I have seen a decent number of people coming to these forums asking how to get CM7, MIUI, or some other custom ROM on their phone. The info to do this is posted in various places around our section of the forums, but I decided to make a guide that puts all the information together in one place. I did not make any of the ROMs, I am just trying to help out the people that need it. Make sure you give your thanks to the devs (and tip them if you can!). There are videos for many of these steps at the end of the post. I did not make them so they may be slightly different than the instructions I posted, in which case follow the written instructions.
NOTE: Make sure you activate your phone on the stock ROM before doing these things as you cannot do it on many of the custom ROMs.
NOTE 2: You do not have to root your phone to do this, unless you really feel like doing so. The custom ROMs come with root access. Rooting beforehand is not necessary, but it does not hurt a thing either.
OK, let's get started.
To install a custom ROM on your Triumph, you need to install ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM).
Installing ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM).
1. Download CWM. The latest version from Isaac (5.0.2.6) is here. You need to use one made specifically for the Triumph, not one for a different phone. Some ROMs require ext4 support, so some of the older versions will not work for that.
Here are some alternate builds that will also work:
Dr. Who Themed CWM by agentc13 (5.0.2.7)
Lime Green Themed CWM by b_randon14 (5.0.2.7)
Slightly Customized CWM by ziggy46 (5.0.2.7)
These alternate builds are current as of 12/11/2011.
2. Unzip the recovery.img file from the Zip file you downloaded and place it somewhere handy (on your computer desktop????).
3. Turn off and unplug your phone.
4. Boot into Download Mode by holding down Power + Volume Down buttons simultaneously until the phone vibrates.
5. You will see the following message repeating on your screen:
polling, get oemsbl_mode=1
6. Plug the phone into your computer.
7. A drive labeled MOBILE will appear in your computer.
8. Open the MOBILE drive and you should see a folder named image, in that folder you will see a file named recovery.img.
9. You want to backup the file just in case, so rename it something like recovery.img.bu (You can call it whatever you want, just as long as you remember what it is).
10. Place the recovery.img file that you unzipped earlier into the image folder.
11. Unplug the phone from the computer.
12. Take out the battery, wait a few seconds, and put the battery back into the phone.
13. Boot into CWM by holding down the Power, Volume Up, and Volume Down simultaneously until the phone vibrates.
The phone will boot into CWM. The latest version 5.0.2.6 will have blue lettering.
The controls for CWM 5.0.2.6 are:
Volume up --> up
Volume down --> down
Menu --> select
Back --> back
Making a Nandroid Backup.
A NANROID backup is basically a backup of your android operating system from the phone’s NAND memory, saved to the storage card. It is always advisable to take a Nandroid backup of your phone before you attempt to flash a new ROM to it so that in case anything goes wrong, you can revert your phone back to its previously working state. In the following section, I will tell you how you can take a NANDROID backup and restore your phone from one you’ve already taken.
1. Boot into CWM (see first section above, step 13).
2. Select backup and restore (use the menu button to select).
3. Select backup.
4. This will make your backup. It is not a bad idea to copy the file (from ...) to somewhere on your computer as well.
Restoring A Nandroid Backup.
1. Boot into CWM (see first section above, step 13).
2. Select backup and restore (use the menu button to select).
3. Select restore.
4. Select the file you wish to restore.
Installing a Custom ROM.
1. The first thing you need to do is download the ROM you want to install.
Here is a list of all of the current threads for the ROM's I could find here for the Motorola Triumph (sorted by android version):
Android 4.0.x
CM9-ALPHA by multiple developers
Android 2.3.x
MIUI by isaacj87
CyanogenMod 7 by Tickerguy
CM7-TG-Reloaded by Whyzor
Android 2.2.x
Froyocream Sandwich by Mobstergunz and ziggy46
bROM by b-randon14
PunkROM by punkmaxx
Thunder ROM by ziggy46
Princely ROM by Austrie
If I forgot someone's ROM, just let me know and I will add it.
