timmy10shoes
Member
First and foremost this is a great gift from Hashcode, one of the biggest reasons the Bionic has found the new surge of Rom goodness. Eye_dea has been a willing guinea pig :blink
and catching my mistakes), so I want to thank him also. The following guide was Written solely by Tuckmobile, he spend alot of time and effort to put this out and this is only a portion of a well written guide on rom/root options. I have only added and excluded a few things that I think will be needed knowledge when the ICS OTA actually starts being pushed to our devices. His complete write-up is here [GUIDE][N00B] Step-By-Step ROOT/SAFESTRAP/ROM Instructions & 902 Update Info (3/7/12) - droidHIVE Forums Please give him some thanks for his :hail: awesome guide.
SAFESTRAP & CUSTOM ROMS
Safestrap is a CWM recovery program that allows you to toggle between your stock system and your custom ROM. Safestrap calls your stock system the "unsafe" system, because it is dangerous to modify this system. The "safe" system is the system for installing modded ROMs, or doing anything stupid to your phone. Take a moment to read about SafeStrap.
• Don't use another recovery program if you're using Safestrap (e.g. Bionic Bootstrap). If you have Bionic Bootstrap, you should uninstall it during the Safestrap installation (directions below).
• I recommend 2GB free space on both internal and external storage so Safestrap has enough memory to work with.
Custom ROMs will give your phone a different look and feel. Most remove bloatware included in VZW. I recommend trying them all to determine your favorite.
1) Don't unzip the ROM. Just make sure you remember its location on your phone.
2) Download BionicSafestrap http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29432364/BionicSafestrap-1.0.apk your phone. (If that link doesn't work, go to the SafeStrap website.) Then run the APK to install the Safestrap app to your phone. Once the install is finished, press the open button (or open Safestrap from your list of apps). From within the safestrap app, hit the "Install Recovery" button.
3) Power down the phone, then turn it back on. Notice the new safestrap screen. At this screen, press MENU to enter recovery mode (touch button with four squares, to the left of the home button). Green menu = good.
4) While in safestrap recovery (green menu) use the volume buttons to navigate up or down, and the power button as the enter key. First, go to "backup and restore" and backup your stock system. I recommend backing up the webtop also. You can save the backup to internal or external SD card according to your available storage and personal preference. (This is your unsafe backup, and shouldn't be used except in extreme circumstances. Do not restore this backup of your unsafe system to your safe system).
5) Now hit "+++Go Back+++", and go to "Safe Boot Menu" and then "Toggle Safe System". Safe system must be enabled before continuing. Don't skip this step.
6) Go to "mounts and storage" menu and format \system. Not as scary as it sounds.
20) Now hit "+++Go Back+++" to leave mounts and storage, and go into "Install zip from sdcard". DON'T GO TO "apply update from sdcard".
7) Go to "choose zip from sdcard" and find the ROM .zip file. DON'T GO TO "apply /sdcard/update.zip".
8) Now hit "+++Go Back+++" and hit "Wipe data/factory reset" and then also "Wipe cache partition".
9) Now go to the "Advanced" menu and "Wipe dalvik cache".
10) Finally, hit "+++Go Back+++" to return to the main recovery menu and select "power off") Wait for power down to finish, then restart your bionic. Be patient, the first boot takes unusually long.
RETURNING TO YOUR STOCK SYSTEM WITH SAFESTRAP
You now have two systems on your phone thanks to SafeStrap. The "unsafe" system is your stock system. It is called "unsafe" because it is dangerous to flash mods to this system. The "safe" system is the system for installing modded ROMs, or doing anything stupid to your phone. NEVER RESTORE A BACKUP OF YOUR SAFE SYSTEM TO YOUR UNSAFE SYSTEM, OR VICE-VERSA! It will not let you flash roms/themes or anything on your "unsafe" side.
If you want to toggle back to your original stock system follow this procedure:
!!! - ONLY PROCEED WITH A FULLY CHARGED BATTERY - !!! < Not required but recommended, as least 30-40%. Having the battery die during this procedure is not good.
11) Restart your phone. At the SafeStrap boot screen, press the menu button to enter recovery.
12) Go to the "safe boot menu".
13) Select "Toggle Safe System". Wait a little bit.
14) Select "+++++Go Back+++++", verify that "Safe System is: DISABLED", and then "reboot system now".
You can repeat the same procedure to re-enable your safe system. You are effectively dual-booting two independent systems. You could use one system as a work system, and the other for personal usage.
FLASHING A DIFFERENT ROM TO YOUR SAFE SYSTEM
The following instructions assume you've already flashed a ROM to your safe system, but would like to try a different one. NEVER FLASH A ROM TO THE UNSAFE SYSTEM. NEVER RESTORE A BACKUP OF YOUR SAFE SYSTEM TO YOUR UNSAFE SYSTEM, OR VICE-VERSA!
