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Welcome to the Droid X guide! I hope to expand up on this as much as possible, so be sure to check back for updates!
The Benefits of rooting
So why root your android phone? Well, there are several benefits... First, you can backup up your phones current state whenever you would like (makes is easy to jump back and forth if you mess things up!). In addition, you can also install different themes (different color interfaces for the basic framework and applications). You can also install custom ROMs (this is an Android OS that has been built from either Motorola's source, or the Google SDK and released through their generosity for the rest of us to enjoy!
Rooting: Many people are unsure of rooting their phones but have heard of other people doing it. Here is my stance on rooting your phone:
If you are technically savvy, or can follow instructions well and have confidence in your ability to do so, I would definitely recommend it! If you are unsure of your abilities to do so, and simply use your Droid X because it is a great phone right out of the box, then I would recommend reading through this guide and some other threads on the Droid X forums so you can familiarize yourself with the potential possibilities and process' involved with rooting and customizing your phone. I do not say any of this to deter anyone from wanting to root their phone, it just can be a dangerous situation for those who are not familiar with how it could potentially damage their phone.
I have seen many ask about the dangers of rooting. First off, yes it will void your warranty, but you CAN unroot your phone. I will include this information later =)
#1 rule of modding your phone: ALWAYS TAKE A BACKUP BEFORE MAKING ANY MODIFICATIONS!
with that said... let's continue =)
Rooting: Just because you have a rooted phone, does not explicitly open up new features on your phone.... What it does do, is open up the possibility for features on your phone =) Keep reading...
Themes: In order to theme your phone, you first have to deodex it. If you attempt to theme the phone without deodexing it, you can run into issues... Themes allow you to change the look of the phone framework and applications (e.g. different colors or images). Make sure to follow rule #1, and then follow any specific instructions that the creator of the theme may have included with their post.
Droid X Bootstrap: This is the saving grace for the Droid X created by Koush. Installing this application once rooted allows you to create backups, restore backups and install custom themes, ROM's, and other modifications that have been made into flashable zip format. I will explain how to use this later as well.
Custom ROMs: Custom ROM's are a developers build of the android operating system either using the Motorola ROM as their base, or building directly from Google's SDK. Many of the ROM's for the Droid X are "blur-free" which means that they look like a generic android OS install the way Google intended it. The default "ROM" that comes on your phone has what is known as "blur" by Motorola. It is just graphical enhancements to the way the phone operates that mostly tie into social networking applications and widgets. Many Android enthusiasts believe that Motorola Blur or HTC Sense ruins the Android feel. Whether or not to use a blurred or blur-free ROM is really up to you and how you like your phone to look and feel.
I will cover more about ROM's later in my posts and try to give an overall description of each. As usual, before trying to flash any ROM, be sure to backup your phone.
Overclocking your phone: Overclocking for those who do not already know what this means, is basically the ability to tell your phone's processor to run at a higher speed. This basically just improves performance on your phone, but can be harder on the phone as well. By telling the phone run at a faster processor speed, you can decrease the battery life of your phone. The droid X overclocks in a different manner than with most Android phones, due to the inability to run custom kernels on the Droid X.
For those who are not familiar with the potential of overclocking your phone, I highly recommend not doing it. While rooting can be dangerous, if you mess up overclock settings on your phone, you can do more harm than good.
So I have seen a bunch of people asking questions that seem to pop up repeatedly on the forums... I plan on adding to this as i put this guide together for a few people who really needed more step by step instructions to get going. Feel free to suggest stuff for me to add, and I will throw it in.
Thanks, and enjoy the following:
Ok, here are the steps for setting up the sdk, getting rooted, and all that good stuff... have a feeling I will be making this into a new thread...perhaps....
SDK:
First off... you will want to go to the following site to download the sdk:
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
Grab the following download: android-sdk_r08-windows.zip
I saved it to C:\sdk (i created a folder called SDK right at the root of C: drive). When it finishes, unzip this using 7zip (or any other unzip program you like) to the sdk folder. When it is finished unzipping, you should have a folder called "android-sdk_r10-windows". If you open up that folder, you will find a folder called "android-sdk-windows". Open this folder up and double click on the "SDK Manager.exe". This will open up a window, and bring up additional windows, one of which will ask you to "choose packages to install". You can download any or all of them. I recommend downloading the following: (NOTE: this may have changed as I don't recall the API versions for sdk r10)
• Android SDK Platform-tools, revision 1 (the top-most download)
• SDK Platform Android 2.3, API 9, revision 1
• SDK Platform Android 2.2, API 8, revision 2
• USB drivers (I don't think this shows up in the latest version of the sdk's first download window. I believe it is found if you go to the available packages section the "Android SDK and AVD Manager and expand the 3rd party section....but if you happen to see it in there...grab it)
This should be sufficient for now. All packages are accepted by default. If you do not wish to download all of them, simply highlight each one (one at a time) and then click the reject button towards the bottom middle of the window. When you have selected the packages you wish to download, click the install button.
After this has installed, you now have the Android SDK installed on your machine. You can close all windows related to the SDK, as we don't actually need to do anything with it, it simply has tools within it that we will need later. (This is where the adb command originates from. There is an adb.exe tool in the "platform-tools" folder of the sdk install, but we will get to this later).
Now you will want to go to your desktop (or anywhere you have a shortcut or icon for My Computer), right click on My Computer, and select properties. Under the "advanced" tab of the window that opens, you should see a button at the bottom that says "environment variables". Click on this, and then find the "Path" variable under System Variables NOT user variables. Click Edit and go to the end of the "Variable Value" field. You will want to make sure there is a semicolon ";" at the end of this before typing any additional info. You will want to add the full path of your android SDK install. For example, if you followed my example for download/saving/extracting/installing above, you would type the following information into the end of the "Variable Value" section:
C:\sdk\android-sdk_r10-windows\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools
If you installed to another location, be sure to type the correct path to the "tools" folder within your installation of the Android SDK. Then click the OK button, and close any windows that were opened from adding to the "path variable".
Droid X Drivers
This section is a little more difficult to explain, as there are so many variables depending on what operating system you are running (windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, etc). and whether or not you are running a 32-bit or 64-bit instance of your chosen Operating system.
Here is one link for Droid X drivers:
http://www.verizon-phones.org/verizon-motorola-droid-x-usb-drivers-pc-charging-drivers-download.html
I simply googled Droid X drivers, I'm sure this isn't the best link, but just for example I'm throwing it out there. If you google Droid X USB drivers you should be able to find the drivers you need, as well as help and instructions on how to get everything working.
Once you get the usb drivers installed, you will want to connect your Droid X to your computer. If it is recognized, you will get a notification in your drop down bar on your phone. On your phone, press on the USB connection in the drop down menu, and select "charge only". Next, open up a command prompt on your computer. Type the following in and hit enter:
adb devices
You should see something simiilar to the following come up if everything is configured correctly:
C:\>adb devices
* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
List of devices attached
015A882315005010 device
If you see something similar to what I have above... then ADB is working correctly, and we can continue! Now we will move on to getting your device rooted! You will want to grab the z4root.apk that I have attached earlier in this thread and download it onto your computer. We will now test out if adb is indeed working! Save the z4root.1.3.0.apk and put it in the "tools" folder of the sdk we downloaded earlier. Now open up a new command prompt (or use the one we opened earlier if you haven't already closed it!) Change directories to the "tools" folder of the sdk:
If you installed the SDK where I used in my example.... type the following:
cd C:\sdk\android-sdk_r10-windows\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools (press enter)
type the following: adb install z4root.1.3.0.apk (press enter)
You should now see the following:
C:\android-sdk-windows\tools>adb install z4root.1.3.0.apk
1833 KB/s (978414 bytes in 0.521s)
pkg: /data/local/tmp/z4root.1.3.0.apk
Success
z4root and ROOTING
If you get all of this, you have now installed a package using adb and we know the interface works. If you don't want to have to mess with this method of installing, you could also download "Astro File Manager" from the android market. You would then need to save z4root.apk to your sdcard of your Droid X. Then open the Astro program and browse to your SDcard and file the z4root.1.3.0.apk. Press on the .apk file and it should come up with a box that says something similar to "open with app installer" or "app manager"... don't recall exactly what it says, but should be something similar to package management or install of some sort. After pressing on that, you should see an install button. Press on that to install z4root.
Now that z4root is installed, you will want to go to your application list on your phone and press on the z4root to open the application. Press on the permanent root button and wait! This process may take a while, and your phone will reboot, but when it does, you are now rooted.
Make sure when trying to root your phone that you go into Settings-->Applications-->Development make sure "usb bebugging" is enabled.
Removing BOOTSTRAP COMPLETELY (You only need to follow these steps if you WANT to remove Droid X bootstrap by Koush, this is not installed on your phone by default).
If you would like to completely remove Droid X bootstrap from your phone, here is what you need to do:
1) connect your phone to ur pc in charge only mode. Make sure it is recognized by adb
A) open command prompt and type "adb devices" (hit enter, your phone should show up)
2) in the command prompt, type "adb shell" (press enter)
3) type "su" (press enter)
4) type "mount -o rw, remount /dev/block/mtdblock4 /system" (press enter)
5) type "cp /system/bin/logwrapper.bin /system/bin/logwrapper"(press enter)
6) type "adb reboot" (press enter)
Your phone will reboot after typing adb reboot, and may take a little bit longer to boot the first time after bootstrap is removed (it may not, I just haven't gone through this process in a while).
Bootstrap should now be completely removed.
Note: all text in quotes is just what you should type...do not include the quotation marks when entering commands.
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility if you mess up your phone. Typing these commands incorrectly CAN mess up your phone. By following these directions, you do so at your own risk.
Installing Droid X Bootstrap
You can grab this .apk file from this thread as well, as I have it posted in one of my previous posts. You will then install this .apk file the same way that you installed z4root. Obviously if you are using the adb command prompt method, you will want to replace z4root.apk with the full name of the droid X bootstrap apk; if you are using a file manager or installer, just follow the same instructions as before as well.
With the bootstrap installed, you are now able to take backups and restore them as well in the event your phone has problems.
Will be adding SBF instructions and links soon =)
If this guide has helped you, please say thanks!
THEMES AND HOW TO USE:
NOTE: In order to install a theme, you must deodex your phone. If you attempt to try and install a theme without deodexing your phone, you can run into problems down the road.
How to Deodex Your phone the EASY way:
Below is a link that Septhin (from Sephtin.com, all credits go to him for this) posted. This is a SYSTEM ONLY flashable .zip that will give you root, as well as deodex your phone ONLY if you are on the 2.3.340 OTA for verizon. Copy this to your sdcard, and flash in bootstrap recovery! Note: If coming from anything other than an existing 2.3.340 system, then you should wipe data/factory reset for safety's sake!
http://www.mediafire.com/?gvvgnum0uma2huk
If you are on the 2.3.15 OTA looking for Deodexed system:
http://www.mediafire.com/?drixq6ry6ja83oq
How to Manually Deodex your Droid X:
Note: all credit for this portion of the writeup goes to Webst3r on droidxforums and those he has mentioned at the bottom of this section. I did not write up the deodex portion of this guide. I am simply including it as a one stop guide to help as many people as possible.
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHATEVER HAPPENS TO YOUR PHONE!
You must be rooted!
What you'll need:
A Windows based machine
xUltimate v2.2
Patience
Process:
1. Unzip xUltimate v2.2, and launch "Main.exe"
2. If everything goes well xUlt should recognize the phone and make a connection. You now should see a list of options.
3. Run option 1. After option 1 is done, run option 2.
4. Now these well take a while. Run option 3.
5. IMPORTANT: After you have run option 3, you MUST navigate to the xUltimate folder and find "origi_frame" folder, and delete "guava.odex". It's a bad file, and interferes with deodexing process.
6. Now run option 4, and wait.
7. Exit xUltimate, and put the phone in USB mass storage.
8. Go back into the xUltimate folder and copy "done_frame", and "done_app", and move them to the root of the sdcard.
9. Open a command prompt, and do the following: (note: at the end of each of the following lines, press the enter/return key on your keyboard)
Code:
adb shell
su
stop
mount -o rw,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
cp /sdcard/done_app/* /system/app/
cp /sdcard/done_frame/* /system/framework/
rm /system/app/*.odex
rm /system/framework/*.odex
mount -o ro,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
reboot
Your phone should now be deodexed!
You may notice an increase in speed, and you now have the ability to edit certain files with greater effects. (i.e. services.jar)
Credits: (note these credits are from the original post made by Webst3r, not me, but I would also like to thank them for their work and contributions!)
Rainabba and Mike919: For initially working with me to get a white clock, and later deodex.
toxman: For testing, and being a huge risk taker.
teenfaces: For letting me use his services.jar
And especially Xeudoxus: For letting me a guinea pig, for xUltimate, and answering my questions. And also for the making the xUltimate tool. It defiantly makes thing easier.
SBF: What is it, and what does it do?!?
An sbf file contains the data files necessary to return an Motorola phone back to its "out of the box state". This means it is as if you just pulled the phone out of the box and turned it on. A successful sbf will return you to stock status without any custom ROM, or theme. Usually when one uses and sbf file, you will also want to wipe data/factory reset before hand, and after using and sbf for best results.
SO WHAT DO I NEED?
• RSDlite 4.8 http://www.multiupload.com/HL0ZAL9GK8
• Motorola Drivers: http://www.motorola.com/consumers/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=bda09ec8009a0210VgnVCM1000008806b00aRCRD
• Correct SBF files for your phone:
o If you are on 2.3.15 OTA (bootloader 30.03): http://www.multiupload.com/HS3Q4U95CG
o 2.3.32 Full SBF: Then go to this site for all the mirror lists. I will post a few direct links below: http://www.mydroidworld.com/forums/droid-x-discussion/5633-droid-x-2-3-32-full-sbf.html
• http://www.multiupload.com/QX7Q3B53UQNOTE: http://depositfiles.com/en/files/60kvlswk2
o If you have already flashed 2.3.32, and/or have 30.04 bootloader: 2.3.34 SYSTEM ONLY SBF:
• DIRECT LINK TO SBF: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OXK9Q1ZG
• some have preferred to flash individual files through Bootstrap recovery from MyDroidWorld. If you would like to use this method and are more comfortable flashing files than SBF, use this site:
o http://mydroidworld.com/forums/droi...ystem-baseband-2-3-340-kernel-bootloader.html
• 2.3.340 FULL SBF: http://www.mydroidworld.com/forums/droid-x-discussion/6367-new-full-sbf-droid-x-2-3-340-a.html
• Thanks to Maderschramm, there is any easier way to get back to stock on 2.3.340 OTA WITH ROOT
MADERSTCOK "SBF" (note I did not do this write-up, all credit goes to Bouchigo on android forums. Original credit goes to Maderschramm over at DroidXforums and XDA)
NOTICE: Coming from ANY non-blur based ROM and doing Maderstcok is guaranteed to bootloop due to mismatch in framework without a data/cache wipe.
http://www.droidxforums.com/forum/droid-x-hacks/15666-maderstcok-ota-2-3-340-update-zip.html
maderstcok - OTA 2.3.340 update.zip
None are responsible for your phone but you.
