Rooting And Custom RoM's Installation-|Sony Ericsson Xperia X8

[Aryacooldude]

A Warning

First off, let me start by saying that if you don't think you need rooting, don't root.

It can be dangerous if done wrong, so be sure you know what you're doing.

With that out of the way, let's get going then.

Updates and Basebands

First, before you do anything else, you need to update your phone using PC Companion [Download This]. PC Companion will guide you right through all the steps for updating.

The latest version is 2.1.1.A.0.6, and the latest baseband is M76XX-TSNCJOLYM-53404015.

You can check your version by going to Settings -> About Phone.

If you are already running a custom ROM, you should update using PC Companion too, because some roms (like MiniCM) need the latest official version.

Advanced

If you need basebands for your X8, here's a helpful thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=976538

Flash them with FlashTool.

Rooting

This is very simple to do, really.

First, download SuperOneClick [Download] and place it on your desktop.

Next, on your phone, go to Settings -> Applications and enable Unknown Sources. Next, go to Settings -> Applications -> Development and enable USB debugging.

You also need the proper USB drivers. To check if you have them, start SuperOneClick.exe and click Driver Check. If the driver check fails, update your phone with PC Companion.

Now, connect your USB cable from your X8 to your computer. When connected it is VERY IMPORTANT to select CHARGE PHONE. Really, I can't stress this enough.

Start SuperOneClick.exe and just click ROOT. Everything should go normally. You might get a message asking you if your OS is 2.0 or higher, just go ahead and click Yes.

You should now be rooted!

xRecovery

YOU MUST BE ROOTED TO DO THIS

Installing xRecovery is the first step in the world of custom ROMs. Installing xRecovery also means if you are stuck in a bootloop, you can just recover to a working backup.

The first step is to download xRecovery mini-beta 0.1 (any other version WILL NOT work on your X8) [Download]

Next, download Root Explorer [Download]

Copy both the xRecovery folder and the Root Explorer .apk to your SD card.

Install any file manager from the Android Market (I recommend OI File Manager or Astro) and use it to browse to the Root Explorer .apk file and install it.

Run Root Explorer, browse to the xRecovery folder and copy the 3 files inside onto the /system/bin folder.

xRecovery is installed. To start xRecovery you press the Back button while the Sony Ericsson logo is showing during boot. Restart your phone and just keep pressing the Back button.

To move around in xRecovery you use the volume buttons, to select an item you press the Home button (the middle one), and to go back you press the Back button. Go ahead and make a backup of your current system (make sure you have at least 300MB of free space on your SD card.

You'll find the backup you just made in the xRecovery/backup folder. Name it something you can identify (don't use spaces). Copy that backup onto somewhere safe on your PC.

Backups are REALLY important, don't be a lazy bum.

So, you bricked your phone.

Don't panic, don't worry, everything is going to be alright. If you have xRecovery installed, just recover the latest backup you made. That simple. If, however, you DON'T have xRecovery installed, we can still recover your dear phone, don't worry!!

Using PC Companion: Connect your phone to your PC and turn it on. Look around the update phone section of PC Companion for an option called "Repair your phone". Just follow the steps and your phone will be in working order pretty soon

Custom RoM's Installation

BACKUP BEFORE INSTALLING!!! I am not responsible for bugs of if this bricks your device.

Downloads:

---------------------MiniCM7----------------------

Gingerbread 2.3.5/Cyanogenmod 7.1-Pre

MiniCM7 2.0.7

Google-Apps check Latest Here

---------------------MiniCM6----------------------

Froyo 2.2.1/Cyanogenmod 6.1.3

MiniCM6 1.0.2

MiniCM6 1.0.2 - Multiupload

Requirements:

2.1.1.A.0.6 or later SE firmware and ...015 Baseband.

Root and CWM Recovery installed.

CWM Recovery Installation:-

EITHER:

If you have xRecovery: Flash the CWM recovery Amend zip

OR:

If you have a previous version of CWM Recovery: Flash the CWM recovery Edify zip

OR:

If you don't have a recovery installed, using Root explorer: manually extract any of the above CWM recovery zips and copy the contents of the system folder (system/bin and system/xbin) to /system, then give 755 permissions to those files, especially to /system/bin/chargemon, or you'll get bootloop.

