Root [Guide] How to flash the ZV9 update: Step by step

[Petrah]

Special shout-outs: Thanks Jcase and Jerryscript for cracking the security so it is possible to install the new radio and have root access. A very special shout-out to Brotherswing for putting together the original ZV9 update guide, for testing the Bobzhome, tvall and mgr666 kernels, and for also urging me to edit the guide, add more information, and to repost it. Thanks to tli for helping me fix inconsistencies in the guide. And to the Android Forums community members for making this place so awesome.

The usual warning: Only install this update if you have call quality issues (or if you wish to return completely to stock). The ZV9 radio is part of a security update from Virgin Mobile and it *will* remove root access. Be aware that this update has caused a few problems (such as random reboots while sending texts). If you intend to install a custom rom afterwards, you will need to make sure you run a ZV9 compatible kernel. The Bobzhome, tvall, and mrg666 kernels have all been tested by brotherswing, and those are the ones he recommends. Last but not least, I am not responsible if you bork your phone. As long as you follow this guide to the letter you should not have any problems.

What you will need before you begin:
Read this entire guide in full before you begin. Seriously, read it. This ensures you are making an informed decision before you proceed with this process.
Approximately 1 hour of undisturbed quality time where you won't be getting any phone calls.
Full battery (not required but highly recommended).
Get ADB for your PC/Laptop and follow the installation instructions: Download
Get Java and install like any other windows software: Download
Get the USB drivers so your PC can communicate with your phone: Download
Get CunningLogic-GorditaRoot-4win. Unzip all 4 files into the C:\SDK\platform-tools folder: Download
Get the official VM USA ZV9 update and put this in the root directory of your SD card (do not unzip!): Download
Bobzhomes recovery: Download
Flash Image GUI app: Download
jcases modified SuperUser zip package: Download


Preparation:
Be sure you have ADB, Java, and the USB drivers already installed.
Test Java by going here.
Test the USB drivers by plugging in your phone to your PC via USB cable. You should see Windows detect the new drivers when it installs them and tells you that "Your new hardware is installed and ready to use."
Now we need to test ADB: On your phone go to Settings>Applications>Development and make sure there is a tick in the box for Android Debugging. Next is to open a command prompt on Windows; click Start>Accessories>Command Prompt. In the command prompt window type (or copy/paste) the following two commands:

cd c:\SDK\platform-tools
adb devices

You should see something that looks similar to this:

c:\SDK\platform-tools>adb devices
List of devices attached
A00000123EY678

Leave the command prompt open as we might need it later.

Are you ready? Here we go!!

Stage 1 -
1) Reboot into recovery. Check your current recovery version. If you have CWMT or MultiBoot you will need to change it, or this WILL brick your phone. Use Flash Image GUI (or the BACKside updater if you're running BACKside - thanks Jerry, you rock!) to flash Bobzhomes recovery.
2) Go to Backup and Restore, choose Backup.
3) Once done, click back to the main menu. Choose apply update from sd.
4) Once that is done, choose reboot system now.
5) Your phone may or may not boot at this point. Do not panic if it doesn't reboot. Just pull the battery and boot back into recovery. (Note: You should see the blue Android stock recovery here!)
6) Choose factory reset/wipe data.
7) Choose apply update from sd (yes, again.)
8) Once done, reboot to system.
9) The phone should boot up to the stock rom. You can verify the radio version now by Menu>Settings>About Phone>Baseband Version. It should end in ZV9. If not, stop. Return to step 3, and repeat.

STOP AT STEP 9 IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN UNROOTED WITH THE STOCK VM ROM! Steps 10 through 12 in Stage 2 flashes the Bobzhome recovery to replace the stock VM recovery that was reinstalled by the VM Update.

