[Guide] How to install a custom recovery and rom

[Takenover83]

This guide is very straight forward. I assume you have basic computer knowledge. I will not be holding your hand to much. If you do not know how to open and extract a zip file or follow simple instructions, then please leave now. I take zero responsibility for you bricking your phone. I thank all the members of this forum. We truly have some great developers and contributers.

Downloads:
LG Drivers
SuperOneClick [mirror for SuperOneClickv1.9.1 ShortFuse.zip ]
Flash Image

Note: If you have already rooted your Optimus, you can skip steps 1-6.

Install custom recovery and make a nandroid backup:

1. Enable USB Debugging. Menu > Settings > Applications > Development > check mark USB debugging
2. Extract superoneclick to it's own folder and extract the Optimus V Drivers.
3. Install 1.exe, then 2.exe, then 3.exe. If it ask you to plug in your phone to the usb cable, then do so. Reboot your PC.
4. Open SuperOneClick.exe
5. Make sure psneuter exploit is checked and click shell root.
6. It should tell you that you have temp root after a few seconds. Do not continue if you do not get temp root!
7. Download a custom recovery of your choice. I like ThunderC. You can read about recoveries in the Reference Guide. Extract Flash_image.
8. Put the recovery.img and flash_image on your sd card (root of the sd card)
9. Now we will open a adb shell. Open "/superoneclick/ADB" folder. Shift+Right Click in a open area and choose "Open command window here". (I know that trick works in Windows 7, not sure about other Operating systems.)
10. Paste the following commands into the command prompt one by one. Do not copy the quotes.

    adb remount (It should say remount succeeded.)
    adb shell
    cat /sdcard/flash_image > /system/bin/flash_image
    chmod 755 /system/bin/flash_image
    flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery.img
    reboot recovery

11. In your chosen recovery, make a Nandroid backup.

Note: Now that you have a custom recovery, never EVER, EVER do a factory reset. (Settings/Privacy/Factory Data Reset) You have been warned.

Install a custom rom:
Read this forum. There are several custom rom threads. Some based on 2.2.1, and some based on 2.3.3. If you are unsure, have a look at the Reference Guide to learn more about the rom's. As always, the individual rom thread's will have most of the info. After you have found a rom you would like to try, place the rom.zip on the root of sd card. Then you need to flash via recovery. It is a good idea to wipe everything (besides your sd card) before you install a new rom. See your chosen rom's thread for specific instructions on installing your rom. This is just general overview.

Boot into recovery:
Power off your phone (no usb cables or power supply connected)
Hold Home+Volume Down+Power till LG screen disappears

 

[mmarz]

Nice! Added to the reference guide. One suggestion though, I'd remove the comment from step 10 or change its color. People tend to blindly copy and paste.

 

[El Schisne]

Nice! Added to the reference guide. One suggestion though, I'd remove the comment from step 10 or change its color. People tend to blindly copy and paste.

Or put it on a separate line and prepend "::" to make it a comment (ignored by the shell). Too bad the Windows shell doesn't allow inline comments like bash and other UNIX shells do.

But yeah, nice guide! I'm still waiting for the Bluetooth kinks to be worked out in aospMod before I flash a custom ROM, as I frequently have to use a Bluetooth headset in the car. But guides like this give me a lot of reassurance that I'm most likely not going to break anything irreparably.

 

[Takenover83]

Thanks, I cleaned that area up a bit.

 

[gabriel925fm]

Hello

Hello,

Im trying to do this on my mac and this is what i get:


imac-c10b46:tools gcastrofm$ ./adb remount
remount failed: Operation not permitted


and when i do:

# cat /sdcard/flash_image > /system/bin/flash_image
cannot create /system/bin/flash_image: read-only file system


Any ideas?

 

[gabriel925fm]

Fixed!

If you are on a mac. You have do to

adb shell
su
mount -o remount,rw /system /system
cat /sdcard/flash_image > /system/bin/flash_image
chmod 755 /system/bin/flash_image
flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery.img
reboot recovery

 

[olliedroid]

Does this not require the JDK?

 

[paulkruger]

Put the recovery.img and flash_image on your sd card (root of the sd card)

Where do I find this file? "recovery.img" it is not in the flash_image.zip archive.

UPDATE: i have downloaded a lot of various files based on different sets of instructions and wind up confused.
I have two files I found somewhere that appear to be img files with the following names. I don't know what the difference is.
Do I rename one of these to "recovery.img" and which one?
* recovery-RA-GNM-thunderc-s-1.1.0.img
* recovery-thunderc-v-1.2.o-GNM.img

Below is my specific phone. Any help in determining the correct steps for THIS phone to /root the device so I can update it please let me know. I found conflicting information and don't want to wind up bricking my first attempt.

Thanks.

Model: VM670
Android: 2.2.2
Baseband V. VM670ZV5_60401001
Kernal V. 2.6.32.9 / lge@android-buid #4
Build #: ZV5.41C0E845
SW V. VM670V5
HW V. 1.2

 

[hlosh_tnt]

please any one could help me the problem is my phone stuck on lg logo screen

 

[koeylondon]

please any one could help me the problem is my phone stuck on lg logo screen

Step 1- Wait. The first load of a new rom can take a while.
Step 2- As long as you have a backup made, you can pull the battery, then press and hold Menu, Volume Down, and then Power until the recovery menu comes up. From there, you should be able to restore your nandroid OR install a rom from zip.

 

[hlosh_tnt]

Step 1- Wait. The first load of a new rom can take a while.
Step 2- As long as you have a backup made, you can pull the battery, then press and hold Menu, Volume Down, and then Power until the recovery menu comes up. From there, you should be able to restore your nandroid OR install a rom from zip.

icould not do that becuse their is no system inside the phone please help me to fix it

 

[koeylondon]

OK, so which recovery do you have installed? And do you still have the ROM you attempted to load on your SD card? If so, you can just try flashing again, or you may be able to mount your SD card from recovery. In that case, you could load whatever ROM you want even though you only have recovery.

 

[flapjack.fiasco]

Step 1- Wait. The first load of a new rom can take a while.
Step 2- As long as you have a backup made, you can pull the battery, then press and hold Menu, Volume Down, and then Power until the recovery menu comes up. From there, you should be able to restore your nandroid OR install a rom from zip.

Isn't it home, power, and volume up?

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cole2kb]

Isn't it home, power, and volume up?

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Tapatalk 2

No.

 

[flapjack.fiasco]

No.

Okay, sometimes my brain just swaps things around arbitrarily. Sorry for any confusion.

This space intentionally left blank.

 

[hlosh_tnt]

please could some help me my phone stuck on lg logo screen and i can't do any thing so please could some one help me

 

[A-android-B]

Mods should probably archive this thread as well. It has to have been replaced with a better way by now

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums