164 replies to this topic

[Dario93]

Hi everyone,

Since nobody never made a MEGA-thread like this, I'm going to make a FULL and detailed guide for all the Liquid users.

Index of the thread:


0- Original CD/Drivers/User Guide/Acer Sync
1- Upgrading your device to 2.1/2.2
2- Installing Malez Recovery
3- How to root your device
4- How to flash a custom ROM
4.1- How to flash a .bin file
5- Recover a BRICKED Liquid/E
6- APPS2D,Touschreen sensitivity,Various issues of Liquid/E
6.1- Touchscreen sensitivity issues/solutions
6.2- Addons/Hacks/Mods for the Acer Liquid
7- Key Combinations
8- How to port a ROM for the Liquid
9- How to compile a kernel for the Liquid with Acer/Choco sources

Edited by Dario93, 14 April 2011 - 06:52 PM.

[Dario93]

0- Original CD/Drivers/User Guide/Acer Sync

Ok,lets start with a collection (thanks to Paul) of the original stuff for Liquid:

Drivers (32bit-64bit): http://loadbalancing...deaga2n2d0pn68v
User Guide: http://loadbalancing...ou6mp5p3hj5rk65
Original CD: http://loadbalancing...zg6zpuq9fu2kk1i
Acer Sync: ftp://ftp.support.acer-euro.com/smartphon...re/AcerSync.zip

And a little explanation on what this stuff is:

Drivers:
You know,these are the Windows USB drivers for the Acer Liquid,both for 32bit and 64bit architectures

User Guide:
This is the digital (PDF) version of the manual included in the original box of the Liquid

Original CD:
This is the Software's CD that for most of Liquid users was not included in the original box. It contains some (un)useful stuff that can be downloaded from Acer's support site

Acer Sync:
This is a software that allows you to Syncronize your phone with your PC, plus a sort of USB tethering

Edited by Paul, 07 June 2011 - 11:16 AM.

[Dario93]

1- Upgrading your device to 2.1/2.2

First of all,we have to make a comparison between Liquid A1 and Liquid E/S100.

Liquid E have only one major difference in relation with A1,that is the RAM amount. While the A1 has 256 MB , Liquid E has 512 MB of RAM.

If you are a A1 possessor,then there's no Official Froyo 2.2 for you. However,2.2 for Liquid E has been modified to fit Liquid's system,so,no problem for you.

First of all,if you want to update your device to 2.2,follow these brief steps:

1-

a)If you are Liquid E user,download this--> DOWNLOAD 4.002.14
b)If you are Liquid A1 user,download this--> DOWNLOAD 4.002.14 for A1

2- Once download is completed, you just have to follow the steps described at point 4.1

Edited by Dario93, 03 June 2011 - 06:12 PM.

[Dario93]

2- Installing Malez Recovery

First of all,go download THIS: http://acer-liquid-m..._0.6.1_FULL.exe
(I will update the link as the recovery is updated)

Then:


1.Run the executable you just dowloaded
2-The installer will create a folder in the path you selected
3-Once the installer has finished extracting,a cmd window will open
4-Now,enable Debug Mode of your phone, then connect it to you PC
5- Press any key in the cmd window
6-If your device is in debug mode,you should see a number under the "List of devices attached" line
7-Press again any key,your phone will enter bootloader mode (black screen with white text)
8-Press any key and the recovery will be installed on your device,it will take a few seconds
9-At the end of the process,the phone will reboot and Malez Recovery will be installed on your device



HOW TO ENTER IN RECOVERY:

Two ways:

1-Turn off your phone and press this key combo : Volume down+Camera+Power. You will feel three short vibrations,then you can release the buttons and Recovery will show up
2-Download "Quick Boot" from the market (your device must be rooted,see the guide below) and simply press "Reboot recovery"



3- How to root your device


If you're reading this thread,you're probably using a stock ROM,the one you had when you unboxed your phone. If you're using a custom ROM you don't need root,it's (almost) always included. Let's see what root is:
Well, the ROOT is a safe operation that allows you to get SupeUser privileges (more or less the sudo command in linux) for your system. With root you can run scripts,launch commands with a terminal emulator,access system files and run some apps that require root If you're an Iphone user,well,this is like the jailbreak,but with really wider possibilities.
NOTE: Rooting your phone will break your warranty,but,if you have to send your phone to acer,there's always a way to revert to stock conditions

HOW-TO:

To root your device,you must have installed Malez Recovery.

