Install custom ROM from Linux on a LG GT540

Question

I'd like to install a custom ROM on my LG GT540.

It looks like that in order to enable fastboot and make the whole process a lot easier, a custom ROM must be installed the first time with a program called KDZ. This program seems to work on windows only.

Is it possible to enable fastboot and/or install a custom ROM using Linux?

Answer 1

I also have that phone and it had fastboot disabled. To quickly answer your question, I haven't found a method to install a fastboot ROM from Ubuntu but it is possible to flash a custom ROM from it.

Assuming there is fastboot ROM installed, you should first boot it into fastboot mode (if you have ADB running, just use adb reboot bootloader):

1. turn the phone off
2. hold the camera button and then the power on button
3. keep pressing the camera button until you see the LG logo

The phone will be in fastboot mode when you see a blank screen (just the back light will be on). After that, you should be able to use Ubuntu to flash a custom ROM. All you have to do is open a terminal in the folder containing the extracted files and type:

sudo -s
fastboot -w #this wipes user data! don't forget to backup :)
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot reboot

This process should take about 10 minutes to complete.

Just for the record, I downloaded fastboot binary from here and Swiftdroid 2.0 from here, but I believe you can use any fastboot-ready ROM (in other words, ROMs with boot.img and system.img). If you don't have a fastboot-enabled ROM installed already, you can do it using the KDZ Updater as described here, but you have to use Windows and the fastboot ROM.

Reference thread and post

Answer 2

I think you might be a little confused. Android is based off of Linux and everything that can be done for Android on Windows can be done much easier on Linux. :)

To answer your question. Unlike other phones LG makes, they did not disable fastboot on your phone. It is enabled by default afaik. Fastboot is just a binary that allows the user to send commands remotely to the phone from the desktop. You just need to be in fastboot mode on your phone for the commands to be recognized. On linux, you dont need special programs like KDZ, you just need the Android SDK and a few commands in terminal.

The XDA dev forums are your best friends when it comes to android development and custom ROMs. This page(especially the 1st link on the page concerning Ubuntu) should get you started:

1. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032744
2. http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=773

1st link is the sticky with what is needed to get you started and the 2nd link is just the links to the other sections in the GT540 forum which is provided for convenience.

Answer 3

Is it possible to enable fastboot and/or install a custom ROM using Linux?

Sad to say, but no, you can't yet enable fastboot using Linux easily. You need to find someone with Windows (was best option for me) or deal with virtual machines.

p.s.

Lucky you need it only once, I found someone with Windows just to enable fastboot, now can flash ROM using fastboot tool on Linux.

Answer 4

No. There isn't. Io owned this device for a long time, and you need the KDZ Updater to install a fastboot ROM. Once that is done, you can shun Windows forever.