Develop Bugs

None designated rom on a device

Hey guys,
I was wondering if it is at all possible to have a rom installed on a device that is not specific to factory standards i.e. T-Mobile or other rom on a SPV M5000(orange), or an Orange rom on a MDA pro(T-Mobile)?
If so, could there be any difficulties occurring from this action? And what is the procedure involved in this process?
thank you.

The procedure is simple: Flash The ROM(for more instructions on doing this, please use search)!
As for factory standards, use only a ROM compiled for your device class, nothing else will work. What you mentioned(T-mobile ROM on an Orange device), are carrier differences. Carriers only change the default theme, and maybe add some programs, which will vanish during the flash. Otherwise, they just sell the same hardware, with different software.
Flashing a new ROM on top of this will cause no problems, except for invalidating your warranty. Whether this is worth it for you or not, you will have to decide for yourself.
Difficulties: only the general difficulties during a flashing procedure. You can find ways and ways to deal with them on this forum, just use search!
Hope this cleared it up for you, and good luck with the process!

Tutorial for BEFORE ugrading from WM5 to WM6.

Yes, we're all noobs!!!
I have a brand new Excalibur (I bricked my first one five mins. out of the box) and I attempt to upgrade following instructions on the tutorial posted on these forums.
What's not stated on said tutorial (and no one tells you, only after you bricked your phone) is that YOU MUST BACK UP YOUR ORIGINAL ROM before the upgrade, because if anything goes wrong, that is the only ROM you can flash to your phone to restore it, otherwise IT IS BRICKED. (Believe me, it happened to me).
So, to all you experts reading these, please, help us noobs and post here a complete guide on how to back up your original ROM.
We will thank and worship you forever!!!

These days, there is no need to backup your own Rom.
We have a collection of ROMs on this site alone. Or in my signature.
I do suggest to download one prior to updating your ROM.
This forum uses most of a collection of ROM i have uploaded for everyone.
Click here for the forum of original ROMS

Mikey1022 said:
These days, there is no need to backup your own Rom.
We have a collection of ROMs on this site alone. Or in my signature.
I do suggest to download one prior to updating your ROM.
This forum uses most of a collection of ROM i have uploaded for everyone.
Click here for the forum of original ROMS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have two questions: Firstly, there is no official O2 Xda Cosmo ROM or? Secondly, if you back up the ROM first, how can you flash it back to the device? Is there a tutorial for this?
Thanks

READ this thread

uccellino said:
I have two questions: Firstly, there is no official O2 Xda Cosmo ROM or? Secondly, if you back up the ROM first, how can you flash it back to the device? Is there a tutorial for this?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah i'm waiting for the official O2 Xda cosmo ROM. i need it badly because my camera doesn't work anymore with new ROM. and i am totally agree to write a clear reminder to backup your original ROM first before upgrading in the upgrading ROM thread. just in case for noob like me....

Mikey1022 said:
READ this thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After rereading, I still have the questions:
1. How is it possible to flash back a saved backup ROM image?
2. If I use a USPL and then something goes wrong while flashing a cooked ROM, can I only re-flash my original ROM (i.e. for XDA Cosmo which doesn't exist)?
Thanks

Okay - maybe I just figured out the answer to my own question: if I flash the USPL-RUU first before flashing a ROM update, maybe this means I can reflash if something goes wrong? Is this correct, or is there a chance that the SPL get overwritten before the error and I still get stuck?

Well, in fact, it is necessary...
Mikey1022 said:
These days, there is no need to backup your own Rom.
We have a collection of ROMs on this site alone. Or in my signature.
I do suggest to download one prior to updating your ROM.
This forum uses most of a collection of ROM i have uploaded for everyone.
Click here for the forum of original ROMS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...When I mean original ROM, I mean the ROM that could only work on a CID-Locked-by-a-carrier Excalibur, not the HTC WW ROM release.
Also, many of us noobs are international, I doubt that on the ROM database on this website we'll be able to find, say, the Movistar Mexico HTC Excalibur WM5 1.15.0000 ROM, which in my case, is the only one I would be able to flash in case anything goes wrong on the upgrade attempt. (I dedicated a week searching this ROM for the first Excalibur I bricked, no results)
Therefore - and I really hate to contradict -, for many of us, a ROM backup IS necessary and a tutorial from you experts on how to do it would be a great, great contribution to this community. (And also to the database, 'cause I'll definitively upload my ROM once I back it up)

