[Droid Incredible Android Development] jaykresge:
How to customize Liberation BEFORE you flash:

Materials

Windows - 7-ZIP

Linux - nothing

Mac OS X - nothing (note, I have not done this on Mac OS X, so I cannot support this OS)

Steps

Download the above mentioned file(s) for Windows. You can use a different archive manager if you'd like, but my guide is based on using 7-ZIP.

On your desktop, create a folder named "Test." You can name it whatever you want, but I'll be referring to it as "Test" in this guide. If you are new at this, you need to follow the guide to the letter.

Find your downloaded ROM and extract it to the Test folder. The easiest way to do this on Windows is to open the ROM, highlight all of the folders/files (CTRL-A), copy (CTRL-C), then open the Test folder and paste (CTRL-V). Give it a minute to extract the contents.

Once you complete step three, modify the ROM to your hearts content (see details below). Once complete, proceed to step five.

Open the Test folder and highlight everything (CTRL-A). Right click and select "Add to Archive." This will open 7-ZIP's archive manager. On Linux or Mac OS X, just right-click (or equivalent) and select "Compress."

In the options menu that comes up, leave everything at default except the following. The filename should be Test.zip (change Test to whatever you want). Archive format should be zip. Compression level should be ultra. That's it.

Once done, you can copy this zip to your SD card and flash as normal. Keep in mind that I am not responsible for any changes that you made in this ROM, so make sure you Nandroid BEFORE you flash.

Specific Modifications (using the above instructions):

Ringtones - While the ROM is unzipped, open the test folder and look for /system/media/audio. Within this folder you'll see several more folders (Ringtones, Alarms, Notifications). Any should files you put here will show up in the system when you go to change your ringtone (or whatever corresponds to the folder). The benefits to this modification include; no storage space used up in internal, phone, or SD storage; ringtone works even if SD is USB mounted, no errors when the SD card corrupts or is in use. The ringtones (alarms/notifications) are stored in a partition that does NOT count towards your file storage :)

Replacement "stock" applications - If you use a differnent web browser (like Dolphin HD or Firefox), or a different SMS/MMS program (like Handcent or Chomp), then it is recommended that you remove the stock applications before flashing. This prevents conflicts, slowdown, memory usage, and the annoying popup where you have to constantly re-choose your default application. In these examples, you are looking for /system/app/browser.apk and mms.apk.

Add/Remove apps you don't want - Navigate to /system/app, and remove any APK files that you don't want. If you don't know what app it is, do NOT remove it

Modify Bootup Animation/Sound - Navigate to the /system/customize/resource/ folder. In there, you will see two files; VZW_bootanimation.zip an VZW_Droid.mp3. These files are the bootup animation and "Droid" noise. Simply delete the MP3 if you want a silent bootup. It really is that easy. Replace the ZIP File with another zipped animation (must give it the same name) to replace the animation with one of your own. NOTE: Make sure you verify compatibility. If unsure, don't do it.