Step by Step tutorial for unlocking your device and cooking your own ROM!!!

[GaMedic]

This tutorial is based on the ideas and methods used by the people in the ppcgeeks.com and xda-developers.com forums. Please read the entire tutorial before you start any part of the process. I attached a copy of the tutorial in the attachment list at the bottom of this post ( Updated 8/05/2008 ). It is also in the FTP in my folder for easy access. I also have a copy in WPS format on the FTP. Everything will not make sense at first but when you do the process it will all fall into place. I did not discover any of this, therefore I take no credit for the content. I just decided to put it all in one place. I have learned this information from other users and from trial and error. I hope that by putting together a tutorial that the process is simplified enough so that everyone can "get what they pay for" from their device, instead of being limited by cell phone companies who want to decide what part of "our" device we can use and which part they wish to limit. Thanks to the developers here and over at XDA, we can use our devices better and we even get to show off a little cool stuff.

First I will outline the steps you need to do in order to unlock your device. The instructions are for the Titan device only. I do not own any other devices, so you will need to refer to the threads about your specific device to learn how and if they need to be unlocked prior to proceeding. I will then outline the steps used to cook your own ROM with a kitchen. Cooking is not device specific, other than the fact that you must choose the correct base for your device. The rest of the process is the same. A lot of people believe cooking a custom ROM is difficult and beyond there ability, but it is very easy. I am going to attempt to do a step by step guide to the Kitchen process so you can build you own custom ROM and "pimp" your phone just the way you like it. I will give instruction on using the ppckitchen.org kitchen. Other kitchens exist like DCD's Kitchen but I have never used it. I am not a windows mobile guru of any kind so there may be some mistakes in this tutorial. Use these instructions at your own risk because I won't be responsible for you breaking your device. If you have questions do a search or post them in this thread and someone will attempt to help you. If I am wrong on any of this documentation, don’t worry someone will point it out and I will be glad to edit my post.

The first thing you need to do is to setup. You will need to do or have the following items before you flash your device. Some are common sense things but I will list them anyway.

1. A computer running Windows XP or Windows Vista. I run XP so I don’t know how to instruct those of you running Vista, but if someone would post the steps in the same format I am using I will be glad to add it to the tutorial and give you the proper credit. Make sure that your computer has an open USB port. I wouldn’t try flashing with your USB cable attached to a USB hub. No technical reason that I can give you, I just wouldn’t do it personally.
2. You also need to download and install the .net framework Version 2.0.
3. Download and install Active sync version 4.5 or higher. It can be downloaded here as a free download. Make sure you back up your calendar and contacts using Active Sync or another back up program such as PIM backup. If you are running Vista you will not download Active Sync. (Again I am not familiar with Vista)
4. A mini USB cable. One end should fit in the USB port on your PC and one end in the mini USB on your PPC. You may also choose to use a SD card to flash your ROM's. More information will be given on that method later.

Legend: Topics, Threads at ppcgeeks, Files you can download, Screeshots, Links to web sites, Important information, FTP folder, Edits.

[GaMedic]

I will now outline the steps you can use to unlock your phone.

This unlocks the phone so that you can put a different Radio (GPS enabled) and a different ROM on it. You can use Olipro 2.40 or nuespl 2.47 to unlock your Titan device.
To run Olipro 2.40 you need to plug the USB to your PC and PPC and run the file from your desktop. The phone screen will change to a rainbow colored screen (bootloader mode) and should read TITA100 MFG, SPL-2.40. Olipro, CPLD-9. Once you have done that you will be ready to install a GPS enabled Radio. The important thing is to be careful which Olipro spl you run. DO NOT USE THE OLIPRO 1.20
spl. The 1.20 and 2.40 are posted in the same thread and many people have chosen the wrong one inadvertently. (By the way the links are directly to the file you should need. This is the link to the thread in case you need direction from there.)
Your other unlock option is nueSPL 2.47 (Thread link). The nice thing about nuespl 2.47 is that it can be ran using an SD card. The SD method instructions are fairly simple. You download the nuespl 2.47 to your PC. Take an SD card, must be 2gb or less in size, and place it in a card reader. On your PC navigate to the card reader through My Computer. Right click on the drive containing the card reader and select Format from the menu. Select fat32 as the format setting. Once the card is formatted you take the 2.47 spl you downloaded and place it on the card. It cannot be inside a folder it must be on the root of the storage card. Right click on the file and select rename. Rename the file to TITAIMG.nbh. Once the file is renamed place the SD card into the device and put the phone into bootloader mode (Power, camera, reset all pressed at the same time for about 2 seconds) and follow the prompts on the screen to update the spl. After the screen says updated or update complete, press the reset button. While the phone is resetting place the phone back in bootloader mode.