velascoperroni said:
...When I mean original ROM, I mean the ROM that could only work on a CID-Locked-by-a-carrier Excalibur, not the HTC WW ROM release.
Also, many of us noobs are international, I doubt that on the ROM database on this website we'll be able to find, say, the Movistar Mexico HTC Excalibur WM5 1.15.0000 ROM, which in my case, is the only one I would be able to flash in case anything goes wrong on the upgrade attempt. (I dedicated a week searching this ROM for the first Excalibur I bricked, no results)
Therefore - and I really hate to contradict -, for many of us, a ROM backup IS necessary and a tutorial from you experts on how to do it would be a great, great contribution to this community. (And also to the database, 'cause I'll definitively upload my ROM once I back it up)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, it's quite easy to CID unlock your phone to load whatever ROM you want. Much easier in fact, than dumping your current ROM and restoring it. I was able to flash my first ROM within about 30 minutes of reading on this forum, and had no problems at all.

velascoperroni said:
...When I mean original ROM, I mean the ROM that could only work on a CID-Locked-by-a-carrier Excalibur, not the HTC WW ROM release.
Also, many of us noobs are international, I doubt that on the ROM database on this website we'll be able to find, say, the Movistar Mexico HTC Excalibur WM5 1.15.0000 ROM, which in my case, is the only one I would be able to flash in case anything goes wrong on the upgrade attempt. (I dedicated a week searching this ROM for the first Excalibur I bricked, no results)
Therefore - and I really hate to contradict -, for many of us, a ROM backup IS necessary and a tutorial from you experts on how to do it would be a great, great contribution to this community. (And also to the database, 'cause I'll definitively upload my ROM once I back it up)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely agree with you
I just have no idea how to restore a backed-up ROM and I haven't read anything saying how to do it either. As you say, many of us a stuck with devices CID locked to some international ROM that is impossible to get.
So once again the question: Does anyone know how to re-flash a backed-up ROM?

I'm no expert but all I'm going to say is this. If you have a Rom from a different carrier that has not leaked to the public, then you are probably out of luck. You take the risk of hoping your phone will not have serious problems down the line of your contract or usage. You should pick up insurance on your phone depending on the stipulations your carrier has about lost or stolen or even broken phones. In that case you could return/replace your phone if need be after modifying it to your liking. I also would suggest that the entire reason we are here is that we don't want to be like the norm. We want what we paid for and don't want to be restricted. It's a risk. You must make that choice and succeed or fail that's not anyone's problem but your own. With all the Roms out there you should find one to your liking. If you brick your phone which seems so much more difficult than my razr modding days, than sell it for parts and lesson learned.
In the U.S. the Open Headset Alliance is our future so what we do to our phones in the future will be our choice.
Good Modding
Pfunk

C'mon guys...
Wy all the negativity?
I'm I conspiring against copyright laws if I want to have a backup of the ROM I paid for?
Is backing up a ROM frowned upon on this community? or is it so easy (from what I can gather it requires "dumping" and "restoring") that it is even insulting for me to ask you how to do it?
Yes, we are all here because we don't conform to the norm, but we are all HERE to help each other out. Why the closure? Why the elitism?
Like all of you, I want to take full advantage of the piece of technology I acquired without the restrictions installed on them by the phone corps. Yes, I would like to have the minimum risks while doing so, and yes, I would like to do it as cost effective as I can, just as anyone of you would.
It is a risk to upgrade a Cid.Locked phone with the bypass provided on this website, It happened to me and to many: USB cord unplugs and voila, bricked phone.
One alternative is to pay $40 bucks for a permanent Cid.Unlock, which will allow you to flash and flash and flash, even if you get stuck in the middle of one process.
The other, used by many here who wont pay, is to use the Cid bypass, while having a backup original rom "just in case".
What I only ask (for myself and my peer noobs) is to have this same other alternative as many, many of you.
Really, is it to hard to post the following?
1. Downoad these softwares;
2. Do this to "dump";
3. Do that to "restore";
4. To re-flash, do this.
C'mon, all for one and one for all right?
p.s. For my friend asking how to re-flash a backed up ROM, from what I've gathered, it goes something like this: your backed up ROM must be in a *.bn format (I still don't know how to even achieve this); then you must get a hold of any HTC RUU Software, extract it (Winrar) and replace the *.bn file inside the extracted folder with your *.bn file; with the HTC connected in bootloader mode, run the exe file in the extracted folder.

