hey guyz..m new on android ..juz bought evo 3d after my nokia n8..so i dont understand much about ROM etc..plz tell me wat s ROM and how can i put custom ROM in my mobile..and risks involved in dis process.. i bought dis mobile for 40000 indian rupees, which s very costly for we indians..o thanks
rocktock37 said:
hey guyz..m new on android ..juz bought evo 3d after my nokia n8..so i dont understand much about ROM etc..plz tell me wat s ROM and how can i put custom ROM in my mobile..and risks involved in dis process.. i bought dis mobile for 40000 indian rupees, which s very costly for we indians..o thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HOOOO boy, what a question! Well to get started you asked what a ROM is and basically what a ROM is, is a modified version of AOSP(google search this) which can include but is not limited to, customized kernels(for battery and CPU optimization), and apps that can greatly increase your phones responsiveness and overall create a better experience for you, all in all its a modified version of your phones android software that makes you phone seem more powerful! Secondly you asked how to put custom ROMs onto your phone, this can be a pain painstakingly tough process or a very simple, headache free process. There are very many in depth guides on how to do this, but I will give a quick run down on how I got it to work. So first I rooted my EVO 3D which is basically preparing your phone for custom ROMs and Kernels, this can easily be done by using the HTC Supertool v2(do a search to find it). Then once you have rooted it, it is time to attempt for S-Off. This can be a little tricky but I'm sure you can do it. You can try do attempt S-Off through the supertool but that didn't work for me, so what you need to do is go to revolutionary.io and follow their simple instructions to get S-Off, once you have completed that they will ask you if you want to get a thing called ClockWorkMod. This is called a custom recovery and it is the basis from which you will flash a custom ROM, so install that and then we can move on. Next you want to locate a ROM, I recommend LeeDrOiD's ROM because it is very stable and has a lot to offer. Once you have that downloaded place it onto your phones SD card and boot into your phones CWM recovery(search on how to do that), and flash the custom ROM following the on screen instructions on your phone. Now you wait for it to install and then select reboot from the main menu of CWM and WAIT. Your phone will take a long time to reboot the first time so don't worry. Once it starts up you are all done . Of course there are risks to this procedure such as bricking the phone or boot looping the phone which i will explain but I have never had that problem. Bricking is when the phone becomes completely useless, and is a result of interrupting flashing or installation of a custom ROM or custom recovery such as CWM. Boot looping is when the phone repeatedly plays the boot animation without ever advancing to the next screen this can also be a result of interrupting a custom ROM's flash or it can happen from a bad kernel or interrupted kernel installation. These however can be easily fixed by booting into a custom recovery and flash a backup or a entirely new ROM. Most ROMs will not delete your data but in case they do it is a good idea to make a backup. I hope this help feel free to send a thanks this way good luck with your phone!
Related
Hello all, this is my first post (feel free to yell N00000b LOL) so I'll try to be right to the point since I just need advice on a couple of things to keep on going on my learning process (with the tutorial threads and guides).
I got my P500 off of the local eBay (I'm on Venezuela), it was a great deal for a unit with a couple of months of use (had original invoice) and the phone is really "like-new". The thing is that the guy who sold it to me is himself a modder (probably he's around here somewhere) so the phone is already rooted and it's running a custom ROM (and it's supposedly overclocked). As far as I can tell (by comparing the description and installed apps) the ROM that's installed is the one on this thread:
Light 2.2.2 ROM: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1018839
My about screen reports the following:
Model number: LG-P500
Android version: 2.2.2
Kernel version: 2.6.32.9 [email protected] #36 The Feb 10 23:04:17 2011
Build number: FRG83
Software version: V10h-FEB-23-2011
One thing that I should mention is that he deleted all data and apps that he had installed after flashing the custom ROM (or probably he just reflashed the custom ROM prior to giving me the phone), so there's no app for controlling CPU clock, Terminal, BusyBox, etc (I know I'll have to install those from the Market).
