sorry in advance if this is the wrong place for this....
i can't find out what i need to by doing forum searches and maybe this could help someone else too..
...and feel free to redirect me to another thread for some specifics.
any way i have my phone rooted and running kaos froyo v24
what do i need to do to best try other roms, or just update to v30?
how do i flash ? - and how do i know when to do a full wipe? - and what does that entail(should i do a backup , and does the back up need to be on my computer,not my phone?)
could flashing other roms make my current one unstable?
and lastly .....will i lose all my apps and contacts and stuff with each flash or full wipe?
any clarification on these matters would be awesome.
and thanks so much everyone..... you have given me a better phone
brendan
This would be better placed in Q&A, but I will be happy to help you. All you need to do to flash another rom is what you did for the first one. To move up from one version of a rom to another, you don't need to wipe unless the instructions specify you to do so. But when in doubt, wipe. That is if you dont mind losing all of your saved data. But when going to a new rom, then wiping is a must. Yes, you will lose all apps and contacts for each wipe. No, your phone will not be unstable because of the flash, though if the rom has bugs then it could be. Hope this helps
I suggest installing titanium backup from the market. It allows you to save your current apps and data to be reinstalled on your new rom.
Before flashing a new rom, create a nandroid of your current rom by holding vol up + power. Scroll to backup/restore and create the nand. If for any reason you dont like the new rom, you can wipe data, dalvik, and ext (if your sd card is partitioned) and restore the nand. Your phone will be exactly like before.
To flash a new rom, save the file to the root of your sd card (not in any folder), do a wipe if your going to a new rom or if you have problems updating the old one, and flash the file you downloaded. If your updating the same rom the developer will tell you if you need to wipe or not.
FYI- Nands are saved on your sd card in the nandroid folder. You dont need to mess with them. When you restore, amon ra will look in that folder for you. Don't rename your recoveries like I did and render them useless.
Sent from my ERIS using XDA App
And your contacts should be resynced when you flash a new rom as long as you're using Gmail and allowing it to backup.
Sent from my ERIS using XDA App
awesome !!!
thanks so much guys!
Or maybe it did, but not the way I expected.
So, I've had my Vibrant for about 4 days. Day 1, I rooted it and installed Titanium Backup, which I used to delete a bunch of Bloatware.
Today, I decided to try something different, and wanted to totally wipe the phone clean, restored back to "out of the box" condition. So, I did a Factory Data Reset, via Menu>Settings>Privacy>Factory Data Reset. First I tried the Power Button/Volumn Buttons, but that wouldn't work for me.
Anyway, I finished with the Factory Data Reset and noticed that all of my Market Apps are gone, including Titanium Backup. Funny thing is, I believe the phone is still Rooted, because I still have the Superuser Permission icon. However, none of the Bloatware that I'd deleted, is back on the phone. Of course, since I deleted Titanium Backup, with the reset, I can't access my Titanium Backup that I'd made...lol.
I still want to reset this phone to "out of box" condition, but can't figure out how. I want to delete EVERYTHING, including contacts, music on SD card, and I want everything reinstalled, that came with the phone. At that point, I'm going to do more research, before deleting bloatware. I don't even care if I lose my "ROOT." If needed, I can re-root it.
So, is it possible, to get this phone back to factory condition? First off, this is my first Android and I'm completely an idiot, when it comes to androids...lol. I have no idea what SDK, ADB, or any of those other initials mean, or how to use them. So, unfortunately, I'm going to need to be able to read very detailed, step by step, idiot like, instructions.
Okay, I hope what I just did wasn't an even bigger mistake...lol.
After reading through a couple of threads, I found and tried this hidden code.
djquick said:
That's the one!! Also, there is a thread that tells you what bloatware apps are safe to remove, after you do a back-up, search for that thread and read through it.
On a side note, if you're still learning or never used odin to flash a rom before; there is also a hidden code that is used for factory format. It'll remove all files and settings including the internal memory storage and reformats it. It'll also reinstall the phone firmware from when you took it out of the box. Just go to your dialer and put *2767*3855# and it will perform the factory format for you.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, didn't make any difference. Seemed to do the same thing as a Factory Data Reset.
