[Guide] Flashing firmware to Blade/Libra via windows

[Guest unrandomsam]

yeah, but the data partition (which is shown under Settings -> 'SD card & phone storage') is supposed to be 315mb with wbaw’s Gen2 v4 updater. Am i right?

dalvik-cache uses quite a bit of space

(This can be solved by odexing your stuff in /system its has to be done on the phone which makes it a pita but the end result is worth it).

[Guest shadowninty]

Fanastic. i had Windozed to Gen2 so had no TPT safety net, ran this than TPT'd Wbaw's v7b.

Thank You ;)

[Guest tox!c]

Hello all.

I ran in troubles when flashing my blade.

I used virtual box running a windows XP host. All was OK (device recognized in DFU mode, drivers installed, start button was clickable etc), but when ratio was at 11/100 , I don't know why but it stopped. Start button was not clickable anymore and my blade was not appearing in the device manager. FTM letters were still in the screen, blade didn't reboot and didn't suffer damages (I thought)

After that, I connected it to my win xp laptop and flashed correctly

Any1 tried vbox with better consequences??

Thanks in advance

[Guest hedgepigdaniel]

Hello all.

I ran in troubles when flashing my blade.

I used virtual box running a windows XP host. All was OK (device recognized in DFU mode, drivers installed, start button was clickable etc), but when ratio was at 11/100 , I don't know why but it stopped. Start button was not clickable anymore and my blade was not appearing in the device manager. FTM letters were still in the screen, blade didn't reboot and didn't suffer damages (I thought)

After that, I connected it to my win xp laptop and flashed correctly

Any1 tried vbox with better consequences??

Thanks in advance

It probably didn't work because all sorts of low level hardware drivers don't work properly through VM. You are lucky not to have a brick. Doing this from a VM is an awful, awful idea. Don't try it again.

[Guest tox!c]

Hello all again. I've a new question.

I entered today recovery mode for the first time since I restored a backup after the flash was done and clockwork mode was 4.00 (That's version I installed in recovery partition after the flash) but the clockwork version in the backup (recovery.img ) was 3.0.2.8 =S

Another one. Does this flash de SPL? Kernel in the boot uses the partition table, but i've restored my boot image too. Explanations are welcome

The last question. I changed my 2gb sd memory to a 8gb and i was unable to restore the sd ext backup (phone never fished booting)

Thanks in advance

Edited June 21, 2011 by tox!c

[Guest hedgepigdaniel]

Hello all again. I've a new question.

I entered today recovery mode for the first time since I restored a backup after the flash was done and clockwork mode was 4.00 (That's version I installed in recovery partition after the flash) but the clockwork version in the backup (recovery.img ) was 3.0.2.8 =S

Another one. Does this flash de SPL? Kernel in the boot uses the partition table, but i've restored my boot image too. Explanations are welcome

The last question. I changed my 2gb sd memory to a 8gb and i was unable to restore the sd ext backup (phone never fished booting)

Thanks in advance

Not sure about clockwork - it sounds like restoring the backup didn't affect the recovery partition. You can easily fix that up by flashing clockworkmod 4 again.

What is the SPL? This method flashes everything. The entire firmware and all the partitions are flashed (system data and cache get flashed with a blank image, recovery gets stock, and boot gets clockworkmod). The only thing that is maintained is a subset of the NV memory (IMEI etc), and only because the flasher automatically backs it up in channel1.nvm and restores it after the flash.

Did you repartition your new SD card? you wont be able to restore SD-ext until you've set up the partitions on your new card. You can do this from clockworkmod. I've found clockworkmod to be a little problematic with sd-ext backups besides that though.

[Guest Len Ash]

Fanastic. i had Windozed to Gen2 so had no TPT safety net, ran this than TPT'd Wbaw's v7b.

Thank You :)

What did you do exactly? As in "this"?

[Guest hedgepigdaniel]

What did you do exactly? As in "this"?

Just flash the custom packages 7/7b. They contain the same firmware as wbaw's TPTs. Your phone ends up the same, minus wbaw's splash images.

[Guest Len Ash]

Just flash the custom packages 7/7b. They contain the same firmware as wbaw's TPTs. Your phone ends up the same, minus wbaw's splash images.

Yo - I was trying to establish if the poster had taken a previously Windows converted G1>G2 phone and subsequently TPT updated it... I'm trying to work out if I need to go the G2>G1 route and then TPT update. I want to mod the partitions (already done on other phones NOT Windoes updated previously) if that makes sense!

[Guest hedgepigdaniel]

Yo - I was trying to establish if the poster had taken a previously Windows converted G1>G2 phone and subsequently TPT updated it... I'm trying to work out if I need to go the G2>G1 route and then TPT update. I want to mod the partitions (already done on other phones NOT Windoes updated previously) if that makes sense!

You do not need two steps.