After a bit of work I've created an update.zip for you guys that want a fresh install of 2.3.340 without sbfing.
This is the FULL, OTA 2.3.340 - contains radio, kernel, and all other updates, even those EXCLUDED by the 2.3.340 system only sbf.
What that means is that if you have 2.3.15, 2.3.151, or 2.3.320 you're one update.zip away from the OTA 2.3.340
This is useful in many ways:
• You want stock .340 but didn't create a nandroid backup
• Can't OTA (modded phone)
• Get ready for an OTA
• Remove Root
• Add bloat back
• Re-Odex
• Your phone is acting weird on the update
• Something broke
• Fresh ROM install
• You don't want to flash 5 update.zips or sbf to update your phone
• etc.
This will format your system data (helps prevents bootloops - not 100%) and system (in case a rom put some apps in the /system/app) partitions and also changes the boot image to the stock moto M (to fix the Tranquility boot logo - something even an SBF won't fix).
As always, make a backup and I'm not responsible for what happens to your phone.
Download the file here and place it on your sdcard: http://www.droidxforums.com/forum/
• Mirror 1 http://ubuntuone.com/p/XAk/
• Mirror 2 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4AO672L1
Instructions:
1. Using the Droid X Bootstrapper make a backup. (more information here)
2. Browse (using volume buttons) to "install zip from sdcard" and select it with the camera button.
3. Select "choose zip from sdcard".
4. Select "maderstcok340.zip"
5. Confirm the install.
6. Be patient, wait for the install to finish.
7. Reboot the Droid X. DO NOTHING ELSE IN CLOCKWORKMOD!!!!!!!
8. Activate the phone with VZW (more instructions below).
If you attempt to create a backup or flash a rom post maderstcok installation you're going to have a paperweight. This seems to be because maderstcok removes root and the clockworkmod recovery area, so it doesn't like you playing around in there. Re-root and reinstall the bootstrapper, then create a backup or flash a new rom, DON'T DO IT BEFORE REBOOTING THE DX AFTER ISNTALL.
Formatting Data and Cache is optional; however, if you want a really clean install do so. If you factory reset you'll be forced to activate the phone automatically while if you don't you'll have to follow the quick and dirty activation instructions below - the choice is ultimately yours.
Quick and dirty instructions for activation:
1. Dial *228
2. Press 1
3. Enter last 4 of primary acct holder's SSN
4. Wait - more in depth instructions in a link further down.
This can take some time, especially on the two system installs and the radio install. Don't battery pull unless you want a brick.
The file won't flash properly if you have a botched download - this seems to be caused by the size of the file. Please check your file size before flashing:
Size: 284.7 MB (298481300 bytes)
MD5: ce7122280eafad4a39ba7fefeb764bf5
My free filehosters sometimes .zip the .zip - it looks like maderstcok340.zip.zip
Just unzip once and check the md5 to make sure it checks out - if not, redownload. Don't try to flash the .zip.zip without unzipping it once!
You'll have to activate your phone again after the install. See this for additional help.
If you encounter any problems during the flashing process follow standard ROM installation troubleshooting (i.e. battery pull, factory reset, etc.)
A lot of this stuff is from Team Black Hat - I did pull some of my own phone files too - but if you're looking to donate, please hit them up. Without them we'd be up a creek. Tell 'em I sent ya
One final note - z4root seems to work flawlessly after flashing this file. Just thought I'd throw that in there...
Enjoy!
How to use RSDlite and an SBF file:
NOTES ABOUT USING SBF and RSDlite: Make sure your battery is fully charged. If your phone dies while applying an SBF file, you could be stuck...Be sure to create a backup before using SBF, this could be a nandroid backup, and I would also recommend backing up your SMS messages and applications and any application data (use Titanium backup).
I have found this to have the best results.... before applying an SBF, boot into bootstrap recovery and do a wipe data/factory reset.
1. Turn off your phone. Hold down the "Volume down" + camera button while holding the power button. Your screen should flash and say
Bootloader
30.03 (or 30.04 if you are on the latest update)
Battery OK
OK to program
Connect USB
Data Cable
2. Open up RSDlite and click the " ... " button to browse to the appropriate SBF that you need to use.
a. If on bootloader version 30.03 then you will want to use the VRZ_MB810_2.3.15_1FF_01.sbf file
b. If on bootloader 30.04, then you will more than likely want to flash the 2.3.34 system only sbf (SHADO_X6_2.3.34_SYSTEM-ONLY.sbf)
3. Once it recognizes the file, connect your droid X to the computer via the usb cable. You should see your phone listed in the bottom section of RSDlite.
4. Click the start button, and watch the magic at work =)
5. When your phone reboots, I generally try to do another wipe data/factory reset.
a. When turning phone on, hold down home button + power button. When the droid with the ! comes up, press the search button. You can use the volume up/down buttons to navigate, and the camera button to select.
If your phone dies during sbf, A) make sure to charge your battery before sbf next time B) here are some instructions
IF YOUR PHONE DIES DURING SBF
How to Fix
One thing that you may notice is that when you have this error, your phone will not charge the battery and you'll only be able to see the screen turn on if its plugged into the wall. Somewhere on the screen it will say "Your Battery is Low" and "Cannot Reprogram" or something like that. The easiest way to get through this is to find a friend with a charged battery or go to your local Verizon store and see if they have a demo phone they can use to charge your battery. If you're like me though you will not be lucky in any sense like this so you will have to find the MacGyver inside of you and get a little creative. What you need for this is an old USB cord. One end must be a standard USB cable head and the other can pretty much be anything. Once you have that, follow these steps:
NOTE: I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGE DONE TO ANY PHONE, BATTERY, ETC. FOLLOW THESE STEPS WITH CAUTION TO AVOID RISK OF DAMAGE.
1. Take your cable and cut off one of the ends, leaving a standard USB plug at the opposite end to plug into your computer.
2. Now you need to strip about and inch of the wire off until you get to the core where you should see 4 colored wires (red, black, white, and green). The colors don't really matter and they may vary, just as long as you can see a red wire and a black wire.
3. Strip off about a quarter inch of the rubber sleeving on the red and black cables, exposing the actual metal wire.
4. Twist the metal strands of each of the wires a couple of times so that all of the wires from the black cable are together and all of the wires from the red cable are together. This is just to make sure that you don't create a short circuit.
5. Here's where it gets a little tricky. You are going to use this cable to make the phone think the battery is fully charged, when in fact you will just be powering the phone using the power from the USB port. Pull out the battery on your phone and find the 4 exposed metal slots (the battery terminals).
6. Each of the far terminals should be labeled with a plus (+) or a minus (-). What you need to do is put exposed leads on the red wire up to the positive terminal and the leads of the black wire up to the negative terminal.
7. While still holding the leads on their respective terminals, slide the battery back into place in the phone. MAKE SURE THE WIRES ARE NOT TOUCHING WHEN YOU PUT THE BATTERY INTO THE PHONE! BAD THINGS COULD HAPPEN ONCE YOU PLUG THE CORD INTO THE COMPUTER!
Note: As tested by parm289, you can skip step 7 and just use the cable to charge the battery if you'd like. He recommends allowing it to charge for 6-7 minutes before placing it back into the phone. Thanks parm!
8. Once the battery is in place and the wires are on the correct terminals but not touching each other, plug the USB cord into the computer. If all has gone as it should, the screen on your phone should come on (may have to press the power button) and the phone should be telling you that the battery charge is okay and that it is okay to program. YAY! Your phone is almost back to normal!
9. Go back up to the previous section in this post that tells you how to reflash the .sbf and follow all of the instructions there. Once that has finished flashing the .sbf to your phone, your phone should be back to working order! You will most likely have to redo the entire setup on your phone but at least your phone is no longer a fancy paperweight
ROM overviews:
Note due to the constant change in version numbers, I have may not have updated this list. I will try to keep it updated as I can.
BLUR ROMs: Apex 1.3, ZapX Bazinga, Rubix Blurry 1.8, Simply Stunning X, DarkSlide 4.2, Fusion 2.0, Tranquility 3.7.0 (has option to add blur)
Blur-less ROMs: Tranquility3.7.0, Rubix Focused 1.9.7, Liberty 1.5, Cobalt 1.0 , Ultimate Droid, FlyX, Darkslide 4.2, GummyJar 2.5, Incredibly Re-Engineered 1.0, Obsidian 2.0.2, Fission 2.5.7
LIBERTY 1.5
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=939592
ROM Features:
Base....Originally based on GummyJAR, I would call Liberty's bas a evolution of GummyJAR at this point
95% of all the apps were built from source.... rather than decompiled and hacked apps via APKmanager!! And it shows in pure speed!!!!
Blurless
Wycontacts
Cytown Phone
AOSP Pattern lock
AOSP tab Lockscreen with the option for Rotary as well
Custom terminal emulator with added color options
Reboot option in power down menu
Launcher2 with increased snap velocity
Custom Liberty wallpapers app
Custom Liberty live wallpapers (nexus Mod like, modded from CM source)
Music control's in lockscreen (will control any music source including Pandora)
MusicMod by Eliot Stocker (built from CM source and compiled by Team Liberty)
Inverted Gtalk and Gvoice
Gingerbread keyboard - built by hotaru modified by Team Liberty for better button size
AppWidgetPicker - credit boombuler
Latest Market included
build.prop tweaks - thanks to LexusBrian400
Ads blocked via hosts file - thanks to delta_foxtrot2
10% battery increments support
Clockwork recovery (bootstrap) installs on initial install
Working init.d with config file (start-up scripts)
Liberty scripts:
(Run them in terminal emulator. Type script_name -help for more info)
** ads, allinone, apploc, backup, bootani, cache, camsound, compcache, chglog, donate, exe, fixperms, freemem, install_zip, load, pulldown_text, install_zip, load, market_history pulldown_text, rb, restore,rmapk, setcpu, setprops, slim, sound, switch, symlink, sysro, sysrw, usb, zipalign_apks **
All apps optimized and zip aligned
More to come...
Toolbox Features:
• App Management:
* Apps2SD
* Remove/Backup system/data apps
* Install Add-Ons on the fly (blur, non-blur, extras, etc.)
* Backup/restore feature
• Liberty Mods
* Switch between transition animations
* Change boot logos
* Set Build Properties * File editor included by Fr4gg0r *
* Install Fonts
* Install Themes from the toolbox
* Pulldown-bar text editor
* Icon Chooser (change application and battery icons)
• Liberty Tweaks
* Ad Blocker (Block/Unblock)
* Cache Manager (clear/move to SD)
* Free Memory
* Manage Boot Animation
* Mount system rw, fix permissions, zipalign apps, etc.
• Reboot Options
* Reboot, reboot bootstrap, reboot recovery, powerdown
• Settings
* App Theme (change theme of toolbox)
* Notify for ROM updates/patches
* Lockscreen Settings
* Recovery safe mode
* Overclocking
* Sysctl Support
* Camera Shutter Sound
* Tools (Spare Parts, Dev Tools, Testing Menu)
* Restore apps feature
* Set install location on boot
* Zipalign apps on reboot
* Clear cache on reboot
* Fix permissions on reboot
Rubix 1.9.7
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=927644
Rubix Focused 1.9.7 overview: If you are looking for a ROM with great stability and battery life, then look no further than Rubix Focused 1.9.7. Drod2169 has thrown some amazing scripts in this ROM that allow for app backup, ad-block, and many others. His direct support for the ROM and great speed and responsiveness from his dev work makes it a solid choice. In addition, he has fully customized sysctl.conf to help improve battery life, Java VM management, speed and performance.
* SMART One-Click Overclock App (QuickClock for rubiX) (Credit to Paul Anderson’s amazing work!)
* This is a very brilliant OC app. It configures specifically for your device, and OC’s to the BEST value, and voltage settings for your phone.
**If your max speed turns out to be <1100, it will only overclock to 1100. This is for the sake of Overclocking, and the safety of your device to not push it higher.
* Base is GummyJar (Credit Kejar)
* Full firstboot functionality.
* Rotary Lockscreen Option
* AOSP Settings Menu (No Compass Calibrate/Battery Manager. For Battery Info, check out About Phone/Battery Use)
* GB Keyboard with working size (cause size does matter )
* Theme by Mycahya
* Working 3G HotSpot
* Phone as Modem/USB Tether Option (Instructions stored in rubiX Folder on your SDCard)
* AOSP Lock screen instead of themed Moto tabs!
* Lockscreen pattern no longer on a timer.
* Market Apps installed to Data Partition
* This Includes:
* Maps
* Gmail
* Voice Search
* YouTube
* ADW Launcher
* Street View
* Spare Parts
* Adobe Flash Player
* DL Crutch Lite (For Browser Downloads)
* Tweaks adjusted
* File Manager (Credit to Cyanogen)
Gingerbread Parts: (Credit to Pete)
* Launcher 2
* Gallery 3D
* Alarm Clock
* Desk Clock
SCRIPTS: Credit to Fabulous, JRummy, Sephtin and myself.
adblock: block or view ads
apps: run the script for directions. If you choose restore, you must reboot after for it to take effect
backup: backs up all of your user apps. backup -bk is the correct way to run the script
calc: remove/restore the calculator
carhome: remove/restore the car home launcher
dxeye: remove/restore the DX LWP Please note that this is removed by default, and placed in /data/rubix run the script to restore.
email: remove/restore the email app
fixperm: fixes permissions (credit Koush)
gallery: switches between the 2D (credit to Cyanogen) and 3D AOSP Gallery
genie: remove/restore the news/weather app
office: remove/restore QuickOffice: Please note that this is removed by default, and placed in /data/rubix run the script to restore.
sys: write the system read/only (-ro) or read/write (-rw)
zipalign_apks: zipaligns all the apps in system. Unnecessary since this is ran on every boot!
