Database Users

HELP ! ROM Update to Android 2.0 / 2.1

Hey Guys at first sorry for my english i'm not good in it. And I'm a Android newbie I just gained a bit exerience with my Touch Diamond but it's broken now..okay but that's not the probleme....
If got a question:
After about 2 days of searching for an android 2.0 or 2.1 ROM I was a little bit confused of the diffrent news everybody was talking about. I'm root on my Hero. That was the first an last thing I made with my device.
1. Everybody is gonna talk about MoDaCo 3.0 but when I was trying to download his ROM my browser never got a request. Is the site down, where that ROM is hosted ?? Could someone give me a working link with this ROM ??
2. Is there a ROM with Android 2.0 or 2.1 outside or even not ??? And if yes are they working well ???
Would be nice if someone can help me =) thanks a lot.
Please answer soon if you know something about that =)
Greetz BassdoxXx

you can get modaco's roms at his website, www.modaco.com.
in the android development section there are some 2.0/1 roms, none of them works flawless, see for yourself if it fits your needs.

Thanks a lot for your fast answer. =)
The problem that i couldn't open the modaco page was my isp -.- i downloaded it at school

BassdoxXx said:
Thanks a lot for your fast answer. =)
The problem that i couldn't open the modaco page was my isp -.- i downloaded it at school
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What? Does ISP's block that site? Lol, would never happened in Norway

there is a few 2.0+ roms out there for the hero.
most seem to be very usable now.
best sense ui would be lox/behnaam community release on 1.6.
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1448
there are two aosp roms worth looking at.
lox aosp ( im using that on a daily basis)
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1416
jnwhiteh aosp
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1528

Hello all,
I am having very specific request when it comes to choosing a proper rom for install on to my hero.
I am blind. Stock roms are only running Android 1.5. More robust accessibility features are available starting with Android 1.6 and improving even more with Android 2.0.
So for sure I am forced to upgrade my hand set.
There are various roms, some of their authors have even disable google specific features so I know I can't install such a rom.
All the accessibility efforts are being lead by the google developers.
Most likely these accessibility tools won't be usefull to most of you but please can anyone recommend me a rom where market is working and where the following applications can be installed and used?
- eyesfree suite of applications,
- talkback - the google screen reader for android,
- tts service.
All possible help is already appreciated.

sorry for the double posting. I've accidentally posted twice and I am unable to remove the post.
Hope anybody can help me please.

pvdeejay said:
Hello all,
I am having very specific request when it comes to choosing a proper rom for install on to my hero.
I am blind. Stock roms are only running Android 1.5. More robust accessibility features are available starting with Android 1.6 and improving even more with Android 2.0.
So for sure I am forced to upgrade my hand set.
There are various roms, some of their authors have even disable google specific features so I know I can't install such a rom.
All the accessibility efforts are being lead by the google developers.
Most likely these accessibility tools won't be usefull to most of you but please can anyone recommend me a rom where market is working and where the following applications can be installed and used?
- eyesfree suite of applications,
- talkback - the google screen reader for android,
- tts service.
All possible help is already appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am on mcr3.0, i looked in the market, i can find 8 apps for eyesfree, tts is one of these. i didn't try to install one of these, but usually it works. the search for talkback returned nothing.
not that i want to be rude, but wouldn't you be better off with another phone if you are blind? i can not imagine a touchscreen only phone would be suitable for someone who is not able to see... especially because there are great devices out there that have a full qwerty keyboard, and come with android 2.0 out of the box... imho this would be a better solution.
again, the last thing i want to be is rude, but maybe this was your mistake: you posted in the htc hero section of this forum, the hero is a touch screen only device, including a virtual keyboard on the screen. it has only six buttons and a trackball, and two rocker buttons for the volume. just to make clear we are talking about the same device
if you are still up for the hero you could try the 2.1 rom from here: http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?p=30418&posted=1#post30418
best you try for yourself, it has some drawbacks, but maybe in areas you don't need (afaik syncing with exchange does not work for example, which wouldn't be a problem for me...). otherwise it might be worth to wait another week or two, we all are waiting unpatiently for the official eclair release from htc
keep asking if you need to know more, but maybe open a new thread, since your problems are very specific, and might drown between all the newbies question about "how to root my phone".

Hello,
Thanks for your reply and a great attitude.
Yes it may sound strange I have really got HTC Hero here. I know I'll be having problems with virtual keyboard but also I am afraid accessibility features of Android phones are not really such mastered one can use it daily. For example reading emails and content from the web browser is not yet possible. I just want to try how things work and I would also like to touch the virtual keyboard. If I can memorize computer keyboard and use it daily, typewriter keyboard, nokia mobile phone keyboard, then perhaps I might be able to make some use of this too.
I am sory but here are some more questions:
I haven't yet verified with some sighted friends but... is it possible my hero is running even older version of android like Android 1.5? I've based the assumption that it's most likelly running 1.5 because majority of the devices I was reading on the net are running it.
You've been triyng to locate eyes-free applications on the market but you were unable to find talkback. Are you sure you are running newer version of Android than 1.5?
Talkback is supposed to be installed with Android 1.6 andd 2.0 by default and you should be able to find it in the accessibility menu of your phone. I am not sure how well this applies to the custom roms.
Talkback requires google's accessibility api which is reported to be available on Android 1.6 upwards.
To tell you the full story first I've asked on the eyes-free google group whether some accessibility experts from there can help me but no one knowledgeable enough has replied to my query, so I'm trying my luck here then.
Oh I am really excited since I've got really well formed informative reply.
Thanks again
Edit:
Also, I've seen somewhere in the forums here this leaked HTC rom does not support the market. Has this been rectified already? You know if market does not work then most likelly I won't be able to install these applications I am tallking about.
Also you are mentioning possibility to wait a few weeks until HTC guys role out the official update for Hero. Wouldn't that break chances I will be able to root my device later?
Edit2:
Ooops, I should read better next time. Market works on this rom. The problem is paid apps can't be installed which is hopefully not a big issue for me since most of the accessibility enabled applications are free.
Which of the downloads from Hero 21 do I need?
63.18.55.06JU_6.35.09.26) or No Wipe Download. I will need a wipe I am sure but since this link says nowipe I am ehmmm. confused.

pvdeejay,
Unfortunately there is not an 'official' update for Android 1.6, 2.0 or 2.1 as of yet. There are rumours of one coming out soon, but nothing cast-iron yet.
You are correct in that the Hero runs 1.5. It does say it under Settings | About Phone (bottom item on list)| Firmware Version (bottom on list again), although without a working screen reader, there is probably little use in knowing how to find that.
If you did want to upgrade, I'm sure plenty of people could help find a ROM that would suit. The only issue with that is that you would need a rooted phone with a custom recovery image installed. Unfortunately, a lot of the procedures would not be easy for you, as the software that you might need to use to go through the procedure is probably not designed that well for accessibility tools. I don't know what kind of software you are using, but some of the instructions for making goldcards are quite complex, and involve editing some numbers in a 'table' which could be quite difficult for you, I would imagine.
I'm sure a friend would be able to help you out with making a goldcard/rooting if you did want to install a custom ROM (you'll probably be waiting a while otherwise ). They could even root their phone while doing yours (just share the goldcard between the devices).
Nonetheless, there is probably a ROM out there with little removed from it. I'll have a look just now, but you would need to have your phone rooted to do anything just now.

When it comes to rooting and installing custom recovery image. Do you thing the following instructions might work for me?
These instructions don't require a gold card:
- How to Root HTC Hero and Install Amon Ra Recovery Image
- How to install a custom rom on a HTC Hero

Hello,
Here are some numbers I've asked my friend to read from system -> about screen. The phone interface is in czech so I am unable to get some names translated to english, but I believe some of the geeks will understand these identifiers and might be able to help me what is best:
Code:
firmware: 1,5
63.118.55.O6U|6.35.04.25
2.6.27-a5504199
Build number: 1.76.405.6 146733 CL# 47214 release-keys
Software version: 1.0.0.A6288

pvdeejay,
to sum it up:
the hero definitly runs on android 1.5. there are no roms for older android versions, and a few homebrewn for newer versions, as we said already.
i searched for talkbalk on my 1.5 rom, so it is obvious that i couldn't find it...
about rooting of newer roms: it is just a matter of time, sooner or later there will be always methods of rooting a rom. what i meant by waiting is: wait until the official update is out, then wait a few more hours until the first rooted and customized rom is out

@pvdeejay,
I would have to agree with kendong2 that waiting for the official ROM is probably the best idea for you at the moment. There are no guarantees that an unofficial ROM would help, and it would be another user interface to try and learn.
@kendon,
I noticed he has the original, easily rooted version of the hero. IIRC, that is what I had on my G2 (and had the security unlocked bootloader out the box). If that's the case, would pvdeejay be able to 'fastboot boot' a full system img file for the purposes of testing it out to see if it meets the requirements.
The reason I ask is that I've only ever fastbooted my AmonRA recovery (I didn't flash it, because I never felt any need to). I'm guessing you could fastboot a full img, but I'm not sure about the practical issues of where it would be stored in memory...

