I have been checking out these forums now for at least the last month trying to garner all the information that I can from those of you who seem to know a whole lot about this tablet. I am a tinkerer and I love to take things apart to see how they work and put them back together so that they work better than they did before. In this case I won’t be physically taking the tablet apart but metaphorically I am by messing with the software. I have been playing with computer and consoles for years so I’m not easily intimidated by the android software. I am a fast learner and therefore once I see something done once I can usually learn the process quickly. But before I dive into this thing I have some questions. I would like to note that I did search the forums but was unable to find a thread that directly covered my questions so please be patient with me if it has already been answered.
My first question:
I haven’t seen a step by step piece of instruction that covers the reflashing process from start to finish. I’ve found it in bits and pieces but in no particular order. So what’s the order and why?
Second Question:
I’ve seen several posts asking which ROM is the best ROM and for the most part the answers are all the same. “Your choice of ROM is relative to what you want to use it for”. One isn’t better than the other overall, but it may excel better than others for certain uses. So my question is, what are the uses for each ROM? What does each ROM do that makes it preferable over another?
Fourth Question:
How does the Kernel work? Does the kernel get changed with the flash of the new ROM or do you have to do it independently? How do you choose the kernel? Is there a kernel/ROM combination that’s optimal? If I choose a certain ROM, is there a particular kernel that I should get to go with it?
Third Question:
Can someone explain partitioning? Is it necessary? What are the benefits? When should I do it if I need to? I’ve read that this tablet doesn’t like the partitioning that comes with the stock ROM. Can someone shed some light on this for me?
Last question:
Will flashing a new ROM fix the Bluetooth pairing issue? Or any of the other issues that exist on the stock ROM.
I apologize if these questions are redundant any advice is appreciated.
My ultimate goal is to be able to use the tablet with my cell phone and be a completely mobile multimedia device. (Xvid, Mp3, Avi, Netflix, Android Market, Etc.)
My appologies, maybe "reflashing" wasn't the proper terminology to use. What I meant was a step by step block of instruction to flash the tablet with a modified ROM. I would also like to know why you do each step and why they must be done in that order. This helps me learn the process rather than memorizing it. Kinda like when I was in school. I could cram for an exam by memorizing the information but learned nothing from it because I didn't retain the information. But if I studied and learned the who, when, why, and how, I retained the information and understood the subject as a whole. I know my request seems a bit anal and definitly redundant in these forums, but no one has actually put together a complete walkthrough on how to do this and why. If it was approached like teaching a class, I'm sure it would cut down on all these redundant questions and stickied for future use. I would like to note that there is a tone of great information in these forums and some hard work put into the stickied FAQ's. It's just an idea. Let me know what you guys think when you respond to my questions. -Thanks, DarkHorse281.
If netflix is a deal breaker then your limited to CM7. Although I believe a couple of Roebeet's 1.2 mods have semi functional netflix hacks.
I'm understanding "reflashing" to be getting back to stock. For that you want nvflash:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=861950
Different roms have their strengths. I believe a video review of all roms is stickied. I like mods based on tnt, which are Froyo, and incorporate some tablet oriented UI elements.
Kernels are often included with mods, but you can change the kernel on it's own as well.
You do want to partition, it's critical.
You probably have read this, but if not it's a good overview
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865245
Hey there,
I just exchanged my LG O2X to S2, and was wondering if you could recommend a good, stable, battery-efficient rom+kernel+whatever? I haven't found a thread like this so that's why I'm asking.
Is CM9 any good on S2, or should I stick to CM7? Or maybe Samsung ICS roms are the way to go?
Thanks in advance and have a great day : )
No. We don't recommend roms. For several reasons. Nobody has their phone setup the same as anyone else, nobody uses their phone in the same manner, and phones come out of the factory slightly differently component-wise.
You are very unlikely to have exactly the same experience with a given rom/kernel as me for those reasons.
