Upgrading to 2.1 Tutorial

[Matlock]

Well damn. That sucks. At least you have a 2.1! Have fun with it!

 

[RnR]

I know this is an old thread, so sorry to do a bump of it, but the info here just got my dead Eris to rise from the dead....litterally!! So thanks to whomever might still be around that kept the download links live!!!!

 

[beardad]

Hello. After swearing I'd never get a smartphone, I decided to take the plunge when I came across a Droid Eris for a good price on eBay. When I got it, however, I discovered that it's still got a firmware version of 1.5. I have found several "how to upgrade eris to 2.1" sites around the Net, but none of them have valid links! I'm also interested in rooting it, not because I'm a super techy guy but because I've read that's the only way to allow for wifi tethering without using bluetooth.

So my question: should I upgrade to 2.1 before rooting, and if so then where can I find an upgrade file?

 

[doogald]

Hello. After swearing I'd never get a smartphone, I decided to take the plunge when I came across a Droid Eris for a good price on eBay. When I got it, however, I discovered that it's still got a firmware version of 1.5. I have found several "how to upgrade eris to 2.1" sites around the Net, but none of them have valid links! I'm also interested in rooting it, not because I'm a super techy guy but because I've read that's the only way to allow for wifi tethering without using bluetooth.

So my question: should I upgrade to 2.1 before rooting, and if so then where can I find an upgrade file?

I would upgrade to 2.1 before rooting, yes. A bit later today I will post some links and instructions to get you there. It should be sometime late this afternoon or this evening.

 

[beardad]

Thanks! I hope your links have actual files on the end! I have been scouring the Net for a manual upgrade, but every site I find that provides a link sends me to one of two sites, a Google 404 message or an FBI "this site is naughty" message. I did finally find two that appeared to be legit, but both ended up being minor 1.5 updates... I think. Here's my phone info:

Firmware version: 1.5
Baseband version: 2.32.40.11.09
Kernel version: 2.6.27-c77ff39d
Build number: 1.17.605.1 CL104882 release-keys
Software version: 1.17.605.1

 

[doogald]

Thanks! I hope your links have actual files on the end! I have been scouring the Net for a manual upgrade, but every site I find that provides a link sends me to one of two sites, a Google 404 message or an FBI "this site is naughty" message. I did finally find two that appeared to be legit, but both ended up being minor 1.5 updates... I think. Here's my phone info:

Firmware version: 1.5
Baseband version: 2.32.40.11.09
Kernel version: 2.6.27-c77ff39d
Build number: 1.17.605.1 CL104882 release-keys
Software version: 1.17.605.1

Ok, I have changed my mind about the order. I hope that you do not mind some work, but I have prepared a list of lots of things to do in order to do this right and give you the most flexibility going forward. Give me about 10 minutes to find the post where I detailed all of this...

But, the method will be:

- flash the root ROM using PB00IMG.ZIP on the SD card, which will give you something called the engineering bootloader (or, the S-OFF bootloader)
- install Scary Alien's version of Amon_RA recovery
- flash a ROM called Flashback_21v2, which will unroot the phone, but, most importantly, will install the latest version of the radio software
- re-root using JCase's one-click, or Erisuser1's method for dummies

And then you will have a rooted 2.1!

 

[doogald]

Ok, these are the basic steps. I will try to flesh it out a bit over the next day. Sorry to leave you hanging so long...

Anyway, steps would be:

- important: fully charge the phone's battery!
- install root ROM ROM PB00IMG.zip
- reroot the phone
- install Flashback_21v2 with radio to go back to stock, but update the radio as well
- reroot again


A link to the root ROM PB00IMG.zip is here: ROOT ROM. (Well, look at that link, though the PB00IMG.ZIP files are actually here: Shipped ROMs )

So, you are going to download the root ROM PB00IMG.zip file (which will be called Eris_RootROM_v2.19.605.1_PB00IMG.zip). You need to rename that file to PB00IMG.zip and copy it to the SD card (that's zero-zero, not two letter o). In other words, delete all of the stuff at the start of the file name so that only PB00IMG.ZIP remains.

When you have renamed the file and copied it to the SD card, restart the phone in HBOOT mode (which you do by holding VolDn while starting the phone) and it should walk you through installing the image. Erisuser1 created a useful photo walkthrough of this process; it is here: Visual Example: The PB00IMG.ZIP update method - Android Forums

When the phone restarts you will have an experimental (though rooted) version of 2.1. I wouldn't use this as the default build if I were you, though. After you get that set up and running, connect the phone to your computer and delete the PB00IMG.zip file (or rename it, or install a file manager app from the Play Store/Market such as Astro File Manager to do so on the phone.) You want to make sure that it doesn't run the PB00IMG.zip file again if you restart in HBOOT mode (which you will not normally do, but we like to be careful...)

To get Scary Alien's custom Recovery back on, you can get it here, with instructions: Amon_RA 1.6.2 Custom Recovery: trackball not required! - Android Forums - look toward the bottom of that post - ScaryAlien has a link to a version of jcase's 1-click app. This is probably the easiest way to root and install the custom recovery. In order to install that file, you will need to go into (from home) settings-> applications and allow unknown sources. Then install Astro File Manager from the market, find and tap the 1-click root app. Run the 1-click root app. Turn off the phone. Turn it back on again. Now, you can turn it back off and restart while holding VolUp to start the custom Recovery.