Instructions:

• Download the latest ROM
• Move MiniCM7-2.x.x-X8.zip to your sdcard

• Move gapps-gb-xxxxxxxx-signed.zip to your sdcard
• Boot to CWM Recovery

• Make a backup in CWM Recovery if you want to restore later
• Select "Factory Reset" in CWM Recovery (no need to do this if you are already running MiniCM7)

• Select "install custom zip from sdcard" in CWM Recovery
• Install MiniCM7-2.x.x-X8.zip to your sdcard

• Install gapps-gb-xxxxxxxx-signed.zip to your sdcard
• Reboot (first boot will take ~1-5 minutes, wait)
• If you don't stick to the above instructions you might get various problems (WiFi, Data traffic, Bluetooth, App2SD etc). In that case, and before reporting an issue, Make sure that your Baseband is ...015 (Settings -> About phone and baseband) and select "Factory Reset" form the top menu of xrecovery & Reboot

Thanks to nobodyAtall for his ROM, DaRk_dOg for the theme, doixanh for OC, andrej456 and doixanh for dual touch, jamesbond22 for compass fixes and thanks to racht for libs, doixanh for 3MP camera and for their awesome work.

Project's page

Working: (Latest MiniCM7)

Camera 3MP - Thanks to doixanh

Wired headphone controller (Answer/hang up call, play/stop music...)

WiFi - Thanks to racht

Nodification LED???

Pinch Zoom - Thanks to doixanh

No reboot bug!!! (SD safe to remove) - Thanks to nobodyAtall

Video recording

FM Radio - Thanks to nobodyAtall

Froyo native Apps2SD - Thanks to nobodyAtall

Market works fine - Thanks to nobodyAtall

Camera button (with the fix above)

Brightness

Offline charging - Thanks to nobodyAtall

Headphone jack detect - Thanks to nobodyAtall

Audio Mixer - Thanks to nobodyAtall

Video playback - Thanks to nobodyAtall

YouTube with or without HQ - Thanks to nobodyAtall

GSM/3G/HSPA/Data/SMS

Sensors

Sound

Open GL/3D

SD card

Vibration

GPS

Bluetooth

USB storage

Mute button in call

Compass

Bugs:Please use the project's tracker for reporting bugs.

ANT+ does not work??? (can't test because I don't have any ANT+ device)

Some bugs with Bluetooth headsets??? (Don't know if they are still there)

Text in FM-Radio is over the frequency number.

FM-Radio plays in speaker first, to fix change to speaker and change back to headset.

[shashwat]

thanks a lot arya, gonna try it soon, if i wud be able to give u more than +1 at a time than i wud have given u +10, as this guide is very easy to understand, thanks a lot.

[Aryacooldude]

Many Buggy Rom's Will update with a all Fixed one

[Aryacooldude]

thanks a lot arya, gonna try it soon, if i wud be able to give u more than +1 at a time than i wud have given u +10, as this guide is very easy to understand, thanks a lot.

Android FTW!!

[shashwat]

but arya, what after rooting,installing xrecovery and backup, u didn't posted anything about installing custom rom's?

[Aryacooldude]

but arya, what after rooting,installing xrecovery and backup, u didn't posted anything about installing custom rom's?

Post Updated was searching for a stable ROM

[shashwat]

Post Updated was searching for a stable ROM

thanku arya

[Aryacooldude]

thanku arya

Anytime m8

[Die2mrw007]

Nice share !!! +3

[shashwat]

arya, in all the post xrecovery is used and in custom rom installing u used CWM Recovery, so i m a bit confused, so exactly which recovery should i use?

[Aryacooldude]

arya, in all the post xrecovery is used and in custom rom installing u used CWM Recovery, so i m a bit confused, so exactly which recovery should i use?

U can use nyone ,I recommend CWM Recovery and Plz make a backup and store it on PC or Somehwere

[shashwat]

u didn't gave the link of cwm recovery for x8??

[Aryacooldude]

u didn't gave the link of cwm recovery for x8??

added!!

[shashwat]

u r awesome,u also provided a tutorial too! I wil try the first method,first instal xrecovery n then cwm recovery, btw, +1

[Aryacooldude]

u r awesome,u also provided a tutorial too! I wil try the first method,first instal xrecovery n then cwm recovery, btw, +1

Lol,Tht my job to help u guys,Android is awesome.

[shashwat]

well thanks for all ur help and finally i installed custom rom because of u but there is only one problem, the ram i am getting is close to 35mb out of 175 mb!

[Aryacooldude]

well thanks for all ur help and finally i installed custom rom because of u but there is only one problem, the ram i am getting is close to 35mb out of 175 mb!

Did u do a full wipe???

[shashwat]

Did u do a full wipe???

yup,i did it in cwm recovery.

[Aryacooldude]

yup,i did it in cwm recovery.

It was supposed to be better

[shashwat]

It was supposed to be better

any suggestions, do i do it again with the same method??

[Aryacooldude]

any suggestions, do i do it again with the same method??

Wait I will Post another ROM