[HOW-TO] Hey Noobs ... Here's help when you think you "bricked" your phone (U.S.)

[HOW-TO] Hey Noobs ... Here's help when you think you "bricked" your phone (U.S.) - G1 Android Development

[HOW-TO] Hey Noobs ... Here's help when you think you "bricked" your phone (U.S.)
Since we have apps now that seemed to have inspired G1 noobs to root and flash their phones without the prequisite of reading the instructions, I hope they might read this to help them get out of the "bricked" situation they often find themselves in. It's simple to do, it's saved my ass a number of times, and it will quickly get you back to a pristine T-Mobile status.
NOTE: This is for U.S. T-Mobile users. Your mileage my vary and it may need to be adapted with different files relative to your country and carrier.
You are not bricked if you can get into the recovery or bootloader just jammed up!
How to quickly UN-"brick" your phone:
All you need are two files.
DREAIMG.nbh
update.zip
THESE TWO FILES ARE FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF PEOPLE IN THE U.S.These can be downloaded at:
- http://www.brentcctx.com/android/DREAIMG.nbh
- http://www.brentcctx.com/android/update.zip
DREAIMG.nbh is the original T-Mobile U.S. Rom.
update.zip is the original T-Mobile U.S. "cupcake" update (signed-kila-ota-148830.de6a94ca)
Download these two (2) files and put them on the root of your sdcard and restore the original T-Mobile rom. You will do this by
remove the sdcard from your phone
put the sdcard into your card reader
put the card reader into your computer
make sure your computer recognizes the sdcard with a drive letter (Windows) or is mounted (Linux)
look in the root directory of your sdcard for any file named "update.zip". If one is there, delete it.
copy DREAIMG.nbh to the root of your sdcard
copy update.zip to the root of your sdcard.
double check that DREAIMG.nbh is spelled just like that (with DREAIMG in all caps and nbh in lowercase)
double check that update.zip is spelled correct and the whole thing is lowercase
safely remove the card reader from your computer (unmount in linux or eject properly in Windows)
remove the sdcard from the card reader
make sure your phone is off
put the sdcard back into your phone
press and hold the CAMERA button
while still holding the CAMERA button, press the POWER BUTTON (red button on the bottom right of phone)
at this point, you should see the phone checking your sdcard, looking for DREAIMG.nbh and checking it for errors
wait until you see "OK" beside all the different items and instructions at the bottom of your screen.
now, press the POWER button (red button on the bottom right of phone) which will restore DREAIMG.nbh
wait until everything has completed.
reboot your phone
your phone will also write the old, original radio back to your phone too and reboot itself
your phone will now boot into the recovery screen (if it didn't, start over with #1)
you should see the triangle with a yellow exclamation point ! (again, if you don't, start over with #1)
Now that you are in the recovery screen, that means your phone has been restored to the original G1 factory condition. Note: you have also lost root at this point, your radio is back to the original and, if you had a different SPL, that's been replaced as well.
While still in the recovery screen, it's now time to update your phone to "Cupcake". This is the OTA version from T-Mobile. It is not rooted or modified. It is strictly the OTA update.
Open up your keyboard and press ALT + L to go from the triangle/! to a menu
For safety sake, press ALT + W to wipe your phone (it should have already occured, but we're being safe)
Now we want to apply the sdcard:update.zip by pressing ALT +S
Wait until the update completes and you see instructions at the bottom of the screen.
Follow the instructions to reboot your phone.
At this point, your phone will update the radio. Be patient and wait for the phone to reboot itself.
Your phone will reboot into recovery again. All you need to do at this point is reboot your phone by pressing HOME+BACK.
You will have to be patient again while your phone boots for the 1st time with "Cupcake". If, after 5-7 minutes your phone hasn't fully booted, that means you have done something wrong. Start completely over.
If at any point during the process you get a warning that DREAIMG.nbh or update.zip cannot be found, that means you didn't copy the files properly. Start over! Put your sdcard back into your computer, check the root of your sdcard for DREAIMG.nbh (that filename is case sensitive) and update.zip (case sensitive as well). Make sure that update.zip isn't named update.zip.zip (that often happens with Windows).
Once your phone has rebooted, you will have to log in again. Your should have your phone back.
I now recommend flashing Cyan's latest recovery image. Search XDA Developer's Forum for the latest. Download and install.
If you still want to try and flash a modified rom, hopefully you have learned from the experience and will be more careful. My suggestion is to the following items, in the following order. Search XDA for the proper thread.
-- DOWNLOAD ANY ADDITIONAL FILES YOU WILL NEED (rom, SPL?, radio)
Now is a good time to re-format & re-partition your sdcard.
In most instances, you will want 3 partitions in this order: Fat32/Ext3/Swap
If you don't have anything to partition your card, get a trial version of Paragon Partition Manager.
Once your card is partition, copy all of your needed files to the Fat32 partition.
Install Cyan's latest improved recovery image next.
Install the most up-to-date radio
If, and only if, the rom you want to install requires a different SPL, then install that.
Now install the modified rom of your choice.
It's a good idea to re-flash the latest radio once again.
Now create an emergency kit !
For future problems, take those two files you originally download from the top of this thread and put them on your sdcard right now ... in the root of your directory. ALWAYS KEEP THEM THERE ! Do NOT rename them (keep them DREAIMG.nbh and update.zip). That way, should your phone ever hit the crapper again, you are fully prepared to get your phone working again anywhere you are without the need for a computer.
NOTE: if you do keep DREAIMG.nbh and update.zip in the root of your sdcard, be careful not to overwrite the update.zip file with a modified rom update. When you want to install a modified rom, just copy the modified rom's .zip file to your sdcard (do not rename it, keep it named whatever the developer named it). If you are using Cyan's latest recovery image, you will be able to apply any update using any .zip file in the root of your sdcard. Update to a modified rom by choosing that rom's .zip file name.

Can we get a sticky please at the very top of the page since this is the #1 asked question everso we don't keep getting this new thread daily, I always kept dreaimg on my phone as a just in case emergency get out of jail free card. Can the op also edit his post to mention that you are not bricked if you can get into the recovery or bootloader just jammed up at the very top of his post

Great. Will these two files also work on EU G1 with RC7 original ROM?

If they flashed the newest SPL shouldn't they flash the Original SPL before the DREAIMG.nbh since I think it downgrades the radio or am I wrong?

That's pretty much the purpose of doing it the way I described. It's less risky to just flash the DREAIMG.nbh and let it take it back to factory condition. It does the SPL & the old radio. There is no need to do the original SPL first doing it this way. It's also the safest for anyone that's inexperienced.

gridlock32404 said:
Can we get a sticky please at the very top of the page since this is the #1 asked question everso we don't keep getting this new thread daily, I always kept dreaimg on my phone as a just in case emergency get out of jail free card. Can the op also edit his post to mention that you are not bricked if you can get into the recovery or bootloader just jammed up at the very top of his post
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed... can this be a sticky! it will help cut down on senseless new threads saying help or ummm i need advice.
this is a great write-up btw!

