[SOLVED] What all does "flashing" involve? - Motorola Droid X2

I'm relatively new to the rooting community, but I think I'm doing pretty good. I have my DX2 running Eclipse 2.0.1 and am about to install Speedy v7. I am supposed to flash the .zip using BSR, which is no problem. My question is, what all does flashing involve? Should I automatically know to wipe cache when flashing? Just curious
Another questions while I'm here. I'm running Eclipse 2.0.1, let's say I wanted to try out another rom (such as Liberty), do I just flash (like above) the new rom? Or do I have to do something special for flashing roms as opposed to mod scripts (such as speedy v7)? And if I nandroid Eclipse before flashing a new rom, can I easily restore my nandroid?
Big big big thanks!

"Flashing" is just a term that means to overwrite something to make changes. Thats as much as I can tell you about that. lol
If you are wanting to flash other ROMs over your eclipse rom, you need to be on the same kernel. Since you are using Eclipse 2.0.1, I think its safe to say you are running Android 2.3.5. If you have another ROM that is built off of Android 2.3.5 then you should be safe to wipe cache, dalvik cache and flash right over it. Some might require you to do a factory reset but its not always necessary. But if you want to use a ROM based off of 2.3.4, like I think Liberty is (I'm not sure if its been updated), then you have to first be on stock 2.3.4. Which means going through the process of downgrading your OS first.
And about wiping cache and all, I would say just do it before flashing anything. It doesnt hurt and doesnt take long. Before you use any scripts though, make sure it has been updated for 2.3.5 ROMs. Otherwise you will get a bootloop and be stuck.
I hope that sheds some light on your question and didnt confuse you more. lol

No that definitely clears some things up for me, thanks
As far as downgrading the OS. Does that require the RSD/SBF process? If so, I'm familiar with that.

wesf90 said:
No that definitely clears some things up for me, thanks
As far as downgrading the OS. Does that require the RSD/SBF process? If so, I'm familiar with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Thats all you need. Just use the right SBF file. Ive been told you can SBF to a lower Android OS but I havent done it yet.

jsgraphicart said:
Yes. Thats all you need. Just use the right SBF file. Ive been told you can SBF to a lower Android OS but I havent done it yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can SBF to the original 2.2 froyo the X2 had and either stay there or ride the two OTA updates back to 2.3.4

Thanks to both of you. I feel pretty confident now. Hopefully this topic will help someone else along the way with the same questions

wesf90 said:
Thanks to both of you. I feel pretty confident now. Hopefully this topic will help someone else along the way with the same questions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. Hey since its solved put (Solved) in the OP subject line in front of the orginial subject so people will know

Good call. Done

jsgraphicart said:
"Flashing" is just a term that means to overwrite something to make changes. Thats as much as I can tell you about that. lol
If you are wanting to flash other ROMs over your eclipse rom, you need to be on the same kernel. Since you are using Eclipse 2.0.1, I think its safe to say you are running Android 2.3.5. If you have another ROM that is built off of Android 2.3.5 then you should be safe to wipe cache, dalvik cache and flash right over it. Some might require you to do a factory reset but its not always necessary. But if you want to use a ROM based off of 2.3.4, like I think Liberty is (I'm not sure if its been updated), then you have to first be on stock 2.3.4. Which means going through the process of downgrading your OS first.
And about wiping cache and all, I would say just do it before flashing anything. It doesnt hurt and doesnt take long. Before you use any scripts though, make sure it has been updated for 2.3.5 ROMs. Otherwise you will get a bootloop and be stuck.
I
I hope that sheds some light on your question and didnt confuse you more. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In reference to your comment about bootloop.
If u make a nandroid before flashing something (and u don't wipe data before rebooting) and you get stuck in boutloop,
Just pull battery and plug in.
BSR will come up an you can restore your nandroid and will be up and running again no problem.

