I recall reading a little while back a message (somewhere, sorry for not remembering) that there was a way (if i remember correctly) to make a ROM Update Utility that wouldn't harm the data on the phone (excluding MicroSD which we have to remove when updating). I don't know the truth to this, but the idea behind being able to upgrade roms and keep personal data (and maybe installed applications) is cool. I know that whenever I upgrade roms the biggest part is reinstallation of my programs (it gets very annoying!). Its not so annoying that i want to toss my Dash against the wall, I just don't like having to do it over and over again (especially with new roms and updates coming out).
Essentially, having to reinstall, and re-setup, my phone with each ROM update is really what keeps me from upgrading a big part of the time (ie: going from the Energy Rom to Ookba's new 3vo ROM). Is there any way to be able to make this process of reinstallation easier?
Have a look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=520009
orb3000 said:
Have a look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=520009
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was exactly the link I had looked at (and apparently not too long ago either). I read through a good part of it, but its past Midnight here, and I am drowsy beyond belief , so I didn't make much sense of any of it. Essentially I don't cook roms, and it mentioned something about the chef having to make the RUU in a specific way (correct?). Is this in our near future?
Da_G alread made a test ROM and updated the ROM sucessfully for the Raphael. I'm sure our smartphones aren't too far from getting it either. They just have to make some tools for us chefs to use it in our kitchens now Soon.
NRGZ28 said:
Da_G alread made a test ROM and updated the ROM sucessfully for the Raphael. I'm sure our smartphones aren't too far from getting it either. They just have to make some tools for us chefs to use it in our kitchens now Soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! Its great to know how active this community is (even for an old-er phone like this )
Keep up the work all you EXCELLET chefs, devs, hackers, programmers, and any other division of making this phone better
Hello all-
First off, I wanted to express my thanks to all those that have developed these ROMs, add-ons, etc, and made them available to people like me who just don't have the ability to do so. Thanks!
Second, I've been studying these forums in order to do some surgery on my XV6900. I even acquired a second one so I can practice flashing ROMS, etc, and get it right so I don't lose use of my phone if/when I screw it up.
My question...
I have downloaded a ton of files (NFSFAN's 6.5 V15 ROM, NFSFAN's Custom Verizon 1.5 ROM, dialers, cabs, etc...) and am a bit confused about how many of them I need to do.
All I really want is to use the GPS on my XV6900 (thanks a lot, Verizon). So, I realize I need to flash a custom ROM. What I'm unclear about is this: if I flash NFSFAN's winmo 6.5 ROM, do I still need to do the Verizon custom ROM? Do I need a separate GPS radio file or are all the necessarry bits included in the ROMS? You guys are incredibly advanced when it comes to packaging these programs, and the phone companies should frankly be paying you all as consultants!
I've bookmarked NFSFAN's 6.5 FAQ, but for somebody who's never messed with this part of his phone, I'm just a little unclear about how many of these steps are necessary, versus how many are fun/cool to do...
I also bookmarked a tutorial by theoneownz on a complete Verizon gps fix.
My confusion lies in the fast that it seems like these tutorials have different steps. I'm just a little slow...
Any help appreciated, flame away for missed topics or incorrect observations.
Thanks!
Ryan
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=533639
Firstly I want to stress that I am not making any accusations or (as far as I know) experienced anything like this, it's just a thought I had.
So my question is what's to stop an unscrupulous cook from adding something to a ROM that would steal account passwords? Sorry if this is a dumb question but I'm not a cook.
Thanks.
Very little, I guess.
I doubt anyone else goes to these lengths, but I always check the entire list of apps and their permissions (in Android) on install of a ROM.
But that's not foolproof, and takes ages, so often I do a diff of the file system to see if any dodgy apks are there.
Droidwall in whitelist mode will help against a malicious app, but a kernel based exploit would get through all of this
So personally I stick with modaco Rom, and tek kernel, as Paul & tek are trusted and have a good track record and history here and on modaco forums. So I guess just stick to major trusted chefs or wait for official. And be wary of new ROMs and chefs, not that we should distrust them, but just be wary till they build up a good reputation.
Thanks for your reply- you mentioned some things I had not considered doing.
I am currently using the Modaco 3.0 ROM and have been using it since 2.6 and have had no issues with it, I suppose the ultimate way forward would be to cook your own ROM but I'm from WinMo and wouldn't know where to start not to mention finding the time to learn all this stuff.
