Flashing Instructions to Ensure Full ROM Functionality

[Tilde88]

So, I've noticed that not many users here aren't aware that many problems that they have are due to a poor flash. I posted these directions below a few weeks back in Tech1's thread, and I see few people talking about it.
When you flash a new ROM, there will always be a few files left behind in the ROM cache from your previous build. These files cannot be overwritten through Windows due to file permissions/system usage. Many users post lots of 'bugs' which neither the cook nor any other can emulate on their device... If you follow the directions below, I assure you that you will not get any bugs in your ROM [be it that the cook has released a final, bugfree ROM... Meaning not beta].
A pre-script side note: I recommend using a pagepool of at least 20 and at max 28.
1. Put your phone in bootloader mode, rather than opening the RUU while the phone is running regularly. Easiest way is to take out the battery put it back in, then press Volume Down and Power at THE SAME time. Be sure NOT to have a RAPHIMG.nbh [RHODIMG.nbh if you got the TP2] in your Storage Card, unless you plan to flash via your Storage Card. Leave these two buttons pressed until the tricolored screen comes on. On the bottom it will say Serial. LEAVE THE BATTERY COVER OFF.
2.Plug your phone into USB. The bottom of the screen will say USB now rather than Serial. Once it is connected, remove the battery [don't worry the USB will keep it powered] [IF YOU HAVE A RHODIUM YOU MUST KEEP THE BATTERY IN UNTIL THE TRANSFER HAS GONE TO 1% AT LEAST, otherwise your phone will shut off]. -This is to ensure that after a full flash the device can deplete any stored electricty which keeps a current going to your NAND and otherwise. It is important not to have a worn out or broken USB cable to ensure the device isn't powered off before the flash process is complete.
3.Open up the RUU.
4.Begin the Flash process.[Remember if you have the TP2, your battery should be in still, and removed AFTER the transfer has gone to 1%]
5.Be ready to unplug the USB from your device as soon as the computer signals the USB has been disconnected. Wait about 8 seconds... Feel free to click the power button a few times while you wait
6.Put the battery back in, but DO NOT POWER YOUR PHONE UP YET!
7.Press Volume Down, the Center button on the D-Pad, and the power button in that order but do not let go of any of the buttons until a screen pops up.[For us Rhodium users you would press Power+Send+End rather than the TP1 combo]. Note that if your device vibrates, you did it wrong. This screen will say that you will be restoring your phone to its factory settings.
8.Press Volume UP after reading the info on the screen, and let it restore (takes 5 seconds literally).
9. Allow the device to reset itself.
10.LET THE PHONE DO ITS FULL customization. This means DO NOT press any button rather than tapping the screen to prevent the device from turning off. DO NOT RESET WHILE IT IS DOING ITS THING!
11. [Rhodium ppl skip this step]Wait about 7 seconds after the screen calibration comes up to allow your phone to fully boot for the first time. While you are doing the screen calibration, be sure to watch the crosshair, if it moves laggy or slow or glitchy go back to step 6, and do it again until you get it right.

If there is any other information I can provide you guys feel free to ask

EDIT: UPDATE
I added this in a new post in this thread but I figured I'd put it here since its a pretty good breakdown on why I do it how I do it.
its best off not to flash to stock first... see, be it a custom ROM or a shipped ROM, there is still data being transfered throughout the flash. flashing a stock rom only adds an extra step to the flashing instructions i posted way back and on a new thread even... and it can add its own files which may corrupt some cache within the NAND, meaning that another flash with battery removal would be necessary to release these corrupted files which cannot be overwritten from within Windows[Mobile]...

flashing means transfering files (some files of which can be fractions of kilobytes in size even)... during the flash process, it is possible to not fully flash the rom because the old ROM (Read Only Memory) cache files cannot be replaced with the new ones, due to the old ones being -besides old- corrupted (broken) and stuck...after flashing a new ROM, and taking out the battery, this depletes (kills) any +-ionization (electrical currency) within the device since it does not have a CMOS Battery (a button cell battery which goes inside Computers to keep the clock accurate and certain hardware settings which cannot be controlled from an Operating System... An example of an OS is Windows, also Linux... etc...)after all the power has been released from the device the NAND then has no place to store its old ROM data, the device then routes what it can [unneeded crap] to the RAM (Random Access Memory). every time that there is no direct power (no battery and no USB connection to PC or wall charger), the RAM is released to be never again seen. ROM, however is stored into firmware. Firmware is neither hardware (like a video card, keyboard, monitor) etc, nor is it software (programs, games, drivers) it is pretty much a software that is permanent into the hardware's chip to enable its functionality.

thats as english as i can put it down... i dont know how else to explain it... you either understand or you dont...
nonetheless I know that this is a good thing to do before using your phone with its newly flashed ROM. it prevents countless errors over time
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Your welcome

[cktech71]

Thanks this is something I have been looking for to solve some of the wierd bugs on these roms.