2. Move the file to a folder on your phone's SDcard (or download it directly to your phone, combining steps 1 and 2).
3. Boot into CWM (see first section above, step 13).
4. Select wipe data/factory reset. This will wipe your /system and /data. You should also format your /cache under the mounts and storage options.
5. Navigate back to the main menu.
6. Select install zip from sdcard.
7. Select choose sip from sdcard.
8. Navigate to the folder you placed the ROM zip in.
9. Select the ROM zip file.
10. Navigate to Yes - Install (name of file), and select it.
11. This will install your ROM
12. When it is done reboot your phone.
There may be special instructions for specific ROMs (like flashing gapps for CM7), just follow the instructions listed in the thread for that ROM. If you have questions about a specific ROM it is best to ask them in the thread for that ROM.
Thanks to all the Dev's for their hard work and making this all available for the Triumph!
Installing a New Boot Animation.
To change your boot animation manually you need to use a file explorer of some sort and have root access on your phone. You then need to have a .zip file of the boot animation you want to install. You place the .zip into /system/media on your phone (not on the SD card!), the file needs to be named bootanimation.zip. On CM7 I also replaced the bootanimation.zip in /data/local. MIUI has an app that allows you to download and replace the boot animation without doing this.
I also found an app called Bootanimation Utility that you can get from the market (it also has a thread on xda, and it's own site). I tried it out on CM7 and believe it will work for any ROM, but have not tested it on all of them. You can save a boot animation zip to your card and install it through the app.
Here is ziggy46's post with a flashable (through CWM) splash image zip. You can also replace the splash.img with one of your own manually. You need to put the phone in download mode, and replace the splash.img with one of your own. It needs to be the correct size (most of them you would find to download will be).
Here are links to some helpful videos (I haven't watched them all step by step, but they should match the text instructions. If different follow the written guide, not the video.):
Installing ClockworkMod Recovery
Making a Nandroid Backup
Restoring a Nandroid Backup
Installing CM7 You use basically the same process to install any of the ROMs (just use the appropriate files).
Enabling Wifi Tether
There are many other useful posts here in the Motorola Triumph Root Guide.
NOTE: Make sure you activate your phone on the stock ROM before doing these things as you cannot do it on many of the custom ROMs.
NOTE 2: You do not have to root your phone to do this, unless you really feel like doing so. The custom ROMs come with root access. Rooting beforehand is not necessary, but it does not hurt a thing either.
OK, let's get started.
To install a custom ROM on your Triumph, you need to install ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM).
Installing ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM).
1. Download CWM. The latest version from Isaac (5.0.2.6) is here. You need to use one made specifically for the Triumph, not one for a different phone. Some ROMs require ext4 support, so some of the older versions will not work for that.
Here are some alternate builds that will also work:
Dr. Who Themed CWM by agentc13 (5.0.2.7)
Lime Green Themed CWM by b_randon14 (5.0.2.7)
Slightly Customized CWM by ziggy46 (5.0.2.7)
These alternate builds are current as of 12/11/2011.
2. Unzip the recovery.img file from the Zip file you downloaded and place it somewhere handy (on your computer desktop????).
3. Turn off and unplug your phone.
4. Boot into Download Mode by holding down Power + Volume Down buttons simultaneously until the phone vibrates.
5. You will see the following message repeating on your screen:
polling, get oemsbl_mode=1
6. Plug the phone into your computer.
7. A drive labeled MOBILE will appear in your computer.
8. Open the MOBILE drive and you should see a folder named image, in that folder you will see a file named recovery.img.
9. You want to backup the file just in case, so rename it something like recovery.img.bu (You can call it whatever you want, just as long as you remember what it is).
10. Place the recovery.img file that you unzipped earlier into the image folder.
11. Unplug the phone from the computer.
12. Take out the battery, wait a few seconds, and put the battery back into the phone.
13. Boot into CWM by holding down the Power, Volume Up, and Volume Down simultaneously until the phone vibrates.
The phone will boot into CWM. The latest version 5.0.2.6 will have blue lettering.
