Related
I just got my first pocket pc in the mail yesterday. First off, I absolutely love it. I got the wizard - it was a very good price on ebay for the features, even if it is a couple years old (I think?). Regardless, it's a huge upgrade from a standard cell phone for a small price.
I've never used one before nor used windows mobile. It came with WM5 and I've managed to unlock and update it to WM6. I read somewhere that TNT.1437 was a stable release, so I installed TNT.1437 with TouchFlo. It seems fine, except I still get clocknot.exe notification every time I start (even after disabling auto update for time).
My main question is this - is TNT.1437 still a good release or is it getting old? If I remember correctly the thread hadn't had posts in a while. Is the newer TNT release near the top of the forum stable?
I am mainly looking for a stable release that won't mess up my calls. Even WM5 had huge improvements and features over my basic phone I had, so having the 'newest' software isn't really needed (although I don't mind it if it's stable).
Anyways, I'm just wondering if I should stick with 1437 or upgrade to something else before I start diving into it and installing my own apps and setting the phone up. If I do stick with it (or upgrade and still have the issue), is there a way to get rid of that clocknot.exe notification besides turning auto-update for time off, which doesn't seem to have worked? I also installed the trial version of memmaid as that was recommended in the same thread, it didn't find any notification issues.
Thanks in advance.
1st thing to remember is that it's not a smartphone. it's a pocket pc. Smartphone apps won't work on this (most at least) and vice versa although there are a few.
Smartphone's don't have touch screens.
My Experience
Here's the thread containing the latest TNT ROM and a lot of info on it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=367534
I'm using v1 of the last build and am having lockups on occation when the PDA is in standby. That said a lot of the posts indicate that sometimes you have to flash a rom several times or downgrade to a stock rom first before weird things go away. There was another post that suggested doing a soft reset followed by a hard reset after each rom is loaded to avoid rom instability problems. Also there was another post I read that said stability problems can be solved by using a specific utility (sorry name excapes me)that backs up the rom you just installed to your memory card and then reloading it from the memory card. None of this makes sense but I'm going to try these things if I can't get my lockup problem to go away with the latest build of TNT.
As for the notifications problem I fixed my through trial and error. Appearently there is a notifications queue or database that gets all screwed up. There are many tools out there (I used one called CheckNotifications) that let you fix the queue but in doing so you may break activesync and other automation. If found an app (FixASRunAt) that puts the neccessary entries back. I don't recall my exact procces for getting it working right but I do recall it took several passes at using both apps.
Good luck with your upgrade!
Welcome, I've had my wizard for two years flashed 5 or 6 roms, "its right" make good stable rom packed with useful software. I would suggest you read lots about any rom you install as if there are any problems its reported and usually fixed in rom thread.
If I might suggest Jaguar 4.0 rom, it is very stable and only a few programs leaving lots of space for you to test and add programs of your choice, you will want to try different programs. Some you stick with others will not be of use to you, the fun is in trying new things.
If you feel a little braver try the rom in my signature, I've had a few teething troubles but nothing major, anyway I can always change back.
Keep operator settings and instructions to hand, to make it easier when flashing, I also keep a list of installed apps so it is easier next time to remember what I use most often.
Finally welcome, there's now turning back now, it's addictive you know!
It most certainly is addictive.
Thanks for the tips thus far. I have one major question left - seeing as how there are so many ROMS out there, should I ever want to change to another one due to problems with the current one, or just to experience it, is there an easy way to keep program data and settings saved? There are certain third party programs that I would like to keep on the unit regardless of which ROM is running, so I'd like to be able to simply install them again and restore them to the state they were at with the previous ROM. I'm not sure how WM software works.
So far with TNT.1437 installed, I've just had a few problems, some of which may simply be the fact I'm new to WM and don't know what I am doing. It froze once or twice but that was it. It tends to run fine. The biggest issue I am wrestling with now is wifi connection. It always attempts to connect to previous wifi signals even when I am in a different location. If it would work as a laptop does (connect to a NEARBY wifi signal that you have provided a key for) then that would be great. But it keeps trying to connect to the campus network when I'm at my apartment, so I have to manually go in and figure out how to stop that and get it to connect to the apartment one here (out of like 10 options, which I only use one). Then I go to campus and I have the same issue and have to go in and make adjustments again. However, this is probably a WM issue and not a ROM problem.
As far as saving data or settings, I usually either back up the appropriate files to storage card or install to Storage card and just reinstall after hard reset. I don't think any back up utilities work if you change roms, but I'm sure some one will prove me wrong.
