Newbie alert. I am fairly new to the whole PPC scene. I re-flashed my previous Razr phone from VZW to ALLTEL to get around some of the stupid VZW limitations, so I'm not new to mucking around with my phone. I want to jump in and try some of the custom VZW ROMs out there, but I'd like a tried-and-true way to backup my ROM and be able to restore it. How do I backup my existing ROM for testing? I've seen the stock VZW RUU file out there, but I'd like to know how to create my own - just to be safe. Thanks!
still going though this... but this may be what u are looking for
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=318038
Related
ok so i went ahead and flashed my phone onto cricket. the talk and text work and i know i have to add the mms and web but i never downloaded a different rom so im wondering if the flash did that for me or not. My talk and text work just fine but i got the android packet for my eris and now i need to get the web and mms but there are so many ways. i was wondering if someone could post a link to the best way to do this or the easiest way im still a noob at this and dont want to end up with a brick after paying all that money.
You saw this thread - in this very forum (only two days old), right?
Note that when you say "flashed my phone onto cricket", you are saying approximately nothing - other than you are using Cricket.
Just saying, because vagueness won't help you getting any responses. You need to tell people exactly what steps you performed; that lets them know what the current state of the phone is, so that they can offer you advice about how to proceed.
alright what i did was i rooted my phone then used the prl from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=675652 but i guese from reading http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=492824 i need to change my prl can i do that by just putting it on my sd card and doing it the same way i did the first one and that should fix it correct?
redheadeddude said:
alright what i did was i rooted my phone then used the prl from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=675652 but i guese from reading http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=492824 i need to change my prl can i do that by just putting it on my sd card and doing it the same way i did the first one and that should fix it correct?
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From my reading of things, no.
All the Cricket setups that I have looked at (and I am no expert at all, I use Verizon) use proxy setups for "data" connections. I suppose that if you had a bad PRL you would get no voice + text, and that if you use a "good" PRL, you phone will work for voice+text in a few more places, but that doesn't get you 3G (data) services. Sort of like this: a completely wrong PRL might break voice,text, and data services, but a "good" one wont give you Data on Cricket.
What I would do if I were you - before you do anything else - is read up on how to make backups ("Nand" backups) using Amon_RA, and how to go about flashing new ROMs. You mentioned "rooted my phone" (again, the vagueness thing) - but that doesn't really even let anyone know if you have a custom recovery on your phone, as there are 6 to 10 different "rooting methods", each of which is slightly different from the others. (If you used "OneClick" or "Dummies", then you already have it on your phone).
The reason that I emphasize this is that you already have a partially working configuration - if you mess something up, wouldn't it be nice to roll back to where you are now? That's what a Nandroid ("Nand") backup is useful for - both for saving your ass and also giving you confidence to try things knowing that you can always return to a prior starting spot.
I looked at the (flashable package) "CricketV10" in token419's thread, and it appears to be what you want for setting up MMS and data proxy services. It is flashed "over" (after) an existing ROM that has already been booted one or more times. This flashing process is done in almost an identical fashion to the way that ROMs are flashed themselves, using (guess what?) the Amon_RA custom recovery... yet another reason why you need to get familiar with using Amon_RA (or some other custom recovery).
It also appears that there may be some subtle dependencies on the ROM itself. (Note also that it needs the free (market) "Autostart" application to be installed on the phone). If you should happen to choose a ROM which is incompatible for some reason or other - well, guess what? you are going to be flashing a different ROM. Again - back to Amon_RA.
I can understand your caution, which leads you to want to "fix my current ROM up first before I do anything else" - but if you learn how to make backups and restore them, then you will be safe from even further experimentation on the same ROM.
What I would do is follow pkopalek's recent instructions in this forum, possibly even with a ROM that he mentions. That way you can be sure the the ROM is a non-issue, and after you have some practice doing this, you can move on to other ROMs.