The controls for CWM 5.0.2.6 are:
Volume up --> up
Volume down --> down
Menu --> select
Back --> back
Making a Nandroid Backup.
A NANROID backup is basically a backup of your android operating system from the phone’s NAND memory, saved to the storage card. It is always advisable to take a Nandroid backup of your phone before you attempt to flash a new ROM to it so that in case anything goes wrong, you can revert your phone back to its previously working state. In the following section, I will tell you how you can take a NANDROID backup and restore your phone from one you’ve already taken.
1. Boot into CWM (see first section above, step 13).
2. Select backup and restore (use the menu button to select).
3. Select backup.
4. This will make your backup. It is not a bad idea to copy the file (from ...) to somewhere on your computer as well.
Restoring A Nandroid Backup.
1. Boot into CWM (see first section above, step 13).
2. Select backup and restore (use the menu button to select).
3. Select restore.
4. Select the file you wish to restore.
Installing a Custom ROM.
1. The first thing you need to do is download the ROM you want to install.
Here is a list of all of the current threads for the ROM's I could find here for the Motorola Triumph (sorted by android version):
Android 4.0.x
CM9-ALPHA by multiple developers
Android 2.3.x
MIUI by isaacj87
CyanogenMod 7 by Tickerguy
CM7-TG-Reloaded by Whyzor
Android 2.2.x
Froyocream Sandwich by Mobstergunz and ziggy46
bROM by b-randon14
PunkROM by punkmaxx
Thunder ROM by ziggy46
Princely ROM by Austrie
If I forgot someone's ROM, just let me know and I will add it.
2. Move the file to a folder on your phone's SDcard (or download it directly to your phone, combining steps 1 and 2).
3. Boot into CWM (see first section above, step 13).
4. Select wipe data/factory reset. This will wipe your /system and /data. You should also format your /cache under the mounts and storage options.
5. Navigate back to the main menu.
6. Select install zip from sdcard.
7. Select choose sip from sdcard.
8. Navigate to the folder you placed the ROM zip in.
9. Select the ROM zip file.
10. Navigate to Yes - Install (name of file), and select it.
11. This will install your ROM
12. When it is done reboot your phone.
There may be special instructions for specific ROMs (like flashing gapps for CM7), just follow the instructions listed in the thread for that ROM. If you have questions about a specific ROM it is best to ask them in the thread for that ROM.
Thanks to all the Dev's for their hard work and making this all available for the Triumph!
Installing a New Boot Animation.
To change your boot animation manually you need to use a file explorer of some sort and have root access on your phone. You then need to have a .zip file of the boot animation you want to install. You place the .zip into /system/media on your phone (not on the SD card!), the file needs to be named bootanimation.zip. On CM7 I also replaced the bootanimation.zip in /data/local. MIUI has an app that allows you to download and replace the boot animation without doing this.
I also found an app called Bootanimation Utility that you can get from the market (it also has a thread on xda, and it's own site). I tried it out on CM7 and believe it will work for any ROM, but have not tested it on all of them. You can save a boot animation zip to your card and install it through the app.
Flashable Splash Images.
Here is ziggy46's post with a flashable (through CWM) splash image zip. You can also replace the splash.img with one of your own manually. You need to put the phone in download mode, and replace the splash.img with one of your own. It needs to be the correct size (most of them you would find to download will be).
Here are links to some helpful videos (I haven't watched them all step by step, but they should match the text instructions. If different follow the written guide, not the video.):
Installing ClockworkMod Recovery
Making a Nandroid Backup
Restoring a Nandroid Backup
Installing CM7 You use basically the same process to install any of the ROMs (just use the appropriate files).
Enabling Wifi Tether
There are many other useful posts here in the Motorola Triumph Root Guide.
