Restore from Steel to stock Verizon

[fishacura]

I thought I'd start a new thread on this question.

Thanks to many of you, I successfully installed the Steel Droid rom this afternoon :biggrin: Many thanks to those of you who were very patient with the noob.

I want to write a procedure for "noobs" like me that is more step by step and with links to the updated software (e.g. the newest boostsrap, etc). Wish I would have done it while I was flashing the new rom today but I didn't.

Anyway, in order to do it from the beginning, I'd like to get my phone back to the beginning (stock Verizon). I'd also like to do it just to see if I can.

Is there a way to do this? Would I remove the steel .zip file from my directory and then click the two buttons in the bootstrap ap? If so, what would I do from the restore menu once the device reboots? Or is there a different way? Or perhaps no way?

Liking the rom so far, with the exception of the font.....not my favorite

 

[fishacura]

Maybe I can try to answer my own question here. What would happen if I got out to the bootstrap recovery menu and chose "factory reset" instead of installing a zip from the internal SD card...would that work still (I have tried Steel and Monster ROMs on the phone thus far).

 

[neilrl79]

factory reset only wipes data, so if you factory reset you'll still have steel droid. did you make a nandroid back-up before installing steel droid?

 

[fishacura]

I actually don't believe I did. That stinks. I really wanted to be able to start back from the stock Verizon install and document what I did. Surprised someone doesn't have a "custom" rom that is just the stock verizon stuff for just such a situation...I suppose this was one of my early concerns that i would screw something up and not be able to get back to factory but live and learn I guess

 

[neilrl79]

[Recovery] RSD v5.5.0 and 5.5.184 (aka 5.6.890) fastboot partitions/flashable zip - xda-developers

you can can get back to "stock" with this ^ , it's not hard though it's not easy either. read through the thread and folow all directions and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[fishacura]

THANKS! I'm not sure I follow re: "directions". I don't really see any...so I can't just take this .zip file, put it on the root of the .mot drive and just swap to the new rom just like I did with steel and monster?

 

[neilrl79]

if you read through the thread you'll come across "directions" a few times. it does require you to have a program on your computer called RSDlite, you can google a download of it or i thinkl there are links to it in that thread. you can't just flash it as you did the custom roms. you could however flash a "de-odexed" stock rom as you did the custom roms, it will be very close to what you had before, and in appearance you won't notice any difference.


[ROM] Droid 3 Deodexed

 

[fishacura]

Thanks Neilrl79! Probably too advanced for me. Actually, I like steel quite a bit. The only things it's missing for me are the universal inbox and backup assistant features from Verizon. I had the .apk files and naievely tried to just take them and place them back on to the /system/app directory in the steel rom zip file but that didn't work. If I could somehow get these two apps onto this rom I'd be all set...but oh well, can't have everything I guess.

I also feel foolish for not having the backup. I read so many directions around the one-click root and the bootstrap ap and clockwork mod etc. I thought when I clicked the top buppon in the bootstrap ap, that made the backup for me at that time. Live and learn!

 

[neilrl79]

go to the link i put up for the de-odexed rom and download the de-odexed stock rom, navigate to the .apks you want copy them from there then place them in your /system/app and then fix permission to rw-r--r-- and reboot, that should work.

 

[fishacura]

I'll take a look. When I click on the file and say "download" nothing is happening now so the server may be down. I'll try later. Also, where do I set permissions (what do I open to do that?) Again, thanks for putting up with me and helping me.

EDIT: OK, I am obviously missing something. I donwloaded the swu.zip file. I don't see any .apks files. Am I missing something here? Which file did you want me to download (feel free to ignore if I am driving you nuts)

 

[neilrl79]

If you have the app RootExplorer you set system to R/W, it will be a button at the top. Then you paste those apps to /system/app/ then you long press on the app and a list of options will pop up and set permissions will be one of them. If you don't have RootExplorer go to the market and buy it! It is well worth the $ and you will use it often.

 

[neilrl79]

I'll take a look. When I click on the file and say "download" nothing is happening now so the server may be down. I'll try later. Also, where do I set permissions (what do I open to do that?) Again, thanks for putting up with me and helping me.

EDIT: OK, I am obviously missing something. I donwloaded the swu.zip file. I don't see any .apks files. Am I missing something here? Which file did you want me to download (feel free to ignore if I am driving you nuts)

No worries dude, go to the link in post #7 and download de-odexed stock

 

[fishacura]

Got it...whoops, didn't realize you didn't mean the original link. OK, I found a file "universal inbox" as an example. Because the SD rom is a zip file it looks as if windows won't let me just paste it into the zip on the phone. Not sure why....

Well got into root explorer and clicked on the system folder and tried to change permissions and got an error saying "system permissions cannot be changed because file system is read only"

So am I out of luck?

 

[random190user44]

If I can figure out how to successfully (it keeps telling me unable to mount sd card) create a nandroid backup, id gladly flash steeldroid and write a tutorial for beginners.

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[fishacura]

I can still do it I think (write the procedure for noobs). I'd actually like to since people really helped me and I'd like to give back.

Right now I am still trying to figure out why I am getting the error when trying to access the system folder (still keeps telling me it is read only).