So, now I'll await advice...lol.
Far as I know a factory reset won't restore deleted system .apk's which is what you did by removing the bloatware. Only way is to either restore the .apk's you deleted from a backup manually in which you need root to do this, or via complete restore with ODIN and the tarball. If you don't know what either of this means then I would suggest you read a little more on the forum so you don't wind up with a paperweight. Titanium Backup is great at removing the bloatware but it's not meant to restore rom .apk's which is why they don't get backed up (for safety's sake). It'll backup their settings however. Good luck.
returnofsid said:
Or maybe it did, but not the way I expected.
So, I've had my Vibrant for about 4 days. Day 1, I rooted it and installed Titanium Backup, which I used to delete a bunch of Bloatware.
Today, I decided to try something different, and wanted to totally wipe the phone clean, restored back to "out of the box" condition. So, I did a Factory Data Reset, via Menu>Settings>Privacy>Factory Data Reset. First I tried the Power Button/Volumn Buttons, but that wouldn't work for me.
Anyway, I finished with the Factory Data Reset and noticed that all of my Market Apps are gone, including Titanium Backup. Funny thing is, I believe the phone is still Rooted, because I still have the Superuser Permission icon. However, none of the Bloatware that I'd deleted, is back on the phone. Of course, since I deleted Titanium Backup, with the reset, I can't access my Titanium Backup that I'd made...lol.
I still want to reset this phone to "out of box" condition, but can't figure out how. I want to delete EVERYTHING, including contacts, music on SD card, and I want everything reinstalled, that came with the phone. At that point, I'm going to do more research, before deleting bloatware. I don't even care if I lose my "ROOT." If needed, I can re-root it.
So, is it possible, to get this phone back to factory condition? First off, this is my first Android and I'm completely an idiot, when it comes to androids...lol. I have no idea what SDK, ADB, or any of those other initials mean, or how to use them. So, unfortunately, I'm going to need to be able to read very detailed, step by step, idiot like, instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you make a nandroid backup of your system before you made changes.
sabooher said:
Far as I know a factory reset won't restore deleted system .apk's which is what you did by removing the bloatware. Only way is to either restore the .apk's you deleted from a backup manually in which you need root to do this, or via complete restore with ODIN and the tarball. If you don't know what either of this means then I would suggest you read a little more on the forum so you don't wind up with a paperweight. Titanium Backup is great at removing the bloatware but it's not meant to restore rom .apk's which is why they don't get backed up (for safety's sake). It'll backup their settings however. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, so it sounds like I need to learn how to use ODIN and "tarball?" Not only do I NOT know how to use either, I don't even know what they are! lol. Can anyone point me to a good, idiot proof guide on both of these programs?
Another possible option, maybe. My girlfriend also has a Vibrant, we purchased both at the same time. At this point, her Vibrant is totally "out of box" original. Is there a way that this could help me? Would it be possible to do a Nandroid back up of her phone, and use that back up to restore my phone?
geocepe said:
did you make a nandroid backup of your system before you made changes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the time, I hadn't even heard of Nandroid, so no. I figured the Titanium Backup would do what I needed. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Since then, I've heard of Nandroid, but that's about it.
Okay, so I called my local T-Mo store and spoke with a salesman about this issue. Believe it or not, he actually recommended that I call Customer Support and get a warranty replacement, telling them that my volumn buttons aren't working. Honestly, I don't feel right doing this and would like to fix it on my own, errrr, with lots of help from here...lol. The bonus of fixing it myself would be that I'd also be learning how!! As I said, I know next to nothing about Android phones, so would like to learn.
At this point, I want the phone totally back to factory settings, and then I plan to do a lot more research, before making any changes.
