How To: Load the HTC Hero ROM onto Your G1 (OBSOLETE)

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You are here: How To's » How To: Load the HTC Hero ROM onto Your G1 (OBSOLETE)

PLEASE NOTE! This method is obsolete! Please refer to the newer Rooting/Loading Custom ROM methods on our site:
Unroot (G1) OR Unroot(MyTouch), then Root, then Load a Custom ROM, Apps2SD/Hero etc.

So you like HTC’s new Rosie Interface on their new HTC Hero phone? We do too. Well, if you have a G1 we have a way you can try it out! Only problem is that it doesn’t run very well… but if you know what you’re doing and are just HAVE to try it, go for it. Steps below.

PLEASE Keep in mind, that the G1 has some 90MBs of RAM less than the HTC Hero so it can’t run the widgets and UI very smoothly. We just figured we’d put this up for the brave who wanted to check it out for themselves. If you can wait, wait. Hopefully someone will come up with a better version of this ROM…

*Some Notes about the New Hero Roms  –

  • Once you reboot after loading the ROM and go through the set up process the phone will reboot. It’s normal.
  • After you get to the home screen for the first time, just set the phone down as it will sync with Google servers like normal, but the phone is reallly slow while it is syncing for the first time so just go take a nap or something.
  • As with all Hero ROMs, the less widgets, the faster the ROM. So don’t go nuts with widgets just yet (still waiting for an optimized ROM that will let us do that…)
  • NO NEED TO RELOAD THE RADIO AND SPL IF YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE SO! Just rename the new ROM file to update.zip, put on SD card and Alt W then Alt S in the recovery utility.

We only recommend people familiar with flashing radios, roms, spls, etc. attempt this. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

!!!BEFORE YOU BEGIN THIS, YOU MUST HAVE DONE THE ROOTED YOUR PHONE (Click Here for How To Video), Loaded a Custom ROM (Click Here for How To Video), and then done the Apps2SD procedure (Click Here for How To Video)!!!

1. CHECK WHAT RADIO YOU HAVE! Power off the phone, power it back on holding the End key and the Camera button.
IF YOU ALREADY HAVE Radio Version 2.22.19.26I then do NOT download the Radio listed here and SKIP STEPS 6 – 10 (If you load the same radio twice it can harm your device!).

2. Take out the battery and put it back in then turn the phone on.

3. Download the lastest Radio, SPL, and Hero ROM from here:
 Radio (BEFORE DOWNLOADING THIS RADIO, DO STEP 1!!!!)
 SPL
 JAC HERO ROM (Select the latest one from the page).

4. Plug in the G1 to the computer, pull down the notification and click it. Then click Mount.

5. Save each one to the memory card of the G1 in the root (topmost) folder.

6. Rename the Radio file to update (YOU MUST LOAD THE RADIO FIRST, DO NOT DO THESE OUT OF ORDER OR YOU WILL FREEZE YOUR DEVICE).

7. Unplug the G1.

8. Turn off the G1.

9. Turn back on the G1 by holding down Home and End buttons at the same time. When the screen comes up, Alt S to apply the radio update.

10. Once the phone is done hold Home and Back to reboot (it may

11. Plug in the G1, open the SD card on the computer, and delete the update.zip file (used to be the Radio file), and rename the SPL file to update.zip this time.

12. Unplug the G1 and turn it off. Turn it back on holding Home and End again.

13. Hit Alt W to wipe the device (it may automatically reboot, if so just take out the battery once the G1 screen comes on and put it back in. Then turn the phone back on by holding the Home and End key) then hit Alt S to apply the SPL update.

14. Once the phone is done hold Home and Back to reboot.

15. Your G1 will most likely get stuck on the G1 screen after it reboots. No worries. Just take out the battery and put it back in. Then take out the SD card from the phone and put it into the SD adapter it came with and put that into your computer.

16. Open the SD card on your computer. Delete the update.zip file and rename the Hero ROM to update.zip.

17. Put the memory card back into the G1 and then turn the G1 back on by holding the Home and End keys.

18. When the screen comes on, then hit Alt S to apply the Hero ROM.

19. Once the phone is done hold Home and Back to reboot.

20. Wait a long time for the phone to boot up (it may take a while to boot up, so long as you do not see the logo symbol with the android popping out over and over and over then keep waiting. If you do see the android popping out over and over, then take out the battery, put it back in, and turn the phone on).

21. If a Root warning comes up about swapper, hit Deny (NOT Always Deny, just Deny). Then continue with the setup process.

22. Once the phone is at the home screen and you have set everything up, goto Terminal in your menu and type:

su
chown system.system /data/app

^This will allow you to download applications from the Market.

23. Then goto Swapper in your programs and open it. Click on Settings and Swap Place.

24. Change the Swap location from /sdcard/swapfile.swp to /system/sd/swap.swp then click back.

25. Click on Swap ON. Once it is done, click the home button.

26. DONE!

Enjoy trying the ROM. If you find it too slow and frustrating to use, simply use the update.zip method to load a different ROM (the SPL and Radio will remain updated forever unless you change those so if you go back to a non-hero ROM and then want to try a new Hero ROM again, just skip the first 15 steps).

Let me know how it goes for everyone!

Reported Issues

Issue: I have the Hero ROM and I only have 70-80MBs of free internal space, why don’t I have 1300mbs or whatever I had before I went to the Hero ROM?

Solution: The Hero ROM does not correctly support the Apps2SD procedure like the other, more stable ROMs do.

Issue: I’m stuck on the G1 screen!

Solution A:
 If this happened during step 14, then just read step 15! 🙂

If this happened after step 19, then redo steps 15-19.

Solution B:
If you tried solution A without any luck, read the next issue below and try the 2 solutions below it.

Issue: I’m stuck at the HTC logo, and the Android keeps popping up and taunting me over and over! OR I’m stuck at the G1 logo and the above solution didn’t work!

Solution A:
 1. Take out the battery from the phone.

2. Put the battery back in (do NOT turn the phone on yet).

3. Hold the End and Home key and keep holding them until the ! or recovery image pops up.

4. Hit Alt W to wipe the phone. (See if it gets past the HTC logo/G1 Logo already, if not then repeat steps 1-3, and then do step 5).

5. Hit Alt S to reupload the Update.zip file (See if it gets past the HTC logo/G1 Logo now, if not then try Solution B).

Solution B:
 1. Take out the battery from the phone.

2. Take out the memory card.

3. Put the memory card into the SD adapter it came with and put that into your computer so you can view the memory card contents on your computer screen.

4. Open the memory card on your computer and then delete the update.zip file on it.

5. Take the Hero ROM.zip file and put it onto the memory card. Rename it to update.

6. Put the memory card back into the phone.

7. Put the battery back into the phone (do NOT turn it on yet).

8. Hold the End and Home key and keep holding them until the ! or recovery image pops up.

9. Hit Alt S to reupload the Update.zip file.

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  • Ben Cantu

    1. Download the lastest Radio, SPL, and Hero ROM from here:
    Radio
    SPL
    after Hit Alt S to apply the SPL update my G1 froze screen shows tmobile G1 please help my phone is jail broken have cupcake version thank u

    • Hello Ben,

      Did you load the Radio first? (The radio HAS to be loaded before the SPL).
      To unbrick it, try these things:
      1. Turn the phone off then back on holding the End and Home keys to get to the Recovery utility. Hit Alt W (NOT S). Once it is done hit Home and Back to reboot and see if it works.
      2. If not, take out the memory card put it into an SD adapter/USB adapter and connect it to your computer. Erase the update.zip on it and put a working ROM on the SD card (rename it to update.zip) and then put the memory card back into the phone. Turn on the phone holding Home and End and then hit Alt W, then Alt S and wait for it to finish. Then hit Home and Back to reboot.

      Let me know if this gets you out of the loop.

  • Ben Cantu

    Posted a comment earlier was stuck but finally figured it out thanks to this web site will recommend this to who ever i know or meet again thanks for everything.

  • TMoFoSho

    will this work with the mytouch, htm magic, ion? …whatever you want to call it?

    • Hello TMoFoSho,

      Unfortunately, no, the Magic would be different. (And since it is newer, they haven’t gotten as far with modding it). You may have to wait a bit.
      In the meantime, if you want, here is a link I found on how to Root the Magic (although seems a bit complicated at the moment, but up to you).
      Link

  • how much of space still left? on internal memory

    • Hello Peter,

      Not sure since it has Apps2SD in it (my internal memory says close to 1400MBs). I’d recommend doing the Apps2SD mod first, (link to instructions here), then trying this ROM out.
      Again though, this is not the most stable of ROMs and our G1s (or Dreams in your case I’d assume) have 90MBs less RAM so try it to try it if you want.

