How to install Cyanogenmod 10 on Motorola defy (Android JellyBean 4.1)

How to install Cyanogenmod 10 on Motorola defy –

As Ginegerbread (Android 2.3) already ported on defy and running successfully using CM7 custom ROM, IceCream Sandwich and JellyBean can also be installed on defy on the same way using Cyanogen Mod CM9 & CM10.

First of all these are still under development stage but you can try them to see how your defy works and looks on these ROMs.

The main bug I faced on CM10 is that mobile signals (GSM) are not enough in strength and many times shows as dead that is the main drawback. Other bugs are that data network and wifi connection may also drop frequently. Camera and FM apps also not work properly.

For installing Jellybean on Motorola defy your phone should be rooted and recovery has already been installed. See my previous post for rooting and installing recovery using 2ndinitdefy. Also first install CM7 so that you can directly install CM10 over it.

Before you going to install CM9 or 10 please keep yourself full sbf of your original froyo stock ROM, as if you want to come back on CM7 that is the stable and most efficient ROM for defy till date; you need that one if reverting back has failed or you brick your defy.

You can download your respective full sbf files from this link; also download rsdlite and Motorola drivers from here.

Rsdlite is a software for windows PC using that you can install original firmware for your defy.

Steps for How to install Cyanogenmod 10 on Motorola defy (installing CM10 over CM7 )–

1. Take backup of your all data, apps, contacts, and messages first.
2. Also take backup using titanium if you have
3. Download latest 2^nd boot CM10 (CM10-********-NIGHTLY-mb526.zip) nightly by quarks from here
4. Download latest Google Apps (gapps-jb-20121212-signed.zip ) for Jellybean
5. Now copy these files inside your sd card using usb cable.
6. Latest nightly of 2^nd boot of CM10 also have kernel so need not to install separately
7. Now go to custom recovery and take backup of your ROM using backup and restore.
8. Clear cache partition and factory reset using recovery menu
9. Also clear dalvik cache from advanced menu
10. Now choose install zip from sd card and install CM10 nightly, also install gapps in the same way.
11. Wipe Cache and Dalvik again (recommended)
12. Now reboot your defy.
13. That’s it

For the other options and FAQ regarding CM10 see this thread of XDA

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1795647

Also see –

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1768702

http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Motorola_Defy

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2013059

If you want to come back on CM7 than it is tricky and for me it has not worked by testing all suggestions available on XDA forums and various blog post. I have to install stock froyo again using rsdlite and full sbf of defy. You can see this thread for reverting back on CM7 from CM10-

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2043893

As data partition used in CM10 as ext4 and in Cm7 it is used as ext3 that is the main problem. Also using custom recovery restore from naddroid backup was not worked as it failed to mount data and cache partition to system.

So as mentioned in some threads on xda forums before you again want to come back on CM7 you first need to convert file system using boot menu of CM10 from ext4 to ext3. Otherwise you brick your phone.

But using these steps you can again install stock froyo on your defy if nothing worked for you-

First using stock recovery by pressing power + Vol down button deletes cache and data.

1. Now again reboot your mobile by pressing power+ vol up button to reach in stock boot loader.
2. Now connect your mobile using USB cable and open rsd lite, using rsdlite install full sbf of your original froyo.
3. Now follow the steps as mention in previous post how to install CM7 on defy to again come back on CM7.

Jelly Bean for defy is having very buttery experience also UI is very interesting and many great features. Hope soon we will get the stable ROM for defy that will also bugfree.