[Tilde88]

Originally Posted by cktech71

Thanks this is something I have been looking for to solve some of the wierd bugs on these roms.

Your welcome

[indagroove]

While the effort is appreciated, the guide seems excessive and partially inaccurate.

Look at what you posted:

Originally Posted by Tilde88

4.Begin the Flash process.
5.Be ready to unplug the USB from your device as soon as the computer signals the USB has been disconnected. Wait about 8 seconds... Feel free to click the power button a few times while you wait
6.Put the battery back in, but DO NOT POWER YOUR PHONE UP YET!

How do you put the battery back in, if it was in already?

If you are really worried about a "clean flash", I would suggest the following process instead:

1. Flash to your ship rom
2. Let it load until the first "tap here" screen
3. Plug in phone and flash custom rom.
4. Let it fully load, and then do a "clear storage" -- start>settings>system>clear storage
5. Let it fully load, and enjoy.

Honestly, however this is often not necessary, especially if the chef of the custom rom uses a good xip based on the stock rom in the visual kitchen.

[Tilde88]

Originally Posted by indagroove

While the effort is appreciated, the guide seems excessive and partially inaccurate.

Look at what you posted:


How do you put the battery back in, if it was in already?

If you are really worried about a "clean flash", I would suggest the following process instead:

1. Flash to your ship rom
2. Let it load until the first "tap here" screen
3. Plug in phone and flash custom rom.
4. Let it fully load, and then do a "clear storage" -- start>settings>system>clear storage
5. Let it fully load, and enjoy.

Honestly, however this is often not necessary, especially if the chef of the custom rom uses a good xip based on the stock rom in the visual kitchen.

This was a copy paste from my original posting... And i missed that part on the editing, thanks. As far as the ship rom, when flashing a new ROM, the old cache which was from the Shipped ROM flash will remain there until reflashed as posted. I assure that this method works and clears the old cached files which can at times be problamatic to a different ROM. Please don't depreciate my post by going against a proved method.
Thanks again for pointing out the typo

EDIT UPDATE:
Groove lol I had actually already posted to remove the battery in step #2. You must have skipped it, because I went back to add the take the battery out part to see it was in the above step.
Thanks anyway...

[indagroove]

Originally Posted by Tilde88

This was a copy paste from my original posting... And i missed that part on the editing, thanks. As far as the ship rom, when flashing a new ROM, the old cache which was from the Shipped ROM flash will remain there until reflashed as posted. I assure that this method works and clears the old cached files which can at times be problamatic to a different ROM. Please don't depreciate my post by going against a proved method.
Thanks again for pointing out the typo

EDIT UPDATE:
Groove lol I had actually already posted to remove the battery in step #2. You must have skipped it, because I went back to add the take the battery out part to see it was in the above step.
Thanks anyway...

Well, my method is prooven too and much simpler, but you are right I did miss step 2 as noted.

I am curious as to your "proof" that "the old cache which was from the Shipped ROM flash will remain there until reflashed as posted".

I'm not trying to depreciate, simply trying to provide accurate information.

Also, btw: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=65925

[Carla]

+1..Grooves way works, and it seems pretty much every other chef suggests this method.

I am too lazy when flashing to do all that crap LMAO!! Whatever works for you though. Thanks for the information.

[Tilde88]

My mistake I figured since it was actually about flashing and theres a flashing sticky, I thought it would be here. Mod move to HTC Touch Pro forum please?

Also, any device that has RAM and or ROM will always have temporary cache files, which eventually can go corrupt on an abrupt soft reset just like in a PC when you reset it while it is doing something. The original reason why soft resets started being performed on Smartphones/PPCs was due to these corrupt files which would become then engraved into the ROM or RAM chip until it were forcefully overwritten or released from any electrical current. Which is why I flash with the battery off and unplug it when it is done. Then the hard reset ensures moreover that anything still miraculously 'alive' within said system storage is properly overwritten. On a PC you can simply take out the CMOS battery and reset the BIOS as to where on the phone I flash and then remove all power. On phones however we do not yet have a BIOS. I'm tired of typing and what not... If it helps anyone great... If you guys don't think it helps... Ask around the Tech1 CDMA thread and see how many people had ghost bugs... Later guys

[cd85233]

Will receiving a test message while the phone is going through the customization detrimental? Or what about if the phone turns itself of before you are able to calibrate the screen, meaning you waited too long before taping the screen when it asks.

Thanks for the right up. I hope this will take care of some random bugs int the ROMs that I have used. I never understood why some people had a perfect ROM while I had a buggy one.

[Carla]

Originally Posted by Tilde88

Ask around the Tech1 CDMA thread and see how many people had ghost bugs... Later guys

From what a lot of peoples problems with that rom seemed to be I don't think it was all attributed to them not flashing your way.