As for your second problem, I didn't even know it was one, so can't help you. Although thinking about it I've seen a program for assigning profiles to wifi connections or something along those lines, which is just what your looking for. Do a search. If I come across it will post a link for you.
Ixtana_ran said:
As far as saving data or settings, I usually either back up the appropriate files to storage card or install to Storage card and just reinstall after hard reset. I don't think any back up utilities work if you change roms, but I'm sure some one will prove me wrong.
As for your second problem, I didn't even know it was one, so can't help you. Although thinking about it I've seen a program for assigning profiles to wifi connections or something along those lines, which is just what your looking for. Do a search. If I come across it will post a link for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installing to a storage card seems like a good idea. When you install to a storage card, does it install the App there as well as data for the app? Do you even get a choice of where to do the install? Some files run as .exe on the desktop and then automatically install on the wizard. Others I have encountered have you copy a .cab file to the wizard and then just open it. Would you simply put the .cab file on the storage card and open from there? Is there a way to install via .exe to storage card?
I have a bunch of microSD cards around, so I'm waiting on a miniSD adapter to come in so I can actually use them with this phone. It will probably be easier to figure out once I have the adapter.
wow. ive had my wizard 5 months im still having problems understanding what i read about geting wm6 and touchflo. you experiance with do things allready?
Doesn't matter where you install from, when you get a storage card in, you are given a choice:- device or storage card.
Some don't like storage cards and after go on device memory, i.e. today plug ins. but its not written in stone, trial and error.
Thanks for all the help. It's a lot clearer than it was a few days ago now that I've played with installing some more.
My final question is this: I've learned how to install ROMS and search these forums for them (although I'm not sure on what each has to offer, as that will take some time). However, people mention when switching ROMs for whatever reason, the best thing to do is install an original ROM first, and then go on to whatever you want to install.
Where can I find the original ROMs for WM6? I've looked in the forums and did a search but didn't seem to come up with anything.
Would an original WM6 ROM work? Or would I need to flash back to a Cingular one with WM5 like it had when I first got it?
Anyways, just wondering about this. I imagine I just do it the same way I flashed the TNT ROM, but need to get a copy of the original ROM saved for future use.
Thanks.
Superman859 said:
Thanks for all the help. It's a lot clearer than it was a few days ago now that I've played with installing some more.
My final question is this: I've learned how to install ROMS and search these forums for them (although I'm not sure on what each has to offer, as that will take some time). However, people mention when switching ROMs for whatever reason, the best thing to do is install an original ROM first, and then go on to whatever you want to install.
Where can I find the original ROMs for WM6? I've looked in the forums and did a search but didn't seem to come up with anything.
Would an original WM6 ROM work? Or would I need to flash back to a Cingular one with WM5 like it had when I first got it?
Anyways, just wondering about this. I imagine I just do it the same way I flashed the TNT ROM, but need to get a copy of the original ROM saved for future use.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although the wizard was tested my MS with wm6, it was never released as stock. For stability, always flash your carrier rom before a new rom (wm5... you can get it at htc)
Octavio's roms have been the most stable for me. 6.3 with wm6.1 works great. Also check out www.pointui.com for another type of touch interface. I think you would like it.
Oh... and don't become like us. I flash the rom now more then i use it. Dang things addictive.
Alright. When you say I can get it from HTC, are you referring to this URL?
HTC Download
I just want to make sure I am saving the correct version to revert back to in between ROMS. The site doesn't really provide much description about what it is.
Edit: I tried to install the ROM from the URL above, but it gave an error and said I need a newer update utility. Not sure why...Anyways...Can anyone provide a link to where I can find the original ROM I should flash to between other ROMs? If it makes a difference, I have Cingular (AT&T) - originally had WM5 now it has TNT.1437 (WM6) and I went through steps for hardSPL if that makes a difference (IPL 2.21.0001 SPL 2.21.01ip) as seen on the wiki. Phone is a G4 and works fine other than a few bugs / freezes up on ocassion, but I'd like to try other ROMs
EDIT: The ROM above did work, but I had to remove the HardSPL I had added earlier. That must've been the problem. After removing it, I installed stock ROM without any trouble - time to try a new ROM!
Presenting Problem: Tablet is stuck rebooting itself once it gets to the booting screen animation, USB Debugging was not turned on on the tablet when it was working properly last time, and I need to turn USB Debugging on to fix my tablet. How do I do this?
