Way to capture present ROM image prior to experimenting

[beluczywo]

See my other posts. On the Verizon Titan, it's fresh from the store. Is there a way to take an image with an off-line tool to dump what it looks like in a restorable way (other than loading Sprite which seems to be somewhat radio and firmware specific)? It seems like WideAwake ImCokeMan, and other hard-core experimeters have ways of capturing OEM images to evolve so I'm hoping there is a low-level tool using MTTY or something to do this.

What can I do and what can't I do if I want the flexibility of going back to stock? If I enable GPS since Verizon doesn't have a WM6.1, Radio 3.XX firmware out am I then locked into custom forever?

Thoughts if I have a HW problem in the next 12 months and need service on a tweaked phone (OliPro BL, GPS radio). Do you deliberately brick it altogether if you need to take it back? Any way for them to tell at the store? I don't want to be dishonest, but if you sell me something crippled/buggy and I then get it working much better because you are slow/non-customer-oriented, and then you give me grief when I have a HW problem because you can't distinguish HW from SW then I'm not feeling too much guilt since they set that situation up through unworkable policies. Not to mention, $150+/month in fees means I've paid more than enough revenue stream to expect something decent in return (like a replacement in the first 12 months of the HW regardless of how I've customized it in the meantime).

[35mm]

Are you looking to back up your settings in your current rom or be able to flash back to a fresh install stock rom?

It is no problem to flash back to a stock rom after you install a custom one. Also some stores don't care if you have custom roms installed when you return a phone. The guy at my store told me that reflashing the rom clearly has nothing to do with a hardware problem and has replaced very modified phones for me. YMMV, some have reported problems though.

[ImCoKeMaN]

Your rom is most likely already available on the internet (i have a post here with stock rom links), but once you go GPS i wouldn't recommend going back. Some say it works for them, but internally there are a few parts which never get written back and it can cause bricks.

[a1jatt]

If we flash provider's stock rom and send our device back to provider for repairs etc, will they be able to find out that someone had flashed custom rom ???

[gguruusa]

They can only tell GPS vs non-GPS. So, if your carrier doesn't support GPS and you flash GPS - they can tell you didn something. Otherwise, they can't tell anything.

[beluczywo]

ImCokeMan

I found this post from you
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread...tock+rom+titan
but I'm not seeing any stock roms for the Titan -- mosty the touch.

I did find this
ftp://up.ppcgeeks.com/Titan/CarrierR...Ruu_signed.nbh

Do you know if this shows up as 2.09.605.8, radio 1.30.60 as my phone did from the factory? Verizon exe? (nothing on http://www.htc.com/us yet or on vzw)

FWIW - I want to experiment with the kitchen, but I already played with the Alltel phone I had and I have quite a bit of experience with the Apache (6700). My 6700 was never stable -- random locks, etc. I tried everything and really suspect a bad/quirky piece of HW.

I turned on GPS and flashed the Alltel to the 6.1 kitchen and lost the icons for rotation, power, and comm manager -- I could go find where they are in the registry but it used to be so easy with Yuma 6700 tweaks and that wouldn't load with the new kitchen -- again, I could have hacked it, but it was just chewing up too much time. VZW wouldn't activate the Alltel so I took it back to stock and was successful going backwards from GPS -- with OliPro, I ran the Alltel 3.16 ROM to get back a fairly pure Alltel image, relocked it to 1.06 and ran the alltel 2.14 stock ROM. I am certain the radio was 3.27 and I was on OliPro 2.4 and I am certain that right now it is radio 1.40 (stock) with bootloader 1.06 (stock) and it also runs the carrier setups so it looks factory. I fully expected to make a brick per your warnings but it was that or it wasn't salable so I braved it and lucked out.

I would NEVER question your expertise so I'll trust there might be some remnants of GPS, but the whole experience got me to thinking about backout strategies because my goal right now is lots of usable space since I seem to run out when I load the "normal way", but stable, and reversible if I have quirky issues -- I hate the stock ROMs but sadly they have been the most stable for me -- probably because it is too hard to load them up the way I want.

I noticed some mention of "dumped ROMs" being repackaged to where they were flashable -- any suggestions on that? I'm not finding much on searching (which I ALWAYS do first)

Lastly -- any good ways to test stability incrementally? I tend to like a launcher (cLaunch or iStatus) but I suspect that might be the culprit. I like WeatherPanel but have also suspected it at times. I run a Bible program (eSword) that requires CE2.0 (won't run on 3.5) and I've suspected conflict there. I also like TCPMP 0.81 rather than 0.72 but have flip-flopped when I had issues. Could be some other thing -- I actually select about 30 in my selections but most are simple stuff that everyone uses like Resco, reg tweaks, optimizing, etc. Switching to the 6800 from the 6700 I'm missing the icons I used to have and really longing fro the integrated today message app the scrolled through sms, email, vmail, etc.

I'd like to contribute to the cause in the way of help testing, tweaking, integrating which I am quite capable of but I haven't wanted to bug people because I am SO grateful for your hard work and just wanted to be respectful. I'm pretty hit-or-miss on time with 2 young kids and a wife with terminal cancer so that factors into my hobby time like this.

Sorry so long, I'll understand if you can't respond.

If you read only one thing -- THANKS.

[ImCoKeMaN]

The trick was to do an advanced search for posts I created (didn't want to sticky myself, and titan has too many stickies as is):

http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread...tock+rom+titan

Ok, the radio thing seems to really have people confused and understandably so. I was VERY direct with my warnings for a reason. I am certain that your phone does have some code on it that is from the GPS rom, and that may or may not show itself in roms you use that aren't designed for GPS. The radio section is made up of different parts and the one that shows the radio version number is getting flashed, but the part that loads it isn't going to "revert" to stock as it is write protected (something to do with the 785 nbh header). This can cause issues and it was related to what ended up bricking my device.

Thank you for your post with details and information, and for searching

[beluczywo]

With my Alltel SAYing it is a 1.40 radio (although probably some remnants of the 3.35 radio per your info) and currently locked with a 1.06 bootloader and stock 2.14 ROM, I have one question (ImCokeMan?). Since Alltel just released a 3.35 stock ROM -- do you think I am better to sell/keep this phone as it is (from your other posts, it might destabilize over time due to inconsistent radio or might be okay) or should I flash the 3.35 Alltel Stock ROM (do you think that would get me back to a consistent ROM without bricking the phone).

I know there are no guarantees (my own fault in experimenting) -- just wanting your best expert guess! My fault either way if I brick it at this point.

Thanks!

[ImCoKeMaN]

Going back to a GPS is fine..err just to cover my bases..."should" be fine =)

[beluczywo]

Confirmation that flashing to the latest Alltel 3.37 Stock ROM went just fine -- no hitches, so apparently I dodged the bullet. Whew. I really didn't want to help build the patio (no offense but REAL bricks are a lot cheaper than bricked phones -- but not nearly as shiny)!
Thanks.