2010-07-30

Install the latest and greatest on your Motorola Milestone

Before we start do a backup of your data! Better be save than sorry! :)

1) To backup the data on a Motorola Milestone you need to have a recovery version which is vulnerable. If your phone still has Android 2.0 or 2.0.1 you are on the right side.

If you already have Android 2.1 you need to downgrade just the vulnerable recovery partition of the 2.0.1 version (from SHOLS_U2_01.14.0). Therefore you normally needed access to a (virtualized) Windows-PC, install there RSD Lite (4.6.0) and the Motorola USB Drivers (4.6.5) or use a software for flashing sbf on Linux, sbf_flash, here.

The recovery image is in the SBF format, normally RSD Lite only was able to flash it. Shut down the Milestone, hold the up-button on the keyboard and turn it on again. Now connect the USB-cable, start RSD Lite and select the vulnerable recovery SBF file or under Linux type as root ./sbf_flash [sbf-file].sbf - Now flash it. :)

2) We are now able to start a update.zip with no signature. You just have to place the Open Recovery (1.46) (or Androidiani OpenRecovery for Milestone 3.3) on the SD-Card. Now turn of the Milestone, hold the Camera button pressed and turn it on again. When the warning symbol appears, you have to hold the volume up key also, then release the camera button and shortly afterwards the volume up. Maybe you need to repeat the key pressing till it works. When the recovery menu appears select update.zip - finally you can do a nandroid backup!

3) Alternatively you can flash now a fully prepared SBF f.e. from G.O.T. and flash it.

4) If you want with Open Recovery you can also root the device, overclock it and so on...

5) And if you want to run Android 2.2 or 2.3 on your Motorola Milestone you can download CyanogenMod 6.1.2/7 for Milestone from here. :)