RetroFlux said:
Thanks for your reply- you mentioned some things I had not considered doing.
I am currently using the Modaco 3.0 ROM and have been using it since 2.6 and have had no issues with it, I suppose the ultimate way forward would be to cook your own ROM but I'm from WinMo and wouldn't know where to start not to mention finding the time to learn all this stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're in luck, we are in the same boat.. I made an easy kitchen for new Android cooks:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=633246
Regarding security, yeah I would go by reputation... but the best thing would be to cook your own ROM once you know what you want in a ROM, after trying out custom ROMs made by others.
Sweet! I'll check it out, thanks.
Yeah. Cooking your own seems the best bet.
One idea I did have. How about a thread where a trusted user or admin puts in the MD5/CRC hashes of the stock apk files, and makes an MD5 file. Then, users could check any suspect apps to see what (if anything) isn't stock. ie. a non-stock SMS app might be a bit suspect etc.
Although this would have a load of false positives for anyone who just edited a picture or icon within an apk.
Similarly, a catalogue of boot.img MD5 sums (the part that contains the kernel ramdisk) would allow users to check their boot.img looks legit before flashing.
The biggest issue here though is how to make sure that it's kept up to date, and that it's verified in some way so a malicious user couldn't add their own MD5 for their malicious app/kernel to the list, thus giving it trust.
Maybe better just learning to cook a rom... It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Just stay away from SPL and Radio until you know what to do.
Yeah I thought about getting cooks to hash their stuff but I don't think there would be much take up and like you say the false positives would be an issue.
anon2122 said:
Very little, I guess.
I doubt anyone else goes to these lengths, but I always check the entire list of apps and their permissions (in Android) on install of a ROM.
But that's not foolproof, and takes ages, so often I do a diff of the file system to see if any dodgy apks are there.
Droidwall in whitelist mode will help against a malicious app, but a kernel based exploit would get through all of this
So personally I stick with modaco Rom, and tek kernel, as Paul & tek are trusted and have a good track record and history here and on modaco forums. So I guess just stick to major trusted chefs or wait for official. And be wary of new ROMs and chefs, not that we should distrust them, but just be wary till they build up a good reputation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might come in for a surprise if you think checking apks is safe.
A simple keylogger (there's one which will compile and work for android - DON'T PM me about the name, I won't tell you) added to initrc, zipped log file of key catches and a simple ftp of the file once every 6h will do just fine.
For additional privacy concerns, you can always catch the entire screen (but that'll slow the system too much), or even zip and ftp the /data/data ...
Possibilities exist.
For the real adventurous, you might always add the code/function to one of the programs which are compiled while aosp'ing, for example, busybox, dropbear, whatver... Share that in a rom, and there you go.
Checking apk perms, scripts or whaever won't do you any good in this case.
This is why you try new roms from "amateur" chefs at your own risk. Believe me, bricking is the least of your concerns when trying new roms from unknown "devs"
I think this just further renforces the 'cook your own ROM' route. Don't worry I won't PM you about it as I'm not looking to steal people's passwords just looking to try and protect myself, I'm getting paranoid now and thinking about going back to a stock ROM :O
Dear all,
I have HTC TP2 device, and I tried to add shortcuts on the home page, when I got the steps from the HTC site, I could not apply them, can anybody help me in this?
- I could not find the '+' button.
- When I press and hold on an icon in the start menu, I can find only one command in the popup menu (Move to top).
---
From HTC site:
Personalizing Your Home Screen: Shortcuts
Placing shortcuts on your Home screen gives you quick access to your favorite programs, contacts you most frequently communicate with, and other information.
Adding a shortcut
Press HOME and then tap the + button. You can also press and hold an empty area on the Home screen.
When the Add to Home options menu opens, tap Shortcut.
Select the type of shortcut to add to the Home screen. You can create a shortcut to a Bookmark, Gmail label, your mail inbox, music playlist, a contact, or a program.
To quickly add an application shortcut that is on the All programs screen to the Home screen, press and hold an application icon. When the phone vibrates, drag the icon to an empty area on the Home screen, and then release it.
This can only be done if you are running Sense 2.5. Most TP2/Tilt2 phones came with TouchFlo 3D or an earlier version of Sense. These have a Programs page where you can choose which program icons you want to appear, but they won't be on the Home page.
