[GENERAL-GUIDE] You Are A Noob on Xda |How to Theme|How to Mod|How to Tweak|And More

Hello Xda,

I am Getting a lot of requests on how to theme/tweak/mod etc... now im gonna learn that to you!

What can you learn by reading this Quide?

The following things:

- Android Theming (Part 1)
- Deodexing (Part 2)
- Deleting/Adding Apps (Part 3)
- Android Tweaking (Part 4)
- Building From Source (Part 5)
- Open a .img File! (Part 6)
- Flashing With Odin (Part 7)
- porting roms (Part 8)
- flashing with heimdall (Part 9)
- flashing with cwm (Part 10)
- build kernel (Part 11)
- build cwm recovery (Part 12)
- flashing OTA leak (Part 13)

More to come stay tuned

Part 1 Theming Android:

First you need the following Tools for this:

-7zip
-A Windows PC

Step 1) Go to your rom you like to Theme and grab you Systemui.apk From system/app Copy it to your desktop!

Step 2) Now open the file with 7zip by right clicking on the file and choose open with 7zip

Step 3) When you are in the Systemui.apk with 7zip go to the Res folder and open up Drawable-hdpi Depending on your phone it could be also Drawable-ldpi or Drawable-mdpi Or Drawable-xhdpi Now just open that folder!

Step 4) when you are in that folder you see a lot of .png files that are all the files you could theme now If you want to theme your Systemui.apk to ICS/JB/GB/Froyo etc... source for the systemui.apk from a phone who is running on that OS!

Step 5) When you have found that systemui.apk from the other OS Then open that Systemui.apk also with 7zip and go to the res folder and than to Drawable-hdpi!

Step 6) when you have bot systemui.apk's opend source for the .png's you want to theme for example you want to theme the wifi signal icon Source in YOUR SYSTEMUI.APK FROM YOUR PHONE to stat_sys_wifi_signal
then also find the excactly same .png in the other Systemui.apk from that other OS and start copying the Files!

NOTE: Please Check the names if they are the same otherwise the systemui will Force Close (Crash)

Step 7) Now when your done copying and theming Close The file and put it back in your rom Flash your rom congratulations you have themed Now your Android Rom!

Part 2 Deodexing

What you need is:

A windows Pc
A zip opener tool
Xdaautotool

How to Deodex:

First Download xdaautotool From here: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1053227

Step 1) When you have downloaded XdaAutoTool you see some Folders and other things in the .rar file make a folder on your desktop and name the folder xdaautotool now just extract them to your desktop in the folder xdaautotool!

Step 2) In Res there is AAA_register_ocx.bat Run that!

Step 3) Run \Res\FileRegister.exe to register the files in your system!

Step 4) Now you can open xdaautotool.exe and go to the Deo screen when you are in there Wait!

Step 5) Open your odexed Rom.zip file and copy all the files inside the /system/app folder to _SOURCE_APP!

Step 6) Open your odexed Rom.zip file again and now copy all the files inside /system/framework folder to _SOURCE_FRAMEWORK!

Step 7) Now in the Deo screen Choose all stock and let it do it's work!

Step 8) When xdaautotool has finished open your xdaautotool folder and go to _DEODEX_APP and make a folder calld app! copy all the files inside of there and then go to your odexed rom.zip and delete the app folder once it's deleted paste the deodexed app folder inside your rom.zip

Step 9) open your xdaautotool folder and go to _DEODEX_FRAMEWORK and make a folder calld framework! copy all the files inside of there and then go to your odexed rom.zip and delete the framework folder once it's deleted paste the deodexed framework folder inside your rom.zip

Step 10) congratulations you have deodexed Now your Android Rom!

Part 3 Adding/Removing Apps

Needed Tools:

-A zip opener tool

Step 1) Open your Rom.zip file and go to system/app from there you can remove apps by clicking on the right mouse button and choose delete!

Becarefull by what you are deleting some apps are needed for you OS!

Step 2) Open your Rom.zip file and go to system/app then pick a .apk file you just downloaded and paste it into there!

DO NOT POST ANY WAREZ ON XDA SO ALSO NOT IN YOUR ROM!

Part 4 Android Tweaking

What you need:

-A zip opener tool

Tweak build.prop:

Step 1) Go to this thread for build.prop tweaks: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1588439

Step 2) When you are in that thread you see a lot of tweaks Go ahead and pick one Copy the tweak and paste it into your Build.prop paste it on the latest line just at the very end of your build.prop You can find your build.prop in your rom by going to /system and then you see the build.prop!

Step 3) Flash you rom Enjoy!

Tweak init.d

Step 1) Go to this thread for init.d tweaks: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1353903

Step 2) Do exacly what stands in that thread!

Part 5 Building From source

You need the Following

-A linux/Ubuntu PC or virtualbox with linux/ubuntu

I was thinking about writing my own guide but there are many quides out already

Building CM9 From Source: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1566224
Building CM10 From Source: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1566224
Building CM7 From Souce: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=978544

Part 6 Opening a System.img File/Creating your first/own rom

what you need is:

sgs2ext4.jar
Java 6
diskinternals linux reader

Downloads:

sgs2ext4.jar: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=15333542&postcount=135
diskinternals linux reader: http://www.diskinternals.com/linux-reader/
Java SE: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

Step 1) Download all the files!

