You can increase the density (sort of like changing monitor resolution) on your screen by simply changing the build.prop file. This gives you more viewing area on your screen. The build.prop file contains many user variables that are editable and one of them is the LCD Density. The lower the number, the higher the resolution. The default value is 240, but by simply changing it to 200, you can increase the resolution and see more emails in your email app, more app listings in the market, more room for widget alignment, crisper graphics, and much more!
UPDATE 03/25/2011: ADDED SCREENSHOTS! (finally)
PERMANENT ROOT SOLUTION:
now that we can do perm root, you can permanently change this by modifying your build.prop file located /system/build.prop. look for ro.sf.lcd_density and modify the number and save and reboot.
Recommended value is 200, though many users like 190. If you are unsure what you like, please try TEST MODE shown below!
Please be sure to download Spare Parts from the Market, and disable Compatibility Mode in the app. This will fix many, many apps from not displaying full-screen, however there are some apps that will not re-size.
This works really well if you pair it with something like Launcher Pro or ADW.Launcher, where you have control over rows/columns and resizing widgets.
Easiest Method -- Go to Market and download one of the LCD Density apps. Search "LCD Density."
Phone-Only Method:
You can use Root Explorer, or any text editor like notepad++ or text edit.
1. Open a File Manager and locate /system/build.prop
2. Make sure "/system" is mounted as R/W (in Root Explorer, click the Mount R/W button at the top.)
2A. MAKE A BACKUP!
3. Open and Edit the file.
4. Find ro.sf.lcd_density=240 and change it to desired value (recommend 200 or 190 for G2).
5. Save the file.
6. Exit and Reboot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use a separate text editor, just copy the file to your SDCard, edit it there, and move it back and overwrite the original. I recommend backing up the original just-in-case.
ADB Method:
at the cmd prompt:
1. adb pull /system/build.prop
2. Go to SDK / Tools folder and open build.prop in a text editor (recommend WORDPAD for Windows).
3. Find ro.sf.lcd_density=240 and change it to desired value (recommend 200 or 190 for G2).
4. Save & Exit
5. go back to cmd prompt and type: adb shell mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/mmcblk0p25 /system
6. type: adb push build.prop /system/
7. exit and reboot phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[Test Mode]
If you just want to play around with the setting for test, you can do something similar to the temp-root method shown below.
Open Terminal Emulator from your phone or use adb shell from your computer:
type: setprop qemu.sf.lcd_density 200 (or 190,etc)
press enter.
type: busybox killall system_server
press enter.
it will reboot quickly with your new display. Just reboot and it'll go back to stock. Once you find something you like, you can edit the real build.prop file.
---------------------------------
[original mod / pre-perm-root]
Below is for use with Visionary temp-root app.
This is basically taken from the LCD Density Changer app and applied to visionary.sh
You can increase the density (sort of like monitor resolution) on your screen by simply changing the build.prop file. Unfortunately, since we have temp-root only, it'll revert back. The LCD Density Changer - Free app lets you modify it without editing the build.prop and uses a hot boot to apply changes...
I wanted to automate it into startup with Visionary so here's what you can put into your visionary.sh file without even having the app:
Code:
setprop qemu.sf.lcd_density XXX #change XXX to 200, 190, etc
busybox killall system_server
Example Visionary.sh script is found on Post 51. This script also contains commands for Ad Block and Overclocking which can be found in separate threads on the forum.
I use "200" for the XXX density. Some people below mention 190 as their favorite number to use. 240 is the default!
note #1: killall command will do a hot reboot of your system.
note #2: you do not need to download the app to do this. you just need visionary app from Modaco/Paul O'Brien, which is on the market.
Here are some written instructions from V1R3Z on Page 3 of this thread if you do not know how to create and push visionary.sh to your device:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8962877&postcount=27
update 10/30:
added mounting to read/write for /system and /data to the script for users who did not have it already in their script. also some people prefer using 190 as oppose to 200.
update 11/02:
removed mounting for the /data folder as it is unneccessary. make sure you use a proper text editor and save in a format the phone can read. it's probably a better idea to make the script on the phone than in windows.
credit goes to appelflap and jdsemler who found these things.
Hey, I gave this a shot but didn't notice a difference. Do you run any other commands in you visionary script? Do you put this at the end?
Update
Checked my build.prop, still set to 240. Never used the setprop command, but notice the property in build.prop doesn't have qemu.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
I find 190 to work best.
mckinlk said:
Hey, I gave this a shot but didn't notice a difference. Do you run any other commands in you visionary script? Do you put this at the end?
Update
Checked my build.prop, still set to 240. Never used the setprop command, but notice the property in build.prop doesn't have qemu.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - It doesnt modify the build.prop at all actually. I also have some other commands in my script to control adfree and setcpu, but perhaps adding these commands at the beginning will help:
Code:
su
mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/mmcblkp025 /system
mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/mmcblkp025 /data
Very nice. I just added a gscript to run it. It works like a champ.
Slows down g2 when uninstalled everything was back to normal.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
I added the r/w to the /data and removed a line that killed the launcher after uninstalling bloatware. One of those steps did the trick. I love it at 190. I was so frustrated with how the resolution was better than the G1 but didn't really give me the impression with everything blown up.
Thanks for the details.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
mckinlk said:
I added the r/w to the /data and removed a line that killed the launcher after uninstalling bloatware. One of those steps did the trick. I love it at 190. I was so frustrated with how the resolution was better than the G1 but didn't really give me the impression with everything blown up.
Thanks for the details.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. I'll update the OP with the read-write commands.
Love the mod, thanks for the tip
any idea why after the hot reboot it causes sim checker light to email my location as if someone stole my phone and put in there sim?
Noticed the stolen report too with the kill launcher command. Must mess with the sim card negotiation and trigger something.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Forgive the noobisness, but are the icons in the app drawer supposed to look like complete ass with it set @ 190?
Trial and error results
That's what I noticed as well. ADW looks like crap and that's no lie. Some things aren't using the entire screen anymore.