My specific questions are this:
1.- Should I have any special considerations on my learning process (with the tutorials and guides) since I'm not starting with a stock phone as most other users?. I want to get to the point of installing/testing other ROMS (it seems that the one on the phone is not one of the most populars around here)
2.- I've read some horror stories around most forums regarding the infamous "radio.img" file and how you can damage your phone data connection if you mess around with that file, but on the guides around here I don't see much mentions of that file. How can I prevent messing around with it?. Is that file part of the custom ROMs or what?. I should mention that my cell operator here in Venezuela is "Digitel", and they operate on the 900 Mhz band for GSM and 3G UMTS/HSDPA service (the other 2 operators here use 850 Mhz for 3G).
Thanks in advance for your advice
U don't need to be horrified with that radio image coz in our phone Ive never seen any update for that so basically u never need to mess with it.. go ahead and flash a gb rom maybe void.. with Franco's kernel.. and follow the steps provided in the respective threads..
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA App
I wouldn't be concerned about the lack of default apps. You can get them pretty much everywhere here on the forums. Also, Light is not exactly the greatest rom available for the Optimus. I would highly recommend flashing Mik's CM7, but if you'd rather stick with something closer to stock then use Megatron.
Megatron was my first ROM, I ran it for several months. Then I switched to Void for a while, and then when Void was discontinued I waited til Miks CM7 was out of Alpha status and flashed it. Haven't gone back since.
Thanks for your replies... I was under the impression that the "radio.img" file had something to do with the specific radio frequencies that your operator uses for 3G, so if let's say your operator is 3G-900 Mhz and you flash a "radio.img" for an operator that's 3G-850 Mhz, then your phone will not connect to 3G anymore. My doubt is that I don't know if that infamous file can be accidentally flashed when you're installing new ROMS, or if that file is a different story and flashing ROMs does not mess with that file.
I just don't want to be stupid and start flashing ROMs without the proper precautions to avoid bricking my phone.
Hi guys... I got a response from a guy on another forum who told me that the precaution that I need to take is to always check the content of the .zip file of the ROM that I want to flash (looking inside without unzipping) and just confirm that there is no "radio.img" inside the zip. If the file is not there then I'm good to go. Is that right??
Now I need to move on into installing a Custom Recovery (he sold me the phone already rooted but with no custom recovery installed). AmonRA or ClockWorkMod??
Since you say the phone already runs a custom rom then that means you *may* have custom recovery if the guy hasn't removed it. As for the radio.img, no roms for the p500 mess with it.
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA App
clockworkmod ...you can use rom manager (download from market) to install it......and try void# forever
You're definitely right on that mihir287... now that I'm understanding things a bit more it makes sense that the phone should have a Custom Recovery already installed since it's running a custom ROM. How can I test/check this??... just by using the key-combo to boot into recovery mode and see what happens?
In the case that he had removed the custom recovery what would happen if I attempt to boot into recovery mode?
If I want to go ahead and install ROM Manager to install ClockWorkMod... will that just replace any previous custom recovery (if it existed) and give me the new one?
(Sorry if I'm asking too many stupid questions )
There are no stupid questions as this is a unique case
Yes just turn off the phone and press home+vol down+power. Remember to keep this pressed till the phone boots onto recovery, or if there is no recovery the phone will boot normally.
If the guy has removed the recovery (i.e replaced it with stock recovery) then this combo will do a 'hard reset', which I think removes all apps so make sure to take a backup using titanium first.
And yes if you use rom manager and flash the recovery then it will replace any recovery you have. So I would say just use rom manager and flash recovery because if you already have recovery or not this method will flash you CWM recovery. Make sure to reboot once before using rom manager.
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA App
Hi guys,
I recently bought a second hand x10 mini pro from a friend and aside from a few cosmetic issues its running fine. However im now considering rooting the phone and changing the rom to one of the 2.2 ones available.
My dilema as it were is getting it right.... So my plan is as follows:
1.backup contacts etc from phone.
2. Root using one of the methods available from the forums.
3. Again from the forums upgrade/replace the rom on the phone
4. Cry/celebrate as the phone now is bricked/working amazingly well on the new rom.
I guess basically since ive not done something like this since the old xda2s im asking, what should I be wary of and is there anything I should be carefull of during the whole process
Thanks
Jim
Sent from my U20i using XDA App
One of the main concerns for me is making sure you have the correct baseband for the new ROM. You usually have to flash this using 'flashtool' or similar, the baseband ROMs are fairly easy to get hold of if you google the version numbers. 'Flashtool' can usually root the phone as well as install xrecovery and all the fiddly bits, try as I might I couldn't install xrecovery or get root acess no matter what tool I used on the x10 mini pro. 'Flashtool' on the PC did it all with a couple of mouse clicks.
