Flashing/Flexing.
by poetic_folly
This is probably the most common mod, and its really fairly easy. Let me give you a brief introduction to the various types of flashes/flexes that exist, and what they do. Flashing is the term we use in reference to changing the phones software. The various types of flashes are: flash (original), reflash (the current standard--flashes without losing any info), and reflash_mlp (a reflash without the LP, or Language Pack included--useful if you need a language pack other than the default included with flashes--English, French, and Spanish). Flexing refers to changing the phones firmware. The types of flexes include: flex (original), and flexlash (the current standard) which is a flex in a flash style file (.shx), so it wont delete your saved info (pictures, contacts, etc). There is one other format we refer to as a MonsterPack (MP) (created by Motox) which includes a boot loader, flex, and flash all in one file. This is a great starting point when flash/flexing, and a good tool if your phone ever goes kaput. Flashing with an MP is a common fix-all remedy.
Side note: its always a good idea to backup anything you ABSOLUTELY MUST KEEP from your phone--none of this is guaranteed, and while we have become pretty much stable, *rarely* there will be a time when the flex/flash doesn't go through, and you lose the saved info. This is easily fixed to get your phone working again, but the saved info will be lost. So whats the point? A flash contains new software for your phone, so your phone operates better. Smoother menu navigation (and faster), often increased reception or battery life through better management of existing hardware, extra features (video is the most popular, although random tweaks are included in each flash version), etc.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS make sure your battery is fully charged before you do this. If your phone dies in the middle of a flash--that is BAD BAD BAD. The only way to save it then is to flash with a Monster Pack, and that works 80% of the time. So CHARGE UP before you flash! K, moving on...
Choose the right flash/flex for you. This is something people fret too much over. Its a fairly easy choice, you just have to be informed. Personally, I prefer a stock Moto flash/flex (all carrier branding removed--no T-Zones or MEdiaNet icons cluttering up my phone--just says "Web Access" instead) and so I always use stock Moto material. The best way to do this is to flash with the latest stock Moto MonsterPack (12.8 MB download), and then reflash with the latest flash, R374_G_0E.42.08R_reflash.shx (8.9 MB download). Its a 2 step process, and gets you up to current in your software and firmware. (Both those files come from Motox's site). If you are a Cingular customer, and prefer to have the Cingular branding in your phone, ice-man and MotoX have put together a great Cingular MonsterPack which you can use as your first, then reflash with R374_G_0E.42.08R_reflash.shx. Once you download the MP and reflash files, make sure you extract them to the MotoMods folder before moving to the next step.
Open MultiFlashFlex and lets flash/flex!It is located in C:\Program Files\Motorola\PST by default. From Motox: "In the preferences section of MFF, make sure to check the "Override existing phone software even if it is newer than the superfile software", "Master Clear phones after flexing", and "Master Reset phones after flexing" boxes. For reflashing with Reflash file and Language pack, "Master Clear..." and "Master Reset..." don't need to be checked. However, leaving them checked still won't touch the flex part of your phone either. We will use the MonsterPack you downloaded and extracted earlier, so browse to the file and click start. When you click start, PST will say "Switching the device into flash mode,"
and Windows should display the "Found New Hardware Wizard" again, finding the "Motorola Flash Interface" and one other hardware item.
After that, wait 10-15 minutes while MFF flashes/flexes the phone.
You will then finish with the "Successful FLASH!" message! Congrats!
Repeat to reflash with the newest software. Currently R374_G_0E.42.08R_reflash.shx (8.9 MB download).
Congrats! You're ready to learn about Seem Editing!