Sorry guys originally I believed I am slowly getting into the matter and am begining to understand how flashing / rooting / upgrading home brew firmwares works on these phones.
After these 2 posts I feel like a total noob again.
Now again some very concrete questions:
What about these 2 guides I've posted links to?
Can I somehow got [Recovery] [13-Dec-2009] RA-hero-v1.5.2 installed so I will be able to do nandroid backup and then possibly flash some new roms?
Can I really brick my phone by trying to install amon ra?
Originally I thought the process works as follows:
1) get the custom recovery image installed (that's the amon ra in this case),
2) do a nandroid backup which will dump everything usefull on to the memory card,
3) backup and reformat the card,
4) download a rom, rename it to update.zip, put it onto the root folder of the cart, reboot the hero in recovery mode, do the wipe of the data partition, and run update,
5) reboot again and believe it's good.
Also some very significant bit is the thing you are all calling the radio. I am afraid I've not identified this bit thus it's missing in this summary.
Which files will I need to download if I decide to try Android 2.1 community edition 1.8? Are these files I've copied links to a few posts earlier both needed?
Can you please check this list, identify the things I am missing, and make suggestions and corrections why this may not work on my device based off of those number I tried to put down here?
Even if I won't be able to do this right now I'd be happy to get corrections as I can learn something new.
Of course I won't be doing all this on my own. I will ask my bro to read all the stuff to me and we'll do it according to your advices.
To give some bits about me and my computer skills, I believe I am a Windows power user, Basically I do also understand unix, I know what's bash how the files are arranged in a file system, can use command-line tools, telnet, ssh. I am working as a network administrator here so some background is there really.

Hi pvdeejay,
Answers to your questions here.
You can actually use fastboot to 'temporarily' load up the AmonRA recovery image into memory and run it from there. I do that on my phone, for the simple reason that I can't be bothered ) ) to flash the recovery. Once you get AmonRA running, the first thing you should do is make a Nandroid backup. It will be saved to your SD card, so then get the nandroid directory of your card and save it to your PC (just in case!)
So, here's how you'd go about this.
(Make sure you have the android sdk installed, and that adb and fastboot commands are working). USB cable should be plugged in throughout.
Before you begin, put the ROM you want (ie. Android 2.1 community edition 1.8) into the root of the microSD card (a .zip file).
Code:
adb devices
Should list your phone's serial number
Now turn off the phone, and turn it on with the back key held down (the one at the very bottom right of the device).
You should enter fastboot mode. Now type
Code:
fastboot devices
and you should see the serial number again.
Now type
Code:
fastboot boot AmonRA.img
where AmonRA.img is a file in your present working directory that is the filename of the latest custom recovery image. This does NOT flash your phone, it merely runs the image (pretty much as close as you get to risk free, other than sitting there with a tinfoil hat on )
See screenshot of the recovery image here:
http://www.sizzledcore.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/RA-hero-recovery-image-500x375.jpg
Make the Nandroid backup by choosing 'Nandroid Vx.x Backup' and waiting a while.
If your ROM needs a wipe first (most new ones do), select Wipe data/factory reset. You will lose all your user data on the device (but you've got a nandroid backup just in case)
You're now good to go. So choose "Apply sdcard:choose zip"
Now select the custom ROM zip file you downloaded. It doesn't even need to be called update.zip! Choose it from the list and push trackball.
Wait for the update.zip to go in. Do NOT turn off the device or pull the battery. First boot can take a very long time (upto 30 minutes). Just keep it plugged in via USB and wait...
As for radios, see http://android.modaco.com/content/h...-24-11-hero-roms-radios-in-update-zip-format/ and look at the section titled radios. The latest one is in bold. It is a .zip file as well, that you use these exact same instructions for to install (don't do the wipe or anything like that. Just install the .zip file)

anon2122 said:
@kendon,
I noticed he has the original, easily rooted version of the hero. IIRC, that is what I had on my G2 (and had the security unlocked bootloader out the box). If that's the case, would pvdeejay be able to 'fastboot boot' a full system img file for the purposes of testing it out to see if it meets the requirements.
The reason I ask is that I've only ever fastbooted my AmonRA recovery (I didn't flash it, because I never felt any need to). I'm guessing you could fastboot a full img, but I'm not sure about the practical issues of where it would be stored in memory...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is correct so far, i did the same, except i installed the recovery. i play a lot with my phone, the installed recovery image with the nandroid backup is the best i have ever seen for a phone...
@pvdeejay
you always write so much...
i try to answer everything:
the two guides you posted are good for your situation. i never tried flashrec, but from what i read it is safe to use. i installed my recovery image through fastboot, the guide is here: http://android.modaco.com/content/h...ng-the-patched-recovery-image-on-your-device/
i have no idea how this works out for you, but my honest suggestion would be that you have someone seeing assisting you, you CAN brick your phone, though it is not likely if you follow the instructions precisely. the process is not very time consuming at all, so you don't need to bother anyone for days of their time.
edit: and now i read your post to the end and saw that your brother will be helping you, so you are on the right track
once you have the recovery installed you can make nandroid backups, and i would suggest that you do this first thing after installing the recovery, better make a backup too much than one too less...
the 5 steps you described are correct, except there is no need to rename the zipfile anymore, you can select any .zip from your sdcard.
the radio part is the number that begins with 63.18.55.06, then comes two letters and then more numbers. as by now the version can be identified by the letters, with JU being the up-to-date one. in general you can say the newer the better, but you have to try for yourself. start with the newest one, if you have problems go back.

thanks this seems to be pretty doable plus I will easily be able to restore the current data backed using nandroid backup.
Which android SDK do I need the latest one?
The commands I need to type are supposed to be typed on the PC or on the phone? I assume on the PC but I just would like to ensure.
Hero21 1.8 community edition has a recommended radio listed in the first post. Is it necessary to install that one as well? What should I install first the actual rom or the radio? Do I need installing radio at all? Should i do the same with radio i.e. renaming it to update.zip and using amonra to install it?
Also will I be able to use this method even if I install another rom (running amonra without actually flashing it)?
Edit:
sorry guys did not realize renaming to update.zip is no longer needed.
Edit2:
is there an easy way on how to access sd card from windows? I can't just remove the card from phone and insert it into my laptop because I don't have the proper adapter. Previously my boss was using the hero and perhaps it would be nice to backup the sd card first.
Edit3:
uhmmm, installing android sdk is perhaps not as simple as it sounds.
I have just seen this article.
I am on a limited gprs internet connection, can you please suggest sdk features I won't need to save some download bandwith?

- you need only the adb binary (thats adb.exe for windows) from the sdk, the rest is not needed for this.
- install the radio from the 2.1community-rom-thread, it is the newest. install the radio first. DO NOT PULL THE BATTERY until the phone has rebooted completely. if you pull the battery during radio upgrade your phone will be dead. it takes a few minutes, do not panic!
- you can copy the contents of the sdcard via the usb-cable, plug it into your pc and pull down the notification bar...

Do I need to run SDK Setup.exe when I have downloaded android sdk for windows?
Or can I simply run that binary from the command-line without the installation?
Do I need any USB drivers so my phone can be recognized?

This Old iPAQ rx3115 (Other Oldtimers Welcome)

