Motorola Droid – Install Gingerbread 2.3.7 with CyanogenMod 7.1 ROM

All those who own Motorola Droid phones on their hands are pretty lucky, as they can now enjoy new features on their phone by updating it with the latest CyanogenMod 7.1.0 ROM. This version had fixed many bugs from the previous ones and a lot of new features added in the latest version.

New features in CyanogenMod 7.1.0 version:

• Android 2.3.7 version added.
• You will get Bluetooth mouse support in this version.
• It includes a latest Superuser app.
• You will see a lot of change in the photo recording feature as this version speed up the photo recording process.
• Geolocation added to photo app.

Additionally, more number of features also added in this latest version which improves the overall performance of the phone. To update your phone with this latest version, you need to root the phone otherwise you cannot update your phone. Remember that rooting of the phone will void your warranty, so proceed further only if you are ready with this. Next up, follow all the below given instructions carefully otherwise there is a high probability of bricking up of your device.

Note: We are  not at all responsible for any device damage. So, we request you to follow all the instructions and procedure carefully so that you can end up the process in a smooth manner.

We have divided this article into few pages so that everyone can understand the process easily. In the next page you will find the pre-requisites and then the actual process of flashing in the further pages.

Pre-requisites:

• There is a high chance of losing your entire phone’s data in this process, so you need to put a backup for all your data so that you can restore it back after the process.

SMS – Use SMS Backup & Restore app
Contacts – Sync with the Gmail application
Call Log – Call Log and Restore
Images, Songs, Videos, Files – Copy to internal / External SD Card

• APN and MMS settings are responsible to access the internet and MMS services, so you need to copy those settings from this path “Applications > Settings > Wireless and Network > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names”
• Make sure that your phone’s battery has a charging of more than 90% so that the process ends up in a smooth manner.

Now before proceeding for the flashing of your phone with the latest CyanogenMod 7.1.0 version your phone should be rooted. So, make sure you have rooted the phone or else root it now and continue. Remember the point that rooting voids the warranty of the phone.

ClockworkMod recovery with RSD Lite (For Windows)

This method will work perfectly on Windows XP.

• Initially download RSD Lite, the Motorola Drivers & the ClockworkMod Recovery.sbf file.

• Now, install RSD Lite after that install Motorola device drivers.
• Connect Motorola Droid to the computer via USB cable and turn the Motorola Droid off while it is plugged in.
• Again turn on the Motorola Droid by holding down Power and Up on the D-pad on the device. Open the RSD Lite program by right clicking it and selecting Run As Administrator.
• Now click on the “…” button next to the filename box and select the .sbf file.
• Once it is selected, click on Start and wait for some time until it finish flashing the device. Watch for “rebooting the device” and press Up on the d-pad before the device boots to “catch the boot” and come right back into the bootloader.
• Close RSD Lite & disconnect the Motorola Droid. That’s it, ClockworkMod Recovery should now be installed on the Motorola Droid.

Methods for Flashing CyanogenMod 7.1.0: After installing the custom recovery image, we have two methods for flashing the Motorola Droid, one is with the help of ROM Manager and the other is through Recovery mode.

Method Via ROM Manager:

• After successfully flashing the ClockworkMod recovery, launch the ROM Manager App and choose the flash ClockworkMod recovery option to update to the latest version.
• Now select the Download ROM option from the main menu in the ROM Manager and then select “CyanogenMod” option, after which select the latest version of the CyanogenMod from the menu.
• After downloading the ROM, it prompts you to select “Backup Existing ROM” and “Wipe Data Cache.” Now, the phone will reboot in the recovery mode, then select Wipe data Cache and select CyanogenMod 7 to install it. After installing, the phone will reboot again in the CyanogenMod.

Via Recovery Method:

• Initially download the CyanogenMod 7.1.0 Droid and save it to the root folder of the SD Card.
• Now, boot the device in the ClockworkMod recovery and you can select the options with the help of volume buttons or power button or with the trackball as touch interface will not work.
• Now select the option “Wipe data/factory reset” and then “Wipe Cache partition.” After that, choose “Install zip from sdcard” option and then select “Choose zip from sdcard.” Now, select CyanogenMod update.zip to install.
• After installing successfully go to the main menu and select the “Reboot System now” option. Now your phone will boot in the CyanogenMod.