Can you post both links to the us rc29 and also eu version rc7 plus the cupcake upgrade since they are differant and flashing roms not meant for your locale could also cause problems

gridlock32404 said:
Can you post both links to the us rc29 and also eu version rc7 plus the cupcake upgrade since they are differant and flashing roms not meant for your locale could also cause problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will, and that's a very good point.
I'll do that when I get home in the morning.
Thanks for the suggestion.

blueheeler said:
That's pretty much the purpose of doing it the way I described. It's less risky to just flash the DREAIMG.nbh and let it take it back to factory condition. It does the SPL & the old radio. There is no need to do the original SPL first doing it this way. It's also the safest for anyone that's inexperienced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? Wow all this time since RC33 I thought you had to flash the original SPL and DREAIMG.nbh to unroot lol

Related

Un-Do Root URGANT!!!

Now, Idk what the heck is wrong with my G1, but it is doing it. -_-
Ok, heres the WHOLE story so sit back and relax...
When I dound this app on atrackdog advertisment it said you could tether your G1 so you could give internet to like your computer or any other wireless picking devices. Now I thought "Hey, why don't I do this?" and so I did. When I launched the program, it said I needed a Root G1. Now, I tryed doing something with my Ipod once and I bricked it. Had to send it back to Apple and got a new one. Anyway, back to the story. I went to the XDA forums thingy were it showed you How To get root on a G1. So guess what I did? You know! lol I tryed to root my G1. Now I got threw ALL the steps were it said "You know have a rooted G1" and I was like YAY, but it ended up not working. I tryed 2 tethering apps that both said I still didnt have a rooted G1. Now that made me p.o'ed. So I try to fix it by downloading updates, renaming them update.zip and etc... ALL OF THEM did not work! I mean come on! The files were RC33 updates I found on the web. I talked to a guy on T-MObile Forums (a MOD named Chris) and he tryed to help me. He went on vacation for the weekend so I will try to fix it myself by asking you guys Back to the story, he told me (chris) that I need towait for a automaticly update during the day. Well I waited and got one. Everytime I try to update it it does the normal rutine. Resets, goes to the box unpacking software to the G1, swirly line, starts to load, and poof! I get a screen that has a tringle with a explimation mark in it. I ushally pressed the alt-l to see the list, aand then pressed alt-s to download from sd. Didnt work (probily becouse it is not coming from the sdcard, but from online ) so I reset phone. Chris (the mod) told me to wait on the screen becouse it might be just loading on there for the update. Well I waited for 3 hours and it stayed on the ! mark! So now I am stuck with a G1 that says it is and isnt rooted (maybe bricked, hope not becouse it still works...) and I REALLY need help!!!
Now I have restarted (meaning master reset) the thing 3 times already! I will do it again ONLY IF this is the only way it will work.
Please Help ASAP!

Yikes. Wall of text FTL. You should have sat down and distilled your entire narrative into a few cohesive sentences. It makes it easier for folks to help you if they can understand what yer sayin'.
Josh27 said:
(probily becouse it is not coming from the sdcard, but from online )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can just put a standard update.zip onto the sdcard (use an external card reader) and Alt-S as normal. If for some reason you can't get the update.zip to work (for example if you already replaced the keys with testkeys) then the absolute end-all-complete-start-from-scratch is to use the DREAIMG.NBH file. Follow steps 1 through 6 in "Preparing to get root" at this thread. After that, you can apply official updates normally.
I suggest you not attempt to root your phone after you recover it.

you need to revert back to RC29, follow the instructions in this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=442480
1. Format your phone's SD card to FAT32 mode:
* Hook your phone up to your computer using a USB cable and then wait for the notification to show up in your title bar of your phone.
* Click the notification, and then click "Mount".
* A new removable disk should show up on your computer. Right click it and select Format, and select FAT32 as the file system type.
2. Download and unzip the RC29 or RC7 image file. Copy the DREAMIMG.nbh file to the SD card. (RC29 for US, RC7 is for UK)
3. Turn the device power off.
4. Hold Camera button, and press Power button to entry bootloader mode. You should see a gray/white screen with instructions to flash your phone with the update on your SD card. If you don't see that, make sure you followed the instructions properly.
5. As per the on-screen instructions, press the Power button to start upgrade procedure. DO NOT DO ANYTHING TO INTERRUPT THIS PROCESS.
6. After it is finished, perform the restart your phone.
then you can up date to RC30 then to RC33 manually or just wait for the
phone to get the updates on its own.

* Note *
If you do not know how, or why..... DO NOT PROCEED...

CBowley said:
* Note *
If you do not know how, or why..... DO NOT PROCEED...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
perfect sense!

untermensch said:
you need to revert back to RC29, follow the instructions in this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=442480
1. Format your phone's SD card to FAT32 mode:
* Hook your phone up to your computer using a USB cable and then wait for the notification to show up in your title bar of your phone.
* Click the notification, and then click "Mount".
* A new removable disk should show up on your computer. Right click it and select Format, and select FAT32 as the file system type.
2. Download and unzip the RC29 or RC7 image file. Copy the DREAMIMG.nbh file to the SD card. (RC29 for US, RC7 is for UK)
3. Turn the device power off.
4. Hold Camera button, and press Power button to entry bootloader mode. You should see a gray/white screen with instructions to flash your phone with the update on your SD card. If you don't see that, make sure you followed the instructions properly.
5. As per the on-screen instructions, press the Power button to start upgrade procedure. DO NOT DO ANYTHING TO INTERRUPT THIS PROCESS.
6. After it is finished, perform the restart your phone.
then you can up date to RC30 then to RC33 manually or just wait for the
phone to get the updates on its own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is DREAIMG.NBH file NOT ---> DREAMIMG.nbh

I can not count how many times that file has been called dreamimg.nbh lol

May i ask a question about updating after returning to original firmware. Since we can only revert back to original UK version firmware and i got my phone in aussie, would i get back my stg firmware after updating to the newest firmware?

From Cupcake to Hero (Magic) > what do I need to do?

Hi guys.
I know that the various aspects of this post are covered in other posts, but I haven't seen anything that acts like a step by step or repository for this info.
Basically, I have a VodafoneAU HTC Magic with 1.5 on it, and I'd like to flash on it one of the Hero roms. I used to have a Diamond and then Diamond Pro, but I know little about Android at this point.
My biggest fear is bricking the phone, followed by not being able to restore my previous rom (and even apps and settings would be awesome too, though not essential) should something go pear shaped.
I know the steps I need to follow are:
1 - Root the phone
2 - Back up ROM (settings/apps too?)
3 - Flash new ROM
4 - ?????
5 - Profit (in the form of enjoying an awesome Hero ROM)
Jokes aside, if someone can point me in the right direction for the first 3 steps, that'd be great. Even if it's as simple as
1 - Root it using this post (link)
2 - Use this App to back it up
3 - etc..
Like I said, I know this info is probably covered elsewhere, but not in one place (that I've found) and I'd hope this post could serve as a guide for anyone else looking to go the same steps as me.
Thanks for any help anyone can give.
Cheers.