  • Ben Cantu

    Hello Mr Cogen its me again hate to bother u but i have a question for u my phone is working but not at 100 percent its having an issue on force close to many times mounted phone on my computer and noticed that there was three files on my memory card first-recovery.img second-swapfile.swp and of course third-update is this normal or have i made a mistake

    • Hello Ben,

      In regards to performance of the Hero ROM, it isn’t very good to be honest. Which makes sense because of the 90MBs of RAM that the Hero has that our G1s don’t. So you will get a lot of force closes (of Rosie especially), and if you load a bunch of widgets on the home screen it will slow to a crawl (again not enough RAM). This is really just for people who want to try Hero/Rosie out for themselves (I’ve already said that it isn’t stable and I don’t recommend using it till they come out with a better version, but everyone wanted to try it so I posted it for everyone to try). You’ll also notice at the bottom of the post I explain how to switch back, since I figured a lot of people would do so…
      As soon as you guys see a new Hero ROM come up on XDA let me know and I’ll be glad to revise it for the new one (I’m just as anxious as you all to have Hero on my G1 lol).
      As for the files you mentioned, they are supposed to be there, you’ve done it right 🙂

  • Ben Cantu

    Thanks for the feed back is there any ROM that u recommend that might work on the G1 with less issues?

  • CHETA

    I HAVE ROSIE ON MY G1 IS THERE ANY WAY TO MAKE IT FASTER LIKE THE OTHER ROMS

  • YOU’RE RIGHT DAVID, ROSIE IS SUPER SLOW

    • Hey Rishi and Cheta,

      Rosie is super slow. It is most likely due to the lack of RAM the G1 has. (The actual Hero device has 90 more MBs of RAM).
      I did however, stumble upon a new HERO ROM… it seems more like a port from the actual device (has the new flip down clock and hero boot logo). Giving it a try now, if it’s any better I’ll update this post with a link to the new one.

  • IM GETTING STUCK FOR SOME REASON ON THE ANDROID BOOT SCREEN WHEN I GO BACK TO THE DUDES ROM

    • Hey Rishi,

      You need to do a wipe then. Boot up to the recovery screen then ALT W then Alt S again to reload the ROM and see if you get past the boot screen.

      • UPDATE!!! (6/30/09) – NEW HERO ROM HAS BEEN UPLOADED TO OUR SITE, try it out and let me know what you think! (Link is in the post, and you do not have to reload the Radio or SPL, just skip those sections and load the new ROM file the old update.zip method).

  • i did that but still get stuck at boot screen

  • its faster but htc touchflo forces close and you cant acess your ext3 partition for apps2sd and wifi doesnt work

  • maybe to try new version

    • Hello Rishi,

      Ya, it has bugs of course, but the speed is a nice step in the right direction… still waiting for a daily usable one :sigh:
      I’m loading the new JAC up soon, maybe try that one?

  • Khan

    My terminal emulator isn’t working it keeps force closing… and a lot of icons including the terminal emulator one don’t have an image

    • Hello Kahn,

      Means they aren’t installed correctly. Goto Settings, Manage Applications, then uninstall them and reinstall them from the market.
      Other option is to goto Settings, Storage, then Reset to Factory to see if it gets them back (this will erase everything off the phone though fyi)

  • Does wifi work in the jac

  • DirectMatrix

    David,

    Is there anyway to verify that the new SPL took before I install the new JACHero ROM? I installed the new radio, then the new SPL and now I am ready to install the new JACHero ROM updated today.

  • DirectMatrix

    Also, David….

    Is there ever a reason that I would want to downgrade my radio and/or SPL? From what I’ve been reading it seems I can flash new ROMS/Themes to my hearts content without ever having to reflash the radio or SPL. Can you confirm this? Also, if I wanted to go back to a stock/unrooted G1 build (say RC29 for whatever reason) and let the phone upgrade itself back to firmware 1.5, would I need to concern myself with the radio and SPL or would downgrading the ROM back to a Tmobile build brick the phone?

  • the jachero v2.o is still slow
    by far fata1ity hero is still the best in terms of speed

  • DirectMatrix

    I agree with Rishi….lots of force closes and reloading of data, sometimes it seems to have a mind of its own. I’m gonna reflash with fata1ity hero and see if its better than justanothercrowd’s build.

  • ok

  • HEY DAVID,
    ARE YOU HAVING A PROBLEM VIEWING YOUR 8GB MICROSD IN JACHERO V2.0 BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON MINE DOESNT SHOW UP!!!

    PLEASE HELP

    • Hello Rishi,

      No sure, I’m back to the Dude1.3RC2 ROM for now. Too frustrated with the Hero ROMs (waiting for a better one).

  • zayyad

    worked perfectly.. but never had 3g after i loaded up.. wat file does the spl folder contain

    • Hello Zayyad,

      You should still get 3G, it may say H at the top of the device instead of 3G (this stands for HSDPA which is the type of 3G the phone uses and in our case it means the same as seeing the 3G symbol up there).

  • zayyad

    sure it does. i was just curious. also having problem with the music player. any idea whats the problem might be it not playing at all

  • zayyad

    ya i agree with david am just gonna run my jf1.41/1.5 cupcake pretty cool.. and wait for a better one am sure they pros are working on it..

  • i suggest trying superhero v2. its much faster

  • david,

    do i have to flash back to hardspl because some reason haykuros spl doesnt seem to work because when i flash back to dudes cupckae rc1 it still doesnt boot up from android screen

    • Hey Rishi,

      No you shouldn’t have to flash back to the original HardSPL, the Haykuro one is working fine for me for any ROM.

  • DirectMatrix

    Rishi,

    Do you have a DL link to superhero v2? All I can seem to find is v1 beta 2 or is that the one your talking about?

  • http://herog3.wicholandia.com/download.php
    here you go directmatrix but just to let you know i have tried all the hero roms and this one is faster than fatal1ty but doesnt have the new sense ui so thats why i went back to jachero v2.1

  • david,
    my i installed the jachero rom my android market isnt working anymore, it keeps on saying android terms and license and agreement but it doesnt load up,

    anyway to fix this problem..

    thanks

  • the terms andf license doesnt load up

    • Hey Rishi,

      Did you do this part of the tutorial?

      18. Once the phone is at the home screen and you have set everything up, goto Terminal in your menu and type:

      su
      chown system.system /data/app

      ^This will allow you to download applications from the Market.

  • yes i did anyways i fixed it

    david could you do a tutorial on the new optimized jach hero
    heres the link, if you got any time could you perhaps crack it sounds a bit complicated but sure you can handle it

    • Hey Rishi,

      I’m trying the optimized Rosie.apk on my Hero ROM right now was gonna try it for the night and then post about it tomorrow.
      Let you know if it makes any difference.

      (I took down the link you posted by the way because that link was to a full ROM that alters EXT2 partitions etc and could mess some people up on here with their Apps2SD, there is a simpler way to get the optimized Rosie onto your current ROM instead that I used to get it on).

      After I test it out for the night I’ll post tomorrow about it, but to be honest I’m pretty sure JAC will put it into his next ROM automatically anyways and he has been updating his ROM almost everyday now so wouldn’t be surprised if he has 2.3.4 or whatever up tomorrow with it in it.

  • John

    David, after i flashed the spl file it just quickly turned off and rebooted. Now it is just stuck in the G1 logo! Please help.

  • John

    To add on, I just rooted my phone recently and then i went to this thread and followed the steps, but now im stuck with just the G1 logo.

  • hey david,

    maybe that’s why apps2sd isnt working for me, should i format my ext2 partition and redo it because apps2sd isnt working but i have jachero 2.3.3 and it should have busybox installed but when i click on it says oops and an errror message pops up.
    how should i get around fixing that

  • zayyad

    without alot of widgets its working prettty goood.. just a lil slag

  • HEY EVERYONE,

    UPDATE! New Instructions and Video (07/06/2009)
    Hope this helps anyone who is having issues.

  • John

    hey, will you please tell me if it is a known issue of JACHero rom when someone calls and it waits until three rings until i get the call to my g1 phone? I tried calling my g1 from my house phone, it rings three times, then after the third time it rings on my g1. Please answer.

    • Hey John,

      Check JAC’s hero issues page, thats a new one to me. (The page is down for me right now, but it should be up shortly. Goto the JACHero thread where you got the ROM and scroll down in the first post there is a link to his Google Code page that lists all the known issues and possible fixes).
      In my opinion though, I’d goto TheDude’s or JFs for now. The Hero ROMS are nice to try out but frankly are not stable enough to use day to day. We can only wait (and pray) for a new better Hero ROM to come out soon 🙂

  • Lance123

    After I got that rom my wifi is not connecting to my linksys anymore…any advice?

    • Hello Lance123,

      Which ROM? The Hero ROM? Which Hero ROM are you using?