If your phone doesn't work after flashing (I.e. it gets bricked) and you don't feel confident then SEUS will usually resurrect it - just select the option to reinstall despite having latest software. Its rare that the phone will be completely bricked beyond redemption, although it can happen I might add.
When you've installed a new ROM, I recommend cyanocomb 1.3 (just read all the forum posts first as some people have issues - and nobody likes the same questions being asked every third post!), allow your phone 20 mins to build its cache files before leaping into action and installing things as this can cause problems.
Cyanocomb installs CWM in place of xrecovery. It is a much better recovery program in my opinion. However, make sure you use the right ROMs with the right recovery program.
Its a complicated business. Just read the forums and write down the various steps so you've got something to work from and get all the various tools and roms together you might need before you begin. You will be surprised at the lack of insite shown by some people who dive in and bodge their phones, usually asking elementary questions which have already been answered if they could be bothered to read the forum before starting.
I'm not an expert, but I did read the forums and managed to try every ROM in the 'devs' section without the need to badger the developers about 'boot loops', which are clearly user errors not ROM faults. Remember, the developers are doing smashing work and all they ask is some common sense and courtesy shown by other forum members, not to be plagued by incompetance and ignorance.
By posting here before flashing you've shown some wisdom, so I wish you well and hope others can share their experience with you.
(Sent from u20i using D4rKnYsSys/Slade87 Cyanocomb + tapatalk)
thanks for the advice, still reading the forums as you suggested at the moment. once ive got a clear idea in my head of what im doing i will of course let you know how i got on (and hopefully have a working phone to boot!!!)
thanks
Jim
brick wall time i guess. So i have managed to root the phone using as suggested 'flashtool'. phone rooted no problem, xrecovery apparently is installed. however my brick wall so to speak is that despite numerous searches of the x10 forum this evening i cannot for the life of me see how flash the rom on to the phone. im stuck and do not know what to do.
logansfolly said:
brick wall time i guess. So i have managed to root the phone using as suggested 'flashtool'. phone rooted no problem, xrecovery apparently is installed. however my brick wall so to speak is that despite numerous searches of the x10 forum this evening i cannot for the life of me see how flash the rom on to the phone. im stuck and do not know what to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After installing xrecovery you will probably need to install CWM beacause all new ROMs are created to be flashed with CWM and not Xrecovery. If you are on stock Rom this can help you The easiest way to install CWM on Stock Rom for Mini Pro
After you done this, download any custom ROM you want, place it in your SD card, boot into CWM recovery, choose first wipe user data, then choose advanced and wipe Dalvik cash and baterry stats.
After that choose INSTALL CUSTOM ZIP and find that zip on your SD card and flash it. That should be it.
Oh one more thing.... Make backup before you do any of this (just in case).
Many thanks, shall attempt this tonight and post my results accordingly
Sent from my U20i using XDA App
its been 22 minutes since i installed the rom and im looking at a boot screen still, is this normal? dont want to go to my backup without giving it a fair chance!!!
used this rom btw http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1051678
appears to have caught itself in a boot loop so am restoring my backup of the original rom that was there so at least the phone is working. if at first you dont succeed try try again.
at least now i have an idea of what it is im doing, many thanks for all the advice.
My phone is quote slow and laggy and it's quite surprising seeing as this phone is meant to be known for it's speed and power.
I have rooted with cf-root , I don't really know if this means if I have a custom kernel.
All I want to know is if there is a custom ROM or kernel to help with this. If yes, which one. Many developers claim there stuff speeds up phones but obviously they're bias. I want neutral opinions from people with experience of different things.
Before people tell me to search I can only access the net through my phone and the drop down search button don't work.