Disclaimer: Yes, you'll think there are a million other threads about enabling USB debugging and whatnot, but this is totally different!
The Story: My device is a Grid10 tablet. It runs its custom OS built on Android Kernel (Gingerbread). Everything about it is android, except it's not android (and it's not a custom launcher or a skin).
... anyway
The Grid10: Almost nobody here own a Grid10 (I assume), so here's the thing... the Grid has only ONE button. The power button. No volume buttons, no home or back or menu buttons or anything... all those commands are gestures on the Grid (... if it started properly)
The Problem and its Cause: Now, It's stuck continuously rebooting itself once it gets to the the booting animation screen because I mistakenly deleted a file from system/app called SettingsProvider.apk
The Solution: I have the missing file on my laptop, and I need to put it back on the tablet. When I plug in its USB cable, I don't get a drive in My Computer. Obviously, it won't get into storage mode without being told to do so from the settings list (which I have no access to... because it's stuck rebooting itself at the booting animation screen... yes, I'm repeating myself so no one will tell me to "enable USB debugging" when I say that...)
So aparently, to get the file on my Grid, I need to use adb.
And since I didn't have USB Debugging enabled when the Grid was last operating properly, the adb can't see my tablet! (as shown by a 'adb devices' command).
The Sucky Recovery Menu: There is no fastboot on this thing (not that it would help with anything), but there is a recovery menu i can access (by holding down the power button while the tablet is booting), but it's no use. It looks like some kinda' custom recovery menu called "PBJ40 Recovery Utility". It has 4 commands:
reboot system now
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
apply sdcard: update.zip
I've tried all of these commands (selecting is done by pressing the power button, and when un-pressed for a few seconds, whatever command is highlighted gets executed).
My best bet would have been the update.zip as I created a signed update.zip with the missing file in it so it can put it back in its rightful place... but sd card in question appears to be the built-in sd card, and not the external (removable) sd card... the recovery tool doesn't even look in the external sd card for the update.zip
In Short: To get the file on the tablet, for now, the only way I can see how, is through adb, and seen as how USB Debugging was not enabled when the Grid was operational last time, I come here, to the XDA Forums, asking for advice.
The Question(s):
A) How do I turn on USB Debugging on the tablet so i can use adb and fix it?
or
B) Is there some alternative way for me to get the missing apk in system/app folder that does not require USB debugging?
Got you scratching your brain? Been trying to solve this for so long, I finished scratching mine, and started hitting it against the wall now!
I hate to tell you this man, but I am pretty sure that you messed up your tablet/bricked it.
Problem solved.
Not the USB Debugging thing, but I ended up fixing the tablet.
Can't disclose how I did it though... privacy issues.
So the system is fixed and the GirdOS is running perfectly on the Grid10, but I still can't use the tablet anyway, because of some kinda' server-side failure, because I need to register myself on the server before I gain access to any of the tablet's functions, while the server isn't responding to register my credentials... so yea... the tablet works, but it's still useless to me.
There's not much if any hope that the server will be fixed or get running anytime soon, because from the rumors/reports, FusionGarage (the producer of said tablet) has disappeared off the grid. Ironic, isn't it?
Maybe some day somebody will be able get ICS or Honeycomb running on the Grid10, and will share the knowledge-how with everybody.
I got one of those PBJ40 tablets too with 1366x768 , but no real android (just 2.1) on it.. do you mind sharing the one you got?
maybe you even have the Kernel source for this? could be nice having too
Dexter_nlb said:
I got one of those PBJ40 tablets too with 1366x768 , but no real android (just 2.1) on it.. do you mind sharing the one you got?
maybe you even have the Kernel source for this? could be nice having too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Explain yourself please.
What is this android 2.1 you speak of? The Grid10 (aka PBJ40) comes with its custom OS called GridOS that's based on Android.
So what's the 2.1 android you have? Is it pre-upgrade GridOS or what? After the upgrade, GridOS's kernel was made into Gingerbread.
Ghoymakh said:
Explain yourself please.
What is this android 2.1 you speak of? The Grid10 (aka PBJ40) comes with its custom OS called GridOS that's based on Android.
So what's the 2.1 android you have? Is it pre-upgrade GridOS or what? After the upgrade, GridOS's kernel was made into Gingerbread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i guess hardware was tried sold to different parties, as mine is with Android 2.3 ( i made that ) but touchscreen is poor on this device, and Tegra2 got a tough time managing 1366x768 on it, compared to previous devices..
and lastly it was in development so drivers are not finished.