One thing I've learned when it comes to having Android on the HD2 with a lcd_density of 180 is that you have to unmark compatability mode within spare parts. Since we g2 users don't have that app, we're kinda stuck.
BUT WAIT! Spare parts is on the market. Install it and then do an adb shell...
su
busybox killall system_server
AND IT DIDN'T WORK!!!
So I guess I'm gonna have to try a different density other than 190...
UPDATE:
changing the density to 200 made ADW look fantastic. Some apps still don't use the entire screen. Maybe rebooting entirely will help and actually adding these lines to visionary.sh instead of just running the commands through a shell...
UPDATE2:
Rebooting did nothing. Spare parts doesn't do anything so my question would be How do we get all apps to span across all of the screen?
My example is Weather and Toggle Widget with the Weather Forecast Add-on, the weather animation uses only half of the screen...
minotauri said:
I also have some other commands in my script to control adfree and setcpu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Off topic, I know but what are the commands you use for them?
This would help out a great deal!
UPDATE3:
Something went fishy. visionary.sh doesn't seem to want to work. This is what I have,
su
mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/mmcblk0p25 /system
mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/mmcblk0p25 /data
insmod /data/local/vision_oc.ko pll2_l_val=74
setprop qemu.sf.lcd_density 200
busybox killall system_server
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically, it's everything in the OP with the addition of the oc command.
It was working just fine in the beginning but now it doesn't do the hot reboot unless I manually type killall system_server in adb shell or terminal emulator but oc goes through no problems either way...
I would like some clarification on something...
Is it mmcblk0p25 or mmcblkp025 cause 0p25 is what I did and it worked...
FINAL UPDATE:
So I'm really not sure what I did but with a lot of trail and error, I was able to come up with a working script...
su
insmod /data/local/vision_oc.ko pll2_l_val=74
mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/mmcblk0p25 /system
mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/mmcblk0p25 /data
setprop qemu.sf.lcd_density 200
busybox killall system_server
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't edit it in anyway or it won't work. I don't know why...
Sorry for floodin the thread with such a massive post but maybe it will help others. But I still want to know how to add adfree into visionary.sh so I don't have to start that up every time to0. If anyone want to throw me the command you used, I will guinea pig it into the script I just created and post it for the for everyone as well.
It's off topic but at least it will be out in the open cause I didn't see it anywhere. I know how to search...
Thank you all!
Launcherpro @ 200 looks amazing. Will keep it like that, it's like a whole new phone.
edit: thinking it's just a stock launcher problem with rendering, cause stock launcher looked like crap @ 200 too
Can someone post a couple of screen shots?
I'm using launcher pro @ 205. Looks amazing, everything aligned. I think you also need to play with your desktop columns and rows. I'm using 5x6 and manually resized widgets.
Thanks a ton to the OP. I absolutely LOVE high resolutions. Im using a density of 190 on ADW, and it looks fantastic! For some strange reason 200 and 210 were crashing the phone, 190 is running smoothly with no problems/glitches.
Sent from my overclocked T-Mobile G2 using XDA App.
Launcher Pro @ 190. This works great. Thank you.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
I use launcher pro. but I know adw works too because I used that in the past with cyanogenmod on nexus one. you will want to change to column and row settings to full optimize the new screen density.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
I can't get it to work I pushed the script and it was successful I can see it in terminal but it's not setting my density.
PlatinumMOTO said:
I can't get it to work I pushed the script and it was successful I can see it in terminal but it's not setting my density.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reboot device and run visionary...
Installing Debian Squeeze on Android Optimus S - Walk-throughs
This is slowly becoming a larger topic. So for now i will post various ways proven to work on the Optimus S and V as links below:
Installing Debian Squeeze on Android Optimus - Walk-through Compiled by uamadman
Install Debian Squeeze - non-loop sd-ext chroot method (prebuilt!) By bigsupersquid
ALL-Thumbs GUI to replace LXDE By bigsupersquid
4 Steps to Linux on your Optimus S - written by uamadman hosted by uamadman
All of this work was done by other people. I am simply compiling information and specializing it to the Optimus S.
This method does not require a pc, and everything is done through your android interface.
Current Abilities I've tested with success.
Play Sound
Surf the web
Access entire SD Card
Currently Working on:
Flash Support through IceWeasel
Completed:
Making this a simple download and phone restore - Done
Needs:
A GUI with bigger buttons and scaled for 480x320 - Done thanks bigsupersquid
Transparent Keyboard
Sources:
Howto Install Ubuntu by NexusOneHacks.net
secret hidden note to self psychocats.net/ubuntu/nonfree
Lets begin.
You need the following requirements:
Recommended: 2+ gigabytes of free SD card Space (Minimum 1.25gb)
A Rooted Optimus S
Kernel/Recovery: Xionia CWMA v1.2518.6
ROM:The Scott Pilgrim ROM (CM7 Gingerbread, Zefie Edition)
BusyBox Installer - You can get this from google apps store by JRummy16
Linux Installer – You can get this from google apps store by Galoula
Items worth having to things that make this easier:
A Wifi Internet Connection
A fully Charged Battery and a Wall Charger ^.^
2 Bottles of Mountian Dew
Your favorite Movie
and
The Patience to NOT Touch/use your phone for the 2 hours needed to complete the initial install process.
I started this endeavor with a clean install of the ROM listed above.
!!Make backups if you MUST save your data before you proceed any further!!