  • david .l

    thanks for the video it helped a lot and what battery do you have?

    • Hey David L,

      I have the Mugen 2400mhz extended battery and special back door. I use my phone wayyyyy too much incase you can tell lol
      So the crappy battery that came with the G1 just doesn’t last me more than a 5-6 hours (honestly lol) so I went with the new one. You can find them on eBay for around $50 or less. That’s where I got mine.

  • Erhan

    I already have new radio so when i try and flash spl I wiped 1st and when i try to save it doesnt work, keeps saying something like not recognized, then asks me to reboot. So i do and basically all that happened was a wipe and i have 2 set up my account again. I dont have any apps2sd could that be a reason? I’ve been trying to get this on phone for a while help please. I am running jf 1.51 US

  • david .l

    and which folder did you use because i don’t see any other files when you loading the 3 files into the sd card

  • david .l

    and which folder did you use because i don’t see any other files when you loading the 3 files into the sd card

  • Dr Money

    i was just wondering if it was normal if after the download and set up that it takes longer then an hour to load the homescreen because it keeps going from loading on the homescreen to Htc on the black background please HELP

    • Hello Dr. Money,

      Did you just load the SPL?

      15. Your G1 will most likely get stuck on the G1 screen after it reboots. No worries. Just take out the battery and put it back in. Then take out the SD card from the phone and put it into the SD adapter it came with and put that into your computer.

      16. Open the SD card on your computer. Delete the update.zip file and rename the Hero ROM to update.zip.

      17. Put the memory card back into the G1 and then turn the G1 back on by holding the Home and End keys.

      18. When the screen comes on, then hit Alt S to apply the Hero ROM.

      19. Once the phone is done hold Home and Back to reboot.

  • Erhan

    scratch my last comment, i noticed that the file (spl) was named wrong i had it as update.zip.zip. So I will rename and try and continue from there. Keep you posted.

  • Shaud

    I did it last week and the phone frooze up on me, so tmobile had to send me another out. what do u think i did wrong for that to happen.

    • Hello Shaud,

      You did what? lol You froze the phone loading the Hero ROM? And T-Mobile replaced it? That’s nuts.

  • Luis

    i just checked and there releasing the superhero V3 according to the persons “twitter” (its on the lower left side of the screen)

    the website is

    http://herog3.wicholandia.com/download.php

    anyone wanna try any of these out?

    • Hey Luis,

      I would be the first to try, but last night my speaker died on the G1. So I unrooted and am sending it back to HTC for warranty repairs lol So won’t be able to play for a week or so with Android, on the Touch Pro2 for a bit.

      Anyone who has a Hero ROM of any sort should try it, it isn’t too hard to switch back once you’ve “gone Hero” lol

  • Erhan

    Hey David,
    I got everything up and running. Aside from the lag at times I can’t really complain about 2 much. Thanks for great video and instructions on everything!

    • Hey Erhan,

      You are very welcome! Glad it worked out!

  • Lance123

    The Hero Rom.

    • Hey Lance123,

      I figured, but which one? SuperHero? JAC? etc.

  • Lance123

    Nevermind I went with a different rom and it works fine now.It was the Jac By the way.

  • trevor

    hey dave can i send my G1 to you guys to put hero on it for me LOL? seriously though once you root it you just apply the hero rom am i correct? and about sending you my G1…..

    • Hey Trevor,

      Ha, if you really want to lol
      Just do the root procedure, then do the Apps2SD method and then do the Hero ROM procedure.
      Word of warning though, the Hero ROMs are very unstable and not really the best for day to day use… I’d recommend waiting till a better Hero ROM comes out, but if you want to try it for yourself, go ahead 🙂

  • Dr Money

    Thanks David
    another thing that i was wondering is how to change the background because every time i try and change it it makes me force close the touchflo thing and i also cant receive my text messages any help there will be great and if there is anyway to lower the lagging that would also be great

    • Hey Dr Money,

      The way to fix your issues is to go back to a ROM other than Hero. All of the Hero ROMs are unstable and they are working out bugs so I don’t recommend using them for everyday use. They are for you to experiment with then switch back to a non Hero ROM (until the day comes that a Hero ROM works properly, but they may take some time).

  • zayyad

    am using the jac hero it works good for me…. i have a couple of widgets and its still good enough..

    • Zayyad,

      its still good enough..

      ^ the key word here is “enough” lol
      But if you can deal with it than more power to you. They are pumping out like a new Hero ROM a day so at that rate things should get better pretty quickly hopefully.

      Can I ask you to open 6 programs then click the Home button and let me know how long it takes (last Hero ROM I used took about 10 slow seconds, JAC2.3.5)?

  • AnneMarre

    Okay…

    I have a little problem…Anyway, for some weird reason the terminal emulator that I downloaded before I updated my new operating system is gone. I cannot go further from your instruction coz I don’t have the terminal. I am trying to get it from ‘market’ place but again, im stuck opening it. It won’t let me for some reason. HELP PLEASE!

    Thank you,
    Anne Marre

    PS: you’re awesome btw 🙂

    • Hey AnneMarre,

      Try opening the market when NOT on Wifi. The JAC Hero ROMs have an issue with opening the market for the first time on Wifi. Then download terminal through there.
      Also, a few people are noticing no terminal, I have a feeling the cook who made the ROM might have left it out, so if all else fails try a different Hero ROM (do NOT load the Radio or SPL again btw)
      And thank you! 🙂

  • aboogie47

    hey dave,
    this is my second time running the Hero rom on my G1, but this time there is no terminal? any ideas on how to fix this?

    • Hey aboogie47,

      Try this

      Try opening the market when NOT on Wifi. The JAC Hero ROMs have an issue with opening the market for the first time on Wifi. Then download terminal through there.
      Also, a few people are noticing no terminal, I have a feeling the cook who made the ROM might have left it out, so if all else fails try a different Hero ROM (do NOT load the Radio or SPL again btw)

  • trevor

    ok so i updated my radio, did the slp, loaded on hero and…when i do the swapper thing it just sits at please wait… and doesn’t do anything. do i need to do app2sd? i cant remember if i did that lol.

    everything else is actually working ok. is it a little slow, yes it does lag until you play with it for a bit. but its fun to have a hands on play with it. just makes me want to buy the hero more

    • Hey Trevor,

      Yea, all of the Hero ROMs are pretty laggy but new ones come out everyday. Nice to test them out once you have a Hero ROM since all you have to do is put the zip file on the SD card and rename to update.zip then flash it with Alt S.

  • henry liceaga

    my phone says e:cant open/cache/recovery/command
    install from sdcard…
    finding update package…
    opening update package…
    verifying update package…
    e:no signature(734 files)
    e:verification failed
    installation aborted

    i tried installing the jachero r2.4
    what does this mean?

    • Hello Henry Liceaga,

      Did you update your radio to the latest radio, and then the SPL to the latest SPL before trying to load the Hero ROM?

  • trevor

    ok nvm i went back later and it worked =). your walk through was awesome, really clear and easy to follow. thanks for taking the time to do it.

    i have a question, i used the jachero the same as the one in the vid apparently, do u know one that has all the backgrounds and themes in it?

    • Hey Trevor,

      Thanks! People seem to really be having issues with Apps2SD though and can’t figure out what they are doing wrong… Did the instructions I put work fine for you?
      Yes, there are a few JACHero ROMs on his page, the very top one is the one I used.

  • roni

    how do i put all of my media back on my phone after i have installed hero?

    • Hello Roni,

      Just plug the phone into your computer via USB cable and then click mount and drag and drop the files to the SD card on the computer like normal.

  • Noori

    WOW THE ROSIE IS UNBELIEVABLY SLOW! ITS ALWAYS LOADING THE HOME PAGE EVERY SINGLE TIME! ANY TWEEKS?

    • Hey Noori,

      Unfortunately, the G1 is missing a LOT of RAM that the Hero has, so it is bound to be slow (they did get it pretty quick considering how slow it was when it first came out..). I recommend just using a Non Hero ROM and test new Hero ROMs as they come out until you find one you like.

  • idy

    Is SPL necessary for other custom roms?

    Because I flashed the SPL on my phone and my screen was stuck on “T-moblie g1”

    And I did something and somehow unrooted my g1.

    But I want to root my g1 again and load another rom.

    Thank you!

    • Hello Idy,

      If you read the Hero ROM tutorial, it explains:

      15. Your G1 will most likely get stuck on the G1 screen after it reboots. No worries. Just take out the battery and put it back in. Then take out the SD card from the phone and put it into the SD adapter it came with and put that into your computer.