As your GridOS is 2.3 compatible it has a better kernel, and maybe a source for the kernel too, since i got no kernel source and no one that knows this hardware.
but maybe it'll show up with some totally different supplier, i seen talk on chinese forums where ppl compiles linux for it, so its still in the works.
Dexter_nlb said:
i guess hardware was tried sold to different parties, as mine is with Android 2.3 ( i made that ) but touchscreen is poor on this device, and Tegra2 got a tough time managing 1366x768 on it, compared to previous devices..
and lastly it was in development so drivers are not finished.
As your GridOS is 2.3 compatible it has a better kernel, and maybe a source for the kernel too, since i got no kernel source and no one that knows this hardware.
but maybe it'll show up with some totally different supplier, i seen talk on chinese forums where ppl compiles linux for it, so its still in the works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see.
Looks like whoever made the PBJ40 (aka Grid10) also sold some of its stock to other companies, and since the 'other companies' don't have a dev. team to compensate for the lack of drivers for the Tegra2 (I heard they're going to release the drivers in some 2 months), they had to sell it with Android 2.1 (froyo) on it, with lots of problems like screen responsiveness, poor power management, and the like.
I'm also guessing that you do not have Market, Talk or GMail on your tablet... or at least, you didn't have it at first (doesn't take much skill to install them... the tablet comes rooted).
I'm also guessing you have a serious gestures issue, am I right?
Do you have the 40 pin USB cable? (or did yours come with a regular female USB port??)
... I might be of assistance, if you're able to make your dev skills work in your favor.
So help me help you...
The only way this will work, is if you're able to reverse engineer the GridOS to:
1) Extract the programming that's responsible for the gestures so we can install it on any other device (like your PBJ40, which doesn't have gesture support as advanced as the Grid10), to make the device easier to use.
2) Override the sign-up screen for the GridOS. In case you do not yet know, once you boot GridOS for the first time, you're taken to a setup page (much like the setup page of Windows) where you register yourself on the FusionGarage server (people who made the GridOS) to gain access to the tablet... for some time now, the FusionGarage server has been down, and since the company recently went under, there's no way the server will be fixed ever again, so even with linux kernel 2.3 (aka android gingerbread... without the market) you can't have any kind of access to the tablet, because you'd be unable to proceed form the sign-up page forward! So if you can find a way to over-ride the sign-up page or 'delete' it from the equation altogether, we both win!
So: I can provide you with GridOS kernel version 2.3 (not android... GridOS! It's basically the same, it just doesn't have the Market, and its UI is different... still very nice... I like it).
So... you can't install GridOS on your Froyo tablet (just yet), even if you had the 2.3 GridOS at your disposal, because you'd be stuck there.
So the question remains:
- Can you reverse engineer a linux OS that is android based (but not truly android) to extract from it the gestures program so you can make your PBJ40 more responsive?
- Can you somehow customize GridOS to delete the whole signup page issue?
Both of these things will help me a lot... but only the gestures-solution will be of help to you, unless you have the USB cable for the tablet.
If you PBJ40 is not a regular Grid10, I'd like to see it from all angles + a picture of its cables and chargers... if possible, please upload them to this thread.
For now, to make your life easier, install the program called zMooth from the Market. Its gesture responsiveness will be much better than the 2.1 Froyo version your tablet is now running.
"swipe left to go back, swipe right for menu, gesture a up-arrow(^) for home"
Look at the screenshots to better understand.
While setting up the program sensitivity level, keep in mind that the lower the level, the more sensitive (it's in fine print).
... let me know what you get!
PS: It might also be of help if you can somehow get the gesture program from ICS kernel and adopt it to PBJ40!
Could be we should continue this OT, in a private PM and maybe exchange mails
I think i can do most of it, I even have Android3.0 running on it, but again kernel needed changing since touch driver is not supporting the way 3.0 works.
but it works even with highres..
I do not have 2.1 on it, i ported a CM7/2.3.6 to it, and it worked 95%, some issues with DSP manager and movie codecs, but i did not put my 100% in it, since i was doing it all for fun and my own interest, since i could not share with anyone anyways as no one had it. That was until i saw the design of Grid10, i knew it was 99% like mine.. Flash11.1 works great for movie playback here though..