Edit : This information was sent to me by another user, so I am adding it to the Tutorial.
When you unRAR nueSPL, you don't actually rename it and place it in the root. You run the exe from within the device and it automatically checks to make sure all the other requirements are in place, then creates the TITAIMG.nbh file for you in the right location and walks you through putting the phone into the bootloader.


If you get stuck in the bootloader screen at any time (when you reset it goes to bootloader screen and will not boot to splash screen) just go to this post and run the exit-bl. in that thread.

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[GaMedic]

Now that you have the phone unlocked you will need to put a new GPS enabled Radio on the device.

Edit: If you already have a GPS enabled Radio you can skip this step. Radio versions 3.35 and higher are GPS enabled.

You can do it one of several ways. You can use the sprint ROM to update your phone. If you are a Sprint customer this may very well be the best way. (This has not been tested by me with VZW but is said to work) If you have another carrier, you can install the latest Sprint ROM to your phone as well. When the phone reboots to the screen that says "tap here to setup", you need to put the phone back in bootloader. DO NOT PROCEED PAST THIS SCREEN so that customizations do not run. If you proceed and allow the Sprint customizations to run, you will have to search the forum to find the method to reverse the Sprint settings on your device. The reason you as a VZW customer would run the Sprint ROM is that Sprint has released a ROM that has a GPS enabled radio in it. VZW has not done so at this point. So basically you are doing it only to get the radio. That is not your only option to obtain and install a GPS enabled Radio. The following methods are how I did mine. You can download the latest Radio (3.42.30) ( Here is 3.42.40) and place the file (radio) on an SD card, rename that file to TITAIMG.nbh. Place the SD card into the device and put the phone into bootloader mode (Power, camera, reset) and follow the prompts on the screen to update the radio. You can also look for the 3.35 radio on the FTP that is packaged in an installer. All you have to do is plug your phone to your PC and double click the icon, then follow the prompts. I prefer to flash with a SD card. Much easier and you don't have to worry about computer issues. By the way don't worry about the phone failing to boot past the splash screen after you install the radio, because it won't. The radio you just put on is not compatible with the stock ROM.
Once you have unlocked and installed a radio you are ready to load your custom ROM. So at this point you can use one of the Custom ROM's that are posted here at ppcgeeks.com, such as no2chems or DCD's , or you can venture into the world of building your own.

Legend: Topics, Threads at ppcgeeks, Files you can download, Screeshots, Links to web sites, Important information, FTP folder, Edits.

[GaMedic]

The following information is a tutorial on using the kitchen to build you own custom ROM. If you choose to use a pre-made ROM just search around and install them per the instructions on the thread.

1. To begin the kitchen process you need to point your browser to http://www.ppckitchen.org/forums/loc...&catid=4&id=11 to download the installer. Once you have BuildOS.msi downloaded just run the installer. Make sure you install to the default location.

2. After installation you should run the Updater found at Start->Programs->PPCKitchen->Updater. (Screenshots for Updater 1, 2, 3)

When you run the updater it will give you a list of files you can add to your kitchen. You just choose the correct base for your phone whether it is a Titan, Apache, Vogue etc. The next thing to decide is which version you want. (20260, 20270, 5067 etc.) The PPcgeeks_OEM.rar, freeware and the shareware selections all have programs you can select to add to you device. Choose all the files you want added to your kitchen and hit next. The update process takes a while to run; especially the first time you run it. Once you complete this step you will be ready to cook.

