THREEFACES' Walk-Through: Installing/Customizing the latest NRG ROM [2.5 Edition]

THIS IS FOR MANILA 2.5. IF YOU'RE USING A 2.1 ROM GO TO THIS THREAD

[This is obviously out of date, but there is still some excellent information for new folks that isn't Rom-specific to Energy. Hopefully you'll find something useful.]

INTRODUCTION
These are not detailed instructions, per se, but rather a walk-through of my experiences installing and customizing the latest NRG ROM on my Sprint Touch Pro. Please note, this edition of the Guide is dedicated specifically to Manila 2.5. I don't think we've seen the last of 2.1, so I'm going to continue supporting my 2.1 NRG ROM Guide and Thread [linked in my sig or above]. I just want folks to know "where they are" to avoid confusion.

Because NRG has been releasing multiple versions of each ROM, the Guides are going to focus on the versions I prefer that I've been able to configure on my device for daily use. I typically flash every ROM version that's released, so if you have a build-specific question that you cannot find the answer to here, please PM me.


This is under construction, so please PM me if you have any suggestions or find issues with the information I'm providing. The majority of this is pulled together from a ton of resources and there are definitely instances where someone might not be credited...if you see something you created/recommended, again, PM me and I'll be sure to credit you properly. Likewise, if something should be removed, please let me know.

If you would like to write up an addition to the Guide, say for carrier-specific issues or any other area that has not yet been covered, feel free to PM me with the info and I'll be more than happy to add it.

Thank you to everyone who is referenced here in the Guide, NRG for the killer ROM, Codybear for inspiring the idea to convert this into a thread, the dudes from the NRG ROM Thread and the entire PPCGeeks Community for all of your hard work and knowledge sharing!

OK, let's see how we can get this set up to be the most helpful.

PLEASE DO NOT POST QUESTIONS HERE RELATED TO NRG ROM - THIS THREAD IS TO SERVE AS A RESOURCE FOR NEW USERS AND SHOULD NOT BE BOGGED DOWN WITH USER ISSUES. YOU'RE FREE TO PM ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS, BUT PLEASE KEEP THEM FOCUSED ON THE GUIDE. [New fixes, upgrades to software, new links, better recommendations, etc. are ALL welcome].

Link to NRG ROM Thread: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=69545


BEFORE WE BEGIN, A WORD OF CAUTION
IMPORTANT! You should be very comfortable with the processes of locking and unlocking your phone, flashing custom ROMS…AND returning your phone back to a stock ROM should you need to do that. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you should take a few days and do some research….read. Failure to do so will most likely result in your having a $600 paperweight. Don’t brick your phone – read and ask questions first.


HOW TO UNLOCK AND FLASH
Check this thread out: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=69854

HOW TO UNLOCK AND FLASH FROM THE SD CARD
Check this thread out: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=61333

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A PDF version of the Guide can be downloaded below. It may have slightly more up-to-date information than this thread and/or may include some extra links and additional information that I didn't see fit to post here directly.

Installing ENERGY ROM “Standard” – Sense 2.5
Build 21884: December 13, 2009 - DUSK THEME [max manila info is at the bottom of Guide]
[Guide Updated: 12/15/09]
A PDF Guide for December 16th Build 28014 can be downloaded HERE.
A PDF Guide for this Build can be downloaded HERE.

THE BASICS

These are NOT flashing instructions. Please visit the links above for the correct unlocking and flashing processes if this is your first time flashing a custom ROM. These initial steps are glossed over, since it is assumed that you have already learned to flash. This is just one last additional warning.

1. [OPTIONAL] Some users flash to a stock ROM before flashing custom. This step is completely optional, but recommended to help ensure a good flash. We call this the "flashdance".
2. Flash ENERGY Build 21877 November 27 ROM [Standard version] - Let the customizations run – the device will soft reset after it’s all configured.
3. Hard Reset [using wipe device] – after the customizations run and the device resets itself, you should perform a Hard Reset [using “Wipe Device” in START-SETTINGS-SYSTEM]. The ROM will run the customizations again, and will once again reset itself.
4. Once the device boots back up, take a moment to snoop around to make sure things are looking good and that the basic features are functioning for you [phone, data, gps]. You don’t want to customize your device to find that you need to hard reset and flash again because your GPS isn’t connecting or your data is inactive. This also helps to identify the root cause of problems. Once you start syncing data and adding cabs, it’s much harder to figure out what could be causing an issue you may experience.
5. You should now be looking at a basic installation of NRG’s ROM. Do the dance of joyness….you now have the power to move mountains!