Fission 2.5.7
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=839246
About Fission: The first generic Android platform for current and future Droid devices. We are a bunch of mad hackers, modders and developers that were not happy with the current model of Droids being "Blurred" so we began a mission to rid our devices from the blurriness of VZW Android systems. It started with a crazy idea of messing with the Droid2 SDK that has turned into a full fledge AOSP generic type of ROM. We have incorporated many features that were only seen in AOSP ROMs before this. Some of the features include Reboot in Power Menu, custom built Framework, vanilla Android GUI, totally blur free app folder and many more AOSP like features to come in the short term future.
Features:
True Vanilla ROM with generic Android feel, not themed to look like one. No blur apps...
Reboot in Power Menu.
Custom Framework - 10% battery increments with display percent number & without.
Overclock ready out of box.
Lots of free memory.
ROM has root and has been deodexed, and zip aligned.
Busybox installed and symlinks have been applied.
Clean base for you to customize how you like.
And many more...
WILL COVER MORE THIS WEEK! Will also clean up this list to cover most important features to reduce lengthy posts.
Short Little MetaMorph Guide for Changing Icons
Had someone in a post ask about changing some battery icons... So this is a little blip about using it...
I recommend checking out DroidPirate.com if you are looking for images. If anyone else has a place they use for icons, please let me know, and I will add it to this post! Thanks
How-To
MetaMorph ONLY installs the current theme files to the app that exist in the /system/app/ if there is no file you must find the .apk on your phone and place it into the /system/app/ directory.
1) pick the icons you want and download the .zip
2) The file should be a “.ZIP” extension, make sure you do not unzip the file.
3) Connect your device via USB and mount
4) On the root of your SD-Card you need to create a folder called “AndroidThemes” IT MUST LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THAT OR IT WILL NOT WORK
5) Copy the .ZIP file you downloaded and place it in the “AndroidThemes” folder.
6) Assuming you already have the MetaMorph application installed on your phone. Open the MetaMorph app.
7) Click on “Unzip/Extract New Theme”
8) You should the .zip file you have added to the AndroidThemes folder like in the image shown below.
9) Click on the file inside of MetaMorph a MetaMorph install screen should come up telling you about the theme you are installing like shown below (just click Close)
10) Now you should see a button located on the bottom click on “Apply All” this will begin the process of the application skinning.
11) You should see a message box that pops up that says “All Themes Applied” like shown below
12) Reboot your phone and make sure whatever app you where skinning is now skinned.
Recovering Contacts If You Lose Backup Assistant When Using a Custom ROM:
For those of you who relied on Backup Assistant in the default Moto ROM for your contacts, you are in luck =)
Go to backupassistant.com and log in. From here, you can see all of the contacts as of your last sync, and then you can back them up as an Outlook CSV. Next, login to your gmail account, click on "Contacts" and then click "Import". Import the .csv file that you generated from backupassistant.com and....VOILA, all of your contacts are now synced to your gmail account, and you can kiss backup assistant goodbye!
SysCtl.conf Tweaks
Credit for this section goes to macpro88 at DroidXforums and Marius from whom macpro mentions below
Liberty 1.0 and Syssctl Config
Listen up everyone! Since the release of Liberty 1.0, JRummy16 also released a new app in the market called Sysctl Config, which gave users an interface to manually edit and tweak the sysctl.conf file. Alongside this, Liberty made it easier to configure the sysctl.conf file using the integrated menu option under Liberty Settings without the use of the app.
Please take special note! That any ROM can utilize these sysctl.conf tweaks, not just Liberty, and rooted stock as well.
(You must be rooted and have busybox installed for this to work on stock)
So what is the purpose of this thread? And what is Sysctl.conf all about?
First of all, we are going to explore what sysctl.conf is.
Second of all, we are going to explore what sysctl.conf does, and what it can do for your phone.
Lastly, we are going to explore how sysctl.conf works and what kind of benefit is has on the Android OS.
Now, before we get started, we need to clear something up! The tweaks and modifications we will discuss in this thread, WILL NOT IN ANYWAY INFLUENCE BENCHMARK SCORES SUCH AS QUADRANT! Benchmark apps are meant to measure hardware performance only and are in no way affected by these tweaks and modifications, but make no mistake! You will notice at least a slight increase in Android's performance and a possible increase in battery life as well.
Another thing that everyone needs to know is that the Android OS is a Linux based operating system, so there will be a lot of references to Linux, just so you are not confused.
So lets get started shall we?!?!
Ok, so first of all, let’s explore what sysctl.conf is.
The sysctl.conf is a configuration file for "sysctl" which is an interface for dynamically changing kernel parameters in the Linux OS. The configuration file contains the following elements, vm.min_free_kbytes, vm.dirty_ratio, vm.dirty_backgroud_ratio, vm.vfs_cache_pressure, vm.oom_kill_allocating_task. There are many other elements within the file, but we will be primarily focusing on these specifically (the vm prefix stands for virtual memory). The sysctl.conf file should be located in /etc (/system/etc) by default. To enable it you need your ROM to execute "sysctl -p" somewhere during the boot process (or shortly afterward). We will also be discussing how to enable it if it is not already done so. You can also run sysctl -p manually to enable it any time after the OS is started.
Now, let’s get down to what sysctl.conf does and how it works.
Min Free KBytes (vm.min_free_kbytes) - This is used to force the Linux VM to keep a minimum number of kilobytes free. The VM uses this number to compute a pages_min value for each lowmem zone in the system. Each lowmem zone gets a number of reserved free pages based proportionally on its size. Default is 2048kb.
Dirty Ratio (vm.dirty_ratio) and Dirty Background Ratio (vm.dirty_background_ratio) control how often the kernel writes data to "disk" (in our case the internal microSD system card, not the removable microSD card). When your apps write data to disk, Linux actually doesn't write the data out to the disk right away, it actually writes the stuff to system memory and the kernel handles when and how the data is actually going to be flushed to the disk. These values represent a percentage, the higher the percentage, the longer it waits to flush, the lower the percentage, the more often flushes will occur. Now remember, we are dealing with solid state storage, not the traditional disk platter and spindle. So we are actually able to delay flushes a little longer with solid state versus a traditional hard drive disk.
VFS Cache Pressure (vm.vfs_cache_pressure) -Now here is where it gets interesting! File system cache (dentry/inode) is really more important than the block cache above in dirty ratio and dirty background ratio, so we really want the kernel to use up much more of the RAM for file system cache, this will increas the performance of the system without sacrificing performance at the application level. The default value is 100, as a percentage, and what you want to do is lower the value to tell the kernel to favor the file system cache and not drop them aggressively.
Oom Allocating Task (vm.oom_kill_allocating_task) (enable or disable, generally in Linux this value is either a "1" or a "0," representing as on or off.) -This enables or disables killing the OOM-triggering task in out-of-memory (oom) situations. If this is set to zero, or disabled, the OOM killer will scan through the entire task list and select a task based on heuristics to kill. This normally selects a rogue memory-hogging task that frees up a large amount of memory when killed. If this is set to non-zero, or enabled, the OOM killer simply kills the task that triggered the out-of-memory condition. This avoids the expensive task list scan, which can take mass amounts of time and "hang" or freeze the system.
This information has been pulled from the following sites:
imoseyon: Sysctl tweaking for faster, longer lasting Android
imoseyon: sysctl (and minfree) tweaks revisited
http://www.linuxinsight.com/proc_sys_vm_hierarchy.html
How to edit the values manually, follow these steps:
1) First enable sysctl from Liberty settings, if you are on Liberty
2) Run Root Explorer
3) Modify /data/liberty/init.d.conf to make sure that sysctl is enabled ("sysctl = 1")
4) Go to /system/etc/, and mount it r/w
5) Modify sysctl.conf by long pressing the sysctl.conf file and selecting "Open in Text Editor." When finished, save the file and exit
6) Run Terminal Emulator
7) Type "sysctl -p" (output should confirm whether you've done step 4&5 correctly)
(Soon to come, how to enable if your ROM does not support sysctl, which will require much more tweaking.)
If you want to check to see if your changes take hold after reboots, run this in Terminal Emulator:
sysctl -a| grep vm
or
sysctl -p
This command will give you all the sysctl values, scroll down to find the ones you edited and verify that they are the same values you changed them too.
Now, if you want the easy way out, our good friend Marius has been great, and created a flash-able .zip that does all of the work for you!
The .zip can be found here, at Marius' blog titled "imoseyon."
When you flash the .zip file, in Bootstrap Recovery, the following will take effect, and please note, any settings you may have altered, will be overwritten!
Applying the .zip will do the following:
1. Install BusyBox 1.18.0 (in an alternate location)
2. Enables cron, which is a Linux time-base job scheduler
3. Tweaks certain kernel elements (vm, minfree, etc.)
4. Tweaks build.prop (on some ROMs)
5. Flushes system caches once a day (1AM PT)
This .zip should be all you need to get your phone running in tip-top shape. The zip is fairly ROM agnostic, meaning that almost any rooted ROM is going to work (rubiX, Liberty, ApeX, Darkslide, etc. and maybe even stock ROM, as long as you are rooted). It should also work for both Droid X and Droid 2.
Please make sure you create a backup before flashing anything!
After you flash the .zip, you can run the following command in Terminal to make sure it was applied successfully:
pgrep -f crond
If you get a value on the following line, the .zip has been applied successfully, don't worry about what number you, everyone may end up with a different number.
If you are really feeling adventurous and are down for a good read, and really want to get to know the Android OS even better, please follow Marius' blog, as it is a great read!
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There really is NO right answer when you research sysctl. The best thing to do would be to search VM Linux tweaks. Most of the time, you'll see sysctl values that people optimizing their Linux systems use. Take a look at those, and then look into the actual name of what you're tweaking, to find out what it does.
VFS Cache Pressure, go ahead and disable that. I think the stock value is 100, so enter that. At the value of "12" which is the default in Liberty (from one of my old sysctl's) causes a slowdown after a while, even though makes everything much more responsive at the get go. The slowdown is why I removed it from rubiX roms. OOM Kill Allocating Task kills off the app that caused you to run out of memory, which runs better than the stock android configuration.
The default values in Liberty sysctl tweaks are what I suggested to JRummy after extensive research and testing with Drod on RubiX. The settings Marius used up above are actually the stock settings, so you would have those values by disabling sysctl all-together, which is definitely an option. By raising the dirty ratio and dirty background ratio to 95 and 60 respectively, you are allowing for fewer memory flushes which results in much improved battery life. I found, as Drod mentioned, that with vfs_cache_pressure too low, you will see some slowdowns in performance at around 50 hours without a reboot. Through additional testing, I determined that a setting of 50 here, half that of stock will provide a good blend of benefits without risk. You would need to be running for something like 150 hours without a reboot in order to ever see a slowdown with this setting. It may be even more than that.
From what I have gathered it seems the general consensus in this thread is that there are two main approaches to this:
vm.min_free_kbytes = a
vm.dirty_ratio = b
vm.dirty_background_ratio = c
vm.vfs_cache_pressure = d
One is the self-maintained, improved overall performance approach:
3072 => a => 2048
95 => b => 70
60 => c => 40
50 => d => 25*
*at 25 you’re probably going to have to reboot after about two days
Recommend values in bold
The other is the automated purge cache controlled, extreme performance approach:
3072 => a => 2048
95 => b => 70
60 => c => 40
10** => d => 1***
**Need to run a script to purge cache every 22-30
*** Need to run a script to purge cache every 10-16
Personal recommendation for most people (no manual flushing required):
dirty_ratio = 90
dirty_background_ratio = 55
vfs_cache_pressure = 20
If you are willing to play around with manual or timed flushing I think you can squeeze a little more performance and battery life with:
dirty_ratio = 90
dirty_background_ratio = 70
vfs_cache_pressure = 1
A lot of this stuff is subjective and very dependent on your usage pattern. I've gone about 3 days with the latter without having to flush and probably could have gone a lot longer except i was running some other experiments that caused my phone to reboot.
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thanks I really needed this thread
Glad to hear it helped. I will be adding to it this weekend hopefully if I can escape from work...
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Your example of a semicolon turned into a winky face instead of a ( ; ). Might wanna put a couple spaces in there for the noobs
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
zwade01 said:
Your example of a semicolon turned into a winky face instead of a ( ; ). Might wanna put a couple spaces in there for the noobs
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, oops. Thanks for catching that. Think I fixed it... But dont think it shows up with the same formatting on my phone, so I cant tell.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
<-- n00b
So I rooted my phone and tried to install a rom with rom manager and nothing happened. I tried manually and no roms appeared in the boot menu. Soooooooo my question is, do I need the bootstrapper app in order to install roms?
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
angryjello said:
<-- n00b
So I rooted my phone and tried to install a rom with rom manager and nothing happened. I tried manually and no roms appeared in the boot menu. Soooooooo my question is, do I need the bootstrapper app in order to install roms?
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you do.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
angryjello said:
<-- n00b
So I rooted my phone and tried to install a rom with rom manager and nothing happened. I tried manually and no roms appeared in the boot menu. Soooooooo my question is, do I need the bootstrapper app in order to install roms?
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think if you press on "flash clockwork" that you dont necessarily need bootstrap recovery, as it is built in.
I personally only use bootstrap recovery as you can still do backups/restores, and install themes and Roms. Just one less step in my opinion. I just manually download the ROMs or themes and move them to my sdcard.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
SysAdmin-X said:
I think if you press on "flash clockwork" that you dont necessarily need bootstrap recovery, as it is built in.
I personally only use bootstrap recovery as you can still do backups/restores, and install themes and Roms. Just one less step in my opinion. I just manually download the ROMs or themes and move them to my sdcard.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alright so i downloaded a rom from romManager but it won't load it from the app. I located the file on my sd card:
clockworkmod/www sephtin.com/rubix/rubiX.js
Now can i just zip the rubiX folder and do a manual boot to it?
angryjello said:
alright so i downloaded a rom from romManager but it won't load it from the app. I located the file on my sd card:
clockworkmod/www sephtin.com/rubix/rubiX.js
Now can i just zip the rubiX folder and do a manual boot to it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um... I'm not super familiar with ROM manager, as I don't personally use it to download ROMs, but from what I know, that looks like a javascript file, and not a .zip for a ROM or theme installation. This looks more like a script that sephtin may have written... I'm not sure if maybe ROM manager calls a javascript file to install the ROM or not, but to my knowledge, if you download the ROM from within ROM manager, it should be able to install it.
Here is my suggestion (I'm assuming you are trying to install Rubix 1.9.7...