velascoperroni said:
...I doubt that on the ROM database on this website we'll be able to find, say, the Movistar Mexico HTC Excalibur WM5 1.15.0000 ROM, which in my case, is the only one I would be able to flash in case anything goes wrong on the upgrade attempt. (I dedicated a week searching this ROM for the first Excalibur I bricked, no results)
Therefore - and I really hate to contradict -, for many of us, a ROM backup IS necessary and a tutorial from you experts on how to do it would be a great, great contribution to this community. (And also to the database, 'cause I'll definitively upload my ROM once I back it up)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Official ROMs collection is as full as I can make it. To have more images, we need everyone to upload ones that are missing to something like rapidshare, mediafire, or one of a few dozen other hosting sites, then tell up here on xda dev. Or upload it to several yourself. Spreading things on the net is much easier than ripping the ROM out anyway, and you benefit from the online backups, too.
So, yes, if you aren't going to back up your ROM, hope that someone else already has. Or, even better, be that first guy who does it, to make things easier for the rest of us. Besides, we might want to see what kinda goodies are tucked in the Movistar version

Indeed!
Profezza said:
...Or, even better, be that first guy who does it, to make things easier for the rest of us. Besides, we might want to see what kinda goodies are tucked in the Movistar version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the support Profezza, indeed I intend to be the first, but in order to do that, I need to know how to do it.
I'll keep my hopes up for someone to post here the procedure for backing up my own ROM.
Also, the Movistar version is pretty lame, at least it would be a language addition to the database since it is originally in Spanish.

velascoperroni said:
Thanks for the support Profezza, indeed I intend to be the first, but in order to do that, I need to know how to do it.
I'll keep my hopes up for someone to post here the procedure for backing up my own ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My post kinda ignored that point, as... I don't actually know how it is done.
velascoperroni said:
Also, the Movistar version is pretty lame, at least it would be a language addition to the database since it is originally in Spanish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the version # system is controlled by HTC and fairly consistent across brandings, so it looks like it is a rather old one, but yeah, it could handy just for the Spanish. And ya never know, maybe a better graphic or two in some odd corner. I'll come back and bump this if it looks like it is fading away.

velascoperroni said:
p.s. For my friend asking how to re-flash a backed up ROM, from what I've gathered, it goes something like this: your backed up ROM must be in a *.bn format (I still don't know how to even achieve this); then you must get a hold of any HTC RUU Software, extract it (Winrar) and replace the *.bn file inside the extracted folder with your *.bn file; with the HTC connected in bootloader mode, run the exe file in the extracted folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi velascoperroni!
Thank you for your help - this is helping me to get closer to understanding
Basically I have my old ROM image as .img files (actually 5 of them) produced by bkondisk, together with a log file saying what goes where. So now all we need to figure out is how to turn these back into a .bn file and we'll be in business. For info on bkondisk, which lets you save your ROM (as .img files), see this wiki http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=bkondisk
Could anyone point me to some resources on these two file formats? Then maybe we could come up with a conversion program when one doesnt exist

Getting closer!
Great, it seems we are getting closer to our goal!!!
But still surprises me that no one has posted a complete how to... perhaps the only few who know the deal haven't read this thread yet.
Now we know the following:
1. Bkondisk: software that allows to backup ROM in *.img format.
2. The original format of the ROM is *.bn
We don't know if the *.img file needs to be converted to *.bn or if they are compatible.
I also found out about an easier method to re-flash the ROM:
1. Format your SD Card in FAT32;
2. Copy your *.bn file to your SD Card;
3. Turn off phone, insert SD Card, Turn on phone in bootloader mode;
4. The phone should automatically recognize the ROM and start the flashing process.
Uccelino: Try placing the *.img file in the SD Card instead of the *.bn file. Maybe, just maybe the phone also recognizes *img files!

Getting closer!
Great, it seems we are getting closer to our goal!!!
But still surprises me that no one has posted a complete how to... perhaps the only few who know the deal haven't read this thread yet.
Now we know the following:
1. Bkondisk: software that allows to backup ROM in *.img format.
2. The original format of the ROM is *.bn
We don't know if the *.img file needs to be converted to *.bn or if they are compatible.
I also found out about an easier method to re-flash the ROM:
1. Format your SD Card in FAT32;
2. Copy your *.bin file to your SD Card;
3. Turn off phone, insert SD Card, Turn on phone in bootloader mode.
4. The phone should automatically recognize the ROM and start the flashing process.
Uccelino: Try placing the *.img file in the SD Card instead of the *.bin file. Maybe, just maybe the phone also recognizes *img files!