SOME NEW THINGS WE SHOULD BECOME FAMILIAR WITH

2.5 is all new…it’s sweet! …just not 100% complete, and when you get to playing around with it, I think you’ll understand what I’m talking about. The good news is we can get it working for us, and take advantage of some cool new features, while we wait for a more complete port for our devices. J

First, TouchFlo is gone and will now be referred to as “Sense”. I’m going through the Guide to remove references to TouchFlo and writing in the new “Sense”, so let’s get used to it.

There is limited landscape support in this port of 2.5. From my understanding, it was ported from a WVGA device that does not have a physical keyboard, so it would make "sense" that 1. Some things on the screen may not fit as well as we’d like [our VGA screens are smaller] and 2. When we slide out our physical keyboards, the new Sense UI doesn’t know what to do. For landscape, there are some areas where we can get around this limitation and still use our keyboards – like texting. You can use your keyboard to type in the box, but will need to return to portrait mode to get to your send button. These are the kinds of things we’ll need to be mindful of until we get a version of 2.5 with landscape support. I do think you'll find that the lack of landscape really doesn't have as big of an impact as you might assume. Sliding out the keyboard to type never seems to be an issue in the areas where I would normally use the physical keyboard [email, text, internet, forms, etc.].

One last thing, there is no longer a Programs Tab. We now have quick links that display beneath the Calendar/Clock on the Home Screen. There are 9 quick link spaces, but only 6 are accessible to us due to our VGA screens. You can use a cab located in the customizations section to get 12 quick links, if the standard 6 isn't enough. I would also recommend using a program like RESTART to better organize your START menu, since you'll be going in there more often to pull up programs.

DUSK THEME
This version of the ROM comes with a new Theme cooked in called “Dusk”, and it’s is perfect for those who want a darker look to their devices. You can learn more about this theme here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=524797
NOTE: the theme was designed for WVGA devices, so not all of the add-ons will work for us. You’re going to want to do your research to avoid jacking up your configuration. As with any mod to Sense, always disable it before installing anything. Some folks complained about the clock in the Dusk Theme, and to be honest, it can be hard to read – you can still install NRG’s stock white clock [for 2.5 manila - cab linked below] and it will work perfectly.

RESTORING MY DATA [ActiveSync and MyPhone]

1. Reestablish your sync relationship with ActiveSync. I use ActiveSync to restore contacts, events, and email [through Outlook].
   • Make sure you check the box during the set up process to allow for wireless data connections while you’re connected to ActiveSync, or you could lose some phone functionality when connected to a USB.
   • I’ve read in some places that ActiveSync has issues with syncing “favorites” and “tasks”. I don’t know if this is really a problem or not, but I do not sync these through ActiveSync. If you have issues, you might try deselecting those two options.
   • If you have trouble with the PC recognizing your device go to START-SETTINGS-SYSTEM-USB Settings and disable the check box for “Enable faster data sync” underneath the ActiveSync listing. If this doesn’t help, try disconnecting the device from the PC and deleting the sync relationship with the device. Then reconnect and establish a new sync relationship.
2. Configured/Restored sync relationship with MS MyPhone – this utility is cooked in to NRG’s ROM under START-SETTINGS. It’s a great service for backing up all of your data…it will even back up your storage card.
   • I’ve run into problems with syncing with MyPhone before ActiveSync [after a hard reset]. I end up with duplicate contacts and some duplicate calendar events. Syncing with ActiveSync first, then MyPhone seems to eliminate these conflicts.
   • Even though I select “Automatic Updates” during the set up process, after I sync with MyPhone I go back into the program’s settings and make sure the sync schedule is properly configured. It usually ends up defaulting to “manual” after install.
3. You should now have a basic installation of the ROM with all of your data. This is a good time to make sure all of the data has been restored properly…poke around and look for duplicate items or missing data [check calendar items, contacts, and text messages in both Sense and standard “Windows” views to make sure they’ve restored proper]. If everything looks good, call your friends and challenge their iPhones to a duel!

CHECKING YOUR TIME AND TIMEZONE SETTINGS

1. Your timezone settings are configured in START-SETTINGS-Clocks & Alarms. Changes to your time and timezone settings here in Clocks and Alarms control how your appointments are displayed in the calendar. So, if you happen to notice your calendar appointments are "off" by some time, you should check these settings.

NEW MYLOCATION FEATURES

OK, 2.5 brings with it some pretty big changes, many of which are linked to the MyLocation feature. In World Clock, setting the city to “MyLocation” will keep your homepage updated with the latest weather for where you are [I always remove other cities which seems to help Weather updates]. Your Weather Tab will display the weather based on location…your Calendar’s Day-View will as well. This is a departure from the old method of using a custom city [with an edited manila file – weather database] to control many of these weather features.