Just make sure to make Nandroid backups.
bftb0
I am completely new to Android, I've never used it before. I'm looking into the Atrix, and one question I wanted to ask - is it possible to do an utter and complete backup of the phone? By which I mean, no matter what gets screwed up in the O/S, or with future attempts to load a custom ROM, etc... - I would be able to restore the phone to its original factory condition.
Is this possible, and if so, how?
If not, what limitations are there?
Haphim said:
I am completely new to Android, I've never used it before. I'm looking into the Atrix, and one question I wanted to ask - is it possible to do an utter and complete backup of the phone? By which I mean, no matter what gets screwed up in the O/S, or with future attempts to load a custom ROM, etc... - I would be able to restore the phone to its original factory condition.
Is this possible, and if so, how?
If not, what limitations are there?
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Click to collapse
So, I guess you didn't see the "Atrix 4G Q&A" sub forum? Wheres Mr.Clown? He'll move this soon enough...
there is an SBF thread which allows u to unbrick ur phone and return it to stock assuming ur Atrix is ATT branded, if ur not familiar with how command line interfaces work then u really shouldnt be doin much modding just yet.
BravoMotorola said:
So, I guess you didn't see the "Atrix 4G Q&A" sub forum? Wheres Mr.Clown? He'll move this soon enough...
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I saw it, but I thought it had to do with general product questions, not questions regarding modding.
djkinetic said:
there is an SBF thread which allows u to unbrick ur phone and return it to stock assuming ur Atrix is ATT branded, if ur not familiar with how command line interfaces work then u really shouldnt be doin much modding just yet.
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Thank you. I appreciate your trying to answer my question.
The simple answer is we do not have a full backup option yet. A nandroid backup would provide the full image type of backup you are looking for, but it's not accessible at this time.
You can currently only back up individual parts separately. Titanium Backup for root can help with apps. Blur can store your user settings. Google/Gmail keeps your contacts. As already stated above, flashing the leaked SBF will take you back to (near) stock, but will wipe most everything to get there.
das8nt said:
The simple answer is we do not have a full backup option yet. A nandroid backup would provide the full image type of backup you are looking for, but it's not accessible at this time.
You can currently only back up individual parts separately. Titanium Backup for root can help with apps. Blur can store your user settings. Google/Gmail keeps your contacts. As already stated above, flashing the leaked SBF will take you back to (near) stock, but will wipe most everything to get there.
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I'm not worried about backing up components or data. I'm looking for a way to ensure that no matter what shape the O/S is (including being bricked), that it's still possible to restore the phone to factory new condition. I don't mind wiping the phone to get there, that's assumed as part of the process.
The SBF is a good start, but what concerns me is that it's not quite identical to what's originally on the phone. That's why I was hoping for a way to do a local backup that would guarantee an identical restore state.
If nandroid would accomplish this, what is the current roadblock to using it?
Haphim said:
I'm not worried about backing up components or data. I'm looking for a way to ensure that no matter what shape the O/S is (including being bricked), that it's still possible to restore the phone to factory new condition. I don't mind wiping the phone to get there, that's assumed as part of the process.
The SBF is a good start, but what concerns me is that it's not quite identical to what's originally on the phone. That's why I was hoping for a way to do a local backup that would guarantee an identical restore state.
If nandroid would accomplish this, what is the current roadblock to using it?
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Click to collapse
The SBF is nearly the same as the stock version. It's actually got some bugfixes in it too. The one broken thing is the WiFi firmware (on mostly Enterprise/Corporate networks), which Da_G has fixed. That fix will be included in the 7th beta of GingerBlur.
Moved to Q&A.
FWIW Q&A is for any kind of question pertaining to the device, from "does this phone have a camera" to "what backup methods exist".
Cheers
kennethpenn said:
The SBF is nearly the same as the stock version. It's actually got some bugfixes in it too. The one broken thing is the WiFi firmware (on mostly Enterprise/Corporate networks), which Da_G has fixed. That fix will be included in the 7th beta of GingerBlur.