Oh and in case it needs to be mentioned again, my phone is still Rooted.
if you download clockwork there are recoveries that will take you back to factory default. if you look in the devs part of the vibrant forum. then look in the Vibrant directory. there are stock backups in there.
did you install any roms? like eugenes or what ever after you rooted?
geocepe said:
if you download clockwork there are recoveries that will take you back to factory default. if you look in the devs part of the vibrant forum. then look in the Vibrant directory. there are stock backups in there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, so Rom Manager includes Clockwork right? I have installed Rom Manager. In the Market, I see Clockwork, but it doesn't look like a US version, as the price isn't in $s.
As for a stock back up, couldn't I just back up my girlfriend's Vibrant, which is in stock condition, and use that back up, to restore my phone? If so, what steps would I need to take, to do so?
98classic said:
did you install any roms? like eugenes or what ever after you rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I wouldn't even know where to begin, in installing different ROMS...lol.
in vibrant general if you go to tips and tricks you can download the app there. it will tell you step by step what to do. so download it on the good vibrant and make the backup. then download the app on the bad one. take the backup from the good one and put it on the bad ones internal sd card. follow the steps to restore the backup. this may fix your problem
geocepe said:
in vibrant general if you go to tips and tricks you can download the app there. it will tell you step by step what to do. so download it on the good vibrant and make the backup. then download the app on the bad one. take the backup from the good one and put it on the bad ones internal sd card. follow the steps to restore the backup. this may fix your problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummm, in your quote, I made something bold. Which "the app" are you referring to?
Also, once I've made a backup of the "GOOD" Vibrant, how do I move that Good Backup to the internal SD Card of the "BAD" Vibrant?
this is for the app.
How it works: The recovery is packaged as an update.zip that you run from STOCK recovery. The update.zip unpacks Clockwork Recovery onto the ramdisk and restarts recovery. When you reboot, it reverts back to the original, unmodified, stock recovery. So, you will need to keep the recovery on the root of your SD card as an update.zip, and apply the zip every time you want to start Clockwork.
HOWEVER, if you use ROM Manager, all of the recovery installation and management instructions are done for you!
Installation instructions:
Download ROM Manager from the Market.
Flash Recovery.
Choose Vibrant as your phone.
Accept the Superuser prompt.
On the very FIRST boot of Clockwork, you may need to manually select "reinstall packages" if Clockwork does not start. You should only ever have to do this once. It will be automatic from then on.
Watch the backup go!
That's it! This is completely painless and safe! There is no need for Odin anymore to replace the recovery or flash updates!
If you appreciate my work, please buy the Premium version of ROM Manager!
To transfer the recovery over transfer it to the external sd card of the good unit. then take that card and put it in the bad unit. then transfer it to the internal sd card.
I have a quick question, and really don't have time to search as I'm about to head out. I'm trading my Vibrant to someone, and obviously I want to get rid of all my personal data on it. I have Bionix-v 1.3.1 and I was just curious what my best option would be. Should I just do a factory reset in CWM? Or should I re-flash the ROM completely? I have never touched Odin, so that is out of the question, because I don't want to F it up for him.
All info greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.
Matt
I would Odin back to stock and let the new buyer explore the world of custom ROM's... or not, as they choose
Also, don't forget to wipe the SD cards.
Assuming you are a NCSU guy like me?
Go to menu settings and format both internal/external (after you made a copy on your pc if you like)
Then use odin to get back to stock, a guide in my signature.
just don't login to your gmail when your phone boots
shrapnelx said:
Also, don't forget to wipe the SD cards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO, this is a critical step which is often over looked. Shred the SD cards, don't just delete the files. Odin and shred.
yeah, that's what I do too.. I use the unmount/format utility from SD CARD & PHONE STORAGE in the menu settings for conveniences... then I just pull the battery and start up ODIN.
OP, ODIN is a cake walk.. try reading the guide going back to stock. Shoot, if you are in Raleigh I can help.
Well thanks for the replies, but when I said that time was a factor, I meant I was leaving within the hour to make the swap. I came across a sweet deal and wanted to jump on it before someone else took it.
