[Defy General] sumeshpremraj:
This is an FAQ/tips/troubleshooting thread for the CM9 ICS AOSP ROM being developed by epsylon and quarx. Many thanks to the devs for spending time and effort to bring us ICS goodness. Defy devs totally rock, we have a stable working ROM within weeks of the drop. If you can, donate a few bucks to the devs for their work and to encourage them (donate links and details at the end of this post).

Do not post bug reports here - use this thread for it instead.

GUIDELINES:

Know fully well what you are doing: this is a pre-alpha ROM, very early, and does not include much of device-specific optimizations. It might be buggy, battery life might not be great, there may be broken apps and random force-closes. If you are comfortable (or excited to) handle all the above, proceed. Else, wait for a more stable beta or RC version of ICS before trying it out.

Start with a full battery charge.

Some things might be referred to, without being given proper explanation. I expect that you know them already. If not, use either XDA search bar on top or use Google. This is because including explanations for everything will make this FAQ lengthy and less readable.

If you are completely new to custom ROMs, rooting etc, read up and educate yourselves(I did 3-4 days of reading before I even got my Defy!) well so you don't make costly mistakes. Links are provided at the end of the post.

And of course, the standard disclaimer applies: the ROM developers, me and others on this thread are not responsible if you brick or damage your phone. All steps will be posted after personally testing, though, so if you follow them properly, you will be fine.

STEPS TO INSTALL ICS/CM9:

Prerequisites: Defy, rooted and with 2nd init installed.

Backup your apps using Titanium Backup, Root Explorer, Astro File Manager or similar (to restore to the ICS ROM you will flash).

Get the latest CM9 zip file (links at the end of this post).

Copy into your SD card.

Disable USB debugging.

Reboot into recovery (switch on the phone and hit volume - button when the LED turns blue; CM7 and similar custom ROM users can press and hold power, select recovery).

Make a backup of your current ROM.

Do a factory reset/wipe data, then install the CM9 zip file.

Immediately after, flash this 2.3 kernel zip.

Flash GApps zip file.

Clear Dalvik Cache (this is IMPORTANT!).

Reboot. It takes some time for Dalvik Cache to be built, be patient.

While it is possible to flash CM9 on top of CM7, many users have reported hangups and slowdowns. Also, this is a pre-alpha (very early!) build, so do not take any chances, do a fresh install.

STEPS TO UPDATE ICS NIGHTLY:

If you flashed CM9 already, and want to update to a newer nightly (which comes out almost daily), follow these steps:

Download and copy the CM9 zip file to your SD card.

Ensure that USB debugging is disabled.

Reboot and enter recovery.

Wipe cache(NOT wipe data/factory reset).

Go to advanced > wipe dalvik cache.

Install the CM9 zip file in your SD card.

Reboot.

Note: Some newer nightlies might be less stable than the previous one, for example, I found 08/12 to be more stable than 09/12, and had to go back to 09/12. Keep this in mind when updating.

FAQ:

Q: I installed 08/12 build(or newer), but it gets stuck at the CM boot logo. What do I do?

07/12 contains the required 2.3 kernel. 08/12 and newer do not. If you have installed 08/12 or newer, enter recovery and flash the 2.3 kernel, then reboot. This applies only to Defy owners; Defy+ owners already have 2.3 stock ROM and kernel, so they do not need to apply the kernel.

In fact, the kernel zip for Defy owners is the kernel from Defy+.

Q: I installed ICS. How do I go back to stock 2.2/2.3 OR CM7 or other custom ROM?

Use either a full sbf of stock rom (flash with rsdlite) or a fixed SBF+nandroid backup to go back to stock. Wipe data, flash the fixed SBF from recovery, then restore its corresponding nandroid. Now, clear dalvik cache and reboot.

For CM7, wipe data, install CM7 zip file (which must be copied to SD before booting to recovery), then restore the nandroid that you have. Wipe dalvik cache and reboot.

If you do not have a nandroid backup, and/or use other software like Titanium Backup, flash the stock or custom ROM, clear dalvik cache, then reboot and restore using the specific app.

Q: Syncing does not work.

Reflash Gapps in recoveryy.

Q: I see only a Defy+ zip file in the download server, is it safe to use it on Defy too?

Yes, the 'Defy+' in the filename merely indicates that it should be used with the Defy+ GB kernel. It can be used safely with both Defy and Defy+.

Downloads:

Cyanogenmod 9 ICS builds

GApps zip file (for builds 20/12 and newer)

GApps zip file (for builds 13/12 and older)

CM9 2.3 kernel

CM7 2.2 kernel (to go back to Froyo etc. if you need)

Useful links:

Understanding Android mods: rooting, custom ROMs etc. (also included on the page are instructions for rooting, and unbricking Defy, among other things).

Donate:

All the hard work is being done by the devs, Epsylon and quarx, and they deserve any donation you can make.. If you can donate, send them a few bucks, it helps encourage them, and is a small reward for the CM9 goodness they are bringing to our beloved Defys.

Epsylon3:

PayPal: epsylon3@gmail.com

http://xdaforums.com/donatetome.php?u=803131

Quarx:

Moneybookers: quarx2000@gmail.com

WebMoney: USD:Z319203344726

Yandex money: 4100188263979

If you found this thread useful, please consider hitting the thanks button. Of course, it does not hurt if you donate to me any spare change left over after donating to devs ;)

Suggestions for improvement, critique, new questions and tips are always welcome.