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That's good to know. But I just wanted to clarify which SBF we're talking about. I thought the one to use if you needed to unbrick and return to stock was OLYFR_U4_1.5.2. Is GingerBlur usable for the same purpose? Or are you talking about applying that *after* OLYFR_U4_1.5.2?
pulser_g2 said:
Moved to Q&A.
FWIW Q&A is for any kind of question pertaining to the device, from "does this phone have a camera" to "what backup methods exist".
Cheers
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Click to collapse
Thanks for clarifying!
I'm finally getting around to updating my phone to 2.3.4 (bought a house over the summer and haven't had time to play with updates).
I currently have a rooted 2.2.2 Atrix with my apps/data backed up via Titanium Backup and saved off to my desktop for later restoration if needed. Except for Root and APN mod, the phone is otherwise stock.
I'm not necessarily interested in using a custom rom right now (though a wipe of data/apps may help clean things up), though I do need root, APN hack, and plan on installing the full-linux-webtop mod (if I can get my laptop dock to work reliably...). I assume things have evolved since the old posts I've come across about updating when it first came out.
What is the best method for updating to 2.3.4 at this stage?
thanks,
- David
In my opinion you should still unlock your phone even if you are staying with a stock rom. It is way easier to flash with CWM method, even if you are staying with a stock rom. Look at Fruitcake 2.3.4 and you can also flash a fruitcake 2.3.4 webtop. If you mess up your webtop hacking on it to get it just like you want it, your can reflash just the webtop.
Of course after you unlock your phone, you will probably get the itch to look at some of the custom roms that are out there. A lot of them are basically the stock rom with customizations built in.
Hello, recently I haven't been satisfied with Cyanogenmod 10.1. It's not that the ROM is a bad ROM it's just that I want a stable experience with my Amaze. So yesterday I tried using the Wind RUU which is only available in a .exe format from what I've seen. Trust me I've been looking heavily for a .zip format but just can't seem to find it. When ever I try to use the .exe it tells me my hboot version is to high so, it makes me think it's only meant for users going from Gingerbread to IceCream Sandwhich. I used to have a back-up of the Stock ROM from Wind but, during a recent issue with my partitioning table on my phone and a failed hard-drive which kept a backup of the backup. I lost the backup (I've had some pretty bad luck haven't I). I'm currently on Speedrom 8 as it seems to be the most stable ROM I can be on at the moment but, I do wish to revert myself to stock without going S-Off, as if I mess up with S-Off I'm without a phone for the next year or so.
If a thread already exists that can help me kindly point me in that direction (via a link would be helpful) or, if someone has a back-up if their Wind Mobile HTC Amaze (stock) that they are willing to send me in a dropbox that would be great. Thank you for your time and I'm sure someone will be able to help me.
Just a thought
Megapead said:
Hello, recently I haven't been satisfied with Cyanogenmod 10.1. It's not that the ROM is a bad ROM it's just that I want a stable experience with my Amaze. So yesterday I tried using the Wind RUU which is only available in a .exe format from what I've seen. Trust me I've been looking heavily for a .zip format but just can't seem to find it. When ever I try to use the .exe it tells me my hboot version is to high so, it makes me think it's only meant for users going from Gingerbread to IceCream Sandwhich. I used to have a back-up of the Stock ROM from Wind but, during a recent issue with my partitioning table on my phone and a failed hard-drive which kept a backup of the backup. I lost the backup (I've had some pretty bad luck haven't I). I'm currently on Speedrom 8 as it seems to be the most stable ROM I can be on at the moment but, I do wish to revert myself to stock without going S-Off, as if I mess up with S-Off I'm without a phone for the next year or so.
If a thread already exists that can help me kindly point me in that direction (via a link would be helpful) or, if someone has a back-up if their Wind Mobile HTC Amaze (stock) that they are willing to send me in a dropbox that would be great. Thank you for your time and I'm sure someone will be able to help me.