LMAO - No need to say it. I know my iPAQ rx3115 is a dinosaur, but so am I.
However, the damn thing refuses to die and has been a good, faithful workhorse for a loooong time. To me, that speaks to the quality of the hardware. The rx3115 just seems to be built solidly. Sad to say the PocketPC Pro 2003 (SE) operating system is at the bottom rung of the support ladder from M$ and we all know that means it will be phased out soon...
I just can't give up on my trusty rx3115. Hell, even the original battery is still holding a charge really well. And believe me, it hasn't spent a lot of time forgotten and idle despite the constant rotation of new toys that might pass through my hands. It's been used a lot and just keeps on ticking.
So, even though it continues running just fine, I'm now willing to experiment and try to make it more up-to date. Why not tinker with it since all support is fading fast? LOL if I break it now it hardly matters after all these years and I have plenty of other devices to rely on.
So yeah, I'm a bit of a noob (despite being a dinosaur ) who is willing to learn...
First step was to search the Google-sphere. Seems there are a lot more questions than answers out there for rx3115. How to upgrade the OS to WM5 or even WM6.1 Classic? I saw that asked over and over, but very few answers. Most who did reply said, "Try Universal Bootloader and a ROM image for another device..." OK, so that seemed the way to go, but is it?
There are a LOT of dead links for a Universal iPAQ Bootloader out there. I did manage to find a copy @ http://sourceforge.net/projects/ubl/files/ubl/Binaries/ where I selected the GUI version which came as an executable. Double clicking it creates a folder which UBL runs out of.
Caution: My system flagged it as having a Worm in the Vista Driver folders (2... Vista and Vista x64) and the Vista Drivers.exe application.
Who wants Wormy drivers? For that matter, who wants Vista?
I'm not qualified to judge if it is a false positive to some of the developers legitimate code. Maybe someone more savvy might want to take a look at it and make a ruling...
So I sanitized UBL by quarantining and deleting the offenders. Next, I asked Windows 7 to run it under compatibility mode for XP service pack 2. (It looks like it was always an XP box utility anyway.)
Here's a sanitized version of UBL for download. http://www.mediafire.com/file/7anraar1tkc3lz1/BootLoader.rar This is a rar of the extracted file folder (minus the Wormy bits). Just expand it and run "Bootloader.exe" right inside the folder. Maybe someone else will have more luck playing with it than I did.
I could in no way make it communicate with my rx3115 under Windows 7. Mtty always fails to open the port. I tried following the advice of UBL's readme and making a settings.ini file to direct mtty to the right port, but with no luck. IDK - I never wrote an .ini file before. Maybe I messed it up. I tried a few variations (settings/bootloader settings/mtty settings for file names) all with no success.
Then I used a friend's XP system and got closer... UBL gets past the mtty stage and opens the com with my rx3115, but then the ROM flash just hangs at 0%. I tried several times with no further success. And without the ROM being cooked for my specific device, flashing from the SD card is out.
I was hoping to force flash the Kitchen WM6.1 Classic ROM for rx1950 I got from this xda thread by Victory144 and Guifort: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=510764 The ROM size is perfect for rx3115!!!
Heck, I even tried looking at the RUU's from valid rx3115 and rx1950 ROM updates and seeing if I could puzzle out how to cobble something with a Hex Editor. But I'm not really qualified for that.
It's been a lot of years and no one has cooked an upgrade ROM for rx3115 yet. At least as far as I can tell. But even recently I've seen rx3115 owners posting to forums and asking for an upgrade. I know I'm not alone in this desire and that's why I started this thread. Maybe some other rx3115 owners will join this discussion. We might just figure something out.
Something else I've begun looking into is installing Linux on my rx3115. It seems possible and there are a few reports of it being done, but little in the way of tutorials for the challenged. More on that later...
Or... maybe I'm crazy... Doesn't the Samsung s3c2440 CPU meet the minimum system requirements (@ 300mhz) for XP Tablet? CPU's can be overclocked anyway and the s3c2440 should be capable of sustained 400mhz efforts. It is set at that speed in some other PDAs The RAM is right at the bottom edge of requirements as well, IF all 64mb can be freed up for the user. Is there a way to boot XP Tablet off an SD card? Could the RAM/ROM chipsets be instructed to act as two RAM slots for that purpose creating 96mb RAM? Am I just a fool?
I welcome any advice, questions, derisive laughter... whatever...
I'll be checking the thread and updating the reports of my efforts.
Thanx for stopping in.

Maybe I'm missing a step...
If I press Mobile Media (button 1) + iTask (button 4) + Power + Reset
I get a blank white screen with the HP logo in the center and the revision #'s on the top...
From here (Bootloader screen - right???) rx3115 will try to flash ROM from an SD card if one is inserted that has a ROM image. Unfortunately I don't have a valid image except the 1.01.11 ROM of WM 2003 that I want to upgrade away from.
However - and this may be where I'm missing a step - without an SD card inserted I can't get bootloader to show USB connection. I've tried every button and combo of buttons I can to try and get USB to show up on the bootloader screen.
I feel like I'm missing something and that next step will allow Universal Bootloader to force flash a WM6.1 ROM under XP.
Any help? Anyone? How to get USB connection for bootloader with rx3115?

Handhelds.org continues to be down for maintenance. They are the distribution and support site for Familiar Linux, an alternative iPAQ OS. They were supposed to be reopened last week...
Angstrom Linux has shown itself capable of running on iPAQ and I found a very in depth tutorial - LOL - but it's in Spanish. I'm sorry to say me Spanish es no bueno. There's even a video on YouTube of Angstrom on an iPAQ rx3115 - so I know it can be done. Again though, it's in Spanish.
Today I'm checking out a "Live RAMdisk" version of Angstrom. It's like a LiveBoot CD Linux. You can boot and run Linux from storage (SD card) without installing. Instead of "try before you buy," it allows you to test before you install. At least I will get a chance to see how the Angstrom OS handles without having to flash my ROM and then reflash if I want to revert to WM 2003.
They have LiveRAMdisk and install versions supported for iPAQ h2200, h3900, h4000 and hx4700. The h5000 series is still in testing. More information is @ angstrom-distribution.org/taxonomy/term/6
I'm going to try the LiveRAMdisk version for the h2200 series as it's closest to rx3115. Same RAM and ROM, but the h2200 uses an Intel Xscale CPU rather than the Samsung... Still, it's the closest hardware match to the rx3115 out of all the supported models.
I'll post back about how AngPAQ handles.

HandHelds.org is still down. A shame since my research indicates Familiar Linux associates closely with PDAs...
Seems Ubuntu had a project they've abandoned or moved beyond (depending on your perspective), but the hardware requirements are way beyond iPAQ. They do have some stables for anyone interested. Google Ubuntu Mobile or Ubuntu MDI. Might be a nice alternative for some earlier tablet users...
Like they say..... BACKUP your data before any major changes!!!
I did try the LiveRAMdisk version of Angstrom Linux for h2200...
The LiveRAMdisk is a 23mb self executing file that you open from the root of your SD card. It was a non-starter. After booting from my SD card the iPAQ froze. I did a hard reset and freed up as much memory as I could from WM 2003 before trying again. Same result.
No worries, restored from backup and all is OK with my rx3115.
Just to be sure I tried with another method called a Loopback Image. I downloaded an Angstrom/Opie (full PDA style GUI) image and a bootloader from the Angstrom repository as another method of running Angstrom from my SD card. You use 7zip to extract the downloaded .bz2 and it inflates into a robust sized image (96mb in the case of h2200). Add the image and the bootloader to the same location on your SD card (preferably root). Execute the bootloader and run Angstrom off of your SD card. This too failed to run after several attempts...
LOL - another hard reset and restore from back up after each try.
I'm convinced it's a hardware incompatibility due to the difference in processors between h2200 and rx3115. But, darn it, if you look at development boards you find that they use Angstrom on boards with the same Samsung s3c2440 CPU that rx3115 has.
Next step is to try and find some of the Angstrom versions used on those development boards... And hope I get more than a bare-bones, command line only GUI.
If you have one of the supported iPAQs (h2200, h3900, h4000, h5000 or hx4700) it may well be worth your while to try running a Loopback Image from your SD or CF card. A full Linux emvironment when you want and you can always hard reset and restore to get back to Windows Mobile. More information can be found @:
(www) linuxtogo.org/gowiki/WinCeQuickInstall

Well, the Angstrom online builder won't give me Opie in a build for a mini2440 board.
I did find a .tar.bz2 that someone built up from Angstrom and marked as "Angstrom-opie-image-glibc-test-20070620-rx3000.rootfs.tar.bz2" (Thanx whynot). If I can convert the extracted .tar to .img I could try a Loopback Image with it from my SD card... Meanwhile, I suppose I have to start learning how to build up the bootloader myself. *sigh* Did I mention that I'm more of a hardware guy?
Handhelds.org still down.
Despite all the Linux talk I'm still trying to get a higher version of WinCE to install on rx3115... Options are good if you can manage to have them.
Ongoing Questions/Help Sought:
1) Anyone have a cooked ROM (or want to cook one) for iPAQ rx3115 that would flash WM5 or WM6.1 Classic to the rx3115?
2) Any help or suggestions with UBL (Universal BootLoader)?
a) Is the UBL I found @ sourceforge really infected with a worm?
(Note that it is marked as uploaded by the original UBL developer chrismrulz)
b) Am I better off leaving out the suspect Vista Drivers and just using an XP box to run UBL anyway?​
3) Why can't I get rx3115 to acknowledge USB under the iPAQ bootloader screen?
4) Could someone go over to HandHelds.org to knock on their door and tell them to get their site back up already?
5) Anyone know how to. or can suggest software to, Convert .tar to .img?
6) Any other Linux Distros I should be looking at as suitable for iPAQ rx3115?
7) Will anyone else post to this thread or am I just Blogging here?
a) Am I boring all the fine xda members?
b) Or are my bungling attempts at least providing a good laugh? ​