Stage 2 -
10) On the phone, go to Menu>Settings>Applications>Developement and make sure Android Debugging is enabled.
11) On the PC, navigate to C:\SDK\platform-tools. Double click Gordita.bat. If it doesn't work (or hits an error), open it with a text editor, then copy and paste each line individually into the command prompt window. You can skip the lines that begin with "echo."
11a) If you use the copy/paste method with ADB: When you paste the last line from the bat file and if it worked properly, you should see it mimic something about the recovery in green text in the GUI ADB log window.
12) Wait for it to finish. You'll know it's done when you see "Recovery flashed! Enjoy." (You won't see this notice if you use the copy/paste method.)
13) Reboot into recovery.
13a) If you still see the stock blue Android recovery: do a "reboot system now" and when the phone reboots, go into the settings and privacy menu, and do a factory reset. Once complete, go back up to Stage 1, and begin again. (I had to do this 3 times, so don't panic if it doesn't take the first few times!)
13b) This is important! Do not leave this recovery screen (the text should be orange) until you've successfully completed the following procedure through Step 16. Otherwise you lose this [Bobzhome] recovery and have to start over!
14) Now let's root the phone: choose install zip from sd card, and flash jcases modified SuperUser zip package.
15) Depending on your ROM preference, perform one of the following three options:
15a) If you want the ROM just prior to the VM Update, go to Backup and Restore, choose Restore. Pick your latest backup [that was created in Step 2].
15b) If you want the stock updated ROM with root access, just continue onto Step 16.
15c) If you want a clean start, choose install zip from sd card, and flash any ZV9 compatible ROM (and gapps if necessary.)
16) Reboot. Done!

If for any reason you wish to revert back to ZV5, Sammyz wrote an amazingly easy guide on how to do so here. Thanks Sammy!!

List of ZV9 compatible roms (post and let me know of more roms! You must have tested these yourself.):
CM7 BACKside IHO (flash with compatible kernel!)
CM9 Cold As Ice (Project has resumed. Recent updates no longer compatible.)
MiRaGe
Harmonia 2.x
Bobz
iho magpie
IHO OM-Mandylion
Quattrimus CM9 (now in beta!)

Please post here in this thread if I've forgotten something, need to fix something, need to add anything, something needs clarification, or if links have changed or are no longer working (forum guides/mods/admins can also edit to fix these if they see the need).

 

[riggerman1]

Most the IHO based roms are compatible with the update. This includes MiRaGe, Harmonia 2.x, Bobz, magpie, and I believe OM also is using the updated kernel. Add far as I know, the Froyo roms still need the picasticks remix kernel to work properly with the new screen and may not be compatible with the update.

 

[Phatninja55]

Most the IHO based roms are compatible with the update. This includes MiRaGe, Harmonia 2.x, Bobz, magpie, and I believe OM also is using the updated kernel. Add far as I know, the Froyo roms still need the picasticks remix kernel to work properly with the new screen and may not be compatible with the update.

The update works for both screens.

 

[brotherswing]

Very nice!, I wish my original guide had been this good!

 

[Petrah]

It was that good! And thank you.

 

[oinker]

This is a great guide, thank you!

So.. I followed it, and everything seemed fine. I did see ZV9 in step 9, and went all the way to and including step 14.

However, now, it shows ZV4 as the version (which is where I started from).

Is that expected (following the restore on step 14)? which version do I actually have?

(I've had insane reception problems for a little while, hence my desire to go to ZV9. Although, with all these custom ROMs out there, I plan to switch to one of them as well once I get a sense of how well ZV9 is working for me.)

 

[Petrah]

Before you started this guide, what rom did you have? Did you miss the Notes section?

 

[oinker]

Before you started this guide, what rom did you have? Did you miss the Notes section?

bah.. sigh. i read it, a few times, but clearly not enough! I guess that's what I get for doing this and a few other things at the same time. 14 could benefit from being merged with the notes for clarity.

Well, on the bright side, I can say the restore works just fine! ;-)

Sorry & Thanks again

 

[frontlinestraw]

does this fix the 3g signal?

 

[AndyOpie150]

Hey Petrah. This Guide does indeed look better than brotherswing's guide. If you would like I can replace his with yours in the All Thing Root Guide sticky (I have already discussed it with brotherswing and he is all for it).

 

[Petrah]

Hey Petrah. This Guide does indeed look better than brotherswing's guide. If you would like I can replace his with yours in the All Thing Root Guide sticky (I have already discussed it with brotherswing and he is all for it).

