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Hey Guys at first sorry for my english i'm not good in it. And I'm a Android newbie I just gained a bit exerience with my Touch Diamond but it's broken now..okay but that's not the probleme....
If got a question:
After about 2 days of searching for an android 2.0 or 2.1 ROM I was a little bit confused of the diffrent news everybody was talking about. I'm root on my Hero. That was the first an last thing I made with my device.
1. Everybody is gonna talk about MoDaCo 3.0 but when I was trying to download his ROM my browser never got a request. Is the site down, where that ROM is hosted ?? Could someone give me a working link with this ROM ??
2. Is there a ROM with Android 2.0 or 2.1 outside or even not ??? And if yes are they working well ???
Would be nice if someone can help me =) thanks a lot.
Please answer soon if you know something about that =)
Greetz BassdoxXx
you can get modaco's roms at his website, www.modaco.com.
in the android development section there are some 2.0/1 roms, none of them works flawless, see for yourself if it fits your needs.
Thanks a lot for your fast answer. =)
The problem that i couldn't open the modaco page was my isp -.- i downloaded it at school
BassdoxXx said:
Thanks a lot for your fast answer. =)
The problem that i couldn't open the modaco page was my isp -.- i downloaded it at school
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What? Does ISP's block that site? Lol, would never happened in Norway
there is a few 2.0+ roms out there for the hero.
most seem to be very usable now.
best sense ui would be lox/behnaam community release on 1.6.
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1448
there are two aosp roms worth looking at.
lox aosp ( im using that on a daily basis)
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1416
jnwhiteh aosp
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1528
Hello all,
I am having very specific request when it comes to choosing a proper rom for install on to my hero.
I am blind. Stock roms are only running Android 1.5. More robust accessibility features are available starting with Android 1.6 and improving even more with Android 2.0.
So for sure I am forced to upgrade my hand set.
There are various roms, some of their authors have even disable google specific features so I know I can't install such a rom.
All the accessibility efforts are being lead by the google developers.
Most likely these accessibility tools won't be usefull to most of you but please can anyone recommend me a rom where market is working and where the following applications can be installed and used?
- eyesfree suite of applications,
- talkback - the google screen reader for android,
- tts service.
All possible help is already appreciated.
sorry for the double posting. I've accidentally posted twice and I am unable to remove the post.
Hope anybody can help me please.
pvdeejay said:
Hello all,
I am having very specific request when it comes to choosing a proper rom for install on to my hero.
I am blind. Stock roms are only running Android 1.5. More robust accessibility features are available starting with Android 1.6 and improving even more with Android 2.0.
So for sure I am forced to upgrade my hand set.
There are various roms, some of their authors have even disable google specific features so I know I can't install such a rom.
All the accessibility efforts are being lead by the google developers.
Most likely these accessibility tools won't be usefull to most of you but please can anyone recommend me a rom where market is working and where the following applications can be installed and used?
- eyesfree suite of applications,
- talkback - the google screen reader for android,
- tts service.
All possible help is already appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am on mcr3.0, i looked in the market, i can find 8 apps for eyesfree, tts is one of these. i didn't try to install one of these, but usually it works. the search for talkback returned nothing.
not that i want to be rude, but wouldn't you be better off with another phone if you are blind? i can not imagine a touchscreen only phone would be suitable for someone who is not able to see... especially because there are great devices out there that have a full qwerty keyboard, and come with android 2.0 out of the box... imho this would be a better solution.
again, the last thing i want to be is rude, but maybe this was your mistake: you posted in the htc hero section of this forum, the hero is a touch screen only device, including a virtual keyboard on the screen. it has only six buttons and a trackball, and two rocker buttons for the volume. just to make clear we are talking about the same device
if you are still up for the hero you could try the 2.1 rom from here: http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?p=30418&posted=1#post30418
best you try for yourself, it has some drawbacks, but maybe in areas you don't need (afaik syncing with exchange does not work for example, which wouldn't be a problem for me...). otherwise it might be worth to wait another week or two, we all are waiting unpatiently for the official eclair release from htc
keep asking if you need to know more, but maybe open a new thread, since your problems are very specific, and might drown between all the newbies question about "how to root my phone".
Hello,
Thanks for your reply and a great attitude.
Yes it may sound strange I have really got HTC Hero here. I know I'll be having problems with virtual keyboard but also I am afraid accessibility features of Android phones are not really such mastered one can use it daily. For example reading emails and content from the web browser is not yet possible. I just want to try how things work and I would also like to touch the virtual keyboard. If I can memorize computer keyboard and use it daily, typewriter keyboard, nokia mobile phone keyboard, then perhaps I might be able to make some use of this too.
I am sory but here are some more questions:
I haven't yet verified with some sighted friends but... is it possible my hero is running even older version of android like Android 1.5? I've based the assumption that it's most likelly running 1.5 because majority of the devices I was reading on the net are running it.