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Click to collapse
But there are plenty of other good roms out there. i had a similar issue with a corrupted nandroid, which i didn't save to my pc (shame on me) but at the end of the day, the phone's not in warranty anyway and we've got devs like chevy still working on roms so why go back to stock? I guess if you freeze bloat and tweak your cpu settings, it would be ok, but I sure do like the customization and freedom of another rom. have you tried anything other than cyanogen? Funny, I've been messing with phones for years and never really liked cyanogen even though it seems to be the standard for custom roms. try viper and kaioken.
Hi all... I did a bit of searching around but I'm still unsure of what to do, so forgive me because I'm sure this has been asked plenty of times and I know you all must be sick of seeing this question, but I just need to be sure so I don't mess anything up!
For the most part I haven't touched my S4 since I initially set it up. I'm still on MDK, CleanRom 1.6 (LOL) and still MDK. I've only updated recoveries on this phone (updated to the latest TWRP a week ago). Phone's on 4.2.2
I understand that MDK is too useful to lose so I have been very scared to play around with my phone and mess something up. I've always considered flashing various ROMs Ive found on this forum but never did it since I didn't wanna lose MDK.
So I guess what I'm trying to get at is how can I get my phone up to date modem/kernel/rom wise without messing anything up?
Again I apologize because I'm sure this gets asked all the time, but I appreciate any advice
Hovo said:
Hi all... I did a bit of searching around but I'm still unsure of what to do, so forgive me because I'm sure this has been asked plenty of times and I know you all must be sick of seeing this question, but I just need to be sure so I don't mess anything up!
For the most part I haven't touched my S4 since I initially set it up. I'm still on MDK, CleanRom 1.6 (LOL) and still MDK. I've only updated recoveries on this phone (updated to the latest TWRP a week ago). Phone's on 4.2.2
I understand that MDK is too useful to lose so I have been very scared to play around with my phone and mess something up. I've always considered flashing various ROMs Ive found on this forum but never did it since I didn't wanna lose MDK.
So I guess what I'm trying to get at is how can I get my phone up to date modem/kernel/rom wise without messing anything up?
Again I apologize because I'm sure this gets asked all the time, but I appreciate any advice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would just flash a new ROM via TWRP, the same can be done with modems. I never touched the Kernel just stayed with whatever was baked into the ROM I flash.
You can view some ROMS on here http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-verizon/development ( I suggest Dan's GPE ROM) stable and smooth as hell.
You can also download and flash modems from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2487298 (Flash MODEMS only)
By doing this you will not lose your MDK/Loki Hacked bootloader. Hope this helps. Oh yeah be sure to read and re-read those posts before doing anything. ;]
TY for the response!
I'm still a bit confused though. How do people end up losing their MDK bootloader then? Is it certain roms that they flash?
My previous phone was a Droid Charge where you had to flash to the stock version of Android that a certain ROM was on before you were able to flash that ROM so it's like a completely different process with S4's and it leaves me really puzzled lol.
Hovo said:
TY for the response!
I'm still a bit confused though. How do people end up losing their MDK bootloader then? Is it certain roms that they flash?
My previous phone was a Droid Charge where you had to flash to the stock version of Android that a certain ROM was on before you were able to flash that ROM so it's like a completely different process with S4's and it leaves me really puzzled lol.
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Click to collapse
Others can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe alot of people just end up taking the OTA update from Verizon which locks down their device.
People either have taken an OTA, or flashed a full image of a newer firmware in Odin. As long as you have an updated recovery, and flash a ROM meant for the vzw s4, you'll be good. You should go ahead and update your radios too.
circleofomega said:
plz..guys one small issur..some part of the system fonts are sudenly cyan-blue in colour??
whats this now??
Like...when i click on New contact: it asks me whatevr, where u want the new contact to be made and all, BUT here, on this screen, u see a "Select a contact type" < THIS HAS BECOME BLUE (cyan)
can any1 help me..i havent installed anything...
I stil have the Stock ROM..6.1...sorry Spikegotti to paste my doubt here..
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Please do not update from MDK. I will trade you my S4.
Jesus loves you!