[Tutorial] New device setup (CWM, ROM, Kernel, Netflix)

[Perasite]

So, PPCGeeks is awesome and sent me a brand new gTablet for free. That made me pretty happy, so I decided to give something back. None of this information is my own work. I take no credit for any of it. I am just pulling instructions together in one (hopefully) easy to digest place so that others can get their new device setup how they like.

A word on NVFLASH:
I've read a lot about how important NVFLASH is, and I don't doubt that those people are correct. Because I use Mac's, though, and there seems to only be Windows and Linux versions of the program, I did everything possible to not have to use it. I managed to get my device totally setup without it, so this tutorial will not make use of NVFLASH.

I'm going to break this down into several posts, with each post being another step. Just click the link to go directly to the post (or scroll down)

Step 1: Determine your bootloader version
My device was version 1.1, and I can only base this tutorial on my own experience. I will, though, give whatever info on 1.2 based ROMs when I can.

Step 2: ClockWorkMod
This is a replacement recovery system that allows you to install ROMs, kernels and more.

Step 3: Repartition
Apparently Viewsonic partitioned the internal drive in a manner that Android doesn't like, and you'll have problems if you don't repartition it to the way Android likes to see it. You should only have to do this once, not every time you install a ROM

Step 4: Choose and install a ROM
I chose CyanogenMod version 7, so this tutorial will assume that is what you are installing. I chose this because it is a 1.1 based ROM, has a proven track record of being stable, and was confirmed to work with Netflix which was important to me.

Step 5: vold.fstab
vold.what???? CM7 sets a weird name for the internal SD card, which prevents you from mounting it when you connect your gTab to your computer to view and transfer files. This step will fix that problem. This step should not be needed if you are using a different ROM.

Step 6: Kernel
The Kernel tells the hardware how to operate, so to speak. Trust me, you want to do this.

Step 7: Setting up the Android Market
If you've installed a custom ROM then they've already fixed the Market. If your are still on a Stock ROM or if your Market becomes fubar'd, this should get you access.

Step 8: Netflix and Flash
Stream movies on your gTab.

[Perasite]

Step 1: Determine your bootloader version

There are two different bootloader versions that your gTab may have come with. To check which branch you are on if you are on STOCK: Go to Settings -- About Tablet -- Tap UI Version. If your firmware starts with "1.1", then you are on the 1.1 (old) branch. If your firmware starts with "1.2", then you are on the 1.2 (new) branch.

It is important to know which branch you are on so that you use the proper files throughout the rest of the process. Like I've already said, my device was on the 1.1 branch.

It is possible to go from one branch to another. You can move from 1.1 to 1.2 by flashing the official 1.2 stock ROM and then use 1.2 ROMs. To get from 1.2 down to 1.1 involves the use of NVFLASH and is outside the scope of this tutorial.

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Step 2: ClockWorkMod

The first thing you will flash to your device will be ClockWorkMod. This replacement recovery system will be the basis for installing your ROM and Kernel, in addition to some other possible files.

There are 2 versions of ClockWorkMod for use on the 2 different bootloaders.

For the 1.1 bootloader, use cmw_v8. For the 1.2 bootloader, use cmw_v3028. There are 3 ways to install this file with the third method being through the use of NVFLASH. Since I have no experience with NVFLASH, I will describe the other two methods.
1. Internal SD Card:
a. Download the proper cmw_v(x)_internal.zip file for your particular bootloader to your computer.
b. Unzip the file and you should now have a folder titled recovery and a file titled update.zip.
c. Connect your gTab to your computer via USB
d. Place both the recovery folder and the update.zip file in the root of the gTab's drive. For example, if your gTab's internal drive is assigned drive letter F:\, you'll want to end up with an F:\recovery\ and an F:\update.zip.
e. Disconnect your gTab from your computer
f. Power down your gTab. Do not merely put it to sleep, do a full shutdown.
g. Turn on your gTab by pressing and holding both the Power button and the Volume + button simultaneously. Continue to hold both buttons until you see "Recovery key detected" in the upper left corner, then you can release both buttons.
h. CWM will install automatically, and you can view it's progress on-screen.
i. The gTab will automatically reboot. You can enter ClockWorkMod in the future by following step g.

2. External micro-SD Card:
a. Download the proper cmw_v(x)_microsd.zip file for your particular bootloader to your computer.
b. Unzip the file and you should now have a folder titled recovery and a file titled update.zip.
c. Connect your micro-SD card to your computer
d. Place both the recovery folder and the update.zip file in the root of the micro-SD card. For example, if your micro-SD card is assigned drive letter F:\, you'll want to end up with an F:\recovery\ and an F:\update.zip.
e. Remove the micro-SD card from the computer and insert it into your gTab.
f. Power down your gTab. Do not merely put it to sleep, do a full shutdown.
g. Turn on your gTab by pressing and holding both the Power button and the Volume + button simultaneously. Continue to hold both buttons until you see "Recovery key detected" in the upper left corner, then you can release both buttons.
h. CWM will install automatically, and you can view it's progress on-screen.
i. The gTab will automatically reboot. You can enter ClockWorkMod in the future by following step g.

