ROMTool

[handquake]

EDIT:  The new Treo650 ROM tool rocks. Way, WAY easier than shadowmites tool (even though he is still treo GOD). With shadows tool took me a day to figure everything out. To use this tool took only an hour and instantly realized failure rcovery was EASY.

Tool available here http://www.grack.com/romtool (Now functional tool, not beta).
PLEASE DONATE.

No more wasted ROM space and increased db cache for everyone!

The link to TC  is here: http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=111939  .Read ALL (take the time) the threads (amazing stuff) and then see if its for you. Easy (truly) but takes some time to search all the info for all the custom stuff you can do but is worth the effort.. Don't forget to get the FAT32.prc driver so you can use a 4 or 8ghz sd card.

   This following is for those of you who have read all the posts on both sites and want to get quick info. If you have not done the work reading everything (all info on both sites) dont expect a lot of sympathy when you ask a question   (it is TRULY easy to make your 650 yours but your  lack of work will be recognized. This is from jamesgangut who is probably one of the most exprienced Custom ROM persons helping on this site followed by hpspringer. Here are the links I would suggest:
Step by Step to get started *
http://discussion.treocentral.com/showpost.php?p=911791&postcount=93
Custom Roming the only way.
http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=108580
RomUpdaterApp *
http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=107666
Tips and Tricks
http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=110386
More direction coming.
     Please don't think of this as an excuse to avoiding reading ALL threads. You can not be TOO well read. There is no such thing. You have the opportunity to step up to one of the top 2% of treo users and have a device that resets way less (almost non existant) and runs faster seeking, storing and retrieving data (Fat32 Driver).
   Updates Coming.

[mmastrac]

I'll try to monitor this thread for any issues anyone has (as well as the TreoCentral one).  If you have trouble getting the tool working, drop by shadowmite's IRC channel at:

irc://shadowmite.com:3399, channel #shadowmite.

I'm usually there as Rayban, but there are a bunch of others that know how to fix stuff.

Also, if you get your phone into a state where it won't boot, DON'T PANIC.  It's fixable, as long as you used this ROM tool to update the ROM.  Just take deep breaths and email me the logs at matthew - at - mastracci - dot - com and we'll try to get it working. 

Like handquake said, read through the documentation before you start out.  All of the information is there for you to get started and to fix any of the more common problems.

[hpspringer]

Good to see you here also, mmastrac, I was just over on the other site reading your "How to"!

[rabbie303]

so other than being able to use a 4 gig card, is it good to download this ROM?? remember im still kinda new to this

[mmastrac]

so other than being able to use a 4 gig card, is it good to download this ROM?? remember im still kinda new to this

The biggest advantage to custom romming is that you can delete the carrier-specific crap from your phone and reclaim memory by deleting unused applications. 

This tool is designed to use your current ROM as a starting point.  From there, you can delete stuff (like the carrier files I mention above) and replace stuff (like FATFS->FAT32).

[Perry Gonzalez]

Is it hard? Cause I'm a chicken!

[rabbie303]

this is something i would be doing for the first time...should i be nervous???

[hpspringer]

Is it hard? Cause I'm a chicken!

Me too Perry, but I'm reading mmastrac post on the other site and will give it a try in a couple of days.  There's a lot of information to digest regarding this and I want to be certain I understand it, before I give it a try.

[mmastrac]

The risk with the ROM tool is much lower than the risk with Palm's official updater.  Just make sure that you back up your existing ROM and make sure that your USB connection is secure (ie: don't use a hub, keep the USB cable in tight).  Even if the USB cable comes out or the power fails during the update, you can just re-upload your known good ROM and get back to normal.

[MrByte]

mmastrac, KFU on the excellent job done on this..... I just spent the last 2 hours reading stuff..... 
Now just need to figure out on what size custom ROM I have been building to get the propper upater on there.
  Cheers

[em01650]

Thanks for the post.. I was able to download and upload a customized ROM under fifteen minutes with this tool.

[ChasTreo]

Thanks for the post.. I was able to download and upload a customized ROM under fifteen minutes with this tool.

Ditto, once I had upgraded to .net v2

I've made a backup of my current ROM, always useful just in case of future problems.

Currently I'm running a cut down ROM, Versamail / Real / extra languages removed and FAT32 added, so I don't think there is anything to change with this new tool (I used someone else's custom rom), but if any more goodies come out of a Lifedrive or a 700p I'll be able to upload them myself now 

Kudos to mmastrac

[mjs31]

Ok...I feel very stupid now....what is the procedure for backing up the ROM? I am sure it is different than normal backup. Is this done through the reset/sync button that is used to reflash or another way?

Thanks everyone...

[mjs31]

Ok..let me add something. Does backupbuddy also back up the ROM?

[mmastrac]

Ok...I feel very stupid now....what is the procedure for backing up the ROM? I am sure it is different than normal backup. Is this done through the reset/sync button that is used to reflash or another way?

Thanks everyone...

Use the download page of the ROM tool to back up your current ROM.