I got the 4leds on it too and mine has USB HOST/device switching only by compal (writers of many tablets today), but i found the USBUTG tool to use with it, to make switching easier, than doing it in a shell.
anyways, lets maybe continue by PM.. and we can maybe exchange "partitions"
My vow of secrecy has been lifted!
To Flash your Grid10 (aka PBJ40), follow this tutorial I made:
http://www.thejoojooforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=49654
There's also more info on the general forum (and one or two other tutorials/suggestions I've made that could prove to be of benefit to anybody with a Grid10): http://www.thejoojooforum.com/viewforum.php?f=17
Ghoymakh said:
My vow of secrecy has been lifted!
To Flash your Grid10 (aka PBJ40), follow this tutorial I made:
http://www.thejoojooforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=49654
There's also more info on the general forum (and one or two other tutorials/suggestions I've made that could prove to be of benefit to anybody with a Grid10): http://www.thejoojooforum.com/viewforum.php?f=17
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you know how to use APX mode on it (Reset button on right side(if looking at front). I got android 2.3.6 (CM7) running on it, i think only difference is that i got 4 hardware button (soft light buttons on right side of tablet)
let me know, and i can maybe upload the kernel + system to a site.
I dnt even know what APX is!
I'm new to the android dev. scene, so i dnt know much yet.
I don't have much use for a Gingerbread ROM that's not going to be filly compatible with the Grid10. We don't have ANY buttons on our tablets.
To compensate for that, you might want to include the program Zmooth in the list of apps that the flashing-process will auto-install, so whoever flashes the CyanogenMod won't be left stranded without any buttons to use on the Grid10.
As mentioned in the flashing tutorial, V. is recompiling the original GridOS to make it skip the registration page, and it's Gingerbread too, one that's completely compatible with the tablet's specs, including gestures. It will be the GridOS as (previously) advertised by FusionGarage, only this time, no registration page, which means we can flash it and actually use it (up till now, whoever re-flashed or did a factory reset couldn't use their tablet because the registration could not be completed since the FG servers were down).
Maybe that could prove to be useful to you... I'll upload the file to the Grid10 forum once it's finished.
(i wonder if there's a way to open a Grid10 section in the xda forums...)
But what you have could be useful to somebody else out there!
How about you upload your files in Dropbox, and create a new thread on the above-linked forum, and share your ROM so other people might benefit from it.
https://www.dropbox.com/
Make sure you write your tablet's full specs, including the information about your soft and hard buttons, as our tablets have NO soft-buttons, and only have 2 hardware buttons: a power button and a reset button.
Edit: as the Grid10 doesn't have volume buttons, i don't think it's even capable of entering APX mode. It does have a recovery mode... but the only options in there are to factory-reset, delete cache partition, and install update.zip.
Ghoymakh: YOU ARE THE CLOSEST THING TO.... THX
Ghoymakh said:
My vow of secrecy has been lifted!
To Flash your Grid10 (aka PBJ40), follow this tutorial I made:
There's also more info on the general forum (and one or two other tutorials/suggestions I've made that could prove to be of benefit to anybody with a Grid10):
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
============================================
I'm one of the fortunate-unfortunates.
I previously reset my G10 and it has been useless ever since. I did however purchase the USB adapter with my device and I'm looking forward to making use of your extensive research and hard work.
Again, thanks and I'll let y'all know how it goes (within the next 7 days or so).
Praise and thanks to you and everyone else out here.
G
Ghoymakh said:
Edit: as the Grid10 doesn't have volume buttons, i don't think it's even capable of entering APX mode. It does have a recovery mode... but the only options in there are to factory-reset, delete cache partition, and install update.zip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you check when you got the tablet in front of you facing up. that on your right side a little hole is found just about center, 5-6cm above simcard slot (at least on mine simcard is on the right side)
if you turn it off, holding in the tap inside the small hole (you can feel the click when its pushed), press power and it goes into APX mode. but you will need the bootloader.bin to get it in full apx mode and ready to accept commands.
A small step for man.... My Grid10 is more than just a brick
- Using Ghoymakh's instructions from JooJoo Forum, I successfully flashed my Grid10 yesterday.
-- The identified 'tar' command didn't work on the compressed file but the Archive Mounter within Back Track worked just fine.
- Now, as time permits, I'm going to move forward and attempt to incorporate the Xmooth and Market.
-- If only I could get my JooJoo Forum account activated....
Again, Props to Ghoymakh, V, and any/all other contributors.
G
Android Power User here with a good ol' n00b account.
