Update Your HP TouchPad to ICS CyanogenMod 9 Alpha 0.5

The Ice Cream Sandwich fever has not subsided yet.  In fact, it is still getting hotter and hotter, with no sign of breaking at all.  So many Android devices are getting their share of the delicious treat, especially with custom ROMs such as CyanogenMod 9.  One of the latest beneficiaries of the CyanogenMod 9 custom ROM is the HP TouchPad.

Previously, developers were able to produce an Alpha 0 version of CyanogenMod 9 for the HP TouchPad.  Not long thereafter, an updated version, Alpha 0.5, was unleashed, promising to fix some of the most annoying issues in the earlier release.

The CyanogenMod Touchpad Team, which is responsible for cooking up CyanogenMod 9 for the HP TouchPad, has mentioned that Alpha 0.5 is just a minor release bundling separate fixes for some issues in the earlier release.  For instance, aside from general changes from Alpha 0, the recent release provides fixes for the kernel crash occurring with some apps (particularly, Titanium Backup), fixes for touchscreen issues, fixes for problematic graphics in games, some important changes to CyanogenMod 9, browser incognito mode, and CMStats.

If you want to load up your HP TouchPad with CyanogenMod 9 Alpha 0.5, you can do so by following the instructions in this guide.

Requirements and Important Notes

This tutorial is intended for users who have already installed the previous CyanogenMod 9 Alpha 0.  If you missed out on that, you can follow our guide for installing CyanogenMod 9 Alpha 0 on the HP TouchPad first, then come back to this guide to upgrade from Alpha 0 to Alpha 0.5.

If you’re on CyanogenMod 7 or another custom ROM, you can follow our separate tutorial for upgrading your HP TouchPad from CyanogenMod 7 to CyanogenMod 9 Alpha 0.5.

Instructions

Upgrading your HP TouchPad to CyanogenMod 9 Alpha 0.5 won’t take a lot of time.  Just follow the steps below:

1. Download the CyanogenMod 9 Alpha 0.5 ROM package from here or here.
2. Connect your HP TouchPad to your computer via USB cable.
3. Copy the downloaded file and place it on the root of your SD card.
4. Disconnect your tablet from your PC.
5. Turn off your tablet .
6. Start your tablet again by pressing the Power button.
7. From the Moboot menu, select the option “Boot ClockworkMod.”  (You’ll need to use the Volume buttons to scroll through the options and the Home button to select an option.)
8. Once inside ClockworkMod, select “Install zip from sdcard” and then select “Choose zip from sdcard.”
9. Browse for the downloaded ROM file (update-cm-9.0.0-RC0-Touchpad-alppa0.5-fullofbugs.zip) that you have placed earlier on your SD card.
10. Press “Yes” to begin the installation process. It may take 5-10 minutes for the whole process to finish.
11. Reboot your device after installation completes.
12. At the Moboot menu, choose to boot into CyanogenMod.

Congratulations! You have successfully updated your HP TouchPad to Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich through CyanogenMod 9 Alpha 0.5 for the HP TouchPad.