Step-by-Step:

1-Enter in Malez Recovery
2-Enter in the "Others" submenu and try to install Busybox. If an error is prompted,this means that busybox is already installed
3-Return to Main menu and enter in "System Root Menu"
4-If you're not sure about the Root status of your phone,click on "Is this system rooted?"
5- If yes,you don't need to root your phone again,if not,go to next step
6-Select one of the three methods in the root menu,I advise to use the 1.1 one
7-If one method doesn't work,try with another one
8-Now that your phone is rooted,you can reboot your device and enjoy the new unlocked potentialities

If you can't manage to root your phon,ask in this thread,we will help you to solve the problem

Edited by Dario93, 20 February 2011 - 01:21 PM.

[Dario93]

4- How to flash a custom ROM

As you can see,on this forum there are a lot of threads talkin' about these "custom ROMs"... Let's see what the hell are these ROMs,making a comparison:

-Stock ROM:

A stock ROM is the "firmware" you have on your phone when you buy it. These are its disadvantages:

-Non-rooted
-A lot of pre-installed bloatware (usually you don't need it)
-Slowness in many simple operations
-No overclock

and many others...

If you want to boost your phone's performances,you should flash a custom ROM which has these privileges:

-Support from the community and the developers
-A lot of free space and RAM,due to the clean up from all the bloatware
-Increase of speed
-OverClock in almost all the ROMs
-Root and busybox already included

And many many others


Now,let's see how to install a custom ROM on the phone:


Custom ROMs are always in "update.zip" format. So just follow these brief steps:

1- Download the .zip file and put it on your SD card
2- Go into Malez Recovery
3- Go in "Wipe Menu" and perform a "Wipe ALL"----> this will erase all your data
4- Return to main menu and go under the "Flash/Test Menu"
5- Select "Flash zip from SDcard"
6- Select your .zip file and press Home button to start flashing process
7- Once finished,reboot your device and enjoy

Notes:

1-If an error appears when you select the zip,try to use "Flash zip from Sdcard (no sign check)"
2-The flashing process will erase all your data,be aware of this


4.1- How to flash a .bin file


As requested from many users of this forum, i'll post a clear and brief guide about flashing bins on our beloved devices. So, lets start with the first step!

1- Download this tool: Acer A1 DL TOOL
and the drivers from Acer's support site , then install them;
2- Extract the zip file into Desktop
3- Move the .bin file in the ACER_A1_Bin subfolder placed into A1_DL_Tool_[Intra][Single]_v3.100_20091027 folder
4- Connect your phone (it must be turned ON) to your PC
5- Run the “ACER Download Tool [Single] executable (If you're using Vista/7 you must run it in compatibility mode,with administrator privileges)
6- Click the BROWSE button and search for the .bin file you previously put into ACER_A1_Bin folder
7- If you're not using .bin files provided by Acer, you may incurr in the INCORRECT MD5 alert. Just don't care about it and proceed to the following step.
8- Click START, and remember, DO NOT stop the flashing process, DO NOT unplug your device, or you'll have a very expensive and NOT WORKING piece of plastic and steel on your desk.

Hope this will be useful!





What does the name of a .bin file means?

We can divide the name of a .bin file into 3 parts:

Take 4.003.14_AAP_FET as an example.

