How To: Get Android 2.1 on Your Dell Streak Right Now
Sick of waiting for Dell to give you your Android 2.1 update? Well, here’s how to install it manually 🙂
THIS WORKS ON ALL DELL STREAKS, INCLUDING THE US ONE!
I. Root the Phone
1. Do our How To Root the Dell Streak procedure then come back to this one.
II. Flash a Custom Recovery and Modaco’s Custom ROM
1. Do our How To Load a Custom ROM on the Dell Streak procedure and make sure to FLASH MODACO’s CUSTOM ROM from our Dell Streak’s ROM section then return to this procedure.
III. Flash the Stock Recovery Back to Your Phone
1. Download the stock recovery image and SAVE IT INSIDE the folder you extracted for installing the custom recovery image in the How To Load a Custom ROM procedure (the folder with fastboot.exe and all the other files directly inside of it).
2. Turn off your phone, take out the battery, then put the battery back in.
3. Turn on the phone by holding down the Camera button and Power, keep holding them until the bootloader screen comes up.
4. Select Fastboot at the top right and then wait 10 seconds.
5. After the 10 seconds, plug the phone into the computer via the USB cable.
6. On your computer, navigate to the folder you extracted for installing the custom recovery image in the How To Load a Custom ROM procedure and hold Shift on your keyboard and then right click the folder (the folder with fastboot.exe and all the other files directly inside of it) then choose “Open a command window here”.
7. Now, in the command prompt window type the following with hitting enter at the end of each line:
fastboot-windows.exe -i 0x413c flash recovery recovery.stock.img      (that is a zero, not an oh)
8. Once the phone says Recovery Done, take out the battery and put it back in.
9. Turn the phone on by holding down Volume Down, Volume Up and Power at the same time. Keep holding the three buttons until the menu comes up.
10. On the menu, select the second option to update the phone via Update.pkg and wait for it to update. Once done, it will reboot.
IV. Flash the Update Package
1. Download the Dell 2.1 Update Package
2. Plug the phone in via usb cable and mount the sd card so we can transfer files to it.
3. Copy the file to the root of the sd card (not in any folders, just on the sdcard itself), and make sure it is name Update.pkg (yes it needs to be a capital U).
4. Turn off the phone.
5. Turn the phone back on by holding down both Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power until the menu comes up.
6. Select “Software Upgrade via Update.pkg on SD card” to apply the update. Click the Camera button to confirm. Once it is done it should reboot, enjoy!
Hmm…I can seem to get past the Wait for USB Fastboot detect…… any prep required? IE: Computer driver? I notice in device manager the Streak is showing up as Android 1.0 with the “I need an F’n Driver” exclamation 🙂 your thoughts sir ?
Having the same issue but on a mac :/
same for me…any resolution to this.
same for me…any resolution to this.
And…..Just like that I fixed it, Had to manually load the BootLoader Interface Driver….So if anyone runs into this problem…Once the Streak is sitting at the “Wait for USB Fastboot detect” screen. Go into control panel right click android 1.0 device—->update driver—->browse my computer for driver software—->Let me pick from list—->Android Device—->Android Bootloader Interface….done 🙂 Great How To BTW 🙂
Jimtek,
Thanks for the addition! Did you have Dell PC Studio installed before starting thiugh? I didnt have to install any drivers and im wondering if thats why (and if I should add that to the procedure first).
I did indeed have it installed prior to rooting and updating – I also found it a bit odd myself – but none the less after pointing to the driver it it came right up 🙂 It may just be a one off catch that could happen once with very few, and as this is 0 day i figured I would lend the helping hand 🙂
System Specs
– Windows 7 Ultimate x64
– Intel Core i7 920
– 8gb PC3-8500
– NVIDIA GeForece GTX 260
It might be worth a mention as a “just in case” if anything…..on another note, now if someone could figure out a way to get it to make PBJ’s for my kids, I’d probably be the happiest man alive lol
I don’t see what step 10 should be doing. There was no instruction to put any Update.pkg on the card beforehand.
David,
Just push that option to finish it (it loads the recovery image up on the phone when you click that, doesn’t actually have any file on the sd card).
Does adding this void the warranty with dell? Also can fhe 2.1 be taken off any restore phone default Software? Thanks
Shepbird,
Read our new post on Rooting 101 for you warranty question.
You can easily revert back, once you flash the custom recovery image immediately open it and do a nandroid backup, if you have that you will always be able to get back to stock and send it in for warranty.
so i get all the way to the last step and it will not restart…i flashed the stock recovery, and applied the update.pkg successfully but i get stuck at the boot logo…please help!!
Hey man – thanks for the great how-to – question 4 u – have you herd/found anyone whom has the stock 1.6 US rom?
Jimtek,
I was actually looking for it myself. I just sent the Dell Streak back to Dell here in the States with Android 2.1 (the O2 leaked ROM) still on it hoping they won’t notice lol
So far they haven’t, but still waiting for them to let me know it arrived.
If you find the 1.6 US ROm, let me know and we’ll post it up on the site so people can find it in the future.
so are you waiting on a new one to come back as to back the rom up? or done with it completely? anywho – dunno if you’ve seen this yet but the XDA form has a pretty nice walk through to get the phone back to 1.6 somewhat , not the US version yet but close – on a side note – Dells gonna be in a world of hurt if they dont release the code for the phone fairly soon lol. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=767413
Jintek,
Yea it’s super easy to get it back to 1.6, but we need it to get back to 1.6 US version is the issue. If just one person has a Nandroid backup of their USA Nandroid backup…
Can do all of this on a mac or do I need a PC?
Emon,
Just replace anything that says Command Prompt with Terminal and look for the Mac compatible files in the downloads. Otherwise just borrow a friend’s PC.
TheUnlockr.
I used a friends pc and made sure I had the right build number and did everything else correctly but, i didnt work. Is there any reason it wouldnt have worked?
Hey, is anyone having issues rooting their Dell Streak?
Will I got 2.1 loaded and running, but can’t connect to the app market or gmail.
any tips?
i have a question.. I have no clue how to work command prompt. Ive done research on how to use it properly but still no luck. Can anyone help me out…thanks.
Fantastic. Now on to 2.2 and 2.3
E:Can’y find MISC: is my prob
cant wipe data cant install modaco they both abort
hello i have a dell streak 5 and its build is 15609 and is using android 2.2.2 i wanna know how do i root it or if i cant do anything else