To the point now. I'm stuck using CM9 simply because I prefer the SD paths (external is sdcard, internal is emmc). This simple little option is keeping me from running CM10 as a daily driver.
From what I understand, the vold.fstab needs edited to reflect these changes. I've found multiple threads with fixes, but none that seem to cater to my specific device, and certainly none that have worked for it.
I've copied vold.fstab to my pc, made plenty of different edits, pushed back to the device but still no luck in swapping the storage paths. In fact, the last attempt finally lead me to brick my phone (no worries, she's just fine now).
Is there anyone out there familiar with the Cappy Jellybean vold.fstab that might be able to shed light on this?
I would post a copy of the text, but I'm currently running CM9, so that would do no good. Thanks!
At the risk of being ridiculed off this forum, I have to, out of desperation, post this.
I have been off-and-on trying to solve this for three weeks. I have never before run into a problem that couldn't be solved or at least gotten some progress on with a full day of trying.
There seems to be no clear instructions anywhere on the WWW for how to get a simple and seemingly ubiquitous driver installed on my no-name Android tablet.
I have a USB GPS puck which apparently uses a Serial to USB thingy called Prolific PL2303. I have a no-name A13-based Android 4.04 tablet. (the build.prop file calls it a "nuclear_evb" from "softwinners"). Both were purchased at DX.com.
I have a package of files from Prolific (none of which explains how to get from their *.jar file to a *.ko file)
I have read about 50 threads which have led me to investigate about 50 different leads on how to do this. Apparently I cannot flash a custom ROM to my tablet since nobody has heard of it and doesn't release custom ROMs for it. I cannot find the source of the stock ROM. So modifying the ROM apparently is impossible.
Ok, but I read tons of threads that say I can just load the driver on-demand. Fine. Where's the driver? Nowhere. But remember that I do have a bunch of files from Prolific that seem to supposedly contain the source for the driver somewhere, though that's not clear either. Apparently I could compile it, but nowhere can I find instructions on how to compile it. And even if I could, there are still vague references to needing the source of the ROM in order to do it and get it working on my tablet.
I hope I sound frustrated. This seemed in the begining like something that would be plug-and-play.
I can't even find an all-purpose step-by-step guide on how to compile and load a driver for Android. I feel like this information should be readily available, but apparently I'm too stupid to find it
Please throw me a life line.
Greetings,
I am currently working on a 100% Android Marshmallow v6.0.1 variant for the Samsung On5 SM-G550T/1 (T-Mobile).
THIS IS NOT A THREAD ON HOW TO ROOT YOUR PHONE
This thread assumes you have already rooted and installed TWRP on your phone and have basic understanding on to backup and recover your phone.
If you need that sort of help, please see my other thread:
https://goo.gl/jWNVNX
Reasons for Project:
I started this project for two reasons:
- Frustration for the lack of support for an otherwise great phone.
- Stumbling across the Samsung Factory Test Rom doing research for other projects.
This ROM has a a 100% Native Driver Set for Android v6.0.1 on the SM-G550T/1. The driver set is identical for the TMO or MetroPCS variants, but the EFS folder will remain different for each.
I'm going to outright confess that I am not a programmer and this is truthfully the first ROM I am trying to develop on my own. I'm a Project Manager and Software Designer by trade, but I rarely get this deep into ROM developments. I figured it was a good project to take on to learn the nitty griddy of what a truly pure Android Experience looks like. That being said, I'd greatly appreciate any help anyone can contribute and will make all my work freely available to anyone wanting to help provided that everyone participating goes into it with good faith that they have no intent on making substantial gains from this project.
Usage of these ROMs/Files/Programs are subject to the following licenses:
- Google's Android Open Source Project Licnese (AOSP):
https://source.android.com/setup/start/licenses
- Google's Individual Contributor License Agreement:
https://cla.developers.google.com/about/google-individual
- Apache Software License, Version 2.0
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- Samsung Open Source Release Center (OSRC) License:
http://opensource.samsung.com/reception/
That being said, I believe this remains a good enough device, IMHO, to transition people into Android or to provide to people not requiring a fully featured phone.
KNOX Status:
The Factory Test ROM is mostly clean having all the drivers intact and lacks most Samsung Bloatware "tampering". It *DOES* have some preliminary containers for KNOX installed, but none of it is active and takes up less then 1 MB of total space after cleaning passes to remove as many traces as could be removed without breaking things. It is currently being "managed" by an init.d script that generates the folders. I haven't been able to track down yet.
