Loading tweets...Custom ROMS for the GTab
Warning!
NOTICE: Bootloader version is IMPORTANT! We ONLY support the 1.2 bootloader branch!
Warning!
NOTICE: Bootloader version is IMPORTANT! We ONLY support the 1.2 bootloader branch!Notice
Be CERTAIN to use our article (NVFlash for Dummies) to prepare your GTab to use any of our ROMs. Using this process will CHANGE the BootLoader to the newer 1.2 branch. See Note1Stock (Tap-n-Tap) ROMs:
- NVFlash with Stock ROM & CWMR Touch 5504.at TeamDRH site here (or from us here.) RECOMMENDED
1.2-4349 based image: http://tapntap.http.internapcdn.net/tapntap/viewsonic/update-smb_a1002-4349-user.zip This is ONLY for the 1.2 bootloader (also available HERE & HERE )This is retained ONLY for archive purposes and to allow users to return their GTab to true stock condition.1.1 Bootloader NVFlash archive. NOT FOR GENERAL USE here.
Gingerbread (Android 2.3) ROMs: (1.2bl)
- G-Harmony Gingerbread (AOSP Gingerbread 2.3.7) available from the XDA thread here. We cannot recommend or support this ROM. However, we have included it here in case someone wants to install a ROM that includes support for the built-in camera on the GTab.
- Do NOT flash this onto a 1.2bl system! YOU MUST USE Booloader 1.1 with CyanogenMod 7.2 (1.1bl) Most thngs (including the camera) work. Download here: CM7.2official
Honeycomb (Android 3.0.1) ROMs: (1.2bl)
- GTabCombOver or here. This is the newer version of GTabComb, now being built and supported by XDA user Gtabcombover. Recommended. See our review and install guide here: GTabCombOver
- Flashback available here: http://www.mediafire.com/?7vd7n8bfd3y753w or here. Visit our FlashBack article to get started: Flashback on gTab
Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS, Android 4.0.4): (1.2bl)
- G-Harmony ICS 4.0.4 developed by TJohnsonJr. The current version 1.5 Rom is in two densities (160 for small icons & 120 for large) is available from his thread on XDA. You can direct download the large icon version here. Recommended – use the installation process for Team DRH ROM (below) since it is very similar.
- ICS Rom developed by Team DRH on their TeamDRH site. The current version is Beta 1.2 and can be dowloaded here. Also available here. Recommended See our review and install guide here: Ice Cream Sandwich on G-Tab
Notice
NVFlash Files (includes CWM):
For a simple instructional guide for using NVFlash, see this article: NVFlash for Dummies RECOMMENDED
ClockworkMod Recovery:
This section is no longer needed or supported. It is retained here for ARCHIVE purposes only.
Instead of downloading the individual CWM files, please follow our “NVFlash for Dummies” guide (above).
ClockworkMod for 1.1bl: http://www.mediafire.com/?dvleg4oatkfxm7w (This version is no longer recommended. But, if you have the 1.1 bootloader, you MUST use this.)ClockworkMod for 1.2bl: v3.0.2.8 (GTablet 1.2 dev branch, and NI Adam compatible) here or here[/error]
Important!
- G-Tab Rooting (update)
- GTab – USB Host Functions
- Viewsonic GTab Android Tablet
- Installing ClockworkMod Recovery
- Downgrade GTab Bootloader
- GTab benchmarks
- Upgrade to 1.2 Bootloader?
- New Version ROM
- Updated Netflix on GTab
- Check Bootloader Version on GTab Before Root!
- Rooting a ViewSonic G-Tablet
- When Things Go Wrong
- Flashing a Custom Rom
- Netflix on GTab
- New Guide for Rooting the ViewSonic G-Tablet
- Battery Drain on G-Tablet
- HoneyComb on GTab!
- ClockworkMod 1.2bl & Honeycomb on GTab
- GTabComb vs Illuminate HC vs Flashback HC
- ROMs for the GTab
- gTab – Trials and Tribulations
- FlashBack for GTab
192 comments
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Brent
March 20, 2013 at 10:05 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Simply amazing! This website helped me go from a completely bricked gtablet to one running Ice Cream Sandwich in under an hour. Every note and step was spot on! I can’t wait to play with my tablet that now has a second lease on life. Now can you post instructions on how to make the gtablet lighter and have a better viewing angle?
Ray
March 22, 2013 at 5:28 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sorry, hardware hacks are beyond my ability.
Diego
September 6, 2012 at 2:56 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I saw that you changed to jellybean for the gtab on youtube. could you possible tell me where i can find the TeamDRH_350M_prepzip.file ?
Diego
September 6, 2012 at 2:56 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I saw that you changed to jellybean for the gtab on youtube. could you possible tell me where i can find the TeamDRH_350M_prepzip.file ?
Ray Waldo
September 6, 2012 at 3:10 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes. Thanks for asking. I am just now finishing up with my “How-To” guide. I should have it published here within the hour. It will be available here: http://raywaldo.com/2012/09/jelly-bean-on-the-gtab/
david
February 18, 2012 at 10:31 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray, I was able to fix it myself.
ICS IS AMAZING. I just wnet on the market and most of the games I ever wanted are on their, and for a beta it is really responsive. You can also rent movies off of the google market which is awesome. Everything is overall amazing Ive only been using it for about thirty minutes but unless anything goes wrong, I do not think I will ever go back.
Thanks for all your help
Hope you can get a new g tablet and join in on the fun.
David
Ray Waldo
February 19, 2012 at 7:47 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That is great, David!
Would you like to write a review? If so, contact me with the contact tab at the top of the page.
It would be a great help to everyone. You would need to register on this website.
David
February 18, 2012 at 6:11 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It exists and is needed for ice cream sandwich
Teamdrh.com
The file is there but I don’t understand how to use it. Like get the update.zip and the recovery files
Thanks for your time
David
February 18, 2012 at 6:11 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It exists and is needed for ice cream sandwich
Teamdrh.com
The file is there but I don’t understand how to use it. Like get the update.zip and the recovery files
Thanks for your time
david
February 17, 2012 at 9:23 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
can you help me install clockworkmod 5.5.0.4, I cant seem to find the recovry or the update. zip files to just drag over.
Thanks for your time
David
david
February 17, 2012 at 9:23 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
can you help me install clockworkmod 5.5.0.4, I cant seem to find the recovry or the update. zip files to just drag over.
Thanks for your time
David
Ray Waldo
February 18, 2012 at 7:45 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
As far as I know, it is not available for the GTab.
Frank
February 1, 2012 at 12:59 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray, I am trying to update my G-Tab which has had the following on it since last June 2011. The ROM was Calkulin+Clemsyn 1.5ghz Froyo Combo Version 6 which had the 1.2 boot loader.
I have been trying to update this ROM to a newer one, but have not been successful.
I was able to update it to the stock ROM but the boot up still shows the honeycomb
screen of the former ROM.
I have Verified that the Tap UI Version is Calkulin’s G-Tab V1.1, shown on “About Tablet” screen, but I am sure that I used the 1.2 ROM of that version in June.
I have intermittently been able to connect my G-Tab under APX mode but then loose it later on. Switching computers allows me to do it again but only once.
I am thinking I may have the wrong boot loader as a problem, but I don’t want to try installing just that portion. I know very little about the operation of android.
Can you help with suggestions?
Thanks,
Frank
Frank
February 1, 2012 at 12:59 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray, I am trying to update my G-Tab which has had the following on it since last June 2011. The ROM was Calkulin+Clemsyn 1.5ghz Froyo Combo Version 6 which had the 1.2 boot loader.
I have been trying to update this ROM to a newer one, but have not been successful.
I was able to update it to the stock ROM but the boot up still shows the honeycomb
screen of the former ROM.
I have Verified that the Tap UI Version is Calkulin’s G-Tab V1.1, shown on “About Tablet” screen, but I am sure that I used the 1.2 ROM of that version in June.
I have intermittently been able to connect my G-Tab under APX mode but then loose it later on. Switching computers allows me to do it again but only once.
I am thinking I may have the wrong boot loader as a problem, but I don’t want to try installing just that portion. I know very little about the operation of android.
Can you help with suggestions?
Thanks,
Frank
Ray Waldo
February 1, 2012 at 2:03 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Use our “NVFlash for dummies” guide to fix almost anything you might have done wrong. It will give you options as you go through the steps – just choose what you want to end up with.