First off, you don't need to root your phone, update the SPL, or any of that scary stuff. Which is great, cus that's the riskiest part of it all. Briefly, the procedure is as follows:
1. Boot your phone in fastboot mode (power the phone off, then hold the back button as you power it back on). You'll see a white screen with some text, the word "FASTBOOT" and some androids at the bottom.
2. Note the version numbers you see at the top of the screen - it'll look something like:
SAPPHIRE PVT 32A SHIP S-ON H
HBOOT-1.3300.0009 (SAPP10000)
CPLD-12
RADIO-3.22.20.17
3. Download the ROM you want to upgrade to for your phone's version, rename the zip to update.zip and put it on the root of your phone's SD card
4. Boot a recovery ROM using fastboot (from the Android SDK)
5. Use Nandroid Backup to back up your current firmware to the SD card
6. Copy that backup (and the rest of the contents of your SD card) to your PC, just in case. This is the last point at which you can back out!
7. Use the recovery ROM to wipe your phone's existing firmware
8. Use the recovery ROM to apply the update.zip from the SD card
9. Wait for the update to complete
10. Reboot your phone and enjoy your new ROM!
I did this on my Vodafone NZ HTC Magic (PVT32B) running 1.5 yesterday and am enjoying Hero on it right now, barring a few quirks. If you like, I'll put together a detailed step-by-step of the procedure.

KarrdeNZ said:
First off, you don't need to root your phone....
I did this on my Vodafone NZ HTC Magic (PVT32B) running 1.5 yesterday and am enjoying Hero on it right now, barring a few quirks. If you like, I'll put together a detailed step-by-step of the procedure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, cheers. I'll have a crack at it tonight then.
So Am I correct then in assuming step 5 backs up my phone as it is now? So essentially if I roll back it will be exactly as it was? Installed apps, settings, contacts (although sync sorts that out) and all?

papalazarou said:
So Am I correct then in assuming step 5 backs up my phone as it is now? So essentially if I roll back it will be exactly as it was? Installed apps, settings, contacts (although sync sorts that out) and all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. Nandroid only backs up the existing firmware (and I believe some settings). It doesn't back up texts, contacts (though those should be synced with your Google Account anyway), or apps. For the most part, apps are easy to retrieve from the Market, but if you have any you got from elsewhere you'll need to reacquire them. The app MyBackup Pro seems to be recommended on these forums for more thorough backups, though it isn't free (and I've not used it myself). As my phone was (relatively) new I wasn't too fussed about keeping backups of anything except the firmware.

I've done a couple of Nandroid backups and restores and it restores everything (except SD card), meaning applications, settings, everything is restored.
Also, I highly recommend RAv's recovery (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=530492). Use it to make your Nandroid backup .

Wysie said:
I've done a couple of Nandroid backups and restores and it restores everything (except SD card), meaning applications, settings, everything is restored.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard differing reports on what Nandroid does and doesn't back up, so was erring on the side of caution. But if it backs up everything, awesome.
And yep, that's the recovery ROM I used. I'm writing up the step by step instructions at the moment - will post em when they're done.

KarrdeNZ said:
I've heard differing reports on what Nandroid does and doesn't back up, so was erring on the side of caution. But if it backs up everything, awesome.
And yep, that's the recovery ROM I used. I'm writing up the step by step instructions at the moment - will post em when they're done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
depends how you restore it- you can restore system.img only and not get all your data etc (using fastboot) but if you fastboot data.img as well then you get it all..... the new recovery restores it all...

KarrdeNZ said:
First off, you don't need to root your phone, update the SPL, or any of that scary stuff. Which is great, cus that's the riskiest part of it all. Briefly, the procedure is as follows:
1. Boot your phone in fastboot mode (power the phone off, then hold the back button as you power it back on). You'll see a white screen with some text, the word "FASTBOOT" and some androids at the bottom.
2. Note the version numbers you see at the top of the screen - it'll look something like:
SAPPHIRE PVT 32A SHIP S-ON H
HBOOT-1.3300.0009 (SAPP10000)
CPLD-12
RADIO-3.22.20.17
3. Download the ROM you want to upgrade to for your phone's version, rename the zip to update.zip and put it on the root of your phone's SD card
4. Boot a recovery ROM using fastboot (from the Android SDK)
5. Use Nandroid Backup to back up your current firmware to the SD card
6. Copy that backup (and the rest of the contents of your SD card) to your PC, just in case. This is the last point at which you can back out!
7. Use the recovery ROM to wipe your phone's existing firmware
8. Use the recovery ROM to apply the update.zip from the SD card
9. Wait for the update to complete
10. Reboot your phone and enjoy your new ROM!
I did this on my Vodafone NZ HTC Magic (PVT32B) running 1.5 yesterday and am enjoying Hero on it right now, barring a few quirks. If you like, I'll put together a detailed step-by-step of the procedure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a noob...Why don't need to FLASH SPL and ROOT the phone?? But u can still flash into HERO rom. I would like to have a full flash procedure from you,thanks. My machine is running on PVT32A.

snowhk said:
I am a noob...Why don't need to FLASH SPL and ROOT the phone?? But u can still flash into HERO rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can load the Hero ROM without replacing your SPL (in most cases) or rooting, so why replace it if you don't need to? I've done it myself without doing so and it's working fine.
My guide is now ready - check it out at http://www.karrderized.com/romguide/.

KarrdeNZ said:
You can load the Hero ROM without replacing your SPL (in most cases) or rooting, so why replace it if you don't need to? I've done it myself without doing so and it's working fine.
My guide is now ready - check it out at http://www.karrderized.com/romguide/.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just ask for curiosity..But why did others do so?? Thanks. You provided a clear guide.^^

snowhk said:
Just ask for curiosity..But why did others do so?? Thanks. You provided a clear guide.^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think some SPL versions prevent ROM updates and so need to be replaced with versions that do, but I'm not sure. I'll let someone more knowledgeable take that question.
And thanks, I tried to make the guide as easy as possible

KarrdeNZ said:
I think some SPL versions prevent ROM updates and so need to be replaced with versions that do, but I'm not sure. I'll let someone more knowledgeable take that question.
And thanks, I tried to make the guide as easy as possible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My device shows the followings:
Sapphire PVT 32A Ship S-ON H
HBOOT-1.33.0009(SAPP10000)
CPLD-12
RADIO-3.22.20.17
Would my SPL version prevent the update?Coz I afraid of bricking my phone>< I got too many questions. Hope u can have a help. Thanks.

snowhk said:
My device shows the followings:
Sapphire PVT 32A Ship S-ON H
HBOOT-1.33.0009(SAPP10000)
CPLD-12
RADIO-3.22.20.17
Would my SPL version prevent the update?Coz I afraid of bricking my phone>< I got too many questions. Hope u can have a help. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=529019 you should be fine. If you're unable to boot the recovery ROM (step 8 in my guide) then stop there, as I believe that's about where problematic SPLs first show signs of trouble. Just make sure you get ROMS for 32A.

KarrdeNZ, thanks for your fantastic guide! Are you OK to put it up as a stick thread within this forum?

i believe you can only do this with signed roms but this is only from what i have read on here, but to be fair its not hard to root anyway and aslong as your not a dumbass its pretty straight forward and can benefit from bluetooth file sharing and apps2sd and tethering so deffo worth it, opens up your phone to numerous possibilities

eva_d said:
KarrdeNZ, thanks for your fantastic guide! Are you OK to put it up as a stick thread within this forum?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, not a problem I'd prefer the thread link to the guide so that new versions are easy to find, but whatever works.

KarrdeNZ, mate I followed your guide to the letter. I got all the way down to step 11 and then a problem occurred.
When I clicked 'Apply sdcard:update.zip' it just said cannot find or cannot load update.zip, or something like that, then said operation aborted?
I was trying to install the EXACT same ROM as you, I downloaded it to my laptop, renamed it update.zip and moved it to the root of the SD card.
Yet it didn't work, I can't for the life of me think where it's gone wrong as everything else up to that point had gone smoothly.
Any idea's?

