How to: Install Gingerbread CyanogenMod 7 on your Droid X

This video, which I made, can be viewed separately, but offers an alternative to the guide below.

I recently stumbled upon a build of CyanogenMod 7 for the Droid X which is on a separate development process. What it has, that an official build of the mod does not, is a newer kernel. Gingerbread instead of Froyo. Hooray!

Keep reading after the break.



I was turned on to Cyanogen by a couple Geek Squad employees. Naturally, in writing this, I went back to find out why they use it themselves, obviously being at the top end of the tech know-how. Graham Petersen, a 21-year-old Geek Squad technician, told me that he likes CyanogenMod because it "only takes up 90 megabits of RAM, and vanilla Android takes up 200 to 300 megabits. The only thing worse is Motoblur." Motoblur is stock Android with Motorola functionality running on top, which can slow things down without adding much to the experience, if anything at all.

Adam Johnson, 26, a second Geek Squad Technician agreed with Petersen. "I flashed Cyanogen because of Motoblur," he said. "The custom-ability is the best part. [You can] change the way the screen interprets colors."

The mod has tons of features. Might as well find out for yourself though, no? (if not, try here.) Anyway, here it goes:

Obligatory Warning: I am not responsible for what happens to your phone. This process, while entirely legal, can cause permanent damage to your phone. Make sure to follow the directions carefully or your phone could end up bricked.

1. Let's get the downloads out of the way. You'll need either 64-bit or 32-bit Motorola drivers, depending on your computer. You'll also need Pete's Motorola Root Tools v 1.06. The latest nightly build and Google apps completes the list.
2. Install the Motorola driver on your computer. Should be easy. Just follow the instructions the installer provides you.
3. On your phone, press the menu button, go to Settings > About phone > System Version and make sure the numbers after the second "." are 605, 602, or 596. It's 602 in this picture.
   
4. Press the menu button again and go to Settings > Applications > Development and make sure USB Debugging is checked.
5. Plug your phone into your computer and pull down the notification bar. Select the USB connection, as shown, and choose Charge Only from the list that pops up.
   
6. On your computer, navigate to where you downloaded the Root Tools and extract them.
7. Run the program (no installation needed) and hit the Root My Phone button on the bottom left.
8. Now, follow the instructions on the screen and unlock the phone after each reboot. If you're having issues with the program detecting your phone, make sure you installed the drivers in step 2.
9. When the program says you're finished rooting,  check your app drawer and make sure that the super user application is there, as shown, as it indicates that you're rooted.
   
10. Any problems thus far can be addressed here.
11. Go back to the notification bar on your phone and switch the USB connection to Mass Storage.
    
12. Take the nightly build you downloaded, as well as Google apps, and place them in the root folder of your Phone's SD card. Don't unzip them though, as Android can read .zip files and in fact needs them in this case.
13. Now go to the Android Marketplace on your phone and download ROM Manager.
    
14. Turn on Wifi and open ROM Manager. Choose Flash ClockworkMod Recovery.
    
15. From here, choose Motorola Droid X. Side note: If this, or any other program I tell you to use in this guide, asks you for super user permissions, allow it.
    
16. Repeat step 13, but this time choose Droid X (2nd Init).
    
17. Now go to the Android Marketplace and find (and Download) Droid X Bootstrapper.
    
18. Run Bootstrapper and tap Bootstrap Recovery.
    
19. Now run ROM Manager again and choose Reboot into Recovery.
    
20. Here, you're in Clockwork recovery. For the Droid X, use the up and down volume buttons to navigate, the camera button to select and the back button to go back. Select Wipe Data/Factory Reset, and select yes on the next screen, which will go without saying on all future selections in clockwork recovery.
    
21. Next, select Wipe Cache Partition.
    
22. Select Advanced.
    
23. Now select Wipe Dalvik Cache.
    
24. Press the back button to get back to the main menu.
25. Now select Install Zip from SDcard.
    
26. Then, select Choose Zip from SDcard.
    
27. Navigate down to the nightly build .zip file and select it.
    
28. Once that's done, navigate back to the Choose Zip screen, via steps 23 and 24, and choose the Google apps package.
    
29. When that's finished, make your way back to the main menu and select Reboot System Now.
    
30. It should take longer to boot than normal the first time, but this logo, after the typical Motorola one should let you know you're on the right track.
    
31. And there we have it, your homescreen. SUCCESS!
    
32. If you have any problems during these last parts, RootzWiki is a good place to check.

I hope this helped. Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom with any concerns or questions.