Related

[HOWTO] Update Walkthrough for those with custom ROMs

Okay, so I see there are many people that have the same questions I had yesterday trying to apply this update with a custom ROM already on my phone. Here is what you'll need and how to get your phone updated. This isn't the only way to do it, but it's what I did and it was pretty easy. It was harder finding out how to do all of this, and in what order than actually doing the process.
It will take a little while to do this, roughly 30-45 minutes.
Here are the steps I had to use being on 1.5.7 with GingerBlur:
Here is what you'll need after backing up your apps/files to the SD Card, in this order:
Download RSD Lite 5.0
Download 1.8.3 sbf
Gingerbreak
GladEnable
Tenwar's System Recovery
GreyBlur 2.X (Or insert custom ROM here)
1: Flash the 1.8.3 update on to your phone using RSD Lite, this will reset your phone completely to stock.
2: Run GingerBreak to root the device.
3: At this point I was unable to install Tenwar's, so I used GladEnable to sideload it.
4: Installed Tenwar's and loaded up my custom ROM.
5: Restore your backup.
This should get you all updated and with your custom ROM installed.
Awesome! Thanks man
quick question: how do we make a backup (Ti Backup?) on our current setups? And will restoring the backup we make bring back all apps and settings and everything?
Thanks a lot for this....
spitefulcheerio said:
Awesome! Thanks man
quick question: how do we make a backup (Ti Backup?) on our current setups? And will restoring the backup we make bring back all apps and settings and everything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, use Titanium Backup to backup your User Apps and Data, not the system apps or data. And make sure to backup to your SD Card as the flash with wipe your internal memory and your backup will be lost. I had that issue and had to reinstall all of my apps. It's minor, but still a pain in the ass.
Flashing 1.83 should not wipe anything; as far as apps or info. goes. Some people have had a problem with gingerbreak wiping some things though. I flashed 1.83 and ran ginerbreak with no problems, except for having the bloatware re-installed and loosing my root, but that's to be expected.
Swiftks said:
Flashing 1.83 should not wipe anything; as far as apps or info. goes. Some people have had a problem with gingerbreak wiping some things though. I flashed 1.83 and ran ginerbreak with no problems, except for having the bloatware re-installed and loosing my root, but that's to be expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I flashed 1.8.3 through RSD Lite, it completely put everything back to bone stock. It wiped the entire internal memory. So I'm not sure if it should or shouldn't, but it did. I know it wasn't GingerBreak because you flash the update before installing GB.
IrateCustomer said:
When I flashed 1.8.3 through RSD Lite, it completely put everything back to bone stock. It wiped the entire internal memory. So I'm not sure if it should or shouldn't, but it did. I know it wasn't GingerBreak because you flash the update before installing GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's weird, b/c when I flashed it, it didn't wipe anything just added the bloat ware back and changed the radio, etc. still had homescreen the same with all my apps, etc.... oh well
Swiftks said:
that's weird, b/c when I flashed it, it didn't wipe anything just added the bloat ware back and changed the radio, etc. still had homescreen the same with all my apps, etc.... oh well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe because I was on 1.5.7, and flashed 1.8.3 instead of going back and OTAing the phone. That would make sense because the OTA process probably does a backup/restore during the process. As mentioned in the OP, it's only one way to do it, but there are other options.
the sbf download is sending me to Motorola site,, dont I need the sbf not the exe??
Datblkbro said:
the sbf download is sending me to Motorola site,, dont I need the sbf not the exe??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've updated the link in the OP so you can download the correct file. My apologies.
Regarding 1.8.3 sbf, which of the sfb files from the link you provided is it? They vary in size. Thanks.
You want the one with the most hits and the ridiculously long filename.
It actually has 1.8.3 buried in the name of the file. It's a few from the top.
THANK YOU this has been a big question mark for me ever since 1.83 came out. Fantastic guide.
Swiftks said:
Flashing 1.83 should not wipe anything; as far as apps or info. goes. Some people have had a problem with gingerbreak wiping some things though. I flashed 1.83 and ran ginerbreak with no problems, except for having the bloatware re-installed and loosing my root, but that's to be expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did the GingerBlur 3.1 get fixed when it comes to the Webtop mod? Cuz I read something about it having a problem with actually working on this Rom? Maybe that was on the 3.0, so I figure 3.1 fixed it?
PLease just a simple "yes it works" or "No, it doesn't" will suffice
Thanks
Just wanted to post my initial experience with using RSDlite to update afterting and gingerblurring it.
I followed your how to as much as I could (You should provide a link to RSDlite instructions, I had to search for it because I didn't know how to do it exactly... not a big deal but it would make it easier/idiot proof)
When I first updated via RSDlite, something must hve went wrong. At first, A triangle and lil android was haunting me on my screen... so I went to reboot.. **** [I thought I bricked it]... Then I restarted it again... DOUBLE ****... Couldn't load into recovery... I restarted a third time and it loaded up(**** YES). But for some odd reason, it said I still had to update (even though it said the firmware was @ 1.8.3.)
Everything seemed to work fine, and was able too root and ginger blur it. About a few hours later, wifi seemed wonky (kept randomly disconnecting and the update dialog came up every 15 minutes).
I ended up reflashing to 1.2.8 and OTA's all the way up to 1.8.3 and then re-rooted and blurred it. No problems since the full refresh
Hopefully everybody elses experience goes better than mine!
Also, Random question. How do you remove Tenwars System Recovery app after using it to load up a rom?
winky! said:
Also, Random question. How do you remove Tenwars System Recovery app after using it to load up a rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use Uninstaller for Root (I found it on the Market), and you can uninstall from there if you wish. Personally I see no real reason to remove it, but you can if you need to with the above referenced Uninstaller. There are a few others that can do it, but UfR is free, which is clearly a win.
564mb for the sfb??? Thats freaking huge
GreyBlur on 1.8.3
After following the steps I still show
"System Version 4.1.57MB860.ATT.us"
rooted and sideloading enabled by gladroot then flashed greyblur 2.1....little help for the n00b?

