscreen keyboard. It does have a lot of other apps too though. Look for the Lite versions of the Roms, that should give you plenty of internal memory (though depending on what apps are loaded in you may not have the biggest amount of RAM).
Cheers...

I ended up settling for TAI's Golden Globe Manilla 2D in the end, played around with Scotty93's S93 V4 and MrDSL's Titanium light as well, I'll have a bit more of a play around later as I was started to get disapproving stares from the wife

People Tab

Hi all,
Newbie here
EX iPhone 3g user now HD user
I would like to ask, is it possible to change the People Tab on the HD to one like on the Touch Pro2 as an example.
I would prefer to have squares of faces than the flip faces that there are now.
all the best...
Any help is appreciated.
chill.

If I understand you correctly, you are referring to the difference in Contact tabs between Manila 2.1 (also known as HTC's TouchFlo 3D), and Manila 2.5 (known as HTC Sense), which will come out on the new HTC devices such as the Leo (also known as the Touch HD2).
As far as I know, the only way to use the new interface is to flash a ROM that has Manila 2.5.
I currently use Dutty's Leo R6 with WM6.5 and Manila 2.5. I really like it.
You can find it here. You'll have to register to be able to download it.
BTW - Welcome to the forum!!!!!!

Thanks Chris Cross,
This is what I am looking for.
Hope I have explained it right.
Not sure what Manilla 2.1 or 2.5 are, but thanks.
If I was to install the Dutty rom, would I loose any features ? Could I return to Original rom if I needed ?
Sorry for too many questions..
chill....

Yes, that is a picture of Manila 2.5.
Okay, I'll explain what Manila is.
Windows Mobile phones have a generic windows interface. HTC came up with their own layout and called it Manila. The more common name was TouchFlo. First was TouchFlo 2D, then came TouchFlo 3D, and now the new one is called HTC Sense (I guess they wanted to change the name now. ). In terms of your phone, you will see that the name Manila is still used (for example in registry settings etc.).
So, when you start your phone, it automatically goes into the Manila layout from HTC. In other words, the whole concept of having the slider at the bottom which takes you to the different tabs (and each of their sub-menus) etc.. is the Manila interface. Other Windows Mobile phones that are not from HTC don't have that (unless they have tried to copy the concept).
So, Manila version 2.1 (=TouchFlo 3D) had a Contacts tab with the little slider on the right, to switch between contacts (or you could flip through them too). Now, Manila 2.5 (which ships with the new HTC phones) changed that layout to look like what you are referring to - i.e. the big square pictures. You see 9 right away, and if you flip up, then 6 more appear for a total of 15. That is just one of the layout changes that are new in Manila 2.5. You will also see a new change in the Home tab, where below the clock, you now have Quick Links. They also look like squares and you can link them to a contact or a program for quick access directly from the home tab. Like I said, there are several new changes like that in Manila 2.5
I'll leave it at that for now. I need to stop for a second, but I'll come back to this same post and give you some info on flashing a new rom.
EDIT: see post below for info on flashing roms

chill today said:
.... If I was to install the Dutty rom, would I loose any features ? Could I return to Original rom if I needed ?....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a new rom means that you will completely erase the entire drive on the phone and you will install a brand new system. So... yes, you will lose everything that is in the internal storage (but not in the SD card).
You can go back to the rom your phone came with (referred to as a "stock" rom). To do that, you would have to flash (= install) the stock rom, and once again, you would lose everything you have at that point and you would end up with your phone as it came out of the box.
There is also backup software you can buy to backup all your programs, files etc.. in case you ever flash the stock rom again and you want things the way they are today. As far as I know, you cannot (or at least - should not) use that backup file on a rom other than the one that was installed when the backup file was created.
I have had my HD for 11 months. I flashed a new rom for the first time about 2 weeks after buying my HD. I think it is totally worth it. There are a lot of rom cooks out there that do a great job at making solid, stable roms. Dutty is definitely among the most well known and respected for the quality of work he does. He tries to keep his roms as close to stock as possible, but he makes changes that improve the speed and overall user-friendliness of the rom.
You do have to keep in mind, that if you flash a new rom with Manila 2.5 and Windows Mobile 6.5, some things might not work 100% right away because those are new releases. Dutty is constantly updating his rom to fix any known issues. Whenever an update is made, you flash that updated rom - and once again it means you lose your settings. But, the benefits of having a nicer rom outweigh the cons of having to set up your phone as you like it again. Eventually, the rom becomes really stable and you can go months without needing to flash anything.
If you are interested in flashing Dutty's new rom, let me know and I can give you links that explain how to do that.

