[Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini, Mini Pro, Xperia Pro, A] mihahn:
You have just unlocked your bootloader, maybe using my tutorial here and you don't know what to do now?

Or you have a locked bootloader and just rooted your phone, maybe with this tutorial?

INSTALLING A CUSTOM KERNEL/ROM WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY! I ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY BRICKED UP DEVICES OR COMPUTERS! DO ALL THAT ON YOUR OWN RISK!

Before you start make sure the battery is more than 75%, better 100% charged.

First you have to choose if you have an

1. Unlocked Bootloader

or a

2. Locked Bootloader

1. Unlocked Bootloader

How to flash a kernel

You have your Bootloader unlocked and you want to flash a custom kernel? The easiest way to flash a custom kernel is using flashtool. Download flashtool from here and install it.

Now you go to the flashtool installation folder. There you open the drivers folder and install the drivers.

In the flashtool -> drivers folder is the drivers installer

Now you are ready to install a custom rom/kernel.

Let's start:

You go to development section and choose a rom you want for your device. You download the rom and the kernel for your device (make sure it is the right for yours! Sometimes the kernel is included in the installation zip file of the rom.

Now you have the boot.img or a kernel.sin or a kernel.elf and the rom

You copy the installation zip file to your sd card. If that's done, unplug your device and turn it off.

Now you have to put it in fastboot mode. For that you hold the volume up key and connect it to the computer. The blue led will light up.

Now you launch flashtool

To install the custom kernel, we click on the flash

and select fastboot mode

Now there comes up the toolbox

where we choose "select kernel to flash"

Now we have to browse to the kernel boot.img (or the kernel.sin/boot.elf) we want to flash

Here's the log of flashing the kernel image

SEE THE LOG BEFORE YOU DSICONNECT! IF THERE ARE NO ERRORS/BAD BLOCKS GO ON!

How to flash the custom rom

Now, you disconnect and power on your device and while it boots up, press volume down again and again. Then you are in clockworkmod.

Now you select backup and restore and you backup your current rom. Then go on:

See on the thread of the rom you want to install, what has to be formatted or wiped, for example:

format /system

format /data

format /cache

wipe data/factory reset

etc

You do this and then you choose "install zip from sd card" > "choose zip" and you select the installation zip.

There are 2 options:

- It will install automaticly.

- It has Aroma installer. This is a setup assistant, which goes with you through the installation. You will just have to choose your device and that you have an unlocked bootloader. You navigate with the volume up/down keys and select with the home button.

After the installation has finished, you sometimes have to flash gapps (=google apps like playstore etc). You do this with the same procedure (install zip from sd card etc).

After that reboot phone and enjoy ;)

2. Locked Bootloader

If you want to install roms on a locked bootloader, you'll have to root your phone (like hereand install clockworkmod recovery. For that you can do the following:

Download "cwm-autoinstaller" or now "xparts" from playstore and it can install cwm automaticly. Just select install clockworkmod!

Now you go to development section and search for a rom for locked bootloader.

YOU CAN'T INSTALL ROMS FOR UNLOCKED BOOTLOADER ON A LOCKED BOOTLOADER!!

You download the rom installation package (it's a zip file) and copy it to your sd card

Restart your phone and while it restarts press volume down again and again. It will boot into clockworkmod.

There you choose Backup and restore and you make a backup of your current rom

After that you look in the thread of the rom you want to install, what has to be formatted or wiped (system or data or cache, etc). You do that and after that you choose "install zip from sd card" > "choose zip" and click yes to install.

There are 2 options:

- it'll be install automaticly

- or it has aroma installer included. Then you choose your device and after that select locked bootloader. To navigate you use volume up/down and home to select.

After that just reboot and enjoy!