      16. Open the SD card on your computer. Delete the update.zip file and rename the Hero ROM to update.zip.

      17. Put the memory card back into the G1 and then turn the G1 back on by holding the Home and End keys.

      18. When the screen comes on, then hit Alt S to apply the Hero ROM.

      19. Once the phone is done hold Home and Back to reboot.

      So the G1 logo is normal during that step.
      BUT to answer your question, no the SPL is not necessary for most ROMs just the Hero ROMs.

  • Richelle

    I have JFv1.51 CRB43-US with a Hero theme, but i wanna switch to JFV1.51 CRB43 ADP. How do I do that? Thanks in advance.

    • Hello Richelle,

      You would just put the JF1.51 ADP file as update.zip and load it, just like you loaded the US version.
      Can I ask why you would want to do that though?

  • idy

    I figured out the problem I had earlier!

    But I have another question. If a theme is designed for JFv1.4 can I use it if I am running on JFv1.5?

    • Hello Idy,

      You can try, they are generally backwards compatible like that (its when you have a theme for 1.51 and try to use it on 1.4 that you have an issue).

  • AnneMarre

    Thank you…appreciate it. Soooo anyway, I tried installing a new HERO ROM instead the one that you gave us…and for some weird reason the the HTC screen keep popping up over and over again. It’s driving me crazy. I don’t know what’s up with that?!?

    Thank you!

    • Hello AnneMarre,

      You mean it’s popping up when you hit the home button right? That’s the ROMs loading screen, the JAC ROM is a little quicker about getting to the home screen, but it still takes a while and instead of the HTC logo you get a Loading spinning circle.
      Best bet is to use a JACHero or just stay away from Hero ROMs till a better one come out.

  • Shaud

    can you still do the app2sd after u have hero.

    • Hello Shaud,

      Not that I know of (it doesn’t work with the same method at least), if you hear of a way let me know and I’ll do a tutorial for it 🙂

  • Gustavo

    hey i followed the steps on the linda file manager and right when i got to the end where it says reoot i got a notafacation saying that my sd card was damaged and and so i rebooted anyway and it stayed on the g1 screen i had to redue everything and now trying to figure out what the deal is

  • PLC

    No offense to David Cogen.
    Beware of the Last 2 steps in his video. It actually do damage to the super smooth JAC Hero 2.35.

    Beware of these two steps in the video. In my humble opinion, don’t do it!!!!!!!!!!!
    1. chown system. system /data/app
    2. swapper
    Don’t do it!!!!!

    I have loaded the JAC Hero 2.35, wait for it to synch, installed Overclock for root users, set CPU clock to 30k, 50k range. The result…

    I have never experienced anything as fast, as smooth as the JAC Hero 2.35 on this phone. JF Cupcake is nothing in comparison in terms of respond speed, loading speed and sensitivity.

    When I looked into setting>SD card and internal phone memory…

    It shows (if I remember correctly) 80M internal memory available, so not a lot more then 75MB.

    But after I have performed the final two steps in David’s video, things changed.
    It backs to the normal laggy Hero on G1 you saw in all those reviews.

    David, could you explain to us, how come the phone is so slow after I done the final two steps in your video?? I am sure there is a good reason you asked us to perform: chown system. system /data/app and then swapper.

    In case you need to know:
    1. swapper size 36M was recommended by the system. So I used it.
    2. I am using 1GB sd card.
    3. app2sd vanished after I have performed ext2 partition, wiped and installed JAC Hero 2.35.
    4. I have checked with Astro file manager: /system/sd
    5. All the apps I installed took away internal memory instead of install into sdcard.

    6. The phone freezes to a blank dark screen once (or shortly after) I removed my 1G sdcard.

    7. The phone doesn’t start up, doesn’t boot if I use my 16G FAT formated sdcard. Again it freezes at the blank screen seems forever after T-Mobile G1 logo.

    8. This sdcard problem exist before I have performed the last two steps in this tutorial video. That’s what tempted me to do the last two steps, in hope they will fix the sdcard problem.

    Should I install app2sd.apk then run the app2sd again? It seems apps do not run from the sc card at all. Thanks for your help.

    • Hello PLC,

      Thanks for the input! Here is what you wanted to know:
      The step: chown system. system /data/app just tells the phone that it has permission to install applications (without this step most people have issues downloading from the market. So that wouldn’t have slowed anything down honestly.
      As for the last step, swapper (in the best way I understand and is easiest to explain) creates a section of your memory card to use as extra RAM (kinda). But it technically allows you to be able to run more programs at once (which is a huge requirement by Hero ROMs cause of all the widgets and the user interface etc). So that should have helped.
      BUT just so you know just goto your applications and click on Swapper. You can click Swapper Off and disable it just like that. So if you do that and it is still slow then it isn’t the swapper’s fault I’d assume.
      I’m gonna guess that it slowed down because either you loaded widgets after that, or the phone started to load other programs in the back ground…

      As for the other things you listed:
      1. JAC recommends 32/20 for swapper settings so close enough.
      3. Apps2SD does NOT work on Hero ROMs as of yet so that would explain that.
      4. Apps2SD does NOT work on Hero ROMs as of yet so that would explain that.
      5. Apps2SD does NOT work on Hero ROMs as of yet so that would explain that.
      6. That is most likely because you did not do step 24, or did you? 🙂

      24. Change the Swap location from /sdcard/swapfile.swp to /system/sd/swap.swp then click back.

      This step changes the location of swapper from the SD card to the internal memory so that when you remove the SD card is doesn’t crash. Also to avoid this problem, do not mount or remove the SD card while the phone is on (JAC warns this in his thread, but the changing of the location should fix it).
      7. That is because you need to use the SD card that you loaded the Hero ROM with.
      8. Apps2SD does NOT work on Hero ROMs as of yet so that would explain that.

      And no, do not load Apps2SD again, no good will come of this since it doesn’t work :)\

      Hope that clears things up!

  • PLC

    4. I have checked with Astro file manager: /system/sd
    it is blank, nothing in it, despite that I have installed whole bunch of apps.

    So does it indicate app2sd has failed?

  • jugg2000

    JACHero 2.6.3 works beautifully. Pretty fast build, no problems so far.

  • PLC

    David wrote:
    >Can I ask you to open 6 programs then click the Home button and let me know how long it takes (last Hero ROM I used took about 10 slow seconds, JAC2.3.5)?

    Mine took 2 seconds right now. It still a bit slow in comparison to it used to be before I done the final 2 steps in your video. I am also using JAC 2.3.5.

    Internal memory right now used 19MB out of 89MB.
    Widget in use: HTC search, mini calendar, wifi, min clock, music [large]

  • Eddie

    I pre ordered the my touch 3g, im curious will i be able to load the HERO ROM on it as well? will it run faster than on the G1 since you said it may lag ? and will it be the same process you posted for the g1

    • Hello Eddie,

      You will be able to but the process is different. But no worries, it will be on here as soon as XDA devs get it working and as soon as I can get my hands on the myTouch 3G to do that video 🙂

  • T.Springs

    it wont let me update at all i did everything right but it wont update when i press alt s it says
    install from sdcard find update package
    opening update
    verifying update
    e:no signature 387 files
    e:verification faild
    installation aborted

    my g1 is the 1.5…update

    • Hello T. Springs,

      You need to root first. Search our site for the How to Root Your G1 video under Android How Tos…

  • T.Springs

    if you have the last update 1.5 and it has the 2.22.19.26I do you still need to and if you do have to root if so i did that and when i do the telnet its saying its refused….sever .null is my g1 hacked or something???

  • Richelle

    Thanks for the respond!
    Sorry I have more questions..
    So if i do that switch from US to ADP.. what would happen to my theme? would it go back to the original since that hero one is only for the jf1.5 us?
    SORRY im so new at this.

    btw, my reason for the switch is that it seems that there are only two themes available for the US the gloss and hero.. unless im wrong??? seems theres more for the adp.

  • Richelle

    oh one more question do i need to wipe?? or just hit alt s?

  • Richelle

    nvm i figured it out. did wipe first and then flashed brought me to the old theme. thank youuuu so much!!!

  • Shaud

    The best hero rom as I know of is 2.3.3. Overclocked. It works real good. I have no more question, hopefully it will stay that way. Thanks for the help 🙂

  • Josh Duke

    Hey David,

    My Hero ROM(http://altepeter.com/justanotherdev/JACHero2.3.6.zip)wont stick my wallpaper for some reason…the lockscreen will show it but not my wallpaper from g1wallz.com wont load and stick to Home. I also cant load one from the wallpaper gallery either error “TouchFLO stopped unexepectedly-Force close”.

    Any Ideas…..please help or point me in the right direction?

    Thanks for any help in advance.

  • clint

    i did an apps to sd card setup and the fone froze, so then i loaded on the hero 2.3.6 and it works but terminal emulator is missing so i cant do that one step, what should i do?

    • Hello Clint,

      Goto the Market and download the terminal.