Warning: In The Simplest Terms(More detail will be in the final walkthrough)
Sometimes the Linux Installer doesn't work or if it is working and the process is interrupted while creating the .LOOP or extracting the build. The Linux Installer will stop working. I've found two (2) ways to fix the issues. The first is to go into setting and clear the cache for Linux Installer, Then open the superuser app and forget the permissions assigned to Linux Installer (Note: Try this a few times before resorting to a clean wipe, this method sometimes takes a few tries). The second is a clean wipe/recovery of the phone. Additionally if for some reason there is a interruption and the process stops. reboot the phone delete linux.loop off your sdcard and start from scratch. BEWARNED
*Walk-through - Under Construction*
To clarify any confusion the button names I use from left to right:
Home : Menu : Back : Search
Pre-Install Check List for Formatting/Reloading Rom
install sdcard with ROM/Recovery's
Reboot > Recovery
wipe data/factory reset
mounts and storage> format system
install zip from sdcard >choose zip from sdcard > update-cm-7-04282011-NIGHTLY
install zip from sdcard >choose zip from sdcard > gapps-gb-20110120
Remove sdcard with ROMS
Install sdcard marked for Linux
mounts and storage > format sdcard
reboot system now
Pre-install Checklist phone prep. (If you choose to overclock your phone this would be a great time to do it)
Wait 2 minutes for phone to fully load
tap droid
tap skip
tap next/done
Settings > Display > Screen timeout > 30 minutes
Settings > Applications > Check Unknown sources (not sure if nessesary)
Settings > Applications > Development > Check Stay awake (Required!!!!)
Settings > Accounts & Sync > Add Account (Go Through Menu's should take you though Market Install)
Market > Search Busy Box > tap BusyBox Installer by JRummy16 > free > ok
Market > Search Linux Installer > tap Linux Installer by Galoula > free > ok
Market > Search vnc > tap android-vnc-viewer Installer by androidVNC team + antlersoft > free > ok
Press Home Key
Apps> Busybox Installer >Allow Permissions> OK > Install
Install Check List
Warning
DO NOT ROTATE YOUR PHONE
ALLOW THE SCREEN TO SHUT OFF
LOCK THE PHONE
WHILE THIS APP IS OPEN UNLESS STATED
(you will see bad things if you do)
For Debian
Apps > Linux Installer > Allow SU Permissions > Allow SU Permissions > Allow SU Permissions > Click OK (First time start up, Yes 3 Approvals. If you don't recieve 3 notifications from super user it means Linux Installer is bugged. Go Settings>Applications>Manage Applications> under the Downloaded tab find Linux Installer > Select > Clear Data > Try step again. May take a few tries.)
Press Menu Key > Tap Setup > Tap File Size > Set to 1250 or more but must be less than the size of your SD Card.> ok > Press The Back Key (Linux installer will exit to your apps menu)
For Ubuntu - Currently bugged. I would avoid this. The source.list seems to have issues and won't download packages.
REQUIRED: Set you phone some where flat plugged into power Do Not Let The Screen Rotate!!!!!Apps>Linux Installer > Tap 1) Create target loop
Be Patient Wait until the Creating LOOP menu disappears. The length of time is dependent on the size of Megabytes set in the File Size option. About 10 minutes for 1500 Mb
Tap Liberate Loop -- Really Fast
Tap Format target loop (ext2) - This is the Buggy Part. If you get an Error message everything is most likely ok. Pickup your phone and Physically Rotate it so the screen rotates. Two additional menu's should appear. [3) Copy and Extract into loop and Install Linux Boot Script]
Lay your phone back down flat it doesn't matter if the screen rotates back to its original.
From here on DO NOT let the Screen Rotate Again! The process will be interrupted and you will get to start from step 1
Tap 3) Copy and Extract into Loop (it will start downloading and extracting the packages necessary to install Linux) This can take up to an hour. On a good 3g connection less than 45minutes.
Tap 4) Install into loop (This takes less than 10 minutes)
Tap Install Linux boot script
30 Seconds Later you officially have a version of Linux installed on your phone
CONGRATS
Verify Install Works
Apps > Terminal Emulator > Type: su > Enter > Grant Permissions > Type: linuxboot > Enter
You should get a string of code then get something like:
[email protected]:/
Most of the next portion comes from the Nexusonehecks.net
Setting up VNC and LXDE (so you don't have to look at terminal lines all day)
Apps > Terminal Emulator > Type: linuxboot > Enter <---If your not already in already.
Type > apt-get update > enter --- 5 minutes
Tight VNC Server
Type > apt-get install tightvncserver > Type y > Press enter --10 minutes
LXDE
Type > apt-get install lxde > type y > Press enter - 30 Minutes+
After a while you should get this screen
Press Menu > Preferences > Control key > Choose Camera Key > Back key > Back Key
Fully Depress the Camera Button Down and Tap the number 9 on the soft key board > Release Camera key > Tap Space Bar -- now two times more
Fully Depress the Camera Button Down and Tap the number 9 on the soft key board > Release Camera key > Tap Space Bar
Fully Depress the Camera Button Down and Tap the number 9 on the soft key board > Release Camera key > Tap Space Bar
The process should continue installing LXDE
tightvncserver Setup
Type> export USER=root > enter
Type> vncserver -geometry 1024x800 > enter
enter password > enter (use something simple you can remember i used 123123123 like they did on the nexusonehacks.net writeup)
verify password > enter
Press Enter after typing each line of the following code. Be Very Slow and Deliberate. Double Check Each line for Capitalization and accuracy before pressing Enter! I do not know how to edit this again --hidden note-->Perhaps some one can show me/tell me how
cat > /root/.vnc/xtartup
#!/bin/sh
xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
icewm &
lxsession
Now Press and Hold the Camera Key and Tap D twice on the soft keyboard > Press Enter (it may ask to press 1 do not and only press enter)
If your camera key wasn't set look here to set it again--->Press Menu > Preferences > Control key > Choose Camera Key > Back key > Back Key
Setting up VNC on android ... After all those command lines I'm sure this is a very very nice change xD
Press Home Screen
Apps > androidVNCviewer > For Password enter 123123123 (Or whatever you set it to in the previous server setup)
Scroll to Port and enter 5901
Change the Color Format if you wish. It runs rather nicely on 24bit color but consumes more cpu cycles.