Download the ROM from here:
http://bit.ly/hw6rE8
Then connect your phone to your computer via the usb cable. Put the phone in USB mass storage mode and copy the file you downloaded to your SDcard.
Before installing the ROM, use one of the free apps from the market to backup your SMS messages if you don't want to lose them. Also download Titanium backup to backup your applications and data if you don't want to lose that as well. As for your contacts, if you don't have those backed up to your google (gmail) account, then those will be wiped out as well with the Rubix installation.
Then if you haven't already... download Droid X bootstrap recovery and install it. Open the app, and press the top button to hijack the boot process. Then press the "reboot recovery" button to reboot into bootstrap recovery. When the phone reboots in bootstrap, use the volume up/down buttons to move the green highlighted selection, and the camera button the phone to make your selections. Go to the option that says "Wipe data/factory reset, and do this use the camera button to select this (this will wipe out all the downloaded apps and user data on your phone). Next, use the back arrow button on your phone to get back to the main menu if necessary. Browse to install .zip from sdcard, then locate the Rubix file that you copied to your sdcard and use the camera button to select it. This will then install the Rubix ROM. when it finishes, it should bring you back to the main menu, but if not, use the back arrow button on the phone to get back to the main menu. Choose the "reboot system now" button and it will reboot normally.
From the first reboot after installing, it may take SEVERAL minutes before the phone actually boots up, this is normal; give it some time and let it do its thing. If it does not boot up after 15 minutes, something is wrong, and you should post back here for more help (or browse on the forums and google, they are both your friend).
Good luck!
@SysAdmin-X thanks alot bro i was trying so hard to find that file on the web. Must have not been looking hard enough!
angryjello said:
@SysAdmin-X thanks alot bro i was trying so hard to find that file on the web. Must have not been looking hard enough!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem at all, im glad I could help. Post back if you have more questions
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
So I backed everything up, hit the top and bottom buttons on the bootstrapper app.
took me to the bootstrap recovery. I wiped all the data, then i selected install from zip. Selected the rubiXFocused1.9.7.zip, and the this happened:
Can't Open rubiXFocused1.9.7.zip
(bad)
installation aborted...
Not Good, any idea why?
Great guide for noobs and for-getters like me.
Is their any reason why you don't also include Maderstcok's SBF method ??
Personally I use it every few weeks especially when jumping Rom's so much.
Thanks for all you do.
Ps when I see someone "new" this is one guide that I refer them too.
kdkinc said:
Great guide for noobs and for-getters like me.
Is their any reason why you don't also include Maderstcok's SBF method ??
Personally I use it every few weeks especially when jumping Rom's so much.
Thanks for all you do.
Ps when I see someone "new" this is one guide that I refer them too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I havent included Maderstcok's yet just cuz I havent gotten to type it up =( plan is to get that and hopefully a lot more info.thrown up there this week!
Appreciate you referring people here! My plan is to make this a one stop guide for all the basics at a minimum.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
angryjello said:
So I backed everything up, hit the top and bottom buttons on the bootstrapper app.
took me to the bootstrap recovery. I wiped all the data, then i selected install from zip. Selected the rubiXFocused1.9.7.zip, and the this happened:
Can't Open rubiXFocused1.9.7.zip
(bad)
installation aborted...
Not Good, any idea why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like it might have been a bad download. Try downloading from that link again, if th at doesnt work, here is another link:
http://bit.ly/ga0ejk
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
SysAdmin-X said:
Sounds like it might have been a bad download. Try downloading from that link again, if th at doesnt work, here is another link:
http://bit.ly/ga0ejk
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright bro it worked for sure now! I got it up and running, thanks so much for this op and all the extra help!
When I originally bought the Nook HD+, I made several futile attempts to get ADB working so I could sideload apps to it. I was so frustrated that I was ready to give up and return it. But I finally got it going and with the help of a few smart users here was able to get it rooted and installing apps directly on the device. So, to save some other users the same frustration I had, I thought I would outline what I did to make this device hum.
Update 12/27/2012: A lot has changed since I first created this tips thread. I am updating it to the latest information. Most of the steps below are not necessary anymore since I now have a new thread here which lets you do these things easily with a special version of ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery for the HD and HDplus. And the text here has been modified to reflect that and include the HD.
Update 11/02/2013: Since B&N has included the gapps and Play Store in version 2.1.0 and above and since verygreen developed the new boot.img that removes B&N /system file protection scheme and I updated my HD/HD+ CWM thread to account for those changes, I decided to give this thread an update. I have added comments to the sections in italics below where necessary
If you have questions or comments on this post, reply to this thread. Please do not send me private messages or emails. By posting in the forums others get a chance to help you and if I answer your question in the forum, others can see my response and it may help them too.
1. Setting up ADB
ADB is very useful for many things but you do NOT need ADB to root anymore. Look at my thread referenced above to use CWM to root.
Also, rather than use ADB via USB, it is much easier to use a Wireless ADB app available in the Play Store.
If you want to know how to set up ADB with USB, click on the "show content" button below.
The first thing you need to do is get ADB working on your PC so that it can connect with the HD+. The instructions to do that is on B&N's own site here. (But you really don't have to do all that, see below). To make it easier for XDA users, I have attached to this post the drivers downloaded from B&N site. Download and unzip that file to your PC.
To install the drivers, do the following (I tested this on Windows XP and Windows 7):
1. On your HD+ go to settings, device information, developer options, and make sure check "Enable ADB" is not checked.
2. Plug in the device to the PC with the USB cable. MTP should install.
3. Unplug the device, go to settings again and check 'Enable ADB'. Plug back in.
4. New devices will try to install. When they do, work your way through the options until you get to the choice "include this location in search" (the terminology is a little different in Win7) and browse to the location you unzipped the driver files above. Continue and the driver should install. In Windows 7 just one device will pop up. On Windows XP, two may. (Edit: If you are having trouble with this step, go to the B&N link I have above and read and follow section 4.6 of that guide. You can skip section 4.6.2 since you unzipped those drivers earlier. But do all of the remaining steps in section 4.6).
5. An "Android Composite ADB Interface" will install. If the computer says it needs to reboot to finish. Do it.
6. If, when it starts back up, and after installing ADB below, it does not work, you may need to go the Device Manager and look to see if "Android Composite ADB Interface" device has a yellow exclamation point by it. If it does, update the driver with the B&N driver again.
7. Create a file named adb_usb.ini and put 0x2080 in it with no line feed or carriage return. Go to \documents and settings\ and open your users folder and create a folder named .android and put that file in it.
8. I have attached a file named adb.rar below. Just unrar the adb.rar file. There will be three files there that you can put in a directory (any name you want).
9. Open a command prompt and cd to wherever you copied those adb files. If you set your path to that directory, you can have the prompt set for any directory, like where your apks are stored. Type 'adb devices'. It should go through some commands ending with a list of devices connected. The serial number of your HD+ should be listed. You can now run ADB commands.
2. Sideloading Apps
Once Unknown Sources is activated by my CWM zip above, you do not really need to install apps this way anymore.
Once you have ADB connected to your HD/HD+, it is very easy to sideload install apps. Just have your command prompt set to the location that you have your apk's stored and type "adb install xxx.apk", where xxx.apk is the name of your app. It is best to name the apk to something simple with no underlines or special characters in the name. It does not matter what you name it, the real name is inside the apk. The app should install. I would start with a launcher app since sideloaded apps cannot be seen in the stock launcher. Then I would install AnyCut which I have attached to this post. This app allows you to put the Home command on your launcher's home screen so that after you make your launcher default, you can get back to the B&N home page. There is a trick mentioned in the B&N guide referenced above that lets the stock app drawer see your sideloaded apps. On the Apps screen, hold the volume up button while you press the "Apps" word at the top of the screen for 2-3 seconds. An "Extras" screen will pop up showing all of the sideloaded apps. You have to do this every time you want to see it.
3. Rooting the HD/HD+
Rooting is now very easy using CWM in the referenced thread above. If you want to use the older manual method, click on the "show content" button below. But be warned these older methods no longer work on version 2.0.5 or newer.
Verygreen came up with the original scheme to root the HD+. But it had a problem. The HD+ checks on boot to see if /system has changed, and if it has, it will not boot. It tries this 8 times and on the last time the "8 failed boot" procedure kicks in and your device is wiped clean (including your storage space) and the factory ROM is re-installed. He later modified it to survive a reboot. Someone0 developed another scheme where he can root without modifying /system directly. So the next time it boots, it boots normally. See his thread here.
ONCE YOU HAVE ROOT, DO NOTHING THAT MODIFIES /SYSTEM OR IT WILL NOT BOOT AND END UP RESETING ITSELF. Also do not install anything that installs to /system, like busybox, AdFree and a few other apps. Ignore this warning with Universal Root rev3 or higher.
4. Setting OTA (Over the Air) Updates from B&N to Manual
When you first register the HD/HD+ it will automatically update itself to the latest version. To protect yourself against further updates that might jeopardize your ability to root or add other mods, you should try to block further automatic updates. But it seems that making this mod is no longer effective, B&N updates anyway.
Again, I have a CWM zip that will do this for you in the referenced thread above. If you want to see how to do it manually, click on the "show content" button below.
EDIT: (2/22/13) I have a new way to block OTA that seems to work so far. Another user (thanks greenya!) discovered this and I have come up with a way to implement it. I use the app AdAway to put my own black list of sites to not allow access to. If you want to try this, you must be rooted. Get AdAway either on the 1mobile.com market or at its developer's site (http://code.google.com/p/ad-away/). Before you do anything go to its preferences and change the target hosts file to /data/data/hosts. That way it will not reset the device. Then go to "Your Lists". Add this site to the black list: su.barnesandnoble.com. Then go to the main menu and select "Download files and apply ad blocking". It will ask you if you want to add a symlink, say yes. (If you installed the new boot.img from verygreen or flashed my latest version of Universal Root (rev3 or higher), you do not need to worry about adaway resetting your device. Just install it normally.)
It does not seem to block any B&N shopping or downloading apps or books. I installed this on my 2.0.5 and purposely tried to update and it says it needs the update but pushing download does nothing. Then I unblocked it and pushed download and it started to download immediately. So it does work.
Basically the same method used on the Nook Color and Nook Tablet should work on the HD+. It requires that you edit a database file and that requires root access. I use the paid Speed Software's SQLite Editor. You need to use the latest version (2.0.1). I could not get my older version to get root access.
So here is a description on how to do it with SQLite Editor. Open the app and it should get granted superuser access. Then browse with it to /data/data/com.bn.devicemanager/databases. There should be a file there named "devicemanager.db". Open that with SQLite Editor. There should be a list down the left side, one being "registry". Click on that. A table opens up that looks like a spread sheet. On line 6 is com.bn.device.fota.mode. Scroll across till you see the value column. It should say auto. Edit that to manual. Save the database and you are done.
This worked on the other Nooks, so should work here. See the post below for another automatic method.
5. Setting Up Installing from Unknown Sources
I also have a CWM zip that will do this for you in the referenced thread above. If you want to see how to do it manually, click on the "show content" button below.
You can toggle the unknown sources using the same method as I used for blocking OTA. Just look for the database in /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases. The database is settings.db. Open secure and line 4 - install_non_market_apps and change the value to 1.
6. Setting up Google Play Store and Google Apps
I also have a CWM zip that will do this for you in the referenced thread above. If you want to see how to do it manually, click on the "show content" button below. If you have stock version 2.1.0 or higher you do not need to flash my zip. Play store is included in the ROM.
Someone0 has a post on how to add Google Play Store is here. And he now has it so you can install the entire Gapps package, including Play Store. Again, you must be rooted first.
7. Setting LCD Density
If you are like me, you hate the tiny fonts on these high resolution devices. You can change the default lcd density to help with that. The default lcd density for the HD/HD+ is 240. I changed it to 300 and everything works fine on the HD+ and fonts are a little larger. But you cannot modify build.prop on /system to do that. It will cause the device to reset itself since you are modifying /system. To get around that, create a file in /data named local.prop. Add the following line to that text file:
qemu.sf.lcd_density=300
Then reboot and your new density is set. You need to be rooted to do this on the device.
I found that changing the density on the HD made the SystemUI app crash. If you want larger fonts for the HD, I recommend you use the tip in the next section.
8. Larger System Fonts
If you don't want to set your LCD density higher but you still want larger fonts, a user (Windsor1959) just passed on this tip. Go to the B&N app store and install the free app Go Read. Once that is installed, open it and use the menu to go to accessibility settings. There is an option for larger system fonts. It works great. Thanks Windsor1959.
I also just discovered that there is another hidden setting that lets you set the system fonts from small, normal, large and huge. To get to these settings you need a third party launcher like zeam or adw and the AnyCut app I attached below. On the launcher screen long press and select shortcut. Select AnyCut from the list. Within AnyCut select activity and scroll down to fonts. Select that and a fonts shortcut will appear on the launcher screen. Open that and you can select the font size.
9. Data structures on the HD/HD+
For those of you used to having two separate partitions for data and media files, B&N has used a different scheme for the HD/HD+. They make one very large /data partition ranging from 5GB to 28GB depending on which device you have. Then they create a folder in /data (/data/media) and, using the sdcard fuse feature, link it permanently to /sdcard. So that means it is one big dynamic space for both /data and /sdcard, sharing the free space. /data is considered root and /sdcard is not.
They named it /sdcard because a lot of third party apps expect there to be an sdcard on the system and won't run unless there is one. That creates a little bit of a terminology problem for us Nook Color users. We are used to having /sdcard be an external SD. And on top of that, if we do add an external SD, it is mounted as /ext_sdcard under /mnt and that is hard for some apps to see. And when you connect your device to your PC with MTP, internal media (sdcard) is called 'internal memory' and the SD (ext_sdcard) is called 'SD card'. I think B&N did this with the expectation that users would not be rooted and be able to see that stuff under the hood.
Since sdcard is really just a part of /data, it is formatted as ext4 instead of FAT32 like the Nook Color media partition was. That means you can store a single file larger than 4GB, which is the limit for FAT32. Most external SD cards are formatted FAT32 so they are also limited to a single file size of 4GB. But it makes them directly readable by your Windows based PC. When you first put a new external SD in the HD/HD+, it asks you if you want to reformat it so you can more easily store your media files. If you say yes, it will format it to ExFAT, a new flash drive format that supports larger file sizes. That's good for your media files since you can have very large files on it. But it could be bad if you want to take the card out and put it in your Windows XP PC because XP cannot read it without an update patch from Microsoft. If you have Vista or higher, ExFAT can be read natively.
