Is there a newbie guide to Apache ROM upgrading?

DaveNagy · #1 (**permalink**) 02-08-2007, 08:54 PM

Hi everybody,

It seems like there should be such a guide, but so far I haven't run across it. Does anyone have a link? I'm looking for something that explains:

What (if anything) needs to be done prior to upgrading? How do I tell what ROM I've got now? Does anything need to be backed up? Like, my contacts maybe? What software (if any) should one acquire and install prior to starting the upgrade process?

Exactly how does one "do" the upgrade? What exactly is "bootloader mode", and how does one get into it? What indications should you look for to confirm that the process is working correctly?

What the heck is an ext.rom? Why do I need it, where do I get it, and is it a vital part of the upgrade process?

Post-upgrade, are there any gotchas to watch out for? Common problems? Are there things that should, or must, always be done after upgrading? (Besides re-installing all your 3rd-party apps?) How do you tell what ROM you are running?

I've got some guesses about most of those topics, just from reading this forum for a couple weeks, but I'd really like to see everything spelled out in one spot, in excruciating, almost insulting, detail.

(This doc must exist. Otherwise, you'd be getting these same questions, over and over, which would suck.

If this is something that needs to be created, I could certainly help do that, but sadly, only after I find out all the answers!)

For context, I've only had my PPC-6700 for about a week. But, I'd like get the ROM upgrade (I'm thinking Colonel's latest-greatest) "out of the way" before I spend a lot of time installing and customizing stuff. The trouble with that is, I'm wanting to do an "advanced" technique, while I'm still a proto-newbie. I need a lot of hand-holding.

Wargazm · #2 (**permalink**) 02-08-2007, 09:05 PM

I would also love the creation of such a document/FAQ.

**Wideawake** · #3 (**permalink**) 02-08-2007, 09:29 PM

Offical upgrading is easy. And you know how to do this correct? If not theres a tutorial on that. Now to tell what build/aku u have look at the build number in the start/settings/system/about the last 3 of the build should be something like 2.0.0 that's aku2.0 mine says 3.3.0 that's aku3.3.
Nothing needs to be done prior except backup ur normal stuff emails, contacts, and what not. But do not use the pim.vol trick for the contacts.

To do the upgrade put ur ppc into bootloader mode by pressing the notes key, power button, and soft reset at the sametime. To know u done it correct. You will see a very faint word serial (unless u have the usb plugged in then it would say usb). Plug it in to ur desktop, run the maupgrade_noid.exe or whatever the extact name is. Follow the steps like a normal upgrade. But these can't be done on machines running vista and all firewalls, antivirus and what not are recommended to be turned off even the windows one.

extrom is ur extended rom, when u hard reset u see the u have 3 secs blah blah then installs all sprints or ur carriers junk and needed software for the phone to work. read more on the tutorial....

theres a huge thread with known issues so I suggest u get to reading.

Best of luck,
Mike

**ImCoKeMaN** · #4 (**permalink**) 02-08-2007, 09:36 PM

If you want a little more reading here is a modified version of the normal readme included with the upgrade utility:
ftp://up.ppcgeeks.com/Apache/ImCoKeM...e_your_ROM.zip

This one shows pictures (although not completely accurate with our custom upgrade utility) and a few extra details and troubleshooting tips. If it proves to be useful i'm sure we could add this to the wiki.

**Wideawake** · #5 (**permalink**) 02-08-2007, 09:37 PM

sure someone could....anyone interested.

**schettj** · #6 (**permalink**) 02-08-2007, 09:40 PM

We just get the same questions over and over

I know I've typed it in a few times.

But let's turn it around the other way.

(a) it's an expensive bit of gear, are you sure you want to turn it into a testbed for unoffical roms? You really should have a good answer for that one.

(b) ok, you're crazy like me, so you answered "yes"! Proceed

(c) first real step!
you must have activesync working, and a full sync of cal/contacts/todo - or assume you will lose them. Read that again. Understand it? Sure? Really?

(d) sync - make sure its current

(e) do you have all the various bits you've already installed? By bits I mean, you have the installer exes, or the CABS, NOT on your phone internal store? Sure? Really Really? Ok... Oh, and you have all your serial number/reg key/whatevers for your commercial apps?

(f) last chance... You Will Be Wiping Internal Memory Very Soon...

(g) last bit of homework. You're going to be doing stuff that isn't going to play well with your carrier extended_rom stuff. We'll get to that in a moment, but unfortunately that's a huge hairy branch of choices from there... and I'm not going to be able to type it all up in one go.

(h) but I wanna do it now!

Ok, so you are itching to go... the SAFE way to get SOME benefit, without the hairy spiders of AKU3.x attacking, is to just go for AKU2.2 from Wideawake, right here:

http://www.ppcgeeks.com/updated1-2ho...700-t1515.html

Why do that? Couple reasons

(1) it's "carrier safe" - you don't need to understand the extended rom.
(2) it's good pratice - you'll be flashing your rom, and getting a feel for the whole hard reset dance...
(3) AKU 2.2 is very much like AKU 2.0, it has BT DUN, everything works, etc, just a little faster.

It's still a mighty fine bit of work that's often overlooked.

My suggestion is to cut your teeth on that puppy and then if you're still itching to go into uncharted territory, continue on from there.

Oh, and one last thing - you should make sure you have done a full rom update with the latest offical rom you can get from your carrier. Two good reasons to do that - your extended_rom and radio firmware will be updated to the latest and greatest (none of these ROMS do that, they just update the OS) and you will be sure to have your carrier ROM flash handy, and know how to do it, should something go slightly wrong - that's your recovery option right there... you have to reflash some other OS if things go bad, and you might as well do the carrier one.

Onward and Upward - AKU 3.3, 3.5, and all the variants thereof

Ok, the above, and the sketch of the section that should come below this last bold bit above, is now on the wiki HERE:
http://wiki.ppcgeeks.com/index.php?t...ROMUpdateGuide

Please folks, chip in and write some of it