Also...
Sorry for the double post back there!!
Also check out this thread I started when I bricked my first Excalibur:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=378050
I never got a feasible response to wether sprite backup would work or not, and I did not want to spend $30 bucks to find out.

velascoperroni said:
Great, it seems we are getting closer to our goal!!!
But still surprises me that no one has posted a complete how to... perhaps the only few who know the deal haven't read this thread yet.
Now we know the following:
1. Bkondisk: software that allows to backup ROM in *.img format.
2. The original format of the ROM is *.bn
We don't know if the *.img file needs to be converted to *.bn or if they are compatible.
I also found out about an easier method to re-flash the ROM:
1. Format your SD Card in FAT32;
2. Copy your *.bin file to your SD Card;
3. Turn off phone, insert SD Card, Turn on phone in bootloader mode.
4. The phone should automatically recognize the ROM and start the flashing process.
Uccelino: Try placing the *.img file in the SD Card instead of the *.bin file. Maybe, just maybe the phone also recognizes *img files!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just had an idea: I will flash a ROM, back it up, and compare the *.bn files to the *.img files I get from backing up - maybe they are or are almost the same, and we can convert them
I will try. Thanks

Upgrading/flashing my TyTN

Hi there
So, i've been reading a lot about flashing and upgrading with roms. I want to upgrade my 6.0 to 6.5 but i'm scared that if something goes wrong my device will be ruined. Is there any way to recover a scrambled flash ?
Thanks a lot

if you read the wiki for the hermes you will see the ways to hopefully stop your phone becoming a brick, such as hard-spl and using the sd card method can also help, if youve get any more questions after reading the wiki pages just ask.
Have fun

Here you go: http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Hermes_UpgradeForBeginners
By the way, it is more risky to flash the radio part of the rom. This is where you really can brick your pda. Basically there is no need to flash the radio module as long as your hermes is "phoning" correctly.
All 6.1 and 6.5 proposed by our chefs are "radio free". If, as explained in the above link, you have installed HARDSPL, and if you use the SD card flashing method, you will be quite safe. (I did it... i do not remember how many times...and my hermes is still fine)
Just one think. Some roms are using a special trick to enlarge the capacity remaining for your applications. This is greath. But it mixes up a bit the structure of the memory of the hermes. Basically no problem with that as it is not permanent. But if you want to flash a new rom after this one, you will need to flash first an official rom (like the ATT stripped one - means: without the radio part - flying on this forum) This is intended to restructure the memory scheme and avoid strange behaviours like automatic hard resets, etc...
For example, look for a rom from Tai. There is a link to the ATT rom on his thread.
Good luck and... welcome to the flashing addict community
It is good practice to flash such a rom

Can someone help me flash a rom?

I have had htc phones for about 5 years now. I recently got a tilt 2 and I don't like the lag and some of the other items. I really like the energy rom but will it make things run faster and easier? Will it delete all my programs/apps when I flash it? I have never flashed a rom before so I was wondering how I can do it? Can I put a cab file on a storage card and install that way?

brent_si said:
I have had htc phones for about 5 years now. I recently got a tilt 2 and I don't like the lag and some of the other items. I really like the energy rom but will it make things run faster and easier? Will it delete all my programs/apps when I flash it? I have never flashed a rom before so I was wondering how I can do it? Can I put a cab file on a storage card and install that way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, looks like I get to be the barrier of the news for you.... All the information you need is in the roms sub forum.... Touch Pro2, Tilt 2 Windows Mobile ROM Development
You'll want to read the first page of each of the stick threads and maybe a bit more but all the information is there. Gives you step by step guides on what you need to do.
To answer some of your questions. Energy Roms tend to be very quick yes... will you have to reinstall all your programs? Yes, when you flash you wipe the whole device and start from scratch... it's like loading a new OS on your PC, you have to reinstall everything you use. Can you put a cab file on your storage card and install it that way? That's how most people install programs I believe. Now, if you were refering to flashing your phone from the storage card... yes you can do that which you will read about however most people just connect it to their computers and flash that way.
Good luck. Any further questions regarding flashing your phone can probably be posted in the threads (those "sticky" threads) regarding flashing the phone... hard spl, how to flash guide etc etc

if you haven't already done so, follow the direction given by Aaron McCarthy. Make sure you check out http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550540 and then follow the direction, if any, from the creator of the rom as to how to install it. The benefits of flashing are definitely there.