When you do a factory reset (clear /data) your media directory (/sdcard) is wiped out too.
Also, the B&N media, books, magazines, etc., are stored in /data/nookmedia, which is root.
10. White on White Text for Some Apps
One of the annoying issues with using some third party apps is the HD/HD+ displays some dialogue boxes with white text on a white background so that the text is unreadable. Someone0 and I developed a patch that can repair this. I have a zip in my CWM thread referenced above to repair the HD+ and HD. (Also since stock version 2.1.0, B&N has dramatically changed the color scheme so that the white-on-white issue is no longer the problem it used to be, I have discontinued providing white-on-white mods for version 2.1.0 and above.) If you want to see how to do it manually, click on the "show content" button below.
Someone0 and I have been working on this and have found a solution. It requires a modification to the framework-res.apk on /system. And the mod works very well. The problem is that the apk is on /system and must be symlinked using our symlink trick we use on /system files when we need to modify them. That is easy to do, but this particular apk is very critical to your system. If you do not get it installed properly, it will lock up the device and you either need to reset it completely or repair with ADB.
If you are tech savvy enough you could modify your own apk and install it. In the colors.xml file in the values section of the de-compiled apk, are two settings that need to be changed, "background_light" and "background_holo_light" need to be changed to "ffcfcfcf". The color choice was a compromise between making the text dark enough to be seen against a white background and bright enough to make things like menus show in the grey backgrounds. Re-compile and put the apk in /data, delete the apk in /system and symlink to the one in /data. The problem with doing it manually while running is as soon as you delete the apk, things go bonkers. And you cannot add the new symlink until the original apk is deleted. If you start messing with this mod, be sure to have ADB enabled so if it locks up and gets stuck on booting, you can access things with ADB and hopefully repair it. When I did my system manually, I copied the modded apk to /data with root explorer, used root explorer to set /system to read/write, then used ADB to delete the apk in /system and create the symlink. If you mess up, it will boot, but get stuck at the 99% level. Hopefully if you left ADB enabled, you can use ADB to repair whatever is wrong.
11. Implementing Userinit.d
Userinit.d can be used to run specialized scripts as part of the boot process. The HD/HD+ does not implement userinit.d, but it can be modified to allow it. And these scripts can be used to customize the performance of the device, like modify fonts, change colors, add symbolic links, modify drives, set CPU speeds and tweaks, etc.
I have implemented userinit.d in the new Universal Root zip in my referenced CWM thread above. (The latest version no longer uses it).
The scripts are usually named with numbers at the beginning and no extension. Examples would be the scripts from CM7 init.d which are: 00banner, 01sysctl, 03firstboot, 05mountsd and others. They are executed in the order of the numbers. They are plain text files that have as the first line:
#!/system/bin/sh
Then they have script commands in text format.
The beauty of these scripts on the HD/HD+ is you put them in /data instead of /system which would reset your device. Put the script files in a new folder named /data/local/userinit.d. Set the script file permissions to execute.
There are examples of userinit.d scripts out there if you search for init.d scripts on XDA or the web. Some will work on the HD/HD+ and some won't. I have a great example in the next section.
12. Swapping "sdcard" and "ext_sdcard"
I now also have this modification as a flashable zip in my CWM thread linked above. No need for root with that one.
As explained in section 9 above, the internal media is named "sdcard" so that apps can store their files there. Some users would like them stored on their external SD. I have a userinit script that will swap "sdcard" and "ext_sdcard" so that apps will store their files on the external SD. The external SD will show as "sdcard" and the internal media will show as "ext_sdcard". And it shows swapped using MTP also. It can be a little confusing since we cannot control the names, but they are swapped. If you don't have an external SD plugged in, both sdcard and ext_sdcard will show the internal media.
To swap the drives, make sure userint.d is implemented, then download the attached file, 11SDswap.rar, and extract it and put the file in /data/local/userinit.d. Set the permissions of the file to execute in all three boxes. On the next reboot, they will be swapped. To return to normal, just remove the file and reboot.
13. Skipping OOBE (Out of Box Experience)
Skipping OOBE is when you want to skip the registration step when you first start your device or after a reset. Not registering means that you will not be able to buy books or apps from B&N or, if you already have an account, have access to already purchased items. Your name will show as TEST (which can't be changed). And, if you set up wifi, the device will still check for updates and if found, update.
So if you don't want to register, or that device is already registered to someone else and you can't, just skip OOBE. There are instructions for the Nook Color here. They still work for the HD/HD+.
14. Back Up Your Stock ROM Installation with CWM v6.0.2.8 for Nook HDplus and v6.0.2.7 for the HD
Now you can backup your stock installation with my bootable CWM (ClockworkMod) recovery SDs. That way you can restore if you make a mistake and change /system so the device starts to reset itself. Just catch it before the reset completes, insert the card and restore and you will be back to OK.
You can do anything with these CWM SDs you normally would do with CWM, (nandroid backup, wipe system, data, cache, dalvik-cache, fix permissions, etc).
One of the nice features is you can wipe /data without it wiping your internal media at /data/media. So, if you want to reset, just wipe /data and your media files are still left intact. And when you do a nandroid backup, it can be placed either on internal media or your external card. The nandroid backup feature backs up /boot, /system, /cache and /data (without the media folder). So if you want the media folder backed up you must do it manually from within stock. And when you restore, you can selectively restore any partition. So if you mess up /system by putting something there that causes a reset, just selectively restore /system.
EDIT (5/22/13) - There is a new procedure brought to my attention by another user (thanks fanoush) which lets you make the CWM SD without burning the image. It seems the OMAP4 devices are a little more liberal on the booting requirements than previous OMAP devices. This makes it easier to install on any size SD. Go to my HD/HD+ CWM thread linked in my signature and look at item 1a. There are instructions and files there.
The versions attached below are under 120 MB so they can be put on any size SD. It burns very quickly. But there is no room there for any backups. After burning the SD you can use partitioning software (like Mini-Tool Partition Wizard or EaseUS Partition Manager, both free) to expand it to the full size of your SD card if you want so there would be plenty of room for backups. But be sure to only expand the back end of the partition, being careful not to touch the beginning.
I also now have a 4GB versions for both the HD and HDplus attached to the CWM thread referenced above.
To make the SD, download the version for your device and extract the file. It should be a 120MB .img file. Burn (write) that image file to your SD card using Win32diskimager in Windows. In Linux or OSX (Mac) use the "dd" command.
To use Win32DiskImager, find it on the web (here, it's free) and install it on your Windows PC. Open it (be sure to run it as administrator) and select the drive (device) that has your card reader with your SD inserted. Then in the image file box put the location where you have the extracted img file. Then when everything is set right, click on the write button. A warning will pop up asking if you want to proceed. When you have verified that you are going to write to the correct device, click on Yes. (One user overwrote their external USB hard drive by not verifying first). With the small version it should burn fairly rapidly. If you get an error message about access denied, it means you are looking at the drive with Windows Explorer. Close Windows Explorer and try again. In fact, it is a good idea to close all unnecessary windows when burning, even your browser.
Insert the SD into your powered off Nook HD/HD+ and power on. It should boot to CWM with the label v6.0.2.8 for HD+ stock. The HD version just says v6.0.2.7 for Stock. You can tell it is booting properly if the cyanoboot logo shows up after the Nook logo shows for a few seconds. If the Nook logo stays there and starts changing, it means it is booting to stock. Hard power off by holding the power button for several seconds. Try again.
Manipulate the controls with volume up/down for cursor, n key to activate and power key for back.
15. Modifying System Files on the HD/HD+
Ordinarily you cannot modify system files on these devices because they will detect the change and reset themselves back to factory stock, wiping out all your data at the same time. But there is a safe way to do it if you are rooted.
If you have installed my new Universal Root rev3 or higher or installed verygreen's boot.img, the below procedure is no longer necessary, just modify the files directly.
The HD/HD+ has a manifest file included in the boot files that has a listing of each file that is supposed to be in /system and a checksum of each file. On boot, it reads the files in /system and makes sure each file that is there is on the list and matches the checksum. It ignores directories, symlinks and missing files. If one is added or has the wrong checksum, it stops and tries to boot again. If it reboots 8 times in a row without completing the boot, the automatic reset feature kicks in and your device is formatted and the factory ROM is reinstalled.
So you can see that missing files are OK and symlinks are OK. So if you want to modify a system file, first copy it to /data somewhere, delete the original, and make a symlink in /system to replace the deleted file. The symlink points to the file copied to /data. But be careful, some files, like framework-res.apk, are being used all the time and if you delete it, even temporarily, the system goes crazy.
The scheme that someone0 and I use is to mimic /system under /data/su so that the structures are the same to avoid confusion. For example, if you wanted to modify build.prop, it would be copied to /data/su/system/build.prop and the symlink would point there. Since build.prop is not used very often, it is safe to now modify it however you want. But be careful, some settings there are vital, like hardware rotation. Mess with that and things will go all wonky on the next reboot.
Here are the specific commands to make this happen using build.prop as an example:
1. Use your root file manager to copy /system/build.prop to /data/su/system/build.prop. Set the file's permissions to match the original.
2. Delete /system/build.prop also using your root file manager
3. Set up Terminal Emulator. Start the program and type su enter. After you allow superuser access, the prompt turns to #
4. Type the following command at the # prompt (without the quotes):
"mount -o remount,rw /system"
5. Then this command:
"ln -s /data/su/system/build.prop /system/build.prop"
(That first letter is a lower case L)
6. Then this command:
"mount -o remount,ro /system"
You are done. You can now modify build.prop in /data any way you want and the system will not reset.
But before you do this mod or any other system file mod, I recommend you have backed up your system using CWM as described in the previous section. That way if you did not get it right somehow and it starts to reset, you can insert your CWM card to stop the rebooting and selectively restore /system and try again.
One side benefit of doing this build.prop mod is if B&N tries to update you in the future, it will fail because it cannot verify your build.prop because it is missing. And, in my experience, it does not try again.
16. Nook HD/HD+ internal partition structure and backups
The partition structure for the HD/HD+ is the same and is as follows:
Code:
P# Name Size Type
1 xloader 128K Fastboot Image
2 bootloader 256K Fastboot Image
3 recovery 15MB Fastboot Image
4 boot 16MB Fastboot Image
5 rom 48MB vfat
6 bootdata 48MB vfat
7 factory 448MB ext4
8 system 672MB ext4
9 cache 464MB ext4
10 data varies ext4
There is a simple process to make image backups of your internal partitions. Most people will never have to use the backups, but there is one critical partition that holds vital device specific information that was created at manufacture that is probably wise for you to back up. The process requires that you have either Terminal Emulator installed or ADB set up. And it can be done either in rooted stock or CM10/CM10.1. In Terminal Emulator or ADB Shell in superuser mode, type the following command:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p7 of=/mnt/sdcard/factory.img
This will make an image of your partition 7 that has that vital information. It also has a copy of the factory.zip file used to reset your device should you need to. If you want to back up the rest of your partitions, just change the p# and file name in the above commands to match the listing above. Partition 10 is quite large so should not be backed up using this method.
To restore a partition, just reverse the information following the if= and of= statements in the command. The information stored in partitions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 is specific to the ROM version you were running when you made the backup, so restoring them to another version is probably not a good idea (and if you do, restore all 5 of them together). Only do it if it is a last resort. And of course you should not restore HD partitions to the HD+ and vice versa.
Enable Unknown Sources and Blocking Auto OTA made easy (updated 12/3)
Instead of making a new thread, I have decide to make the tips that already available, but hard to use and make it simple.
So, what is it? This little thing will set Enable install from Unknown Sources and change the auto update to manual update for Nook HD ROM. I keep hearing how people are saying they have hard time making these changes so, I make it pretty dead simple. It's as simple as I can make. If you are looking at the timeline, root first, then this, and then gapps after. I now make them all so simple that it take me like 15mins to do all those 3 things from scratch. Originally I grab the sqlite3 from one of the app, which I guess I shouldn't have. Now I replace it w/ the one from CM9, which I guess is okay. And smaller size too.
If you were using verygreen version of root, try running this first.
Code:
adb shell su -c "/data/su/busybox chown shell.shell /data/su"
Pre-Requisite:
ADB and root.
NEW Instruction:
download the settings_new.zip in the attachment and save it somewhere.
unzip it.
run install.bat (for windows)
OLD Instructions:
download the settings_old.zip in the attachment and save it somewhere.
unzip it.
run install.bat (it basically just upload settings.sh and sqlite3 and change their permission, if you are on linux just do that instead)
adb shell
su
/data/su/settings.sh
*** OLD TEXT ***
While it's true that we should put heavy emphasis on not touching /system and that is not just manual works, but also any app with root access. You could be installing something like busybox via goole play store and screw everything up. That said, we are not touching /system at the moment because we lack the knowledge of that the nook is doing during boot process. I have been able to get asomething like AdAway to work which actually creating a sym link from /system/etc/hosts to /data/data/hosts file. I been doing this under the assumption that mounting and sym link are ok in the /system. But I would be worried too if there is a lot of those.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lost and Confused
I tried following the instructions on the B&N’s website, but I do not see ‘Android Composite ADB Interface’ or even ‘Android Phone’ within the Device Manager of Windows. I now have ‘BNTV600’ and ‘NOOK’ under Device Manager/Portable Devices. I think this is for the big leagues and I may mess something up. Probably going to wait until there is a YouTube video guide showing step by step on how to successfully root the Nook HD+.
Many thanks to ‘leapinlar’ for the help.
cybersonic_ca said:
I tried following the instructions on the B&N’s website, but I do not see ‘Android Composite ADB Interface’ or even ‘Android Phone’ within the Device Manager of Windows. I now have ‘BNTV600’ and ‘NOOK’ under Device Manager/Portable Devices. I think this is for the big leagues and I may mess something up. Probably going to wait until there is a YouTube video guide showing step by step on how to successfully root the Nook HD+.
Many thanks to ‘leapinlar’ for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you read my description above, it says to update the driver for BNTV600.
No longer able to access internal & external memory on the Nook
leapinlar said:
If you read my description above, it says to update the driver for BNTV600.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I did:
1. Plugged my Nook HD+ to my computer (ADB enabled)
2. Device Manager / BNTV600 / Update Driver Software / Browse my computer for driver software / Usb_driver_r04-windows folder / OK
3. Clicked on ‘Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer’
4. MTP USB Device appeared so I clicked on ‘Have Disk’
5. Browsed ‘android_winsub’ and clicked Open and OK
6. Android Composite ADB Interface appeared so I clicked ‘Next’
7. Message, ‘Windows can’t verify the publisher of this driver software’
8. Install this driver software anyway
9. Rebooted my computer
10. When the Nook is connected to the computer (ADB not enabled)
a. The Nook shows up as a G: drive and ‘MyNOOK Setup’ is the only file in it
b. Clicking on the ‘MyNOOK Setup’ brings me to a message:
• Welcome to MyNOOK Setup.