I recommend that you flash back to a stock 1.2 bootloader image and work from there. If you follow the guide, it will clear off all the old ROM and set up for any of the custom 1.2bl ROMs. I like HoneyComb MUCH better than Froyo or Gingerbread but it has some shortcomings. Read the article linked from the “NVFlash” article.
Matt
January 5, 2012 at 3:53 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have TnTLite 4.4.0/Android 2.2 running on my GTab, so from my readings, this 4.4 is based off of 1.1-3588 based image and the bootloader 1.1? Am i correct. thx
Matt
January 5, 2012 at 3:53 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have TnTLite 4.4.0/Android 2.2 running on my GTab, so from my readings, this 4.4 is based off of 1.1-3588 based image and the bootloader 1.1? Am i correct. thx
Ray Waldo
January 5, 2012 at 5:03 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You are correct that TNTLite is based on 1.1 bootloader. If you want to make any change to Honeycomb, then you will need to NVFlash to 1.2. Our NVFlash for Dummies guide (http://raywaldo.com/2011/01/nvflash-for-dummies/) will do the job easily. Setting up NVFlash is not really difficult and use is really simple.
Christian
January 3, 2012 at 9:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Happy New Year and I hope your 2012 will be great.
I upgraded my Gtab thanks to your help, but I have follow up question: What, if anything, can I do to get the Google Video app on the Gtab through the market place?
Christian
January 3, 2012 at 9:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Happy New Year and I hope your 2012 will be great.
I upgraded my Gtab thanks to your help, but I have follow up question: What, if anything, can I do to get the Google Video app on the Gtab through the market place?
Ray Waldo
January 3, 2012 at 9:51 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you and happy new year to you as well!
If you are referring to the Google Chat function, then the Talk app is the only app that I know for that. But since the camera does not function with the Honeycomb romantic, the application will not work.
Christian
January 3, 2012 at 10:05 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I was actually referring to the Videos app in the Android market. I would like to rent/download some movies and since they have an app, I thought I would do it that way rather then throught netficks. Here is the link. http://support.google.com/androidmarket/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1257653&topic=1100171&ctx=topic
david
December 21, 2011 at 12:00 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes I have had it installed the entire time
david
December 21, 2011 at 12:00 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes I have had it installed the entire time
Ray Waldo
December 21, 2011 at 8:12 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I am sorry but I have not used GtabComb for a couple months and I don’t have any ideas. My suggestion is to flash Flashback 10.3 which works nicely.
david
December 9, 2011 at 11:48 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
ok i read the tips article and it told me to move everything to usb and so i did and when i went to the market it gave me the same message
david
December 9, 2011 at 11:48 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
ok i read the tips article and it told me to move everything to usb and so i did and when i went to the market it gave me the same message
Ray Waldo
December 10, 2011 at 6:25 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The article also said to install the new IceCreamSandwich (ICS), version of the market. Did you do that?
david
December 6, 2011 at 10:52 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
oh yea also another question wenever i go to the market to download something it says insufficient storage but i havent filled 16 gigs not even close do u know how to solve this problem thx
david
December 6, 2011 at 10:52 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
oh yea also another question wenever i go to the market to download something it says insufficient storage but i havent filled 16 gigs not even close do u know how to solve this problem thx
Ray Waldo
December 7, 2011 at 6:46 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Read the “tips” article. http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/tips-for-android-users/
david
December 6, 2011 at 10:50 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
hey pastor its david again im running g tabcomb um do u know how to take screenshots
Jeff Cook
December 1, 2011 at 11:33 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Any rumors if ICS will show up for the GTab?
Ray Waldo
December 2, 2011 at 6:47 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I hope so. Just have to wait.
ChipWrecked
November 30, 2011 at 8:43 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi, I was running GTabComb 3.3 for the last two months, and have been generally pleased with the performance. One issue I had was watching H.264 movies from my extSD card – nearly always failed. What video codec do you use, or works best with GTabComb?. With 1.1 ROMS I did not have this problem. Any suggestions on a better player? Thanks
ChipWrecked
November 30, 2011 at 8:43 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi, I was running GTabComb 3.3 for the last two months, and have been generally pleased with the performance. One issue I had was watching H.264 movies from my extSD card – nearly always failed. What video codec do you use, or works best with GTabComb?. With 1.1 ROMS I did not have this problem. Any suggestions on a better player? Thanks
Ray Waldo
November 29, 2011 at 1:10 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have not been able to get a wireless mouse to work either. However, I just tried my Logitech usb keyboard and IBM usb mouse and each worked (one at a time). I find that the mouse is pretty useless but I have done the keyboard some. I don’t use it much anymore – since I bought the SwiftKey Tablet X application. It provides a great keyboard AND excellent predictive typing.
Possible help? Try typing for several seconds in a blank field to see if FB will recognize your USB (wired) keyboard. Or, reboot the GTab with the keyboard connected to see if that helps. The FB dev team suggests that if you have any unusual issues, you need to do the full NVFlash and re-install FB.
JONTHAN
November 27, 2011 at 12:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi, I wanted to thankyou for your clear instructions on getting my gtab system partition to 250meg. I am thinking about HoneyComb rom but not sure which honeycomb rom is better. I see one is no longer supported or will not be further developed so should I just go with Flashback 10.1? What are the differences? Also I do not use my camera at all as it really does suck so that is not an issue. Just unsure if I should upgrade or wait.
JONTHAN
November 27, 2011 at 12:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi, I wanted to thankyou for your clear instructions on getting my gtab system partition to 250meg. I am thinking about HoneyComb rom but not sure which honeycomb rom is better. I see one is no longer supported or will not be further developed so should I just go with Flashback 10.1? What are the differences? Also I do not use my camera at all as it really does suck so that is not an issue. Just unsure if I should upgrade or wait.
JONATHAN
November 27, 2011 at 2:03 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU. I took a chance and went with flashback alpha 10.1 and it was so easy to do. Your directions are truly step by step, at first the power button was not working for select option but your instructions said home button would work and I did overlook it but thanks again. This gtablet is now running newer app market and looks so nice and very fast. Thanks again.
Ray Waldo
November 27, 2011 at 5:35 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Glad to help, Jonathan. If you are able, consider our tip jar (at the bottom of the pages).
qoltar
November 23, 2011 at 12:15 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Is there any chance that there will be a honeycomb version that supports HW acceleration on the gtab? I got mine monday evening and within 6 hours or so had gone from a complete android virgin to learning to install CWM, use NVflash, bricking my gtab a couple times, going back to factory defaults, reinstalling the 1.2 version and finally getting mountain laurel installed and running.
I’d like to find a good pdf reader and some other things.
Ray Waldo
November 23, 2011 at 7:17 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hardware acceleration is not an issue for me. The hc roms are so fast that you would think it is working. The only reason to not install gtabcomb (imho) is if you could not live without the camera.
If you are at bl1.2, give it a try.
qoltar
November 19, 2011 at 10:42 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the fast reply ray. I do have some more queries here…
1. I’ve pretty much gathered that stock OS and the gtab megasucks, and the updates only slightly decrease the suckage.
But what about tntlite/mountain laurel? I understand they were specifically coded to optimize the gtab and excise the suckage of the original tnt. How do they fare? You don;t seem to cover them.
2. I understand a honeycomb gtab can’t play fullscreen video at all, and only plays videos in a window. Given I watch 3d modelling tutorials on my touchpad I kinda need full screen playback.
3.How stable is a honeycomb mod? I hear they don’t run certain things, certain apps, etc. Also i hear some can overheat the gtab via overclocking.
Like I say, android virgin, don;t even have an android yet, waiting on the gtab, my first android. Any yhope that the drivers for the accelerator will be made availabler so a honeycomb hack can support it? What do we have to do, waterboard the writers of the drivers to get them to release them or a honeycomb patch?
Ray Waldo
November 19, 2011 at 11:29 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
See the articles:
http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/honeycomb-on-gtab/
http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/gtabcomb-vs-illuminate-hc/
http://raywaldo.com/2011/09/gtab-%e2%80%93-trials-and-tribulations/
http://raywaldo.com/2011/10/flashback-9-0-for-gtab/
and the others in the GTAB series (click the tab in the top menu).
qoltar
November 24, 2011 at 6:28 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I need full screen HD video. Here’s why:
Ray Waldo
November 24, 2011 at 8:20 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I recommend that you use your computer when you need full-screen HD video.