Everytime you flash firmware, whether its via windows or TPT, your phone is repartitioned. If you flash firmware that allows TPT then you can use TPT afterwards, but you do not need to go back to Gen1 and then to a TPT, unless there isn't a windows package with the same firmware that is in the TPT. If you want to flash wbaw's TPTs, then you can do it in one step by flashing the custom v7/v7b packages. You will end up with whatever partition layout that was in the last firmware you flashed.

[Guest Len Ash]

You do not need two steps.

Everytime you flash firmware, whether its via windows or TPT, your phone is repartitioned. If you flash firmware that allows TPT then you can use TPT afterwards, but you do not need to go back to Gen1 and then to a TPT, unless there isn't a windows package with the same firmware that is in the TPT. If you want to flash wbaw's TPTs, then you can do it in one step by flashing the custom v7/v7b packages. You will end up with whatever partition layout that was in the last firmware you flashed.

I use TPT for raw G1 phones, and repartition to my own needs. No problem there. But....

I have a client's G1>G2 phone he converted to G2 via hecatae's Windows method, but with partitions he cannot use. So, he has asked me to repartition, which I can do with the TPT method. Question is, can I simply use TPT v7 (and my partitions - already done) on his phone...

[Guest hedgepigdaniel]

I use TPT for raw G1 phones, and repartition to my own needs. No problem there. But....

I have a client's G1>G2 phone he converted to G2 via hecatae's Windows method, but with partitions he cannot use. So, he has asked me to repartition, which I can do with the TPT method. Question is, can I simply use TPT v7 (and my partitions - already done) on his phone...

when you say partitions

Oh I see.

If you want to create your own partition layout you ill have to modify firmware yourself (appsboot.mbn and partition_zte.mbn). You should be very careful doing it to wbaw's firmware since they employ a few hacks.

If you want to do that then you can do it as a TPT after flashing any of the packages in this guide that support TPT. that means either custom or Gen1.

You can also change the files in the windows package for your partition layout and do it in one step with windows, but its probably a bit more risky, since if you make a mistake you can lose your IMEI.

in summary: Gen2 -> custom/gen1 firmware package -> your own TPT with a custom partition layout

Is this what you mean?

[Guest Len Ash]

when you say partitions

Oh I see.

If you want to create your own partition layout you ill have to modify firmware yourself (appsboot.mbn and partition_zte.mbn). You should be very careful doing it to wbaw's firmware since they employ a few hacks.

If you want to do that then you can do it as a TPT after flashing any of the packages in this guide that support TPT. that means either custom or Gen1.

You can also change the files in the windows package for your partition layout and do it in one step with windows, but its probably a bit more risky, since if you make a mistake you can lose your IMEI.

in summary: Gen2 -> custom/gen1 firmware package -> your own TPT with a custom partition layout

Is this what you mean?

Yep, that's it. Changing partitions in TPT is not a problem, already done many times, easy peasy. Changing via Windows method is not something I'm contemplating!

EDIT: All done and good - cheers.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Len Ash

[Guest adizz]

I followed the guide and my phone still shows 420MB of RAM, it showed 420MB out of the box(gen2).

How do I unlock the additional 92MB of RAM?

[Guest hedgepigdaniel]

I followed the guide and my phone still shows 420MB of RAM, it showed 420MB out of the box(gen2).

How do I unlock the additional 92MB of RAM?

If it shows 420 then you have the full 512. Some of it is used by the system at lower level than android. You've got all the RAM you can get.

[Guest ufizo]

This thread helped me today!

Thanks :)

Works with DELL XCD35. confirmed.

[Guest k0zmic]

Just carried out, excellent guide and it worked very well.

I'm glad I'm not bound to the Windows flasher any longer.

Thanks :).

[Guest Vvorth]

Is there any news about unlocking RAM on Chinese ZTE-U V-880?

[Guest hedgepigdaniel]

Is there any news about unlocking RAM on Chinese ZTE-U V-880?

I don't think there is any extra RAM to be unlocked - the v-880 is physically different from the European Blade

[Guest Vvorth]

I don't think there is any extra RAM to be unlocked - the v-880 is physically different from the European Blade

Any idea how to check or find this out for sure?

[Guest hedgepigdaniel]

Any idea how to check or find this out for sure?

you can disassemble it and look up all the chip numbers? apart from that I don't know. All I know is if you flash European firmware to a v880 it becomes unbootable.

[Guest Vvorth]

you can disassemble it and look up all the chip numbers? apart from that I don't know. All I know is if you flash European firmware to a v880 it becomes unbootable.

OK. Anyway, I was going to disassemble it to clean dust from the screen. So I'll try to save all markings from chips.

[Guest hedgepigdaniel]

OK. Anyway, I was going to disassemble it to clean dust from the screen. So I'll try to save all markings from chips.

I'm sure other Chinese users would appreciate it if you posted pictures and stuff.

[Guest primo007]

Can you make firmware packages from wbaw's v8 TPTs? Thanks!

[Guest hedgepigdaniel]

Can you make firmware packages from wbaw's v8 TPTs? Thanks!

I will at some point, in the meantime you can just install v7 and then TPT to v8.