  • PLC

    I have reinstalled JACHero 2.3.5 doesn’t solve the problem. Still slow as usual.

    May be the app: Root backup for root users has executed the final two steps automatically without my approval because I saw that all my apps is still there the first time I logged in AFTER I have wiped my phone and reinstalled JAChero 2.3.5.

    It also allowed me to get in to the system without asking me for Google account login. Very strange.

    It seems to me that the system is accessing and running apps from my SD card. Since it is impossible for there to be any app after I have wiped the phone.

    • Hey PLC,

      The Hero ROMs are slow. Its natural. There is a HUGE factor that will take the devs some time to get past (if they ever do); the fact the the G1 has almost 100MBs less RAM than the Hero. Your best bet it to use a non Hero ROM and wait till better Hero ROMs come out, but of course up to you.
      Also about it not requiring you to sign in to Google, the Hero ROM doesn’t require this (never will) and it is normal. It is because HTC made it that way, they wanted to give people the option to login with Google, Exchange Mail or some other mail client instead, so no worries it isn’t strange 🙂

      So you are saying that the Apps are still on the phone after you have done a wipe? (We are still trying to figure out how to do Apps2SD on Hero, so this info would be helpful)

  • PLC

    Another possibility:
    Root Backup for Root Users has actually loaded all my apps into the update.zip (which is JAChero 2.3.5) prior to I wiped the phone and reinstall.
    Very unlikely, but no other explanation.

    Perhaps, the Alt+W won’t wipe the apps properly.

  • pdubplaw

    I did the step 18 but still cant get in the Market.

  • Josh Duke

    Hey David…..found my answer.

    My Hero ROM(http://altepeter.com/justanotherdev/JACHero2.3.6.zip)wont stick my wallpaper for some reason…the lockscreen will show it but not my wallpaper from g1wallz.com wont load and stick to Home. I also cant load one from the wallpaper gallery either error “TouchFLO stopped unexepectedly-Force close”.

    Any Ideas…..please help or point me in the right direction?

    Thanks for any help in advance
    _______________________________

    you can try to remove widgets from your home screen and then change the wallpaper, I couldn’t change my wallpaper either but I read somewhere in this thread to try that, and it worked for me.

    • Hello Josh Duke,

      Awesome! Thanks for posting the solution for others as well, greatly appreciated!

  • justin

    i downgraded to the cupcake from the hero but now i want to go back to hero. do i need to install the radio and spl again before i flash the hero rom?

  • jugg2000

    @justin: Go to your recovery screen, CAMERA + END, and make sure your radio is the updated version. If so, DO NOT RE-FLASH THE RADIO. You should not have to reflash the SPL either. If you’re partitions are already in place then all you have to do is re-flash the Hero ROM as normal.

  • justin

    thanx jug2000
    i have one more question. i keep getting this message that says internal memory is low. i deleted some apps but wont go away. before i went to the hero i partitioned my sd card and it showed 1,275 mb of internal memory but when i went to the hero it showed 85 mb. why is this? if i cant fix this then i might as well just stay on the cupcake.

    • Hello Justin,

      Hero does not work with Apps2SD correctly so just go back to a Cupcake custom ROM for now until they get it working.

  • Aramis Thomas

    I am having trouble with step 13 my phone won’t allow me to hit alt S. What am I doing wrong?

    • Hello Aramis Thomas,

      You need to have root access, goto the How To Root video and do that step first.

  • Mr Porter

    I did all the steps in order but after i did the spl update my phone is stuck at the g1 boot sign and i cant even get to the recovery menu please help

  • Mr Porter

    My phone is jailbroken and have js 1.5 cupcake version

  • Brian

    Hi David,

    I wanna know if new version JACHERO 2.3.6 Is faster already not slow anymore for G1 tahn the old version? and wish one faster JFv 1.51 our the JACHERO 2.3.6?

    • Hello Brian,

      My G1 is at HTC for repairs (the speaker just died randomly, phone is almost a year old though so eh). So I haven’t had a chance to try 2.3.6 yet so not sure, but I’m willing to bet JF will be faster 🙂

  • Dr Money

    what is the least laggest hero rom

  • Az

    Mind if i ask, what does the Swapper application do?

    • Hello Az,

      swapper (in the best way I understand and is easiest to explain) creates a section of your memory card to use as extra RAM (kinda). But it technically allows you to be able to run more programs at once (which is a huge requirement by Hero ROMs cause of all the widgets and the user interface etc).

  • William

    Hello David, the hero ROM loaded Perfectly but im missing terminal? is this normal? please help me out.

    • Hello William,

      Just download it from the Market.

  • jugg2000

    You all may want to look up creating a linux-swap partition on your sdcard. This is better than the swapper app. In the JACHero 2.7.2 thread on xda-developers, justanothercrowd has an example of how to partition your sdcard correctly. NOTE: you should flash the Cyanogen Recovery ROM; it has the linux console built in and can give you access to a program named “parted” which will allow you to partition your sdcard following the guidance of JAC.

  • BRANDON

    Can u still do this if u downloaded cupcake over the air?

  • Andres

    Hey David. So I have JF 1.51 ADP and I know how to partition and load the Hero rom and all that stuff. The only thing that’s stopping me is the Radio. I installed it to my phone after loading the cupcake ROM, and it was the latest one…2.22.19.26I or whatever. But I’ve seen on a few tuts that there’s a Radio zip with the same name as the latest one.. but supposedly its optimized for Hero Roms. So I’m not sure if I should just start from the Hard SPL or actually do the Radio update. I do want the best reception and all that.. but I don’t want to mess up my phone because of an “optimized radio” with the same name. So do I start from Hard SPL or what? Thanks I really appreciate it!

    • Hello Andres,

      I wouldn’t update the radio to the “optimized one” the one you currently have should be just fine.

  • luis

    Hi! Ok uhhh right now I’m running on the jesusfreke 1.51 CRB43 with a custom theme, if I wanted to put in the her rom I could do it straight out of this rom or do I have to go back on a the JF without the theme, and if I put in the hero rom all I have to do is put the jf rom back in the rename it update to go back?

    • Hello,

      The Theme doesn’t matter you can go straight from what you have. Just make sure you check your Radio at the beginning of the procedure, you need the latest one and if you already have it do NOT load it again or you will have problems.
      And yes, you can go back just by naming the JF to update.zip and loading it like normal.

  • zayyad

    dave

    srry took too l0ng it took roughly 8 secs

  • Luis Munoz

    I did everything in the video, though my phone didnt come with the terminal so i downloaded it from the apps store, but my phone also doesnt come with the swapper program…

    • Hello Luis Munoz,

      Try loading a different Hero ROM or just wait for an updated version of the one you are using and then download it, rename it to update.zip and load it with Alt S in the recovery screen like normal (no need to reload the radio and spl).

  • Andres

    Thanks David. I have a couple more questions… once I install the Hero ROM I can just flash JF 1.51 again if I find it slow right? I’m going to try to partition my stock card (I have a better one I bought for future use) with about 300 MB for apps and stuff. But I’m not going to use a 3rd partition for linux swap. Instead ill use Swapper but I’m wondering how long my SD card will last? Since I heard it “shortens the lifespan of your SD card”. I just need a range.. like does it shorten it to a few weeks or a few months? Because I’m okay if it lasts for a few months :]. Thanks David.

    • Hello Andres,

      Yes, you can swap back to JF just by naming it update.zip as normal.
      Ha, you’ll have bought a newer better memory card by the time it dies, it’s not going to be a noticeable difference, so don’t worry.

  • dave my phone is stuck onthe boot screen and i took out the sd card but my computer doesnt have a sd card slot. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Hello Elkanna,

      Instead of putting the SD card into the SD adapter and into the computer, find a phone that takes the same memory card as the G1, put the memory card in that phone and then plug that phone into the computer and put the files on that way (so you are technically using the other phone as a memory card reader for the computer.

  • luis munoz

    I have the latest JacHero 2.3.6

    is there any other way i can get he swapper program?

    • Hello Luis Munoz,

      Try looking for it in the market, or try Googling “Swapper.apk download”

  • Andres

    Thanks David. I’m going to follow this tutorial today and get a Hero ROM running. Much appreciated, you’re the best!

  • Andres

    Hey David, one more question (sorry to be a pest lol).. i partitioned my SD card and i noticed that on Paragon theres an option to partition space for “Linux Swap2”.. is that the same as the Linux Swap that can be useful to run the Hero ROMs? The latest JACHero can automatically use Linux Swap if theres a linux partition.. so i was just wondering. Thanks.

    • Hello Andres,

      It could be the same, and there isn’t any harm in trying, but you are on your own for that one because I am not familiar with doing it that way. I would just use the swapper program that comes in the Hero ROM and thats it. Up to you, good luck!