Thanks a lot for you reply. May you please tell me what is the difference between Sense and TouchFlo, are they two different programs, which is better and if those programs are supported from HTC or not. In other words, can I go to an HTC shop in my country to install it for me or it is downloadable from their site?
mrtarrouk said:
Thanks a lot for you reply. May you please tell me what is the difference between Sense and TouchFlo, are they two different programs, which is better and if those programs are supported from HTC or not. In other words, can I go to an HTC shop in my country to install it for me or it is downloadable from their site?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get in touch with your carrier to see if an upgrade is warranted for your device. Only a couple of carriers got the Sense "upgrade." It is considerably slower than TF3D if you go through their options. If you really want to experience Sense the way it should be, try one of the many custom ROMs on this site.
Thanks a lot. Can you refer me to one of the good ROMs here in the forum.
What country, carrier are you on?
Couple reason I ask this. Firstly, some carriers released an official ROM update to Sense 2.5.
Also, custom ROMs on this website are limited to GSM versions of the TP2, although there is CDMA subforum, with links to ROMs for CDMA devices.
redpoint73 said:
What country, carrier are you on?
Couple reason I ask this. Firstly, some carriers released an official ROM update to Sense 2.5.
Also, custom ROMs on this website are limited to GSM versions of the TP2, although there is CDMA subforum, with links to ROMs for CDMA devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even though some carriers released updates to Sense from TF3D, I don't think it's a good idea to use them. I have yet to see a single one that was stable enough for continued use. They are generally resource intensive. Chefs of custom ROMs take the device's hardware into consideration unlike the carriers who only seem to want to load it with their own software.
redpoint73 said:
What country, carrier are you on?
Couple reason I ask this. Firstly, some carriers released an official ROM update to Sense 2.5.
Also, custom ROMs on this website are limited to GSM versions of the TP2, although there is CDMA subforum, with links to ROMs for CDMA devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are the info and other info that might help:
Country: Egypt
Carrier: Vodafone
ROM Version: 1.86.415.2 (67102) WWE
ROM Date: 12/28/09
Radio Version: 4.49.25.17
Protocol Version: 61.44tc.25.32U
ExtPkg Version: 1.48.415.70
redpoint73 said:
What country, carrier are you on?
Couple reason I ask this. Firstly, some carriers released an official ROM update to Sense 2.5.
Also, custom ROMs on this website are limited to GSM versions of the TP2, although there is CDMA subforum, with links to ROMs for CDMA devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cajunflavoredbob said:
Even though some carriers released updates to Sense from TF3D, I don't think it's a good idea to use them. I have yet to see a single one that was stable enough for continued use. They are generally resource intensive. Chefs of custom ROMs take the device's hardware into consideration unlike the carriers who only seem to want to load it with their own software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for you both. Here are the info and other info that might help:
Country: Egypt
Carrier: Vodafone
ROM Version: 1.86.415.2 (67102) WWE
ROM Date: 12/28/09
Radio Version: 4.49.25.17
Protocol Version: 61.44tc.25.32U
ExtPkg Version: 1.48.415.70
cajunflavoredbob said:
Even though some carriers released updates to Sense from TF3D, I don't think it's a good idea to use them. I have yet to see a single one that was stable enough for continued use. They are generally resource intensive. Chefs of custom ROMs take the device's hardware into consideration unlike the carriers who only seem to want to load it with their own software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people seemed pleased with the latest ATT ROM with Sense 2.5. I never flashed it, so I can't personally comment. And the shipped ROM was so horrible, I have trouble believing it myself. Plus, you get the usual ATT bloat. But I mentioned the possibility of an official ROM update, only because many people are scared of flashing a custom ROM.
But I completely agree with you that a custom ROM is probably the way to go.
To the OP, poking around on the internet, I see that Vodafone in Egypt is GSM, so you can use the custom ROMs on this website.
redpoint73 said:
Some people seemed pleased with the latest ATT ROM with Sense 2.5. I never flashed it, so I can't personally comment. And the shipped ROM was so horrible, I have trouble believing it myself. Plus, you get the usual ATT bloat. But I mentioned the possibility of an official ROM update, only because many people are scared of flashing a custom ROM.
But I completely agree with you that a custom ROM is probably the way to go.
To the OP, poking around on the internet, I see that Vodafone in Egypt is GSM, so you can use the custom ROMs on this website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. Yes Vodafone Egypt is a GSM operator. Can you tell me whether I can backup my original ROM before I flash a cooked one (in case I needed it) ... And also please refer me to the best cooked ROM here and the steps to flash/install it on my device.