First of all rooting your phone is good cos it now means that you can flash a custom ROM.Something that cant be done on stock.For the moment stay with CF-Root as they are basically stock rooted kernels and at the moment I dont think you need to get into overclocking and undervolting and all that stuff that more advanced kernels can do cos if you do it wrong yourve got problems.As for ROMs your right.All Devs will say that they have the best one and all happy users,yes like myself,will say they use the best one too.The problem is that everyone has different likes and needs.No one who has spent time on this site has ever only had ONE ROM on their phone.Its impossible to not turn into a flashaholic at some stage.The best you can do is read threads and try some.Not the answer you wanted but its the best and only way to find what you want.Try mine.I love it.The link is below the big blue Omega sign.Its the one that says "GB".If you dont like it then try something else.Theres really no other way to find out what you want unless you try for yourself.
I see.. So I simply download the custom ROM and install it through clockwork mod?
Do I have to back up my phone with titanium back up before I install custom roms?
anz2k8 said:
I see.. So I simply download the custom ROM and install it through clockwork mod?
Do I have to back up my phone with titanium back up before I install custom roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Step 1 - backup with titanium.
Step 2 - reboot into cwm or with the cwm app, create a backup. So, if you flash something that you don't like or if it wont boot, you can restore it. This is a complete system and data backup. A 1:1 copy of your phone setup, excluding modem which defaults to whatever you are running at the time of restore.
Step 3 - try some custom roms. I use Checkrom (older version - v2) and phone flies.
Anyway, something must be wrong with your setup because every rom I've used has been fast, even stock.
ps : sent you a pm.
Sent from my GT-I9100T
Once you get sorted then do an EFS backup.The EFS folder contains your IMEI number and if for whatever reason you should loose it or it becomes corrupt then you are in the poo.Download the "release.zip" and follow the easy instructions.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1308546
I was using checkrom v4 and then v6 for a little while both with SiyahKernel which worked really well.
Currently using CM9 but I wouldn't go there until your comfortable fixing things and regularly flashing.
But definately select your rom and then try changing kernels if you think it will benefit you.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
@cooza when should I back up this eps, everyone time I change ROM or everyone I change kernel? I don't even know what it is lol
@sxi200 you say there must be something wrong with my setup, could you explain in a little more detail what you think I should change please?
Just thought I would *Bump* the thread as i'm slightly desperate for the random rebooting. It happens approximately once or twice a day.
did u use wipe data/factory reset while installing a new rom?
expierienced some funny things like lag etc also while trying different roms,
my fault was not wiping the cache ...
anz2k8 said:
Just thought I would *Bump* the thread as i'm slightly desperate for the random rebooting. It happens approximately once or twice a day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One Factory reset the phone this will wipe all data
Two upgrade firmware via Kies if firmware is available .
Three flash a later stock Samsung rom .
Four any of the answers already posted .
Five wait for Samsungs ICS update .
i see you have rooted but dont know what root is for or even any of the basics .
Read the guides and stickies .
Guide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1125282
Its possible that you have rooted with a wrong file .
But you give zero information .
jje
I bought an unlocked AT&T Atrix with CM9. But having some troubles with that ::crying:
-Camera is lagging
-Bluetooth is not receiving any file(but sending successfully)
-videos are not playing(i've tried avi, mp4, wmv)
-Fingerprint thing is not working
-and still to find more
So i just want a stable OS/rom. ICS is not my primary need and also this is my first day in android world(completely noob ).
So please give me step by step guide to install another rom like CM7(which i heard is stable) or stock rom without bricking my phone.
and one more thing my phone is unlocked so I dont know that reverting back to stock rom will again put a lock or not.
If the phone is unlocked, you can't brick it, at least not easily. Just stay away from SBFs and RSD.
There are already countless threads explaining the flashing procedure. In a nutshell: install custom recovery if you don't have one already, copy ROM ZIP file to sdcard, install from recovery. Done.
ravilov said:
If the phone is unlocked, you can't brick it, at least not easily. Just stay away from SBFs and RSD.
There are already countless threads explaining the flashing procedure. In a nutshell: install custom recovery if you don't have one already, copy ROM ZIP file to sdcard, install from recovery. Done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your support... i am going to try this....
I have one more question.... is CM7 best rom for atrix?? can you recommend any other rom with full features... I want to use this phone at its fullest performance but with safety......