Step 2) When you have downloaded sgs2ext4.jar save it on your desktop

Step 3) Install Diskinternals Linux Reader

Step 4) Install Java SE

Step 5) Open up your .tar file and then open the .md5 file inside the .tar file when you have opend that folder copy the system.img or factoryfs.img depending on what phone you have to your desktop!

Step 6) Open up the sgs2ext4.jar application and Drop the system.img/factoryfs depending on your phone inside the application wait for it when it says done you can close the application!

Step 7) Now open Diskinternals Linux Reader.exe and go to drives--->Mount image--->Then a screen will pop up!

Step 8) then choose raw disk images and click next then source for the system.img.ext4 and open it then you see a new drive open up that drive!

Step 9) in the drive you will see all the folders select them all and go to Commands--->Save selected then choose a place you want to save the files!

Step 10) Make a .zip file and open up the file inside the .zip file make 2 folders META-INF and system Now open the system folder and copy all the files witch you have just opend with diskinternals to /system done! don't forget to paste the boot.img into the .zip file to NOT IN META-INF OR system just paste them by the 2 folders!

Step 11) Make the META-INF folder complete Gongrats you have made your own rom!

Part 7 Flashing With Odin

You need the following

- Odin!

Downloads:

For odin Look at your devices forum it must be somewhere around there!

Step 1) Download your rom from www.sammobile.com for your device!

Step 2) open up odin and choose in the pda file the .tar file you just have downloaded!

NOTE For some Devices you must fill in all the boxes!

Step 3) Put your device in download mode (This is for every device diffrent)

Step 4) When odin recognize it click on start when for it when it's done it will automatic reboot and doing some stuff automaticly no panic this is normal!

Step 5) The device will reboot and boot into Android Enjoy!

Part 8 Porting Rom's

What you need is:

-A zip opener tool

Step 1) Download the Rom you want to port from a other device to your device KEEP IN MIND IF YOUR PHONE IS A ARMV6 YOU MUST PORT IT FROM A ARMV6 THE SAME FOR ARMV7 AND ARMV5!

Step 2) Open up the rom you've just downloaded from now im calling that the ported rom and also pick your Base rom from your rom

Step 3) when you have opened both rom's then go to you base rom go and delete app/framework then copy app/framework from the ported rom to your base rom!

Step 4) Open up the etc folder in your base and ported rom!

Step 5) open in both rom's the permissions folder and copy all the files inside the permissions folder from the ported rom to your base rom!

Step 6) now go back and go to the bin folder in both folders copy all the files inside the ported rom into your base rom bin folder!

Step 7) that's it Guys enjoy porting!

Part 9 Flashing with Heimdall (Linux)

you need the folowing:

A linux/ubuntu pc!

I was thinking about writing a guide for this but look here please:

Step 1) Guide Here: https://github.com/Benjamin-Dobell/Heimdall/tree/master/Linux

Supported devices for heimdall:

Samsung Galaxy S GT-I9000 (8GB) from UK
Galaxy S GT-I9000 (16GB) from Australia
Captivate
Vibrant
Fascinate
Mesmerize
Epic 4G
Galaxy S 4G
Infuse 4G
GT-I9000T
Galaxy Tab (7 and 10.1 inches),
Galaxy S II, and the international GT-I9000.
Samsung Galaxy S II

Part 10 Flashing Rom's with CWM!

You need the following:

-Your Device!
-Cwm Recovery on your device

Step 1) Power off your device!

Step 2) Reboot it into recovery (This method is on every device diffrent)

Step 3) In CWM Choose Install Zip from sdcard--->choose zip from sdcard

Step 4) Choose the rom You've just downloaded and click on Yes!

Step 5) When it's done installing Wipe Data/Cache/Dalvik cache!

Part 11 Build your First kernel!

Step 1) Follow this Quide im Not good at building kernels! : http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1748297

Part 12 Build You first CWM Recovery!

Step 1) Follow this Quide im not good at building CWM! : http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1866545

Part 13 flashing a OTA leak

- Make a backup of your data
-*Download the Base firmware required by the OTA Update,*for example: E210KKKALH6*
- Unzip the file
- Open odin
- Restart the device into download mode
- Connect phone and wait until you get a yellow/blue sign in Odin
- Add*for example: KIES_HOME_E210KKKALH6_E210KKTTALH3_944665_REV00_user_low_ship.tar.md5*to PDA
- *Make sure re-partition is NOT ticked
- *Start flash, and wait a few minutes
- *Download the for example*E210KKKJLI3*OTA Update
- *Copy the OTA update to your External SD Card
- *Restart the device into Recovery Mode
- Select Apply update from External Storage
- *Browse to the OTA update and flash it
- *When OTA update is flashed perform “Wipe Data/Factory Restore” (Will format your internal SD Card)
- *Reboot your device and Enjoy!

Reserved for more quides

Added new quide part 13

solomon4400 said:

clear, cut, and simple stuff man. thanks a lot for taking the time to do this. im hoping to port roms myself to start off with getting familiar with android then eventually start dev from ground up.

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Nice to hear that!