All sounds very interesting. I'll chew on this a little.
Its not like I am unhappy with the HD, but just the People tab is a little frustrating to use.
I'll have a good look over at the roms section, and if I do give it a shot, I'll be knocking
I have flashed a HTC Touch before. A bit scary doing it, but went OK in the end.
The phone was freezing up, and was out of warrenty, so nowt to lose.
If its a similar process, then not to scary after all.
thanks
chill......

Yeah, it's the same thing. It's not too scary, but you just have to make sure you read about how to do it the first time, so that you don't make big mistakes. Technically, you could turn your phone into a brick (i.e. permanently dead), but that's really only if you somehow cut power to the phone during the process (e.g. if you unplug the cord or start with a low battery). If you just follow the steps - you'll be fine, and it will take about 10 minutes of actual flashing time. Once you have done it, you realize it is no big deal.
Check out the ROM threads - especially this tutorial!!! Depending on what type of ROM you have right now, you might need to do extra steps before flashing a newer version ROM. It is all explained in that tutorial. And Dutty's latest Leo R6 ROM can be found here. You can follow any developments or bug reports and fixes etc. regarding Dutty's Leo ROM in this thread.
Also, you might want to look and see if your stock ROM is available for download (in case you later want to go back to it - but I doubt you will). You can also go back to other stock ROMs if you want.
Just ask if you have questions.

Thanks a lot.
I've only been here 5 minutes and all this help. Nice place here.
There are Lots of Roms, so would need to chose carefully. I have been trying SPB Mobile Shell, which is quite nice. Not a full replacement rom, but a nice touch.
Thanks again, I will read on.
chill.......

Seems my question has been asked before.Contacts
Any freeware versions of a program similar.
chill......

chill today said:
Seems my question has been asked before.Contacts
Any freeware versions of a program similar.
chill......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since I've never used one, I am not too familiar with freeware for it. But, I did find this website. Their program "Avatar" might be what you are looking for. The author also has a thread for Avatar on XDA Forums. It definitely seems worth the try.

Thanks again Chris Cross,
I will try them today, cheers for the link.
chill......

Why a cooked ROM?

I am a MOD at a blackberry hybrid site where I used to build hybrid operating systems for blackberry devices. This winmo stuff is like "greek" to me. I don't see a point in a custom ROM here for anything more than looks and a few tweaks that I can do on my own.
Are there leaks with ROMs frequently like there is with blackberry?
Would you suggest a Droid ROM or winmo? and why?
Droid ROMs can be fully loaded to a winmo device correct? Why not if you wipe the device and reload it?
Lastly, I constantly am getting the user name and password pop up for my yahoo email, but I keep entering it and clicking save but it never does.Why?

I forgot to mention that I have switched and now have the HTC HD2 and love it!

Cant really beat the HD2 IMO
anyway,
People cook their own ROM's for there needs, jazz them up a bit make them look pretty, update to the latest versions of the software and apps, take apps out to save space so you can install on the sd card, cooked ROM's are more stable faster, look better, check out the ROM thread once you flash you'll never go back stock.
Droid or Winmo, lol you got no choice mate!! (on the hd2 anyway)
email, I set mine up with .co.uk instead of .com once and it for ever asked me for user-name and password till i twigged on.

Demon_man said:
Cant really beat the HD2 IMO
anyway,
People cook their own ROM's for there needs, jazz them up a bit make them look pretty, update to the latest versions of the software and apps, take apps out to save space so you can install on the sd card, cooked ROM's are more stable faster, look better, check out the ROM thread once you flash you'll never go back stock.
Droid or Winmo, lol you got no choice mate!! (on the hd2 anyway)
email, I set mine up with .co.uk instead of .com once and it for ever asked me for user-name and password till i twigged on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so nothing like building a Blackberry OS. I meshed and played with 1300 files to make a faster smoother operating system. Looks had nothing to do with it. I see that I will stay stock. I can delete my own apps and tweak my own reg files.
Thanks

dubie76 said:
I meshed and played with 1300 files to make a faster smoother operating system.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats exactly what ROM-Cooking for WinMo is about as well (apart from the tweaking and optical stuff). And besides that, the cooks often have builds of SoftwareElements that havent been released yet.