!!! - ONLY PROCEED WITH A FULLY CHARGED BATTERY - !!! < Not required but recommended, as least 30-40%. Having the battery die during this procedure is not good.
15) Download the ROM of your choice to your SD card. For more information see step 13 above.
16) Restart your phone. At the SafeStrap boot screen, press the menu button to enter recovery.
17) Verify that "Safe System is: ENABLED".
18) Go to "backup and restore" and make a backup. I recommend backing-up everything including the webtop and unsafe system. You can save the backup to internal or external SD card according to your available storage and personal preference. The backup will be saved in \Safestrap\Backup.
34) Select "++++Go Back++++" to return to the main recovery menu.
35) Go to "mounts and storage" menu and format \system.
36) Now hit "+++Go Back+++" to leave mounts and storage, and go into "Install zip from sdcard". DON'T GO TO "apply update from sdcard".
37) Go to "choose zip from sdcard" and find the ROM .zip file. DON'T GO TO "apply /sdcard/update.zip".
38) Now hit "+++Go Back+++" and hit "Wipe data/factory reset" and then also "Wipe cache partition".
39) Now go to the "Advanced" menu and "Wipe dalvik cache".
40) Finally, hit "+++Go Back+++" to return to the main recovery menu and select "power off". Wait for power down to finish, then restart your bionic. Be patient, the first boot takes unusually long.
BACKUP & RESTORE
Always make a backup before you mess with anything. See steps above for backup instructions. Backups are saved in \Safestrap\Backup on the SD card you specify during the backup. Backups are named by time & date of the backup. Backups can be transferred to/from a PC for archival/paranoia purposes.
The restoration process is very simple. Just go to restore, pick a backup, and presto. Remember not to cross safe/un-safe systems (only in extreme circumstances should you mess with your unsafe system. That would be...unsafe). You shouldn't need to format system or wipe data before restoration, but it shouldn't hurt either. The "advanced restore" option will let you restore data but retain your current system. That could be helpful for certain problems, but is an advanced option and isn't usually necessary.
Again, except for a edits below, this was written by Tuckmobile.
MY EDITS:
DO NOT reinstall the app and install recovery once your on your safe side or use the boot recovery options in eclipse or the ICS roms in the power prompt. I don't feel backing up the webtop is needed. (Just don't format it in safestrap) It just adds more time to the back-up and restore process. You will find out that some the new ICS roms don't play nice with safestrap, MIUI for sure. It has trouble going back to the unsafe side. But some roms don't have any issues, so its your choice to do a back-up everytime you switch back and forth. If you have trouble enabling (switching sides) you can use the quick toggle in the safe-boot menu. You will have to do a restore of your backed up system before you reboot. Other than that quick toggle should never be used. The way safestrap works is that it flashes the safe rom in the preinstall partition. Most OTA updates have a preinstall patch that stock updates do assert in the flash process. If your keeping your unsafe side stock for when the ICS is pushed, be prepared to reflash (with moto-fastboot) the 902 preinstall partition (If you've already flashed a rom in safestrap) If you haven't flashed a rom, copy all the preinstall files to a folder on either sdcard before you flash in safestrap. Just be on the unsafe side and erase all files in the preinstall parition and replace them with the ones you saved in your folder when the update rolls out and you want to install it. Also make sure to uninstall safestrap through the app, you don"t need to actually uninstall the app. I don't mind reflashing my phone as I back-up on a regular basis and I don't like to be stock. I will use bootstrap and install my rom of course and any theme I want, uninstall bootstrap and then install safestrap to play with all the new roms available.
[/URL]Full 902 fxz http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29432364/VRZ_XT875_5.9.902.XT875.Verizon.en.US_CFC_01.xml.zip
Moto-fastboot (Team Black Hat) http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29432364/moto-fastboot.zip
Moto-fastboot instructions:
Make sure your on your stock side before you flash the preinstall image
1)Power down phone
2)Boot Ap fastboot (Power & down volume pressed together) use down volume to toggle to Ap fastboot and up volume to choose
3)Plug phone into PC
4)Have the preinstall image in the moto-fastboot folder (have folder on your desktop) and have a command prompt open.