I wouldn't say it looks better... just some added info to an already wonderful guide (his). But thanks!

And yes, that would be fine. :five:

 

[Petrah]

does this fix the 3g signal?

If you mean the TWS (time without a signal) bug... the ZV9 update alone does not. If you install a custom rom, then yes.

If you mean does it make the signal stronger, that's hard to say because some get better signal and some do not. It's a 50/50 chance.

 

[cammykool]

my forum momma makes a mean guide brotherswing makes a mean guisde thou hotwe i got my zv9 going

 

[Petrah]

my forum momma makes a mean guide

lol /hugs

Thanks

 

[AndyOpie150]

All done.

 

[hereusethis]

Yes the ZV9 should be safe to flash with the xionia recovery. Just download it, use a file manager to move it to the root of your sd card, boot into your recovery, and select "install update.zip". If you want the radio to update to the new ZV9 baseband, you'll have to flash the update one more time from the stock recovery, the reboot. You should then see s message on your screen about flashing the new radio.

note: See edit at bottom. Issue resolved
OK, I followed these steps and flashing worked fine. But now Gingerbreak is gone. Do I need to reinstall to so I can use the unroot command there? Or am I unrooted now? For what it's worth, I still haven't done the factory reset because I'm totally chicken.

BTW, when I boot into recovery it is the stock one: Solid blue, says "Android system recovery <3e>"

and just has the four options:
reboot now
apply sdcard:update.zip
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition.

I'm also missing Market/Play. Not sure what's up with that....any ideas how to get it back (or will it come back after the reset).

Sorry I'm such a pain guys. Maybe I should just go through the entire "How to Flash ZV9" procedure (including the gordita.bat steps and such. I'm already at Step 9, anyway.... what's 3 more?

Edit: Finally. It's unrooted, back to stock, and ready to roll. Amazing what happens when you follow ALL the directions and the wisdom of the fine folks here. Big shoutout to AndyOpie150 and Riggerman1 for all their help!!!

And note to myself: "next time you root, take NOTES. Because you're old, dang-it, and you're not going to remember what you did a year ago!"

 

[tli]

...

STOP AT STEP 12 IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN UNROOTED WITH THE STOCK VM ROM!

13) Reboot into recovery.
13a) This is important if you plan to stay rooted or install a custom rom!: Do not leave this recovery screen (the text should be orange) until you've completed one of the two steps listed below in the Notes. Otherwise you lose this recovery and have to start over!
13b) If you reboot into recovery and still see the stock blue Android recovery: do a "reboot system now" and when the phone reboots go into the settings and privacy menu and do a factory reset. Once complete, go back up to Phase 1 and begin again. (I had to do this 3 times, so don't panic if it doesn't take the first few times!)
14) Go to Backup and Restore, choose Restore. Pick your latest backup.
15) Reboot. Done!

Notes:

1. If you want the stock rom with root access, skip step 14. Instead, choose install zip from sd card, and flash jcase's modified SuperUser zip package. Reboot. Done!
2. If you want a clean start then skip step 14. Instead, choose install zip from sd card and flash any ZV9 compatible rom (and gapps if necessary.) Reboot. Done!

...

Thanks for the comprehensively detailed guide. I found the above section a bit confusing. Not sure if this edit might be clearer--or even correct--but for your consideration:

STOP AT STEP 9 IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN UNROOTED WITH THE STOCK VM ROM! [As Steps 10 to 12 in Stage 2 flashes the Bobzhome recovery to replace the stock VM recovery that was reinstalled by the VM Update.]

13) Reboot into recovery.

13a) If you still see the stock blue Android recovery: do a "reboot system now" and when the phone reboots, go into the settings and privacy menu, and do a factory reset. Once complete, go back up to Stage 1, and begin again. (I had to do this 3 times, so don't panic if it doesn't take the first few times!)

13b) This is important if you plan to stay rooted or install a custom rom!: Do not leave this recovery screen (the text should be orange) until you've successfully completed the following procedure through Step 16. Otherwise you lose this [Bobzhome] recovery and have to start over!