I suggest you root your phone (if you haven't already), preferably with a method that installs CWM as part of the deal. Then you will be able to backup, restore & install roms or kernels within minutes. If you try a rom you don't like, it's easy to restore your previous setup & try another rom.
Edit to add - Also, many people on here who use a particular rom or kernel become utter fanboys, rendering any suggestions they give you useless due to their biases.
Ok, I get it - Could you just give me a quick intel on how's CM9 on S2 regarding what's working and what's not? That was a big issue on O2X due to nVidia not releasing Tegra2 drivers, and I can't find a thread listing working and not working features.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1612881
Please just try the ROMs until you find one you like. Thanks
Closed
Hi All,
I am new to flashing custom ROMs onto my phone but wish to give it a try but there seems to be tons of different variants, all of which look to be pretty much the same which I guess only goes to show my ignorance here.
I am looking for a minimal ROM to use with my SGSII. What I would like it to do is:
Make Calls(obviously)
Use WiFi(inc WiFi diect)
Bluetooth
Good Camera
FM Radio
I dont need it to do much else apart from this. I'm not bothered about being able to overclock or re-theme etc. I just want something that is fast and stable with minimal features.
Can anyone advise a range of ROMs for me to look into?
We don't allow these threads for a lot of reasons not the least of which is we get several of these per day. I just closed one a few minutes ago.
Please just read the development sections and try ROMs until you find one that meets your criteria.
Thanks
Good morning or evening to all,
this is my first post on the forum, so please by patient. I am new to the world of custom ROMs and I tried to educate myself by reading the noob guides. However, my questions become more and more widespread, and I am not sure where to try to find the answers.
To be clear: I am NOT asking about 'what ROM is best' and such. I would like to know more about the following:
1) There are CM7 ROMs (Netrino for example), CM9 and CM10 ROMs. As I understand it, because there have been stock files from MOTO, CM& ROMs can have stable kernels, hardware acceleration etc etc. However, if there is no hardware acceleration, how can CM9 ROMs be smoother?
2) In the same vain, how can CM9 and 10 ROMs have kernels? Where they written from scratch? And how can they be faster than stock?
3) Due to my SOD problems, I flashed several ROMs and currently have a CM9 one, which is stable so far. If I go back to a CM7 one, such as Netrino 2.9, what differences would I see? Will the latter be faster or more efficient? Smoother? Or should I just leave it alone, since it works?
4) And to reverse the question, how can a CM10 ROM be smoother, if it does not have hardware acceleration and drivers?
I am sorry about the bombardment. I do not want to waste anybody's time, but some pointers would be helpful. Thanks in advance!
to give you a shorter answer for better understanding:the stock roms are mostly based on android 2.3.6 which is the newest firmware.the roms only differ from the regions and mostly have battery tweaks or connection tweaks etc...
lets go to cm 9 and 10.cm9 is basically android4.0 and cm10 android 4.1.these are faster because they do not have many unnecessary apps like stock roms do.
i hope this explains a bit...
peddarson said:
to give you a shorter answer for better understanding:the stock roms are mostly based on android 2.3.6 which is the newest firmware.the roms only differ from the regions and mostly have battery tweaks or connection tweaks etc...
lets go to cm 9 and 10.cm9 is basically android4.0 and cm10 android 4.1.these are faster because they do not have many unnecessary apps like stock roms do.
i hope this explains a bit...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the answer, peddarson.
Can it be that the only difference between roms is the absence of apps? Then, netrino should be the fastest of them all. And where does the absence of hardware acceleration and drivers factor in?
A few of your questions could be easily answered just by flashing the roms and seeing for yourself. Or Googling.
For example, you keep asking about hardware acceleration without knowing what it does or what it means. If you did, you'd know it plays a much bigger role with how apps function than the UI. The "smoothness" described in CM10 is with the UI and not the apps themselves (hint), while certain programs like the camera app, Chrome, etc. have a tendency to be unstable (hint.) You might be able to piece together that the UI isn't as ha-dependent as you thought. Maybe the visual experience has more to do with the actual software than hardware.