You've been triyng to locate eyes-free applications on the market but you were unable to find talkback. Are you sure you are running newer version of Android than 1.5?
Talkback is supposed to be installed with Android 1.6 andd 2.0 by default and you should be able to find it in the accessibility menu of your phone. I am not sure how well this applies to the custom roms.
Talkback requires google's accessibility api which is reported to be available on Android 1.6 upwards.
To tell you the full story first I've asked on the eyes-free google group whether some accessibility experts from there can help me but no one knowledgeable enough has replied to my query, so I'm trying my luck here then.
Oh I am really excited since I've got really well formed informative reply.
Thanks again
Edit:
Also, I've seen somewhere in the forums here this leaked HTC rom does not support the market. Has this been rectified already? You know if market does not work then most likelly I won't be able to install these applications I am tallking about.
Also you are mentioning possibility to wait a few weeks until HTC guys role out the official update for Hero. Wouldn't that break chances I will be able to root my device later?
Edit2:
Ooops, I should read better next time. Market works on this rom. The problem is paid apps can't be installed which is hopefully not a big issue for me since most of the accessibility enabled applications are free.
Which of the downloads from Hero 21 do I need?
63.18.55.06JU_6.35.09.26) or No Wipe Download. I will need a wipe I am sure but since this link says nowipe I am ehmmm. confused.
pvdeejay,
Unfortunately there is not an 'official' update for Android 1.6, 2.0 or 2.1 as of yet. There are rumours of one coming out soon, but nothing cast-iron yet.
You are correct in that the Hero runs 1.5. It does say it under Settings | About Phone (bottom item on list)| Firmware Version (bottom on list again), although without a working screen reader, there is probably little use in knowing how to find that.
If you did want to upgrade, I'm sure plenty of people could help find a ROM that would suit. The only issue with that is that you would need a rooted phone with a custom recovery image installed. Unfortunately, a lot of the procedures would not be easy for you, as the software that you might need to use to go through the procedure is probably not designed that well for accessibility tools. I don't know what kind of software you are using, but some of the instructions for making goldcards are quite complex, and involve editing some numbers in a 'table' which could be quite difficult for you, I would imagine.
I'm sure a friend would be able to help you out with making a goldcard/rooting if you did want to install a custom ROM (you'll probably be waiting a while otherwise ). They could even root their phone while doing yours (just share the goldcard between the devices).
Nonetheless, there is probably a ROM out there with little removed from it. I'll have a look just now, but you would need to have your phone rooted to do anything just now.
When it comes to rooting and installing custom recovery image. Do you thing the following instructions might work for me?
These instructions don't require a gold card:
- How to Root HTC Hero and Install Amon Ra Recovery Image
- How to install a custom rom on a HTC Hero
Hello,
Here are some numbers I've asked my friend to read from system -> about screen. The phone interface is in czech so I am unable to get some names translated to english, but I believe some of the geeks will understand these identifiers and might be able to help me what is best:
Code:
firmware: 1,5
63.118.55.O6U|6.35.04.25
2.6.27-a5504199
Build number: 1.76.405.6 146733 CL# 47214 release-keys
Software version: 1.0.0.A6288
pvdeejay,
to sum it up:
the hero definitly runs on android 1.5. there are no roms for older android versions, and a few homebrewn for newer versions, as we said already.
i searched for talkbalk on my 1.5 rom, so it is obvious that i couldn't find it...
about rooting of newer roms: it is just a matter of time, sooner or later there will be always methods of rooting a rom. what i meant by waiting is: wait until the official update is out, then wait a few more hours until the first rooted and customized rom is out
@pvdeejay,
I would have to agree with kendong2 that waiting for the official ROM is probably the best idea for you at the moment. There are no guarantees that an unofficial ROM would help, and it would be another user interface to try and learn.
@kendon,
I noticed he has the original, easily rooted version of the hero. IIRC, that is what I had on my G2 (and had the security unlocked bootloader out the box). If that's the case, would pvdeejay be able to 'fastboot boot' a full system img file for the purposes of testing it out to see if it meets the requirements.
The reason I ask is that I've only ever fastbooted my AmonRA recovery (I didn't flash it, because I never felt any need to). I'm guessing you could fastboot a full img, but I'm not sure about the practical issues of where it would be stored in memory...
Sorry guys originally I believed I am slowly getting into the matter and am begining to understand how flashing / rooting / upgrading home brew firmwares works on these phones.
After these 2 posts I feel like a total noob again.
Now again some very concrete questions:
What about these 2 guides I've posted links to?
Can I somehow got [Recovery] [13-Dec-2009] RA-hero-v1.5.2 installed so I will be able to do nandroid backup and then possibly flash some new roms?
Can I really brick my phone by trying to install amon ra?
Originally I thought the process works as follows:
1) get the custom recovery image installed (that's the amon ra in this case),
2) do a nandroid backup which will dump everything usefull on to the memory card,
3) backup and reformat the card,
4) download a rom, rename it to update.zip, put it onto the root folder of the cart, reboot the hero in recovery mode, do the wipe of the data partition, and run update,
5) reboot again and believe it's good.
