[HOW TO] Beginners Guide to Android ROM Development

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rogerutley5

New member
May 29, 2013
1
0
roger

help please..not sure where to even post...I have just bought a HDC I9500 with enynos quad processor...the prob is it, was shipped with wrong rom, which caused the compass to not work and wifii to be weak...they sent a link to the correct rom...my problem is ....i have no clue how to flash it.....or...does the phone need to be rooted first? if so...no clue on that either.....any and all suggestions would greatly appreciated! roger
 
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help please..not sure where to even post...I have just bought a HDC I9500 with enynos quad processor...the prob is it, was shipped with wrong rom, which caused the compass to not work and wifii to be weak...they sent a link to the correct rom...my problem is ....i have no clue how to flash it.....or...does the phone need to be rooted first? if so...no clue on that either.....any and all suggestions would greatly appreciated! roger

You can download the OTA update that might patch the bugs, but if it does not, you'll need to root it. Check if you already have root, by seeking the 'Superuser' app in your app-drawer. Otherwise browse xda for forums of your Android device, and go through to-do methods for your current firmware. And if any problem you have regarding your device, it should be posted in the device's forum, henceforth.
You can check for threads in the forum if the same problem can be found, if yes, then luckily you'll get to know the exact method of fixing it.
 
Last edited:

adyt5

Senior Member
Nov 14, 2012
163
16
Do u use a xperia u with jelly bean?

Plz tell me about the bugs n performance of XU on jb :)

jellybean is quite great but i had been xperiencing good amount of battery drain plus some lags and less free ram...but if you are a light user than u must go for it...im a heavy user so i prefer ics but u should go for jelly bean...try it...every one has a different taste mostly ull like it...:)
 

sev7en

Senior Member
Jul 10, 2006
1,248
303
www.fabriziodegni.com
Xiaomi Mi MIX 4
Hi to everyone and thanks for this useful thread.
I am working around a Huawei Ascend Mate custom ROM and by using the related tools I got these files from the latest Chinese B119 ROM:

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4392/09062013162823.jpg


Now I guess the file called unknown_file.13 should be the boot.img and the bigger unknown_file.11 the recovery.img. I tried to extract them via Android Kitchen 0.223 but I didn't.
 
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jstiedle

New member
Jun 1, 2013
3
1
Titusville
Thanks for this guide! It was extremely helpful. Just getting in to all if this and really appreciate the as the time you took to write all this up.
 
Last edited:
Jun 11, 2013
18
1
Elk Grove
Great Guide!

I'm new to this site but it seemed very helpful! So, I decided to make one. I hope this site can help me with my problems.

---------- Post added at 01:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:17 PM ----------

Man, its gonna take a while to get all of this down. Thank you for the information.
 

yusuf22

New member
Jun 16, 2013
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how to get back to gingerbread

hello sir i am yusuf from india i have custom my rom from gingerbread to jellybean 4.1.1 now i want to roll back again to my original version
can you please help me how to roll back again.
my phone details are as follow
model number gt-s5360
baseband version s5360ddlk1
pda :s5360DXKL2
phone:s5360DDLK1
csc:s5360ODDLA2
please help me out my mail add is yusuf.ujjain@gmail.com
contact no +918097924252
 

iamareebjamal

Senior Member
Aug 7, 2012
3,703
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Batcave
www.facebook.com
hello sir i am yusuf from india i have custom my rom from gingerbread to jellybean 4.1.1 now i want to roll back again to my original version
can you please help me how to roll back again.
my phone details are as follow
model number gt-s5360
baseband version s5360ddlk1
pda :s5360DXKL2
phone:s5360DDLK1
csc:s5360ODDLA2
please help me out my mail add is yusuf.ujjain@gmail.com
contact no +918097924252
Be tension free. Its just a build.prop edit and you are on Gingerbread only as there is no 4.1 ROM for Galaxy Y. :)

You can go back to stock ROM by following this
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1465800
 

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  • 620
    This tread is not monitored or updated any more use for reference only

    mqpx.jpg

    Started this tutorial in the HTC HD2-Nand forum, I think maybe someone
    can find it useful:)


    Who is this tutorial for?
    • Absolute Beginners like me :)
    • People with little or no programming skills

    This is a very basic tutorial!!