[Q] ROM question (Oxygen 2.3.2)

Is it possible to Hellraise the SGSII (I'm assuming it is an i9100) Oxygen 2.3.2 ROM for our devices? I'm still unsure about all the compatibility issues, but I wanted to ask those who may know before doing something unbelievably dumb.
Well you should be able to use any i9100 rom as long as it can be flashed through CWM, and doesn't need ODIN to install it, i'm not familiar with Oxygen ROM though.
Only thing to be worried about is if the rom has bootloaders included. If it does, stay away.
Other than that, run a backup in cwm before you flash so if it does go bad, you have an easy recovery.
Sent from my páhhōniē
Yeah, I checked for the dreaded Sbl.bin and other assorted bootloaders. Just finished my backup, gonna give it a whirl.
Well, it appears as if I have answered that question, and the answer is "No." The installation keeps aborting, no matter what version I try.
You aren't attempting to install through ROM Manager are you? If so you need to boot into recovery yourself, full wipe, then install. I can't see many other reasons why the install would abort- If that is not the case i'm of no help lol.
No, I booted into recovery, did the various wipes, then tried to install the zip. I tried v2.3 and 2.3.2, with no luck. I'm guessing AdamG put some sort of verification script in to keep dumbass noobs like me from making big mistakes.
Thanks for the update
Sent from my páhhōniē
Oxygen is AOSP-derived, so you'd need to use the CM7 boot.img instead of a Samsung-derived kernel.
If Oxygen enforces device-checking via asserts, you may need to Hellraise an I9100 ROM first. (Although I'm going to be changing this behavior in Hellraiser soon to report the device as a 777.)
Ah, good to know. Well, no harm was done to any phones, so I will consider myself lucky and move on.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium

Rooted, now experiencing lockups and random restart/reboot on custom ROMs

Hi,
I rooted my GSII, using step 2c from the guide found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1311081 with the UCKK6 Stock + Root package found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1286432
Afterwards, I used CWM to flash PhoneBricker v2.7 (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1560759). After only a few minutes of use, my phone began locking up and rebooting randomly. It didn't matter what I was doing at the time. After reading through some threads, I tried wiping cache, factory reset, and flashing only the ROM again, to no avail. I also noticed the phone would get pretty hot when it would lock up.
I thought the ROM was the issue, so I flashed Mystic's Glory ROM (v.4.9.2beta) after wiping cache, factory reset. Same behavior.
I've resorted to restoring the first nandroid backup I did, which is just stock + root.
Would anyone have any suggestions? Thank you.
I'm not sure i have a suggestion, but i do have a couple of questions, maybe these will at least rule out some obvious possibilities:
- first, the obvious. This is probably not the issue in your case, but since this happens so often i figured I'd ask: we often see people here who have a different SGS2 variant than the I-777 the ROMs on this forum are for. Which variant of the SGS2 do you have? To use the ROMs here it should be I-777, which is AT&T's version of the SGS2, but NOT the skyrocket. If you have a skyrocket or a non-AT&T version, you need to get the ROMs from the appropriate forums.
-Since the FCs are happening with different ROMs, maybe the problem is being caused by an app or app restore method. Do the problems start before you even restore or install your apps, or after? If you are restoring apps with Titanium Backup, make sure you don't restore any system apps, only user apps. Restoring system apps with TiBu is known to cause problems, specially if you restore system apps that you backed up from a different base
Edit: still in the spirit of ruling out the obvious, when you wipe cache before installing the ROM, i assume you are ALSO wiping the dalvik cache?
wgoldfarb said:
I'm not sure i have a suggestion, but i do have a couple of questions, maybe these will at least rule out some obvious possibilities:
- first, the obvious. This is probably not the issue in your case, but since this happens so often i figured I'd ask: we often see people here who have a different SGS2 variant than the I-777 the ROMs on this forum are for. Which variant of the SGS2 do you have? To use the ROMs here it should be I-777, which is AT&T's version of the SGS2, but NOT the skyrocket. If you have a skyrocket or a non-AT&T version, you need to get the ROMs from the appropriate forums.
-Since the FCs are happening with different ROMs, maybe the problem is being caused by an app or app restore method. Do the problems start before you even restore or install your apps, or after? If you are restoring apps with Titanium Backup, make sure you don't restore any system apps, only user apps. Restoring system apps with TiBu is known to cause problems, specially if you restore system apps that you backed up from a different base
Edit: still in the spirit of ruling out the obvious, when you wipe cache before installing the ROM, i assume you are ALSO wiping the dalvik cache?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wgoldfarb,
I do, in fact, have the I777 variant.
Can you please tell me what you mean by FCs?
The random lockups/reboots began even before I started installing other apps. I do not have Titanium Backup. I installed the apps from the Play store.
Yes, I made sure to do a factory reset, wipe cache, and wipe dalvik cache.
Could it be an issue with the way the ROM is handling CPU usage? Perhaps there is a preset that is on by default that may be causing lockups.
I'm also wondering rooting using the UCKK6 package was the correct way, as opposed to rooting back to the UCKH7.
I appreciate your help.
What kernel are you running? That sounds like the issue to me
jthatch12 said:
What kernel are you running? That sounds like the issue to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jthatch,
When I rooted, it remained as stock kernel (2.6.35.7).
When I flashed PhoneBricker and Mystic's Glory, I stayed with the kernels that were supplied by the ROM zip package.
wwjd3 said:
jthatch,
When I rooted, it remained as stock kernel (2.6.35.7).
When I flashed PhoneBricker and Mystic's Glory, I stayed with the kernels that were supplied by the ROM zip package.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't flash a "rom zip package" from the stock kernel with 3e recovery. You need to install a custom kernel with ClockworkMod Recovery first before you install a "rom zip package". So what you are saying is not making sense.
I really don't think it would make any difference whether you used the UCKK6 plus root or the UCKH7 plus root.
Whenever you change base, it is necessary to perform a wipe data/factory reset, and also recommended to wipe cache and to wipe dalvik cache. These should be performed from within Recovery. The wipe data/factory reset should not be performed from the phone settings.
If you flash a new firmware after doing the proper wipes in recovery before flashing, then the new firmware should run without problems, unless the download was bad, causing a bad flash. You should also check the md5 sum of the downloaded file to verify a good download before you flash it.
creepyncrawly said:
You can't flash a "rom zip package" from the stock kernel with 3e recovery. You need to install a custom kernel with ClockworkMod Recovery first before you install a "rom zip package". So what you are saying is not making sense.
I really don't think it would make any difference whether you used the UCKK6 plus root or the UCKH7 plus root.
Whenever you change base, it is necessary to perform a wipe data/factory reset, and also recommended to wipe cache and to wipe dalvik cache. These should be performed from within Recovery. The wipe data/factory reset should not be performed from the phone settings.
If you flash a new firmware after doing the proper wipes in recovery before flashing, then the new firmware should run without problems, unless the download was bad, causing a bad flash. You should also check the md5 sum of the downloaded file to verify a good download before you flash it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry. I failed to mention that after rooting, I used MobileOdin to flash a custom kernel (Siyah 2.6) with CWM (step 3a in the first link I provided). From there, before flashing PhoneBricker, I did a factory reset, cache wipe, dalvik cache wipe, all from within CWM. I did NOT perform factory reset from phone settings.
I have not performed a md5 sum check. I guess that would be the next step.
Wwjd3
You are now getting help from extremely knowledgeable people, so i wont even try to add any suggestions...you are in excellent hands
I only wanted to answer your question about "FCs". By FCs I meant forced closes...it's when an app has a problem or stops responding and you get a message saying the app had a problem and had to close. When you said your phone locks up i assumed you meant you were experiencing forced closes.
wgoldfarb said:
Wwjd3
You are now getting help from extremely knowledgeable people, so i wont even try to add any suggestions...you are in excellent hands
I only wanted to answer your question about "FCs". By FCs I meant forced closes...it's when an app has a problem or stops responding and you get a message saying the app had a problem and had to close. When you said your phone locks up i assumed you meant you were experiencing forced closes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I understand. What I meant by lockup is that the system freezes. The capacitive buttons no longer respond. Neither do the volume/power buttons. The screen simply freezes, and I have to force a restart by holding down the power button for a number of seconds. I hope that makes sense.
Wow. Well, I hate to say it, but...lol I would go back to stock 2.3.4 with Odin, wipe everything, and try again. I mean that answer sucks. But it may help rule out some things and give u an idea if its hardware or software related. U could also try different kernels and using the kernel cleaning script, just Google it with xda in the search and it'll come up.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
Phalanx7621 said:
Wow. Well, I hate to say it, but...lol I would go back to stock 2.3.4 with Odin, wipe everything, and try again. I mean that answer sucks. But it may help rule out some things and give u an idea if its hardware or software related. U could also try different kernels and using the kernel cleaning script, just Google it with xda in the search and it'll come up.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phalanx7621,
heh. That's what I'm thinking of doing. Can someone clarify, though: according to the forum stickies, when flashing a custom kernel with CWM after rooting, there are only two available, correct? Daily Driver and Siyah.
Secondly, can you briefly describe what the kernel cleaning script accomplishes. I've seen the term in some posts, but didn't think it was relevant. Thank you.
wwjd3 said:
Phalanx7621,
heh. That's what I'm thinking of doing. Can someone clarify, though: according to the forum stickies, when flashing a custom kernel with CWM after rooting, there are only two available, correct? Daily Driver and Siyah.
Secondly, can you briefly describe what the kernel cleaning script accomplishes. I've seen the term in some posts, but didn't think it was relevant. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Short answer - yes. Long answer - no (I remember a few other options floating around). For all intents and purposes, just pick one of those; either will accomplish what you need.
2. From what I remember about looking at the script, it wipes dalvik cache and deletes the contents of /etc/int.d (to prevent incompatible scripts across kernels - not exactly relevant since you're doing clean installs). No rom should have kernel specific scripts anyway. I think it wipes some system caches or something also.
Simba501 said:
not exactly relevant since you're doing clean installs). No rom should have kernel specific scripts anyway. I think it wipes some system caches or something also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I read correctly, Phalanx was offering up a secondary option to try out before taking the complete stock route which would make it relevant. However, if he does the return to stock... Then you're right, not gonna do much for him. (though it wouldn't hurt)
Clay
Team Pirate
Sent from my PINK SGH-I777
You've described following the correct procedure for rooting and flashing a custom firmware. I don't see anything in that procedure that could cause firmware problems, except perhaps corrupt downloads. But the odds are against getting two corrupd downloads in a row.
If it were my phone, I would probably flash back to stock, and run it a few days to see if it runs correctly, to rule out hardware problems. If there is developing hardware issues, bad memory perhaps, then it should be evident even on straight stock.
The next thing is to just start from scratch, and do everything over again. When I flashed SHOstock2 1.4.1 over 1.3.2 (change of base) I did everything right, but I got apps freezing and other problems, so much that the phone was unusable. I went back to 1.3.2 for a week, then flashed 1.4.2 successfully. So the answer could be just a bad flash even though you can't put your finger on the exact reason.
creepyncrawly said:
You've described following the correct procedure for rooting and flashing a custom firmware. I don't see anything in that procedure that could cause firmware problems, except perhaps corrupt downloads. But the odds are against getting two corrupd downloads in a row.
If it were my phone, I would probably flash back to stock, and run it a few days to see if it runs correctly, to rule out hardware problems. If there is developing hardware issues, bad memory perhaps, then it should be evident even on straight stock.
The next thing is to just start from scratch, and do everything over again. When I flashed SHOstock2 1.4.1 over 1.3.2 (change of base) I did everything right, but I got apps freezing and other problems, so much that the phone was unusable. I went back to 1.3.2 for a week, then flashed 1.4.2 successfully. So the answer could be just a bad flash even though you can't put your finger on the exact reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just used your guide to return back to stock UCKH7. I am attempting to root again, this time using DooMLoRD's Easy Rooting Toolkit. Not having any luck with that one (complaining about "cannot stat files"). I'm looking through the I777 forums but there is no chatter about this issue. There is for other phones, however. And the search continues. Thanks for your help!
wwjd3 said:
I just used your guide to return back to stock UCKH7. I am attempting to root again, this time using DooMLoRD's Easy Rooting Toolkit. Not having any luck with that one (complaining about "cannot stat files"). I'm looking through the I777 forums but there is no chatter about this issue. There is for other phones, however. And the search continues. Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you root your phone b4? which method?
Use that.
votinh said:
How did you root your phone b4? which method?
Use that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used method 2c, Entropy512's Return/Unbrick to Stock, Kernel + Rooted System Package with Modem using Odin3 One-Click Downloader previously. I was thinking of using a different method, since I ran into problems using Entropy512's method. Try something different.
-------------------------------------------------
EDIT:
I'm sorry, I was wrong. Since I had UCKK6 build previously I used Odin to flash the Kernel + cache + rooted UCKK6 system package found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1286432
So, using method 2c would, in fact, be a different method altogether. I'm beginning to think that initially rooting using Odin+UCKK6 package is what got me into trouble in the first place.
wwjd3 said:
I'm beginning to think that initially rooting using Odin+UCKK6 package is what got me into trouble in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's as good a theory as any other... I guess.

[Q] Downgrade from CM9 to CM7

Hi all,
I have a friend with an AT&T Atrix 4G. I've had a Droid X and current have a Galaxy Nexus & Nexus 7. I did everything you could do to the X and know my way around the Nexus very well; the atrix is a little confusing to me. moto-fastboot and the idea that SBFing is bad are new concepts to me. On the Droid X, if you were in trouble, you just SBF'd.
My friend had some trouble with his Atrix the other day, he was stuck at the splash screen, we got it half way fixed and he was in a bootloop, and eventually we got a version of CM9 on there: 9.0.0-rco-atrix-kang. The phone is running now but the ROM is unstable. I'd like to know how to safely downgrade to a CM7 ROM. Is it as simple as booting into recovery, wiping, and flashing the earlier rom? Something blur based would be ideal at this point as he's just looking to have a stable phone back. He got into rooting/ roming on his own so I'm not sure what updates, if any, were on there before he started. Is there an easy way to check and see which bootloader version he's on, find out which SBF we can safely use, etc? He does have it unlocked, so that should make things easier (or maybe harder, this Atrix really is a mystery to me...).
TL;DR - How do you safely downgrade an Atrix 4G from CM9 to CM7 and which recovery is the best to be using?
I used to switch between CM10 and CM7 all the time, if the phone is rooted and bootloader is unlocked, it's as simple as wiping data/cache, wiping dalvik, format system, install ROM, boot, reboot, install gapps.
Did your friend follow directions and make a nandroid of original before wiping? That would be the simplest way.
エイトリックス から 送ります
He said he had a backup but that when he restored it it was bootlooping. I'm assuming it was some kind of issue with switching recoveries or something like that. With the Droid X there was a recovery for 2nd-init roms and a recovery for blur roms. With the Nexuses it's mostly TWRP or CWM but as long as you're on the latest you can flash anything. Is there any reason to downgrade recoveries on the Atrix? Is there one "up to date" recovery? I see a lot of posts that point to a 2011 thread with the "latest CWM based recovery" but that seems kind of old...
Alright so I think I have this sorted out for the most part, and my understanding is that RomRacer made a version of CWM that we should be using on the Atrix. I just can't find a link to download the thing, is there a thread in development? When I search all I find is a ton of threads telling me to use it and no one linking it.
Edit: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1204500 Right?
Or is TWRP better?
http://teamw.in/project/twrp2/72
Lot of people love TWRP, but I'm one of the few that still uses RomRacers CWM 5.0.2.7 (I think) and no issues flashing CM10.1 (android 4.2.1) Had it for over a year, and works great every time. If it's not broken, don't fix it.
As for the boot loop, those are usually fixed with a wipe. Try wiping everything and restoring.
Edit: Yeah, that seems like the proper thread. Sorry, haven't looked at it since I first rooted my phone. Try TWRP, most people swear by it. The touch does add a nice feature, but I'm too lazy to make the switch.
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Once you have an unlocked BL and a custom recovery, switching between pretty much all ROMs is safe so long as you stay away from SBFs.
You can flash to stock rom and then install CM7 :laugh:
ravilov said:
Once you have an unlocked BL and a custom recovery, switching between pretty much all ROMs is safe so long as you stay away from SBFs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the help, I'm glad I checked in. On the Droid X whenever anything went wrong and someone posted a thread like this the first ten replies were "Just SBF" - that used to be safe, until they rolled out .621, but that was end-of-life anyway.
I digress; next time I see him we'll iron this out and he'll be off to the races. Thanks again.

[Q] Upgraded to 2.3.6 Tried to unroot Ran Odin SOC doesn't work

Okay, before any of the regular contributors here say something nasty to me for asking a question that's been asked and answered, I want you to know that I have spent 2 days reading through -all- xda forums that might even -remotely- relate to my problem, without finding any answers. I also spent several hours searching all the common Android forums elsewhere, as well as, silly sites like Yahoo answers, etc., but have not been able to find the answer to my question. I'm the first to admit that reading the exorbitant amount of information in here causes my brain to short circuit due to all the numbers, versions, etc. It's like reading tax code; use C1.4.6 unless you've submitted b45.1. In that case, use d16.9, unless you've also filed a p32 in the last 2 years...if so, then....blah blah blah.
I love all you cell phone OS gurus and am quite envious of your ability to effortlessly wade through the technology involved in these phones. I wish, wholeheartedly, that I didn't have to ask any questions here because I know how irritated many of you become over people like me asking stupid questions, but I have no where else to turn. Believe me, if I could go elsewhere, I would, for your sake.
I was running 2.3.4, rooted, stock ROM. Froze the system with TB Pro to prevent the upgrade to 2.3.6. Unfroze it. Upgraded. Decided to unroot so I could sell my phone in favor of another. Ran Odin. Ran SuperOneClick. Ahhh...and there's the problem. SOC doesn't work with 2.3.6. So now, I don't know what to do. My phone is half rooted. I can't unroot and I can't reroot. I get the triangle, but TB Pro doesn't work because I'm not rooted, well. sort of not rooted. I guess I'm a little rooted. I don't know what to do next mainly because, every time I find what I think is a solution, I find another source that says, "DON'T DO IT! YOU'LL BRICK YOUR PHONE!" So, here I am, hoping someone will point me in the right direction without chastising me for asking a stupid question. I checked the solution in here and it's great, except, and I quote "Not working for KK6 2.3.6"
Thanks for any help....
So, what you need to do at this point is flash back to stock 2.3.4 using the instructions in the How to prepare your phone ... thread which is a sticky in the general section of this I777 forum. Since you were stock before, and evidently didn't flash any custom firmware, you should be fine flashing the stock distribution with Odin or Heimdall, or using the Odin one-click downloader.
First enter 3e recovery and perform a wipe data/factory reset, then do the Odin or Heimdall flash. The thread has instructions to clear your personal data as well.
Now, you know, I read that post along with all the stickies, about how to return the phone to stock, but I couldn't find any mention of whether or not it worked with a half rooted phone. I didn't want to be one of those people who blindly followed directions not intended for her situation, only to wind up bricking my phone or in a constant boot loop.
Thank you for not criticizing me for my apparent stupidity. I do my best.
Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction.
tunie said:
Now, you know, I read that post along with all the stickies, about how to return the phone to stock, but I couldn't find any mention of whether or not it worked with a half rooted phone. I didn't want to be one of those people who blindly followed directions not intended for her situation, only to wind up bricking my phone or in a constant boot loop.
Thank you for not criticizing me for my apparent stupidity. I do my best.
Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't have a "half rooted" phone, and it wouldn't matter at all anyway since you're going to be booting into download mode in order to flash to stock.
Sent from my Zanpakuto using Getsuga Tensho!
First of all:
Understand what 'ROOT' is.
IT IS ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS TO YOUR DEVICE, NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS.
everything for 'root' resides in the OS under the /system partition...which means when you load a new/stock rom on it, everything in /system gets wiped...
root has nothing to do with recovery mode or download mode. you cant be 'half-rooted'. you either have administrator access or you dont, plain and simple.
When I rooted so very long ago, I used SGH-I777_ClockworkMod-Recovery_5.0.2.3 that I downloaded with su-3.0-efgh-signed. At the time, I didn't understand what this was. I only understood that this would root my phone. I didn't want to flash any custom ROM's because, to this day, I really don't understand what a ROM is. Yes, I've read about it. Still don't get it. So, did I flash a custom ROM? As far as I knew, all I did was root so I could use TBPro to backup and freeze, and use LBE to keep my information as private as possible.
<edit> So I've just reread many of your posts. You really are great at explaining this stuff and I thank you for that. It seems, from what I've read, that I can just do a factory reset and the phone should go back to its original state, with 2.3.4. Is that correct?
Thank you, again. I swear I'll be out of everyone's hair in here as soon as is humanly possible.
creepyncrawly said:
So, what you need to do at this point is flash back to stock 2.3.4 using the instructions in the How to prepare your phone ... thread which is a sticky in the general section of this I777 forum. Since you were stock before, and evidently didn't flash any custom firmware, you should be fine flashing the stock distribution with Odin or Heimdall, or using the Odin one-click downloader.
First enter 3e recovery and perform a wipe data/factory reset, then do the Odin or Heimdall flash. The thread has instructions to clear your personal data as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pirateghost said:
First of all:
Understand what 'ROOT' is.
IT IS ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS TO YOUR DEVICE, NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS.
everything for 'root' resides in the OS under the /system partition...which means when you load a new/stock rom on it, everything in /system gets wiped...
root has nothing to do with recovery mode or download mode. you cant be 'half-rooted'. you either have administrator access or you dont, plain and simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank yes, I understood what root was which is why I did it. I just didn't understand the mechanics of getting there. Perhaps it's the same thing that made pre-med chemistry so difficult for me in college. I could do the work, but didn't get the big picture, so I couldn't build a knowledge base. Anyway, I see the triangle and GT I9100 at boot up, yet I cannot access TB Pro as it states I'm not rooted. So, I guess I did unroot, but didn't go all the way because 2.3.6 doesn't play nice with popular root/unroot apps. Thanks for explaining.
tunie said:
Thank yes, I understood what root was which is why I did it. I just didn't understand the mechanics of getting there. Perhaps it's the same thing that made pre-med chemistry so difficult for me in college. I could do the work, but didn't get the big picture, so I couldn't build a knowledge base. Anyway, I see the triangle and GT I9100 at boot up, yet I cannot access TB Pro as it states I'm not rooted. So, I guess I did unroot, but didn't go all the way because 2.3.6 doesn't play nice with popular root/unroot apps. Thanks for explaining.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The triangle has nothing to do with root. It only means you flashed a kernel using Odin.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
tunie said:
It seems, from what I've read, that I can just do a factory reset and the phone should go back to its original state, with 2.3.4. Is that correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. When you do a wipe data/factory reset, this wipes the data partition but does not touch the system partition. So you will still have whatever firmware you started with, which in your case I believe is 2.3.6, but it will be put back to like it was when it was first installed.
That's why I recommended that you perform a wipe data/factory reset, and then flash the 2.3.4 stock firmware. The factory reset is so that when the new 2.3.4 stock firmware boots up, there will be no problems.
Pirateghost said:
The triangle has nothing to do with root. It only means you flashed a kernel using Odin.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well thank you. I give up. Really, I do.
creepyncrawly said:
No. When you do a wipe data/factory reset, this wipes the data partition but does not touch the system partition. So you will still have whatever firmware you started with, which in your case I believe is 2.3.6, but it will be put back to like it was when it was first installed.
That's why I recommended that you perform a wipe data/factory reset, and then flash the 2.3.4 stock firmware. The factory reset is so that when the new 2.3.4 stock firmware boots up, there will be no problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I actually understand that. Thank you. My concern now is whether or not I flashed a custom ROM. Clockworkmod appears to be a custom ROM, no? If it isn't, I know what to do, thanks to you. If it is a custom ROM, I don't know what to do next.
tunie said:
Well, I actually understand that. Thank you. My concern now is whether or not I flashed a custom ROM. Clockworkmod appears to be a custom ROM, no? If it isn't, I know what to do, thanks to you. If it is a custom ROM, I don't know what to do next.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
clockwork mod is NOT a custom ROM. clockwork mod is RECOVERY and on this device it is compiled WITH the kernel.
YOU HAVE A CUSTOM/MODIFIED KERNEL
I really dont understand why you dont just follow creepyncrawly's advice and tutorials...you are making this out WAAAAAY harder than it really is.
Pirateghost said:
clockwork mod is NOT a custom ROM. clockwork mod is RECOVERY and on this device it is compiled WITH the kernel.
YOU HAVE A CUSTOM/MODIFIED KERNEL
I really dont understand why you dont just follow creepyncrawly's advice and tutorials...you are making this out WAAAAAY harder than it really is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just want to insure that I've relayed all the necessary information, correctly. I guess I have. Thank you and I'm sorry I took anyone's time.
tunie said:
Well thank you. I give up. Really, I do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That dreaded yellow triangle show up when you flash a custom (non-stock) kernel. When you flash a stock kernel, it will go away. So... if you flash back to stock like I suggested, it will go away.
Pm me if you need more assistance
creepyncrawly said:
So, what you need to do at this point is flash back to stock 2.3.4 using the instructions in the How to prepare your phone ... thread which is a sticky in the general section of this I777 forum. Since you were stock before, and evidently didn't flash any custom firmware, you should be fine flashing the stock distribution with Odin or Heimdall, or using the Odin one-click downloader.
First enter 3e recovery and perform a wipe data/factory reset, then do the Odin or Heimdall flash. The thread has instructions to clear your personal data as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. It worked like a charm. Back to stock. Wonderful. Thank you so much. It wasn't as much a nail-biter as I thought it would be.

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