  • JJ

    SO I DID THE ROOT AND ALL THE STEPS TO GET THE HERO ROM UP TO STEP 15, I ALREADY DELETED THE SPL UPDATE AND RENAMED THE HERO ROM TO UPDATE AND MY PHONE IS STUCK ON THE G1 SCREEN, REPEATED TAKING OUT THE BATTERY OVER AND OVER AND HOLDING THE POWER AND HOME BUTTONS AND STILL STUCK PLEASE HELP…

    • Hello JJ,

      You need to put the memory card into your computer and load the Hero ROM onto it and rename it to update.zip. Then put it back into the phone and turn it on by holding home and power at the same time (make sure you are holding home when you hold power).

  • Joe G

    HEY David

    i have 2 Q ?

    Q1
    I KEEP GETTING THE SU REQUEST PROCESS #754 (APP_10049:APP10049) LV.N30 SWAPPER

    WANT TO RUN /SYSTEM/BIN/SH AS ROOT:ROOT..

    I keep pressing deny will this ever go away.?

    Q2
    I did all the steps to the swapper but when i click swap on i always get

    creating swap file FAIL

    CAN YOU PLEASE HELP. THANKS

    • Hello Joe G,

      You are only suppose to press deny the first time it comes up. The next time it comes up press Always Allow and that should solve both problems.

  • brandon

    I got everything to work except the swapper…I did everything you said but it keeps saying failed for everything i do…need help..

    • Hello Brandon,

      Turn the phone off then back on. When it asks if you want to allow Swapper say Always Allow.

  • Amanda

    HI, can you help me with the swapper. it wont work. it kêpt says fail, fail,fail,fail,fail. all done.. what does that mean?

    • Hello Amanda,

      Turn the phone off then back on. When it asks if you want to allow Swapper say Always Allow.

  • mrjoeyloke

    hi david! i’ve seen some hero roms ran smoothly on the g1 on youtube… both jack hero and rosie… my question to you is, what does it mean to overclock your g1? is it using more ram in sacrifice of other features? maybe battery life? if you know what this means please let me know… thanks!

    • Hello MrJoeyLoke,

      Overclocking is actually done by JACHeros ROM automatically I believe.
      The best way for it to run smoothly is to remove all the widgets from the home screens.

      Overclocking is telling the processor to run at a faster frequency than it does from the factory. This allows the phone to process information faster. It will make the phone run hotter and the battery life decrease quickly, but for most it is worth it (so long as you are only overclocking slightly).

  • Andres

    Okay yea, I just used the Swapper program and everything is running pretty smoothly. But when I turned on Swapper it gave me a bunch of fails but then it gave me multiple oks so I don’t know if that’s normal or what. I’m not sure if its working correctly.

  • Joe G

    Thanks David C for answering my last Q ?

    I have ONE more Q? for now. my Q ? is that i can’t find my AIM / MSN / YAHOO app so i can i.m. is there a way for me to get it back. I know i can download different once from the market place , but that’s the only one i use for my yahoo i.m.’s cuz the rest really don’t work so well..

    Thanks:

    • Hello Joe G,

      Sorry no, besides downloading them from the Market.

  • Joe G

    OOOooop also is there a way how i can change the wallpaper on the hero / rosie?

  • Tory G

    my swapper say’s fail for all then all done need help plz

    • Hello Tory G,

      You need to turn the phone off and then on, and when it turns on again you will eventually get a SU Request for Swapper. Hit Always Allow and you should be good to go.

  • Joe G

    Q ? is there a way where i can maybe use a back-up of the g1 aim / yahoo / msn i.m. using astro file manger program for the rosie / hero ?

  • Chan

    I almost finish, but there was othing of that thing that I have to denie once. and I have noticed that the terminal icon is not there so when I go to market there it takes forever for the loading of terms and never loads. what can I do.

    • Hello Chan,

      You need to turn your phone off then on again. Then turn OFF Wifi and goto the Market to accept the terms and conditions.

  • Chan

    Hello David,
    Why in the latest jachero does not appear the terminal, in vesion 2.3.5 it does but in 2.3.6 does not. Is there any explanation, and also I experienced that 2.3.6 is kinda slow so is there any way I did something wrong,
    Thanks

  • freddy saenz

    Hi.. I just root my g1.. I been trying to do the sp2 or ext2 on my sdcard, as u show on ur video. Its tells me the sdcard is bad, corrupted or damage. I had purchase 3 sd cards already and still doing the same, and if I do the reboot at the end as u show on the video my g1 gets. Stock on G1 logo and I have to reinstall the jf1.5 update over and over everytime this happends.. can u please help me?
    Please. saenz4931@gmail.com. thank you

  • alexander

    hey david
    i really need your help because i downloaded the hero rom onto my phone then it got stuck on the little android thing that keeps popping in and out of the hero symbol,,,,i tried taking the battery out and my memory card,,,,,do you have any suggestions please help me im stuck on this

    • Hello Alexander,

      I added your issue to the FAQ underneath the post. Check it out and good luck!

  • blaze

    so my G1 is jailbroken and i want to get this hero rom, i read all the instruction specially that part where u said to wait for a new hero ROM, there’s the r2.3.6, i wanted to make sure i do it right so my phone will work at least at a 90% without problems and i found this guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=534461 this completely lost me with the formatted SD card ext2/3, ADB & Fastboot, to make sure my phone work smoothly & fast…
    is all this necessary? i will really appreciate if u answer my question =]]

    • Hello Blaze,

      That tutorial is fine, on here to do those same steps you would follow the Apps2SD procedure, and then follow the Hero procedure and you would come out with the same results.
      I would maybe skip our Apps2SD and give the partition instructions they have a try (might be a bit easier, but same results anyway):

      [Q] Do i need a formatted SD Card with EXT2/3 Partition

      [A] No, but you should. It will make Hero and Rosie run much smoother and MUCH faster with NO lag.

      Use SDSPLIT to create your partition – Follow this Guide

      OR

      Format your SD Card with EXT3 and Swap Parition

      Then goto the Hero procedure and you’re good to go.
      JUST MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT LOAD THE RADIO OR SPL TWICE. ONCE YOU HAVE THE LATEST ONE DO NOT LOAD THEM AGAIN.

  • Doug

    After i finished the upload and everything my phone was working great then the screen just went black whats going on????? if u could help me i apreciate it im running the 2.3.6

    • Hello Doug,

      Just restart the phone and see if it keeps happening.
      AGAIN TO EVERYONE, Hero is NOT stable and will have issues for everyone. They are getting better with every new update…

  • Gil

    when i do the swapper part it keep saying fail,fail,fail,fail,fail, all done and i always allow, what might be the problem… please HELP!!!

    • Hello Gil,

      Did you partition your card first?

  • Clemshady

    Hi
    1st I want to thank you for your easy to follow instructions. I successfully loaded the JACHERO 2.3.6 on my G1. Prior to 2 days ago when I stumbled upon your website, I had no clue what it means to ROOT a phone. I was confident enough to attempt it beacuse I see you doint it and I see you have a set of instructions to UN-root as well. Thanks again.

    So far I used your instructions to root, load latest radio and SPL and your Apps2SD process. Now a found the newer ROM JACHero 2.7.4r2 @ http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=534479 I want this because its described to be EXTREMELY FAST and adds among other things, Voice Search. I have a lot of apps that uses voice command and i really miss that feature.

    Now here is my question:
    – Do you even recommend that I do this?
    – What would be my 1st step? Do I need to go back to a non-hero ROM like Cynogen to begin? Any recomendations?
    – Do I need to reload radio/spl? (probably not)
    – Do i need Cyanogen’s Recovery Image?
    – If yes, how do I load it? (wipe 1st?, etc)
    – Since I have swapper /Apps2SD, do I still need to partition SD card as in their instruction?

    I am sure I am still missing some things I should be asking. If any thing comes to mind, please advise. A video walkthrough by you on this would be awesome.
    Once again, thank you so much!

    –

    • Hello Clemshady,

      Thanks! We appreciate you being here! The more people we have visit the site the more we time we can devote to updating it and helping you guys!

      As for your questions:
      1. Yes, no reason not to if you are already on a JACHero ROM.
      2. You would just take the 2.7.4r2 .zip file, put it on your SD card and rename it to update.zip liek you would with any other ROM. No need to go from a JACHero ROM to a non-hero rom and back, most developers ROMs are easily upgraded to newer versions.
      3. NO, with a big N and a big O. Never reload those radio or SPL, if they are working right now on the Hero ROM you are using, then you are done with those. Once you have the latest radio and SPL, do not load the same ones again or downgrade them.
      4. No, it is a great tool and recommended by most devs, but not necessary.
      5. You should generally always wipe when going to a new ROM, just a good precaution and save you the headache. So put the new ROM on the SD card, rename it to update.zip like normal. Then boot into recovery mode (the triangle screen), hit Alt W. Then if the phone doesn’t reboot, hit Alt S. If it does reboot automatically after the wipe, then take out the battery once it reboots, put it back it (this is to turn off the phone before it boots up completely), then boot into recovery mode again and hit alt S.
      6. If you already have a partitioned card because of swapper and Apps2SD, then you are all set. It will not go away so you don’t need to redo it.