Also some very significant bit is the thing you are all calling the radio. I am afraid I've not identified this bit thus it's missing in this summary.
Which files will I need to download if I decide to try Android 2.1 community edition 1.8? Are these files I've copied links to a few posts earlier both needed?
Can you please check this list, identify the things I am missing, and make suggestions and corrections why this may not work on my device based off of those number I tried to put down here?
Even if I won't be able to do this right now I'd be happy to get corrections as I can learn something new.
Of course I won't be doing all this on my own. I will ask my bro to read all the stuff to me and we'll do it according to your advices.
To give some bits about me and my computer skills, I believe I am a Windows power user, Basically I do also understand unix, I know what's bash how the files are arranged in a file system, can use command-line tools, telnet, ssh. I am working as a network administrator here so some background is there really.
Hi pvdeejay,
Answers to your questions here.
You can actually use fastboot to 'temporarily' load up the AmonRA recovery image into memory and run it from there. I do that on my phone, for the simple reason that I can't be bothered ) ) to flash the recovery. Once you get AmonRA running, the first thing you should do is make a Nandroid backup. It will be saved to your SD card, so then get the nandroid directory of your card and save it to your PC (just in case!)
So, here's how you'd go about this.
(Make sure you have the android sdk installed, and that adb and fastboot commands are working). USB cable should be plugged in throughout.
Before you begin, put the ROM you want (ie. Android 2.1 community edition 1.8) into the root of the microSD card (a .zip file).
Code:
adb devices
Should list your phone's serial number
Now turn off the phone, and turn it on with the back key held down (the one at the very bottom right of the device).
You should enter fastboot mode. Now type
Code:
fastboot devices
and you should see the serial number again.
Now type
Code:
fastboot boot AmonRA.img
where AmonRA.img is a file in your present working directory that is the filename of the latest custom recovery image. This does NOT flash your phone, it merely runs the image (pretty much as close as you get to risk free, other than sitting there with a tinfoil hat on )
See screenshot of the recovery image here:
http://www.sizzledcore.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/RA-hero-recovery-image-500x375.jpg
Make the Nandroid backup by choosing 'Nandroid Vx.x Backup' and waiting a while.
If your ROM needs a wipe first (most new ones do), select Wipe data/factory reset. You will lose all your user data on the device (but you've got a nandroid backup just in case)
You're now good to go. So choose "Apply sdcard:choose zip"
Now select the custom ROM zip file you downloaded. It doesn't even need to be called update.zip! Choose it from the list and push trackball.
Wait for the update.zip to go in. Do NOT turn off the device or pull the battery. First boot can take a very long time (upto 30 minutes). Just keep it plugged in via USB and wait...
As for radios, see http://android.modaco.com/content/h...-24-11-hero-roms-radios-in-update-zip-format/ and look at the section titled radios. The latest one is in bold. It is a .zip file as well, that you use these exact same instructions for to install (don't do the wipe or anything like that. Just install the .zip file)
anon2122 said:
@kendon,
I noticed he has the original, easily rooted version of the hero. IIRC, that is what I had on my G2 (and had the security unlocked bootloader out the box). If that's the case, would pvdeejay be able to 'fastboot boot' a full system img file for the purposes of testing it out to see if it meets the requirements.
The reason I ask is that I've only ever fastbooted my AmonRA recovery (I didn't flash it, because I never felt any need to). I'm guessing you could fastboot a full img, but I'm not sure about the practical issues of where it would be stored in memory...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is correct so far, i did the same, except i installed the recovery. i play a lot with my phone, the installed recovery image with the nandroid backup is the best i have ever seen for a phone...
@pvdeejay
you always write so much...
i try to answer everything:
the two guides you posted are good for your situation. i never tried flashrec, but from what i read it is safe to use. i installed my recovery image through fastboot, the guide is here: http://android.modaco.com/content/h...ng-the-patched-recovery-image-on-your-device/
i have no idea how this works out for you, but my honest suggestion would be that you have someone seeing assisting you, you CAN brick your phone, though it is not likely if you follow the instructions precisely. the process is not very time consuming at all, so you don't need to bother anyone for days of their time.
edit: and now i read your post to the end and saw that your brother will be helping you, so you are on the right track
once you have the recovery installed you can make nandroid backups, and i would suggest that you do this first thing after installing the recovery, better make a backup too much than one too less...
the 5 steps you described are correct, except there is no need to rename the zipfile anymore, you can select any .zip from your sdcard.
the radio part is the number that begins with 63.18.55.06, then comes two letters and then more numbers. as by now the version can be identified by the letters, with JU being the up-to-date one. in general you can say the newer the better, but you have to try for yourself. start with the newest one, if you have problems go back.
thanks this seems to be pretty doable plus I will easily be able to restore the current data backed using nandroid backup.
Which android SDK do I need the latest one?