I'm not afraid of Odin, I just had never touched it, and I didn't want it to interfere with the deal. The guy was more than ok with Bionix being on it.
Anyway, the deal is done. I did the factory reset to wipe all the user data, and I cleared the sd cards.
Thanks all for the replies.
So, after much research and trepidation, I flashed my first ROM to my i717 last week. Then I decided I didn't like that ROM and flashed another an hour later. So far it's been stable and speedy. I'm very happy. Thanks to XDA-Developers, Google, the Internet, and everyone who made this possible.
So, now, here's my simplified guide to doing what I did. This should NOT be taken as gospel. Please read as much as you can first. But, in an effort to give back, I thought a simple, step by step guide (or, more like links to the guides I found helpful) would be useful to someone. Are we sitting comfortably? Then let us begin.
1. Go here - http://rootgalaxynote.com/galaxy-no...y-note-sgh-i717-icsgingerbreadeasiest-method/ - and root your phone. It will also install ClockworkMod Recovery. Both of these need to be done before you can flash a new ROM.
NOTE: I hear that TWRP is the preferred recovery app. I've tried it and it's very nice. It just so happens that I had ClockworkMod installed when I actually decided to flash a ROM. But use whatever you like.
2. Go to the Play Store and buy Titanium Backup Pro. Well, actually, download the free version then buy the Pro key. There are other backup methods, but I like this one.
3. Backup EVERYTHING. You might never restore a particular app, but best to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I like to use the Google Drive option in Titanium to push by backup off my phone. But you can just hook it up to your PC and copy the backup folder from your SD card to your PC. This is just in case something REALLY bad happens. Best to have an off-phone backup.
4. Find a nice ROM to settle down with. I'm using Revolt (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2288566&highlight=revolt) but do your research and find one you like. If you decide to go with something built off Android 4.2 or 4.3 then you'll lose the Samsung Touchwiz stuff (fancy SPen features, etc.), but to me that wasn't as big a deal as I though.
NOTE: Make sure you know if the ROM need an additional Google Apps package. Sometimes they're listed with the ROM, sometimes not. Read and make sure or you could lose a lot of phone features or it may not even boot. Again, READING IS YOUR FRIEND.
5. Save the ROM (and GApps file if needed) to your phone's SD card (internal or external doesn't matter)
6. Boot into recovery (Hold Vol UP+Vol DOWN then press PWR and hold all 3 until you feel a vibration, then let go of PWR). When ClockworkMod (Or TWRP) comes up, RUN A BACKUP!
7. Read 6. Make sure you actually do it. I'll know.
8. Once you're sure you have your Titanium and ClockworkMod backups, follow the instructions for installing the ROM. Usually this involves (from ClockworkMod or TWRP):
a. Factory Reset
b. Wipe Cache (this is usually a part of Factory Reset, but doesn't hurt to do again)
c. Wipe Dalvik Cache (see cyanogen's response here for what this does - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=519495)
d. Flash new ROM
e, Flash Google Apps (you can also wipe cache and Dalvik cache between d and e)
9. Now the moment of truth. Reboot. Wait. This can take some time, so don't fret if it seems to be taking too long. I'd say if it's over 15 minutes then you might need to worry, but chill before then)
10. When it does boot, you'll basically have a fresh, new phone. You'll need to enter your Google account and follow all the usual stuff you did when you first got your phone.
11. Leave your phone alone now. You can click around, but don't install anything new just yet. I've seen many a post about letting things settle. So, maybe, poke around for 15-30 minutes just to see but don't change anything. Then Reboot
12. Now reinstall Titanium. You can start reinstalling your apps. DON'T reinstall standard apps or they could break (e.g. email app or its data) as the new ROM might not support the old version of the app. My rule of thumb is don't restore any data I can get back from my online accounts (Email, FB, G+, Keep, etc.). All of your pics and that should be on your SD card and should not need to be restored.
13. That's it. If you enabled a scheduled backup in Titanium you might want to disable it for a while to make sure you like what you have. That way, you can go back if you don't like it.