      As for a video, already have it. Just follow the steps for How To Load a ROM in the How To Load a ROM/Radio/SPL video. Good luck!

  • Clemshady

    Also, I currently have the JFv1.5_CRB43-US.zip. Do I need the JFv1.5-ADP? What is ADP btw and how is it diff from what I currently have? Thanks again

    • Hello Clemshady,

      You are on JF1.5 or are you on JACHero? You mentioned you had Hero 2.3.6 loaded in the last comment but then said JF1.5 in this one? The instructions I gave you before were assuming you were on JACHero 2.3.6 with the latest Radio and SPL already loaded. So which is it? JF1.5 your on, or JACHero?

      PS. ADP, US, and UK are just regional codes given to the different ROMs. ADP is a developer ROM so there is no proprietary software pre loaded. US is for the US and so myFaves might be on there and Amazon MP3, etc. UK is the UK ROM and will have whatever proprietary software the UK companies put on there.
      ADP is most popular because it is just the least cluttered, but performance etc should be the same (one difference is that since ADP is most popular, there are more themes for ADP than the other versions).

  • Gil

    Nope!!! how do i do that???

    • Hello Gil,

      I’m going to warn you that the process is a little tricky, and if you attempt to do it be very patient and if something goes wrong you may have to search through our comment(s) or on XDA-Developers.com to find a solution (there are so many factors that could cause an issue, that unless I was sitting next to you watching you do it, it is impossible for me to figure what went wrong and help for the most part), ok?
      With that being said, if you are willing to give it a shot then just search our site for the How To Save Apps to the SD Card tutorial and follow that. Good luck!

  • Gil

    hi i found how to partition, but can u tell me the size that i have to put in the sdcard???

    • Hello Gil,

      You can set anything, just make sure it’s under 1500MBs. Most do like 500Mbs – 1000Mbs as that is plenty.

  • Clemshady

    I also found an easy way to create an Ext 2 Partition (MADE EASY w/ Pics). See http://www.allshadow.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5870. This however does not say any thing about Ext3 partition. What is Ext3? Do I need it? Can I use Paragon Partition Manager to create Ext3 also? Thanks again!

    • Hello Clemshady,

      Thanks for the new resource!
      Ext3 is a faster transfer rate than ext2 and is a bit better, problem is less things are compatible with it (including some ROMs) so I would recommend just having an EXT2 partition instead if the ROM you want to use supports Ext2. I didn’t notice a terrible gain in performance from using one or the other.

  • Gil

    THANKS FOR THE HELP I DID IT HERE, IT SAID INTERNAL PHONE STORAGE 85MB IS THAT RITE R IS MORE???

    • Hello Gil,

      Yup all set! Swapper working?

  • HannaH

    Hi guys!!

    I need help!! I tried this yesterday and the same thing that happened to Shaud hhappened to me 🙁 my G1 FROZE completely after STEP 15 and i continued with STEP16 and 17 but never passed after the Tmobile G1 logo!!

    i had to call Tmobile to replace my G1

    please help me!! I really want to have Hero on my G1

    • Hello Hannah (and anyone else stuck on the G1 screen while loading Hero).

      I redid the FAQ under the post to help you if you did steps 16 and 17 and still are stuck on the G1 screen. Read the issue below and follow the solution below it and let us know if that works.

  • Gil

    hi i have a question, i got my g1 with JACHero r2.3.6, i txt myself from my moms phone and i dont get the txt!!! why is that? but if send txt it go

  • Amin

    hey David,,
    Can u please help me because i dont want the HEro rom on my g1 anymore so how can i take it off so that i could just go back to my regualr updated g1 theme

    • Hello Amin,

      Just put a different ROM on the sd card, rename it to update.zip and hit alt s in recovery mode to flash the update.zip and then your all set.

  • Clemshady

    Opps! sorry for the confusion. I AM on the JACHero 2.3.6. I was getting mixed up because after following your “How To: Load a Custom ROM/Radio/Theme on the T-Mobile G1” instruction and before I installed the Hero ROM, I had the JFv1.5_CRB43-US.zip. For some reason, I thought the Hero Rom depends on the JFv1.5_CRB43-US. I am guessing the Hero ROM simply REPLACES whatever rom was there b4. Right?

    • Hello Clemshady,

      That is correct. Whatever ROM you load it will replace the old ROM.

  • Clemshady

    I often get a random force close with the following message “The applicatiom TouchFLO (process com.htc.launcher) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again.” any ideas?

    • Hello Clemshady,

      It is because the G1 doesn’t have enough RAM to run the Hero ROM. They are trying to make it better. Just download a new one whenever they come out with it. Otherwise, switch back to a non Hero ROM.

  • Clemshady

    I am about to upgrade from JACHero 2.3.6 to JACHero 2.7.4r2 as shown @ http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=534479. However, I see this warning: “DO NOT RUN ANY OTHER APPS2SD APPLICATIONS ON THIS BUILD. YOU WILL BREAK YOUR SYSTEM. THEY ARE NOT NECESSARY BECAUSE THIS ROM WILL DO A2SD AUTOMATICALLY AND BETTER!” Does this apply to me since I did your Apps2SD procedure or could I just proceed?

    • Hello Clemshady,

      You should be able to just continue, since you already have JACHero and that warning is on all of his Hero ROMs.

  • luis munoz

    ok so i had the her rom and now i tried to go back to the Jfv1.51 CRB43, i put the zip file in and named it update, i did the alt S thing and everyithing but once it reboots, it stays on the loading screen where it says “andriod”

    • Hello Luis Munoz,

      Read the FAQ under the post, and you’ll see how to get past the screen. Basically just load into recovery mode and hit alt w to wipe and follow FAQ solution.

  • luis munoz

    ok i got it to work, i had to wipe my phone

    god i hate doing that haha good thing i have my back up app 😀

  • jared mims

    hey when u first flashed your g1 with the new optimized jachero rom did u have problems receiving messages because i can send them i just cant receive them…everytime i hit the default message app it forcecloses

  • jared mims

    i have jachero 2.7.1 and i am running apps2sd so thats probably why my sms isn’t working how do i delete the apps2sd do i reformat my sdcard and if so am i suppose 2 partition my sdcard with paragon now

    Clemshady Says:
    July 26th, 2009 at 3:30 am

    I am about to upgrade from JACHero 2.3.6 to JACHero 2.7.4r2 as shown @ http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=534479. However, I see this warning: “DO NOT RUN ANY OTHER APPS2SD APPLICATIONS ON THIS BUILD. YOU WILL BREAK YOUR SYSTEM. THEY ARE NOT NECESSARY BECAUSE THIS ROM WILL DO A2SD AUTOMATICALLY AND BETTER!” Does this apply to me since I did your Apps2SD procedure or could I just proceed?

    • Hey Jared,

      It’s probably not that too be honest. I’ve seen that issue before, just reload the update.zip for the Hero ROM and see if that fixes it.
      (The problem they are referring to is that the ROM won’t work, just not being able to send texts wouldnt have to do with apps2sd).

  • jared mims

    thanks i appreciate it…but the things is…is that i’ve already tried to reload the update already like 5 or 6 times after first going back to jfk cupcake and i just keep getting the same results

  • jared mims

    i just have 1 more quick question so can i upload to the 2.7.4 r2 jachero rom

  • Amin

    HEy DAvid,,
    2 more things,, which rom should i download to go back to the regualar g1 theme,,,,because i originally started out with jesusfreke…#2..SO if i choose the dudeoflife rom would i messup anything on my phone?,,,,please need info

  • unk2009

    Hey Guys, Thanx for all you do, your vids are great..I flashed the latest Hero(JACheroski 2.7.4) and it has two screens One Muliti touch and the other Home(which is pretty cool actually..)I was wondering how can I flash my fone to the new Mytouchski2.0 ? Do I leave the currrent radio and SPL ? Would I just put my sd card in the reader and download the rom onto the card and then put it back in my fone and boot up like I would normally(Alt W and Alt S ? ) do you guys have a vid in the works for this latest ROm ? Again, thanx for all your help and hard work…UnK 2009

    • Hello Unk2009,

      Thanks!
      There is no new video necessary, just follow the steps in the How to Load a ROM to load any new ROM that comes out.
      Once you have loaded the Radio and SPL from the Hero How To, do NOT load any other radios or ROMs. Just leave the Radio and SPL as they are and put the new ROM on the SD card, rename to update.zip and then Alt W to wipe, and Alt S to load the update.zip in the recovery mode like normal.

