HaRET stands for Handheld Reverse Engineering Tool. It is a Linux bootloader which works from within Windows Mobile. Currently, it is the only method of booting Android.

m5 was the milestone version of Android that Google first released. It is the same as version 0.8. The retail version of Android that runs on the T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream) is version 1.0. Cupcake is a new updated version released by Google that includes updates such as an on-screen keyboard and A2DP support. Check the Latest Builds page to find out the latest version for your device.

The work on porting Android to HTC devices has been primarily spearheaded by members of the XDA-Developers community. There is no central person or group in charge of porting Android to HTC devices.

Try the Troubleshooting page for more information.

The complete Android boot system usually consists of 6 files:

• zImage
  this is the Linux kernel which takes care of the hardware
• initrd.gz
  the initial ramdisk. It serves as root file system for now. Usually, startup scripts, device drivers (modules) and related files (e.g. Bluetooth firmware), as well as some basic system tools (shell etc.) live here.
• haret.exe
  boots up Linux from Windows Mobile, and reads:
• default.txt
  contains settings for the boot process, and special kernel configuration parameters
• system.img (or system.gz)
  contains the Android core, default applications and some more system files and tools. An existing system.gz would be extracted to be system.img. File system-wise this is usually a cramfs, or for older or development builds, ext3. This file is mounted read-only, which means no changes will ever be made when you run Android.
• data.img (or data.gz)
  contains all user information, like settings, stored files (if not on storage card), downloaded/installed Android programs etc. An existing data.gz would be extracted to be the new data.img. This is an ext3 file system (mounted as ext2).

For newer packages, it is likely that haret.exe, zImage and initrd.gz will be replaced by a single boot_android.exe.

Please see the Latest Builds page. Currently, the port of Android is not stable! Various features are either broken or incomplete. Use at your own risk.

Please see the Installing Android page. Currently, the port of Android is not stable! Various features are either broken or incomplete. Use at your own risk.

Porting Android is a difficult process because the developers only have limited information about the hardware platforms to which they are porting. Currently only one commercial phone running Android (the HTC Dream/G1) has been released, so significant work must be done in allowing the platform to work on different devices.

Unfortunately all of these companies have significant restrictions on helping a project such as this. Furthermore, they are all businesses trying to make money, so it is simply not in their best interest to help support a project such as this.

This happens only for some and not on every build. Try using the 10/23/09 zImage found on the Kaiser builds page or try using a 320×480 resolution

If you are running a recent build, uncheck “Orientation” under Sound & Display in the Settings. Otherwise, please check the Latest Builds page to find a fixed version.

See the Setup/Troubleshoot Data Access page to learn how to configure it.

You are using an old build or a device without GPS support! Check the Port Status page to see if your device has GPS support, and if it does, visit the Latest Builds page. (On devices without GPS support, Google Maps delivers false data for testing purposes.)