The answer to a few other of your questions is that these ROMs play off an original source and then tweaked to be optimized to the author's liking. Kernels can be overclocked, memory management can be altered, etc. If you want to know specifics, look into what each specific ROM does. It's right there in black and white.
nh777 said:
A few of your questions could be easily answered just by flashing the roms and seeing for yourself. Or Googling.
For example, you keep asking about hardware acceleration without knowing what it does or what it means. If you did, you'd know it plays a much bigger role with how apps function than the UI. The "smoothness" described in CM10 is with the UI and not the apps themselves (hint), while certain programs like the camera app, Chrome, etc. have a tendency to be unstable (hint.) You might be able to piece together that the UI isn't as ha-dependent as you thought. Maybe the visual experience has more to do with the actual software than hardware.
The answer to a few other of your questions is that these ROMs play off an original source and then tweaked to be optimized to the author's liking. Kernels can be overclocked, memory management can be altered, etc. If you want to know specifics, look into what each specific ROM does. It's right there in black and white.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is that, as I said, I do not want to flash the ROMs (again) and see. I am not interested in learning the specific merits or disadvantages of each. I just want some pointers on what hardware acceleration does, how it synergizes with the UI, how different ROMs come about with or withoit drivers etc. And because I don't know, I ask (hint). Your post, for example, clarified some of these things, sarcasm aside. It would clarify even more if you could provide some links for me to pursue.
Haha. Welcome to XDA. People are quite unforgiving and harsh with noobs, I appologize on their behalf. I am still pretty new myself but for the past 4 months, I have read and learned quite a lot and have flashed many roms.
My first love was actually neutrino. I always seem to crawl back to neutrino rom because it is ridiculously smooth and stable for me. I've seen many people have issues here and there but I really have no complaints about neutrino. I have tried CNA, which is a port by Bill based off of CM10. I was quite impressed with how nicely it ran. The battery life wasn't as good as I'd like and I require a camera so I flashed back to neutrino.
There are two new cm7 based roms that have surfaced recently, Atrix MRom and TopSmarts. I tried MRom and it is quite a nice rom. I wasn't a fan of the Holo Launcher that it uses so now I'm on TopSmarts. This rom has been great for me. Like I said, I always end up back with neutrino but this is quite the contender. It's pretty new and only the first version so it will most likely be updated often.
I'd give a couple cm7 roms a go, if I were you. Just make sure you make a Nandroid backup of your current rom so you can always restore. I feel that Cm7 roms have much better battery life and tend to be more stable. The only issue I have with cm7 is there's no webtop option. Other than that, I couldn't be happier with TopSmarts or Neutrino. Both of the devs are also really friendly and quite helpful.
Hope this helps. If you have any questions, you're welcome to PM me.
Sent from my MB860 using xda app-developers app
ProudGrognard said:
The thing is that, as I said, I do not want to flash the ROMs (again) and see. I am not interested in learning the specific merits or disadvantages of each. I just want some pointers on what hardware acceleration does, how it synergizes with the UI, how different ROMs come about with or withoit drivers etc. And because I don't know, I ask (hint). Your post, for example, clarified some of these things, sarcasm aside. It would clarify even more if you could provide some links for me to pursue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait, what? Then what's this?
"If I go back to a CM7 one, such as Netrino 2.9, what differences would I see? Will the latter be faster or more efficient? Smoother?"
Come on, guy.
Google hardware acceleration and you might find out that, like I suggested with my previous post, it doesn't necessarily have to do with the UI. Sorry, but I'm not spoon-feeding you links that you could have found in less time than making this post.
I've already explained the different ROMs are based on current software and then ported/tweaked. If you looked at the bugs with each ROM, you'd figure out the holes that drivers would fix.
nw21st (Alphabet district, amirite?) had a great suggestion which was that cm7 roms were easily the most stable. Why? Atrix has drivers up to 2.3.6 so nothing's missing. If you're wondering what differences you'll see in cm7 vs cm9 then you aren't using your phone enough, eg, camcorder. That's fine. Loads of people are on cm9/10 and accept the bugs and limitations. But hands down, cm7 ROMs will remain the most stable.