For the 2.5 releases, I’m not using a custom weather database and just letting “MyLocation” do its job. FYI - Pressing on the weather area on the homescreen takes you to the Weather Tab. On the homescreen, press “Menu” then “Home Wallpaper” to select “Weather Wallpaper” and the home screen will animate based on the weather conditions [you will still be given the option of choosing your own picture to use behind the animation].

NOTE: MyLocation has taken up to 15 minutes to load up weather information in some cases…just an FYI, if you don’t see it immediately…just go on with your day and it should update. Additionally, I have found traveling around the country that MyLocation will produce different results [in some cases, none at all] depending on where I am. I believe the service is highly dependent on a user’s location and service [as the feature uses tower data to determine your location, not GPS].

Here’s some things to know about getting MyLocation set up proper:

1.Slide over to the Weather Tab in Sense.
2.Press the Menu softkey
3.Select “Settings”
4.Enable “Download weather automatically” and configure how often you’d like the device to check for updates in the background.
5.Accept the User Agreement and you should be good. The device will try to figure out where you are and display the weather. NOTE: MyLocation is what displays on the homescreen, Calendar Views, and on the Weather Tab unless other cities are selected.

SETTING UP EMAIL, ADJUSTING THE ACCOUNT OPTIONS, and RENAMING “OUTLOOK EMAIL”

1.Configuring Hotmail and Gmail accounts – I have two Hotmail accounts and two Gmail accounts that I like to dump into my phone. NOTE: You may want to archive some items from your inbox before setting things up – I’ve found that having a 1000+ messages can cause some issues initially syncing. To get things going:

• I set up my two Gmail accounts, since they’re the easiest to do. Just enter your information into the Email Wizard and the device will configure everything by itself.

• Hotmail works by syncing up with your Windows Live ID - it will automatically find settings and configure itself. This speeds up the set up process a little, but makes it difficult to add another Hotmail account [attempting to do so through the wizard will open Opera and ask you to log into Windows Live as a different user]. The good news is there’s a simple workaround [thanks, again, blockhead!]:

• Go to the email wizard or go to set up a new email account and select “Other”
• In the email address field type in an incomplete address “myhotmail@hotmail” and put something in the password field, then press Next
• The device won’t be able to auto config the new email account because those settings are wrong, so instead it will prompt you to configure the second account manually using pop settings
• Now you can enter in your real username [your email address] and password to continue.
• Hotmail settings are “pop3.live.com” and “smtp.live.com”. Outgoing server requires authentication. Use the same password for incoming and outgoing email. That should do it.
  

• NOTE: you can set up Gmail to sync with your Google calendars, contacts, and email through ActiveSync. It will conflict with any other Exchange Servers you may be syncing with. For more information, go HERE. This is useful if you’re having trouble getting some other email client to sync up with your device…you can bounce/sync information with a Google Account and use Google Sync to get the info to your device.

[OPTIONAL] – Rename “OUTLOOK” on the mail tab. [thanks tcbusch]
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Inbox\Svc\ActiveSync
FriendlyName = "Outlook E-mail"

Adjusted my email account options:

• To adjust the “Account” options after you set up an account, open the inbox of one of your accounts.
• Press the Menu soft key and scroll down to “Tools”
• Scroll down to “Options” [if it’s grayed out, that means you’re currently send/receiving. Wait until the sync stops, then the option will be available].
• You can also set your attachments to save to the storage card from here, in the Storage Tab.

SOUNDS AND NOTIFICATIONS

• START-SETTINGS-Sounds and Notifications

• Call your phone to confirm your ringer settings work. This is a good time to identify a problem.

• [OPTIONAL-RECOMMENDED] There’s a program called “Keep My Tones” that works perfectly for saving your ringtone-contact assignments and all of your sound notifications for various events…great stuff for frequent flashers, check it out: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=540755
• [OPTIONAL] There’s a program cooked in to the ROM under START-TOOLS called Back Favorite People Up! …and it does exactly what its name suggests. You can use this utility to back up Favorite People and Custom Ringtones.

BACKLIGHT/POWER SETTINGS – Backlight Options.

• START-SETTINGS-SYSTEM-Power Settings
  • Adjusted backlight options. I like to keep the backlight on all the time and bright when connected to a power source, but use the dimming options to help save some battery life.
• [OPTIONAL – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR BETTER BATTERY LIFE] Install Lumos. This program will automatically adjust your backlight to the optimal setting given the current light environment [this is all highly customizable to the user’s preferences]. It is also customizable to specific programs – for example, when I launch Navigation, Lumos knows to boost my backlight to a higher setting than any other program. I was put off by Lumos at first because it seems like a very complicated program to configure properly, but honestly, once you get it set up you’ll never have to touch the program again…and the battery saving benefits are impressive. Here’s some killer info from ASKWHY about this program and some help for getting optimal settings: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread...ht#post1084116