Known Issues:
- 100% Pure Android Menus.
- Rooted/Super User.
- Sound, Camera, GPS, TMO Modem, Wifi, Bluetooth 100% working.
- 100% Native Tethering.
- Adblocker pre-installed (for both Apps and Websites).
- The smallest amount of KNOX installations outside of Lineage. >1mb of KNOX is present with the only items being present are installer containers.
- I'm trying to track down Init.d files that loads with Android and automatically disables/flushes WIFI.
- By default, the power button is set a 100ms push time to turn off (not show power menu). I'm trying to figure out a work around for this.
- I'm trying to find a compatible Contacts Storage file.
- There is no shutdown menu.
Please note that any released versions of this ROM will have makeshift ways to get around these issues.
Downloads:
Please see the second post in this thread.
How to Install:
#01.) Backup your device.
#02.) Download the zip file for the TWRP backup.
#03.) Unzip the TWRP backup.
#04.) Load the downloaded restore into your TWRP Backup Directory.
#05.) Boot into TWRP Recovery.
#06.) Restore the ROM copied into your TWRP Backup Directory.
#07.) Reboot.
Note: No personal data has been configured.
References:
Update Log:
https://goo.gl/CEGCx9|
Required System Apps for Samsung Phones:
https://goo.gl/emTvgX
Things I Could Use Help On:
- A very good way to figure out what Init.d files are doing what without reading through them.
- A good way to change the PIT so we can move 2 gig from the System Rom into the User Rom space.
- Easy methods for changing key button presses.
- A shutdown menu setup.
- A way to make this into an installer.
Note that all those things I'm working on ALREADY, but suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks in advance for any help anyone offers.
Donations Welcomed:
Dev elopement of this ROM is timely, I appreciate any contributions you wish to provide.
https://goo.gl/esVVqA
DOWNLOAD LINKS:
[2019-03-11] Android (v6.0.1) Build #13 [RC] - Google
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397913770
- Note, due to Google Now being installed on this one, I can't configure the home long press as the restart menu.
[2019-03-11] Android (v6.0.1) Build #13 [RC] - Diagnostics
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397913771
[2019-03-02] Android [v6.0.0] Build #10F [RC]
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397908668
i would love to test this rom
Its been taking a little longer then I expected to get it working correctly --- I've been having trouble tracking down some bugs, but with a little luck, I'll post the Google variant tomorrow.
Here is a "working" version to look at:
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397901430
It's a restore for TWRP (not an install).
It has all the aforementioned bugs, but is pretty clean only with a few basic utilities installed on it.
I'm trying to track down a number of things:
How to change the Power Button function:
In my most current build, I have made the power button simply put the device to sleep with a long hold of the home button bringing up the power menu. I can't for the life of me figure out where the power button menu lives at or how to define it.
Normally, you'd go edit /system/usr/keylayout/Generic.kl, however, editing it button 116 (the power button) for "Power" only makes it turn off. I can remap it easily as sleep. I compared several other ROMs who use the exact same parameter.
My current version, I just use an app to remap several of those functions; but I don't feel like that's a "release worthy" fix.
Factory Mode:
I can't figure out how to get this version of the ROM to get out of factory mode. The only real problem this causes is, on bootup, it will display a message saying as such and then disable WIFI and turn off the sound. Both, of which, can be immediately be turned back on. It also disables power saver modes.
At first, I thought this was an Init.d file, but after doing some digging I determined this has to the /efs/factoryapp/factorymode file. I may need to swap elements from another EFS to get this fixed.
Contacts Storage:
This is another one I can't seem to track down, but I have a working idea how to fix it. At current, anything that uses Contact Storage won't work. I wonder if the contact storage I have on the system is simply incompatible for some reason. I'm going to try to pull over those system apps from another working rom.
Storage
I've mapped out all the partitions but am having trouble figuring out how to actually change the partitions. There is a whole 2 GB being wasted on the system partition. I'm actually very surprised that no one has ever released a rom with this fixed.
I've tried using parted, but my ADB Install is messed up something major and I cant track down that problem. Reinstalled ADB hasn't fixed it. Its largely a PC problem on my end; a problem I'm dragging my feat going and trying to fix. This is an issue I REALLY wish I could use PC tools for :-\. I've done these changes a thousand times on Windows based machines, but never on a Linux based OS.
Now that I think about it, maybe I should try doing this from the terminal prompt in TWRP. I just wish the keyboard in TWRP didn't suck :-\.