Yesterday I checked out NetBSD (Unix). They have prepared distributions for a wide array of PCs and Devices... I took a chance and tried one for Strong ARM iPAQs (even though rx3115 is Friendly ARM). Another no go... But I will say that they have the nicest bootloader of all the options I've worked with so far.
Now that I have my minimum posts in, thanx to Blogging in this thread and trying to help some seemingly lost first time posters, I can finally post outside links to the forum. HUZZAH!!!!
There are a few things I've got for download by anyone interested.
Here's the Universal BootLoader with GUI for iPAQ from chrismrulz, without the suspect Vista Drivers. So (I believe) it only works on XP boxes.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/7anraar1tkc3lz1/BootLoader.rar
I had tried a few overclock programs recently... ClockWizard, Pocket Hack Master and XCPUscalar.
ClockWizard is freeware and worth exactly that IMHO. I found it buggy to run...
Pocket Hack Master supports a lot of processors including the s3c2440. I got a version from somewhere with a working serial#. Again, I didn't care for it despite rave reviews elsewhere for other devices.
XCPUscalar worked the best for me, even though there is no official support for Friendly ARM. I found a version which is a free install cab of this $ware. There are a few tricks for some to get the scaling feature to work and that helped me get her configured... I included a .txt of the advice.
All 3 overclocks in one .rar file are here:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/636a5cl8ofzaa2z/OverClock.rar
As a "best of" I broke out XCPUscalar separately.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z593cqhbnvegpg9/XCPUScalar.arm.CAB
Along with the advice .txt.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/igoragriu8lc2ha/XCPU tricks.txt
Here's the LiveRAMdisk of Angstrom Linux for iPAQ h2200.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/i61956852696grp/Angstrom-x11-image-liveramdisk-2007.12-h2200.exe
Just load it on your SD card and execute it from there to boot into Angstrom. Check out their guide to installing Angstrom under WindowsCE.
http://www.linuxtogo.org/gowiki/WinCeQuickInstall
Of the two methods (LiveRAMdisc or Loopback Image), I think Loopback Image seems more promising...
Check their Repository to see which machines are supported by stable releases.
http://www.angstrom-distribution.org/releases/2007.12/images/
Or visit http://www.angstrom-distribution.org/ for more information. They are heavily into embedded.
Here's the NetBSD files I grabbed all in one .rar file. This executable will boot NetBSD for the following devices: IPAQ h3100, h3600, h3660, h3900, Jornado 720(US/Many Europe/Japan) & Jornado 820(US/Japan).
http://www.mediafire.com/file/ync2ltv3l7oo4si/NetBSD.rar
Inside the folder are the 3 files you need to boot NetBSD under WindowsCE (hpcboot.exe, netbsd-IPAQ.gz and netbsd-IPAQ.symbols.gz) Put all three files on the root of your memory card and execute bootloader to boot into NetBSD.
Also in the .rar is a list of the md5 checksums for each file.
NetBSD has a lot of support for older hardware. Look them up: http://netbsd.org/
Or check out their long list of supported machines.
http://netbsd.org/ports/
If anyone needs a widget for verifying md5 checksums under Windows OS, here's an outstanding one from Jem Berkes. I've used this freeware many times (On XP and Win7). A nice, small footprint program that just works great.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/bhebw4ozo6dz767/md5sum checker.rar

rx3115
I have an rx3115 also. I have tried angstrom, with no luck. I am following your progress.

Thanks for the reply, kati. Now I don't feel so lonely.
And I added a Thanks to your meter for your post in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=472643
It seems like your post there got a cook interested in our device. I posted some links and PMed him some info. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Maybe he can port over the WM 6.1 Classic ROM that was among the links I sent him. (Thanks tomcug)
Meanwhile...
Handhelds.org is still down.
Angstrom has added a new release (2011.03), but the online builder still won't include Opie in the .tar for mini2440 boards (my best hope for a working Angstrom straight from the source).
I'm still holding out hope for the "Angstrom-opie-image-glibc-test-20070620-rx3000.rootfs.tar.bz2" that I found.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/f2fsd...age-glibc-test-20070620-rx3000.rootfs.tar.bz2
I just need to find the right kernel and HaRet bootloader for it to run from SD card...
I'm basing that work on this document for installing a Loopback Image which I got translated from Portuguese (Thanx Rubberman).
http://www.mediafire.com/file/ci92vshhpojbyb8/AngPAQ rx3115.pdf
And I'm following the progress of whynot on another board where he documents his efforts to port Angstrom onto rx3115.
Here's a couple more things available for download...
The last official WM 2003 update (1.01.11) with installer
http://www.mediafire.com/file/i6k0935chhkgzlh/iPAQ rx3115 ROM 1_01_11.exe
The cooked ROM of WM 6.1 Classic designed for the rx1950. (.nbf file only)
http://www.mediafire.com/file/iu9p815w3yjpy6h/CEOS.nbf
In case any other cooks want to look at it. At 27.82mb it would just fit on rx3115 and may benefit from being trimmed down. Or someone might have more luck flashing it with the UBL mentioned above.
Here's the whole kitchen package from Victory144 and Guifort
http://www.mediafire.com/file/nna2yo92q2beiik/Flasher_Hp_Ipaq_rx1950_ENG_WM6.1.rar
It includes the installer and the .cab for the appropriate version of Mobile Office.
And just the Office cab for any WM 6.x users who may need it
http://www.mediafire.com/file/nmz3sbyuxan7c4e/office_wpc_WM6.CAB
LOL it seems rx3115s are popping up out of retirement (at least from what I see in the Googlesphere). In case any resurrected machines need it, here's the Daylight Savings Time patch for the new DST schedule.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/i51hkr3c8ep8t5e/Daylight Savings Fix.exe
Stay tuned... I'm still working on Linux booting from an SD card.

rx3115 user whynot has been having some luck getting Angstrom to boot from an SD card. I'm trying to get the proper kernel and HaRet from him. Here's his thread:
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/mobile-devices/175821-ipaq-hp-rx3115.html
Today I uploaded ActiveSync 3.7.1 in an attempt to help xda member Orangekid sync an old device under Windows XP. If anyone else wants this fossil it can be downloaded from here:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/88xr4pjl14x7883/ACTSYNC_3_7_1.rar

A couple more things I uploaded to help others...
Uedit32 Hex Editor:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/6r8ffn1fq3bh9mu/uedit32.exe
mtty11a a command console for sending commands to iPAQ.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/7srppxvnr728ime/mtty11a.exe
A tutorial on How to install a different language ROM in your PDA I grabbed from another site and turned into a PDF:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/5e48n571jg1adqb/How to install a different language ROM in you PDA.pdf
LOL helping him has helped me... I hope. I may have a better idea of how to use a Hex Editor to change the WM 6.1 ROM and make it installable for rx3115.
I've also learned how to use mtty to make a backup of the ROM image on iPAQ to an SD card. I'll post details here later IF anyone posts that they are interested. I'd rather get back to work on my projects than spend time blogging right now.

LMAO - Handhelds.org is still down. They are one month overdue for coming back online.
I tried a few new ways to get the Kitchen ROM for rx1950 to flash to rx3115. No luck again.
tomcug has apparently given up on cooking a WM6.1 ROM for rx3115...
whynot finally replied to my query with a few tips and hints... I'll be making another run at getting Angstrom Linux to boot from SD card soon...

RumoredNow said:
LMAO - Handhelds.org is still down. They are one month overdue for coming back online.
I tried a few new ways to get the Kitchen ROM for rx1950 to flash to rx3115. No luck again.
tomcug has apparently given up on cooking a WM6.1 ROM for rx3115...
whynot finally replied to my query with a few tips and hints... I'll be making another run at getting Angstrom Linux to boot from SD card soon...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still following ya I may not have an rx1950 but I think it's cool to see what other people on here can do. I'm rooting for you!

Great thread! I just recently started searching for Linux options for the two H3835's I have gathering dust. I retired them long ago for more modern hardware.
Now my kids (8 and 6) have taken over my (and my wife's), Android phones to play games on every time we get in the car. So I thought I'd see what I could do with the old iPaqs to make gaming devices for the kids. But before I can try to get any games running, I have to get an OS on them.
Anybody out there having any luck with the H3835? It appears from the Angstrom Forums that the "lightning fast" 206mhz StrongArm processor isn't up to the task of running Angstrom.
Handhelds.org is still down, so I can't try Familiar yet. I read somewhere else that the delay in bringing the site back up is due to the developers & site admins being adversely impacted by Nokia's recent decision to cease development on Maemo/Meego in favor of Windows Mobile 7. If that's the case, maybe it will be down permanently?
Sadly, I'm a compulsive tinkerer with old hardware and I may not be able to rest until I get it working or brick the silly things.

Thanks for joining my thread Markedswan.
Yeah, Handhelds.org is still down... Interesting rumor - I think I read on a wiki page that there is a split among the developers over some code. The server owner may have frozen access pending legal clarifications. LMAO - It's supposed to be Open Source.
I too am a relentless tinkerer. I understand the upgrade or brick it mentality.
First thing I did was look up the h3835 specs on www.pdadb.net That Intel StrongARM SA-1110 CPU looked familiar from my research so I double checked...
NetBSD (Unix) supports lots of old hardware. Your CPU is in their Tier I support group (the highest level of support). http://netbsd.org/ports/#ports-tier1 (The hpcarm listing.) Clicking that link shows that your processor is supported. http://netbsd.org/ports/hpcarm/#processors
h3835 is not listed specifically, but your system architecture is the same as the h3600 series. The only difference is you have twice the ROM. The NetBSD package that I tried should boot on h3835 from the SD card.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/ync2ltv3l7oo4si/NetBSD.rar
or if you prefer to get it from the source
http://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-5.1/hpcarm/
Don't forget the MD5sum checker if you need it. A list of the MD5 sums for each file is in the NetBSD folder.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/bhebw4ozo6dz767/md5sum checker.rar
Good luck and be sure to go to http://netbsd.org/ for documentation and support help.

Interesting
Interesting work going on here. Have you tried Android 0.8? It seems to be the most light-weight and flexible choice of Android out there.