Please stay on topic here – we are about helping non-techies use technology – not about advertising our skills.
qoltar
November 24, 2011 at 9:51 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
OK,see I want to put the tutorials on my tablet and run them WHILE doing them. It’s like i have the tutorial on my gtab, watch part them do it on my desktop, which means I kind of need to have ti playing on some small, accessible device. That’s one main use for my table I plan.
Sorry if that use isn’t covered here, but it’s useful for learning demanding software with a steep curve.
qoltar
November 19, 2011 at 4:00 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have a question on upgrading a gtab. I’m going to do it I was just wondering what ROM to upgrade to. It seems that all honeycomb mods knock out a lot of your hardware, like acceleration and the camera and maybe even USB, and if the only think the gtab has going is hardware it doesn’t seem to make much sense to upgrade to a better OS if you lose a lot of hardware.
I’ve heard that mountain laurel is supposed to be good and doesn’t kill half your hardware. What do people here have to say about it?
Also,f I ugrade to an android 2.3 system will I be able to use my accelerator? I just don’t think it’s a good deal to get a better OS that cripples your hardware, causes crashes, etc.
Ray Waldo
November 19, 2011 at 8:28 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It is often difficult to understand all the parameters of such things until you actually do it.
1. Hardware acceleration – As far as I can tell, none of the 2.3 & 3.0.1 roms can use the HA, since the drivers are not available. However, even without HA, the HoneyComb enabled GTab will outperform the stock Tap-N-Tap by FAR!
2. Camera – The camera on the GTab is not very good to begin with so the only real use is for video conferencing. If that is an essential, then you should flash a 2.3 ROM that enables the camera. Otherwise, you will not miss it.
3. USB – Both the Honeycomb roms that I support (Flashback 10.1 and GTabComb 3.3) enable USB functions and much more that the stock version does NOT support.
Look at the “GTabComb vs Illuminate HC vs Flashback HC” article to see more.
Chris Compton
November 29, 2011 at 10:06 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi there, you mention that FB 10.1 and GTabComb 3.3 enable more USB function than the Stock; however, I am unable to get any USB Keyboard/Mouse to work. They worked just fine on other ROMs. I am quite pleased with everything on the FB 10.1 ROM, with the exception on not being able to get functionality of a mouse/keyboard. I have tried several wireless keyboard/mouse combos (Logitech and Microsoft) and have also tried connecting several hardwired USB Mice and Keyboards directly to the unit to see if I can get one to work. Do you have any suggestions?
david
November 12, 2011 at 10:52 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
sorry to bother you again but i was reading about fb 10.1 since i have to flash again do you think it is better than gtabcomb
Ray Waldo
November 13, 2011 at 6:59 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Some days I like it and other days I want to switch back to gtabcomb.
Just do a full backup with clockworkmod and save it to your computer. Then do nvflash and flash fb10.1 – then, if you don’t like fb, you can restore gtabcomb.
david
November 12, 2011 at 10:44 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
ok thanks
david
November 12, 2011 at 10:44 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
ok thanks
david
November 12, 2011 at 5:31 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
hi ray,
well it seems that i cant have the ice cream sandwich market so how can i get back my honeycomb market
Ray Waldo
November 12, 2011 at 10:08 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Not sure why YOUR GTab would be different from others – unless there is an issue with the system (which would mean NVFlash to repair). If you want to return to the “stock” market app that came with the ROM and you don’t have a backup, the easiest way would probably be to just flash the same ROM again (on top of the existing system). Just clear the caches and flash. Should work and save your configuration. However, the Market app probably still will not work and will want to update itself.
My suggestion is to do a full NVFlash and then flash the ROM again.
Hitesh
November 12, 2011 at 1:30 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
hi i followed all the instructions below and when i selected reboot system now.. it keeps looking back to the clockworkmod Recovery i need help please
Ray Waldo
November 12, 2011 at 8:10 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sounds like you did a “reboot recovery”. Just Easy mistake since it is so similar to “reboot system.” If you have ADB installed, you can use that – See this thread on XDA: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1264507 or you will have to NVFlash – AGAIN. Sorry.
Hitesh
November 12, 2011 at 1:30 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
hi i followed all the instructions below and when i selected reboot system now.. it keeps looking back to the clockworkmod Recovery i need help please
Ray Waldo
November 12, 2011 at 8:10 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sounds like you did a “reboot recovery”. Just Easy mistake since it is so similar to “reboot system.” If you have ADB installed, you can use that – See this thread on XDA: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1264507 or you will have to NVFlash – AGAIN. Sorry.
david
November 7, 2011 at 11:53 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
nothing again
Ray Waldo
November 8, 2011 at 7:21 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I am sorry but I don’t have any other answers. Perhaps you could uninstall the current app and download the app fresh and install that.
Franz
November 7, 2011 at 11:31 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
After much research I decided to follow your guide for NV Flash, Clockwork Mod, and GTabComb 3.3.
All went pretty well thanks to your clear and straightforward instructions.
I must say that even if I miss some aspects of the stock UI I am happy with the new GTab Comb 3.3, as it is fast and has nice features. Best of all, I now have access to the android market and my GTab is now able to access the WiFi Network at my job site!
I appreciate all the hard work that went into this site and you will see a donation in the tip jar. Thanks for a job well done!
Ray Waldo
November 8, 2011 at 7:20 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you for the positive comments Franz! And, thanks for the donation. I trust that your GTab will give you long and valuable service.
Jeff H
November 8, 2011 at 9:34 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I recently stumbled across your site and performed the ROM upgrade to GTabCombBeta 3.3 – Everything went smooth and I would like to take the device back to stock. I went throught the process using ClockworkMOD 1.2 which is the correct version for my device and attempted to flash the tab with nvflash4349rev4.zip but everytime it started the install would crash and would ask what to install. I tried downloading this rom from both links off your site but each time the install would fail. I went ahead and replaced the zip file with the GTabCombBeta zip file again and just re-flashed it. Am I using the wrong file to try and bring it back to stock? Any help would be appriciated.
Franz
November 7, 2011 at 11:31 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
After much research I decided to follow your guide for NV Flash, Clockwork Mod, and GTabComb 3.3.
All went pretty well thanks to your clear and straightforward instructions.
I must say that even if I miss some aspects of the stock UI I am happy with the new GTab Comb 3.3, as it is fast and has nice features. Best of all, I now have access to the android market and my GTab is now able to access the WiFi Network at my job site!
I appreciate all the hard work that went into this site and you will see a donation in the tip jar. Thanks for a job well done!
Ray Waldo
November 8, 2011 at 7:20 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thank you for the positive comments Franz! And, thanks for the donation. I trust that your GTab will give you long and valuable service.
Jeff H
November 8, 2011 at 9:34 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I recently stumbled across your site and performed the ROM upgrade to GTabCombBeta 3.3 – Everything went smooth and I would like to take the device back to stock. I went throught the process using ClockworkMOD 1.2 which is the correct version for my device and attempted to flash the tab with nvflash4349rev4.zip but everytime it started the install would crash and would ask what to install. I tried downloading this rom from both links off your site but each time the install would fail. I went ahead and replaced the zip file with the GTabCombBeta zip file again and just re-flashed it. Am I using the wrong file to try and bring it back to stock? Any help would be appriciated.
Ray Waldo
November 9, 2011 at 7:00 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You need the 1.2-4349 file at the top of this page. I replaced the file to assure that you can get a good copy. If you are using the STOCK recovery (rather than CWM) you will have to rename the 1.2-4349 file to update.zip and flash it. If you are using CWM then you can leave it as is and flash it.
david
November 6, 2011 at 8:25 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
hi ray
i tried to download the market 3.1.5 and i got it and it says authentication required please sign into ur google account and tbere is a retry button so ipressed it many times and nothing and i logged into my gmail and nothing
any sugestions
david
November 6, 2011 at 8:25 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
hi ray
i tried to download the market 3.1.5 and i got it and it says authentication required please sign into ur google account and tbere is a retry button so ipressed it many times and nothing and i logged into my gmail and nothing
any sugestions
Ray Waldo
November 7, 2011 at 6:34 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That is strange. Try clearing the data in settings.