Flashback_21v2 is here: [ROM][03/06/2011]FlashBack21 v2 -Return to Factory Stock - March 2011 OTA - xda-developers - read the part after the red headline about flashing the radio. Make sure you get the radio version, not the noradio version - that's the only reason you do this step.

Copy that file FlashBack21_v2.zip to your SD card.
Start the phone in custom Recovery (hold VolUp while booting up until you see the menu).
Go to the "Wipe" menu
Wipe data/factory reset
Wipe Dalvik cache
Go back to the main menu
Flash a zip file from SD card
Choose FlashBack21_v2.zip
Reboot using the menu option to restart the phone

As detailed in the Flashback link above, "You will see two successive splash screens that you do not normally see when using Amon_RA - these indicate that the factory recovery boot is performing the radio flashing operation. Do not interrupt - the phone will reboot on it is own when this step completes."

Then reroot using JCase's 1-click app with the same method as above (do not forget the settings->applications->allow unknown sources.) Again, run the 1-click app. Shut down the phone. Turn the phone on. Shut down the phone again. When you restart, you will be rooted.

I would install the ROM xtrSENSE5.0.1 if I were you, which is faster than stock, allows more apps and data, and has the wireless tether app built in. Let me know if you want instructions for that.

 

[beardad]

Wow Dude! You went to a lot of work here! I kind-of feel bad now, because I followed Scary Alien's advice and just did the "for dummies" method, putting the xtrSense ROM on when I was done. Everything went well, and so far I extremely happy with the outcome. But you went to so much work here I'm tempted to follow your steps as well, just so you won't have wasted your time! Also, your method gets me a radio!

One question: You suggest using the xtrSENSE ROM; won't doing so lose the radio? I guess I'm a bit fuzzy on loading/switching ROMs; it seems like I would lose Apps, data, etc.

 

[doogald]

Wow Dude! You went to a lot of work here! I kind-of feel bad now, because I followed Scary Alien's advice and just did the "for dummies" method, putting the xtrSense ROM on when I was done. Everything went well, and so far I extremely happy with the outcome. But you went to so much work here I'm tempted to follow your steps as well, just so you won't have wasted your time! Also, your method gets me a radio!

One question: You suggest using the xtrSENSE ROM; won't doing so lose the radio? I guess I'm a bit fuzzy on loading/switching ROMs; it seems like I would lose Apps, data, etc.

Don't bother yourself with my method - the S-OFF bootloader is a handy thing to have, but hardly necessary.

Flashing almost every ROM that you can find will not update the radio, so there is no worry there. You don't really need to flash the Flashback_21v2 ROM to get the new radio, but that is one way to get it.

Before you do anything else, go into (from home) settings->about phone. It may be here, it may be in "software information", but try to find "Baseband version". If it is not 2.42.01.04.27, then you can use either of the following two methods (most likely the second one ) to get the updated radio.

But, what you can do is this:

- charge the battery
- copy Flashback_21v2 onto the SD card
- start in custom Recovery. Go to Backup/Restore and choose Nand backup
- go back to the main menu
- Flash the Flashback following the instructions above
- after restarting and setting up again, re-root the phone to get Amon_RA recovery onto the phone
- restart in Recovery, go to Backup/Restore, and Nand restore what you backed up above.

And you'll be right where you were at the time of the backup, with xtrSENSE, with the new radio.


----- OR ------

- download the 2.42.01.04.27 radio file from my Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/s/flcto6c4pvxj822/2.42.01.04.27.zip
- copy to the SD card
- restart in Recovery
- do a Nand backup (just in case...)
- flash the file as you would a ROM
- use the menu to reboot the phone
- I believe that it restarts to Recovery and has a message at the bottom saying "formatting cache....". Give it a minute after you see the menu, then use the menu to restart the phone

It should restart xtrSENSE, just as you had it, with the new radio (check the settings->about phone->software information).

 

[beardad]

All set. I did the second method, and everything worked great. I gave the "formatting cache..." message a good five minutes before rebooting, just to be sure it wasn't going to say "done" or something. Anyhow, the baseband is now 2.42.01.04.27 (it was 2.3xxxx).

Now for the really stupid question: what does this do for me? Radio apps use the data connection, do they not?

 

[doogald]

All set. I did the second method,

I figured you would.

and everything worked great.

Glad to hear it.

Now for the really stupid question: what does this do for me? Radio apps use the data connection, do they not?

The baseband controls all of the radios in the phone - voice and data to Verizon, WiFi, and I believe Bluetooth as well. There was never really a lot of detail from HTC or Verizon over what improvements were included in the new basebands, but the phone's radios should be more stable/use less power/hold a signal better/something like that.

 

[beardad]

Cool. I didn't know if it had to do with radios like listening radios, or radios as a generic term for signals, transmission, etc. Apparently the latter. Again, thanks for all your help. I suppose if nothing else I've bumped this thread to the top again; maybe someone else can benefit from your generosity as well!

 

[doogald]

Wow Dude! You went to a lot of work here! I kind-of feel bad now...

By the way, I should have answered this. Please do not feel bad - what I listed above may end up helping somebody else down the line. Of course, the Eris is now almost three years old, so maybe not...