Tap Connect -- A Very Pretty LXDE should appear with a working CPU Monitor and everything nice
I know you want to play but we have a little more work to do this next step uses Terminal Emulator as the auto start/config file to boot linux and start and configure tightvncserver
Press Home
Open Termial > Menu Key > Preferences > Initial Command > Tap to Edit
Make Edit look like this
export PATH=/data/local/bin:$PATH
linuxboot
vncserver -geometry 600x480
Tap OK > Back out of Teminal to home
vncserver -geometry 600x480<--- this is where you change your screen size. you need a minimum of 600x480 to use the synaptic package manager and a few other things. but when i'm surfing the net or other things I prefer 480x320 (The Exact Size of the Optimus S Screen)
Now whenever you want to run linux simply open the Terminal Emulator. Wait 60 seconds for the code to run.
open androidVNCviewer and click Connect
DONE
Extra things go here
apt-get install synaptic - installs synaptic manager a nice GUI interface for the apt-get command
I have been running a Debian chroot on my optimus V for a few months now, squeeze and sid both work fine. I did it manually without the stuff from the market, and I use the sd-ext partition instead of a loop file
per your GUI issues:
I like xfce4 better than lxde on my optimus V.
Code:
apt-get install xfce4 xfce4-goodies
instead of lxde.
oh, also, the OP pointed out to me that
Code:
apt-get install xfce4-goodies
alone will also pull down xfce4 as a dependency (and that I left out the word install which is now corrected.)
modify the /root/.vnc/xstartup accordingly.
replace
Code:
icewm&
lxsession
with
Code:
xfce4-session&
or, you can cut-and paste my complete file here:
Code:
echo "#!/bin/sh
xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
export XKL_XMODMAP_DISABLE=1
xfce4-session&" > /root/.vnc/xstartup
I have modified a theme for xfce to be more finger-friendly.
see attachment
decompress that file, it contains a folder, Xfce_large.
place the folder in /usr/share/themes
tap on the rat in the lower-left of the desktop (opens menu)
select Settings by tapping its arrow (xfce is twitchy about the menu through the VNC, it may take a few tries to select items on the main menu.)
select Appearance. Then Style.
Scroll down to Xfce_large and tap it, then tap Close at the bottom.
Voila, oversized scrollbars and menu bar buttons!
If you don't like the size, the settings I modified are in the gtk-2.0 subfolder of Xfce_large in the file gtkrc
the modified settings are not tabbed over like the rest of the settings in the file.
I also changed the default font size, icon size, icon font size, and DPI settings, but that has to be done in the settings menus.
The optimus display is about 120 DPI, the default is 75. 120 looks much nicer I think.
You are awesome
good luck with flash. gnash only plays ads on my V, not whole videos.
get-flash-videos from google code works nicely, but it's a capture utility.
it does try to play with mplayer, but only shows a couple of frames per few seconds because the VNC display method of manually copying the framebuffer is very slow.
using a bandwidth meter (debian package cbm to be exact) the vnc uses from 14 to 80Kb per second of system bandwith on device l0.
I don't know what's pegging your CPU use, mine only tops out when the debian system is doing something. I built my chroot with debootstrap instead of using the market installer, no telling what is preinstalled on the image it downloads.
I am going to try this out once i'm finished trying to get the ubuntu side of the house working.
Can I append this to my post here and androidcentral with proper credits due to you so all may share?
uamadman said:
...Can I append this to my post here and androidcentral with proper credits due to you so all may share?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
certainly. just test the instructions for functionality before adding them in.
I considered starting a thread on this myself but never got around to it.
I'll continue to contribute info as this develops.
as an extra, here's a link I've posted, a few places on both forums, with a clean debootstrapped debian filesystem, tarred up to shrink it for download.
I goofed a bit when compressing it though, when decompressed it's a single folder containing the filesystem.
http://www.4shared.com/file/iWuUtZgS/squeeze_05_2011tar.html
uncompressed, 9645 items, totalling 264.3 MB
compressed, 116.3 MB (121929580 Bytes)
this will either need the contents of the freshsqueeze folder it contains copied to an ext2 (or ext3/ext4 if you want to brave the damage from journalling on a SD card, which seemed to cause corruption when I tried ext4) partition on your SD card, or, copied into a blank loop ext filesystem if you prefer.
with an empty debian img file mounted as a loop filesystem on a linux box, you can copy everything from the freshsqueeze folder to the loop filesystem by:
Code:
cp -av /path/to/freshsqueeze/* /path/to/loopmountedimg
the loop filesystem method should allow you to continue using your startup scripts as-is, they'll need slight modifications to work with an ext partition like I'm using.
its resolv.conf and sources.list are already configured for 3g access and the main Debian repository, so it's pretty much plug-n-play. no extra packages are installed, you'll need to apt-get tightvncserver and a window manager of your choice, unless you just want the bash shell.
the first time you chroot in, you should use passwd to set a root password, and adduser to get a non-root account on there.
this is not a loop filesystem like what you are using. it is a full directory tree of a base squeeze install.
I would like to see this on the V.its my only phone right now.if I had 2 I would try it.
Sent from my BumbleV using XDA Premium App.
ummkiper said:
I would like to see this on the V.its my only phone right now.if I had 2 I would try it.
Sent from my BumbleV using XDA Premium App.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think a chroot can hurt your phone. I even run mine bind-mounted into the root filesystem, with system r/w, and haven't ever had any problems a reboot didn't solve. and it's been since April since I had a forced reboot from running stuff in debian.
now, I don't know about the installer from the market, if it asks for root access multiple times, I'm not sure just what it's doing. I'll post my sd-ext startup script and instructions for using it here after dinner if you want to try it that way instead of with the installer app.
honestly, it's a much simpler process than the OP, but, hey, if it works, I'm not one to dismiss the method out-of-hand.
bigsupersquid said:
I don't think a chroot can hurt your phone. I even run mine bind-mounted into the root filesystem, with system r/w, and haven't ever had any problems a reboot didn't solve. and it's been since April since I had a forced reboot from running stuff in debian.
now, I don't know about the installer from the market, if it asks for root access multiple times, I'm not sure just what it's doing. I'll post my sd-ext startup script and instructions for using it here after dinner if you want to try it that way instead of with the installer app.
honestly, it's a much simpler process than the OP, but, hey, if it works, I'm not one to dismiss the method out-of-hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good to me.
non-loop sd-ext chroot method (prebuilt!)