5)In the command prompt enter:
cd desktop/moto-fastboot
moto-fastboot flash preinstall preinstall.img (press enter)
moto-fastboot erase cache (press enter)
moto-fastboot reboot (press enter)
This is the order to flash all the images with moto-fastboot if you royally fubar your phone http://db.tt/kF2hFHA7
For those not brave enough to flash with moto-fastboot Rsd Lite and Drivers http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29432364/rsd_drivers.zip
Edited xml to preserve internal sdcard, but will still wipe userdata (For Rsd Lite) http://db.tt/91UkE8So
and catching my mistakes), so I want to thank him also. The following guide was Written solely by Tuckmobile, he spend alot of time and effort to put this out and this is only a portion of a well written guide on rom/root options. I have only added and excluded a few things that I think will be needed knowledge when the ICS OTA actually starts being pushed to our devices. His complete write-up is here [GUIDE][N00B] Step-By-Step ROOT/SAFESTRAP/ROM Instructions & 902 Update Info (3/7/12) - droidHIVE Forums Please give him some thanks for his :hail: awesome guide.SAFESTRAP & CUSTOM ROMS
Safestrap is a CWM recovery program that allows you to toggle between your stock system and your custom ROM. Safestrap calls your stock system the "unsafe" system, because it is dangerous to modify this system. The "safe" system is the system for installing modded ROMs, or doing anything stupid to your phone. Take a moment to read about SafeStrap.
• Don't use another recovery program if you're using Safestrap (e.g. Bionic Bootstrap). If you have Bionic Bootstrap, you should uninstall it during the Safestrap installation (directions below).
• I recommend 2GB free space on both internal and external storage so Safestrap has enough memory to work with.
Custom ROMs will give your phone a different look and feel. Most remove bloatware included in VZW. I recommend trying them all to determine your favorite.
1) Don't unzip the ROM. Just make sure you remember its location on your phone.
2) Download BionicSafestrap http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29432364/BionicSafestrap-1.0.apk your phone. (If that link doesn't work, go to the SafeStrap website.) Then run the APK to install the Safestrap app to your phone. Once the install is finished, press the open button (or open Safestrap from your list of apps). From within the safestrap app, hit the "Install Recovery" button.
3) Power down the phone, then turn it back on. Notice the new safestrap screen. At this screen, press MENU to enter recovery mode (touch button with four squares, to the left of the home button). Green menu = good.
4) While in safestrap recovery (green menu) use the volume buttons to navigate up or down, and the power button as the enter key. First, go to "backup and restore" and backup your stock system. I recommend backing up the webtop also. You can save the backup to internal or external SD card according to your available storage and personal preference. (This is your unsafe backup, and shouldn't be used except in extreme circumstances. Do not restore this backup of your unsafe system to your safe system).
5) Now hit "+++Go Back+++", and go to "Safe Boot Menu" and then "Toggle Safe System". Safe system must be enabled before continuing. Don't skip this step.
6) Go to "mounts and storage" menu and format \system. Not as scary as it sounds.
20) Now hit "+++Go Back+++" to leave mounts and storage, and go into "Install zip from sdcard". DON'T GO TO "apply update from sdcard".
7) Go to "choose zip from sdcard" and find the ROM .zip file. DON'T GO TO "apply /sdcard/update.zip".
8) Now hit "+++Go Back+++" and hit "Wipe data/factory reset" and then also "Wipe cache partition".
9) Now go to the "Advanced" menu and "Wipe dalvik cache".
10) Finally, hit "+++Go Back+++" to return to the main recovery menu and select "power off") Wait for power down to finish, then restart your bionic. Be patient, the first boot takes unusually long.
RETURNING TO YOUR STOCK SYSTEM WITH SAFESTRAP
You now have two systems on your phone thanks to SafeStrap. The "unsafe" system is your stock system. It is called "unsafe" because it is dangerous to flash mods to this system. The "safe" system is the system for installing modded ROMs, or doing anything stupid to your phone. NEVER RESTORE A BACKUP OF YOUR SAFE SYSTEM TO YOUR UNSAFE SYSTEM, OR VICE-VERSA! It will not let you flash roms/themes or anything on your "unsafe" side.
If you want to toggle back to your original stock system follow this procedure:
!!! - ONLY PROCEED WITH A FULLY CHARGED BATTERY - !!! < Not required but recommended, as least 30-40%. Having the battery die during this procedure is not good.
11) Restart your phone. At the SafeStrap boot screen, press the menu button to enter recovery.
12) Go to the "safe boot menu".
13) Select "Toggle Safe System". Wait a little bit.
14) Select "+++++Go Back+++++", verify that "Safe System is: DISABLED", and then "reboot system now".
You can repeat the same procedure to re-enable your safe system. You are effectively dual-booting two independent systems. You could use one system as a work system, and the other for personal usage.
FLASHING A DIFFERENT ROM TO YOUR SAFE SYSTEM
The following instructions assume you've already flashed a ROM to your safe system, but would like to try a different one. NEVER FLASH A ROM TO THE UNSAFE SYSTEM. NEVER RESTORE A BACKUP OF YOUR SAFE SYSTEM TO YOUR UNSAFE SYSTEM, OR VICE-VERSA!