Well I tried downloading the same file again. No luck this time either!
This is what it says when I click the install from sdcard button:
--install from sdcard...
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
E: Can't open /sdcard/update.zip
(no such file or directory)
Installation aborted.
Now I get that it's saying that it can't find the file but I really don't understand why? I mean the file is there, do I have to unzip the file onto my computer 1st and then put it on the sdcard?
I thought i just stuck the zipped file onto the root of the card making sure i renamed it 'update.zip'
Please help me out guys, thanks.

The exact thing happened to me; and I realized I was dumb and had named the file "update.zip", when in fact it should just be "update". The file extension should come naturally since the file is still compressed.
Roy_Drage said:
Well I tried downloading the same file again. No luck this time either!
This is what it says when I click the install from sdcard button:
--install from sdcard...
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
E: Can't open /sdcard/update.zip
(no such file or directory)
Installation aborted.
Now I get that it's saying that it can't find the file but I really don't understand why? I mean the file is there, do I have to unzip the file onto my computer 1st and then put it on the sdcard?
I thought i just stuck the zipped file onto the root of the card making sure i renamed it 'update.zip'
Please help me out guys, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

KarredeNZ, THANK YOU for your awesome tutorial!! I looked through so many other pages for instructions and they went totally over my head. Your tutorial was the best and easiest to follow.

[Guide] Installing the Hero Rom on your HTC Magic

Since the original link to this guide is buried in another thread, I've re-posted it here (and the guide in full) in order to help people that might've missed it. The latest version of the guide will always be available at http://www.karrderized.com/romguide/ however, and is a more printable version as well, so please check there too.
Installing the Hero ROM on your HTC Magic
Version 1.2 - 13 August 2009 - by KarrdeNZ
Disclaimer: I am not responsible if you brick your phone. This is only a guide. These instructions have worked for me, but there is no guarantee that they will for you as well. Follow this guide at your own risk.
Feel free to print off this guide if it makes things easier to follow. Please do not, however, steal this guide and claim it as your own. Updates to this guide will be posted here - http://www.karrderized.com/romguide/ - link, but don't steal. Thanks.
Things you'll need
Back up your settings
Installing the Android SDK
Determine your phone's version
Download the correct recovery ROM for your version
Download the correct Hero ROM for your version
Setting up the fastboot connection
Boot the recovery ROM
Back up your phone with Nandroid
Wipe your phone
Load your new ROM
Boot into your new ROM
Things to note
Acknowledgements
Changelog
1 . Things you'll need
A HTC Magic phone (obviously) running Cupcake (1.5) and with a SD card
A USB cable for your HTC Magic
A PC. These instructions assume you're running a Windows variant, though the same procedures can be performed on a Linux machine. Don't ask me about Macs. If you're running Windows, note whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit OS, it becomes relevant later on.
The Android SDK - current release as of this writing is 1.5 Release 3, available here.
Recovery ROM - Which particular one you want to use will depend on your phone's version (I'll cover this later on).
A signed Hero ROM to install. Again, this is version dependent.
Got all that? Good.
2. Back up your settings
Now, before we start, back up. I'm of the opinion that you can never have too many backups. Take a copy of everything on your phone's SD card, make sure your contacts etc are synced, any apps you want that you can't easily get back from the Market are backed up, all that stuff.
Another thing you should note are the APN settings for your particular provider. These are in Settings, Wireless Controls, Mobile Networks, Access Point Names. You may have multiple APNs listed - go into each one and note down all the settings. You'll likely need to re-enter these manually once you've installed your new firmware.
Once you're satisfied you've got everything backed up, we can start setting up our environment.
3. Installing the Android SDK
Download the latest release of the Android SDK - here at the time of writing - for your relevant OS. I'll be using Windows from here on in. Extract the .ZIP file to somewhere convenient - I've got mine on my C: drive under C:\android-sdk-windows-1.5_r3. We need the SDK for the tools it provides in the tools subfolder, fastboot in particular, as well as the USB drivers for your phone.
4. Determine your phone's version
As of this writing, there are two distinct versions of the HTC Magic - PVT32A and PVT32B. The primary differences between these two versions is the amount of RAM (288MB on the 32A, 192MB on the 32B) and the radio (Qualcomm MSM7200a for the 32A, Qualcomm MSM7201a for the 32B). Generally, if your phone is HTC branded, it's a 32A, and if it's carrier branded (Google, Vodafone, etc) it's a 32B. Mine's a PVT32B from Vodafone NZ. But let's find out for sure what yours is.
Grab your phone and turn it off. Now, while holding the Back button down, power it back on. Your phone should now boot to a screen with a white background, some lines of text, and some skateboarding androids at the bottom. Welcome to fastboot.
The first few lines on the screen, in green, are what we're looking for. Mine reads as follows:
Code:
SAPPHIRE PVT 32B SHIP S-ON G
HBOOT-1.33.0004 (SAP10000)
CPLD-10
RADIO-2.22.19.26I
Apr 9 2009,23:30:40
Yours will likely differ slightly. The number we're looking for is in that very first line - PVT 32B in my case. Make a note of this. The next item we're looking for is the second line, which indicates your SPL version. Some SPL versions do not allow ROM flashing, notably those of T-Mobile's myTouch3G variant of the HTC Magic. At this writing, HBOOT-1.33.0006 and HBOOT-1.33.0010 are the two known "perfect SPL" versions that do not allow flashing. If you have either of those versions, stop now. There is a complicated procedure you will need to follow first.
Otherwise, for now you can turn your phone back off (by pressing MENU).
5. Download the correct recovery ROM for your version
Head to this thread and download the recovery ROM for your particular phone version, as we determined in step 4. Save it in the tools subdirectory of the Android SDK (in my case, C:\android-sdk-windows-1.5_r3\tools).
6. Download the correct Hero ROM for your version
If you have a 32A, this thread should help you find a signed ROM (I'd suggest Fatality's Hero ROM): here
If you have a 32B like me, try Qteknology's Hero port here- the swap version is the fastest Hero ROM I've found so far. It does however require you to repartition your SD card in order to provide swap space to speed the ROM up - a guide for this is available from the linked forum post.
Note I have only tested the one I linked for the 32B as that's the version I have. Download whichever ROM you need to somewhere handy, and rename it to update.zip. Please note: if you have file extension display turned off (default in XP) then just rename the file to update instead - the .zip extension will already be set. Once you've done this, copy it to the root directory of your phone's SD card. You can do this using the standard USB connection system that the phone provides, or if you prefer using a card reader.
7. Setting up the fastboot connection
Start your phone in fastboot mode as we did in step 4 (hold down Back while turning the phone on). Once the fastboot screen is up on the phone, plug the phone into your computer with the USB cable.
At this stage, my computer asked for drivers for the phone - these are included with the Android SDK, in the usb_driver subdirectory. Users with 32-bit versions of Windows should use the drivers in the x86 subdirectory under that, and 64-bit versions should use those in the amd64 subdirectory. Once the drivers have installed, leave the phone attached to your PC - you're ready to proceed with booting the recovery ROM.