Standard disclaimer:
These scripts and chroot method may bork up your phone, trash your userdata, destroy system files, get you slapped by your mother, make your phone catch fire and/or explode, and etc., ad nauseum.
Use at your own risk.
MAKE A NANDROID BACKUP BEFORE DOING THIS!
You'll probably be just fine, but it's nice to have a backup in case something goes haywire.
Disclaimer aside, it's worked great for me since March, hasn't crashed for months, and I use it multiple times per day.
My main inspiration was Saurik and his Debian & Android together on G1.
I'm sorry that I can't point to all the many, many sources I read through over the couple weeks it took me to get this set up, I took little bits from here, there, and everywhere, but Saurik's work was the main core of this system.
Apologies if you see some tidbit of your work in this... let me know and I'll be happy to give you credit.
Dysfunctions:
things that don't work while the chroot is running:
wifi hotspot in aospCmod and Bumblebee won't initialize; does work during chroot in aospCmod if turned on before chroot, though.
network info II app won't start during chroot; if opened before chroot it's fine.
ringtones on SDcard don't work in Bumblebee; but OI File Manager can read the sdcard during chroot.
these things still work ok once the chroot is exited on aospCmod. The chroot borks wifi on Bumblebee until reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Info:
This script remounts / and /system both read/write and leaves them that way until you type exit in the bash shell of the chroot. Without r/w mounting of the / directory, installing Debian packages gives some errors, since it's running in the real root filesystem. Also, the / directory is wiped out on a reboot, so it's relatively safe to have mounted r/w. /system doesn't need to be r/w, I just like it that way, and I haven't had trouble with it since I was first experimenting with this. Feel free to modify the 'boot' script if having /system mounted r/w makes you nervous.
This has been tested on Zefie'sCM7 (outdated) and aospCmodOV ROMs.
It also worked on Bumblebee, but not as effectively.
The chroot will not stop Android from functioning. If Debian is busy with something, it will slow Android down, though.
You will still get/can make phone calls, text messages, etc. You can send the VNC viewer to the background and use Android apps while the Debian system is in the background.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On to the meat of the matter. I'm using an 8Gb SD card. I advise no smaller than 4Gb unless you just want to do command-line work in Debian and don't need a GUI.
First, these instructions require a Linux pc. On M$ Windoze? Use a Live CD or a virtual box, or you're on your own.
The first part of these instructions is to be completed on your pc. I'll let you know when to switch to the phone.
1) Mount your <empty> SD card on the pc. If it's not empty, back it up, because this will wipe it out. You'll need at least two partitions on it, three if you're using something like apps2sd (which I'm not using, and not really familiar with, so this tutorial is set up assuming you don't need to dodge an existing ext partition,) and another if you have a swap-enabled kernel and want to use it.
2) Use Gparted or a similar tool to partition the SD card. First partition FAT32 for Android, whatever size you feel you need. I'm using 1Gb.
Second partition is an ext2, ext3, or ext4 partition. Apps2SD style, you know what size and filesystem type you need here, I don't. For Debian on the 2nd partition, I advise 3Gb or more, ext2. ext4 corrupted my files, so I switched back to ext2. If you need an apps2sd partition, Debian will go on the 3rd partition, and you'll have to modify the two attached scripts accordingly.
If you're lucky enough to have a swap-enabled kernel, you can make a swap partition; it'll go last, whatever size is left. 256Mb-1Gb should be plenty depending on whether you use image processing or large compiling projects or some other memory hogging programs.
3) Mount the sd FAT32 and Debian ext partitions on the pc.
4) Download to your pc the base Debian Squeeze filesystem which I've debootstrapped, configured, and uploaded for you to save hours of hassle.
Also download to the same directory the two attached script files.
boot.txt
firstrun.txt
5) Open a ROOT shell. You need root privleges to untar the filesystem and retain its permissions. If you don't have a root shell, put sudo in front of the tar and cp-av commands.
6) cd to the directory you downloaded the squeeze_05_2011.tar.gz into. then type
Code:
tar -zxvf squeeze_05_2011.tar.gz
cp -av ./freshsqueeze/* /full/path/to/sdextDebianpartition
sync
and wait for it to finish.
7) type
Code:
cp ./boot.txt /full/path/to/sdFAT32partition/boot
cp ./firstrun.txt /full/path/to/sdFAT32partition/firstrun
sync
8) Now is the time to copy back the stuff you backed up from the SD card to the FAT32 partition, and any apps2sd style stuff if you have it. Then unmount your SD card and put it in the phone.
Now all remaining steps are done on your Optimus. You're finished with the desktop pc.
9) Open a terminal on your Optimus. I like SL4A, but Terminal Emulator works well too. Both are free.
10) Next step merges your existing Android system files into the Debian partition. This is neccesary because I haven't compiled a kernel and don't know of one for the Optimus with UFS enabled. So, Debian gets bind-mounted over the Android rootfs ( / directory) and having the Android system files accessible in the Debian filesystem is required to keep them playing nicely together, while protecting the original Android files from Debian at the same time.
Code:
sh /sdcard/firstrun
You won't need this script ever again unless you change ROMs and/or need to reinstall Debian. Changing ROMS without reinstalling a fresh copy of Debian may mess things up a bit since system files vary between ROMs and you'll still have the Android files from your previous ROM in your Debian filesystem.
This script and the 'boot' script are both listed at the bottom of this post if you want to read 'em.
11) Next, remount system r/w, copy the 'boot' file to /system/xbin and chmod 4755 /system/xbin/boot. If scripts are in /system/xbin and executable, you can run them with 'su -c'
Code:
su
mount -o remount,rw /system /system
cp /sdcard/boot /system/xbin
chmod 4755 /system/xbin/boot
mount -o remount,ro /system /system
OK, a basic Debian filesystem with no extra packages is now installed!
my Debian filesystem is on my 2nd sdcard partition. The comments in the 'boot' script should explain how to use another partition if you have apps2sd running or somesuch (I don't have many Android apps on my phone so don't need/use apps2sd function)
to use the script as-is, your linux flavor should be in the 2nd card partition. I use Debian, but any Debian-based distro should work, for example Ubuntu or DSL.
open a terminal and type
Code:
su -c boot
don't kill the terminal app... leave it running in the background.
when you're finished with linux, reopen the same terminal and type
Code:
exit
to cleanly dismount your linux. No reboot required!