3. Go to Start->Programs->PPCKitchen->BuildOS. A sign on screen will open (screenshot). Use your ppcgeeks Screen name and a password that is different from your ppcgeeks password. Make sure you remember the password for future sign ons. The program will open to a selection screen. Select Titan_WM6.1_20270 Selections, Titan_No2Chem_5067_WM6.1 Selections or the selections for whichever base you're using (Screenshot). The kitchen will take a few seconds to load and the basic selections will be made for you.

4. Select you carrier in the carrier dropdown menu located on the top bar. ( Screenshot showing where to select carrier and make other selections)

5. Select the items you would like to place into you ROM, meaning programs, games, etc… that you want on your PPC. You can select a section tab in the left hand pane to go to that particular section or you can start on the right pane making selections and work your way down the screen. Be careful not to select too many programs or you may build a ROM that won't boot up because of size. This is more of a problem on the APACHE. You can start with a few items and then add later to figure out how much you can stuff in. I recommend starting small just to get the feel of the process. If you are not sure what one of the programs is you can select the item and right click with you mouse. Go to visit homepage or OEM info and out will find the program information.

6. Once you have selected all your items click on the green arrow in the top left of the kitchen. This will start the build process. You will see the build process in a separate screen called build status. Don’t open any programs on your PC while this process is working. It will take a couple of minutes. Once the build process is complete you can simply follow the onscreen prompts.

7. The update utility will start. At this point place your phone into boot loader and plug your USB cable to the computer and phone (you can just hook it up and it will force it to bootloader for you once the process starts). You will see a series of screens that will ask you to confirm your selection to flash your ROM (Various screens you may see: 1, 2, 3, 4). Just confirm and allow the flash to begin. Do not unhook you phone during the process. You will see another screen with a progress bar as the ROM is flashed. After the process reaches 100% you will be notified that the process is complete. When it completes, unhook your phone and remove the battery for a minute (only have to remove the battery the first time you flash a custom ROM). Put the battery back in and perform a hard reset. This is done by holding down the 2 soft keys (located above the Send/End keys on the front of your PPC) and pressing the reset at the same time. A grey screen will come up asking to confirm reset by pressing R. Open your keyboard and hit the R key. Then hit the spacebar when it says to do so. Your phone will reboot. You should always perform a hard reset after flashing a ROM. The boot process takes a while after a new ROM flash so be patient. Do your screen alignment and other items as prompted and you are set. At this point you should have your phone upgraded. Before you close the kitchen program you can go to File-> Save As and save the selections you just made so you can add or take away from the ROM you just made. It is easier that starting all over each time.

As you can see the process is pretty easy. You can repeat the same process anytime you want to “tweak” your phone with whatever you want to have on it. I also recommend looking into the OEMizer by tierman so you can save your personal settings and they are cooked into you ROM for you so that you don't have to re-enter it every time you hard reset. This is very handy especially for email settings.


Also you can download OEMs that others have made to use in your kitchen.

If you download an OEM in a zipped format you need to unzip the file. You just take that folder(with the title of your OEM on it) and drop it into the User_OEM folder (located in C:\Program Files\PPCkitchen.org\BuildOS\USER_OEM). That should be all there is to it. The option for that OEM will show up in the kitchen for you to check and add to your ROM.
If you want to build your own OEM look into tiermans OEMizer.

As stated earlier this thread will be updated with any corrections the moderators or senior members point out. Moderators feel free to edit this post as you see fit. This is a very basic tutorial but I hope it helps some of you.


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[GaMedic]

Attention Verizon users: When you finish flashing you ROM you will need to call Verizon for a new Akey. This is caused by upgrading the Radio ROM to a GPS enabled radio. You will only have to do this once. If you ever flash a new radio it will not cause a problem as long as it is a GPS enabled radio. You just call VZW tech support and tell them you had to hard reset your phone and now when you make a phone call your phone says VZW cannot authenticate your phone. They will issue you a new AKey. They will walk you through putting the AKey in. The steps are dial ##778 and send(if it does not work don't panic try ##778#). It will ask for a code. Enter 000000. Select edit. Select the menu in the bottom left and choose Akey. On the next screen you will enter the new AKey that they provide.