The commands I need to type are supposed to be typed on the PC or on the phone? I assume on the PC but I just would like to ensure.
Hero21 1.8 community edition has a recommended radio listed in the first post. Is it necessary to install that one as well? What should I install first the actual rom or the radio? Do I need installing radio at all? Should i do the same with radio i.e. renaming it to update.zip and using amonra to install it?
Also will I be able to use this method even if I install another rom (running amonra without actually flashing it)?
Edit:
sorry guys did not realize renaming to update.zip is no longer needed.
Edit2:
is there an easy way on how to access sd card from windows? I can't just remove the card from phone and insert it into my laptop because I don't have the proper adapter. Previously my boss was using the hero and perhaps it would be nice to backup the sd card first.
Edit3:
uhmmm, installing android sdk is perhaps not as simple as it sounds.
I have just seen this article.
I am on a limited gprs internet connection, can you please suggest sdk features I won't need to save some download bandwith?
- you need only the adb binary (thats adb.exe for windows) from the sdk, the rest is not needed for this.
- install the radio from the 2.1community-rom-thread, it is the newest. install the radio first. DO NOT PULL THE BATTERY until the phone has rebooted completely. if you pull the battery during radio upgrade your phone will be dead. it takes a few minutes, do not panic!
- you can copy the contents of the sdcard via the usb-cable, plug it into your pc and pull down the notification bar...
Do I need to run SDK Setup.exe when I have downloaded android sdk for windows?
Or can I simply run that binary from the command-line without the installation?
Do I need any USB drivers so my phone can be recognized?
Well hello everyone.
I am an application development student from Belgium.
I am proficient in Java, VB.NET, some c/c++ and also PHP/JS/HTML/CSS
Anyways, my recent interest has been going out to creating custom roms for the galaxy S!
The problem now is though, I was able to find some guides and such, but most were incomplete, and for HTC(and other) devices.
I have no idea what is different between making a ROM for galaxy S or a ROM for an HTC device.
If anyone would like to link me to some good resources that can help me on my way, or would like to collaborate (and in the meanwhile teach me a bit) I would be more than happy! (I am open for collaboration as I am pretty proficient in Java and I'm always happy to code and learn more about coding!)
I think the question is really want you want to do!
Custom ROMs for Android are as simple as using recovery console to replace files on the system with your own versions.
ie. Replace the framework.apk which contains all theme images with your own modified one, which you can use to skin the device. Same for replacing other system apps.
Unfortunately, most of these apps are closed source, so modifying them is difficult. The stock android system has open source versions of most of them though, and you can modify those and build them, and then replace the ones on the device. I'm not entirely sure how to build them up though, but it probably isn't too hard.
Then there are custom kernels, which let you actually change the underlying linux system underneath android - Samsung has an open source version of the kernel available that you can compile, and then flash to your phone using Odin or other tools. Compiling the kernel is pretty tricky though.
Well i'm really talking about stuff like SamSet, MoDaCo, Doc's ROM and others.
I'm not saying I want to create a pro ROM in a day or anything, but i'd really love to learn more to get better (always looking for more stuff to put on the resume, I guess?!)
Thanks a lot,
Kenny
Bump for some help
(sorry for the double post but i'm really eager to learn)
I don't have time to give a detailed response right now. However you will want to read up on yaffs (file system) and odexing/deodexing ROMs.
Thank you I will definately do that,
I am following a guide now to start out creating custom ROMs for android, however it was written for Motorola Droid and I have no idea what you have to do different for a samsung galaxy s.
I am a good coder, even though I say so myself, with a lot of experience. I also have a lot of linux experience, you name it
Only the problem is the old, and much known "where do I get started?"
So if anyone can point me out in the right direction on that, tell me how/where you started out, I would appreciate it greatly!
Thanks!
Very sorry to bump again
I set up my environment in ubuntu today to get started (just gotta fix a few errors, didn't know android wouldn't compile on java 1.6, only on 1.5)
Anyways, still need some help here! thanks!
Again I am awefully sorry for the bump here but i'd really like some help.
Note that i'm not a newbie at coding whatsoever and i'm not unfamiliar with some hardcore java, c/c++ and other languages, I'm just having trouble getting started when it comes to modding an existing android release (there are tutorials on HTC and other devices but some methods do not apply to the galaxy S)
If you're trying to create a ROM from scratch then unfortunately you're out of luck at the moment. No one has really managed to do so yet. By "from scratch" I mean the Android Open Source Project (i.e. official Android git repository).
What you can do is grab an existing firmware. Extract the contents, de-odex the apks, modify them or add new apks, optionally you can also compile a custom SGS kernel using Samsung's kernel source. Then you can re-odex the ROM, pack it back up and distribute it.
There's no real "starting place" as such and you won't yet find any tutorials about how to create SGS ROMs. Just give it a go and see where you get.
Yes, I do mean creating a ROM from stock samsung firmware, of course.