[Guide] Installing the Hero Rom on your HTC Magic - part 2
8. Boot the recovery ROM
We're going to use the Android SDK's fastboot utility in combination with fastboot mode on the phone to perform a one-off boot of the recovery ROM so that we can back up the existing setup, wipe the phone and then load the new ROM. At this stage, it would be wise to make sure you've synced contacts and backed up whatever you want to hold onto.
Open a command prompt window on your PC (Start, Run, cmd) and change to the tools subdirectory of where you installed the Android SDK, for example:
Code:
cd\android-sdk-windows-1.5_r3\tools
The prompt should change to indicate you're now in that directory. Now we make sure the phone is properly configured to communicate through fastboot. Type the following:
Code:
fastboot devices
If you see your device listed, we're about ready to go. Let's boot into the recovery ROM:
Code:
fastboot boot recovery-RAv1.2.0G.img
If the recovery ROM you downloaded is named differently, substitute it's name for recovery-RAv1.2.0G.img.
All going well, your phone should kick into the recovery ROM now - you'll come to a pretty green texted menu with the HTC logo in the background. This ROM is being loaded via the fastboot software and is NOT on your phone, just in it's memory. We have yet to make any modifications to your phone at all.
9. Back up your phone with Nandroid
Let's make one more backup to be safe. The recovery ROM we booted into provides us with Nandroid backup and restore, which we can use to backup the firmware and data currently on the phone to the SD card.
On your phone, use the trackball to scroll down to Nandroid v2.2 backup and click. This will start the backup process, and you'll see some yellow text start to appear at the bottom of the phone's screen. Once it's complete, you have a backup.
Use the trackball to select the Reboot system now option and click. It should load back into it's normal firmware. You can now mount the SD card as usual and copy the nandroid directory from the SD card to your computer. This is also a prime opportunity to back up your entire SD card.
10. Wipe your phone
WARNING: This is the absolute LAST point at which you can back out of this procedure. After this, it's all or nothing. Proceed at your own risk.
Boot your phone back into fastboot with USB attached (see step 4) and then load the recovery ROM again:
Code:
fastboot boot recovery-RAv1.2.0G.img
Use the trackball to move down to Wipe data/factory reset. This will erase all the data on your phone, ready for you to install the new ROM. Click. Congratulations, you have just wiped your phone! You are now ready to load your new ROM.
11. Load your new ROM
Still in the recovery ROM menu, scroll to Apply sdcard:update.zip. This process extracts the ROM from the update.zip file we placed on your SD card earlier and installs it onto your phone. It may take a little while so be patient. It'll tell you when it's done.
12. Boot into your new ROM
Select the Reboot system now option and click. Your phone will now restart with it's shiny new ROM! First boots can take a while, so bear with it. You'll probably see a new splash screen or two on startup, and eventually you'll get into your phone. You may or may not be prompted with a request about giving an app root access on your first boot - you can safely Always Allow this, as it's writing a swap file to your SD card in an effort to speed things up. You'll also need to go through the setup process on the phone again as if it were new, because for all intents and purposes it is. This includes setting up your Google account syncing, as well as the new Hero functionality such as your Facebook, Flickr and Twitter integration (if you so desire).
And from here on out, it's all up to you! Enjoy your new firmware, make it your own. There's some great new functionality in Hero over the standard Magic firmware.
13. Things to note
This firmware isn't perfect. I'm loving it and see myself using it from here on in, but there are some quirks. These may or may not be fixed with your particular versions of ROM, especially once this guide has aged a little, but I'll try and keep it up to date.
The main thing you'll likely notice (especially if you're using a 32B like me) is the slowness. There's a lot going on with this new ROM so lag is fairly common. The phone will speed up a bit once you've used it some more, so bear with it. Your initial setups and playing around will be slow because of initial caching and your non-typical use of the phone, but this should clear up. Various ROMs have tried for workarounds for this, for example Qteknology's Hero port uses a swap partition on your SD card to help speed things up. CompCache is also a popular method, but my own experience with CompCache hasn't been very successful.
There are also reports of SMS messages sometimes not arriving on the latest Qteknology ROM - I mostly didn't experience this until recently, but it seems to be an occasional issue. The ROM builders are working hard on the issues they come across so fingers crossed for resolution on this one.
14. Acknowledgements
This guide wouldn't exist without the xda-developers forum. The bits and pieces I gathered from thereabouts are what I used to run this procedure on my phone, and hence build this guide. The people there are much more experts at this than I am, so I defer to their wisdom.
I must also give props to Jesse of Radix's Gadget Blog. His instructions were incredibly helpful in getting my head around what exactly to do.
And also to papalazarou, whose forum thread prompted me to write this guide.
- KarrdeNZ
15. Changelog
Version 1.2 - 13 August 2009
Added Changelog
Updated links and references to ROMs to account for new versions
Changed ROM recommendations to Qtek for 32B based on personal experience
Removed references to now fixed bugs, added reference to SMS bug on Qtek's ROM
Added "perfect SPL" note
Version 1.1 - 29 July 2009
Added note about update.zip naming with regard to file extensions
Added SD card issue
Version 1.0
Initial release

First rate stuff mate, thanks very much. Now all I need is the new release of Jerp's ROM and I'll be embarking upon my first upgrade. Makes so much difference having everything you need in one coherent place. This post really should be stickied.

+1 for sticky.
Needs to be in one place, will cut down on 'how do i' and 'where can i find' threads
(note i said cut down, and not cut out lol)

This applies to all roms actually.

Great write-up! Thx for the effort, this will surely be handy in all other topics, where these questions are asked again and again (logically IMHO, as it isn't basic stuff for everyone).
Well done!

Now that is a quality tutorial cheers!
+1 sticky

I had posted these replies elsewhere before I realised you had posted the guide in it's own thread. I've run into a problem and it's really confusing me as to why it's not working
---------------------------------------------------------------------
KarrdeNZ, mate I followed your guide to the letter. I got all the way down to step 11 and then a problem occurred.
When I clicked 'Apply sdcard:update.zip' it just said cannot find or cannot load update.zip, or something like that, then said operation aborted?
I was trying to install the EXACT same ROM as you, I downloaded it to my laptop, renamed it update.zip and moved it to the root of the SD card.
Yet it didn't work, I can't for the life of me think where it's gone wrong as everything else up to that point had gone smoothly.
Any idea's?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Well I tried downloading the same file again. No luck this time either!
This is what it says when I click the install from sdcard button:
--install from sdcard...
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
E: Can't open /sdcard/update.zip
(no such file or directory)
Installation aborted.
Now I get that it's saying that it can't find the file but I really don't understand why? I mean the file is there, do I have to unzip the file onto my computer 1st and then put it on the sdcard?
I thought i just stuck the zipped file onto the root of the card making sure i renamed it 'update.zip'
Please help me out guys, thanks.

i did have the same issues, sorted it by:
Formatting the sd card (fat32)
Changing the permissions on the zip file
Moving files to the sdcard then sticking the sdcard into another computer to check that the files had been moved.
And it worked!

Roy_Drage said:
When I clicked 'Apply sdcard:update.zip' it just said cannot find or cannot load update.zip, or something like that, then said operation aborted?
I was trying to install the EXACT same ROM as you, I downloaded it to my laptop, renamed it update.zip and moved it to the root of the SD card.
Yet it didn't work, I can't for the life of me think where it's gone wrong as everything else up to that point had gone smoothly.
Any idea's?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't know if this is the exact same error, but i had a similar situation and it freaked me out, all you have to do (in my situation) is wait a few seconds or so. i think the phone is still in the process of mounting the SD card or initializing the card component. give it a few seconds (30 sec) and try the update again.