Hmmm... That's a thought. I'll definitely look into it. I'm still trying to block out some time to get Angstrom to boot up. I finally got a working (or so my source says) HaRet. I just need the right Linux image.
But I'll give Android 0.8 a try for sure.

I've read that Android was too much for these devices. Memory on Android devices is in the Gigibytes (my phone has 10 GB on board I believe) while the iPaqs have less than 100mb typically (mine has 96mb between the RAM and ROM). I have no idea if that is truly the case though. Maybe with a decent size CF or SD card on board?
Rumorednow: NetBSD looks promising from what I've read on the website. Do you know off hand what window manager options will work with the handhelds? I wasn't seeing anything in the packages specifically for handhelds, maybe I missed something. I'll dig deeper, but thought I'd ask in case you knew.
I have the Compact Flash jacket for my 3835, so was thinking about trying Debian (which I'm more comfortable with) & can boot off a 1 GB Compact Flash card. Debian's site says the ARM version was designed with XScale processors and some of the custom router processors in mind, but the instruction set is specficially called out as being V4 for maximum compatability (the StrongARM in my iPaq uses the V4 instruction set) rather than the V5 native to the XScale series which came after StrongARM was introduced. So maybe it will work? I believe OPIE works with Debian as a window manager and that seems pretty slick and well supported.
I'll be living out of a suitcase for work pretty much all of May, so I'll have some time to tinker on this more in the evenings then. But, maybe someone will have it all figured out by then though?

Markedwsan said:
I've read that Android was too much for these devices. Memory on Android devices is in the Gigibytes (my phone has 10 GB on board I believe) while the iPaqs have less than 100mb typically (mine has 96mb between the RAM and ROM). I have no idea if that is truly the case though. Maybe with a decent size CF or SD card on board?
Rumorednow: NetBSD looks promising from what I've read on the website. Do you know off hand what window manager options will work with the handhelds? I wasn't seeing anything in the packages specifically for handhelds, maybe I missed something. I'll dig deeper, but thought I'd ask in case you knew.
I have the Compact Flash jacket for my 3835, so was thinking about trying Debian (which I'm more comfortable with) & can boot off a 1 GB Compact Flash card. Debian's site says the ARM version was designed with XScale processors and some of the custom router processors in mind, but the instruction set is specficially called out as being V4 for maximum compatability (the StrongARM in my iPaq uses the V4 instruction set) rather than the V5 native to the XScale series which came after StrongARM was introduced. So maybe it will work? I believe OPIE works with Debian as a window manager and that seems pretty slick and well supported.
I'll be living out of a suitcase for work pretty much all of May, so I'll have some time to tinker on this more in the evenings then. But, maybe someone will have it all figured out by then though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The packed android kernel is only 30 or 40 mb if i'm not mistaken. You would have the whole thing from there.

Hi I'm new and registered specifically because of this thread. I gotta agree with you, waaay too little support for the rx3115. I love this iPaq, have 2 of them and I use them for everything (especially with the nifty universal remote feature, I run around and turn things on and off and annoy my girlfriend a lot). As great as I think it is, it really needs some updating in any way possible really.
Great job on pushing forward with all the different options. Anything you need a second tester on just give me a shout, my 2nd one can be used as a guinea pig

Also... What happened to handhelds.org? I check in every day wishing for a shinning ray of hope that they'll be up and running again soon

Dual Boot,Splitting Partitions

Can you dual boot or any other way to have 2 different roms installed at the same time,so i can switch back and forth?Like windows either at boot or logging in and out of 2 different desktops.
Maybe find a way to split the partitions.Any suggestions would be great.

Duel= 2 roms fighting. Make it dual. Thought it was funny, no malice intended.

lol - duel - dual...
It would be interesting if that was possible. There would have to be another program in there to act as the buffer between both OS's though - that would take control of the start-up, hold on a page that has both options and then would boot the option you want.
Not sure if that's possible since some files are right on the root and in order to have an OS work it can't have files in the same directory - they would just overwrite each other.
But, I too, have wondered if it would ever happen. Be a great way to test new ROM's if you didn't always have to overwrite the existing ROM but rather, you could place a new ROM in a special directory and then run it from that - or partition the internal memory with the new partition available to boot from and store.

partition the internal memory with the new partition available to boot from and store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats exactly what i was thinking,partition the system os,i rebuild computers and a little system modding in windows,but this is a linux based os,so it would be a little odd for me.I'm gonna look into this a little more.

You may try to contact the guys who developed boot manager. www.init2winitapps.com they have a listing of supported devices and a request form. Works on the thunderbolt 5 slots for 5 roms, I'm unsure how difficult it would be to add support for the iconia.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

ibsk8 said:
You may try to contact the guys who developed boot manager. www.init2winitapps.com they have a listing of supported devices and a request form. Works on the thunderbolt 5 slots for 5 roms, I'm unsure how difficult it would be to add support for the iconia.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks,i submitted the idea,lets see if they will run with it,hopefully they will find interest.

Hello Diabblo,
Any update on that?
I think the idea of dual boot (or 5al boot) is just fantastic!
I have beside my iconia a501 a poor old zt180s and it can triple boot on android, ubuntu and WinCE!
Best,
Inji.

inji75 said:
Hello Diabblo,
Any update on that?
I think the idea of dual boot (or 5al boot) is just fantastic!
I have beside my iconia a501 a poor old zt180s and it can triple boot on android, ubuntu and WinCE!
Best,
Inji.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im guessing that device has a open non encrypted boot loader. The Iconia was encrypted at birth with the 3.2 push they tightened security even more from whqt I have read.So this is likely never happening unless acer changes ttjere boot loader policy.not likely to happen.
hope this helps you understand more of this issue.

I'm dual-booting my A500 right now with ICS and Ubuntu. The method for dual-booting is a replacement recovery.img which contains a Linux kernel and acts as a bootloader for Linux. Ubuntu itself runs from a rootfs.img on the internal storage (there's also recovery.img's available to run from external SD too). If I want to run Android, I just boot my tab normally. When I wanna run Ubuntu, I hold vol+ as I'm turning it on to force the modded recovery to load. It's a pretty cool setup more info in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1158260

Dear Erica Renee and Bloodflame,
Thanks a lot for your answers. Ok, I got it with the encrypted bootloader.
Will try the method described by Bloodflame.
Actually, since I got these tablets my main use of them is flashing new ROMs... I don't really have the use of new ROMs but I think it's so exciting!
Cheers,
Inji.

I don't believe the encryption is the problem.
The current boot loader is available unencrypted in update packages if anyone want to have a look at it.
Replacing the boot loader on the device is done as part of a down grade procedure described elsewhere on this forum.
So unless I'm missing something, the problem is more likely time and interest. Someone need to care enough about it and have the time to make some other boot loader work. Or patch Acer's. Either way it is likely to require quite a bit of time and patience.

So let me see if I have this correct. Acer's hardware bios code is 'locked down' enough to keep the average code manipulator out? A custom boot loader needs to be dev'd that can communicate correctly to be able to handle Android recovery and a linux/android boot screen etc. ? Could someone elaborate more blatantly if I am incorrect...

[SUPPORT] Ouya Boot Menu Support Thread

Hello everyone,
This thread previously was a discussion area for the Ouya Boot Menu feature during its early development.
It's now being transitioned to a support area. The new project description/download page is at:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2499673.
Thanks!

CWM Bootloop
Hal9k+1 said:
Hello everyone, attached is the ZIP of an updated CWM Recovery IMG file.
This image is based on the latest stock Ouya kernel in GitHub. The kernel contains some newer HDMI code, which will hopefully increase the chance of getting the CWM graphics showing up properly. I also turned off HDMI’s HDCP in the compile (not needed for a utility partition such as this), and grabbed a patch from Kulve’s Ouya kernel fork to really ensure HDCP bypass.
More importantly, the image contains Tasssadar’s excellent work involving KExec-HardBoot. This technology should allow for the implementation of a “fastboot boot”-related capability from a running ROM, enabling kernel chain loading. The recovery image in particular will be a place to practice with KExec-HardBoot, and come up with a booting method that could eventually be flashed to the boot/kernel partition.
It is fine (and recommended) to fastboot to this image as a quick verification of things. However, it will be necessary to flash to the Recovery (“SOS”) partition for proper testing of KExec-HardBoot, since there’s an embedded reboot (to Recovery in this case) in there. Do *NOT* flash this to the Boot.
A simple chain load test can be done by extracting “zImage” from this image, and “initramfs.cpio.gz” from your current ROM kernel. (Included is “unmkbootimg” that can help here - runs on Linux.) Push these to /tmp on the Ouya while it is running this image. Then enter the Ouya shell and do:
kexec --load-hardboot zImage --initrd initramfs.cpio.gz --mem-min=0xA0000000 --command-line=”$(cat /proc/cmdline)”
kexec -e
It should come up with this new kernel under your current ROM’s environment. As verification, you should see kexec files under /sys/kernel.
I’m looking to implement a basic chain loading application. It would come up before the Recovery and ADB services, and do the following:
% Pause for a bit, to allow any Alt-SysRq keyboard action (jump to Recovery or Bootloader) that may be needed.
% Check for any attached USB mass-storage devices (e.g., thumb drive), and look for the file “kernel.img”. Pull it in and boot it if present.
% If that failed, then look to “/system/kernel.img” on the Ouya itself, and boot it.
% And if that didn’t pan out, then exit and allow Recovery/ADB services to come up.
I hope all of this will be of help to others along the way!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will this help with the problem I have?..
New update today it downloads automatically and then reboot to CWM and it fail verification...reboot system and it does all over again?...Any ideas Plz

View2Askew said:
Will this help with the problem I have?..
New update today it downloads automatically and then reboot to CWM and it fail verification...reboot system and it does all over again?...Any ideas Plz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I'm not sure I understand. It sounds like the new stock firmware update is failing to go in, perhaps because of consistent download corruption. Whether you're actually being dropped in to the recovery partition is unclear. You might try the download again with the other networking type (Ethernet vs WiFi). You might also just disconnect from the network for the time being, and see if you remain in the firmware without interruption. From there you can consider setting up ADB to see if you can administer the Ouya from a PC.
My post is more for the developers at heart, just in case my investigation piqued anyone's interest. Ideally the post would go in the Development section, but I evidently need a few more posts here to unlock that area.
Best of luck!

