ROM Blending - Hybrid Samsung Focus/Omnia - Windows Phone 7 Development and Hacking

Ok so I was reading in the Focus forums and I came accross this thread and thought perhaps we could build/find a really good set of combinations for the Samsung WP7 devices using all the ROM that have turned up in the wild.
For example perhaps we could use the Rogers ROM mixed with a AT&T rom to get an unbranded (i.e. no carrier apps/boot logos etc.) but still retain all the proper regional setting. As I stated in the other thread I don't know enough about what each file does myself I need some help in that area, but as they are all signed they can be mixed and matched and still flashed to the device.
Here is the thread with Omnia ROM's.
Here is the thread with some Focus ROM's.
I think becuase we don't have an unlocked boot loader like HTC phones this may be the best shot Samsung devices have at 'custom' ROM's.

Related

[FW] I9008ZMJG1 Froyo Firmware Released!

has anybody tried it? It's available on samsung-firmware website.
it's supposed to be Asian firmware, based on Froyo, but the name of the firmware is different (i.e. I9008 instead of I9000)
Do not flash on your Galaxy S (i9000) with this i9008 one. I almost bricked my phone trying to do that. I posted my experience in another thread. i9008 I understand is a model that is available in China market.
Lucky managed to start-up in bootloader and revert to JM2. Retried at least 3 to 4 times before the re-flashing was able to proceed.
there is also 2 threads up already discussing this fw
Perhaps it is a good idea to put a nice big warning in the topic title and first post to NOT flash this on regular I9000s? There's enough bricks in the houses along Cobblestone Road anyway.

[Q] Adding Shortcuts on Home Page

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.

Focus Demo mode ROM Here!

Here is the link to download AT&T's demo ROM used on Samsung Focus. DO NOT install this ROM to your device!!! I am posting it so someone with the required skills may be able too cook a custom ROM for the focus or remove the demo mode from it!
it's a shame that focus is the only wp7 without a custom ROM available yet!
Here is the link: http://megaupload.com/?d=KC6YS0FT
dell venue pro also has no custom rom =/
Optimus 7 E900h has no custom rom either.
there isn't any "custom" rom for real wp7 phones , only the hd2 has custom rom's
before we can have custom rom's we need to find a way to lower the security and get some nativ app's running (isn't that easy) then we need a Hspl to get that rom on the phone and we need a kitchen (one with reloc for all the parts of the ROM).
when we have that all it will be possible to make custom rom's , so don't keep your breath wile waiting because it will take long to get that all
It appears the link is no more working.. busted I guess! sorry..! if anyone needs it I can upload it somewhere maybe..
Thread cleaned, if this thread doesn't stay on topic, it will be closed. I don't have a reason to believe this was from a stolen phone. People leak things all the time, even before the phone is released . The way this is laid out seems to be in a similar manner of an HTC RUU, this is probably used to get regular Focus's to demo mode.
~~Tito~~
Zero Tolerance is in effect for this thread and others like it if it moves to that. Play nice
The download link is still working.
The download contains a file called "Focus.exe". It is a flash-tool with ROM-files embedded. When it is started, it will first extract the embedded ROM files. There will be 4 files extracted in your temp-folder. Then the flash-tool is started and waiting for a phone in download-mode to be connected. You should obviously not do that. If you want to analyze this ROM you should start Focus.exe and make a copy of these 4 files in your temp-folder and then close it again.
I'm not really sure what a Demo Mode ROM is, so I want to know what's so bad about it?
The thing is that I have a bricked Focus on my hands which doesn't boot beyond the Samsung Logo. The only solution I can think of is flashing it with a new ROM but since there aren't any stock ROMs available, I can't do that.
Would flashing it with the Demo ROM bring it back to life?
no it would do nothing but render it useless if the phone was working.... demo mode is what comes on the at&t in store demo phones...
kawgirlval69 said:
no it would do nothing but render it useless if the phone was working.... demo mode is what comes on the at&t in store demo phones...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does not come on them, it is put on them by the AT&T staff.
*edit*
I have upped the files that the Samsung/WP7 software dumps to the temp folder in case someone wishes to have direct access to them for analysis.
There are about 4 files, all *.tmp
one is 300+ megs, one is 20, the other 2 are small
http://www.mediafire.com/file/c23jq6zf7fzg4x4/demo rom temp files.part1.rar
http://www.mediafire.com/file/44dkoa1d8fjhujj/demo rom temp files.part2.rar
good job let's hope someone will be able one day to create or leak a ROM for Focus..
Doesn't look like that day would be coming any time soon
have faith my friend! what if someone could capture the nodo update with any software during downloading? is this in any way possible?
I thought about that too, but it turns out its only a Delta update, not a complete Firmware/ROM so it isn't possible.
I'm trying to be optimistic here, but considering there is absolutely no developer interest in the Focus, I'm not holding my breath anymore
great..! I am wondering how much would I get for selling my bricked focus for parts (is stuck on Samsung screen and only with a new ROM would be fixed)..
Yes my device has the same problem. What I learned from all this was that HTC smartphones are a much better choice since they at least have developers working on them.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

[Q] Several TP2's Same WM6.5 ROM?

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.

[Q] differences between m8 versions and [Q] about ROOT and custom ROMs

Hi, thanks for taking a look!
First of, this is not the first time I'm getting in touch with rooting, but am a bit confused since I only usd purely 'international' devices until now. I have researched the forums and found the existing threads, but they didn't seem to answer my questions.
I recently bought a m8w (m8 for China Unicom, I'll be living in China for the life of this phone, so it kind of makes sense...) and have a few questions about this:
The differences I can see until now are the following:
CPU @ 2.5 GHz, Differences in radio frequencies
Rooting:
Does the difference in radios and cpu affect the way I would have to root? I'm assuming that the common how-tos for rooting should still work, since there doesn't seem to be any changes in terms of hardware? Am I correct in that assumption?
[*]gApps:
First thing after rooting would be the installation of gApps and XPOSED. Anything specific in this regard I should keep an I on (again, considering the slightly different HW).
[*]Custom ROMs:
I've been dabling with different ROMs on my last phone. How would I go about ensuring the compatibility? Is it possible to extract the radio files of my current firmware and e.g. use mobileOdin to flash this together with a custom ROM? Or any other way of 'making sure' a ROM is flashable?
While researching I stumbled over the claim that all Versions are the same, except for Verizon and Sprint. I honestly can't find that thread anymore - but is there a way to check on this directly on the device? Or is it possible, that this claim was based on the assumption that the phone used is for the North American markets?
Thanks again for viewing. I appreciate you taking your time to read through all this!

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