Your reply is highly appreciated.
All you need to flash a custom ROM is on the ROM Development subforum for the TP2:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=490
The resources pinned to the top of the subforum are extremely helpful, and indispensable.
One of them is an excellent step-by-step guide for flashing a custom ROM, written for beginners:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550540
As indicated in the guide, you will need to HardSPL the phone. This unlocks SPL (secondary program loader), which is normally locked so you can only flash "official" ROMs from your carrier. HardSPL is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550131
Also, optional, but highly recommended (I do it before EVERY new ROM flash) is running Task29. This formats the ROM area of the memory, and completely wipes it, so no old fragment of previous ROM linger to screw up the new ROM. It only takes a couple minutes to perform, and can possibly save you the headache of some random bugs.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550131
Flashing is really not hard. Just read as much as you can on the threads I linked, and follow the instructions carefully. The threads are really long, and you don't have to read the whole thing, but read as much as you have patience for. Any question or issue you can possibly have about the process has probably been encountered by someone else already, and a solution/answer already posted. The more you know before you start, the less you will panic when something doesn't go exactly as you expected.
Keep in mind that flashing a custom ROM will void any warranty you may still have. Although, people generally have luck re-flashing the stock ROM, and re-locking SPL before returning for warranty service, so the repair people actually have no idea the ROM was ever modified. Also, keep in mind that there is a slight possibility of "bricking" or disabling your phone. But follow the instructions and be careful, and it won't happen. Main things to remember, is never mess with the phone (power off, unplug) while its flashing, make sure you have at least 50% battery at each step, and flash the correct software (flashing a CDMA ROM to a GSM phone, or ROM for a completely different phone are highly probably ways to brick it). But normally, it is very safe. People on here have flashed custom ROMs onto their phone dozens, maybe even hundreds of times, without ever bricking their phones.
There is no correct answer to the question "what is the best ROM". Its like asking "what clothes are best to wear", there is no correct answer, it depends on your personal tastes and needs. The best ROM for you depends on how much you want looks and functions over speed and stability, what software you want packed-in, or if you want a minimum of built-in software (a "lightweight" ROM), and to install your desired software yourself. Look through the various ROMs to see the features of each one, look at replies from users, which thread are most popular, and pick for yourself. If you still need some suggestions, Energy, simplicity, Jackos, and Valkyrie are popular. But it would be an injustice to other chefs to suggest that other ROMs are not just as great. If you scan through the ROM Development subforum, you will see some threads along the lines of "what ROM is best, fastest, etc.", and you can look at those for more suggestions/opinions.
Also be sure to read through the first several posts on the ROM thread you pick to flash, as there are often specific instructions and FAQs for that ROM posted by the chef.
You don't need to backup your old ROM. If you need to return to the stock ROM for some reason, just go to shipped-roms.com and download it:
http://shipped-roms.com/
You will however, lose your personal data (contacts, texts, email) when you flash the ROM. There are a bunch of ways to back these up. Microsoft My Phone, synching to your PC on Outlook, or if you are a Gmail person, using Google Synch, are all popular methods.
redpoint73 said:
All you need to flash a custom ROM is on the ROM Development subforum for the TP2:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=490
The resources pinned to the top of the subforum are extremely helpful, and indispensable.
One of them is an excellent step-by-step guide for flashing a custom ROM, written for beginners:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550540
As indicated in the guide, you will need to HardSPL the phone. This unlocks SPL (secondary program loader), which is normally locked so you can only flash "official" ROMs from your carrier. HardSPL is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550131
Also, optional, but highly recommended (I do it before EVERY new ROM flash) is running Task29. This formats the ROM area of the memory, and completely wipes it, so no old fragment of previous ROM linger to screw up the new ROM. It only takes a couple minutes to perform, and can possibly save you the headache of some random bugs.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550131
Flashing is really not hard. Just read as much as you can on the threads I linked, and follow the instructions carefully. The threads are really long, and you don't have to read the whole thing, but read as much as you have patience for. Any question or issue you can possibly have about the process has probably been encountered by someone else already, and a solution/answer already posted. The more you know before you start, the less you will panic when something doesn't go exactly as you expected.