  • JOE G

    Q? is there any other rom that can use flash besides the hero ?

  • Rene

    Do you have to jail break your phone first before doing all this?

    • Hello Rene,

      We call it Rooting instead of jailbreaking lol Same idea though, but just so you know when you are reading around, you’ll see the word Root alot 🙂
      But yes, you do, search or site for the How To Root procedure.

  • raymond

    after i reboot my phone from being stuck on g1 screen i try to alt s the hero rom n it downloads but stops in the middle n bring me back to the exclamation mark…wat to do????

  • Gil

    im loading something wrong the bluetooth dosent work with the JACHero 2.3.6??? please help!!!!

    • Hello Gil,

      You didn’t do anything wrong the Hero ROMs aren’t stable or finished. Some don’t support Bluetooth yet.

  • blaze

    do i reeeaaaallyyyy have to load a custom rom even tho i wanna load this rom?

  • rafy

    can u plz help me with this bc my spl say no signuter
    plz email me ak i realy want this

  • Steven

    David Cogen Says:
    As soon as you guys see a new Hero ROM come up on XDA let me know and I’ll be glad to revise it for the new one (I’m just as anxious as you all to have Hero on my G1.

    There is newer and better ways to make this run as if it came stock on our G1’s. Do you plan to update your How to/instructions?

  • Gil

    Hey guys just a question, I’m loading the Jac hero 2.7.4 and the browser has no zoom or multi touch is there any setting to get that???? Thanks.

  • thegentlemen11

    I tried to load the SPL by hitting alt s and it doesnt load..please help

  • murry

    once i have updated to hero i do not have teminal emulator

  • Michael

    It says it failed to verify help please

  • blaze

    ok so i had the htc hero rom on my G1 (JAChero r2.3.6) it was working well, slow of course, so i wanted to upgrade and put the JAChero “2.7.4r2” rom http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=534479 so i followed the instructions but when i hit “alt+s” it didn’t upgrade it said something like “can’t open file, there’s no such file” so i tried it again, & the samething happened why is this happening?? i didn’t do the App2sd thing cause the rom supposedly do it for you, also i wiped my phone before upgrading and that message came up..
    i will appriciate your help =]]
    thank you!

  • Gil

    Hi blaze!!!! I don’t know much but did u renamed the file to update

  • blaze

    yes i did but but it doesn’t work

  • clemshady

    To everyone with Hero roms:

    I know most of you are tired of Hero issues like I was. I had the 2.3.6 and later the 2.7.4 but gave up on it due to all the lags and force closes. I actually un-rooted by phone back to stock. Unfortunately, once you experience Hero, nothing else seems to fit the bill.

    Anyway, I am happy to report now that I am running a Hero rom that is pretty much as STABLE and FAST as cupcake (I swear am not kidding). Its by a developer @ xda-developers called Drizzy. Check out http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=540791 The rom is called Newvision Touchflo 3D v2.8. If you follow all the instructions carefully, you will be amazed at the outcome. My Hero is running like a true champ.

    The new Drizzy rom is light years ahead. You dont need to overclock, apps2sd is automatic and you dont need swapper. Just have the latest radio and spl, use Cyanogen Recovery 1.4 Image which will allow you to partition your sd card (3 partitions: fat32, ext3 & linux-swap)and you are all set. If you check out the forum link I posted above, you will see everyone testifying to how good this rom is. The best part is that the rom is not even optimized and he is soon coming out with the optimized version 2.9 which I cant even imagine what level of awesomeness that will be.
    Perhaps David will make a how-to video but I will recommend to wait for 2.9. In the mean time, I will be happy to help any one with questions. It is worth a shot. Good luck!

    • HELLO CLEMSHADY AND EVERYONE WITH HERO ROMs,

      First thank you Clemshady for helping out others with issues!
      I actually used the Drizzy ROM and ended up switching to the JACxHero ROM that came out yesterday and it works better for me, but goes to show you that everyone has different experiences.

      But It’s funny you mention it because I just put up instructions for how to load the Drizzy or the new JACxHero ROMs with the 3 partitions (FAT32, Ext3, and Linuz-Swap) on the site: Hero Improved Method

      Video is being edited and should be up by tomorrow (assuming YouTube doesn’t mess up the upload like normal lol). Enjoy guys!

  • clemshady

    Thanks for the acknowledgement David. I have not tried the new JACxHero ROM. I was having such a great time with Drizzys 2.8 that I vowed not to try anything else till his 2.9. However, if you of all people recommends the new JACxHero ROM and are backing it up with your awesome how-to videos, who am I not to oblige. Afterall, b4 I found this site, I thought ROOTING a phone meant burying it in the mud. lol. I’ll post up my impressions tomorrow. Thanks again!

  • clemshady

    To Everyone with any Hero ROM:

    A lot of people often complain that their new ROM runs great but starts to crawl after a period of time. One possible factor is the accumulation of cache by several applications like the browser, market, maps, streetview, Gmail, etc. which is automatically stored in your G1’s internal memory.

    Although you can periodically go to your G1 Settings, click Manage Application to delete it (which could be a pain after sometime), you may actually prefer not to always delete your cache. A cached site for example will open up quicker in the browser.

    I therefore strongly recommend that you get the free app in the market called “Move Cache for Root Users”. As the name implies, it moves the cache of the apps mentioned above to the fat32 partition of your sd card where space is not an issue.

    This way, even if you have 99 problems with your G1, slow downs caused by cache accumulation wouldn’t be one of them. lol. Enjoy!

  • kestheillest

    man haha my phone fucked up it doesnt want to get off the g1 boot screen you know when it just first turns on

  • Christopher

    Can someone help me? I bricked my phone when trying to install the HERO rom.

    How do I restore it back to the factory defaults from the SD card? I can not get to terminal.

    All I have is the G1 Boot screen.

    Thanks.

  • Michael

    when i try to turn swapper on it fails

  • JorgeRod

    Hi I got to the hero UI but when I get to the terminal emulator step it doesn’t appear in the apps and when I tried to go to the market the the terms and conditions never load up and say that to try later. What should I do?

  • Victor

    Ok so i loaded the Hero rom on my g1 nd it works, but its very laggy and tends to force close, freeze, and load alot so is there a way i can optimize the performance of the hero build? what are your suggestions?

    • Hello Victor,

      Check the Bold writing at the top of this post and do the Rooting in 1 click (to get the special recovery image) and then the Load a Custom ROM etc. video and if you follow the instructions it will be a lot faster (still not as fast as the Hero itself but not bad considering the lack of almost 100Mbs of RAM that the G1 and MyTouch have).
      Good luck!

  • John

    Hi David,

    I flashed the new Hero Rom but i kept getting stuck at the HTC Screen. It loads but google maps will force close and dialer will also force close.

    And i get stuck at htc screen forever. Need your kind help pls

  • alfonso

    when i turn swap on everything say fail!!

    • Hello Alfonso,

      Read the bold writing at the top of this page. It is OBSOLETE.

  • pappy

    hey man i don’t know why u guys do it but wht ever the reason it .. thank you very much from me and from everyone else… let me know when ever thier is an update pls

    • Pappy,

      Thanks! Its just me, but I like doing it, figured the internet might need a place like this 🙂
      There is a newer procedure than this by the way, read the bold writing at the begininng.

  • bryanz

    i tried to root my phone and install custom roms but i didnt have any luck, so i try to unroot my g1 and now when i try to do the system recovery it would say android system recovery utility E:cant open /cache/recovery/command… and i wont find the update file on my sdcard

    • Bryanz,

      This is the wrong procedure. Goto our How To Unroot procedure and skip the SPL step. Just do the dreaimg.nbh file steps and your all set.

  • bryanz

    thanks theunlockr i got it. now i imma try to root my phone using ur method and install a hero rom

  • Tom

    my G1 does not work when i press the alt and s botton to update…….how?

    • Tom,

      Read the bold writing at the top of this procedure. It is obsolete.

  • edgar

    I did the unlokr. Root but can’t run cyanogen roms their zip files. Do they need to be apk files. Or did I do something wrong because I can run hero Rome’s but that’s it.

    • Edgar,

      They need to be zip file. You are reading the wrong procedure. Read the bold writing at the top.

  • Jerry

    whenever I try to flash a hero rom I get the following;
    e.cant chown/mod/system/xbin
    (no such file or directory)
    e. failure at line 80
    set_perm_recursive 0 2000 0755 0
    install aborted
    this only happens with hero why??

    • Jerry,

      Read the bold writing at the top of this post.

  • michael

    i have the 1.6 donut on my g1 do i skip te radio download.