Alltel users. Username chevyforlife had problems with his device roaming after he flashed. To correct it he dialed *228 and selected 3. That fixed the issue for him.



Flashing your device using the SD method.

1. Card has to be 2gb or less in order to work.
2. Has to be formatted to fat32. To format place the card in a reader and insert reader in your PC. Find the drive that contains the card. Right click the drive and select format. Under file syatem select fat32. Hit start. Once the format is complete the card is ready to use.
3. Place the file you wish to flash on the SD card. Rename the file to TITAIMG.nbh.
4. Remove the card from the card reader and insert it into your device.
5. On your device press the power, camers and reset buttons at the same for approx. 2 seconds. You will have a grey screen that ask you to press power button to begin. The flash will take around a minute or so. Once the screen reads update complete you need to press reset and the flash should be complete. If you are flashing a radio the device will boot up normal. If you flashed a ROM the phone needs to be hard reset. Press the two soft keys on the front of the device (below the send/end keys) and at the same time press reset.

You can cook a ROM and do the flash with a cable or you can cook the ROM and pull the RUU_signed.nbh out of the kitchen and flash your phone using the SD method.To locate the file that you need from the kitchen go to C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Application Data\hIq Inc\PPC-BuildOS\9.05.2.7 Temp and select the file titled RUU_signed.nbh. That is the file you need to place on the SD card to flash.

Edit: RUU Flashing

Originally Posted by flyers2114
I don't know if you want to but you may want to add this.....it is another easy way to flash...I still flash this way about 75% of the time......let me know...if not no problem....I ran through it pretty quick so feel free to format it any way you like if you decide to use it....or if I left anything out...

Flashing from a Blank (Noid) RUU:

Step 1: Download any ROM you choose to your desktop. (I save it there but you can save it anywhere you like).
Step2: Extract the downloaded file using WINRar or 7-zip, or any program you choose that will extract a RAR file.
Step 3: Open the RUU. Take the Signed.NBH file that you just extracted and place it in the RUU.
Step 4: Connect your phone to the PC USB.
Step; 5 Place the phone in Boot loader. To perform this, simultaneously hold power, camera, and soft reset hole. (if you did it right the phone will come up with the tri-color screen.) hence boot loader
Step: 6 Run the Rom Update Utility inside the blank RUU.

Step 7: Follow the on-screen prompts on your PC.
Step 8: You will see the progress bar (in %) on the PC and the PPC. When it says finish on your PC you can disconnect and you are done.

Note: SomeROMS require you to take out the battery for 30 seconds and then perform a Hard Reset (Myself have never had to do anything but just pull the battery for about 3 seconds and then do the hard reset.)
Also I immediately delete the signed.nbh file that I placed in the RUU. That way you always have a blank RUU to run additional ROMS.

[GaMedic]

Definitions(thanks gguruusa)


The following basic definitions are needed to load ROMs/use the kitchen:

HTC - the manufacturer of the 6700/6800/Touch/Tilt/et al.

Apache = PPC6700 = 6700

Titan = PPC6800 = 6800 = Mogul

(soft) Reset - there is a small whole on the bottom of your PPC, just to the left of the usb connector - it's the reset button. Use your stylus to push it. Your screen will go dark, then about 3 seconds later will show the boot splash.

Hard Reset - hold the left and right - buttons in (located just above the connect/disconnect phone buttons) at the same time as you push the reset button. It helps to hold the phone upside down in the hand that's pushing the - buttons, and use the stylus with your other hand to push the reset button.