I formatted the card in the phone before I started, did u format yours in the actual computer itself?
Also how do I change the permissions on the zip file?
n1ck75 said:
i did have the same issues, sorted it by:
Formatting the sd card (fat32)
Changing the permissions on the zip file
Moving files to the sdcard then sticking the sdcard into another computer to check that the files had been moved.
And it worked!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

this is 5 star
thanx works gr8

Excellent guide. All the other tutorials/guides/instructions totally went over my head. Yours was extremely clear and easy to understand. Two thumbs up!

Excellent
Thank you for an excellent guide.

KarrdeNZ said:
I must also give props to Jesse of Radix's Gadget Blog. His instructions were incredibly helpful in getting my head around what exactly to do.
- KarrdeNZ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet.. I get a mention! Glad my guide helped you get started and now you're writing a guide too to help others - this is what a community is all about!!!!
KarradeNZ - you've made a great start to a guide here - but I really think this should all be in the XDA Wiki so everyone can contribute/update/maintain it. Then we just get one link stickied at the top and everyone goes there..
I just started to write up a skeleton of what I think should be in the 'Ultimate Guide to Sapphire Hacking' on the Wiki page at:
XDADeveloperWiki - HTC_Sapphire_Hacking
You want to help me improve it?
Heck.. if you want we can use your guide as a basis if you like - I just braindumped what _I_ think should be in it and I can immediately see stuff I've overlooked that's in your guide!

Feel free to take inspiration/snippets/whatever from my guide for it - just throw a link to it in there as well. I prefer to keep the guide itself separate but am happy to have it contributing to the wiki.
And there's only one A in my name.

When I apply sdcard:update.zip I get the following Error
E:cant open/sdcard/update.zip
(No such file or directory)
installation aborted
Please help and suggest what could be wrong ?

Just rename the file update mate.
Then try again.

Thanks Roy_Drage for the fast reply you sorted my .zip problem.
Also well done and thanks to KarrdeNZ for putting such a great guide together that even a noob like me could follow. My new Magic is now running Hero looks awesome !

bajax said:
Thanks Roy_Drage for the fast reply you sorted my .zip problem.
Also well done and thanks to KarrdeNZ for putting such a great guide together that even a noob like me could follow. My new Magic is now running Hero looks awesome !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BT works? (can you connect to a BT headset?)
Facebook integration works?
have you notice any issues?

Rooted MT3G, updated radio/spl, rom loads, but no 3g connection

Hey,
First, I searched, but couldn't come up with anything directly matching or related to this.
So I rooted my friends phone, I'm not a newbie at this, did mine and my roommates as well, gave him the 1.33.2005 Haykuru SPL, the newest radio 2.22.23.02, loaded Super E's 1.0.3 rom, and it loaded up fine, he was able to sign into google and it started to sync his phone, contacts, etc, I was even able to install an app from the market, but then his connection just stopped.
I'm going to go over it tomorrow with a fine toothed comb to make sure I didn't miss anything, but one of the things I did was AFTER loading 1.33.2005 I THEN loaded the 2.22.23.02 radio (he already had the 26i radio). This didn't change anything.
So I'm going to check all of his settings, and he can connect to the web/market through wi-fi, but is there any particular reason why he wouldn't be able to connect via the network? This is a MT3G 1.0.
Thanks

You should of flashed the new radio first then the Danger SPL

sleepy3194 said:
You should of flashed the new radio first then the Danger SPL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not true. I updated the same exact way that he described. 26I to Death SPL and then to the newer radio.
Missing the 3g connection is some unknown anomilly of rooting our phones...I have lost my 3g connection a number of times and it would always come back eventually (24 hours to 48 hours) on its own. No amount of wiping and flashing will bring it back (in my experience).
Hope this helps.

G1ForFun said:
This is not true. I updated the same exact way that he described. 26I to Death SPL and then to the newer radio.
Missing the 3g connection is some unknown anomilly of rooting our phones...I have lost my 3g connection a number of times and it would always come back eventually (24 hours to 48 hours) on its own. No amount of wiping and flashing will bring it back (in my experience).
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks G1, that's kind of what I was hoping for. I knew it wasn't bricked, since the rom loaded and everything works via wi-fi.
I'll see how he's doing today.

G1ForFun said:
This is not true. I updated the same exact way that he described. 26I to Death SPL and then to the newer radio.
Missing the 3g connection is some unknown anomilly of rooting our phones...I have lost my 3g connection a number of times and it would always come back eventually (24 hours to 48 hours) on its own. No amount of wiping and flashing will bring it back (in my experience).
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read this #11
Alternate Rooting Method
This method is based on the guide available at theunlockr.com. It takes a bit longer than the telnet method described above, but removes some of the risk if you plan on flashing Danger SPL, which is required for CyanogenMod 5.x, since you will already have a compatible radio at the end of the process.
For this method you will need the following:
1. Cupcake update.zip
2. flashrec
3. Amon_RA Recovery 1.7.0
(note. there are several versions of Amon_RA Recovery available in the thread above. Read through the original post and decide which one is best suited for you. For simplicity reasons, it is recommended you rename this file "recovery.img" and it will be referred to as such in this guide.)
1. After downgrading to RC29/RC7 as described above, move the Cupcake update.zip file to your SD card and rename it "update.zip". Be sure to move it to the root of the card and not into any folders.
2. Turn off your phone and boot into recovery mode by holding down the Home and End (power) buttons until the recovery screen appears (the /!\ screen).
3. Slide out the keyboard and hit Alt+S to apply the Cupcake update. This will take a little while. Let the phone reboot on its own.
4. Once the phone has rebooted, go through the setup process and sign in to your Google account.
5. Go to Settings ->SD Card and Phone Storage and select Unmount SD Card
Then select Format SD Card. The card should remount after this (this WILL erase everything from your SD card, so make sure you back up anything important first)
6. Connect your phone to your computer with your USB cable and pull down the status bar/windowshade.
Select USB Connected and hit the button labeled Mount. You should see your SD card become available on your computer.
Move the files "flashrec.apk" and "recovery.img" to your SD card.
unmount/eject/"safely remove" your SD card from your computer through your OS.
On your phone, pull down the status bar/windowshade again, select Turn Off USB Storage, and hit the button labeled Turn Off.
7. Go to Settings ->Applications and enable Unknown Sources.
8. Go to the Market and download a file manager, such as Astro or Linda.
9. Open the file manager you just downloaded, select "flashrec.apk", and install it.
10. Open your newly installed flashrec app and hit the button labeled "Backup Recovery".
Once that is complete, type in the full path to the recovery image file on your sd card, which most likely will be "/sdcard/recovery.img" and hit Flash Custom Recovery Image.
Once that is complete, exit the app and turn off your phone.
11. Boot into recovery by holding the Home and End (power) buttons until the new recovery screen appears. This time, instead of /!\, you should see a menu with several options appear. Stay on this screen. Do not reboot or turn off your phone. If you do, you may lose your custom recovery image. At this point you should already have radio version 2.22.19.26I, so you will not be at risk of bricking your phone while flashing Danger SPL due to an incompatible radio. However, it is recommended that you flash radio version 2.22.23.02 before flashing Danger SPL so you will have the most up-to-date radio and make double-sure that you have a radio compatible with Danger SPL.

