cashmere_cat

It looks like I am going to need to change my hboot if I am going to give mildwild a fair try. Is there a particular one that most people use, that is versatile enough to use with the majority of roms? This doesn’t sound like a task I want to be doing too frequently.
The FAQ’s recommend using Android Flasher for doing this. Since 4ext recovery is relatively new, does this still apply? These two will work together? Same question applies to using Android Flasher and the Alpharev boot tables zips – ok to use with 4ext recovery?

Hadron

Hboot and recovery are separate. You flash hboot using fastboot (Android Flasher being just a GUI for fastboot), and it doesn't matter what recovery you are using.

I'm currently using 4EXT touch with the 65MB dGB hboot and it's just fine.

However, 65MB is definitely not going to work with MildWild. If you want something flexible, Alpharev's CM7r2 is big enough for any AOSP ROM (including MIUI ROMs), so should fit the bill.

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SUroot

Hmmm. I wrote that a long time ago. It did appear that I recommended that, but to be honest I don't. Only for splash screens. Command line is better IMHO. I have reworded the faq to suit.

Apologies for that.

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cashmere_cat

Command line. hmm. Is this not valid? (from the alpharev site, where the hboot tables are downloadable from)

" download the corresponding PB99IMG zipfile, put it on your sdcard, and rename it to PB99IMG.zip. Then start the phone in HBOOT mode (VolDown+POWER) to flash the HBOOT without a PC."

SUroot

Its "valid", yes. But *if* you wanted my advice (for whatever that would be worth), I would recommend command line.

cashmere_cat

Yup, of course I want your advice.
Was just hoping there was a way around it...im not much of a command line kinda gal..
But I will read through the Greek tonight and see what I can decipher. ty.

SUroot

I know why you would feel like that, but its really easy actually. And you learn something, which can come in useful as fastboot can get you out of scrapes.... To have it set up and to have used it before comes in beneficial at times

imagine your hboot is called hboot.img and its on your c drive...

The command then is literally:
fastboot flash hboot c:\hboot.img

You just do that from a windows command prompt. Of course you need to do the fastboot set up first....

Duv

I tried the way of renaming it and moving the file to the SD card, and for me it didn't work and nor did Android Flasher.

In the end, I read the FAQ a few times, built up the courage and used command line, and it was done in seconds, don't know why it took me so long to do

cashmere_cat

I think I have my computer set up for this now, but here's where the guide gets a bit fuzzy for me...
Here's my thoughts on where to go next...
Find the hboot table from alpharev, save it to my C drive.
boot into Fastboot.
Connect phone to PC (or connect first, then into fastboot? does it matter?)
Open command prompt, run adb shell.
then type: fastboot flash hboot c:\hboot.img

am i on track?

I guess the phone will do some 'stuff'... and reboot... and voila - done?

SUroot

You just boot the phone to fastboot and connect usb. The screen will then change to fastboot usb.

Then you type what I said in command prompt. Notice how I didn't say anything about adb? That's because adb is nothing to do with fastboot at all. At all, at all. The only similarity is that its command.line. you cannot do anything for fastboot in adb or vice versa.

cashmere_cat

" 'fastboot' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file"

SUroot

That means either there was an error in the line you put into the environment variables window in windows, or that the file location of fastboot does not match the line that you put into the environment variables window.

cashmere_cat

C:\Program Files\Common Files...<snip>...System\;C:\android-sdk-windows\tools

this ^^ is whats in environment variables -- seems fine to me.
And not sure I understand "file location of fastboot does not match the line that you put into the environment variables window."
arghh! you sure android flasher wasnt designed for someone dense like me?? lol

Last edited by cashmere_cat; February 25th, 2012 at 10:04 AM.

cashmere_cat

wait - making progress. maybe.
' error: cannot load c:bravo_alphaspl-cm7r2.img'

Bradden

Just wanted to say that I've been using MildWild 3.2 Oxygen with Stock HBoot A2SD and Dalvik moved to SD without any issues.)

Hadron

Try "C:\bravo_" etc

Make sure you've taken a nandroid first.

Once you've got it going, the syntax of fastboot commands is pretty simple. Basically it's:

fastboot operation target file

where the last argument is only used by some operations (typically when flashing a file) . So for example:

fastboot erase cache
fastboot format system
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

Also "fastboot devices" is a good one, as that let's you check that the computer detects your phone (useful for trouble shooting - I generally do it before other fastboot commands).

cashmere_cat

how did you move the dalvik? I have S2E going, but it still seems to be taking up a fair chunk of /data
How many apps do you have installed?

cashmere_cat

hmm. I tried with the new syntax hadron suggested..
got:
sending 'hboot'(512k)....ok [0.090s]
writing 'hboot'....ok [0.160s]
finished. total time 0.265s

thats it?? can't be......

cashmere_cat

yay! That did it! I now have 187m left in 'internal' data!

Thank you hadron & SUroot for the support!

SUroot

it is and it can

cashmere_cat

I would consider myself fairly intelligent... but somedays this smartphone makes me feel like a dolt lol. That was so easy, once it happened. Now...what else can I flash?? haha, noooo nooo... no more flashing!!

SUroot

Somethings with android are very intuitive. Other things, not so much. There's no substitute for actually doing the things you read about.

Hopefully now, you will have fewer space issues now

Hadron

It's amazing isn't it

That's the thing I like most about flashing hboot - no nervously watching it happen, it's over the moment you start.

Bradden

I've got 60+ apps installed and still 70mb free.. I clear the cache every so often which helps.

Sheshnag

Does hboot flash wipe the ROM? What about the recovery? Will I need to flash Recovery and ROM after hboot flash. Sorry if this is a dumb question but am asking as I am thinking of hboot flash as changing partition in SD card. Which obviously wipes everything in it.