Bottloader Mode (APACHE) - power+cassette/notes+reset - the power button is on/off button on the top of your phone. The cassette/notes button is the top button on the left side of your phone - it has a picture of a cassette tape on it, if it hasn't been worn off. Hold all three buttons in for about a 1/2 second, and the screen will go dark and stay dark. If you look closely, preferably in a well lit environment, you'll see some Serial or USB in the middle of the screen. Below that is a version number. You are in bootloader mode, and the version number is your bootloader version. YOU MUST KNOW YOUR BOOTLOADER VERSION BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO FLASH OR BUILD A ROM.

Bootloader Mode (TITAN et al) - power+camera+reset - the power button is on/off button on the top of your phone. The camera button is the bottom button on the right side of your phone - it has a picture of a camera on it, if it hasn't been worn off. Hold all three buttons in for about a 1/2 second, and the screen will go to a tri-colored screen. You are in bootloader mode. You must unlock your phone to load custom ROMs (it is necessary to unlock your phone only once during the life of your phone).

ROM - there are 4 types of Roms, but the two most commonly referred to are the OS ROM and the Radio ROM. Unless explicitly stated, ROM refers to the OS ROM. The OS ROM has WM5/WM6 on it. It is the OS ROM that gets updated frequently. Radio ROM updates are rarely needed, ExtROM updates are never needed, and bootloader ROM updates (updates that change the bootloader version) are discouraged heavily - bootloaders are a rare case where older is usually better than newer.

Ext ROM - this is a extra partition that contains carrier branded software. If you are using a custom ROM or the kitchen, you do not need anything that the carrier installed here - you may use it as extra storage. This storage area is not erased by a hard reset, but it is normally "locked" (hidden, read only). Some software does not behave as expected when the Ext ROM area is "unlocked".

nbf/nbh - these are different ROM encoding methods. Your phone REQUIRES a specific method. Most people do not need to know anything about nbf/nbh or encoding methods.

RUU - this is a piece of software from HTC. The kitchen includes it, as do many ROM distributions.

Kitchen - the place to make your custom ROM. The kitchen is a collection of various software tools that assemble your ROM and start the flash process. There are currently two flavors of kitchen, the original Bepe .9 version, and the newer .9.5 Bepe/PPCGeeks version. The .9.5 version currently only supports the Apache/6700 - it will not work properly for other phones.

Custom ROM - a particular OS ROM, almost always built from the latest kitchen. Distributing custom ROMs is discouraged - it is easier and less costly to distribute the kitchen modifications necessary to build a given ROM.

PagePool - cache for executing programs. This is an advanced subject. There's little reason to mess with it for most people.

OEM (module) - add-in programs to the kitchen and/or add-in customizations. There are lots and lots of OEMs - the most common freeware ones are in the PPCGeeksOEM.rar distributed as a kitchen add-on.

.NET 1.0/2.0/2.0SP1/3.5 - various flavors of the PC .NET package from Microsoft. Available from Microsoft as a free download. .NET 2.0SP1 or later is required to run the newer BuildOS (v .9.5)

.NET CF 1.0/2.0/3.5 - the PPC equivalent of the PC versions of .NET. Require by some PPC applications.

DO NOT LOAD A ROM FROM ANOTHER DEVICE ON YOUR PHONE.

DO NOT UNPLUG THE USB CABLE WHILE FLASHING. It's best to not touch anything at all while it's flashing. Don't run other processor intensive software (like games) while it is flashing, either.


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[Claude9039u]

Thank you for helping everyone new to this. I tried to get get help but was not able to receive help from guys and just had to try and figure things out on my own. I wish someone like you woudl have come foward a long time ago and helped out like you did.

[WorldWide]

This should be stickied.

[gguruusa]

If you'll put it in rtf or help file format, I'll distribute it with the kitchen.

I'm thinking about making a special popup for first time users, if you want to make a very basic device specific guide.

[GaMedic]

I dont know how to save in either of those formats. If you will explain to me how to do that, I will try tomorrow. As far as the device specific deal , I have only flashed the Apache and Titan devices so I don't know how to do the others. What do you think of this tutorial. It is a bit more in depth than my last on on the Apache. It took me about 5 hours to make. I posted another for the Apache forum as well. It has been a long ime since I flashed an Apache so feel free to make any corrections to it.