Other Thoughts:
Beyond those very vexing bugs, I have to honestly say that I feel like this experience on this rom is vastly superior to that of the stock Samsung Experience. Sure, these issues are vexing, but I'm also seeing much less system overhead (CPU usage, RAM usage) with this Rom then anything else outside of Lineage.
Update
Here's an update for everyone who might be interested:
The last couple of week's I spent an ENORMOUS amount of time trying to track down as much as I can to get this ROM to work as intended.
For those interested, I've developed a completely new spreadsheet describing everything that's bloatware versus needed items:
https://goo.gl/emTvgX
This spreadsheet will probably be handy for EVERYONE working on Samsung related devices. When its a little more clean, I'll throw it some place better; but since this is specific towards this device, I'll keep it here for now.
It describes everything in /system/app/ and /system/priv-app/ in Samsung's default install and which of those items are actually needed for a 100% clean Android Experience.
I've also rolled through the architecture and have cleaned a lot of "junk" out of the system. Overall, I've pulled it the system from around 1.3 gb installed all the way down to about 800 mb and still feel confident I can trim more out of it.
I've also made it a point to install as much updated system apps as possible. Its been a game of juggling Google, Samsung and other ROM apps to find what works. In general, there are only one major programs left that are Samsung based in any way and that's the Samsung Phone Service app; which seems like its required to interface with the specific hardware on the phone. I've tracked down a number of native Google teleservice.apk-s and none have worked to date.
I am, sadly, still having the aforementioned problems:
- Contacts won't sync despite being able to connect to the contact services and seeing what backups are available. Manual restores work and updating contacts TO the server works now.
- The Power Button turns off the device immediately. The problem resides in a configuration somewhere that's telling the "Power" function to not bring up the power menu. The power menu is in the system, but appears to be renamed or something. I'm having trouble tracking this down. For documentation sake, in theory you should be able to just go to /system/usr/keylayout/General.kl and edit button 116, but that doesn't work.
- The phone is still locked into "Factory Mode". Various documentation says that if you go to /efs/FactoryData/factorymode and edit the contents to "ON", it should resolve this issue, but it doesn't. I feel that the problem resides in the CSC folder and EFS folder, but I haven't gotten around to testing yet. I suspect if you swap the CSC and EFS folders out and set all the correct permissions it might fix that. As it stands now, however, its only a minor inconvenience.
Overall, there's a lot more junk to sift through on the last two problems. The first problem I am kind of stumped on.
If you want to download the ROM and look at it or run it, you can follow the below link. It's currently setup with my "trouble shooting environment" making key places to tinker with easily accessible.
DOWNLOAD HERE:
https://goo.gl/MuPqE3
@LighthammerX
Im very grateful for this site where we can come and learn from one another. I just wanted to say thanks for taking time to work on this device and then sharing your findings. I've been using my on5 for 2 months now after other device died. I'm in the process of moving now but once I'm done with that I'm going to scope out this bad boy and see if I can figure out a few things. Appreciate you sharing your information with us all. Cheers.
Sent from my on5ltemtr using XDA Labs
Thanks. I'm glad to see there's some interest here. IMHO, with the right setup, this little phone is actually a very nice device today.
I actually took a lot of what I learned from hack this ROM apart and applied it to Super Starz to get it running a lot cleaning as my daily runner until/if I get these few bugs figured out.
Personally, I think the most valuable thing I've been learning is just how bloated Samsung Devices truly are out of the box.
I'm going to go ahead and dump my progress log here too so you guys can see what I've been toiling with in hopes someone has some specific feedback on issues and if I am in the right place or not:
https://goo.gl/CEGCx9
As of the writing of this post, I'm virtually confident any problems I am experiencing has nothing to do with /efs/ or /system/csc/.
I've found some inconsistencies in /etc/ and in a few other directories in /system/.
I still wonder if there isn't a init.d file I haven't tracked down yet, but personally I find folder compares faster and easier to try to normalize then I do init.d files.
When it comes to folder compares, I can do a fast reboot and see if things break. When it comes to lines of code, I have to do a bulk of edits, reboot and hope for the best.
Just as an FYI, I plan on completely rewriting the OP when things are at a place where things work.
For anyone following the thread, the Downloads Section has been updated.
This seems really interesting ? I've been trying to find a good ROM for a while with little success, so hopefully this might be the one. I just have one question: what are the differences between the Google and Diagnostics versions of this ROM?