So my next logical question would be now:
How do I go over extracting contents from the existing samsung firmware, de-odexing and so on?
Any links/guides/tips are greatly appreciated, as long as they are applicable to this cell phone and not totally crap, thanks!
Samsung uses rfs, I think you should know. There is a thread somewhere in this forum regarding extracting .rfs file. Understood you need Debian though.
For some readup, go search for a famous guy named JesusFreke. Tons of materials...
Hope that from here onwards, this can lead you on, and to find out more. Google is your friend too...
I'm afraid my biggest problems already occur in setting up the environment, so it's really the very beginning that gets me stuck, i'm sure coding would be a bikeride compared to setting up the environment for me (i'm no hero in linux,not at all, i'm afraid)
How the hell do I get from point A (being downloading the full source) to point B (starting to create a custom ROM?)
thanks
of course if anyone has the time, and wants to, you can PM me your msn or something, if anyone is up to it
Raykoid666 said:
I'm afraid my biggest problems already occur in setting up the environment, so it's really the very beginning that gets me stuck, i'm sure coding would be a bikeride compared to setting up the environment for me (i'm no hero in linux,not at all, i'm afraid)
How the hell do I get from point A (being downloading the full source) to point B (starting to create a custom ROM?)
thanks
of course if anyone has the time, and wants to, you can PM me your msn or something, if anyone is up to it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed completely! Getting a full cross-compilation to Samsung's Android going is seriously difficult! There have been some promises for tutorials and guides for setting things up though, but none have appeared yet. Probably because it's hard!
Well thank you for agreeing with me on that.
I am really hoping for anyone that can help me out here, either on here or in private, and give some detailed instructions on how to get started.
Hell there is enough information on creating roms alread, deodexing, adding/removing apps etc etc etc... The real problem lies in setting everything up properly.
I think I have gotten to the point where I'm compiling the android source (without samsung specific files)
note i'm saying "i think i am compiling" because i'm hoping it won't error out on me again after an hour of compiling!
But once that is done... I have no idea where to go next, where to get the samsung specific files, or what to do with them whatsoever once i have them
thanks!
Android generic source won't actually help you much. Samsung has made a huge number of changes to it, and while it is all open source, backporting their changes to get your stock source running on the phone is a major undertaking. I believe cyanogenmod was actually working on this, but it seems without much success so far.
What the other rom makers you see are doing is taking a snapshot of a running rom, copying over all of the APKs and the files on a running device, and then tweaking those. ie. Opening up framework-res.apk and changing the image files inside.
The update.zip roms that are what most people are doing are really just using the Android recovery to replace files on the phone with their own versions. Since the underlying system is linux, and everything is a file, this actually works pretty well.
The kernel development effort is completely separate from the rest of the system though, and Samsung has provided the entire source tree that just has to be compiled. I'm a bit stumped myself on all the details of setting it up, but I have seen some threads on this forum about it, and it didn't seem too bad to set up. Apparently you shouldn't use the codesourcery toolchain though, or something. Not too clued up on it, sorry. Hopefully someone with the details can chime in, or give us a link to the old post on it (I'm failing to find it using the search function! )
Alright sounds good!
So these recovery files you are talking about (the contents of /system) how do i retrieve those from a base ROM such as JM7 or the likes after a clean flash?)
Raykoid666 said:
Alright sounds good!
So these recovery files you are talking about (the contents of /system) how do i retrieve those from a base ROM such as JM7 or the likes after a clean flash?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root your phone, zip them up onto the sdcard, and then copy them off.
There are probably better methods, but this works fine.
Also, with credits to Unhelpful, he has told me that the correct toolchain to be using is 'uClibc or eglibc toolchain with ct-ng'. I have no idea what to do with that yet, but it's a start.
RyanZA said:
Root your phone, zip them up onto the sdcard, and then copy them off.
There are probably better methods, but this works fine.
Also, with credits to Unhelpful, he has told me that the correct toolchain to be using is 'uClibc or eglibc toolchain with ct-ng'. I have no idea what to do with that yet, but it's a start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't even need to root your phone to pull /system Ryan
adb pull /system <random folder>
is all you need ^^
Alright thank you, I managed to get all the /system files using abd pull /system
now next thing up would be de-odexing right, before I go editing stuff?
Now before I go de-odexing. Can anyone tell me what exactly de-odexing is and why I need it?
and what do I need to do to create an update.zip again?
thanks a lot all!
Tayutama said:
You don't even need to root your phone to pull /system Ryan
adb pull /system <random folder>
is all you need ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha cool, didn't know you could pull whole folders!
Raykoid666 said:
Alright thank you, I managed to get all the /system files using abd pull /system
now next thing up would be de-odexing right, before I go editing stuff?
Now before I go de-odexing. Can anyone tell me what exactly de-odexing is and why I need it?
and what do I need to do to create an update.zip again?
thanks a lot all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The apk files in Android are odexed - that means they have a special index applied for dalvik that speeds them up somehow! I don't know how, I haven't checked how it actually works.