Dual booting
Yes, please do enable dual/multi booting
Is there something I can do to help in that regard?

kulve said:
Yes, please do enable dual/multi booting
Is there something I can do to help in that regard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks kulve, and thank you for the kernel patch set. I need to get familiar with the offerings there.
I don't see any blockages in my plan so far; I just need to start in and see what comes up. At least it's a better feeling than the dead-ends encountered with the U-Boot and regular KExec investigations.
Someone more enterprising could possibly port in the MultiROM project, but I'll stick with this. Will let you know if I get stuck.

My findings so far...
- I've finally decided that shutting off HDCP in the build does nothing to help avoid the funky pink/purple squeezed screen that sometimes appears when CWM comes up. With my Asus monitor, I see the issue when the monitor was in sleep mode. Likewise, if I can switch the monitor to HDMI input at the same time as starting Recovery, then it's fine. It may be possible to hack in a fix by somehow starting and closing an HDMI session shortly before CWM itself starts. (I don't want to fight this too hard but would be nice to resolve.)
- I see how to pull the kernel and ramdisk out of an Android image (on the Ouya itself), so that they could be passed to KExec-HardBoot. I've done it with a script as a test but it may end up in an executable.
- I tried out a USB thumb drive. It's detected but no block device is made available under /dev -- I've finally decided that support is likely in a kernel module, which does not exist on the Recovery image. I'm probably not going to sweat this due to the next item.
- I notice that the CWM application can read the Ouya power button as something comparable to a keyboard key press. Borrowing this capability may allow us to count the button presses in a limited time range, and thus boot an appropriate image. (Would be easier than dealing with the pairing of the controller, but at least still wouldn't require a keyboard.) With this line of thought, I'm thinking the main image could sit in /system while any alternates could be in /sdcard or /data.
So in general, studying the code of the CWM application appears to be the next direction. Thanks - feel free to send any ideas.

Hal9k+1 said:
- I've finally decided that shutting off HDCP in the build does nothing to help avoid the funky pink/purple squeezed screen that sometimes appears when CWM comes up. With my Asus monitor, I see the issue when the monitor was in sleep mode. Likewise, if I can switch the monitor to HDMI input at the same time as starting Recovery, then it's fine. It may be possible to hack in a fix by somehow starting and closing an HDMI session shortly before CWM itself starts. (I don't want to fight this too hard but would be nice to resolve.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does the rendering in CWM? Is it Android or something lower level? I think my kernel has better HDMI support but for that the software needs to use that explicitly instead of the default one as there is not internal LCD panel (/dev/graphics/fb0 vs. fb1).

kulve said:
What does the rendering in CWM? Is it Android or something lower level? I think my kernel has better HDMI support but for that the software needs to use that explicitly instead of the default one as there is not internal LCD panel (/dev/graphics/fb0 vs. fb1).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does look to be low-level, as CWM directly opens /dev/graphics/fb0 and uses ioctl() on it. I've decided to try my own compile of CWM as it does look to be a nice base for the booting effort. Will definitely look to your patches for the improved HDMI when I'm all ready -- thanks!

Hal9k+1 said:
It does look to be low-level, as CWM directly opens /dev/graphics/fb0 and uses ioctl() on it. I've decided to try my own compile of CWM as it does look to be a nice base for the booting effort. Will definitely look to your patches for the improved HDMI when I'm all ready -- thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed your comments related to this on the "Ouya CWM Recovery" thread but I'm not allowed to post there, so I'll post here.
Or actually repost as I'm mostly repeating myself. I had all kinds of issues in getting output using /dev/graphics/fb0 in Linux with the stock Ouya kernel but after some fixes the fb1 seems to work quite reliable. I get the output even if I don't have HDMI plugged in during the boot and it chooses the right resolution both for my TV (1080p) and for my monitor (1680x1050).

To all: I have updated the attachment that's present on the first post. I've synced to the latest Ouya kernel and pulled in the next HDMI patch set from Kulve. My HDMI issue now appears to be fully resolved.
Kulve: Thanks so much for refocusing me! I should have grabbed the patch from day 1, but that summary description had me a bit spooked. Note that I kept the HDMI/PRIMARY symbol enabled, so there's still only the fb0 device on this kernel.
With this handled and due to my thinking in general, I'm going to back away from trying to compile CWM itself -- I don't want to invest in CM10.1's environment at this time. Instead I will borrow CWM's UI and input technology to build an independent front-end with this Ubuntu/glibc environment I have working. My idea is to release another Recovery image when that's ready so we'll have a chance to practice/debug before moving to the Boot image.

Hal9k+1 said:
Kulve: Thanks so much for refocusing me! I should have grabbed the patch from day 1, but that summary description had me a bit spooked. Note that I kept the HDMI/PRIMARY symbol enabled, so there's still only the fb0 device on this kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hit the Thanks button
Anyway, do you have your kernel source code somewhere? Being able to use multiple resolutions on HDMI while keeping it as primary might be something that many Ouya Android gamers want as they might be able to play at 720p then.

ooo nice, ill try it out and see what happens

kulve said:
Hit the Thanks button
Anyway, do you have your kernel source code somewhere? Being able to use multiple resolutions on HDMI while keeping it as primary might be something that many Ouya Android gamers want as they might be able to play at 720p then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Done! :laugh:
My modified files were tarred up and placed in the ZIP; let me know of any possible issue. I'm not planning on a GIT account, but anyone may feel free to pull anything back to their project. Also I understand that sticking with HDMI/PRIMARY may reduce some of the capability/flexibility you're seeing, but I wanted to stay honored to the Android/CM layout expectation if possible.

Hal9k+1 said:
Done! :laugh:
My modified files were tarred up and placed in the ZIP; let me know of any possible issue. I'm not planning on a GIT account, but anyone may feel free to pull anything back to their project. Also I understand that sticking with HDMI/PRIMARY may reduce some of the capability/flexibility you're seeing, but I wanted to stay honored to the Android/CM layout expectation if possible.
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Any chance of getting some concise installation instructions?

zondajag said:
Any chance of getting some concise installation instructions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a quick executive summary until I can update the 1st post.
I'm reminded there's another XDA project (Ouya Safe Recovery) with a very similar goal as this, and works by reversing the Boot and Recovery concepts. However it's completely incompatible with us, and those users should not be doing any flashing -- at least not until we have a Boot image ready.
First step is to get rcvy092613.img to the Ouya in its /tmp directory. This may be done with an "adb push rcvy092613.img /tmp" command, or can by done through Secure Copy if an appropriate SSH server is set up.
Next step is to access the Ouya shell, either running from the main ROM or from a Recovery ROM. Be sure to become root (ensure "#" in the prompt) as needed.
Run the following to back up the old image:
cd /dev/block/platform/sdhci-tegra.3/by-name/
dd if=SOS of=/sdcard/old_rcvy.img
Make sure the new image is correct - should see "2a882d1ba8c2d543503cacb49ab0d397":
md5sum /tmp/rcvy092613.img
On to flashing Recovery:
dd if=/tmp/rcvy092613.img of=SOS
Now wait at least a full minute in case there is any internal flushing still taking place. And to finish up:
sync
reboot recovery

Aye....never enough time to tinker it seems, especially with getting over this flu.
At this point I have my own compiled code splitting the boot image file, as well as counting the power button clicks.
I want to see if I can make a welcome/instruction screen, probably by getting CWM's minui down to its core essence. From there it will hopefully just be normal integration work to achieve a new Recovery for testing.

Everyone, a new boot menu is ready for testing. Please read through the first post to see if you'd like to try it out. Apologies once again for the delay in getting this ready.