[Q] questions before flashing new ROM

I'm thinking about flashing a cooked rom to my TP2 and before i take the plunge i want to check that i understand what has to be done
firstly i am not sure how to identify which type of Rhodium i have. its an orange UK handset.
once i have determined this i need to use the relevant hardSPL utility. am i correct in thinking that this simply enables you to install non official roms to the device? does it leave the existing rom intact or do i need to flash the new rom before the device can be used?
flashing the rom looks pretty straight forward, remove sim & sd card, sync with activesync / wmdc, run the custom rom.exe when complete power down device and replace sim & sd card, power on. anything i've got wrong here?
Finally i'd like to know a little about radio roms. is there a definative best one to use? what benefits are there in different radio roms?
Thanks in advance.
Ryan.

deejayry said:
I'm thinking about flashing a cooked rom to my TP2 and before i take the plunge i want to check that i understand what has to be done
firstly i am not sure how to identify which type of Rhodium i have. its an orange UK handset.
once i have determined this i need to use the relevant hardSPL utility. am i correct in thinking that this simply enables you to install non official roms to the device? does it leave the existing rom intact or do i need to flash the new rom before the device can be used?
flashing the rom looks pretty straight forward, remove sim & sd card, sync with activesync / wmdc, run the custom rom.exe when complete power down device and replace sim & sd card, power on. anything i've got wrong here?
Finally i'd like to know a little about radio roms. is there a definative best one to use? what benefits are there in different radio roms?
Thanks in advance.
Ryan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are whole threads dedicated to most of these questions.
please, take the time to use the forums search function.
it helps the fine staff at xda from answering the same questions over and over and over and over and over and over and over....
gets repetitious, and annoying.
so now that youve learned something new, make use of it and hopefully youll have a newly flashed rom within the next 10 mins

deejayry said:
I'm thinking about flashing a cooked rom to my TP2 and before i take the plunge i want to check that i understand what has to be done
firstly i am not sure how to identify which type of Rhodium i have. its an orange UK handset.
once i have determined this i need to use the relevant hardSPL utility. am i correct in thinking that this simply enables you to install non official roms to the device? does it leave the existing rom intact or do i need to flash the new rom before the device can be used?
flashing the rom looks pretty straight forward, remove sim & sd card, sync with activesync / wmdc, run the custom rom.exe when complete power down device and replace sim & sd card, power on. anything i've got wrong here?
Finally i'd like to know a little about radio roms. is there a definative best one to use? what benefits are there in different radio roms?
Thanks in advance.
Ryan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to the ROM Development forum and check the "Flashing ROM ... for NOOBs" thread. I think your answers will be there. The radio is flashed separately and will not affect the underlying ROM.

deejayry said:
firstly i am not sure how to identify which type of Rhodium i have. its an orange UK handset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's GSM I believe. Remove the battery, and it will show the model number under it: RHOD100, RHOD200, etc. Search on these forums to see which is which (I don't know off hand).
deejayry said:
once i have determined this i need to use the relevant hardSPL utility. am i correct in thinking that this simply enables you to install non official roms to the device? does it leave the existing rom intact or do i need to flash the new rom before the device can be used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct, all it does is unlock the SPL, and allows the flashing of ROMs other than the official one(s) released by your carrier. Your ROM remains intact.
deejayry said:
flashing the rom looks pretty straight forward, remove sim & sd card, sync with activesync / wmdc, run the custom rom.exe when complete power down device and replace sim & sd card, power on. anything i've got wrong here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, that's pretty much it. Be sure to read the n00b guide, make sure your phone is charged over 50% for each step, don't let your PC go to sleep, etc.
Also running Task29 is optional, but highly recommended before you flash you new ROM. It wipes/formats the memory, so you won't have any remnants of the old ROM remaining (which might cause random bugs). See the Task29 stickied thread in the ROM forum.
deejayry said:
Finally i'd like to know a little about radio roms. is there a definative best one to use? what benefits are there in different radio roms?
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, there is no definitive best radio. The newest ones are sometimes the best. But it can be geographically dependent as well. It might take some trial and error to find the best radio for you (which gives the best reception and battery life for your area).
If your TP2 is GSM, than its easy to flash a new radio, it only take a minute or so, and it leaves the rest of the ROM intact, so you can easily try various radios to find the best one for you.