Mike
October 18, 2011 at 6:29 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I installed nv flash,clockwork mod and gtabcomb3.3 your guides were the best. after creating an account for gmail I went online to the market I tried to download flash but all I get is error processing purchase. How do I correst this in order to download from the market? Any help would be appreciated.
Mike
October 18, 2011 at 6:29 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I installed nv flash,clockwork mod and gtabcomb3.3 your guides were the best. after creating an account for gmail I went online to the market I tried to download flash but all I get is error processing purchase. How do I correst this in order to download from the market? Any help would be appreciated.
Ray Waldo
October 18, 2011 at 6:45 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
The problem is that GC3.3 has not been updated. Google has changed the Market. Visit my http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/tips-for-android-users/ and look for the article about downloading the new market.
Mike
October 19, 2011 at 4:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks Ray . The market works just fine. I noticed when I download a item from the market I get a insufficient memory note. I must have some setting wrong as I show 12.97 GB free on the micro SD Internal.But I only have 1.17 free on internal memory.It seems that apps are going to this memory. Once again thanks for your help.
Ray Waldo
October 19, 2011 at 5:49 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You may want to insert an external sdcard.
View this page for information about the memory in your gtab. http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/format-the-gtab/
Mike
October 19, 2011 at 8:02 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I started with a new 1.2 bl and installed the nvflash to increase sys partition to 250meg,theninstalled clockwork mod1.2bl. Did thewipe data/factory reset,wipedcache partion,partitioned sd card and set 2048 and0,did mounts and storage and format cache,format data,format sys,and format cache the installed gtabcomb 3.3. Should I start back to stock and repeat all of this again? What should I do different? Why should I insert a external sdcard if I still have 12.97 GB free on the internal sdcard? I am new to this ,thanks again.
Ray Waldo
October 20, 2011 at 7:59 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
There is no need to repeat the format portion at all. The nvflash portion is also fine (probably).
I mentioned the format article to help you understand the memory partitions on the gTablet. It is possible that the market is trying to send new apps to a non-existent external card. If you put a card in and it works, then you know more about the problem.
If you installed gtabcomb 3.3 then you will have to download the latest version of the market. It is at version 3.1.5 and the link can be found in my “tips for Android users ” article. http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/tips-for-android-users/
Mike
October 20, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Is it possible when I copied the rom to the root of my gtab that I copied it to th 250gb partition and not the root of the 14 gb internal memory? How can I be sure when looking at the gtab in apx mode as I don’t remember seeing 2 separate areas to copy to. Thanks again
Ray Waldo
October 20, 2011 at 2:50 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You will not (normally) see the smaller partition. It is not available for your use. Android (os) can use it and does but you will not (normally) see any problems of it being filled up.
Hunter[NIU]™
September 30, 2011 at 4:27 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I am going to flash either CM7 or GComb tonight. When you say the camera doesn’t work on GComb, do you mean at all? Or just the stock camera app doesn’t work?
Will I be able to use the camera for Google+ and other video chat apps?
Hunter[NIU]™
September 30, 2011 at 4:27 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I am going to flash either CM7 or GComb tonight. When you say the camera doesn’t work on GComb, do you mean at all? Or just the stock camera app doesn’t work?
Will I be able to use the camera for Google+ and other video chat apps?
Ray Waldo
September 30, 2011 at 8:04 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have not found any camera applications that work. If the (poor) camera is essential to you then you should stick with Gingerbread.
Remember, you MUST match the bootloader versions of your gtab and the rom you flash.
Hunter[NIU]™
October 3, 2011 at 10:26 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the quick response. I went with the GComb. This tablet is actually for my mom who has a bad case of Parkinsons and will be using it as her primary mode of communication with Swype. So I’m thinking the camera won’t be all that important.
If it were for me I’d want it just for Google+ Hangouts and other kinds of video chat.
So far it is working beautifully thanks to your site and all the info here. I followed your NVFLASH Guide Step by Step, got CWM on it no problem and then used your Guide on getting GComb on it. I had absolutely no issues, real easy to follow. Thanks again!
Ray Waldo
October 3, 2011 at 2:16 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the comment.
I couldn’t ask for a better testimonial!
I hope that your mom gets a lot of use from the gTablet.
BTW, I use SwiftKey and the predictions are excellent. It learns from your own writings and is able to guess most words by typing just the first letter or two. It might work well for your mom.
Renee
September 30, 2011 at 10:56 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray-
Do you know much about Vegan Tab 7.0? I’m debating between CyanogenMod7 and Vegan Tab 7.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Ray Waldo
September 30, 2011 at 3:31 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I used Vegan back when I first got my gTab (in Feb). I quickly switched to CM7 when it was released and liked it a lot better. I stayed with CM7 to version 7.0.3 and switched to Honeycomb. I like the HC interface MUCH better. It is designed for a tablet (rather than for a phone, like all Gingerbread roms).
However, HC has shortcomings: no camera (no big loss on the gTab); no hardware acceleration (I have not noticed the difference); and Flash video is wonky (I miss that a little). Overall, the GAINS far outweigh the losses IMHO. If you MUST have one of the three things missing from HC, then I suggest CM7 but many others like Vegan. Maybe Vegan has improved more quickly than CM7. It has been several months since I used either.
Only real problem with flashing ROMs is to be CERTAIN to match the ROM version with the Bootloader version on your gTab. Most gTabs now come with 1.2bl (with a 200meg system partition). Although almost all HC roms are 1.2bl based, some (Flashback for instance) require a larger system partition (250meg). Most Gingerbread ROMs are based on the 1.2bl. You have to use NVFlash to change the version on your gTab.
Check out my “NVFlash for Dummies” article to make any changes: http://raywaldo.com/2011/01/nvflash-for-dummies/
Lyman123
September 29, 2011 at 9:25 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
I am on BL1.1 using Gtabcomb. I love it, but I really miss hardware acceleration.
Does CyanogenMod support hardware acceleration? Especially for video?
Other than a gmail preview widget, I think I can pretty much duplicate the HC experioence on 2.3.
Other than HC, what mod doe you like?
Thanks,
Lyman
Ray Waldo
September 29, 2011 at 9:56 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
CM7 is a great rom. Steps:
Use clockworkmod to do a full backup.
Reset to factory
Clear cache and dalvik cache
Flash cm7
Major gotcha is the mistake of NOT matching the bootloader versions. The gtab and the rom both must have the same bootloader version!
Sean
September 29, 2011 at 1:06 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Last night I performed the Clockwork mod and upgraded my ROM to the Honeycomb Android 3.0 but I cant seem to download any apps from the market! Any ideas and is this the best ROM for now?
Thanks
Sean
Ray Waldo
September 29, 2011 at 3:55 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sorry, Sean. You do not mention any versions or other distinguishing info. I don’t know what you have so I cannot tell what should or should not be working.
Certainly, if you followed any of my guides for the GTab, you should have no difficulty in downloading apps from the market. The old “market troubles” were related to the Gingerbread roms. The Market on HoneyComb works perfectly on my device.
If you want a great working tablet & you want Honeycomb, I suggest that you follow these steps:
honeycomb-on-gtab/
Sean
September 29, 2011 at 1:06 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Last night I performed the Clockwork mod and upgraded my ROM to the Honeycomb Android 3.0 but I cant seem to download any apps from the market! Any ideas and is this the best ROM for now?
Thanks
Sean
Ray Waldo
September 29, 2011 at 3:55 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sorry, Sean. You do not mention any versions or other distinguishing info. I don’t know what you have so I cannot tell what should or should not be working.
Certainly, if you followed any of my guides for the GTab, you should have no difficulty in downloading apps from the market. The old “market troubles” were related to the Gingerbread roms. The Market on HoneyComb works perfectly on my device.