Hal9k+1 said:
Everyone, a new boot menu is ready for testing. Please read through the first post to see if you'd like to try it out. Apologies once again for the delay in getting this ready.
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Did I read correctly that the image support multibooting?

kulve said:
Did I read correctly that the image support multibooting?
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Click to collapse
Hi again Kulve. It supports three Android boot images - the main + two alternates: kernel.img, kernelA1.img, & kernelA2.img. It prefers to see the selected image in /sdcard, but will shift to /system as needed.
So, it is multi-booting, but you should keep in mind that there is still only the single /system partition. So installing two normal ROMs together probably won't work out, due to that common storage area. However, one of the ROMs could be based out of /system, while any others could use some form of external/networked storage. Note that the Android image format contains both the kernel and the initial ramdisk, so I feel that a multi-boot arrangement could be done.

Hal9k+1 said:
Hi again Kulve. It supports three Android boot images - the main + two alternates: kernel.img, kernelA1.img, & kernelA2.img. It prefers to see the selected image in /sdcard, but will shift to /system as needed.
So, it is multi-booting, but you should keep in mind that there is still only the single /system partition. So installing two normal ROMs together probably won't work out, due to that common storage area. However, one of the ROMs could be based out of /system, while any others could use some form of external/networked storage. Note that the Android image format contains both the kernel and the initial ramdisk, so I feel that a multi-boot arrangement could be done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My kernel is hard coded to mount the Debian (or whatever) rootfs from /dev/sdaX so Ouya's internal partitioning doesn't matter. It would be really cool to be able to put kernelA1.im to /sdcard, an USB flash drive to the USB port and boot to Debian without tinkering with adb/fastboot/etc. on a PC.
I'm not currently using any initrd-images but adding something simple should be straightforward.

[WINDOWS] [DOWNLOADS] Would we want a Lineage OS Installer?

Hello!
Normally when I come on the XDA forums, I am asking a question, because I end up making a silly mistake in Android. I never like to put out promotional content for attention, and that is surely what I am not doing here, I am simply putting my work out there to see if the community would like it and if we do like, we can begin setting it up for other devices immediately. Now, I am not a skilled programmer at all, but I know SOME Visual Basic with Windows Forum Applications, so I thought "why not give it a shot." I just wanted to say that.
So I made this simple little application called Lineage OS Installer. Now, reading through some of the comments on the Lineage OS Reddit page, some people were asking if there would be an installer for Lineage OS, and there was a good amount of people who did not want one, which makes sense; people should know what they are getting into, and understanding ADB and Fastboot is indeed important. However, sometimes, there is a person who is not involved with ROMS, who is fine with OEM Android, who does not want to use root and what not, however, they want the latest version of android possible for their device, and that was a main point of CyanogenMod; users could get the latest version of android on their phone and tablet when their manufacturer/carrier stopped supporting it. However, the installation can be intimidating, and for the user that I just described earlier, the user who does not want root and what not, that could mean they won't bother attempting to install a custom ROM. However, this application automates the process; all the user needs to do is click some buttons, and press Enter a few times to install LineageOS.
I understand I don't need "permission" to distribute this program, however, I am just asking if the overall community would support the use of this program.
NOTICE: The applicaton may fail to start properly. I am investigating this issue. In the meantime, ensure you have the latest .NET Framerwork([url]https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=55170&desc=dotnet47[/URL]). If that doesn't work, try building from the source ([url]https://github.com/PJBeans/LineageOS-Installer/wiki/How-to-build-from-the-source[/URL])
This is a simple graphical and command-line based installer designed to make it easier to install LineageOS; this program is aimed at beginners. It is not the prettiest program ever, but it still works with my Nexus 7 2013 WiFi just fine
Possible support for flashing root may become available in the future.
If you notice a bug (an issue with the application), please submit it here: https://github.com/PJBeans/Lineage-OS-Installer/issues
Features:
[ADB and Fastboot is required, but NOT included.]
- Instructions for enabling Developer Options, USB Debugging, and OEM Unlocking (if required)
- Embedded browsers to download TWRP, GApps, and LineageOS
- Automatically creates a backup with TWRP.
- Flashes TWRP, LineageOS, and GApps with minimal user interaction; no TWRP interaction required! (The most they really do is confirm they want to unlock the bootloader)
If you have a secondary device that supports LineageOS, perhaps you could try out this program and report your results [in a reply to this thread]! In order to make this as stable as possible, it would require lots of testing, and I do not plan on buying each and every Android phone anytime soon. If you want to test this program, use the prebuilt version, as the Source version may contain undocumented bugs blocking one from their goal. Note that:
- It may screw up your device. No automatic restore process is implemented yet, so make sure to have some sort of recovery tool handy.
- When you report back, please include the version of the program you used (as identified in the Downloads section), along with your device.
- CURRENTLY ONLY FOR NEXUS (AND PROBABLY ONEPLUS) DEVICES! HTC, LG, AND OTHERS THAT REQUIRE A BOOTLOADER UNLOCK SITE OR DEVICES WITH A DIFFERENT INSTALLATION PROCESS ( *cough cough* SAMSUNG) ARE NOT SUPPORTED!!
Screenshots:
Coming Soon
Downloads:
Prebuilt
Prebuilt [VB.NET]: (Version 2.0) https://github.com/PJBeans/LineageOS-Installer/releases (Tested on Nexus 7 2013 WiFi)
CURRENTLY FOR TESTING PURPOSES! - "-development" will be removed in the program once the program is known to be stable.
VB.NET is primarily developed by chompy33 (PJBeans), and C# is primarily developed by Evilarceus. Each branch's source can be found below.
Source
Source: (Version 2.0-development) https://github.com/PJBeans/Lineage-OS-Installer (I encourage absolutely anyone to contribute, even if you would like to make just a minor change!)
Updates:
Past:
UPDATE 1.4.0 and 1.4.1(VB.NET)
(I never published 1.3.0, so here's 1.4.0)
- Scripts have been updated; the user no longer needs to interact with TWRP.
- There is one button to install.
- The script automatically backs up data, cache, and dalvik prior to wiping for installation (no backup before unlocking the bootloader, however)
- (1.4.1) Fix issue with application failing to start (Thanks, @dinesh_redhawk for pointing out this bug that I somehow missed!)
- (1.4.1) Update Installer
UPDATE 1.2.0 (VB.NET)
- User must type "yes" before starting the process to ensure they know to read everything and follow all instructions given.
- Support for GApps
- More messages for user instructions.
- Scripts should be working correctly.
UPDATE 1.1 (VB.NET)
- More Material Design
- 3 step installation (Unlock Bootloader, Flash Recovery, install LineageOS)
- Added a beautiful background image (IMO) of New York City on First Form
Current:
UPDATE 2.0 (VB.NET)
- Check out the release notes on GitHub (Prebuilt Download link)
What is your viewpoint on this? Would you actually want an installer to exist for those who are inexperienced with flashing ROMS?
Sorry for such as long post, and I did not put this in DevDB because it is not directly an Android project.

chompy33 said:
Hi,
---
Normally when I come on the XDA forums, I am asking a question, because I end up making a silly mistake in Android. I never like to put out promotional content for attention, and that is surely what I am not doing here, I am simply putting my work out there to see if the community would like it and if we do like, we can begin setting it up for other devices immediately. Now, I am not a skilled programmer at all, but I know SOME Visual Basic with Windows Forum Applications, so I thought "why not give it a shot." I just wanted to say that.
So I made this simple little application called Lineage OS Installer. Now, reading through some of the comments on the Lineage OS Reddit page, some people were asking if there would be an installer for Lineage OS, and there was a good amount of people who did not want one, which makes sense; people should know what they are getting into, and understanding ADB and Fastboot is indeed important. However, sometimes, there is a person who is not involved with ROMS, who is fine with OEM Android, who does not want to use root and what not, however, they want the latest version of android possible for their device, and that was a main point of CyanogenMod; users could get the latest version of android on their phone and tablet when their manufacturer/carrier stopped supporting it. However, the installation can be intimidating, and for the user that I just described earlier, the user who does not want root and what not, that could mean they won't bother attempting to install a custom ROM. However, this application automates the process; all the user needs to do is click some buttons, and press Enter a few times to install Lineage OS.
I understand I don't need "permission" to distribute this program, however, I am just asking if the overall community would support the use of this program.
---
This is a simple graphical and command-line based installer to make it easier to install LineageOS; this program is aimed at beginners. It is not the prettiest program ever, but it still works with my Nexus 7 2013 WiFi just fine
I did not add support for flashing google apps (gapps) yet, just because I do not know if we will use the same open-gapps package that was used in CyanogenMod, or if we would switch to something different.
Features:
[ADB and Fastboot is required, but NOT included.]
- Instructions to enabling Developer Options, USB Debugging, and OEM Unlocking (if required)
- a file called setup.bat, that will set up the directory where all the required files live
- Embedded browsers to download TWRP and LineageOS*
- Included script that runs `adb devices` to ensure device is recognized
- Installation script that sets up the device to install Lineage OS, and pushes LineageOS to the device.
- Gives instructions for steps that must be completed on the device (Wiping, flashing, etc.)
The program's installation script is finished; it does its job to install a ROM to a device; it will unlock the bootloader, flash TWRP, and push the lineageos image. (I substituted LineageOS for CyanogenMod 13 while testing). *The only thing unfinished it the embedded browser to download LineageOS.
I would not recommend using it currently as it is still in early development
Downloads:
Prebuilt: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B70zQND1cM1WQVFjYi0yZy1BVnc/view?usp=sharing
Source: https://github.com/PJBeans/Lineage-OS-Installer
I understand that the main focus with LineageOS right now is to set up the website, servers, and images, and I do not want to distract those users. But this is what I would like to ask anyone: Would you actually want an installer to exist for those who are inexperienced with flashing ROMS?
Sorry for such as long post, and I did not put this in DevDB because it is not directly an Android project.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ill be honest. This is most dangerous for inexperienced users. If something goes wrong then they have no idea how to fix or find out how to fix it.
If used it would be best suited for someone that does rom testing where they flash multiple times a day, but as you are required to use a pc I really dont see much use for it.
just my thoughts.