• MyNOOK Setup is a one-time installation that will allow you to tranfer your personal files to your NOOK.
• Transferable files include, but are not limited to: photos, music, videos, EPUB, PDF and Microsoft Office files.
• Note: Copyright protected files are not transferable
• To install, go to .... can't post link since im a noob
• For more information, visit ..... can't post link since im a noob
c. MyNOOKSetup.dmg appears when I click on the first link
11. When the Nook is connected to the computer (ADB enabled)
a. AutoPlay ‘BNTV600’ constantly appears.
12. I cannot access the internal or external memory on the Nook for both #10 & #11,
13. Running ‘makeroot.bat’ in the cmd for both #10 & #11 does not work either.
14. Device Manager / NOOK (BNTV600 no longer exist)
Follow my instructions to install the drivers and use my driver file from my first post. Go to device manager and delete any those three drivers you installed earlier, composite, mtp, etc. Then just do the bntv600.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
Cool but....
...I am having a slight problem. I can not download your attached file usb_driver_r04-windows-Modded-for-HD.zip :/ everytime I do my computer which is running windows xp is telling me there is nothing there. Can you please help me thank you
Possible driver conflict with Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus
leapinlar said:
Follow my instructions to install the drivers and use my driver file from my first post. Go to device manager and delete any those three drivers you installed earlier, composite, mtp, etc. Then just do the bntv600.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I followed your instructions and I successfully installed the driver you provided in your zip but the following actions occur after computer reboots.
When ADB is disabled
• NOOK (G Drive appears in My Computer
When ADB is enabled
• NO NOOK (G Drive in My Computer
• BNTV600 AutoPlay windows constantly pops up
I forgot to say that I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus installed in this computer. The following items are what I see in Device Manager:
• Portable Devices / NOOK
• SAMSUNG Android Phone / Android Composite ADB Interface
I tried deleting all the drivers and repeat your instructions but the SAMSUNG Android Phone / Android Composite ADB Interface keeps appearing.
Dopey32 said:
...I am having a slight problem. I can not download your attached file usb_driver_r04-windows-Modded-for-HD.zip :/ everytime I do my computer which is running windows xp is telling me there is nothing there. Can you please help me thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what to tell you. I just tried again with windows XP and it downloaded fine. Just keep trying. And watch where windows puts it.
cybersonic_ca said:
I followed your instructions and I successfully installed the driver you provided in your zip but the following actions occur after computer reboots.
When ADB is disabled
•NOOK (G Drive appears in My Computer
When ADB is enabled
•NO NOOK (G Drive in My Computer
•BNTV600 AutoPlay windows constantly pops up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I experienced a lot of the same symptoms.
The Nook G: is for Mac users that do not have MTP. It is so they can get the drivers they need. Notice the .dmsg (sp ?) is for them. That will only go away when you get MTP working or switch to enabled adb.
I was most concerned with getting the adb interface working, so I just ignored the MTP issues until later. In fact I temporarily disabled it so it would not keep popping up during adb.
After I got everything sideloaded and rooted, I tackled the MTP issue. With adb unchecked, I went to USB devices and uninstalled the USB mass storage device (which was the Nook G). Then it recognized MTP.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
I think it's safe to say that what we(me and other who got all the stuff out seperately) did so far aren't anything very dangerous. We havn't touch any other partition or boot loader. Unless you mess them up yourself since now you have root, then the worst it could happen is a full factory reset or you can force yourself to factory reset it.
okay got a little farther
I have installed the drivers and my nook is having the same symptoms as cybersonic_ca. Now I am trying to figure out how to utilize the command prompt, i type in adb devices and it responds with 'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
please help, i am trying to root my nook and HD+ but i feel i must be forgetting something. I am sorry if i am very bothersome but i can not figure out what is going on
All these tips also help with the HD. Thanks so much!
Sent from my Nook HD using xda premium
Dopey32 said:
I have installed the drivers and my nook is having the same symptoms as cybersonic_ca. Now I am trying to figure out how to utilize the command prompt, i type in adb devices and it responds with 'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
please help, i am trying to root my nook and HD+ but i feel i must be forgetting something. I am sorry if i am very bothersome but i can not figure out what is going on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you have either not installed the Android SDK (Software Development Kit) on your PC (which includes adb) per the B&N instructions or your path variable is not set to include where you installed it.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
Dopey32 said:
I have installed the drivers and my nook is having the same symptoms as cybersonic_ca. Now I am trying to figure out how to utilize the command prompt, i type in adb devices and it responds with 'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
please help, i am trying to root my nook and HD+ but i feel i must be forgetting something. I am sorry if i am very bothersome but i can not figure out what is going on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you can't follow or understand the instructions about adding the path to adb in the environment path you can always just cd "/to the directory adb is installed/" and run adb directly from there. easy way is to just drag the folder into the command prompt window. it'll save a bit of typing - only works if you're not running cmd as admin.
You said you modded the drivers from B&N? What did you change? Just curious...
So, instead of making another thread, since this is a tips thread, I'll just post it here.
Just in case you are not familiar with a factory reset on the Nook HD+, there are two kind of factory resets. The one that you perform yourself, which is actually not a full factory reset and the one that Nook get pissed and do the full one.
A factory reset that you perform yourself, whether from the GUI or button combination will basically clean the partition /data while a full blown one will basically restore other partition such as /system.
Why do I bring this up, because as we know, we are not perfect. I make mistake and so do other. Sometime instead of trying to re-trace the step and fix our mistake, it's easier to just reset everything. Well, since we can't just do a full blown factory reset our self, at least not very easy, we can at least force the Nook to do it for us.
So, if you felt like I did something wrong, and I don't know which step to take next, I make a little tool for you to start over. You can see the attachment, reset.zip in there, there are 3 files. You only have to run reset.bat if you need a linux version, maybe you can beg the OP to do it for you. If you exam the package, you can see that this is very similar to the original root method which force itself to factory reset, so this is basically a modified version of that. Obviously you still required ADB. Well, on the other hand, if you never get ADB working in the first place, you probably can't mess up that bad that you need this tool in the first place.
Let me make it clear, this tool WILL RESET EVERYTHING. It also REBOOT MANY TIMES. And expect the whole process to take about 10 minutes.
dbh369 said:
You said you modded the drivers from B&N? What did you change? Just curious...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually modified a generic driver by putting the Nook HD+ device id in it. I was not able to download the B&N driver so I don't know if it needed modifying or not.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
cybersonic_ca said:
I followed your instructions and I successfully installed the driver you provided in your zip but the following actions occur after computer reboots.
When ADB is disabled
• NOOK (G Drive appears in My Computer
When ADB is enabled
• NO NOOK (G Drive in My Computer
• BNTV600 AutoPlay windows constantly pops up
I forgot to say that I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus installed in this computer. The following items are what I see in Device Manager:
• Portable Devices / NOOK
• SAMSUNG Android Phone / Android Composite ADB Interface
I tried deleting all the drivers and repeat your instructions but the SAMSUNG Android Phone / Android Composite ADB Interface keeps appearing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am having the same problem as Cybersonc_ca. I did everything according to the nook developer website and when I enable ADB on my nook hd+, it does not show my BNTV600 under portable devices but I DO have Android Phone >> Android Composite ADB Interface.
If I go to command prompt, how can I make it so that it checks that folder as well?
I apologize for such noob questions. Thank you.
sayw0rd said:
I am having the same problem as Cybersonc_ca. I did everything according to the nook developer website and when I enable ADB on my nook hd+, it does not show my BNTV600 under portable devices but I DO have Android Phone >> Android Composite ADB Interface.
If I go to command prompt, how can I make it so that it checks that folder as well?
I apologize for such noob questions. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to command prompt and type 'adb devices' and see if you have any. And the looking for bntv600 was for getting the composite to show. You have that.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
Post One: Unlocking and Rooting
Post Two: Installing Roms / Kernels / Tweaks
Post Three: Panic Section / FAQ / Miscellaneous
Unlocking The Bootloader And Obtaining Root
*This part of the tutorial is geared towards Windows users. The MAC instructions are very similar, from what I understand. Install the package the same way. All ADB/Fastboot commands may need to start with "adb-mac" (no quotes) rather than "adb" (no quotes). Due to the vast amount of Linux distros available; instructions will vary for your device. Once ADB/Fastboot are set up all command will begin with "./adb" (no quotes) rather than "adb" (no quotes). Once ADB/Fastboot are set up; this guide is relevant to everyone.*
Time required:
20-40 minutes.
Setting up ADB for our device:
Download the AndroidSDK onto your computer.
Note: Google changes their mind every other week as to if this will be distributed as a .zip or an .exe. If you get an .zip file, simply extract the contents to your C:\ drive. For an .exe install it like you would any other program, but set the path directly to the C:\ drive when the installer asks.
Or...you can use this page to download the "ADB for Dummies AIO App."
This will automatically install ADB for you to your C:\ directory. It's very very simple this way.
If your platform-tools folder doesn't have a fastboot.exe, place this fastboot.exe file in your C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools (or possibly simply called tools, if you set up ADB ages ago) folder.
Now you have ADB installed! Congratulations.
Unlocking the Bootloader:
***NOTE***
This will perform a factory reset on your device. You will lose all applications. Even the data on your SD Card! I'd recommend making a Backup to your computer BEFORE performing this. There is a method for backing your data up, detailed HERE.
For the time being, there is a method available that will allow you to unlock your device (and root it) without losing your data.
For instructions, click HERE. Please note: this is a hack and isn't the "conventional" and "accepted" way of unlocking your bootloader on a nexus device. The wipe requirement is there for your safety, really, and I'm certain this will be patched in the upcoming releases.
Get the drivers:
Uninstall any previously attempted drivers if they don't work and move to the next.
Option One:
Navigate to the "Device Manager" (Control Panel > Device Manager) in Windows and Select the android device. Open the properties and select the "Install Driver" option. Pick the driver with "Install from disk." Ignore any warnings about the driver not being signed properly.
PDAnet's drivers may work if the above options don't. Simply install PDAnet (after uninstalling any previous attempted driver installations) to get the drivers.
While that is downloading, on your Nexus 4: turn USB debugging on.
To do so; you must first go to Settings>About>Build Number and click seven times.
The actual setting can then be found in Settings>Developer Options>USB Debugging
Once the drivers are installed, navigate to the C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools folder on your computer.
Hold shift and right click. Select "Open Command Window Here."
Plug your phone into the computer. Now in this command window type:
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
(Hit Enter)
Your phone should now boot into a screen with a green android with his chest exposed.
Type this:
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
(Hit Enter)
If your Command Prompt displays the message "waiting for device" your driver wasn't successfully installed.
Close the Command Prompt window and open Device manager while your phone is still plugged in. (Search for it using the search option).
Right Click the "Android" option and select Update Driver. Choose to "Browse My Computer" and "Let Me Pick From A List." Pick the Driver with the newest date and install it. Now retry the code above.
Your phone will ask if you want to unlock it. Select "Yes" by using the volume keys and use power to select it.
Now, navigate to "Recovery Mode" with the volume keys. Use power to select.
A screen with another Android will pop up. Press Volume Up and Power at the same time.
Select Factory Reset. This process may take a few minutes. Be patient and let it work.
Once finished, select "Reboot."
Your phone is now unlocked!
Obtaining Root Access and Custom Recovery:
Turn on USB Debugging.
To do so; you must first go to Settings>About>Build Number and click seven times.
The actual setting can then be found in Settings>Developer Options>USB Debugging
Download the following:
SuperSU (CWM .zip)
CWM (Pick the version for your device)
Place the recovery-clockwork-VERSIONNUMBER-mako.img file into your C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools folder.
Put the SuperSU.zip on your phone.
Open another Command Prompt if it isn't still open. (Navigate to C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools and shift + right click. Select "Open Command Window Here.")
With your phone plugged in type:
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
(Hit Enter)
And wait for your phone to boot into the android again.
Now type:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery IMAGENAME.img
(Change the file name to the correct file name and Hit Enter)
Once that is finished: select the "Recovery Mode" option again on your phone.
You should get a new recovery menu here. Select "install zip from sd card" and "choose zip from sd card."
Find the SuperSU.zip that you transferred earlier and select "Yes" to installing.
Navigate back to "Reboot" and reboot your phone.
You're now rooted!
However, ClockworkMod Recovery won't continue to load after this.
To fix this, find "Rom Manager" from the market. (The free version is fine.) Use the "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery" option.
If your recovery still doesn't stick around after a reboot, you have another couple options. Find a file explorer that allows root access, such as Root Explorer. Use this program to rename /system/etc/install-recovery.sh to /system/etc/install-recovery.bak. You'll need to mount the system as r/w to do this. Root Explorer provides a button at the top to do so.
Or, you can do this completely manually by firing up ADB again and running a few commands:
Code:
adb shell
(Hit Enter)
Code:
su
(Hit Enter)
Code:
mount -o remount,rw -t ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 /system
(Hit Enter)
Code:
mv /system/etc/install-recovery.sh /system/etc/install-recovery.bak
(Hit Enter)
Congratulations!
Your phone is now unlocked, rooted, and has a custom recovery!
Continue reading the next posts for info on getting custom roms, kernels, tweaks, and more!
***I take no responsibility for what happens to your phone due to following this guide! That being said, not only am I sure you'll be fine...but there are an endless amount of users who would be glad to help if you need it.***
Thanks:
Google, for making Android a reality.
VanillaTbone, for the ADB AIO app.
Efrant, for posting about a bootloader locking utility without USB.
ClockworkMod team, for being a part of making our phones as awesome as they are.
The assorted developers, who continue to push out amazing material for us to use.
The awesome community, for endlessly supporting both Android itself and its users.
Installing Custom Roms Kernels and Tweaks
All of the instructions below require your bootloader to be unlocked. Please follow the guide above and return here when you're done.
Backing Your Files Up:
Time required:
15-25 minutes.
Making a Nandroid
The first thing you're going to want to do is back up your phone's entire system. This is done by making a "nandroid."