Keep in mind that flashing a custom ROM will void any warranty you may still have. Although, people generally have luck re-flashing the stock ROM, and re-locking SPL before returning for warranty service, so the repair people actually have no idea the ROM was ever modified. Also, keep in mind that there is a slight possibility of "bricking" or disabling your phone. But follow the instructions and be careful, and it won't happen. Main things to remember, is never mess with the phone (power off, unplug) while its flashing, make sure you have at least 50% battery at each step, and flash the correct software (flashing a CDMA ROM to a GSM phone, or ROM for a completely different phone are highly probably ways to brick it). But normally, it is very safe. People on here have flashed custom ROMs onto their phone dozens, maybe even hundreds of times, without ever bricking their phones.
There is no correct answer to the question "what is the best ROM". Its like asking "what clothes are best to wear", there is no correct answer, it depends on your personal tastes and needs. The best ROM for you depends on how much you want looks and functions over speed and stability, what software you want packed-in, or if you want a minimum of built-in software (a "lightweight" ROM), and to install your desired software yourself. Look through the various ROMs to see the features of each one, look at replies from users, which thread are most popular, and pick for yourself. If you still need some suggestions, Energy, simplicity, Jackos, and Valkyrie are popular. But it would be an injustice to other chefs to suggest that other ROMs are not just as great. If you scan through the ROM Development subforum, you will see some threads along the lines of "what ROM is best, fastest, etc.", and you can look at those for more suggestions/opinions.
Also be sure to read through the first several posts on the ROM thread you pick to flash, as there are often specific instructions and FAQs for that ROM posted by the chef.
You don't need to backup your old ROM. If you need to return to the stock ROM for some reason, just go to shipped-roms.com and download it:
http://shipped-roms.com/
You will however, lose your personal data (contacts, texts, email) when you flash the ROM. There are a bunch of ways to back these up. Microsoft My Phone, synching to your PC on Outlook, or if you are a Gmail person, using Google Synch, are all popular methods.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear redpoint73,
Really thanks a million, you unleashed a lot of information to me with your very descriptive answer . As I'm new to the Windows phones world, I was confused with its terminologies like chief, ROM, cooking, flashing ... etc etc. But now it is very much easier than ever ... Thank you.
Hi
First of all I'll apologise if the flavour of this post is similar in nature to a few others but I haven't quite found an exact match for what I need when searching through the other posts and I really need a definitive answer.
The background.....
My company use a third party forms application for passing data between our field service technicians and our office. This application had been specifically designed to be run on Windows Mobile devices. Up until very recently has been perfect for the task.
With the arrival of WP7 and Android in the phone market I have been finding it increasingly difficult to source devices running windows mobile. Those which I am still able to get hold of have varying versions of WM running which presents me with a variety of continuity issues. Providing support over the phone can also be quite challenging due to slight version descrepancies.
Recently one of my suppliers has been able to source me a large number of HTC Touch Pro 2 devices, however they are again running slightly different versions of the OS.
I would like to be able to use a standard WM6.5 ROM accross all the TP2's regardless of the original version or region of the device. I have been in touch with HTC without a great deal of joy. They simply refer me to there download page where invariably I am only able to download and install the ROM which corresponds to the individual device serial number.
Finally the Question.....
If I download a custom WM6.5 ROM can I run it accross all my GSM TP2's and if so then can you point me in the right direction?
Thanks for any help you can give
if these are all unbranded phones i suggest hard spl on all of them, and download a stock rom for one of them extract the .nbh file and flash them all to the same build...easiest way....
WC
Wild Child said:
if these are all unbranded phones i suggest hard spl on all of them, and download a stock rom for one of them extract the .nbh file and flash them all to the same build...easiest way....
WC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you really suggesting a stock ROM to this guy over your ROMs?
@Si_UK If you want the stock look without the bloat and with more speed, go with Wild Child's Illuminati ROMs. They retain the functionality of the the stock ROMs, but are tweaked for better performance and stability across the board. These ROMs are a very nice business choice. Like he said, though, you will need to Hard SPL the devices to be able to flash anything other than stock ROMs.
Thanks guys
I managed to download a standard rom from HTC using one of my UK device serial numbers and gave it a try to see if the RUU would work on one of the non UK devices. It did and works fine. I was planning on replicating this now with all the devices to ensure they're all the same.
I am now going to try and Hard SPL a device and use custom ROM as recommended. I like the idea of being able to improve the speed and lose some of the crap.
Fingers crossed as I've not done this before
cajunflavoredbob said:
Are you really suggesting a stock ROM to this guy over your ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, Sense 2.1 roms where... ehmm... usable... Not THAT bad after all.
However those S2 Sense 2.5 aren't capable of being used more then one day.