This is not meant as a Tutorial, but is the Plan that I laid out prior to creating my Custom ROM.
The plan I setup and followed for the Custom Build was:
1. BackUp, BackUp, BackUp, Yes I did 3, 2 to SD Cards and one to my PC
2. Hard Reset, erased everything (not necessary, but I had decided to re-build prior to deciding to try the Custom ROM)
3. Installed the software to the PC (per mmastrac thread)
4. Created in a small corner on my Desktop, shortcuts to the Filelist, ROMTool Instructions, and ROMTool.exe
5. Created 4 empty folders (adjacent to the above shortcuts): TreoROM Orig, TreoROM OrigZip, TreoROM Update, and TreoROM Delete.
6. Connect cable/cradle to Treo/USB Port (Plug in power)
7. Close HotSync Manager
8. Reset the Treo and hold the HotSync Button until the BootLoad Screen appears (Red, Green, Blue, and White.)
9. At this point, Windows will find a new device, and the hardware wizard will start. Select a location and point the wizard to where the ROMTool Drivers were saved.
10. Launch ROMTool and a log file is created at the bottom with a Green Status Bar indicating the progress, when everything is ready Device Status is Connected and Treo 650 ROMTool Splash Screen shows up on the Treo.
11. Back Up - Download ROM to a Zip + MD5 to the Output Directory "TreoRomOrig Zip" that was created on the Desktop
12. Back Up - Download ROM to a Directory to the Output Directory "TreoRomOrig " that was created on the Desktop
13. Copy the contents of the "TreoRomOrig " Directory to the "TreoROM Update" Directory (This left the "TreoRomOrig " directory as an undisturbed backup of the actual ROM and then gives a working copy in the "TreoROM Update" Directory
14. Delete (move to the "TreoROM Delete" directory) applications in the "TreoROM Update" Directory (apps that you want deleted from ROM) using Windows Explorer, just like you would in any windows directory. By moving them to another directory, you can always move it back and rebuild in the event you make a mistake.
15. Click on the Upload Rom Tab and select the source directory "TreoROM Update"
16. The directory will be compressed and the MD5 file built for you.
17. If apps are added, then when complete you will see the final size, if too many apps have been added and the file is too large, it will show in big red letters "TOO BIG". If the file is too large, delete some files and rebuild. The larger the Wasted Space (Free Space) the better.
18. Click the upload button, take a break, the upload will take several minutes. When Upload has completed, close the ROMTool program and reset the Treo.
19. DONE