Demon_man said:
People cook their own ROM's for there needs, jazz them up a bit make them look pretty, update to the latest versions of the software and apps, take apps out to save space so you can install on the sd card, cooked ROM's are more stable faster, look better, check out the ROM thread once you flash you'll never go back stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amen to that.

I've had my HD2 for about 6 months now and it is my first WM device, when I first got it I thought the same as you, couldnt see what all the fuss was about with custom roms.
I'm still on a stock rom just now but the more I read on here the more I'm getting the itch to flash a custom rom, I'm putting it off though because I know that once I try one I wont be able to stop myself.........
Trust me you'll get the itch sooner or later.........

I went custom about 2 months ago and I have to say I honestly have not had to reboot the phone at all whereas on the original stock ROM the phone would lockup and freeze almost daily!!!
ALL HAIL THE MASTERCHEFS!!!!!!

NOOB - T-Mobile UK HD2 unlocked - no O2 connection..
Mong, sorry really long day......

Hey dubie,
As a lot of other people have put it, cooked roms are generally of a better quality than the stock roms. However they are still winmo roms so dont expect them to be as stable as their less customisable rivals. But thats just the small price you pay for a far better overall operating system.
Going back to your some of your other questions.
Currently it is not possible to run Android on the HD2, however there is a group of people feverishly working to try and fix this situation, I would like to see this done, but I am quite sure I would stick with winmo as my main os.
Unfortunately due to the varied nature of the hardware within winmo phones there is no current android rom that just works on all winmo phones. Some phones have android ports but many others do.
You mentioned about "Droid ROMs can be fully loaded to a winmo device correct? Why not if you wipe the device and reload it?"
I think you are talking about the use of Haret to run android roms from windows?
Haret is generally used in the developing stages of a linux rom to avoid having to flash a possibly buggy os. I beleive it is possible to flash a working linux rom to a winmo phone but it is usually not done, it is far more accepted to use haret to boot linux roms.

Thanks for all the replies. As a blackberry hybrid builder I made many builds that were way better than stock and more advanced so I can understand what you all are saying. I just am not seeing it yet in the posts. The ROMs I see made by people all have the registry tweaks I have already done and visual changed from the stock look. That's it. Am I not seeing something?

Yes your not seeing the full picture. Most cooks will use newer build components then what you will find in a stock ROM. Yes some of these components can be loaded through cabs but some can not. It is usually better to cook main OS apps and app components into a rom then loading them later. This tends to make things unstable and buggy. Yes a lot of cooks make theirs ROMs full of eye candy but that is only the icing on the cake so to say. You are coming from a phone that had nothing in terms of eye candy and was solely built for for function/productivity a newer WinMo phone is built to have both productivity and a pretty wrapper to go with it.
Don't worry the more you dig into the more you will understand and the more the urge will hit you to try a custom ROM.

Ok, so what ROM do you all recommend and why? I would like to test one out. I'm not interested in eye candy, just performance. I do not care about many apps either. Only twitter and Opera basically. I don't face book or use gmail.
Let me know what you all think or suggest.
I do have another question. Why do I keep getting this email user name and password popup? I keep entering it and checking the save password box but it still randomly pops up frequently. I have already tried deleting the yahoo email and resetting it back up.

You can start looking through them. There are some stripped down versions here and there but most will have other apps on it simple because thats what the cook uses.

The best idea for finding a rom that is right for you is just to browse the roms forum, look at what is included/removed from each rom and find one that matches the applications/functions you need.
make sure you follow this guide(or the one this links too if you have the american 1024 hd2) for updating your rom:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=609477

most of the time the cooked rom is not faster than stock, but it got the latest updates on all applications, and thats nice =) bugs are fixed. Some cooked roms have a lot of bugs, so try a couple and find one you like

Ok, WTF now. I have read so many posts and searched my butt off here and all for nothing? Seems I have this SPL 2.10 whatever that is and cant load that HSPL program so I can flash a custom rom. WTF? how many darn steps do I have to go through to load a ROM on this phone? Why is this so complicated? If the phone is wiped, why can't whatever I want be loaded on it?
So what do I do now?
What is a hard and soft spl?
Why would I want to downgrade just to load this hspl?