14) [To root?] choose install zip from sd card, and flash jcase's modified SuperUser zip package.

15) Depending on your ROM preference, perform one of the following three options:

15a) If you want the ROM just prior to the VM Update, go to Backup and Restore, choose Restore. Pick your latest backup [that was created in Step 2].

15b) If you want the stock updated ROM with root access, just continue onto Step 16.

15c) If you want a clean start, choose install zip from sd card, and flash any ZV9 compatible ROM (and gapps if necessary.)

16) Reboot. Done!

Thanks again!

 

[Petrah]

tli,

After I read what you suggested and compared it to what I had, I noticed right away that your suggestions were spot on. I've added your name to the shout-outs.... thank you!!

 

[tli]

You're very welcome! You'd provided all the steps and instructions necessary, I just rearranged the words a bit...

 

[Josh2903]

This is a great walk through thank you for posting it. I am attempting to update my usb drivers so my phone can communicate with my computer. I downloaded the neccesary files and installed them successfully. Still whenever I connect my phone to my computer is says "Unrecognized device in usb....". Any help with this would be great as I am just learning how to do most of this. Thanks!

 

[Petrah]

If you haven't already, try another usb slot on the PC. If that doesn't work then give this a try:

1. Unplug phone from any usb cords.
2. Settings>Applications>Development and make sure there is a tick in the box for Android Debugging.
3. Turn phone off.
4. Plug usb cord into phone and into USB slot on your PC.
5. Turn on phone.

Theoretically this is supposed to force your PC to download (or recognize) the latest drivers for the device (in this case your phone).

 

[Thewraith420]

Just thought I'd say on stock rom about phone the baseband section is written from the rom alone so even if the radio didn't flash it'll say zv9. The SW version however seems to pull from the radio and will only say zv9 if the radio did indeed flash.

Edit: also backside rom is not zv9 compatible until you flash one of the compatible kernels over it

 

[sammyz]

If for any reason you wish to revert back to ZV5, Sammyz wrote an amazingly easy guide on how to do so here. Thanks Sammy!!

I just wanted to say, you messed up the link, it goes to your comment instead of OP....

Thanks for adding in it though :thumbup:

 

[Petrah]

Just thought I'd say on stock rom about phone the baseband section is written from the rom alone so even if the radio didn't flash it'll say zv9. The SW version however seems to pull from the radio and will only say zv9 if the radio did indeed flash.

Edit: also backside rom is not zv9 compatible until you flash one of the compatible kernels over it

Thanks!

I just wanted to say, you messed up the link, it goes to your comment instead of OP....

Thanks for adding in it though :thumbup:

Fixed

 

[ewichern]

I know there's some argument in the other zv9 threads about whether the radio update helps. I internally debated at length about whether I wanted to take the risk of potentially making things worse (VM did pull the update after all), but after reading through all the threads I could find across all our OV forums, I figured I'd take the plunge and worst case I'd hope it wasn't too hard to get my old firmware back.
So I can't speak for anyone else, and obviously conditions will vary depending on your location, cell coverage, OV model, etc., but here's my experience:

My speedtest bandwidth results are 5-10 times faster than they were prior to the update. I get the same results on stock, CM7, and CM9. The following numbers are approximate, but I'll see if I can also get a speedtest with my new results posted.

Before: 200kbps down, 50kbps up - these are the fastest speeds I ever saw, in any location, under any conditions, even metropolitan areas blanketed in 3g coverage. To be fair though, I got those speeds relatively consistently.

After: My very first speedtest (on froyo stock) after flashing the new radio was 1000kbps down, 250kbps up. I've since seen 1750kbps down, 800kbps up in my best test - and I got several test results in a row in that spot ~1500/500kbps down/up.

Signal strength seems slightly better, but I don't have detailed records to compare with my current performance. Similarly, GPS lock seems quicker, but this could entirely be placebo effect. It has *not* helped my pings. The bandwidth though... not placebo. Those numbers don't lie. The radio update gave me a dramatic performance increase for relatively little hassle.