!!! - ONLY PROCEED WITH A FULLY CHARGED BATTERY - !!! < Not required but recommended, as least 30-40%. Having the battery die during this procedure is not good.
15) Download the ROM of your choice to your SD card. For more information see step 13 above.
16) Restart your phone. At the SafeStrap boot screen, press the menu button to enter recovery.
17) Verify that "Safe System is: ENABLED".
18) Go to "backup and restore" and make a backup. I recommend backing-up everything including the webtop and unsafe system. You can save the backup to internal or external SD card according to your available storage and personal preference. The backup will be saved in \Safestrap\Backup.
34) Select "++++Go Back++++" to return to the main recovery menu.
35) Go to "mounts and storage" menu and format \system.
36) Now hit "+++Go Back+++" to leave mounts and storage, and go into "Install zip from sdcard". DON'T GO TO "apply update from sdcard".
37) Go to "choose zip from sdcard" and find the ROM .zip file. DON'T GO TO "apply /sdcard/update.zip".
38) Now hit "+++Go Back+++" and hit "Wipe data/factory reset" and then also "Wipe cache partition".
39) Now go to the "Advanced" menu and "Wipe dalvik cache".
40) Finally, hit "+++Go Back+++" to return to the main recovery menu and select "power off". Wait for power down to finish, then restart your bionic. Be patient, the first boot takes unusually long.
BACKUP & RESTORE
Always make a backup before you mess with anything. See steps above for backup instructions. Backups are saved in \Safestrap\Backup on the SD card you specify during the backup. Backups are named by time & date of the backup. Backups can be transferred to/from a PC for archival/paranoia purposes.
The restoration process is very simple. Just go to restore, pick a backup, and presto. Remember not to cross safe/un-safe systems (only in extreme circumstances should you mess with your unsafe system. That would be...unsafe). You shouldn't need to format system or wipe data before restoration, but it shouldn't hurt either. The "advanced restore" option will let you restore data but retain your current system. That could be helpful for certain problems, but is an advanced option and isn't usually necessary.
Again, except for a edits below, this was written by Tuckmobile.
MY EDITS:
DO NOT reinstall the app and install recovery once your on your safe side or use the boot recovery options in eclipse or the ICS roms in the power prompt. I don't feel backing up the webtop is needed. (Just don't format it in safestrap) It just adds more time to the back-up and restore process. You will find out that some the new ICS roms don't play nice with safestrap, MIUI for sure. It has trouble going back to the unsafe side. But some roms don't have any issues, so its your choice to do a back-up everytime you switch back and forth. If you have trouble enabling (switching sides) you can use the quick toggle in the safe-boot menu. You will have to do a restore of your backed up system before you reboot. Other than that quick toggle should never be used. The way safestrap works is that it flashes the safe rom in the preinstall partition. Most OTA updates have a preinstall patch that stock updates do assert in the flash process. If your keeping your unsafe side stock for when the ICS is pushed, be prepared to reflash (with moto-fastboot) the 902 preinstall partition (If you've already flashed a rom in safestrap) If you haven't flashed a rom, copy all the preinstall files to a folder on either sdcard before you flash in safestrap. Just be on the unsafe side and erase all files in the preinstall parition and replace them with the ones you saved in your folder when the update rolls out and you want to install it. Also make sure to uninstall safestrap through the app, you don"t need to actually uninstall the app. I don't mind reflashing my phone as I back-up on a regular basis and I don't like to be stock. I will use bootstrap and install my rom of course and any theme I want, uninstall bootstrap and then install safestrap to play with all the new roms available.
[/URL]Full 902 fxz http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29432364/VRZ_XT875_5.9.902.XT875.Verizon.en.US_CFC_01.xml.zip
Moto-fastboot (Team Black Hat) http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29432364/moto-fastboot.zip
Moto-fastboot instructions:
Make sure your on your stock side before you flash the preinstall image
1)Power down phone
2)Boot Ap fastboot (Power & down volume pressed together) use down volume to toggle to Ap fastboot and up volume to choose
3)Plug phone into PC
4)Have the preinstall image in the moto-fastboot folder (have folder on your desktop) and have a command prompt open.
5)In the command prompt enter:
cd desktop/moto-fastboot
moto-fastboot flash preinstall preinstall.img (press enter)
moto-fastboot erase cache (press enter)
moto-fastboot reboot (press enter)
This is the order to flash all the images with moto-fastboot if you royally fubar your phone http://db.tt/kF2hFHA7
For those not brave enough to flash with moto-fastboot
Rsd Lite and Drivers http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29432364/rsd_drivers.zipEdited xml to preserve internal sdcard, but will still wipe userdata (For Rsd Lite) http://db.tt/91UkE8So