Part 1: 4.003.14,that means the version number of the ROM
Part2: AAP. It stands for the region the bin is intended for. So: AAP= Asia/Pacific, EMEA= Europe,etc. This also will affect languages included.
Part3: Optional, Development code. GEN1/GEN2/CUS1, it doesn't make any difference.
Part4: FET. It stands for the telecom company code. For example, FET is a taiwanese company, VFIT is Vodafone Italy,ROGERS/FIDO stands for the two Canadian operators,etc.. Also this is optional.


Dario93

Edited by Dario93, 03 June 2011 - 06:01 PM.

[Dario93]

5- What to do if Acer Tool's Flashing process stops

In some situations Acer Tool will stop the flashing process while your phone is connected to your PC.

Usually people make the wrong decisions,they don't relax and this results in a bricked device.

So when your phone reboots into flash mode and if your connection to the phone for some reason stops during the flash:
DONT PANIC!

Simply remove the usb cable and reinsert it, the Acer Flash tool will automatically reconnect to the device the phone and continue the flashing.

So: DO NOT TURN OF THE PHONE, REMOVE BATTERY, TRY TO RESTART OR CLOSE THE FLASH TOOL

If you for some reason choose to do this even when I made this thread, you're on your own.

Ps. The reason for the usb disconnection during flash is due to a bad usb hub and that Acer Flash tool isnt the best.

GUIDE FROM BENAHAM


6- APPS2SD,TouchScreen sensitivity,Various issues of the Liquid/E

First of all we need to make a comparison between the two types of APPS2SD.

Froyo and + apps2sd = This is a feature that came with android 2.2 and allows to move your apps to a system folder placed in the SD card. This method has a big disadvantage : not all apps can be moved to SD and some of them Force Close.

Old APPS2SD : This method is the best in terms of stability and performance. It allows to move your apps to an ext2 or ext3 partition of your SD card. Here a little HOW-TO :

-First of all you need a kernel that supports the ext2/ext3 file system. Stock Acer roms are not suitable.
-You need also malez recovery if you want to create the partition directly from your phone.
-Go into recovery and create an ext2 partition, choose your preferred size. THIS WILL ERASE ALL YOUR SD DATA
-Then select the "Move apps to ext2 partition" option
-Reboot and everything should be fine
-If not go back in recovery and move your apps back to phone, then ask in this thread for help


6.1- Touchscreen sensitivity issues/solutions

By default,the Liquid's screen sensitivity is set to a pretty low value,so scrolling menus/web pages or playing some games might result a bit difficult.
Since the Eclair bins,a solution for this was found,and more recently, an app was developed for that.

The trick consists in changing touchscreen's sensitivity and noise values with a script,and this can improve very much the screen's responsiveness. However,there's a problem with this hack. Liquid's screen quality is quite bad,and this will cause random touches on your device,if you increase too much sensitivity values. Random touches that can last for 2-3 minutes,and I assure that is quite annoying,especially when SMS start to auto send with random words inside or webpages continously zoom in and zoom out.

However,you can try to set your preferred sensitivity value using Liquid Settings V1.9.1 app,that can be found on the forum




6.2- Addons/Hacks/Mods for the Acer Liquid







7- Key Combinations


To enter in recovery mode : Camera + Volume down + Power button
Bootloader:
To format DATA and CACHE partitions : Both the volume buttons + Power button



8- How to port a ROM for the Liquid

Hey guys,I decided to write this little and simple guide for you to help you experimenting the "simplest" part of the work of a developer,the porting. Porting consists of making a ROM designed for another device (e.g Nexus One,Desire,ecc.) run on Liquid. It's not so easy but if you follow this steps you'll be ready for a first boot:

1- Unzip the ROM you want to port
2- Unzip a Liquid ROM, I suggest MIUI
3- In the other ROM you have to replace/add these files (take them from MIUI):

boot.img in the root folder
in system/bin ---> the 3 "yamaha" files
in system/etc ---> the entire "wifi" folder,
in system/etc/firmware ---> the yamato.xxx files
in system/etc ---> vold.conf and/or vold.fstab
in system/lib ---> libaudio.so,libms3c.so,libsensor_yamaha.so
in system/lib/egl ---> all the adreno files and the egl.cfg file
in system/lib/hw ---> all the files
in system/usr ---> "keychars" and "keylayout" folders

in the build.prop file placed in /system you have to replace these lines:


from ro.product.board=x to ro.product.board=salsa

from ro.board.platform=x to ro.board.platform=qsd8k

and add the ro.hw_version=1

This should be fine for a first boot


Enjoy!