The important point is though:
odexed is faster, but you can't edit it because of signatures or something technical
deodexed means you can change it however you want
More useful info can be found from google - lots of it!
update.zip is easy - it's a zip file in a special format that can be understood by Android's recovery console. The easiest way to do it is to grab an existing update.zip and modify it as needed. Tayutama has millions of em around, so use his!
Then you need to sign it once you're finished with it so that the SGS will accept it. Samsung made a boo-boo and didn't disable the test keys for the 2.1 SGS firmwares. That makes it easy!
http://www.londatiga.net/it/how-to-sign-apk-zip-files/
Just use the test keys to sign it, and then copy it to /sdcard/update.zip and reboot into recovery and it'll work.
So to get to the point... I bricked my friend's SGT after trying to put a dialer app onto it. A series of stupid moves leaves it at the Samsung logo on bootup and only able to access Download Mode (No recovery). He's getting a replacement through warranty (oops) but in the meantime I'd love to learn/experiment with building my own ROM.
I've been an avid Linux user for a couple years, learning more and more as time goes by. I've done extensive modding on the Motorola Droid and Droid 2 (modding, no programming, dev'ing or cooking). Basic familiarity with the Android system and how it works.
However, it's been a huge learning experience trying to build my own ROM from source. I downloaded the SGH-I800 VZW and also the GT-P1000 sources from opensource.samsung.com and also the android source from source.android.com
following the instructions from the README inside the I800 source .tar, I wrote the GT-P1000 files over the android source, then wrote the I800 files over the combined GT-P1000/android source. After some configuring to make this work on a 32-bit system with java1.6 lib's, I finally arrived with a working "make" command in my ~/bin folder (where repo stuck the android source). before running make I did run "make update-api" and it seemed to go off without a hitch.
It's currently running and has been for quite some time (around 45 mins or so, which is normal on my centrino 4 year old laptop. However, I'm seeing quite a few warnings about parenthesis and various other syntax-related issues.
Is this going to be a huge problem with the final .img files? I can't imagine it working perfectly... Is there any way to debug this compilation procedure? I'm just using terminal and obviously there are far too many to stay in the lines history of terminal app.
Thanks for the help guys, I'm hoping to at least get this tablet bootable so I can apply a more advanced rom or (depending on the difficulty) revise my own rom into a fully working one.
-Garrett
P.S.- If I understand this correctly, it will output a few .img files into the /out folder. How am i to flash these using ODIN? can I just put them into a .tar archive and select that under the PDA option of ODIN? I've already compiled the kernel for the SGT, it seemed very straightforward and I've got the zImage file. I also read somewhere that the kernel should be included in the main platform compilation. However, the zImage file is just thrown into one of the other .tar's downloaded for a different device (just to get a feel of what format files should be where). Some advice would be much appreciated! Thanks.
update:
it compiled and produced three files of standard format (*.img) which would be used to
a) extract the /system folder, etc. to produce a flashable update.zip in CWM or some other custom recovery.
or
b) flash directly using some other program, with target booted into the bootloader,
if I recall correctly. The problem with the former is that this tablet will not boot into recovery, and with the latter, no suitable program seemingly exists. There must be some method of converting or repackaging these *.img files into Samsung's proprietary *.rfs format, but extensive google searching has yielded nothing of value.
ok, update #2
flashed a zImage and factoryfs.rfs from a sprint ROM, and of course data doesn't work on this verizon tab (actually not a big deal since I'd be wifi tethering from my Droid 2 anyway) but it does have all the sprint applications and settings and all that.
I have a full /system dump from a completely stock verizon tablet, what is the most straightforward way of flashing this onto this frankenstein tablet?
I'd imagine it entails flashing clockworkmod recovery and flashing an update.zip that contains the entire /system folder, would this work?
I've tried simply
adb push ~/Galaxy/system /data/sysbackup
then
busybox cp -rf /data/sysbackup/* /system
however this just results in a lot of disk full errors and an unbootable tablet.
thanks for the tips guys, and wondering what's so bad about the vzw tablet? there seems to be a lot more threads/roms/support for (of course) the GSM tablets and even Sprint's but none for big red.
Not sure if this would work, but maybe creating a VFAT image in Linux and dumping the contents into it then saving the file as factoryfs.rfs and flashing it?
Or, mount a known good factoryfs.rfs, rip out the contents and replace it with the VZW stuff. (Since RFS images can be mounted as VFAT in Linux/Unix)
As far as getting data up and running, you would probably need a dump of a radio from another VZW Tab. (/dev/block/btl12 if it's anything like the GSM Tabs)
gfrancis306 said:
thanks for the tips guys, and wondering what's so bad about the vzw tablet? there seems to be a lot more threads/roms/support for (of course) the GSM tablets and even Sprint's but none for big red.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only answer for myself on this one, I always prefer the GSM devices because they often have Euro/Asian counterparts, thus bigger modding communities. The GSM models will definitely have more presence solely because the majority of markets for the device are GSM-based.
thanks guys, I definitely understand the GSM tabs getting more traffic but couldn't figure out why Sprint was attended to while VZW went overlooked.