sleepy3194 said:
Read this #11
Alternate Rooting Method
This method is based on the guide available at theunlockr.com. It takes a bit longer than the telnet method described above, but removes some of the risk if you plan on flashing Danger SPL, which is required for CyanogenMod 5.x, since you will already have a compatible radio at the end of the process.
For this method you will need the following:
1. Cupcake update.zip
2. flashrec
3. Amon_RA Recovery 1.7.0
(note. there are several versions of Amon_RA Recovery available in the thread above. Read through the original post and decide which one is best suited for you. For simplicity reasons, it is recommended you rename this file "recovery.img" and it will be referred to as such in this guide.)
1. After downgrading to RC29/RC7 as described above, move the Cupcake update.zip file to your SD card and rename it "update.zip". Be sure to move it to the root of the card and not into any folders.
2. Turn off your phone and boot into recovery mode by holding down the Home and End (power) buttons until the recovery screen appears (the /!\ screen).
3. Slide out the keyboard and hit Alt+S to apply the Cupcake update. This will take a little while. Let the phone reboot on its own.
4. Once the phone has rebooted, go through the setup process and sign in to your Google account.
5. Go to Settings ->SD Card and Phone Storage and select Unmount SD Card
Then select Format SD Card. The card should remount after this (this WILL erase everything from your SD card, so make sure you back up anything important first)
6. Connect your phone to your computer with your USB cable and pull down the status bar/windowshade.
Select USB Connected and hit the button labeled Mount. You should see your SD card become available on your computer.
Move the files "flashrec.apk" and "recovery.img" to your SD card.
unmount/eject/"safely remove" your SD card from your computer through your OS.
On your phone, pull down the status bar/windowshade again, select Turn Off USB Storage, and hit the button labeled Turn Off.
7. Go to Settings ->Applications and enable Unknown Sources.
8. Go to the Market and download a file manager, such as Astro or Linda.
9. Open the file manager you just downloaded, select "flashrec.apk", and install it.
10. Open your newly installed flashrec app and hit the button labeled "Backup Recovery".
Once that is complete, type in the full path to the recovery image file on your sd card, which most likely will be "/sdcard/recovery.img" and hit Flash Custom Recovery Image.
Once that is complete, exit the app and turn off your phone.
11. Boot into recovery by holding the Home and End (power) buttons until the new recovery screen appears. This time, instead of /!\, you should see a menu with several options appear. Stay on this screen. Do not reboot or turn off your phone. If you do, you may lose your custom recovery image. At this point you should already have radio version 2.22.19.26I, so you will not be at risk of bricking your phone while flashing Danger SPL due to an incompatible radio. However, it is recommended that you flash radio version 2.22.23.02 before flashing Danger SPL so you will have the most up-to-date radio and make double-sure that you have a radio compatible with Danger SPL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose whoever wrote that isn't aware that its perfectly safe to flash the latest radio after the Death SPL. Its how most of us who were already on the 26I radio and Danger SPL ended up on the latest radio...
19.26I ---Death SPL---- 23.02

you could just fast boot erase system and then re flash the Rom

Haha, well, thanks for all the responses guys, it actually turns out the tower near his house wasn't giving out data connections, because as soon as we met up for me to look at it, it worked fine.

G1ForFun said:
This is not true. I updated the same exact way that he described. 26I to Death SPL and then to the newer radio.
Missing the 3g connection is some unknown anomilly of rooting our phones...I have lost my 3g connection a number of times and it would always come back eventually (24 hours to 48 hours) on its own. No amount of wiping and flashing will bring it back (in my experience).
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know if this would apply to an HTC Incredible (CDMA)?

[SGH-T869][CWMRecovery][ROOT]ClockworkMod Recovery and Root (T869 only) (14-Dec-2011)

Updated 14-Dec-2011: I'm posting an updated recovery, "20111213" (I compiled it yesterday) below. I'm not going to bother cleaning up this entire post with updated information, as I'm just too tired right now. Please read the post, then read the "Changes" section towards the bottom... then download the update (if you want.) Probably this weekend some time, I'm going to be consolidating the posts for all 3 models of this device into a single post with three download links. (I'm trying to get them all in sync with each other.)
**** USE AT YOUR OWN RISK ****
The following is posted so that I may share what I've done. It was done by me and for me. If you use it for you, then you take responsibility for whatever happens. This could, potentially, cause problems. It certainly will void your warranty (though it's pretty easy to undo this with no obvious signs.)
Install ClockworkMod Recovery and roots your T869 (tmobile galaxy tab 7 plus) tablet.
WHAT THIS DOES:
Installed from recovery, this .zip will first ensure that it's running on the Samsung/TMobile SGH-T869. If you have a different model, don't waste your time downloading it. It won't work. I do NOT have this tablet to test with, and a special thanks to shadejinx for doing the testing. That being said, he tells me that the backup and restore both work okay. However, there is an issue with rebooting back into recovery (see Post Installation notes and Issues.) If you want to try this, you should have the knowledge to repair whatever you break - in which case you'll also have the knowledge to unpack this zip file and do things the manual way.
So, once it knows that it's working on the proper type of tablet, this package will make a backup copy of your existing recovery image, and place it in your internal storage with the name starting with "recovery_backup" and ending with the version of the recovery package you installed. For example, recovery_backup_20111206.img.
Next, a new version of the clockwork mod recovery is installed.
Then, the script will look for and delete any existing clockworkMod recovery backups that you have sitting around. Why? Because I'm re-using the script I wrote for the GT-P6210 tab... read that thread if it matters. Once my CWM-based recovery is installed, overwriting it with the same or newer versions won't delete the backups anymore.
Finally, the tab will be rooted. This only involves copying a tiny file (called 'su') to the system. In order for most android apps to make use of that, however, another application must be first installed. (See "Finishing SuperUser installation" below.) I considered putting that "SuperUser" application as part of this package, but it's really very easy to get it from the market.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Put the installation zip file on your tablet's external SD card. If you don't have an external SD card, you won't be able to install this. MicroSD cards are cheap. If you have a tablet that costs 399 USD, you can afford to spend a few extra dollars/euros/pesos/whatever on a microSD card. Just get one. Not only is it required for installing this from the factory recovery, but it makes a great place to back things up to. A nice 16GB card is suggested. 32GB is better. You'll need AT LEAST 1GB for this recovery.
You can download the .zip file directly to your tablet and then possibly use the built in "My files" applet to move it to extStorages/SdCard, or you could download it to your computer and use "adb" to push the file to /mnt/sdcard/extStorages/SdCard, or you should be able to get it there with "Kies." If you have the proper adapter, you could also attach the microSD card directly to your computer and just copy it there. It doesn't matter HOW you get it on the card, as long as it's on the card.
After the zip file is on your microSD card, and the microSD card is inside (and recognized by) your tablet, then you need to...
Boot into recovery mode.
If the recovery version banner is "CWM-based Recovery v5.x.x.x", then you already have a version of CWM installed and should skip ahead to the proper section. If the banner is "Android system recovery (3e)", then you have the factory recovery and should continue with...
Installing from factory (3e) recovery:
Use the volume up/down buttons to move the highlight up and down, and the power button to select the highlighted option.
1. Select "apply update from external storage"
2. Select the file you placed on your storage card (starts with "t869_CWMR".)
3. Sit back and watch it run. Read the information that is being sent to the screen. If there's an error, it'll display some message. If it works, it'll display a message starting with the word "Done!"
4. Select "reboot system now."
You now have a CWM-based recovery installed, and your tablet is rooted.
Please skip ahead to "Finishing SuperUser installation"
---------------------------------------------
Installing from CWM-based Recovery
Use the volume up/down buttons to move the highlight up and down, and the power button to select the highlighted option.
1. Select "Install zip from sdcard"
2. Select "choose zip from internal sdcard" (which will actually point to the external card.)
3. Select the file you placed on your storage card (starts with "t869_CWMR".)
4. Select "Yes - Install (whatever filename you selected)"
5. Sit back and watch it run. Read the information that is being sent to the screen. If there's an error, it'll display some message. If it works, it'll display a message starting with the word "Done!"
6. Select "+++++ Go Back +++++"
7. Select "reboot system now."
---------------------------------------------
Finishing SuperUser installation
Install the SuperUser application directly from the android market:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.noshufou.android.su
....
Post-installation Notes and Issues
I'm aware that after flashing this, it is difficult to get back into recovery. I'm not sure WHY, but it's fairly consistantly a pain in the rear. However, I have found that following the steps in the following post seems to work (at least for me) 9 out of 10 times. (I was distracted on the 10th try, so not sure if it worked or not): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20074586&postcount=14
Update: According to shadejinx, this doesn't work for the SGH-T869. However, there's an alternative way, but you must have adb installed: Connect your tablet to the PC you have adb installed on, and power down the tablet. (A full power off - not just standby.) You'll notice that your tablet really isn't fully powered down, as there's a battery icon smack in the middle of the screen. It's in a "low power mode", and "adb" can still talk to it. Use adb to send the following command: "adb reboot recovery". You'll end up in recovery.
Remember above I mentioned that when this package installs, it creates a backup of the old recovery? Well, it does that no matter what recovery was in place. So, if you install this package with a factory recovery, that backup will be of the factory recovery (which is probably what you want.) If you install this package a second time when you already have the CWM Recovery installed, you'll overwrite that factory recovery backup with a backup of the CWM recovery (which makes no sense.) I'd strongly suggest that after you FIRST install this package, you make a copy of that backup recovery image file (and full filename is displayed when it's created), and stick that copy someplace safe. Perhaps just rename it and copy it to your SDcard or computer. A good name might be "t689_factory_recovery.img"
Donation?
I don't take donations. If you have spare money (I don't), please donate it to the Salvation Army, Red Cross, or just find a homeless person on the street and give them something. My favorite charity is the Shriner's Hospital for Children. (yes, I am.) If you'd like to thank me, there's a button at the bottom of this post dedicated to that. If you don't want to thank me, that's okay too.
Changes for 20111213:
* A backup of the existing recovery image is no longer being made. I feel this is no longer needed, as an ODIN package is now confirmed to be working that people can use to restore their tablets to a factory state.
* Old clockworkmod recovery backups are no longer being deleted when installing this. If you are installing this or newer from my CWM recovery previous to Dec 9th, 2011, please manually delete all those old backups. If you attempt to restore them, please be prepared to download ODIN and a factory ODIN image, as you'll need it in order to get your tablet working again. You've been warned...
* Issues with getting into recovery are resolved. (after this update, you shouldn't need to use adb while the tablet is powered down.)
Here's the link for the recovery/root .zip (for the tmobile SGH-689)
version 20111213: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?oro674o2881kw54
old versions:
version 20111206: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?07ucaimq8qs6q05
Take care
Gary