If you want a great working tablet & you want Honeycomb, I suggest that you follow these steps:
honeycomb-on-gtab/
david
September 24, 2011 at 9:20 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
No I mean like the honeycomb one where there is a pictures of the lock and u drag the lock to it
david
September 24, 2011 at 9:20 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
No I mean like the honeycomb one where there is a pictures of the lock and u drag the lock to it
Ray Waldo
September 25, 2011 at 1:54 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I don’t know where but I suspect that you could google “download honeycomb screen lock” and it would show up.
david
September 24, 2011 at 7:42 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi ray
I have been following your website ever since I have gotten a gtab (I think February) and I love it I have a question though how do I get the lockscreen like the xooms for gtabcomb thx
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2011 at 8:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Settings – location and security – lockscreen
philip
September 24, 2011 at 1:11 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
correction i am actually using setcpu [root user].when loaded it mentions something about SUPERUSER [app i have]. also i think it mentioned something about no root found?? any suggestions..thanks. when i first used my usb stick it froze the tab but after reboot usb worked. but not sure if setcpu is actually working..it did say something on install because of not finding root or somethimg like that,that it would only be used as read only?? hope this all makes some sense??
philip
September 24, 2011 at 1:11 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
correction i am actually using setcpu [root user].when loaded it mentions something about SUPERUSER [app i have]. also i think it mentioned something about no root found?? any suggestions..thanks. when i first used my usb stick it froze the tab but after reboot usb worked. but not sure if setcpu is actually working..it did say something on install because of not finding root or somethimg like that,that it would only be used as read only?? hope this all makes some sense??
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2011 at 8:18 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It should be granted superuser privilege (remembered). If not, it cannot control the cpu. Try to uninstall and then install from the market.
philip
September 24, 2011 at 11:21 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
i am using cpumaster. i guess i should go to setcpu..i will update you later when i switch. thanks. i have not yet looked into the tip jar yet but do i need to set up a paypal account. speak soon
philip
September 24, 2011 at 1:59 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
hi once again, i lowered the cpu and seemed to accept the usb. i then played around with cpu and overclocked and it still worked..not sure what was going on. it would freeze the tablet, foreclose apps including vitalplayer, and also remove a few apps??anyways all seems fine. speak soon
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2011 at 6:00 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Are you using cpumaster or setcpu? I read some comments recently that suggested that cpumaster might be causing the sleep of death. If so, it might also be responsible for some other weird issues.
philip
September 24, 2011 at 1:59 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
hi once again, i lowered the cpu and seemed to accept the usb. i then played around with cpu and overclocked and it still worked..not sure what was going on. it would freeze the tablet, foreclose apps including vitalplayer, and also remove a few apps??anyways all seems fine. speak soon
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2011 at 6:00 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Are you using cpumaster or setcpu? I read some comments recently that suggested that cpumaster might be causing the sleep of death. If so, it might also be responsible for some other weird issues.
philip
September 23, 2011 at 8:25 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hello ray. Gtabcomd has been awesome so far. Tried using USB memory stick and it did not seem to work…you have given me and othes easy directions and feedback to an android experience that viewsonic could not do. And of course all the xda etc.. I will donate because the experience although nerve wrecking but accomplishment. Thanks
philip
September 23, 2011 at 8:25 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hello ray. Gtabcomd has been awesome so far. Tried using USB memory stick and it did not seem to work…you have given me and othes easy directions and feedback to an android experience that viewsonic could not do. And of course all the xda etc.. I will donate because the experience although nerve wrecking but accomplishment. Thanks
Ray Waldo
September 23, 2011 at 9:44 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I just tried it again and my GTab reads both my thumb drives. Are you sure that your drive has been formatted with std format?
I certainly appreciate all donations. I respond to each.
Ray Waldo
September 9, 2011 at 7:53 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Well, the ROM wars are over (for a while at least).
TODAY, I switched BACK to GTabComb 3.3.
I have used both GTabComb and FlashBack and I continue to believe that GC is the BEST rom available for the GTab at this time.
YMMV but I doubt it.
Ray Waldo
September 9, 2011 at 7:53 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Well, the ROM wars are over (for a while at least).
TODAY, I switched BACK to GTabComb 3.3.
I have used both GTabComb and FlashBack and I continue to believe that GC is the BEST rom available for the GTab at this time.
YMMV but I doubt it.
Jerster
September 17, 2011 at 3:21 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Strange I was using Vegan-Tab Gingerbread 7.1 for a few months with no problems. I am trying GTabComb 3.3 but I am having issues of it freezing on me and with some apps. So I do not dig it as much as others. Any ideas?
Ray Waldo
September 17, 2011 at 6:02 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes, I have a lot of suggestions. They are in the “when things go wrong ” article
Honeycomb is not the same as gb. It is similar to the move from dos to windows. The requirements are greater.
You don’t give me enough detail to help but my best guess is either you did not do a full wipe and reset or, you used titanium backup to reinstall your apps. Neither did you tell me what guide you used. If you followed my guides you almost certainly would not be having these problems.
So, my suggestion is… NvFlash to the 1.2 bootloader and follow my guides to install gtabcomb.
Jerster
September 17, 2011 at 6:47 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
I followed your NVFlash exactly as described everything is current with the lastest versions. So I do not know where to go from here I might just go back to Vegan-Tab since I had no issues.
Thanks
Ray Waldo
September 17, 2011 at 7:05 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Use my FORMAT guide then repeat the nvflash and check each step very carefully. There is no reason why it would not work.
Jerster
September 18, 2011 at 9:07 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray
If you are talking about your FORMAT the GTab? If not could you send me a link? I will give it another shot and see what happens. What is the difference between starting with FORMAT over NVFLASH?
Thanks
Ray Waldo
September 18, 2011 at 2:26 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes, the format article http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/format-the-gtab/
The advantage is that when you format, you clear everything. NvFlash doesn’t wipe the entire device. You will still need to nvflash after the format. Then when you flash the rom, it will work as expected.
Jerster
September 19, 2011 at 6:50 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
I trided it twice according to your directions and it still hangs up and freezes. I have a degree in computers so I know what I am doing. If you do not have any other ideas I am going back to Vegan-Tab.
Thanks for the advice.
ificus613
September 8, 2011 at 10:59 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I just wanted to share my experience, and see what everyone elses experience is. I have been running GtabComb 3.3 for the past month, and other than the usual, camera not working, and no HD video, that Rom ran as close to perfect as any other stock software than comes on any android product. But like everyone else, I recently found out that Zyhong was taking a break from developing his rom. As well as that ROM ran, I would prefer to use a ROM that is actively being developed, so last night I decided to take the plunge and try Flashback 8.0. After a day of pretty heavy use, I have to say I am not overly impressed. I am seriously considering switching back to GtabCom. Even though it is not actively being developed, its performance seems well ahead of Flashback, as well as being more stable. I am thinking of giving it a few more releases before I reattempt flashback. As far as operator error is concerned, I know I installed it correctly. I NVFlashed to the correct bootloader version 1.2 and was starting from a completely clean formatted Gtab, I installed the correct version of Flashback, cleared all the partitions and set them at the standard 2048-0, cleared the davlik, So my glitches are purely based on the performance of the ROM.
From my experience, Flashback to me does not seem as smooth. I am having glitches where I have to reboot my gtab frequently to get it functioning smoothly again. My browser continuously closes on me. My desktops seem to reset themselves almost every 5 minutes, where all my icons with disappear, and the seem to load back on the desktop.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all the hardwork the developers do in their free time, and it is a good ROM as far as being in Alpha phase. But in a head to head comparison, at this point GTabComb seems to be the better choice. The plus side to Flashback is that it is actively being developed, and it may soon pass GTabComb in stability and performance, but for now, I am going to go back to GTabComb and give Flashback a little more time to work out the kinks. That being said, it really is disappointing that GTabComb is on pause at the moment. It really does seem as close to perfect as any stock HC ROM on your Xooms, or galaxt tabs. So again, a huge thanks goes out to Zyhong. Thank you everyone for you time is reading my rambling.
What are the thoughts of others who have tested both ROMS? Has your experience been better?
ificus613
September 8, 2011 at 11:10 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
On a side note, I also noticed that after booting up both GtabCom, and Flashback, when I looked at applications running, It appeared that GtabComb seems to have more resources free. GtabComb typically had about 190-200MB of free RAM, where as Flashback seems to have only about 130-140mb of free RAM. This is with essentially the same apps installed for the most part, maybe a few more apps while running GTabComb. I was just wondering if perhaps this was a reason for the performance difference.
Dave Sass
September 9, 2011 at 10:08 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have been using FlashBack 8 for a couple of days now. I do think that GTABCOMB was faster and more stable as well. I find that FB runs better when I have it overclocked to 316/1.4. For some reason the free Overclock program keeps resetting itself back to stock every time I reboot even though I checked the box to apply the changes on reboot. I’m not sure why this is happening.