I have attached cwm_v8_internal.zip and cwm_v8_microsd.zip (These files are for bootloader 1.1.) I have also now located and attached copies of cwm_v3028_internal.zip and cwm_v3028_microsd.zip for bootloader 1.2.

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Step 3: Repartition

You may have had your device for awhile, and things have been going well, but at some point programs will start crashing causing you to have to Force Close them. This is due to some weirdness with the way Viewsonic partitioned the internal memory, so we are going to repair that.

These steps will wipe out all of your data on the internal storage, so if you have anything important to you in there, back it up!

Partition
1. Boot into ClockWorkMod by pressing and holding both Power and Volume + simultaneously.
To navigate within ClockWorkMod, you'll use Volume + to move down the list of options and Volume - to move up. The Home button selects that menu choice, and the Back Arrow takes you back a menu level.
2. Go to advanced
3. Choose Partition SD Card
4. Choose 2048M for the first choice
5. Choose 0 for the second choice
6. This will take a couple of minutes to complete, and all you data will be lost if it was not backed up.

Fix Permissions
1. Boot into ClockWorkMod (I actually did this step immediately after doing the Partition and did not have to reboot my device. I don't know whether that may cause issues for me in the future though.)
2. Go to advanced
3. Choose Fix Permissions
4. Now you will want to reboot the system, but please note that there are two reboot options in CWM. Once the Fix Permissions process is done, you will automatically be returned to the option to Reboot ClockWorkMod. This is NOT the option you want to choose. You will want to press the Back button once to return to the base menu and choose Reboot System.

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Step 4: Choose and install a ROM

There are several ROMs available. They can be found at XDA, Slatedroid, etc. The process for installing any of these ROMs is pretty much the same across the board, so I will provide a link to the ROM I used (CyanogenMod v7 or CM7 for short.) Please note that CM7 is a 1.1 ROM and is Gingerbread based. Currently there are Froyo, Gingerbread and Honeycomb based ROMs. Honeycomb is in the very early stages of development and is not recommended at this time.

You can find CM7 at Cyanogenmod.com This is a 1.1 bootloader ROM and should not be used if you are on bootloader 1.2.

Transfer files to your gTab

1. Using your computer, download the ROM zip file. Open up the zip file. If you see a file called "boot.img" and a bunch of folders, then leave your zip file alone. If you see another zip file called "update.zip" and a folder called "recover", then unzip the original zip file. What you want is a zip file with a "boot.img" file inside.
2. If your ROM requires GAPPS (Google Apps) file, download that, too. The CM7 ROM linked above does require these files, and they can be found here or here.
3. Boot your gTab into CWM mode.
4. In main menu of CWM, select "mounts and storage".
5. Select "mount USB storage".
6. Connect your gtab to the computer.
7. Using your computer, navigate into the root of your internal sdcard in your gTab and create a folder called "Rom".
8. Put the zip file that contains the "boot.img" file into the newly created folder "Rom" in your gtab. Also put the GAPPS file (if you need it) into the "Rom" folder.
9. Select unmount.
10. Disconnect USB from your computer.

Back up your current ROM - since my device was new, I skipped this part, but it doesn't hurt to have a backup anyway

1. Go back to root menu of CWM.
2. Select backup and restore.
3. Select Backup.
4. Watch your current image being backed up.
5. Choose either Option C1 or Option C2 depending on your branch.

Flash the ROM

1. After backup is done, go back out to the root menu.
2. Choose "wipe data/factory reset".
3. Choose "wipe cache partition".
4. Once it's done, go back out to root menu and choose "advanced".
5. Choose "Wipe Dalvik Cache".
6. Go back out and choose "install zip from sdcard".
7. Go into folder "Rom" and choose the Rom that you picked from the list. Watch it install.
8. After ROM installation is complete, repeat steps 6 and 7 for the GAPPS file IF YOU NEED TO.
9. Once everything is done, go back out to root menu and choose "reboot system now".

[Perasite]

Step 5: vold.fstab

Important Note: This step is currently required for CM7, but is likely NOT required for most other ROMs. To find out if you need this step, connect your gTab (while it is powered on in normal operating mode) to your computer. If you get a message that USB is connected and asking if you want to turn on USB storage then you can skip this step.