Also is there any other img files available apart from the Alphrev table. I was thinking of something like : System: 100, Cache: 45, Data: rest.

I think I am finally going to settle down with dGB and this will be my last few flashing. Then I am going to pass the phone on to my wife and move on to Samsung Galaxy S2.

Hadron

Flashing hboot does not affect recovery. Because the partition boundaries change your ROM will almost certainly be toast though. So what you should do is take a nandroid before flashing hboot then restore it afterwards. This is in the instructions at alpharev.nl or in the root memory faq.

_thalamus produced a tool for creating your own custom hboot. As I'm on my phone I can't link it here, but have posted about it before. A search should turn it up (it's in a post from his blog from last July IIRC). SUroot used it to make the dGB hboots and I've made a few slightly larger ones myself. Nothing that matches your spec though. Why do you want such a large cache - most ROMs work with small caches these days?

Edit: if you are going to use dGB then just use the dGB hboot from the ROM site. The 65 MB one gives you space to do a bit if theming without having to worry, or use the 60MB one if you really want to maximise space.

Last edited by Hadron; April 17th, 2012 at 06:33 AM.

saltire

just cos i've got it bookmarked, if you want to go custom route tool is here - read the warnings though

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Sheshnag

Ok I have given up on making my own partition and decided to go with what is available. I have checked Alpharev's table and it looks like 437 mb of memory is distributed in various ways. Then as Hadron mentioned I thought I will look at the dGB Hboot. Is it correct in me thinking that If I use the 60mb one there will only be 2mb cache (simple calc 437-375-60)?? From what I read, I kind of get the message that the app has to fit into the cache for you to be able to download it. Will 2 mb cache not restrict this a lot? Also even though my wife is not a big gamer she likes Angry Birds and Where is my water (she also like Solitaire, but I do not think this will be a problem). Will she have problems playing these games?

Also I am trying for a simple set of instruction to set up my computer for fastboot (I believe on phone it is easy - just Power + Back). Can any one plese direct me to a reliable thread?

SUroot

With the Hboot, it has 5MB cache as that is the minimum value (must not be 0, must be multiple of 5). This leaves 373MB for /data (375 is based on 3MB cache using different partition method).

You're right that the app must fit into /cache to be downloaded. However, this is not the case with dGB as instead of using /cache for downloads, it uses RAM. It basically creates a small area in RAM which expands as required and gets destroyed when no longer used.

Tyseyh

That is genius!

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Hadron

As usual, there's a FAQ for that

If you use Windows that should be all you need. If you use Linux or Mac then the fastboot executable is a separate download. You can find these by following the bootloader unlock part of the HTCdev site - don't do anything to your phone, just click through the steps on the website until you reach the link to download the fastboot binaries (you really don't want to use HTC's bootloader unlock!).

Last edited by Hadron; April 17th, 2012 at 12:35 PM.

Sheshnag

I did read the thread multiple times and stupidly went straight to fastboot part missing out on the initial setup part. I was wondering why the instructions were so vague. Lol!! Thanks for the link. Made me read it again, this time more carefully.

Bradden

Thanks for the advice folks...Just changed hboot from stock to cm7r2 .. I'd put if off for a long long time.. now I wonder why. Once I set up ther environment variables it was so simple!

.. I didn;t even have to restore from a Nandroid.. it even booted straight up first time!

Now I really feel like I "own" my phone.

I'm so reluctant to change now until there is another phone with tihs level of development support.

Last edited by Bradden; April 23rd, 2012 at 11:19 AM.

saltire

Hmm, maybe asking for trouble

v

Hadron

I've read other reports of this "just working", which is why the "almost certainly" above.

SUroot

Yes mine "just worked", but often it does not so always best to mention it.

saltire

For all the effort involved i'd not take the risk - got this far without royally screwing my phone so ain't going to start now!

Hadron

The thing not to do is just assume it's going to work and hence not take a nandroid in the first place. Because if you do that and it doesn't work, you're going to have to wipe for sure, maybe reflash the ROM, and it's data-loss and the hassle of setting up again. If you took the nandroid beforehands, then if it doesn't work you just restore the nandroid.

Nandroids: never leave home without one

Jon_LTD

+ 1! These have saved my skin in some dodgy flashes. I must have at least half a dozen saved on my pc from previous roms etc. Good job I am paranoid!

nicka3200

That's brilliant! So much so that I had to pinch it for my signature - hope you don't mind???

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eulise

i tried these commands...but it still say "fastboot is not recognized as an internal or external command,operable program or batch file"
so how to fix it?? thank you

Hadron

You may have to change your current working directory to the one where the fastboot stuff is installed. Otherwise the computer doesn't know where to find the file "fastboot" and you get that message.

eulise

my hboot file name is bravo_alphaspl-cm7r2
what is the command?? fastboot flash hboot c:\bravo_alphaspl-cm7r2.zip??

saltire

Hboot tables are .img files, so if you're typing .zip the fastboot cmd isn't correct and won't work.

Hadron

Yes, you absolutely need to flash the right file. The PB99IMG is a .zip, but for fastboot flashing you use the .img files. And check the md5 code of the .img first (as I said in another thread), because if you flash a bad file as the bootloader there's no way back (because you need a working bootloader to replace it).

Get the command "fastboot devices" working first. Once that returns a serial number from the phone, you know everything is working correctly and then you can "fastboot flash hboot bravo_alphaspl_cm7r2.img".

Make sure you took a nandroid before doing this, because you will need to restore it afterwards - flashing a different hboot usually wrecks the ROM that's on the phone at the time, so you need to restore it from your backup after flashing.