I also have some strange things going on. I found that about 5 of my applications originally installed were missing after a reboot. I downloaded and installed them again and they now seem to be there. The Google Market still doesn’t act right on my ROM when trying to update applications. Sometimes it refuses to update and then a few minutes later it will. There does not seem to be any consistency in the Market with the two HC ROMS. (I had this problem with GTABCOMB as well)
I also have more FC’s on this ROM than GTABCOMB. GTABCOMB seems to be finished as far as I can see from the developer. There is no signs of life there at all. I have not had any problems with Opera Mobile with FB. It runs very well with no FC’s.
I still find it annoying when I go into an application like USA Today and want to watch a video in it that I can’t. (This is the case with most imbedded videos within applications) I also find on both HC ROMS that certain applications do not display text formatting correctly. For example, take a look at USAToday on their native Android app. Look at text horizontally on the tab. Scroll the text and you will see what I mean. Also – the dice on a game Farkle on the HC roms do not display the dice correctly. (Not sure if this is an application problem or part of the video acceleration issues)
Overall – I couldn’t go back to Froyo or Gingerbread again but I really wish we could get the few things left fixed like the camera and the video problems.
Overall – I can live with FB and would also prefer to stay with a ROM that is being enhanced.
I understand that Ice cream Sandwich is going to be released soon and that may be our ticket to getting the video and camera glitches finally fixed. I assume it would mean switching ROMS again however?
ificus613
September 8, 2011 at 10:59 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I just wanted to share my experience, and see what everyone elses experience is. I have been running GtabComb 3.3 for the past month, and other than the usual, camera not working, and no HD video, that Rom ran as close to perfect as any other stock software than comes on any android product. But like everyone else, I recently found out that Zyhong was taking a break from developing his rom. As well as that ROM ran, I would prefer to use a ROM that is actively being developed, so last night I decided to take the plunge and try Flashback 8.0. After a day of pretty heavy use, I have to say I am not overly impressed. I am seriously considering switching back to GtabCom. Even though it is not actively being developed, its performance seems well ahead of Flashback, as well as being more stable. I am thinking of giving it a few more releases before I reattempt flashback. As far as operator error is concerned, I know I installed it correctly. I NVFlashed to the correct bootloader version 1.2 and was starting from a completely clean formatted Gtab, I installed the correct version of Flashback, cleared all the partitions and set them at the standard 2048-0, cleared the davlik, So my glitches are purely based on the performance of the ROM.
From my experience, Flashback to me does not seem as smooth. I am having glitches where I have to reboot my gtab frequently to get it functioning smoothly again. My browser continuously closes on me. My desktops seem to reset themselves almost every 5 minutes, where all my icons with disappear, and the seem to load back on the desktop.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all the hardwork the developers do in their free time, and it is a good ROM as far as being in Alpha phase. But in a head to head comparison, at this point GTabComb seems to be the better choice. The plus side to Flashback is that it is actively being developed, and it may soon pass GTabComb in stability and performance, but for now, I am going to go back to GTabComb and give Flashback a little more time to work out the kinks. That being said, it really is disappointing that GTabComb is on pause at the moment. It really does seem as close to perfect as any stock HC ROM on your Xooms, or galaxt tabs. So again, a huge thanks goes out to Zyhong. Thank you everyone for you time is reading my rambling.
What are the thoughts of others who have tested both ROMS? Has your experience been better?
ificus613
September 8, 2011 at 11:10 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
On a side note, I also noticed that after booting up both GtabCom, and Flashback, when I looked at applications running, It appeared that GtabComb seems to have more resources free. GtabComb typically had about 190-200MB of free RAM, where as Flashback seems to have only about 130-140mb of free RAM. This is with essentially the same apps installed for the most part, maybe a few more apps while running GTabComb. I was just wondering if perhaps this was a reason for the performance difference.
Ray Waldo
September 9, 2011 at 6:27 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
My experience is similar. But one thing about fb that is different – it takes a day or so for the market to get all the apps updated and for the rom to stabilize and run freely.
But I have said all along that gc was my favorite.
Dave Sass
September 9, 2011 at 10:08 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have been using FlashBack 8 for a couple of days now. I do think that GTABCOMB was faster and more stable as well. I find that FB runs better when I have it overclocked to 316/1.4. For some reason the free Overclock program keeps resetting itself back to stock every time I reboot even though I checked the box to apply the changes on reboot. I’m not sure why this is happening.
I also have some strange things going on. I found that about 5 of my applications originally installed were missing after a reboot. I downloaded and installed them again and they now seem to be there. The Google Market still doesn’t act right on my ROM when trying to update applications. Sometimes it refuses to update and then a few minutes later it will. There does not seem to be any consistency in the Market with the two HC ROMS. (I had this problem with GTABCOMB as well)
I also have more FC’s on this ROM than GTABCOMB. GTABCOMB seems to be finished as far as I can see from the developer. There is no signs of life there at all. I have not had any problems with Opera Mobile with FB. It runs very well with no FC’s.
I still find it annoying when I go into an application like USA Today and want to watch a video in it that I can’t. (This is the case with most imbedded videos within applications) I also find on both HC ROMS that certain applications do not display text formatting correctly. For example, take a look at USAToday on their native Android app. Look at text horizontally on the tab. Scroll the text and you will see what I mean. Also – the dice on a game Farkle on the HC roms do not display the dice correctly. (Not sure if this is an application problem or part of the video acceleration issues)
Overall – I couldn’t go back to Froyo or Gingerbread again but I really wish we could get the few things left fixed like the camera and the video problems.
Overall – I can live with FB and would also prefer to stay with a ROM that is being enhanced.
I understand that Ice cream Sandwich is going to be released soon and that may be our ticket to getting the video and camera glitches finally fixed. I assume it would mean switching ROMS again however?
Ray Waldo
September 9, 2011 at 10:51 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have seen all of the same issues.
I doubt that we will see an immediate rom using Icecream. However, when it is released officially on the big names, Google will probably release the code for HC. And, yes, we will need to update the rom.
Krieger
September 7, 2011 at 10:15 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I saw that there is a version of Flashback Alpha 8 for 1.1 dev tree and I was wondering if anyone has tried it? Also if there was any special instructions on installing it. I know the 7.2 on 1.2 required the partition to be changed or something like that. I currently have Gtabcomb 3.3 but am thinking about trying Flashback.
Krieger
September 7, 2011 at 10:15 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I saw that there is a version of Flashback Alpha 8 for 1.1 dev tree and I was wondering if anyone has tried it? Also if there was any special instructions on installing it. I know the 7.2 on 1.2 required the partition to be changed or something like that. I currently have Gtabcomb 3.3 but am thinking about trying Flashback.
Ray Waldo
September 7, 2011 at 11:10 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Great observation! I agree and I asked the dev (on XDA) the same question. He responded that ON THIS RELEASE, the 1.1bl version does NOT require the larger system partition. However, future releases may.
My recommendation is still… Switch to the 1.2bl branch and be done with it. Then you can use any of the newest roms for the GTab.
Visit the http://raywaldo.com/2011/01/nvflash-for-dummies/ article to git-r-done!
ed
September 5, 2011 at 8:36 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray
Great info. I updated my gtablet to flashback 8.0. I got everything to work except the droid market place. It wont let me download any apps. My gmail email account works. So i know i am in but i can’t download any apps. Any ideas.
Bruce Johnston
September 5, 2011 at 7:35 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Question…installed the 3.3 and suddenly the Market gives me an “Error processing purchase” every time I try to download an app. Is this something that I can fix?
Ray Waldo
September 5, 2011 at 9:51 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Some people have complained about issues with the Market. However, if you did a full WIPE (reset to factory & clear BOTH caches), and do NOT attempt to reinstall apps with titanium backup, then it will almost certainly work.
If you did NOT do these things, then do them now. You probably will not need to re-flash the ROM but you WILL lose all configurations.
If it still fails, I recommend that you NVFlash to 1.2bl and install FlashBack – rather than Zyhong’s GtabComb.
Ed
September 6, 2011 at 5:30 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
I dont understand the “do NOT attempt to reinstall apps with a backup” process. When Flashback loaded I did it both ways. I signed in the first time and my apps didnt load and the second time I didn’t sign in until it was loaded and I went to settings and logged in and I still cant get any apps to load.
Dave Sass
September 6, 2011 at 10:19 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have completely wiped my Gtab and loaded the Flashback 8 ROM and still had problems with the Market. IMO they have some bugs to figure out. Some of my apps recovered fine, but a great majority of them did not. I had to manually re-install them. For the record Amazon Market restored them all just fine – however you have to restore each application individually.