    Step one: Setting up the Android kitchen

    bachelorcookingcartoon.jpg



    First you will need to set up dsixda's android kitchen
    (All credit for the kitchen to dsixda's)


    Go to dsixda's thread for a list of supported devices.
    Here is a summary of the installation process
    ( I recommend you read the tread first)

    1. Before you do anything install the java jdk(find it in dsixda's thread)
    2. Download and extract the cygwin_packages.zip provided by dsixda on third post
    3. Run the set up(make sure there is no previous cygwin installation)
    4. Follow the kitchen read me txt!!!
    5) local package directory *must* be the path to the cygwin_packages folder that you just extracted
    unledwkc.png

    6) when it shows all the package names, go to the top and select "all <-> default" until it changes to "all <-> install" (you must click on the arrows)
    unti1led.png

    7. Run the cygwin at least once and close, now you will see a folder inside the cygwin installation like this: Home\your user name\

    8. Download the kitchen and extract to the home\your user name\
    9. Rename the dsixda-android-kitchen-*** folder to just "kitchen"
    10. Now your ready to run the kitchen type:
    Code:
    cd kitchen(enter)
    ./menu(enter)
    unledzno.png

    11. If you did things right you should see this:
    unledxwb.png

    congratulations!!
    Step Two: Setting up a working folder
    1. First our folder structure should look like this:
    Code:
    cygwin folder/home/your user name/kitchen
    2. Inside the kitchen it should look like this:
    unledmlb.png

    3. Now we need a rom to work on, for this tutorial i will use my own rom but you can use any hd2 rom. Place the original rom zip in the original_update folder inside the kitchen.
    4.run the cygwin.exe again type:
    Code:
    cd kitchen(enter)
    ./menu(enter)
    5.now enter option 1, enter again. You should see your rom listed, choose and enter
    6.you will be asked about changing the working folders name, at this point it makes no difference so just continue.
    7.you will be asked to convert to update-scrip do it and continue
    8. Now you can view the roms info
    9. congratulations you have a working folder!!!
    unledzfr.png

    Step Three :change/modify/update!

    First I will be covering basic changes you can make to your rom, later I will be adding more helpful hints.

    Adding/removing applications
    1. Go to the working folder where you extracted your rom, inside you will find:
    unled1gew.png
    or
    unledgcn.png

    2. Then go to "system/app" inside this folder you will find all the rom applications(apks) you may also find some in the data folder if your rom has this folder.
    3. Copy, replace, and change any app(apk) be carefull if you dont know what the apk is do not delete!!
    4. Congrats you have modified a rom, if your ready and want to see if it worked skip to step four to buil rom from working folder.


    Adding new boot animation
    1. Just replace the bootanimation.zip located in "workingfolder/system/media" with the boot animation of your choice.
    here is a sample of my bootanimation to try.
    unledtar.png


    Edit the gps script for your country/location
    1. In the workingfolder/system/etc/ you will find a file named gps.conf, you can
    edit this file with notepad++ or even word.
    2. using the right gps script in this file can speed up gps lock, you can
    find some from angeldeath, download extract and replace the gps.conf.
    unledslz.png


    Changing the default wallpaper
    1. Be very careful doing this, do not edit,delete or modify an apk without knowing what it is or does.not all things are as simple as copy and paste.
    2. go to the workingfolder/system/framework/
    3. Install 7zip and open the framework-res.apk
    4. With in the framework-res.apk with 7zip go to "res/drawable-hdpi/" and look for the default_wallpaper.jpg. You can extract modify and replace with new one.
    5. Make sure its the same file format and image dimensions.(in some roms you can also modify the default_lock_wallpaper.jpg)
    unledkbe.png

    MMS Fix for T-mobile
    1. *I Have only tested this on MIUI Roms*
    2. Go to "workingfolder/system/app"
    3. Find MMS.apk
    4. Right click and open with 7zip
    unledimk.png

    5.Inside mms.apk go to "rex/xml/"
    6.replace the "mms_config.xml" with this "mms_config.xml"
    unledymbc.png

    modifying build.prop

    "build.prop" is a file that contains various system-vital "parameters"
    Some can be modified with little risk, some can cause havoc. So Please do this Carefully!!!!!!


    1. Locate the file "workingfolder/system/"
    2. Open with notepad++
    unledbli.png


    There is several simple changes that can be done, I will start with some and add more later.

    LCD Density
    1. If you dont know anything about this topic Here is some info to get started
    2.Locate this line inside the build.prop "ro.sf.lcd_density=240"
    unledjfy.png

    3.The only value you will modify is the "240" to your preference.
    unledpbb.png


    Difference is simple and visible!

    Update Kernel From update.zip
    Note that it's not always as easy as copy and paste

    1. Extract you kernel_update.zip
    2. Copy and replace the extracted files to the corresponding folders inside your finished ROM
    3.Start with the boot folder
    unledgra.png

    3. Than the system folder (there might be some libs and modules associated with the rom)
    unledoph.png

    4. Another helpful hint is to open the updater-script
    to see if your kernel requires you to delete anything for the kernel to work correctly.

    sample script:
    Code:
    delete("/system/ppp");



    -there are several other options provided by dsixda's android kitchen for that I recomend you go to the tread and read.