If you are on the current version of CM7, though, you will see nothing when you connect the USB cable to your gTab. Well, then, how do you move additional files back and forth between your gTab? You'll need to install the vold.fstab.zip file attached below. To do this, you will need to copy the file to either a USB thumb drive or a micro-SD card.

Install vold.fstab

1. Once you've copied the file onto a USB thumb drive or micro-SD card, insert that into your gTab. Open up the File Explorer, navigate to your inserted drive and copy the vold.fstab.zip file to the ROM folder that you created earlier on your internal drive.
2. Reboot your gTab in to ClockWorkMod mode
3. Choose "install zip from sdcard".
4. Go into folder "Rom" and choose vold.fstab.zip. Watch it install.
5. Once this is complete, go back out to root menu and choose "reboot system now".

You should now be able to connect your gTab to your computer and mount it as a drive.

[Perasite]

Step 6: Kernel

To upgrade the kernel, you have two choices. Clemsyn and Pershoot. A good rule of thumb is for Froyo choose Clemsyn and for Gingerbread choose Pershoot.

You can find the latest Pershoot gTab kernel at DroidBasement.com. Be sure to download the proper kernel for your device and bootloader branch. I've attached the kernel that I used, but it would be a good idea to double check Pershoot's site to insure this is the latest version.

Install the kernel

1. Use your computer to download the appropriate kernel. Or you can just download it straight into your gTab.
2. If you downloaded it from your gTab, it should be in folder a called "download". If you downloaded it using your computer, connect your gTab to your computer and transfer the file over to your gTab. I actually created a folder on the root of my gTab named Kernel and placed it in that folder.
3. Boot into CWM recovery.
4. Choose "install zip from sdcard"
5. Navigate to where you placed the kernel zip file and select it.
6. Watch it install into your gtab. Should take about 10 seconds.
7. Go back to root menu of CWM, go into advanced, and choose "Wipe Dalvik Cache".
8. Go to root menu and wipe cache.
9. From the root menu choose "reboot system"

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Step 7: Setting up the Android Market

If you loaded a custom ROM (and if you haven't then get to doing that NOW) then you can likely skip this step since the ROM maker probably fixed this. Of course, I did it anyway, and it didn't cause any harm.

1. Turn on your gTab.
2. Log in/set up your Google Account before trying the market fix (steps vary on the ROM you are using…in most cases you can access the web accounts by opening the Contacts app, pressing the menu button (the one above the back button), and selecting accounts).
3. Go into market.
4. Go out of market back to home screen.
5. Go into Settings.
6. Go into Applications.
7. Select Manage Aplications (all).
8. Select Market.
9. Select Clear Cache.
10. Select Force Stop.
11. Hit back button once.
12. Select Google Services Framework.
13. Select Clear Data.
14. Select Force Stop.
15. Go back to your home screen and open up the market. You should get an error. If not, redo steps 5 through 14 until you do.
16. Reboot your gTab and give it a minute or two to finish loading processes.
17. Go into Market. Let it sort things out on its own.
18. Once done, reboot again.
19. Enjoy Market.

Access to Full Market

All custom ROMs have a pretty full market access. If you have market access but cannot find some apps, here is what you need to do. You need to use these tools responsibly. If you play around irresponsibly, you may end up screwing up your gTab. You've been warned!

1. Download root explorer (preferably directly on your gTab, but you can also download it to your computer and copy it over)
2. Go into Settings
3. Choose Applications
4. Make sure the box for Unknown Sources is checked
5. Open your device's File Explorer
6. Navigate to the root explorer apk and select it to begin installation
7. Go into root explorer
8. Select the "system" folder
9. Click the top button called "Mount R/W". It should change to "Mount R/O".
10. Press and hold file "build.prop".
11. Open in text editor or edit.
12. Where it says "ro.product.device=________" edit it to say "ro.product.model=HTC Vision"
and modify "ro.product.manufacturer=________" to say "ro.product.manufacturer=HTC"(There are lots of different device names you can put in here, but these two seem to be good)
13. Press menu button and select save and exit.
14. Reboot device.
15. You should now see more apps available in market.

[Perasite]

Step 8: Install Netflix and Flash

Netflix does not work on all ROMs, and that is one of the major reasons I chose CM7, since it does work there.

1. Download the two attached files for Flash and Netflix (preferably directly on your gTab, but you can also download them to your computer and copy them over)
2. Go into Settings
3. Choose Applications
4. Make sure the box for Unknown Sources is checked
5. Open your device's File Explorer
6. Navigate to the Flash apk and select it to begin installation
7. Once that is complete, open the File Explorer back up
8. Navigate to the Netflix apk and select that to begin installation

There used to be a lot more to this process, but with these two files you can just install and be ready to roll. There is no need to edit your build.prop file.

[Perasite]

OK, that should do it, please let me know if I missed anything or if you have any questions.