[Android Software/Hacking General [Developers Only]] Mjergen:
that makes perfect sense, efharisto good sir ;)

I'm somewhat of an advanced-noob person -- I don't have problems fiddling with files and recovering from my mistakes, but when something's implicit (as pulling the framework files), that's when my brain starts to FC :)

--- EDIT ---

alright, it decompiled ! now it seems the problem lies in the recompiling :

|p* 02.12.2011 -- 13:07:11,05|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
java version "1.6.0_29"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_29-b11)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 20.4-b02, mixed mode, sharing)
adb nenˇ n*zvem vnitýnˇho ani vnŘjçˇho pýˇkazu,
spustiteln‚ho programu nebo d*vkov‚ho souboru.
Nelze najˇt M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\place-apk-here-for-modding\../place-apk-here-for-modding/signedSystemUI.apk.
Nelze najˇt M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\place-apk-here-for-modding\../place-apk-here-for-modding/unsignedSystemUI.apk.
I: Baksmaling...
I: Loading resource table...
I: Decoding resources...
I: Loading resource table from file: C:\Users\PROMOTHERM\apktool\framework\1.apk
I: Copying assets and libs...
I: Checking whether sources has changed...
I: Smaling...
I: Checking whether resources has changed...
I: Building resources...
W/ResourceType( 5884): Unable to get buffer of resource asset file
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:3: error: Error retrieving parent for item: No resource found that matches the given name '@android:style/TextAppearance.StatusBar'.
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:4: error: Error: No resource found that matches the given name: attr 'android:textAppearance'.
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:6: error: Error: No resource found that matches the given name: attr 'android:textColor'.
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:5: error: Error: No resource found that matches the given name: attr 'android:textStyle'.
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:8: error: Error retrieving parent for item: No resource found that matches the given name '@android:style/TextAppearance.Large'.
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:9: error: Error: No resource found that matches the given name: attr 'android:textColor'.
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:11: error: Error retrieving parent for item: No resource found that matches the given name '@android:style/Widget.Button'.
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:14: error: Error: No resource found that matches the given name: attr 'android:background'.
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:13: error: Error: No resource found that matches the given name: attr 'android:textColor'.
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:12: error: Error: No resource found that matches the given name: attr 'android:textSize'.
M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res\values\styles.xml:16: error: Error retrieving parent for item: No resource found that matches the given name '@android:style/TextAppearance.StatusBar'.
Exception in thread "main" brut.androlib.AndrolibException: brut.common.BrutException: could not exec command: [aapt, p, -F, C:\Users\PROMOT~1\AppData\Local\Temp\APKTOOL1867850949983348058.tmp, -I, C:\Users\PROMOTHERM\apktool\framework\1.apk, -S, M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res, -M, M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\AndroidManifest.xml]
at brut.androlib.res.AndrolibResources.aaptPackage(Unknown Source)
at brut.androlib.Androlib.buildResourcesFull(Unknown Source)
at brut.androlib.Androlib.buildResources(Unknown Source)
at brut.androlib.Androlib.build(Unknown Source)
at brut.androlib.Androlib.build(Unknown Source)
at brut.apktool.Main.cmdBuild(Unknown Source)
at brut.apktool.Main.main(Unknown Source)
Caused by: brut.common.BrutException: could not exec command: [aapt, p, -F, C:\Users\PROMOT~1\AppData\Local\Temp\APKTOOL1867850949983348058.tmp, -I, C:\Users\PROMOTHERM\apktool\framework\1.apk, -S, M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\res, -M, M:\FICHIERS RECUS\apk_manager_4.9\other\..\projects\SystemUI.apk\AndroidManifest.xml]
at brut.util.OS.exec(Unknown Source)
... 7 more

i pulled framework-res.apk from the phone, copied it to C:\Users\(username)\apktool\framework and renamed it 1.apk since it's the filename apktool is looking for, and i got the above log when recompiling

any ideas before i go jump off a cliff... ? :D