    Step Four: repackage the rom

    Now that you have made some changes it's time to test!!
    1. Run the kitchen and enter option 99 - "biuld rom from working folder"
    2. Choose mgldr or clk
    3. I recommend that you go with all default options until you get more experience with the kitchen.
    4. When its all done you will find a folder inside "cygwin/home/yousername/kitchen" called output_zip
    5. Inside the folder is your new rom ready to be flashed and tested!!!
    unledwxh.png

    UPDATER-SCRIPT
    Thanks to user langthang for a great updater-script guide.
    Download it HERE

    I had a couple of request on how to get custom txt during the ROM installation in CWM,
    the updater-script basically tells CWM what steps to take during the installation(flashing rom).
    If you don't have any experience please don't edit anything other than what is in this simple tutorial.

    1.First once you have your Rom ready in .zip format, Open with 7zip
    2.Go to META-INF/com/google/android
    3.Extract the updater-scrip file
    4.Open with Notepad++
    5.Any text that would appear during the CWM install should be in this format :
    Code:
    ui_print("Put your text in HERE");
    Here is the requested 3d MIUI LOGO for example:
    Code:
    ui_print("");
    ui_print("");
    ui_print("");
    ui_print("");
    ui_print("");
    ui_print("     ___                     ___                ");
    ui_print("    /__/\\       ___         /__/\\       ___     ");
    ui_print("   |  |::\\     /  /\\        \\  \\:\\     /  /\\    ");
    ui_print("   |  |:|:\\   /  /:/         \\  \\:\\   /  /:/    ");
    ui_print(" __|__|:|\\:\\ /__/::\\     ___  \\  \\:\\ /__/::\\    ");
    ui_print("/__/::::| \\:\\\\__\\/\\:\\__ /__/\\  \\__\\:\\\\__\\/\\:\\__ ");
    ui_print("\\  \\:\\~~\\__\\/   \\  \\:\\/\\\\  \\:\\ /  /:/   \\  \\:\\/\\");
    ui_print(" \\  \\:\\          \\__\\::/ \\  \\:\\  /:/     \\__\\::/");
    ui_print("  \\  \\:\\         /__/:/   \\  \\:\\/:/      /__/:/ ");
    ui_print("   \\  \\:\\        \\__\\/     \\  \\::/       \\__\\/  ");
    ui_print("    \\__\\/                   \\__\\/               ");
    ui_print(" ");
    ui_print(" ");
    ui_print(" ");
    ui_print(" ");
    ui_print(" ");
    6.Add your text start at top and save,
    then replace with new updater-scrip
    unledofd.png

    congratulations!!


    There is allot more that I did not cover, didn't even scratch the surface.
    This was not intended for porting roms or any mayor scripting, this wont help you
    with writing drivers, kernels, libs etc. Just tried to make it as simple as possible for
    beginners like me, so we can understand the amount of work devs go through.
    Please! please! before you release any Rom, test and test again!!!!!!


    Like I said this was Originally for the HD2 so use at your own discretion!!
    (original thread)



    Just want to thank XDA Forums for giving us this space to play learn and share.
    8
    Really nice, simple, step by step guide for beginners!
    Also, thanks for the files, i guess ill try kitchen on w7.
    8
    Awesome I had zipaligned as one of the first steps of creating my ROM instead of doing it at the end. That could be causing my problems. I'll check it out now that I'm not at work. What do you mean by replace bash by the original bourne shell? Also what are other ways to create custom ROMs? Can it be done in eclipse for example? Or does it need to be built through the command line interface using the android SDK? What are my other options for developing my own ROMs that doesn't mostly automate the process like the kitchen? Of course I'll continue using the kitchen until I have a better understanding of how things work, I'm just asking for future reference. :)

    Thanks.:good:

    There are other ways...like right now you're a chef(using the kitchen to cook/modify ROMs)..not a developer(who uses source to compile his own ROM...e.g AOSP, Cyanogen etc)...
    I'll give you a link to 2 videos that taught me how to do it(the developer style)...but I'm not currently building ROMs due to Harddisk space issues..:(
    Here's the links :
    Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_H4AlQaNa0
    Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFqELLB1Kk8

    PS: I hope you wont have problems with his accent...just listen closely and it'll be simple to understand! :)

    PS2: Bourne shell is the "sh" that you replaced by bash...try reverting back to sh...and at this point *create a backup*...if after the zipaligning..all works well..cook your ROM..keep a backup of the working ROM too...and then add bash to ^^^^^ this backup..and try cooking another one if you want a bash version only..
    Check this thread..its not for your phone...but you can take the idea from here: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1090834

    PS3 : Eclipse cannot be used to create ROMs (As far as i know)...You can however create apps for android in eclipse...heres a tutorial for that: http://www.vogella.com/articles/Android/article.html

    Hope i helped! Dont forget to hit thanks if i did! :)
    7
    ive never had any luck with cygwin before, so what i'd like to know can this process be done in ubuntu?


    Yes it can all be done from within ubuntu, then you do not need Cywgin,
    6
    Awsome guide.
    I hope someone would like to help me make the galaxy ace compatibe with the kitchen.

    http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1303345