I also find the Market flaky regarding doing updates. Sometimes it refuses to update applications. Then when you back out of the Market and go back into it again – it will then sometimes update the application. Again – there does not seem to be any logic to why it is not working consistently. If I back out and go back in enough times I can typically get everything to update but it is very annoying.
Could this be due to high server load?
Just my two cents worth from my experience.
Bruce Johnston
September 5, 2011 at 7:35 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Question…installed the 3.3 and suddenly the Market gives me an “Error processing purchase” every time I try to download an app. Is this something that I can fix?
Ray Waldo
September 5, 2011 at 9:51 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Some people have complained about issues with the Market. However, if you did a full WIPE (reset to factory & clear BOTH caches), and do NOT attempt to reinstall apps with titanium backup, then it will almost certainly work.
If you did NOT do these things, then do them now. You probably will not need to re-flash the ROM but you WILL lose all configurations.
If it still fails, I recommend that you NVFlash to 1.2bl and install FlashBack – rather than Zyhong’s GtabComb.
Ed
September 6, 2011 at 5:30 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Ray,
I dont understand the “do NOT attempt to reinstall apps with a backup” process. When Flashback loaded I did it both ways. I signed in the first time and my apps didnt load and the second time I didn’t sign in until it was loaded and I went to settings and logged in and I still cant get any apps to load.
Ray Waldo
September 6, 2011 at 6:47 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sorry that i did not make that clear. Some people use backup programs, titanium, etc, to reinstall apps after switching roms. I have found this will sometimes introduce problems, so I discourage it.
Ed
September 6, 2011 at 8:29 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks, I didnt do any of that, and I still cant download any apps.
Ray Waldo
September 6, 2011 at 9:23 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Then the next step is “nvflash for dummies” – but not to worry, it is not difficult and it is normally very safe.
The good side is that once you get that done your gtab is prepared for any 1.2bl rom!
Dave Sass
September 6, 2011 at 10:19 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I have completely wiped my Gtab and loaded the Flashback 8 ROM and still had problems with the Market. IMO they have some bugs to figure out. Some of my apps recovered fine, but a great majority of them did not. I had to manually re-install them. For the record Amazon Market restored them all just fine – however you have to restore each application individually.
I also find the Market flaky regarding doing updates. Sometimes it refuses to update applications. Then when you back out of the Market and go back into it again – it will then sometimes update the application. Again – there does not seem to be any logic to why it is not working consistently. If I back out and go back in enough times I can typically get everything to update but it is very annoying.
Could this be due to high server load?
Just my two cents worth from my experience.
Ray Waldo
September 6, 2011 at 11:21 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That is my experience also. It does appear that the stronger the WIFI signal, the less likely I am to experience the update issues. (See my other comment to you for more.)
Hubert Wong
September 5, 2011 at 8:15 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/manually-update-galaxy-tab-10-1-to-official-android-3-1-honeycomb/
Hubert Wong
September 5, 2011 at 8:15 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/manually-update-galaxy-tab-10-1-to-official-android-3-1-honeycomb/
Ray Waldo
September 5, 2011 at 1:01 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That is for the SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB – we have the Viewsonic gTablet. They are similar but the roms are NOT compatible.
Hubert Wong
September 4, 2011 at 11:54 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Have you tried Honeycomb 3.1 (official Google release) on the gTablet yet? It is a 220mb package.
Hubert Wong
September 4, 2011 at 11:54 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Have you tried Honeycomb 3.1 (official Google release) on the gTablet yet? It is a 220mb package.
Ray Waldo
September 5, 2011 at 7:49 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the comment. However, I have not seen any 3.1 release that will work on the Viewsonic GTablet. Do you have a link?
Juan C. Zayas
August 30, 2011 at 9:13 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Ray,
I love GtabComb, but looks like it has been abandoned. Do you have any updates on development that you can share?
Thanks,
Juan
Ray Waldo
August 30, 2011 at 10:05 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I am a bit disappointed also. However, just think… If I had a stock rom (even one of the Honeycomb versions), how often would the manufacturer send updates? What we have is so much better than Tap-n-Tap (or any other custom rom IMHO) so I have no complaints if Zyhong never adds anything.
Actually, there does not seem to be a lot of movement on any Honeycomb right now. I think everyone is waiting on the hardware drivers, etc. and for Google to release the code for HC. THEN things will start to POP!
If you want a ROM with more developer interaction, try Flashback (links above).
Dave Sass
August 31, 2011 at 1:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
How come no one on this forum talks about the ROM “Brilliant Corners”? I know it is Froyo based, but it works with bootloader 1.2, has been recently updated, supports full hardware acceleration, supports Netflix, Camera, and has good stability and performance. What’s not to like? I do believe the GUI is a little nicer on HC and some of the apps that run on it are a bit further along, (like Gmail), but I’m tempted to go back for a while to get the video hardware acceleration and camera to work again until they get further along with HC.
Ray Waldo
August 31, 2011 at 2:51 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Sounds like a plan!
Please keep us posted on how it works out.
Juan C. Zayas
August 30, 2011 at 9:13 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi Ray,
I love GtabComb, but looks like it has been abandoned. Do you have any updates on development that you can share?
Thanks,
Juan
Ray Waldo
August 30, 2011 at 10:05 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I am a bit disappointed also. However, just think… If I had a stock rom (even one of the Honeycomb versions), how often would the manufacturer send updates? What we have is so much better than Tap-n-Tap (or any other custom rom IMHO) so I have no complaints if Zyhong never adds anything.
Actually, there does not seem to be a lot of movement on any Honeycomb right now. I think everyone is waiting on the hardware drivers, etc. and for Google to release the code for HC. THEN things will start to POP!
If you want a ROM with more developer interaction, try Flashback (links above).
Dave Sass
August 31, 2011 at 1:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
How come no one on this forum talks about the ROM “Brilliant Corners”? I know it is Froyo based, but it works with bootloader 1.2, has been recently updated, supports full hardware acceleration, supports Netflix, Camera, and has good stability and performance. What’s not to like? I do believe the GUI is a little nicer on HC and some of the apps that run on it are a bit further along, (like Gmail), but I’m tempted to go back for a while to get the video hardware acceleration and camera to work again until they get further along with HC.
tazguy
August 28, 2011 at 8:16 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
thanks for the recomendation. i am really needing good video playback and want netflix as well. looking around the flashback rom seems like it gets good marks. how do you think it stacks up?
Ray Waldo
August 28, 2011 at 8:39 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/gtabcomb-vs-illuminate-hc/
tazguy
August 28, 2011 at 8:16 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
thanks for the recomendation. i am really needing good video playback and want netflix as well. looking around the flashback rom seems like it gets good marks. how do you think it stacks up?
Ray Waldo
August 28, 2011 at 8:39 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/gtabcomb-vs-illuminate-hc/
tazguy
August 27, 2011 at 5:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
i am really confused with all the different roms that are out there.
thanks to yhour site i know i am on 1.1 and i want to move to something better that will allow me full access to the market and netflix. what would you suggest?
Ray Waldo
August 27, 2011 at 5:59 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
If the camera is essential for you or, if you MUST have great FLASH response in your browser, then I recommend CM7. You can flash it with your present setup.
If you want to have a REAL “tablet experience” then Honeycomb is the way to go. I prefer GTabComb b.3.3. You CAN flash it on the 1.1bl but I recommend that you use our “NVFlash for Dummies” to switch to 1.2bl.
YMMV
tazguy
August 27, 2011 at 5:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
i am really confused with all the different roms that are out there.
thanks to yhour site i know i am on 1.1 and i want to move to something better that will allow me full access to the market and netflix. what would you suggest?
Ray Waldo
August 27, 2011 at 5:59 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
If the camera is essential for you or, if you MUST have great FLASH response in your browser, then I recommend CM7. You can flash it with your present setup.
If you want to have a REAL “tablet experience” then Honeycomb is the way to go. I prefer GTabComb b.3.3. You CAN flash it on the 1.1bl but I recommend that you use our “NVFlash for Dummies” to switch to 1.2bl.
YMMV
Cobar
August 8, 2011 at 1:12 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That sounds like a perfectly valid explanation to me.