uploaded and available. (message is to mark the thread as unread and as a place-holder for future notes.)

Your donation note is cool, man.

Just flashed update. It works fine I have root everything works the same installed superuser from market. Great work now all we need is a nice ICS ROM and voodoo
Sent from my SGH-T869 using XDA App

I wonder if tmobile would let me borrow one of these for a couple days so I can test some updates to the recovery.
"Hello, welcome to T-Mobile. Can I help you?"
"Yes, I'd like to quietly sit over there and attach my notebook computer to one of your demo tablets for about an hour to test voiding the warranty by flashing in low-level tools that, among other things, will allow anyone to bypass all the silly locks you people put on these devices. Oh, and I'm not a tmobile customer (and probably never will be.) Okay?"
heh

CSR: sure, go right ahead. Could you root it and install a custom ROM while your at it.. we've been getting tired of looking at this same old spoon fed sammy touchwiz and samsung apps nobody uses. Overclock the snot out of it.
just kidding, back on topic..

@garyd9 I'll get the updated recovery stuff tested tonight.

Updated and a new link posted in the OP.
Thanks to shadejinx for testing.
Changes for 20111213:
* A backup of the existing recovery image is no longer being made. I feel this is no longer needed, as an ODIN package is now confirmed to be working that people can use to restore their tablets to a factory state.
* Old clockworkmod recovery backups are no longer being deleted when installing this. If you are installing this or newer from my CWM recovery previous to Dec 9th, 2011, please manually delete all those old backups. If you attempt to restore them, please be prepared to download ODIN and a factory ODIN image, as you'll need it in order to get your tablet working again. You've been warned...
* Issues with getting into recovery are resolved. (after this update, you shouldn't need to use adb while the tablet is powered down.)

garyd9 did this work blind and it worked perfectly the first time... I am very impressed. Anyone who reads this needs hit the thanks button on the OP.

garyd9 said:
* A backup of the existing recovery image is no longer being made. I feel this is no longer needed, as an ODIN package is now confirmed to be working that people can use to restore their tablets to a factory state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where have you seen this?

rxxt said:
Where have you seen this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used the magic "search" function in XDA. It's a really cool feature of the site that lets you press a button, type a few letters, and find things.
Even if you aren't capable of using that function (and quite a few people are search-impaired for some reason), or if you might be searching for the incorrect term (I've done that myself a few times) you can always search manually. That involves opening threads and reading through them (not just the first post!)
I know that if I were looking for a firmware image, the DEV subforum thread marked with "Official FIRMWARES" would catch my attention, and I'm sure I'd find something useful if I spent a minute scanning through the thread that's less than 30 posts long. (That's a hint, by the way. I absolutely refuse to provide a direct link.)
Good hunting!
Gary

Sry, it was exactly the search function there do that I found this thread, but now I can see that it is too 'Galaxy Tab Plus', it was only 'Galaxy Tab' that Iam looking for, therefore the misplaced question..

(first the original reply)
rxxt said:
Wow, is it really true .. You have really savedmy day, damn well you tell me about the search option, otherwise I never havefound it, I can not thank you enough, what would we do without people likeyou..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alas, 'tis true that some folk could never get along without those of us who point out the obvious.
(and now the current edited version)
rxxt said:
Sry, it was exactly the search function there do that I found this thread, but now I can see that it is too 'Galaxy Tab Plus', it was only 'Galaxy Tab' that Iam looking for, therefore the misplaced question..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for making my point.
edit: Please don't take my sarcasm personally. It's how I keep sane.
Take care
Gary

With the release of ICS, and seeing that others have taken over carrying the torch for updated and more modern versions of CWM Recovery, I'm no longer going to be supporting this release.
I'll leave the thread intact, but request that it be locked.
Oh, and I am still around, but I'm giving my Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus to my wife. The stock firmware is actually very good for her, and she doesn't demand the amount of control over a tablet that I want.
Take care
Gary

Database Info

welcome