zelendel said:
Ill be honest. This is most dangerous for inexperienced users. If something goes wrong then they have no idea how to fix or find out how to fix it.
If used it would be best suited for someone that does rom testing where they flash multiple times a day, but as you are required to use a pc I really dont see much use for it.
just my thoughts.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply! I completely see what you mean; an inexperienced user could possibly freak out, perhaps disconnect the device while something was going on. Perhaps I/anyone else who contributes could add a support section clearly marked for troubleshooting, complete with a guide to reflash stock. If I/someone else did this, would that make it more friendly for beginners in your eyes?

chompy33 said:
Thank you for your reply! I completely see what you mean; an inexperienced user could possibly freak out, perhaps disconnect the device while something was going on. Perhaps I/anyone else who contributes could add a support section clearly marked for troubleshooting, complete with a guide to reflash stock. If I/someone else did this, would that make it more friendly for beginners in your eyes?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that make it more friendly for beginners.

I'd be happy to help this project. I could maybe create a UI for this if all goes well.
Also, you should try learning C# if you already know Visual Basic. It's more widely supported and requires less typing. I can still contribute, since I do know both C# and Visual Basic

I wonder if it would be too much to ask to have this program automatically make a NANDROID backup before starting. Incase an inexperienced user disconnected the device or did something to disrupt the install, and caused a soft brick or similar, the NANDROID backup could be restored, and the user could re-attempt, with no harm done.

evilarceus said:
I'd be happy to help this project. I could maybe create a UI for this if all goes well.
Also, you should try learning C# if you already know Visual Basic. It's more widely supported and requires less typing. I can still contribute, since I do know both C# and Visual Basic
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Click to collapse
Thanks! The source is in the original post. The only thing that does not have a UI is the installation (although the current UI is pretty bad) I will try to learn C# as time goes on. If you would like to make part of the program in C#, feel free!

Doofitator said:
I know Visual Basic, and I'd be happy to help with the development of this application, too.
I also wonder if it would be too much to ask to have this program automatically make a NANDROID backup before starting. Incase an inexperienced user disconnected the device or did something to disrupt the install, the NANDROID backup could be restored, and the user could re-attempt, with no harm done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply! The source is above. Creating a NANDROID back is a great idea, perhaps we could create an automatic restore option too.

I am worried by the usage by inexperienced users. They are more prone to panic and destroy their phone, which could lead to a bad name for lineageOS on many forums where they will complain that lineageOS just killed their phone, while they did'nt understand the simplest part of the process.
BUT
This can be a tool very useful for experienced users who serially update phones of their many inexperienced friends.
I am doing just that (with around 50 differents phones to date) with my many friends of friends, and a tool like yours would simplify my job. For the moment, i keep a directory of directorys containing rooter scripts, recoverys, roms, gapps, utilities (adb, fastboot, odin, heindall,...) and have a multi-gigabyte library of those.
A utility who prepare a directory for a phone model, download rom, twrp/cwm, gapps, and do the phone rooting for every phone is a very desired thing, but it is a hell of a project to achieve.
So good luck with your project, and dont hesitate to ask me for help if you need, i would be proud to help you achieve your goal.

mlsoftlaberge said:
I am worried by the usage by inexperienced users. They are more prone to panic and destroy their phone, which could lead to a bad name for lineageOS on many forums where they will complain that lineageOS just killed their phone, while they did'nt understand the simplest part of the process.
BUT
This can be a tool very useful for experienced users who serially update phones of their many inexperienced friends.
I am doing just that (with around 50 differents phones to date) with my many friends of friends, and a tool like yours would simplify my job. For the moment, i keep a directory of directorys containing rooter scripts, recoverys, roms, gapps, utilities (adb, fastboot, odin, heindall,...) and have a multi-gigabyte library of those.
A utility who prepare a directory for a phone model, download rom, twrp/cwm, gapps, and do the phone rooting for every phone is a very desired thing, but it is a hell of a project to achieve.
So good luck with your project, and dont hesitate to ask me for help if you need, i would be proud to help you achieve your goal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see what you mean, and I/other contributors will (hopefully) try to make this process very user friendly, so they won't need to panic. I guess developers could use this if they needed to install the ROM on multiple devices, though currently the installation is kind of slow. I appreciate your response!

chompy33 said:
I see what you mean, and I/other contributors will (hopefully) try to make this process very user friendly, so they won't need to panic. I guess developers could use this if they needed to install the ROM on multiple devices, though currently the installation is kind of slow. I appreciate your response!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest that such a tool should be VERY wordy about telling the user what it is doing, and should NEVER suspend its apparent activity.
My experience (and it is commercial experience, with genuine products in the marketplace) is that the user will get nervous, and may do something unfortunate, if they fear that something has gone wrong...and they WILL fear this if there is no obvious activity for a long time...and "long time" might be only a few seconds.
So, to make this tool "safe", it should be continually reassuring the user that it is doing something. There should be a progress bar, that keeps moving. There should also be a text section that keeps updating what is going on. If the operation under way will take awhile, then this text session should (every few seconds) remind the user "I'm still working on this...estimated time to completion is XX seconds" (or some such).
This operation IS dangerous, particularly if the user does something wrong. So keep reassuring the user that everything is fine.

jiml8 said:
I would suggest that such a tool should be VERY wordy about telling the user what it is doing, and should NEVER suspend its apparent activity.
My experience (and it is commercial experience, with genuine products in the marketplace) is that the user will get nervous, and may do something unfortunate, if they fear that something has gone wrong...and they WILL fear this if there is no obvious activity for a long time...and "long time" might be only a few seconds.
So, to make this tool "safe", it should be continually reassuring the user that it is doing something. There should be a progress bar, that keeps moving. There should also be a text section that keeps updating what is going on. If the operation under way will take awhile, then this text session should (every few seconds) remind the user "I'm still working on this...estimated time to completion is XX seconds" (or some such).
This operation IS dangerous, particularly if the user does something wrong. So keep reassuring the user that everything is fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good idea! Thanks for the suggestion, we will definitely incorporate this.

Two thumbs up for a LineageOS installer, plz develop it
Definitely having a LineageOS installer is a great idea!
Unquestionably, it will permit people who are not experienced with flashing custom roms(which accounts for a lot of people), nor do they have an interest in learning about that(e.g. my mom) to easily get the latest Android build on their Android phone (which may no longer be supported by the OEM; an e.g. AT&T LG G2).

44alexsmith said:
Definitely having a LineageOS installer is a great idea!
Unquestionably, it will permit people who are not experienced with flashing custom roms(which accounts for a lot of people), nor do they have an interest in learning about that(e.g. my mom) to easily get the latest Android build on their Android phone (which may no longer be supported by the OEM; an e.g. AT&T LG G2).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly what I am trying to achieve. Provided I/contributors make a stable build by the time a stable build of LineageOS comes out (or at least around there, it's an open source project so there is no official date), it could give LineageOS a reputation of being a very easy ROM to install. Thanks for the reply.

Creating an installer for users who don't event know what's going on from the inside is useless IMO.
If the installer fail to flash they get stuck with a bricked device and don't know what to do.

I added a .gitignore to reduce cloning size and keeping things clean: https://github.com/PJBeans/Lineage-OS-Installer/pull/1
If you want, add me as a collaborator on the GitHub project so I don't have to keep on making pull requests.

p4rot said:
Creating an installer for users who don't event know what's going on from the inside is useless IMO.
If the installer fail to flash they get stuck with a bricked device and don't know what to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just FYI, I did say earlier that this installer should have an automatic NANDROID backup take place, so phones would be safe if something happened.

Doofitator said:
Just FYI, I did say earlier that this installer should have an automatic NANDROID backup take place, so phones would be safe if something happened.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We will attempt to add this (or at least guide the user) later on. Thanks for your response!

evilarceus said:
I added a .gitignore to reduce cloning size and keeping things clean: https://github.com/PJBeans/Lineage-OS-Installer/pull/1
If you want, add me as a collaborator on the GitHub project so I don't have to keep on making pull requests.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I set up a live chat on Telegram, the link is on the Repository's Readme. I appreciate your commitment to this project!
I sent an invite at https://github.com/PJBeans/Lineage-OS-Installer/invitations

chompy33 said:
We will attempt to add this (or at least guide the user) later on. Thanks for your response!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If possible, I think making this a mandatory step would be better - we don't want people skipping it and then complaining later.