Before you exit the first run of your new Debian system, you should download some packages. I advise tightvncserver, xfce4 (and xfce4-goodies if you want the extra glitz like a cpu monitor, bandwidth monitor, and such, without hunting the individual packages) and iceweasel so you can have a real rebranded firefox on your Optimus.
Code:
apt-get update
apt-get install tightvncserver xfce4 xfce4-goodies iceweasel
It'll take a while to download all that. Lots of data.
Once it's done downloading, configure tightvncserver.
Code:
vncserver
It'll ask you for a password. Choose one that's easy to remember. You'll need to enter it in the VNC viewer as well (next step)
IMPORTANT!
tightvncserver will ask you if you want a view-only password. Tell it no!
next:
Code:
vncserver -kill :1
to politely exit the vncserver. Otherwise you'll have to exit the chroot, reboot the phone, and run the 'boot' script again or it'll open server :2, :3, and so on each time you type vncserver. Each instance will eat more CPU, RAM, etc.
configure /root/.vnc/xstartup
Code:
echo '#!/bin/sh
xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
export XKL_XMODMAP_DISABLE=1
xfce4-session&' > /root/.vnc/xstartup
after that,
you should use
Code:
passwd
to set a root password, and
Code:
adduser
to get a non-root account on there.
Code:
exit
will close the chroot. You can close the terminal after that until you're finished setting up the VNCviewer and want to start your lovely GUI.
Now, set up the VNC viewer like in the OP. Make sure your password matches the one you gave tightvncserver!
I advise 24 bit color. It slows things down ever so slightly, but to me, it's well worth the increase in eye candy you get over 8 bit.
most of the tutorials on the VNC suggest modifying the /root/.bashrc file to start the vncserver automatically (like here on xda) but I don't like that myself. I use the shell a lot, and the vncserver eats system resources. So, I manually start and stop the vncserver from the command line.
Code:
vncserver
to start, it defaults to a 1024x768 which seems to make programs happier than the 480x320 phone native resolution.
Code:
vncserver -kill :1
to stop it politely. Otherwise a phone reboot is required to get rid of vncserver files (by clearing out everything in the / directory which isn't replaced by the boot.img ramdisk) which make it open desktop :2, :3, and so on each time you run the program.
One major advantage to the bind-mounting in the rootfs is that Thunar works as a root explorer, and has access to the entire Android filesystem (except for the bind-mounted Debian directories, which hide the Android directories underneath, including /system/etc which is symlinked to /etc by the boot.img ramdisk,) as well as the complete Debian filesystem.
Pretty much everything I've tried works, unless it wants speed from the display. The VNC just slows that down way to much to use for video or games or suchlike. I'm working on native window support for X, but I need more practice in C to get it done.
Iceweasel works great, if a little slow, a rebranded full firefox on an ARMv6 device that mozilla won't release an apk for its wussy mobile version on. Go figure. The biggest problem is finding plugins compiled for ARM, the 'get plugin' button send you to sites offering x386 versions of the plugins. Yuk.
Icedtea open source java works fine.
Gnash plays ads but not videos.
Gimp works well.
Qemu works!
Eclipse even installs and runs (very slowly)
get-flash-videos captures flash exceptionally well. combined with an Android video player for .mp4 files, you can download and watch flash from lots of places, just not streaming.
alsa audio works through Iceweasel. Played audio clips from yodajeff.com just to test it.
3g works great.
Wifi detects the connection with iwconfig, I haven't tried sending data through it but the way 3g plugs right in I bet that wifi works equally well.
Since wifi and 3g work out of the box, I bet bluetooth would too with some config, but it needs extra packages to see the functionality.
The network meter plugin for xfce works. The device is rmnet0.
The cpu meter plugin also works.
At one point I had the battery meter from xfce-power-manager working but my last install broke it somehow. Ah, well.
once it's all together
open a terminal
to start it up:
Code:
su -c boot
for a gui,
Code:
vncserver
to kill the GUI,
Code:
vncserver -kill :1
to exit the chroot,
Code:
exit
the first time you run the GUI, you might want to add my Xfce_large theme to make the scrollbars and menubars easier to hit on the touchscreen. See the earlier post.
hopefully this helps people out. I spent quite a while getting it just how I wanted it, many googlings and picking bits from here and there.
contents of the scripts follow.
