How to Install CyanogenMod on Nexus One

The Nexus One, as ancient as it may be compared to the devices that exist in today’s day and age, was one of the apex Android devices of its era. Considering the technology that existed at the time of the Nexus One’s release, the Nexus One – manufactured by HTC and the first in an entire line of Nexus devices by Google – was overwhelmingly powerful. When it comes to power, there are always those who crave as much of it as they can possibly stomach, which is also true in the case of Nexus One users.

The only way an Android user can get more out of their device, regardless of the specific device, is by flashing a custom ROM onto it. A custom ROM, by replacing the stock Operating System of a device, completely alters both the appearance and functionality of the software part of an Android device. The Nexus One became notoriously popular, which is why a slew of different custom ROMs were designed specifically for the device, with the most notable one, as expected, being CyanogenMod. CyanogenMod is among the most advanced, exciting, feature-filled, and stable custom ROMs out there for the Nexus One.

In order for a person to be able to flash (install) CyanogenMod on a Nexus One, they need to first unlock its bootloader and flash a custom recovery image (such as ClockworkMod or TWRP) onto it. Once a Nexus One’s bootloader has been unlocked and a custom recovery image has been flashed onto the device, the following are the steps that a person needs to complete in order to flash a CyanogenMod custom ROM on it:

1. Obtain a computer with a functional ADB (Android Debug Bridge) installed and ensure that USB Debugging is enabled on the device.
2. Download the CyanogenMod custom ROM package that you want to install on your Nexus One, along with a Google Apps package for the Nexus One.
3. Power down the Nexus One, boot it into its custom recovery, and connect it to the computer using a USB cable.
4. In the custom recovery, wipe the device’s cache and Dalvik cache by highlighting and selecting these options, then confirming them.
5. Select the ‘Wipe data/factory reset’ option and confirm it.
6. Once the device has been reset, go to ‘Install zip’ > ‘Install zip from sideload’ from the main menu of the custom recovery.
7. Follow all of the on-screen notices. If the CyanogenMod and Google Apps packages are flashed onto the device without the Nexus One displaying any fatal error messages, the installation will have been successful. 
8. You will be taken back to the main menu of the custom recovery once CyanogenMod has been installed. Navigate to the ‘Reboot system now’ option, select it, and the device will boot into CyanogenMod.