To do this, boot into ClockworkMod Recovery. To accomplish this: Turn your phone off. Once it is completely off: hold both volume buttons and the power button until the Android with his chest exposed is displayed. Navigate to the "Recovery Mode" option and select "backup."
This will take some time. Be patient and let it finish. This process is important! You should always have a recent nandroid available on your device.
Backing Your Data Up
Install Titanium Backup from the market.
Open Titanium Backup. A Superuser request should pop up. Allow it. Note: if Titanium Backup then says it failed to obtain root access; press the menu button and select more>reload application.
Press menu>batch. Select "Backup all User Apps." Select all and "Run the Batch Operation."
Let the process complete. This may take quite some time: depending on how many applications you have installed.
You can now backup your Text Messages, Bookmarks, and WiFi addresses with Titanium Backup as well.
Press Menu>Backup Data To XML to do so.
Backing Your Contacts Up
Note: This process may or not be useful to you. The Google servers should automatically import any contacts you have stored back whenever you install a new rom. Also note that Facebook/Google+/etc contacts will need to be synced again through their respective applications.
Open the Contacts application.
Press the Menu button.
Select import/export.
Export to storage.
Installing A Rom (Or Kernel/Radios/Tweaks/Themes/etc.)
Time Required:
5-10 minutes.
Note:
Follow the guide above about backing your phone up before attempting!
This guide will also work for flashing kernels/radios/themes/tweaks/etc. Simply ignore the part about wiping data and wipe whatever the thread says you should. You only need to restore data after a rom install.
Find a Rom You'd Like To Try:
Nexus 4 Original Development
Nexus 4 Development
Download the rom you'd like to try on your device.
Most roms also require you to install "gapps" as well.
You can find the correct ones for the rom you're using in the rom thread.
Make sure the Rom and Gapps are on your SD card.
Now, open Google Wallet (if you have it installed) and press Options>Settings>Reset Google Wallet. This will prevent the "Secure Element" errors some users have experienced.
Boot into ClockworkMod Recovery by turning your device completely off. Hold volume up, volume down, and power until the green Android with the open chest is displayed. Navigate to "Recovery Mode" with the volume buttons and select using the power button.
Remember to have a recent nandroid before continuing!
Navigate to "wipe data/factory reset" and select it. Select "yes."
Wait for the process to complete. This may take some time. Be patient!
Once complete: Navigate to "Install Zip from SD card" and "Choose zip from SD card."
Find the rom's .zip and install it. Once that completes install any applicable gapps' .zip.
Select the "Reboot" option.
Congratulations! Your phone should now boot into the custom rom!
Follow the prompts to re-activate your phone.
Restoring Your Applications / Contacts / Nandroid
Time Required:
5-15 minutes.
Restoring Your Applicaions
Install Titanium Backup. Note: you may want the pro key. If you have it, you won't have to manually click "install" on each application. The process is completely automated. Open Titanium Backup (grant root access. If titanium says it failed to obtain root access, press menu>more>reload application). Press menu>batch>restore missing apps with data. Now, here you have a choice to make. Do you want a completely clean install? Select "app only" and run the batch operation (Deselect Google Wallet first. We don't want to risk restoring wallet in any way. Install it manually through the Play Store.). Do you want all of your application data (saved games/settings/etc)? Select "app+data" and run the batch operation (Deselect Google Wallet first. We don't want to risk restoring wallet in any way. Install it manually through the Play Store.). This MAY cause you problems or it may not. Personally, I often restore application data and seldom run into any trouble. If you do find that restoring data caused problems, follow the guide above to re-install your rom and restore without data. This process will take some time. Be patient (I'd suggest turning your screen off so the screen doesn't burn, but that's just me.) It will vibrate upon completion.
You can now restore your Text Messages, Bookmarks, and WiFi addresses if you backed them up by pressing Menu>Restore Data From XML.
Note:
Overclocking/CPU tweaking applications should never be restored with data. Simply deselect it from the list.
Facebook/Haxsync/Google+ may have problems restoring your contacts when installed through Titanium Backup. Simply uninstall and reinstall through the market (and be sure to log in and select to sync your contacts again).
Also, if you have NFC Task Launcher successfully launching Tasker tasks with your stickers: they may not immediately work.
Through my testing, it's as simple to fix as uninstalling NFC Task Launcher and Tasker. Restore Tasker first. Then restore NFC task launcher.
Restoring Your Contacts
If google fails to restore your contacts (not facebook/haxsync/google+/etc) you may import them manually if you backed them up.
Open the contacts application and press menu>import/export>import from storage.
Restoring A Nandroid
If your phone is acting funny or won't boot...restore a nandroid from a previous rom or working set-up.
You may also use a Nandroid to switch back to a previous rom if you decide you don't like the one you're on.
Do this by booting into ClockworkMod Recovery (hold volume up, volume down, and power while your phone is off and navigate to "Recovery Mode").
Simply select "restore" and find the most recent (or relevant) backup.
This process will take some time. Be patient and let it complete! Once done, select "Reboot."
Note:
Nandroids are stored in the "clockworkmod" folder on your SD card. They take up quite a bit of space. ALWAYS have at least one recent one on your SD card. However, since these are huge files: you may like to delete old ones to save space. You must delete backups by booting into CWM and navigating to Backup and Restore>Delete.
Important Notes About Restoration
I outline the method of using Titanium Backup above for a reason. Restoring system applications and data is the most common cause of problems on custom roms. For this reason, always ONLY restore "missing applications" from "user applications" that were backed up when restoring onto a new rom. Every time you restore system data or applications a narwhal sodomizes your favorite childhood cartoon. This is FACT.
Installing Alternate Custom Recoveries
If you find a custom recovery (such as the touch-recovery options) that came as a .img file:
Use these instructions to flash. Plug your phone into the computer. Open up ADB. Move the .img to the C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools folder.
Type the following:
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
(Hit Enter)
You can also manually boot to the bootloader by powering off and holding volume down, volume up, power buttons until the green Android with his chest exposed is displayed.
Then type:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery FILENAME.img
(Replace the file name with whatever the .img is called and Hit Enter).
Wait for the process to complete and reboot.
***I take no responsibility for what happens to your phone due to following this guide! That being said, not only am I sure you'll be fine...but there are an endless amount of users who would be glad to help if you need it.***
Panic Section! (Something is Wrong)
Q: My phone won't boot!
A: The easiest option is to get into recovery and restore a nandroid using the above guide (pull battery to put phone in an off-state if needed).
However, more advanced options are available if you don't have a nandroid available (You're naughty).
Do you have another rom .zip available on your SD card? If so, simply use the above guide for installing a rom to get you booting again.
If not, you can download one on your PC. Boot into fastboot (the green Android with open chest menu). Navigate to recovery and select it with the power button.
Move the .zip to the C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools folder.
Open ADB.
Change the NAMEOFZIP.zip below to the correct file name...and perform the action.
Code:
adb push NAMEOFZIP.zip /sdcard/NAMEOFZIP.zip
(Hit enter)
You may have to reboot recovery to get the file to show up. Now follow the guide above for flashing a rom to get you booting again.
Did you install a tweak that modified only a file or two on your phone? (Find this out by opening the .zip and looking in the folders (ignore META-INF). Good news! We MAY be able to recover you completely. If this doesn't work...you'll have to follow another method.
Get your phone into fastboot (the boot-menu that allows you to select recovery/reboot/etc). Navigate to Recovery. Start up ADB. Pull the files that were modified out of the stock rom's .zip (using whatever tweak you were installing as reference to find what was changed) that you're on into the C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools folder. Now we're going to push these files onto your phone...replacing the tweaked ones and hopefully getting you booted again. Use this code, but change the values of the file name and where it should reside. This is only an example!
Code:
adb shell
(Hit Enter)
Code:
su
(Hit Enter)
Code:
mount -o remount,rw -t ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 /system
(Hit Enter)
This will mount your system so you can write to it.
Code:
exit
(Hit Enter)
This should exit shell and allow the use of adb commands again. You may need to type it a couple of times (until the #_ changes back to the platform_tools> prompt).
Code:
adb push framework-res.apk /system/framework/framework-res.apk
(Press enter after each file that you need to replace).
Note: This last option probably won't work. I'd just skip over it unless you're absolutely adamant about restoring your current setup and want to try everything possible.
Q: I want my SDcard files from my phone...but I'm in a situation where I need to flash stock images! This will erase my SD content. What can I do to save it?
A: Do you have a custom recovery installed? If not, download a custom recovery from post one in this guide and flash it using those instructions. You'll need to be in a custom recovery in order to obtain ADB access without booting your phone. Boot into recovery (With phone turned off: hold Power and Volume+ and Volume- until the bootloader pops up and navigate to "Recovery"). Run the command:
Code:
adb pull /sdcard/ /SDCARD/
(Hit Enter)
This will put all of your files into a folder called "SDCARD" in your C:\ drive. Keep in mind that this will take a LONG time. Maybe a couple of hours.
To restore once you're booting again:
Move the "SDCARD" folder you created from your C:\ drive to the platform-tools folder. *Then input:
Code:
adb push SDCARD /sdcard/
(Hit Enter)
Q: How do I make an "ADB Backup?"
A: An ADB Backup will backup your phones data (applications and their settings). Follow the guide HERE about ADB Backups.
Q: My phone gets really sluggish and often turns off or reboots on its own.
A: Without knowing anything about your situation...I'd say you either have severely bad data somewhere or some bad kernel tweaks. Use the rom install guide above, paying close attention to the part about backing up and restoring if you haven't already. In the case of a kernel problem, you're likely undervolting too low. Restore the stock kernel values and see if your problems subside.
Q: My phone screen won't turn on! This requires a battery pull to fix.
A: This is called a "Black Screen of Death" or BSOD. This is generally due to using a hotplug governor (one that turns cores off with the screen off) or possibly undervolting your device too low. Change governors or up your slots a bit.
Q: My phone is doing really weird things. Regardless of kernel/rom and even if I don't restore any data at all! Either that or I simply cannot boot up! My phone is possessed no matter what I do!
Download the stock IMAGES for your device and extract the files using 7-zip. Move all of the extracted files to your platform-tools folder. Open the flash-all.sh file with a text editor. Copy and paste the commands (one by one) and wait for each process to complete for continuing.
FAQ
Roms/Kernels
Q: What is the best rom?
A: The "best" rom is a matter of opinion. Do you like a certain customization and can't live without it? Use a rom that has that option.
Q: What is the best rom for battery life?
A: Roms themselves really shouldn't impact your battery all that much. They can have an impact, but if you're really looking for better battery I'd suggest swapping kernels or tweaking yours.
Q: What is the best rom for stability?
A: All of the roms out are "stable." They may have options that don't work correctly, but generally: this is user error. If you follow my advice on installing a rom, you'll end up with MUCH fewer bugs.
Q: What is the best kernel?
A: The best kernel is a matter of opinion. Some users may love one, while others swear by another. Find one you like and tweak it accordingly.
Q: How do I tweak a kernel for better battery?
A: Generally, you'll want to either change your governor and or undervolt and or underclock your kernel. This is done either by using SetCPU or similar apps, or with an option in your rom (usually labeled "performance" or something similar). Take note: extremely high/low voltages may cause instability. Never "set at boot" until you've thoroughly tested the options you've set. Testing includes low strain (like turning your screen off for an hour) and high strain (like playing a game for an hour) scenarios. To be extra safe: run the values for a couple days before setting them at boot. Follow the users ideas in the kernel's threads for some guidelines. However, remember that not all values will play nicely with all phones.
Miscellaneous
Q: Why isn't Google Wallet working at [store]?
A: I'm not sure if it's a Google Wallet problem, or a problem with the terminal. But I personally struggle to find a terminal that consistently works in my area. Something that has generally worked for me is to open wallet and go to Options>Reset Google Wallet. You must then re-add any cards you had.
Q: Does my ass look good in these shorts?
A: Yes.
Neat Ideas / How to Show Off the Nexus 4
-Get some NFC stickers. Tagstand has them available.
You can use these to make your phone perform certain tasks when you touch the sticker. Use NFC Task Launcher to define the tasks. These are capable of doing simple things like muting your volume to the more complex like turning on Tasker tasks that do things like auto-reply to text messages while you're at work.
-Do you have any suggestions? Submit them below!
***I take no responsibility for what happens to your phone due to following this guide! That being said, not only am I sure you'll be fine...but there are an endless amount of users who would be glad to help if you need it.***
ADB Backups:
SDcard backup:
Code:
adb pull /sdcard/ /sdcard/
(This will pull all of your sdcard contents to an "sdcard" folder in your C:\ directory)
Applications and their data:
Take note, that you'll need to be using CyanogenMod's method for setting up ADB to do this. The ADB AIO application installs an older SDK without this functionality. First, get your drivers installed (detailed in post one). Once you get ADB installed (post one), navigate to the C:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools folder on your computer. Hold shift and right click. Select "Open Command Window Here."
Input this while your phone is turned on and USB Debugging is Enabled:
To do so; you must first go to Settings>About>Build Number and click seven times.
The actual setting can then be found in Settings>Developer Options>USB Debugging
Type this:
Code:
adb backup -apk -noshared -all -nosystem
(Hit Enter)
Your phone will ask for a password. Input one and remember it.
Once the process completes: continue with unlocking and rooting your phone.
Restoration:
Upon unlocking and rooting your phone: open up ADB again.
Enter this code:
Code:
adb restore backup.ab
(Hit Enter)
Input the password you saved to this file earlier, and wait for the restore to complete.
To restore your SDcard backup, first move the "sdcard" folder that was made in the backup process to your platform-tools folder.
Then run:
Code:
adb push sdcard /sdcard/
Do you have to install "ADB" ?
As far as like...clicking it and letting the windows installer install...no.
The exe file will read the commands in cmd without "installation."
Nice Work!
I've just added this guide to the Nexus 4 Complete Index
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Great work!!! nice and clean reading!
Can this guide include information on how to re-lock bootloader and unroot the device? Does this informaiton exist?
I need to RMA my phone due to dead pixels and I want to make sure I dont have any issues with the warranty.
jayluke said:
Can this guide include information on how to re-lock bootloader and unroot the device? Does this informaiton exist?
I need to RMA my phone due to dead pixels and I want to make sure I dont have any issues with the warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Post 3.
fastboot oem lock
Locks the device.
How long is the first boot, after unlocking the bootloader, supposed to take? Mine's sitting there for quite a while already. (I had a lot of stuff installed, but still, this is really long.)
EDIT: When rebooting the custom recovery, you have to say "yes" to the message it gives you, something about keeping some recovery. I had originally said no because I didn't flash it, I just booted it once.