firstrun
Code:
#make /sd-ext directory if it doesn't exist
if [ ! -d /sd-ext ]
then
mkdir /sd-ext
fi
# mount 2nd sdcard partition
# if your linux is on a different partition than 2, substitute that number for the 2 in .../mmcblk0p2 below
# first unmount it; if not already mounted, system will echo 'umount: can't forcibly umount /dev/block/mmcblk0p2: Invalid argument' but this isn't an error to worry about
umount -l /dev/block/mmcblk0p2
mount -o noatime,exec,suid /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /sd-ext
#copy files from Android to Debian without overwriting anything
yes n | cp -aiv /etc/* /sd-ext/etc
yes n | cp -aiv /root/* /sd-ext/root
yes n | cp -aiv /sbin/* /sd-ext/sbin
yes n | cp -aiv /sys/* /sd-ext/sys
boot
Code:
# debian lives here
export mnt=/sd-ext
# remount / and /system rw
mount -o remount,rw / /
mount -o remount,rw /system /system
# make new subdirectories in / for binding
for x in \
bin boot home lib media \
opt selinux tmp usr var
do
mkdir /$x
done
#make $mnt directory if it doesn't exist
if [ ! -d $mnt ]
then
mkdir $mnt
fi
# mount 2nd sdcard partition
# if your linux is on a different partition than 2, substitute that number for the 2 in .../mmcblk0p2 below
# first unmount it; if not already mounted, system will echo 'umount: can't forcibly umount /dev/block/mmcblk0p2: Invalid argument' but this isn't an error to worry about
umount -l /dev/block/mmcblk0p2
mount -o noatime,exec,suid /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 $mnt
# cleanup last session's tmp files, including last VNC session
rm -r -f $mnt/tmp
mkdir $mnt/tmp
# bind mount debian directories to /
for x in \
bin boot home lib media \
opt selinux tmp usr var \
etc root sbin
do
mount --bind $mnt/$x /$x
done
# set some system variables
export PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/etc:/sys:$PATH
export TERM=linux
export USER=root
export HOME=/root
# mount proc,sys,devpts
umount -l devpts
mount -o remount -t proc proc /proc
mount -o remount -t sysfs sysfs /sys
mount -t devpts devpts /dev/pts
# softlink framebuffer (for future use,) and existing mounts
ln -s /dev/graphics/fb0 /dev/fb0
cat /proc/mounts > /etc/fstab
cat /proc/mounts > /etc/mtab
# 'boot' with chroot into debian bash shell at /
chroot / /bin/bash
# done now, clean up after exit to keep Android happy
# remove softlinks and replace backed up mtab and fstab
rm /dev/fb0
cd /
# unmount subdirectories
for x in \
bin boot home lib media \
opt selinux tmp usr var \
etc root sbin
do
umount -l /$x
done
# remove non-Android subdirectories
for x in \
bin boot home lib media \
opt selinux tmp usr var
do
rmdir /$x
done
# remount / and /system ro
mount -o remount,ro / /
mount -o remount,ro /system /system
That is an excellent write up. Link added to first post.
appreciate the compliment.
it took two hours to type up and another two to redo it all after firefox crashed on my pc right as I was finishing.
if anyone notices issues or errors in it, let me know and I'll try to fix 'em.
I'll try to help out if anyone has problems getting it working, odds are I missed some detail or typo.
well it took me all day to install ubuntu on this pc to find out it was my video card so im using the built in video on the mb and it worked.I will be doing this tomorrow as its 2am here now.ive never had a problem installing ubuntu before lol.the live cd would just freeze no matter which flavor of linux i used.
ummkiper said:
well it took me all day to install ubuntu on this pc to find out it was my video card so im using the built in video on the mb and it worked.I will be doing this tomorrow as its 2am here now.ive never had a problem installing ubuntu before lol.the live cd would just freeze no matter which flavor of linux i used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
eek.
I don't really like ubuntu much, it reminds me too much of Windoze, all bloated up and running a bunch of stuff I never told it to
but I put it on after reading dev reccomendations to use it when making the final switch from windoze, and now I only use it for watching dvds and the stupid digital tv the broadcasters switched to a while back to obsolete everyone's receivers (use an hvr950 usb tuner, which I had to force an older driver into the kernel to get working.)
put debian on the pc to dev with, much less gripey and intrusive, but trickier to configure.
ummkiper said:
well it took me all day to install ubuntu on this pc to find out it was my video card so im using the built in video on the mb and it worked.I will be doing this tomorrow as its 2am here now.ive never had a problem installing ubuntu before lol.the live cd would just freeze no matter which flavor of linux i used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have yet to get Ubuntu running nicely on a android. I'm sure i'll figure it out soon enough. I'm donating close to 2-4 hours a day to this right now. I hope i can get everything running how i like without learning how to write my own code... which would take forever ...
oh i dont want it on android i just wanted it on my desktop but it appears my desktop has issues while everything works fine in windows ubuntu still freezes or restarts the gui.i have xubuntu on my ibm thinkpad its slow but runs its ubuntu with xfce so i guess ill use my laptop to do this and keep win on my desktop.
ummkiper said:
oh i dont want it on android i just wanted it on my desktop but it appears my desktop has issues while everything works fine in windows ubuntu still freezes or restarts the gui.i have xubuntu on my ibm thinkpad its slow but runs its ubuntu with xfce so i guess ill use my laptop to do this and keep win on my desktop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it shouldn't really matter too much what machine you use to set things up, the key things you need are a way to untar the premade filesystem, ext2 support, and a usb port to transfer files to the phone.
you could download the files in windoze if your laptop lack web access.
you <might> be able to use a windoze utility to format the first part of the SD card with a small FAT32 partition, then use CWMA recovery to add an ext2 partition to the card, then extract with 7zip on windoze into the ext partition.
I used to have a freeware program to add ext2 support to windoze, but it's buried on one of my old 500Mb harddrives in a box somewhere. bet you could google something like that up if your laptop gives you trouble.
cp ./boot.txt /media/disk/boot
cp ./firstrun.txt /media/disk/firstrun
sync
cp: cannot stat `./boot.txt': no such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `./firstrun.txt': no such file or directory
yeah um i dont see these files in the tar and this is the errorr im getting so where do i get these 2 files from
ummkiper said:
cp ./boot.txt /media/disk/boot
cp ./firstrun.txt /media/disk/firstrun
sync
cp: cannot stat `./boot.txt': no such file or directory
cp: cannot stat `./firstrun.txt': no such file or directory
yeah um i dont see these files in the tar and this is the errorr im getting so where do i get these 2 files from
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made the tar some time back.
boot.txt and firstrun.txt are attached to the bottom of the instructions.
edit: per ummkiper's suggestion I have also linked the attachments right after the filesystem link.
All credit goes to RyanZA for his awesome guide for the Samsung Galaxy S: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=774507
I have merely adapted his guide to the Motorola DEFY and simplified a few steps.
What this guide is for:
The Android settings menu only gives you three options for the wifi sleep policy: When screen turns off, Never when plugged in, or Never. (These options are found in Settings > Wireless & networks > Wi-Fi settings > menu button > Advanced > Wi-Fi sleep policy.) The When screen turns off option does not turn off the wifi immediately after the screen is turned off, however. By default, the system waits 15 minutes before disabling the wifi. This guide explains how to change that wifi timeout duration.