ProudGrognard said:
Good morning or evening to all,
this is my first post on the forum, so please by patient. I am new to the world of custom ROMs and I tried to educate myself by reading the noob guides. However, my questions become more and more widespread, and I am not sure where to try to find the answers.
To be clear: I am NOT asking about 'what ROM is best' and such. I would like to know more about the following:
1) There are CM7 ROMs (Netrino for example), CM9 and CM10 ROMs. As I understand it, because there have been stock files from MOTO, CM& ROMs can have stable kernels, hardware acceleration etc etc. However, if there is no hardware acceleration, how can CM9 ROMs be smoother?
2) In the same vain, how can CM9 and 10 ROMs have kernels? Where they written from scratch? And how can they be faster than stock?
3) Due to my SOD problems, I flashed several ROMs and currently have a CM9 one, which is stable so far. If I go back to a CM7 one, such as Netrino 2.9, what differences would I see? Will the latter be faster or more efficient? Smoother? Or should I just leave it alone, since it works?
4) And to reverse the question, how can a CM10 ROM be smoother, if it does not have hardware acceleration and drivers?
I am sorry about the bombardment. I do not want to waste anybody's time, but some pointers would be helpful. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Optimization, mainly
2) Motorola released the sources of each Atrix kernel (International, EMEA, ATT etc...). Devs can use it to make tweaked, optimized versions
3) By flashing a CM7, you will go back on Gingerbread (GB). CM9 = ICS and CM10 = Jelly Bean (JB). The main differences you can see are the different interfaces (GB looks ugly to me now...) and some apps like Chrome are missing on GB. Also CM7 is super stable, if you want a stable and customizable ROM then you should try it.
4) CM10 had a lot of optimizations all based around apps preloading/compiling (To be verified), also the animations were changed to make it look smoother. Stuffs like scrolling, animations are smoother on ICS/JB than GB because of optimizations too. If you flash CM7 you'd have the same kind of "smooth feeling" because of a high framerate but the apps won't load as fast as with CM9/10.
Personally I use CM10 even if it's not well supported (Not as well as GB) but ICS/JB is coming soon so I'm trying to get used to it for when it officially comes. I consider GB as a legacy OS, there won't be anything really new/innovative on it since Google doesn't develop any new app on it.
hey everyone
first off you need to know im not the type of guy that seldom sticks to something if thier is something else to try. but after all im trying to satify myself with something good to stick with
so im trying to decide with rom works better this one http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1692201 or this onehttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1575147
i appreciate anyone's opinion and i WILL thank anyone who will offer somehting to me
me myself and i said:
hey everyone
first off you need to know im not the type of guy that seldom sticks to something if thier is something else to try. but after all im trying to satify myself with something good to stick with
so im trying to decide with rom works better this one http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1692201 or this onehttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1575147
i appreciate anyone's opinion and i WILL thank anyone who will offer somehting to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I consider the second one to be more stable as it has HW acceleration working, but the first rom has more features and an extensive theme. I'd recommend trying both roms for a bit and just seeing which one you like the most, but many newer apps have started to use HW acceleration so performance is likely to be better on the second rom, but again, your experience may differ to mine so it's worth trying both out
Supermaster34 said:
I consider the second one to be more stable as it has HW acceleration working, but the first rom has more features and an extensive theme. I'd recommend trying both roms for a bit and just seeing which one you like the most, but many newer apps have started to use HW acceleration so performance is likely to be better on the second rom, but again, your experience may differ to mine so it's worth trying both out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it says something about choosing a kernel what should i pick im NOT in the middle of installing but i read something in the thread about it and it has me concerned.
me myself and i said:
it says something about choosing a kernel what should i pick im NOT in the middle of installing but i read something in the thread about it and it has me concerned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on your device. If it has a physical home button, choose the INTL kernel. If it only has soft keys on the front, choose the USA kernel
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium