How to Install CyanogenMod on the Sony Xperia L ("taoshan")

This guide will walk you through the process of taking the Xperia L from stock to having a custom recovery image and the ability to flash the latest version of CyanogenMod.

Note: DISCLAIMER

Modifying or replacing your device's software may void your device's warranty, lead to data loss, hair loss, financial loss, privacy loss, security breaches, or other damage, and therefore must be done entirely at your own risk. No one affiliated with the CyanogenMod project is responsible for your actions. Good luck.

Unlock your Xperia L

What does "unlocking" mean?

The first step in putting any custom operating system on your Xperia L is to unlock the bootloader. A bootloader is the very first program that runs when you turn on your device. The bootloader initializes some hardware and then loads the kernel and ramdisk, and gets the boot process going. If the bootloader is in locked mode, it will ensure that only the stock operating system can run. Since you will be installing your own operating system (CyanogenMod), you need to turn this off.

To unlock your bootloader, you’ll first need a program on your computer called adb. One way to get adb is to download and install the Android SDK (Software Developer Kit) from Google. The SDK is used by app developers when they’re writing programs for Android, and who knows, you may want to write apps someday.

Install the Android SDK

Download the SDK, per the steps on Google's web page. Then install it by following the specific instructions for your computer.

Obtaining the Bootloader Unlock Code

Note:

Unlocking the bootloader on a Sony device may automatically wipe internal storage; a backup of the sdcard is suggested.

In order to unlock the bootloader on your Xperia L you will need to obtain a code from Sony. The following process will help you acquire this code so that you can flash a custom recovery.

1. Open the Phone application on the Xperia L and enter *#06# to obtain the device's IMEI. Save this for later use.
   • Optional: if you do not have a phone app, the IMEI can be found on the box or on the device in About Device -> Status.
2. Put the device into fastboot mode:
   • With the device powered down, hold Volume Up and connect the USB cable. The notification light should turn blue to indicate you are in fastboot mode.
3. Open a terminal on the PC and enter fastboot getvar version
   • If you receive the message <waiting for device> fastboot is not configured properly, please see fastboot for more details.
4. Navigate a browser here
   • Click the 'continue' button at the bottom of the page.
   • Agree to the 'Are You Sure' and 'Legal Terms' prompts to continue.
   • Enter the first 14 digits of your IMEI from Step 1, enter a name and an email address.
   • The unlock code should now appear, write this down for the next step.
5. In the PC's terminal, enter the following command: fastboot oem unlock 0xKEY
   • KEY corresponds to the unlock code you were given.

The Xperia L's bootloader should now be unlocked.

taoshan Users: This device may not boot correctly after unlocking the bootloader. If the device hangs at the Sony splash screen after unlocking and rebooting, follow the steps below to get recovery up and running:

1. If the phone is still at the Sony splash screen, pull the battery and disconnect the USB cable. Wait a few seconds and then reinsert the battery (leave USB disconnected).
2. Download the build of CyanogenMod you intend to install from here
3. Extract boot.img from the installation package and save it to a directory you will remember
4. With the device powered down, hold volume up and connect the USB cable. The notification light should turn blue to indicate you are in fastboot mode.
5. From a command prompt, or terminal, navigate to the directory where boot.img resides and type:
   fastboot flash boot boot.img
6. After the boot image finishes flashing, type:
   fastboot reboot
   and watch for the notification light to turn purple. When it turns purple, press volume up. This will start recovery.

   Note: If this method fails to start recovery (i.e. your device is stuck at the Sony splash screen), pull the battery, reinsert it, then power-on the phone and press the volume rockers a few times to load recovery.

Installing CyanogenMod on Sony Devices

1. Optional: Download 3rd party applications packages, like Google Apps which are necessary to download apps from Google Play.
2. In ClockworkMod Recovery, use the physical volume buttons to move up and down. The power button is used to confirm your selection.
3. Optional (Recommended): Select backup and restore to create a backup of your current ROM.
4. Select wipe data/factory reset.
5. You have two options for transferring and installing the installation packages. Both cases require adb to be working in recovery. The sideload method is more universal across devices, whereas the push and install method is more commonly used:
   • Sideload method: select install zip > install zip from sideload. Follow the on-screen notices to install the package. The installer does not necessarily display an "Install complete." message. You can tell the install is complete if there were no fatal error messages and you have regained control over the menu.
   • Push and install method: Open a command prompt (or Terminal on Mac and Linux) and navigate to the directory holding the package(s) you would like to install. On the device, navigate to the mounts and storage menu. If you see /storage/sdcard0 as a mountable volume, go ahead and mount it. If you do not see this directory, then instead mount the /data directory. Take note of which volume you mounted. Now, push the package(s) to your device:

   - If you mounted /storage/sdcard0, then: adb push update.zip /storage/sdcard0/

   - If you mounted /data, then: adb push update.zip /sdcard/0/

   where update.zip should be replaced with the package filename. Go back to the main menu and select install zip. Choose to install from the same directory where you pushed the package(s). If you are installing multiple packages, install CyanogenMod first and then install any subsequent packages on top of it.

6. Once installation has finished, return to the main menu and select reboot system now. The device will now boot into CyanogenMod.

Note:

On 2011 models, the kernel will not update when flashed in recovery, so the kernel must be updated via fastboot every time you flash a new build of CyanogenMod.

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