What you’ll need:
- ES File Explorer (with the Root Explorer and Mount File System settings enabled), or some other root-enabled file explorer app on your phone
- SQLite Database Browser on your computer: http://sqlitebrowser.sourceforge.net/
Instructions:
1) In ES File Explorer, go to the following directory in your phone’s internal memory: /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/
2) Copy the “settings.db” file to your SDcard, then to your computer. Make a backup of the original file before making any changes.
3) Open SQLite Database Browser on your computer, select File > Open Database, and open your “settings.db” file.
4) Click the Browse Data tab, and on the Table dropdown menu, select secure.
5) Click New Record. Scroll down to the new empty line that was just created in the table, and double-click on the empty cell in the name column. In the Edit database cell window that appears, type “wifi_idle_ms” (without quotation marks), then click Apply Changes. Next, double click on the cell in the value column, and enter the desired wifi timeout duration in milliseconds (e.g. enter “30000” to specify a timeout duration of 30 seconds), and click Apply Changes.
6) Save the file and exit SQLite. Move the edited file back to your phone’s SD card, then use ES File Explorer to copy and paste it back into the directory where you found it, replacing the original file. (Remember to keep a backup of the original, just in case something goes wrong.) Then reboot the phone.
It won't open file on computer
No database shown, nothing. Help somehow?
Ukiand1 said:
No database shown, nothing. Help somehow?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure you are browsing as root? If you are using ES File Explorer, check the settings and make sure you have "Root-Explorer" enabled with the SU-permissions granted and the filesystem is mounted as R/W.
@Proverbs2
You should also mention to set the permissions for settings.db to -rw-rw---- (660) and the owner to system.system again after overwriting the old file, otherwise you'll get a bootloop.
This can by done either by using adb or terminal emulator:
Code:
> adb shell
$ su
# chmod 660 /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# chown system.system /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# exit
$ exit
> adb reboot
or by using any other app that can do both (I recommend Solid Explorer)
Nice tut otherwise. Now let's see, if it works...
Greetz, Unr3aL67
Thanks go to goroh_kun, ayati and DoomLord. All the usual warnings about attempting to root a phone apply. This works on a phone with build number V16R24C, which is current as of this writing. I can't speak for any later updates.
You will need the following:
Java SDK (required for android dev kit – get the JDK): http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html
ADK: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
ADB driver: http://spf.fmworld.net/oss/usb_driver/f-05d/index.html
F-05D rooting files: http://ayati.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/files/F05Droot.zip
zergRush files (tested with v4): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1319653
Optional:
- a terminal application of your choice
- busybox installer from the market
- English versions of the .bat files (remove the .txt extension): http://pastebin.com/RBCWvzES and http://pastebin.com/EQfjpDAM
Part 1, installing the ADB driver:
1. Install the JDK
2. Install the ADK
3. Go to C:\Users\YourUsername\.android and edit the adb_usb.ini file.
4. Add 0x04C5 on a separate line at the bottom. Save and close the file.
5. Reboot the computer or restart adb
6. On the phone, press home, settings, applications – toggle Unknown sources to On.
7. Same place, press development and toggle USB debugging to On.
8. Connect the phone to the PC, and when prompted, navigate to the location where you extracted the ADB driver.
Part 2, rooting the phone:
1. Extract the zergRush and rooting files to the same folder. (put the English versions in the same spot if want to use them instead).
2. With the phone connected and in debug mode, run the f05dsu.bat file (DO NOT RIGHT CLICK AND SELECT RUN AS ADMIN).
3. You first will get asked to go to Settings, Setting my body, Step/activity counter app, Pedometer use, is turned On. Press space after doing that.
4. You will then get asked to toggle the same setting OFF once, then back to ON. After doing that, press space and the phone will reboot
5. Wait for the phone to reboot and connect over USB properly. Press space when ready.
6. Files will be transferred over and the phone rooted. If you don't get any errors, press space and wait for the phone to reboot again.
7. The phone should now be rebooted, and you can install Busybox and Superuser from the market.
I had trouble getting the Busybox installers to work properly at first – the stericson one would wipe su and require re-running the f05dsu.bat, and the jrummy one would simply not start properly. I suggest trying the jrummy16 installer first just to see if it runs. In the end I had to do things manually to get it installed, but once that was done both installers worked fine.
Part 3, optional, installing Busybox manually:
1. If superuser has been lost, re-root the phone.
2. Open up your favorite terminal application and enter the following manually:
Code:
su
soff
mount -o rw,remount /system /system
dd if=/data/local/busybox of=/system/xbin/busybox
chown root.shell /system/xbin/busybox
chmod 04755 /system/xbin/busybox
/system/xbin/busybox --install -s /system/xbin
dd if=/data/local/su of=/system/xbin/su
chown root.root /system/xbin/su
chmod 06755 /system/xbin/su
echo insmod /data/local/lsm_disabler.ko > /system/xbin/soff
chmod 755 /system/xbin/soff
At this point you should be able to do a "which su" and get /system/xbin/su as a response. If you don't get any response, Busybox is not properly installed (start over). Doing a "ls -ls /system/xbin/su" should also NOT return a symbolic link to Busybox – if it does, you'll need to copy over su from /data/local again. The same goes for soff. Once this is done, start up jrummy's Busybox installer to confirm the installed version of Busybox, and upgrade it if you want.
Thanks very much, worked well but sadly I managed to boot loop my phone after rooting it.
Now I need to SIM unlock the phone as the factory unlock code is gone.
F05D rooting
Hi there i have successfully rooted my Fujitsu F05D have root access but I can't seem to loads busy box, I have permission through superuser and it goes through the motions but at the end it says " install unsuccessful".
The files are in the system/bin folder but something is wrong. if I use busy box installer jrimmy16 it just say installing and keeps going and never stops if I got to to scripts and click fix file permissions
" run script" it too just spins round and round..
hmm any hints guys.
Don't do a forced install or whatever it's called, that's how I bootlooped and later SIM locked mine, still yet to send it back haha.
Hello, is this working?? I want to root my Docomo Fujitsu Arrows X F-10.. And also my phone keeps on rebooting Please help.. Any ideas why?
does it work on Fujitsu T-02D?