How to Port to a New ROM on Your Android Device

If you've been using an android device for a while now, you must have realize the basic challenge most android users face. Its either your device comes with an outdated OS or that new devices now come with this wonderful OS you really wish to have but you're not ready to buy a new device. Either way, there is a way out, you can just port CyanogenMod version of the OS or just about any other community ROM over to your device with the following simple steps i came across on apcmag.com.

Things You'll Need

• Notepad
• A compression program (WinZip or 7zip)

• A Custom ROM
• A Stock ROM

Step 1

The first thing you need to do is to make sure your phone can handle the ROM you're about to port to. It is advisable you find out what type of CPU your phone has and find a ROM that is designed for the same CPU type and the same phone manufacturer.
visit http://tinyurl.com/6qrpk5p to find out which CPU comes with your device.

Step 2

Extract the .ZIP files containing the two ROMs on your PC . Navigate to /system/app in your extracted Stock ROM and copy stk.apk, vpnservices.apk, camera.apk, and bluetooth.apk into a temporary directory somewhere else on your PC.

Step 3

Delete the following folders from your Custom ROM and replace them with the ones from your Stock ROM: /data /system/app /system/framework /system/fonts and /system/media.

Step 4

Copy /system/lib/libandroid_runtime.so from your Stock ROM to the system/lib/ directory of your Custom ROM. Overwrite the file.

Step 5

Move the .APKs files you copied earlier back into the /system/app directory of your Custom ROM.

Step 6

Go to /system/lib in your custom ROM and copy all the files and folders. Paste them into the Stock ROM /system/lib directory. Replace all. Then go back to the Custom ROM and delete the /system/lib folder, and replace it with the /system/lib folder from the Stock ROM.

Step 7

Navigate to the /system/etc/init.d folder in the custom ROM and do the same copy-from-Custom, paste-to-Stock, delete-from-Custom, copy-from-Stock, paste-to-Custom shuffle as before.

Step 8

Navigate to /system/etc/permissions and do that same copy-paste one more time.

Step 9

In Notepad++, open \META-INF\com\google\android\updater-script from both your stock and custom ROMs. Edit the Custom's ROM script to be like the Stock's ROM updater-script: specifically, change, edit, or add the sections for permissions, ui_prints, asserts, run_programs, and installing the kernel. Don’t change any of the symlinks. In the custom script, make sure that the ‘format’ values are appropriate for your device (compare them to the Stock script). 
Your ROM is now ready to be zipped and installed on your device via Clockwork Mod!

Tips and Warnings

• If you desire you can update any apps you require or add any tools like BusyBox or SuperSU.
• Make sure that your kernel is specifically for your device.

Read more: http://africhow.com/tech/mobile/