I just got my nexus yesterday, and this isnt the first phone that I have rooted.... however... my settings on the thing are extremely basic..
How do I enable usb debugging if I dont have the option in the settings?
Thanks
Chris
---------- Post added at 03:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:14 PM ----------
I just got my nexus yesterday, and this isnt the first phone that I have rooted.... however... my settings on the thing are extremely basic..
How do I enable usb debugging if I dont have the option in the settings?
Thanks
Chris
Edit: Got an app to enable it... still not in the menu though.
wizshaw said:
I just got my nexus yesterday, and this isnt the first phone that I have rooted.... however... my settings on the thing are extremely basic..
How do I enable usb debugging if I dont have the option in the settings?
Thanks
Chris
---------- Post added at 03:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:14 PM ----------
I just got my nexus yesterday, and this isnt the first phone that I have rooted.... however... my settings on the thing are extremely basic..
How do I enable usb debugging if I dont have the option in the settings?
Thanks
Chris
Edit: Got an app to enable it... still not in the menu though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh geeze!
I forgot.
Settings>about>version number I think...
Click 7 times to enable developer options.
Will update op soon.
Quick question: is there a reason the first post links to SuperSU version 0.98, when version 0.99 is the most recent? If version 0.99 has known issues with the Nexus 4, I don't want to use it on my device.
The 0.99 version came out after this guide was posted. I was offered to upgrade to the new version of supersu from 0.98 and so far no problem at all.
Does this work on the latest version of JB (4.2.1)?
When installing a new ROM it says to perform a factory reset through CWM, which will remove all apps and data but should keep all your pictures, videos, songs etc.
It doesn't mention to wipe the System partition as well. Is this not necessary when flashing ROMs on a Nexus?
Prior to owning the N4 I had the Galaxy S 2 and it was always stated in the OP instructions to wipe data/factory reset, wipe system, clear cache, clear dalvik and then flash ROM and Gapps.
However, I don't notice in any guides or instructions for N4 ROMS to wipe the system partition, just the data partition. Is there a reason for this or is it not necessary to wipe the system partition? Thanks. Great guide by the way.
Peace
thank u for ur effort
Chochiwpg said:
When installing a new ROM it says to perform a factory reset through CWM, which will remove all apps and data but should keep all your pictures, videos, songs etc.
It doesn't mention to wipe the System partition as well. Is this not necessary when flashing ROMs on a Nexus?
Prior to owning the N4 I had the Galaxy S 2 and it was always stated in the OP instructions to wipe data/factory reset, wipe system, clear cache, clear dalvik and then flash ROM and Gapps.
However, I don't notice in any guides or instructions for N4 ROMS to wipe the system partition, just the data partition. Is there a reason for this or is it not necessary to wipe the system partition? Thanks. Great guide by the way.
Peace
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually have a question along these lines.
I just came from a LG G2X so things were different for me whenever I flashed ROM's/kernels. For one thing, I had an external sd card so whenever CWM made it's backups, they went to that automatically and I didn't have to worry about wiping since everything was on the external. This phone doesn't have an external so where do the backups go? From the looks of the new CWM 6.0.2.0, the backups (and blobs now apparently) go to /data/media/clockworkmod. Well I guess my question here is if you have to wipe /data for installing new ROM's, how would I restore a backup because they would have been deleted off the /data partition. I tried adb pulling /data/media/clockworkmod to my computer but it won't go. Don't know if it's because that partition is mounted while the phone is in use or what. I tried the mount/umount command that OP listed but it won't work for me. Don't want to flash ANYTHING on this phone until I know for a fact I can get to the backups that I'm creating.
Only valid for Moto G 2014!
Hello, forum mates. I have spent few days with this great device, I gave it meanwhile to my sister as present.
ATM, there are barely any custom ROMs, so I will list here few good things to do right after unlocking its bootloader and obtaining root access :angel:
So here you can read my little checklist and do whatever you prefer:
DISCLAIMER:
Code:
[I]your warranty is now void. All you do
with your phone is on your own risk!
Partitions info is valid for XT1068
international GSM dual-SIM only! Workflow
is tested only on KitKat factory image![/I]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocking Bootloader: Motorola's website
Removing startup screen with warning of unlocked bootloader: flash attached zip in custom recovery
(I can confirm that the attached zip works, it will restore the white original Motorola splash screen)
1. Boot custom recovery without flashing it:
Copy and paste custom recovery (file format: img) into your SDK/platform-tools folder, I recommend here TWRP_2.8.0.1_Titan_v2 that I have successfully tested myself. Until this point the latest Motorola USB driver must be installed on your Windows PC, USB debugging (under "developer options") on your phone must be enabled. However, I generally recommend using Linux instead of Windows. You can check in my short guide for Ubuntu users how to install fastboot and ADB in Ubuntu. I have no clue about Mac iOS, sorry.
Here we go:
Navigate in CMD line into the directory where your adb.exe is saved. Example on my PC, it is in the folder "AndroidSDK", and there in the folder "platform-tools". So my commands would be:
Typing on keyboard Win+R
Enter cmd
the command line appears after that
Code:
cd c:\androidsdk\sdk\platform-tools
Now I'm in my desired folder. The next command is checking the USB driver / ADB connection:
Connect the phone to with your PC via USB cable and enter in cmd:
Code:
adb devices
Correct response:
HTML:
xxx(serial No)xxx device
If you don't see serial No of your Moto G, check if USB debugging is enabled. If serial No is there but "offline" instead of "device" appears, you will only have to confirm the promt on your phone's screen to allow USB debugging. If nothing appears, try to update your USB driver (don't go any further without working ADB connection!)
Now we will boot into bootloader mode and check there if fastboot connection is also working:
Code:
fastboot devices
Correct response:
HTML:
xxx(serial No)xxx fastboot
If the response looks like that, we can now boot into the custom recovery without flashing it onto device. The recovery.img will be booted directly from "platform-tools" folder, while stock recovery still remains installed on the phone. My recovery.img file's name is for example "TWRP-Titan", so after I've previously saved it in my "platform-tools" I will now enter in cmd:
Code:
fastboot boot TWRP-Titan.img
The phone will boot into the beautiful touch-recovery TWRP. Blue screen is there? Yesssss!! :good:
Now we can start with backups of our still 100% stock firmware in the next chapture.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. Backup your stock firmware:
While still in the TWRP, simply create backup of all your partitions. It is strongly recommended to save backup on the external SD card, as many modifications or next unlocking of the bootloader (if relocked) will every time blow all your data from the internal memory.
Now still in TWRP, install SuperSU.zip
Reboot into the system
Now we will backup stock recovery, that we can later flash at any point back:
Code:
adb shell (enter)
su (enter)
Look at this point on the screen of your phone, SuperSU will promt you to allow SU access for shell, You should confirm that.
Code:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p32 of=/sdcard/recovery.img
It will save the "recovery.img" file in your /sdcard folder on your phone's internal memory. It is strongly recommended to create the new folder on your external SD card where you can move all backup img files. To move the files, use any root file browser like for example Root Browser. When you open Root Browser for the first time, it will prompt oyu to install few utilities (busybox, unrar etc) which you should allow.
At this point, your entire stock firmware has been saved as backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3. Backup all partitions of your factory image / firmware:
Just the same way as you have previously created backup of your "recovery.img" you can
create "img" backup files of all your partitions. Check the attached screenshots and simply replace in the adb shell command the number of the mmcblk0p block No with the one you desire to backup and change "recovery" to the proper partition names, just like in the screenshots:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4. Restore to 100% stock firmware:
To return to 100% stock, you simply need to flash (or only boot) again TWRP 2.8.0.1, to restore your nandroid backup of your stock firmware and -if custom recovery was flashed- to flash in bootloader mode your stock recovery back. Paste your (stock) "recovery.img" file into "platform-tools" folder and execute in bootloader mode:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
After that simply restore your TWRP backup of stock and flash in bootloader mode your stock recovery back. To unroot permanently, open SuperSU app and choose the option "Full unroot" under "settings".
To relock the bootloader again: reboot to bootloader mode and execute in cmd:
Code:
fastboot oem lock
Your Moto G should be now again 100% stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you benefit from this guide, show me your love and please hit "THANKS" button.
Credits also to all guys who have created linked guides (please hit there "thanks" also)
EASY MODS (Moto G 2014 stock firmware)
I am myself very big fan of SlimRoms (I was AlphaBeta SlimKat tester on few devices), so I was desperately missing the "Real Dark Slim" mode (and several other mods) on the Moto G 2014 factory image 4.4.4
I had to darken my Moto G 2014, so here I share now quite easy way how to get dark UI on many apps:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DARK UI APPS:
On the attached screenshots is an example of the "normal" Play Store (light UI) YouTube app vs the modified, dark UI YouTube app.
Luckily, the Team BlackOut consisting out of some great developers and contributors has darkened out whole bunch of apps. Please visit their website or please visit their thread where you can get more info and download directly the app TBO updater (ver.5.0.0 is up to date ATM, it is a lot better than the v.3 which was suffering of regular FCs on many devices).
With the TBO app you will find also boot animations, wallpapers etc and info how to install, the most important to avoid data loss and crying is: don't forget to create nandroid backup before modifying!
List of modified apps by the TBO available in dark UI (choice, uncomplete list):
Apollo music
Calendar
Chromecast
Drive
DropBox
Ebay
ES File Explorer
Facebook
Google now
Google+
Gmail
Hangouts
Instagram
Keep
MMS (AOSP)
Netflix
PayPal
PlayStore
WhatsApp
Skype
Spotify
Translate
Twitter
YouTube
etc.
Small tipps for the flawless un/installation of the system apps:
Regarding the fact that issues could occur when replacing the system apps (probably caused by smaller scripts which might remain as "corpses" after removing the apps) here is quite reliable way to go:
gain root access (flash SuperSU zip in custom recovery)
backup all apps that should be replaced with the darkened ones (recommended: Titanium Backup to create backup, or SD Maid to create *apk file)
now uninstall the respective apps (also with TB or SD Maid)
Open Play Store, install again and uninstall respective apps (that will remove reliably all rests)
Install the darkened apps (apk files or flashable zips that you have downloaded with TBO Updater)
Enjoy dark apps!
TROUBLESHOOTING: If anything goes wrong (bootloop, dark app FCs etc) delete darkened app and restore your app backup. I have never faced bootloop, but some apps simply might not work and will FC. Even if somebody would face bootloop, restoring the nandroid backup will revert all changes.
For normally installed apps (non-system apps): simply uninstall them through Play Store and install darkened ones instead. If TBO apps don't work, uninstall them and install again from the Play Store normal versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All credits here go to @djdarkknight96, @B_Boytm, @Gunthermic, @dafoxs, @train, @darkknight and our beloved SlimGapps maintainer, @dankoman :highfive:
Sorry, if I forgot to mention someone- remind me please!
(please if you use their modified apps, don't forget to find some posts of those guys here on forum and hit several times "thanks" button!)
Xposed frameworks
Add hunderds of mods, change functions of your hardware buttons, add double-tap-to-sleep, make your phone to fly etc, endless mods possibilities with Xposed frameworks (main thread)
Little guide for people who never used Xposed frameworks before:
download Xposed installer apk (v. 2.7 experimental is my recommendation for 4.3 and newer firmwares)
download also Xposed-Disabler-Recovery.zip from the main thread (if anything goes wrong)
create nandroid backup!
install Xposed installer app
open the app and Install/Update framework
reboot
if anything goes wrong, you end up with bootloop or so, reboot recovery and flash Xposed-Disabler-Recovery.zip (if even that doesn't help, restore nandroid backup)
if the phone reboots fine (it should) download modules you desire to use and install them
reboot
enjoy your new, customized firmware
If you find this post useful, please hit "THANKS" and honour my time spent to share this with you. Please also hit thanks to all devs and contributors whose work brought you benefits.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope to see soon more tweaks from you
Gerriitw said:
Hope to see soon more tweaks from you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will post in the second post few more ideas with smaller mods on the stock firmware like using dark UI apps, some useful little frameworks modules, debloating etc.
This thread is actually not so interesting for experienced users, it's all quite common stuff.
tetakpatalked from Nexus 7 flo
Very helpful for newbies....U have done great job...hope to see more...
Second post updated (mods of stock 4.4.4 firmware)
[Guide] Reload Facer & Watchmaker On-The-Fly (without PC) after Factory Reset (rev.1)
Hi Guys,
Since my watch has developed a problem (http://forum.xda-developers.com/huaw...-pair-t3337462) I have figured out an on-the-fly return mechanism with the help of TWRP.
* This requires TWRP flashed.
** Your Facer and Watchmaker collection should be existed there (/sdcard/Facer & /sdcard/BeautifulWatches directories) already.
Since factory reset won't delete your directories in /sdcard/ ; they will stay, survive.
0- Create a new directory "app" in /sdcard/ directory. (It will be: /sdcard/app/)
1- Copy of facer & watchmaker wearable APKs and any other micro APKs you wish (SWApp, etc.) into /sdcard/app.
2- Once you have completed your factory reset & paired your phone.
3-
3.A) Press and hold power button until reset, Huawei logo pops and you will feel a long vibration.
3.B) Upon feeling the vibration, release the power button then a short press (Press/Release) quickly.
3.C) It will take you to the bootloader, go to Recovery (TWRP must be installed)
4- Once you are in TWRP, head to Advanced -> File Manager
5- Go to /sdcard/app directory, and click on "Select" button below. It will show you options (what you want to do with /sdcard/app directory) and Copy It under /data/ folder. It will overwrite your /data/app/ folder.
6- Reboot to System. You will see all apps you have kept are installed.
Now you will find Facer & Watchmaker among your watchfaces.
I also keep Swapp wearable app there as backup, and copying it either along with many other watch faces.
So you don't need to install apps one by one, /sdcard/app directory contains all apps you want to install, just copy & overwrite /data/app/ folder, all apps installed .
Your watch is ready, from Factory Reset confirmation to this stage takes about 5-6 mins. Really on-the-fly.
I wish it will help.
Thanks for reading
Credits/Thanks:
1) @richboy324 : For manual bootloader method (http://forum.xda-developers.com/huaw...flash-t3307137)
2) @_that & @LunarEclipse120 : For teaching me /data/app manual .apk loading method.
Edit: I have originally posted this thread on Huawei Watch forum, but I think it is valid for all Android Wear. Also revised some parts of text (after experiencing it several times). Transferred the thread here.
Thanks for the mention. No Problem