Either way, I had a friend of mine .tar up a rotohammer backup from his VZW tablet and send it to me through dropbox. un-tar'd and flashed using heimdall and it booted right up with VZW service and everything. the only problem I notice is there are no google apps (Market, Gmail, Maps, etc.) I know there's a quick fix for most android phones by just flashing gapps.zip through CWM recovery, but since there's no way to fash CWM on the VZW tab, how would I go about getting my google apps back?
Thanks
Do a factory reset or try one of the market fixes in the main galaxy section. Should be fixable.
Does your GPS function?
gfrancis306 said:
thanks guys, I definitely understand the GSM tabs getting more traffic but couldn't figure out why Sprint was attended to while VZW went overlooked.
Either way, I had a friend of mine .tar up a rotohammer backup from his VZW tablet and send it to me through dropbox. un-tar'd and flashed using heimdall and it booted right up with VZW service and everything. the only problem I notice is there are no google apps (Market, Gmail, Maps, etc.) I know there's a quick fix for most android phones by just flashing gapps.zip through CWM recovery, but since there's no way to fash CWM on the VZW tab, how would I go about getting my google apps back?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get the dbdata.rfs or cache.rfs? I think they play a part into stuff like the market. Check for the apps in /system/app though.
Sent from my SGH-I987 using XDA App
I bricked VZW SGT by flashing another rom accidently and now it wont go further than the Samsung logo on bootup
is there any way to flash back the orginal rom?
On my sprint gt. I am able to get to clockwork mod recovery by doing
Code:
adb reboot recovery
as far as I can tell there is no way to get to recovery with the device off. But if it gets as far as the samsung screen you still might be able to use adb to reboot to recovery. I've been trying to build froyo myself and as a proof of concept compiled the stock kernel from samsung open source. Then put it in a modified update.zip from one of monks kernels and flashed it from clockwork recovery. The flash was a success and the device booted fine. I dont see why the same shouldnt work for the system folder. The boot.img would be more difficult cause I dont think the gt uses the same partition layout as other android phones.
Helo my name is robert an im new to this. Im looking for some roms for my vzw galaxy tab. Dose anyone have any suggestions ? An is there a stable gingerbread or honeycomb roms out there for the galaxy tab for vzw ? Thanks to all that can help me
Sent from my SCH-I800 using XDA App
As I am a noob to the whole android thing as it seems many others are around here. I am looking for some help understanding the whole flashing process. I have flashed many things in my life and there is always a learning curve.
When and why do I need to use a .pit file. What does it do?
When to repartition and when not to? Why do we have to do this sometimes and not others?
I am currently on JK5. from now on can I just use the pda file no pit, no partition? Really confusing when you need to do what.
Thanks for the help.
Let me try to give you some initial info. You can find better answers in the XDA forums.
First of all most upgrades are motivated by adding GSM phone capability to US Tabs. To add this feature you need to replace stock firmware with European firmware (ROM) that has such capability.
Because of different size of ROMs safest way is flashing the whole thing (not its pieces: PDA, PHONE, CSC) with repartitioning. In this case .PIT file provides info about what is included and possibly max size. Each piece is writen in a proper directory. In Linux some partitions should be carefully sized larger than possible future need.
We don't have exact data about sizing but experimentally learned that without repartitioning flashing Euro ROM results in failure: the Tab does noot boot properly. It seems that some directory was over its capacity.
Most likely you will need to repatition once when flashing Euro ROM for the first time. All following upgrades seems to work fine flashing only PDA or Phone (modem).
My recommendation would be copy and paste best step-by-step procedures in one doc, print it and follow each step until its proper completion.
Thanks for helping understand what is happening. I can follow directions and that is great and all, but I like to understand to some degree what and why I am doing something.
hi there!
I have a viewsonic n710 tablet ,it's a fake Nexus7,and it's only saled in chinese mainland,I have to say ,it sucks,hardware and software!
about hardware ,I only can do nothing,but the software ,because it's similar with nexus7 ,so I decided to do something on it!
now here comes my question:
I got stuck on unpacking zImage ,I used all the methods that learned from xda here ,but only repack_zImage works,but whatever version I used to unpack the zImage ,the result seems not right,the early version I used can extract some files in the zImage_unpacked folder but it prompted wrong message and quit ,the newest versiion (0.6) I used can also extract some files in that folder but the program keep displaying many increased numbers and never stop unless you pressed "ctrl+c" to quit it forcely ,so I think the files maybe not right either!!!
in the first place ,I think the tools I used to unpack is not compatible with my n710 zImage,so I searched at least 3 different to unpack my kernal,
unpack ,unpack-initramfs,repack_zImage, the former 2 tools even can not extract anything from zImage ,only extract a folder named initramfs_root,only repack_zImage did something but seems not right!!
so I tried such ways to unpack nexus7 zImage for proving ,but it surprised to me that it can not unpack nexus7 either!!