Cobar
August 8, 2011 at 1:12 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That sounds like a perfectly valid explanation to me.
Cobar
August 8, 2011 at 12:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Small correction:
Under Gingerbread you have the ROM listed at ClockworkMod. I believe that should be Cyanogenmod.
Love the site. Keep up the good work.
Ray Waldo
August 8, 2011 at 12:43 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You are absolutely correct! It has been changed. Thanks for the note. BTW, that article was written at about 2-3 hours past my bedtime. Could explain it?
Cobar
August 8, 2011 at 12:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Small correction:
Under Gingerbread you have the ROM listed at ClockworkMod. I believe that should be Cyanogenmod.
Love the site. Keep up the good work.
Ray Waldo
August 8, 2011 at 12:43 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
You are absolutely correct! It has been changed. Thanks for the note. BTW, that article was written at about 2-3 hours past my bedtime. Could explain it?
Ed
September 6, 2011 at 8:29 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks, I didnt do any of that, and I still cant download any apps.
Ray Waldo
September 17, 2011 at 6:02 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes, I have a lot of suggestions. They are in the “when things go wrong ” article
Honeycomb is not the same as gb. It is similar to the move from dos to windows. The requirements are greater.
You don’t give me enough detail to help but my best guess is either you did not do a full wipe and reset or, you used titanium backup to reinstall your apps. Neither did you tell me what guide you used. If you followed my guides you almost certainly would not be having these problems.
So, my suggestion is… NvFlash to the 1.2 bootloader and follow my guides to install gtabcomb.
Ray Waldo
September 17, 2011 at 7:05 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Use my FORMAT guide then repeat the nvflash and check each step very carefully. There is no reason why it would not work.
Ray Waldo
September 18, 2011 at 2:26 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yes, the format article http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/format-the-gtab/
The advantage is that when you format, you clear everything. NvFlash doesn’t wipe the entire device. You will still need to nvflash after the format. Then when you flash the rom, it will work as expected.
Ray Waldo
September 24, 2011 at 8:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Settings – location and security – lockscreen
Ray Waldo
September 29, 2011 at 9:56 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
CM7 is a great rom. Steps:
Use clockworkmod to do a full backup.
Reset to factory
Clear cache and dalvik cache
Flash cm7
Major gotcha is the mistake of NOT matching the bootloader versions. The gtab and the rom both must have the same bootloader version!
Ray Waldo
September 30, 2011 at 3:31 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I used Vegan back when I first got my gTab (in Feb). I quickly switched to CM7 when it was released and liked it a lot better. I stayed with CM7 to version 7.0.3 and switched to Honeycomb. I like the HC interface MUCH better. It is designed for a tablet (rather than for a phone, like all Gingerbread roms).
However, HC has shortcomings: no camera (no big loss on the gTab); no hardware acceleration (I have not noticed the difference); and Flash video is wonky (I miss that a little). Overall, the GAINS far outweigh the losses IMHO. If you MUST have one of the three things missing from HC, then I suggest CM7 but many others like Vegan. Maybe Vegan has improved more quickly than CM7. It has been several months since I used either.
Only real problem with flashing ROMs is to be CERTAIN to match the ROM version with the Bootloader version on your gTab. Most gTabs now come with 1.2bl (with a 200meg system partition). Although almost all HC roms are 1.2bl based, some (Flashback for instance) require a larger system partition (250meg). Most Gingerbread ROMs are based on the 1.2bl. You have to use NVFlash to change the version on your gTab.
Check out my “NVFlash for Dummies” article to make any changes: http://raywaldo.com/2011/01/nvflash-for-dummies/
Hunter[NIU]™
October 3, 2011 at 10:26 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the quick response. I went with the GComb. This tablet is actually for my mom who has a bad case of Parkinsons and will be using it as her primary mode of communication with Swype. So I’m thinking the camera won’t be all that important.
If it were for me I’d want it just for Google+ Hangouts and other kinds of video chat.
So far it is working beautifully thanks to your site and all the info here. I followed your NVFLASH Guide Step by Step, got CWM on it no problem and then used your Guide on getting GComb on it. I had absolutely no issues, real easy to follow. Thanks again!
Mike
October 19, 2011 at 4:38 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks Ray . The market works just fine. I noticed when I download a item from the market I get a insufficient memory note. I must have some setting wrong as I show 12.97 GB free on the micro SD Internal.But I only have 1.17 free on internal memory.It seems that apps are going to this memory. Once again thanks for your help.
Mike
October 19, 2011 at 8:02 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I started with a new 1.2 bl and installed the nvflash to increase sys partition to 250meg,theninstalled clockwork mod1.2bl. Did thewipe data/factory reset,wipedcache partion,partitioned sd card and set 2048 and0,did mounts and storage and format cache,format data,format sys,and format cache the installed gtabcomb 3.3. Should I start back to stock and repeat all of this again? What should I do different? Why should I insert a external sdcard if I still have 12.97 GB free on the internal sdcard? I am new to this ,thanks again.
Mike
October 20, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Is it possible when I copied the rom to the root of my gtab that I copied it to th 250gb partition and not the root of the 14 gb internal memory? How can I be sure when looking at the gtab in apx mode as I don’t remember seeing 2 separate areas to copy to. Thanks again
Ray Waldo
November 13, 2011 at 6:59 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Some days I like it and other days I want to switch back to gtabcomb.
Just do a full backup with clockworkmod and save it to your computer. Then do nvflash and flash fb10.1 – then, if you don’t like fb, you can restore gtabcomb.
Ray Waldo
November 19, 2011 at 8:28 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It is often difficult to understand all the parameters of such things until you actually do it.
1. Hardware acceleration – As far as I can tell, none of the 2.3 & 3.0.1 roms can use the HA, since the drivers are not available. However, even without HA, the HoneyComb enabled GTab will outperform the stock Tap-N-Tap by FAR!
2. Camera – The camera on the GTab is not very good to begin with so the only real use is for video conferencing. If that is an essential, then you should flash a 2.3 ROM that enables the camera. Otherwise, you will not miss it.
3. USB – Both the Honeycomb roms that I support (Flashback 10.1 and GTabComb 3.3) enable USB functions and much more that the stock version does NOT support.
Look at the “GTabComb vs Illuminate HC vs Flashback HC” article to see more.
Ray Waldo
November 19, 2011 at 11:29 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
See the articles:
http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/honeycomb-on-gtab/
http://raywaldo.com/2011/07/gtabcomb-vs-illuminate-hc/
http://raywaldo.com/2011/09/gtab-%e2%80%93-trials-and-tribulations/
http://raywaldo.com/2011/10/flashback-9-0-for-gtab/
and the others in the GTAB series (click the tab in the top menu).
Ray Waldo
November 23, 2011 at 7:17 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hardware acceleration is not an issue for me. The hc roms are so fast that you would think it is working. The only reason to not install gtabcomb (imho) is if you could not live without the camera.
If you are at bl1.2, give it a try.
Ray Waldo
November 24, 2011 at 8:20 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I recommend that you use your computer when you need full-screen HD video.
Please stay on topic here – we are about helping non-techies use technology – not about advertising our skills.
Ray Waldo
November 27, 2011 at 5:35 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Glad to help, Jonathan. If you are able, consider our tip jar (at the bottom of the pages).
Chris Compton
November 29, 2011 at 10:06 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Hi there, you mention that FB 10.1 and GTabComb 3.3 enable more USB function than the Stock; however, I am unable to get any USB Keyboard/Mouse to work. They worked just fine on other ROMs. I am quite pleased with everything on the FB 10.1 ROM, with the exception on not being able to get functionality of a mouse/keyboard. I have tried several wireless keyboard/mouse combos (Logitech and Microsoft) and have also tried connecting several hardwired USB Mice and Keyboards directly to the unit to see if I can get one to work. Do you have any suggestions?
Ray Waldo
December 2, 2011 at 6:47 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I hope so. Just have to wait.
Christian
January 3, 2012 at 10:05 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I was actually referring to the Videos app in the Android market. I would like to rent/download some movies and since they have an app, I thought I would do it that way rather then throught netficks. Here is the link. http://support.google.com/androidmarket/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1257653&topic=1100171&ctx=topic
Ray Waldo
February 19, 2012 at 7:47 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
That is great, David!
Would you like to write a review? If so, contact me with the contact tab at the top of the page.
It would be a great help to everyone. You would need to register on this website.