Hopefully that helps someone. Please forgive any mistakes or omissions and if anyone with more experience wants to give it a once over I'd appreciate it.
Thanks and good luck.
Sorry guy, but on step one there is a very high probability of someone bricking their phone.
Why? Because it has happened about 100 times over the past two years from people using that site/method. If you flash the wrong kernel you kill your precious.
You should edit your step to say in the strongest terms triple check your operating system and get the correct kernel.
And step one is unnecessary because all roms here are already rooted.
1. Flash TWRP using pc and Odin.
2. Download new rom.
3. Boot into recovery.
4. Wipe cache, system, data.
5. Flash rom. Boot and wait 10 minutes.
6. Check settings for networks.
7. Optional modem flash.
Only wipe that's needed is a factory reset within recovery. That wipes /cache too. The dalvik cache resides on the data partition and is thusly wiped as well.
The Rom will have a format /system line within the updater script.
And within titanium backup don't backup or restore system settings (anything in the list that's red.)
And as said rooting first isn't needed unless you've been using stock for awhile and have apps you'd like to backup first... the easiest way to root is simply flash the latest twrp with Odin.. boot into recovery... then when you go to reboot the system it'll see that you're not rooted and ask if you'd like to do so.
Thanks for the feedback. Like I hope I stressed, this is the method that worked for me.
I guess I have the terms mixed up in 1. I'm saying to install ClockworkMod (or TWRP) and root your phone. I want to root it here because I want Titanium installed before I change ROMS so I can go back to exactly how everything was before modding if I want. Does that make sense?
Also, can you tell me what's specifically wrong with the site I link in Step 1? I was on ICS at the time I think. Does it brick if you do it on JB?
I'll change the step to say to go here instead - http://teamw.in/project/twrp2/96
Is that better?
Also, can you explain your cache wipe suggestions. I've seen the official instructions say to Reset, then Wipe Cache, then Wipe Dalvik. I know the last 2 are included in the first, but why are we explicitly asked to do them again? Why do you think we don't?
My thinking behind adding it here is that it does no harm and if some devs think that not doing it will cause problems then why not include it to be extra safe.
If you wanted it back to the way it was before modding anything then you could flash a custom recovery and do a nandroid backup before rooting at all.
Titanium backup needs root. If you want your app data after flashing a rom then that's when it's needed.
As far as extra wiping... putting your arms over your head spinning in a circle while chanting a manta does no harm either and is just as effective.
When you flash as often as I do... you wanna streamline the process. Extra anything is just that... Extra... and is just a waste of time
His first step is correct. No one that I know has bricked their phone using those directions because that link does not install any kernels. And it never did. It works for all versions of android. Even after all this time there is so much misinformation given.
Studacris's help is as good as gold though. He has put me in my place in the past.
Thanks Everyone.
Hello!
For a long time I was not ready to migrate to 4.4.2 rom.
I know for sure my question not the first about this topic. So, please, forgive me and help me to find a link or help where I can migrate to KitiKat step-by-step? Also, I need it to do it with the Root and TWRP backup?
I'm really sorry, again and would be really appreciated for your help.
God bless you!
Also, what app is better to use for backup and restore to 4.4.2? Please, help me?
Thank you very much!
First of all it's nice to see you advancing into the new firmware. I was on the same boat as you are now and wasn't ready to move on. Hopefully I can help you in a way where it should be stress free. I do want to make you aware that once you go to 4.4.2 you can not go back to 4.3.
Before you begin make sure you have everything you want saved( music, photos, contacts, Etc) and save them to your sd card. *MY TIPS* It says to do a complete phone wipe, format blah blah blah. Just do a normal wipe as if you were flashing another rom. Once you wipe just go back to the main menu on twrp or cwm. Restart and restart to recovery. Make sure you do this once everything is downloaded and you are ready to go. The link provided is very easy to follow and you should have no issues. Have fun and hope this helps you out a bit. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
Go to this link and download the files you will need and follow his instructions.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=50794223&postcount=20