I am confused now,I have been searching solution to solve this problem for two days,but a little achievment I got!!!
the only way I can do now to ask such question at here,I am sure that some people can extract right files from zImage ,(because they even can do an custom kernal for nexus7,:good:I adore them so much,)so will someone tell me how to unpack right files from zImage???or did I miss any important things for unpacking ,I am a green hand on linux system.,so I might make many silly mistakes on operation
!!
thank you very much in advance!!any suggestion and hint also will be appericated!!
Just because it might look/seem like a n7, its not one. Its different so our kernels wont work
Kernels aew very specific so they need to be made for the device because they have different hardware
Sent with from my Asus Nexus Unicorn
markj338 said:
Just because it might look/seem like a n7, its not one. Its different so our kernels wont work
Kernels aew very specific so they need to be made for the device because they have different hardware
Sent with from my Asus Nexus Unicorn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sure ,I cann't agree any more with your opinion!thank you for your information!
but if I knew the way to unpack nexus7 zImage ,I could also unpack n710 zImage!you know ,if I could unpack kernel ,I would hack it with my mind!
Viewsonic N710
Hi There
I agree with you, i bought the same Tablet and the prior Incident is that you can not install the Google Playstore. Contacting the "Customer" Support is useless cause you always have a different employee who answers emails or is on the Chat Line. I asked them now for about 6 Times to give me a RMA Number and the Return Adress and it they do not want to understand.
The Tablet itself seems to have a good Hardware, Sygic runs very fast and stable, i also installed some Games and they are very solvent.
Dolphin HD didn't runs for the First Installation but now also runs stable and fast.
There is an Instruction on Tabletrepublic but it didn't work for me. I was able to install the ADB Driver and can also run it from the DOS Box. I was not able to Root the Tablet which is necessary to get Google Playstore to Run.
Does anybody else has rooted this Device and can explain how he did it...?
Thanks
Michael
chinajjb said:
hi there!
I have a viewsonic n710 tablet ,it's a fake Nexus7,and it's only saled in chinese mainland,I have to say ,it sucks,hardware and software!
about hardware ,I only can do nothing,but the software ,because it's similar with nexus7 ,so I decided to do something on it!
now here comes my question:
I got stuck on unpacking zImage ,I used all the methods that learned from xda here ,but only repack_zImage works,but whatever version I used to unpack the zImage ,the result seems not right,the early version I used can extract some files in the zImage_unpacked folder but it prompted wrong message and quit ,the newest versiion (0.6) I used can also extract some files in that folder but the program keep displaying many increased numbers and never stop unless you pressed "ctrl+c" to quit it forcely ,so I think the files maybe not right either!!!
in the first place ,I think the tools I used to unpack is not compatible with my n710 zImage,so I searched at least 3 different to unpack my kernal,
unpack ,unpack-initramfs,repack_zImage, the former 2 tools even can not extract anything from zImage ,only extract a folder named initramfs_root,only repack_zImage did something but seems not right!!
so I tried such ways to unpack nexus7 zImage for proving ,but it surprised to me that it can not unpack nexus7 either!!
I am confused now,I have been searching solution to solve this problem for two days,but a little achievment I got!!!
the only way I can do now to ask such question at here,I am sure that some people can extract right files from zImage ,(because they even can do an custom kernal for nexus7,:good:I adore them so much,)so will someone tell me how to unpack right files from zImage???or did I miss any important things for unpacking ,I am a green hand on linux system.,so I might make many silly mistakes on operation
!!
thank you very much in advance!!any suggestion and hint also will be appericated!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jiggasonic said:
Hi There
I agree with you, i bought the same Tablet and the prior Incident is that you can not install the Google Playstore. Contacting the "Customer" Support is useless cause you always have a different employee who answers emails or is on the Chat Line. I asked them now for about 6 Times to give me a RMA Number and the Return Adress and it they do not want to understand.
The Tablet itself seems to have a good Hardware, Sygic runs very fast and stable, i also installed some Games and they are very solvent.
Dolphin HD didn't runs for the First Installation but now also runs stable and fast.
There is an Instruction on Tabletrepublic but it didn't work for me. I was able to install the ADB Driver and can also run it from the DOS Box. I was not able to Root the Tablet which is necessary to get Google Playstore to Run.
Does anybody else has rooted this Device and can explain how he did it...?
Thanks
Michael
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To root N710 is not a big deal any more!you can flash cwm recovery to help you ,I released cwm for N710 at Tabletrepublic,so just download the right version recovery for your tablet ,please aware that 1.01-1.05,1.07,they don't use the same cwm recovery!
after fflash recovery ,run into cwm recovery ,and flash superuser.zip just like nexus 7 does!
of course you can also flash the gapps.zip to get google service serial and what not !
good luck to you if you tackle it!