9- How to compile Liquid kernel with Acer/Choco sources



Thanks to ritchen who made a similar guide some days ago, I'll post here a little (but very useful) tutorial that will explain how to compile a kernel for the Acer Liquid. Follow these steps:



1. Prepare a Linux machine,also a VM should be ok,I suggest Ubuntu (32 bit advised!!)
2. Download acer's kernel source from acer's website --->  DOWNLOAD
3. Download toolchain from codesourcery --->  DOWNLOAD
4. Extract kernel source to a folder and rename it KERNEL
5. Extract toolchain to a folder and rename it TOOLCHAIN  ( note that these names are at your choice,these two are only default names)
5. Copy /arch/arm/configs/acer-q8k-al-dvt_defconfig to KERNEL and rename it  .config
6. Copy acer_kernel_patch.txt to KERNEL and rename it acer_kernel_patch (without any extension)
7. Patch the kernel ,typing in terminal:   patch -p0 < acer_kernel_patch
8. Build source; Just type in terminal:   make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=~/TOOLCHAIN/bin/arm-none-linux-gnueabi-
9. Add everything you like to the kernel,it's vanilla!


If you want to compile the chocolate kernel,the procedure is very similar,but you must skip the steps: 5,6,7

Edited by Dario93, 14 April 2011 - 06:51 PM.

[Rufy93]

Nice initiative!

[parithosh93]

could u add using modules,themes,swap and apps2sd ? It wuld be really helpful

[Dario93]

Rufy93, on Feb 20 2011, 13:48, said:

Nice initiative!

Thanks

parithosh93, on Feb 20 2011, 13:55, said:

could u add using modules,themes,swap and apps2sd ? It wuld be really helpful

Yeah,more sections will come soon,also key combinations

[Edward.W]

this is a "must read" thread for new comers!

[Dario93]

Guys,this thread is not complete yet,I will finish it in max 2 days

If you have suggestions about new sections to be added,let me know

[am5a03]

good job dude!

[HustlinDaily]

Well done Dario as always.

You should look into adding a reference section in which you can include the hardware button combinations, setting up/using ADB.

Else, everything looks great.

[Winston Ma]

Dario93, on Feb 20 2011, 23:30, said:

Guys,this thread is not complete yet,I will finish it in max 2 days

If you have suggestions about new sections to be added,let me know

Is it possible to "pin" this post? ? Thanks

[Koki1337]

Great! Don't mind contributing to this though
Should have gotten a new section for "Known Problems" like the touch screen =\
Unbricking a Liquid??

[Dario93]

am5a03, on Feb 20 2011, 17:03, said:

good job dude!

Thanks mate!

HustlinDaily, on Feb 20 2011, 17:24, said:

Well done Dario as always.

You should look into adding a reference section in which you can include the hardware button combinations, setting up/using ADB.

Else, everything looks great.

Thanks! Yeah,sure!

Winston Ma, on Feb 20 2011, 17:30, said:

Is it possible to "pin" this post? ? Thanks

Yeah,that would be a good idea,I should ask to moderators

[andoyanna]

This is great a very very useful thread!

Thanks a lot!

[ivangundampc]

WoW!This post is best for newbie!Thanks Dario93!

[Dario93]

andoyanna, on Feb 21 2011, 01:58, said:

This is great a very very useful thread!

Thanks a lot!

ivangundampc, on Feb 21 2011, 04:12, said:

WoW!This post is best for newbie!Thanks Dario93!

Thanks to you guys!

[famiddi]

Very useful discussion