CM7 is the best, is the best for any phone really, its the most stable and is safe as long as long as you fully charge your battery
I've been trying to understand all the steps necessary to replace the OEM ROM in my HTC Amaze 4G phone, but I can only find a disjointed set of pieces about the various steps and not one overarching document that covers all the stages of custom ROM flashing. A lot of the docs are aimed at the "insiders" of the Android developer community and few to people like me who would just like to try something better than what that ICS update did to my phone.
Having dabbled at one time with Linux from version .98 to 2.6 and being software developer most of my working life, I figure this should be easy for me. Yet, I find the documentation frustrating. I only imagine what it must be for others with less computer experience than me.
Since Android is based on Linux, I don't understand the big fuss about rooting. In Linux having the rooting privilege simply meant having a root password. Why is Android so much more complicated than that? Also, loading a new Linux kernel used to be a fairly simple process if one used compiled modules. The installation script pretty much took care of it. Android totally obscures this process and the disjointed documentation doesn't seem to help much. A lot of it assumes certain knowledge by the reader as if he/she was also an "insider" in that circle.
On my part I would like to so the following steps documented:
1.) How to save user installed content and the factory ROM image before wiping it out so it could be eventually restored if needed.
2.) How to prepare the phone for installing a new ROM
3.) What new and stable ROM images will work with given phone and how to obtain them and in what form? Zip, rar, or what?
4.) In what SD Card directory or in USB-connected PC directory the new ROM should be.
5.) How the flashing process would look like? Expected phases and length?
6.) Do I need to lock the new ROM's root just as the factory ROM was? How would I do that?
7.) Any special issues when booting the new ROM for the first time?
8.) How would I restore the original factory ROM saved in step 1?
Some of you might think I ask too much from guys who do the dev work as a hobby but I always thought that if one does something, might as well do it right, regardless of pay.
Well, that's my 2 cents worth for the day.
Howdy. I'll try to answer some of the questions you asked.
I would also recommend talking with @ravike14 who can easily guide you through the back up and routing and s-off process. It's not that difficult really. The most bizarre thing for me was sticking a piece of wire into a hole in the back of the phone to short out a process to achieve s-off.
With the right recovery image installed, it won't matter where you place the Rom.zip. which may be named just about anything. But it will always be a zip file.
The important one is the PH85img.zip must be placed in the root of your external sdcard. That file is loaded when you boot into the bootloader. And is for updating firmware.
Once you have root, and have made a nandroid backup, flashing is easy.
If you download viper, it is vipera1.7.2.1.zip. you can have it anywhere on you internal or external sdcard.
If you use 4ext recovery, you can select install and it will take you to a directory that you can browse to the place where the Rom, whatever name it is, is stored.
Click the Rom zip file and you will be guided thru the install process, if it has an aroma installer, or it will just install otherwise.
Then reboot and go thru the set up as if it was a brand new phone.
If you don't do the s-off thing, 4ext offers a smart flash option. If you aren't s-off you can't just flash a Rom if it contains a kernel. So smart flash will be required.
There are a few guides in the dev section and the general section on how most of this process works.
Again, talk with ravike and he'll be glad to help. Plus the more people we can keep here and happy, the longer we will be creating roms and fun stuff to play with.
Regards,
Chevy
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda app-developers app
Is there a good documentation for all ROM flash steps?
Thanks, Cowboy, for the helpful reply, though I don't see any HELP button to push that the end of your post refers to.
I think at this point I'd like to figure out on my own how to install a custom ROM, though I must say that your S-OFF reference is one of the things that confuses me because the HTC dev site itself spells out that it is not necessary to change S-On to S-Off. Go, figure ...
Also, I think I like what I've read about the Revolution ROM, so that's the one I'd like to install if that is working with T-Mo branded Amaze 4G phones, though mine is no longer locked to T-Mo.
Your welcome!
NWsoccerfan said:
Thanks, Cowboy, for the helpful reply, though I don't see any HELP button to push that the end of your post refers to.
I think at this point I'd like to figure out on my own how to install a custom ROM, though I must say that your S-OFF reference is one of the things that confuses me because the HTC dev site itself spells out that it is not necessary to change S-On to S-Off. Go, figure ...
Also, I think I like what I've read about the Revolution ROM, so that's the one I'd like to install if that is working with T-Mo branded Amaze 4G phones, though mine is no longer locked to T-Mo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're using the web to look at xda, there is a thanks button on the lower left side of the screen before the very end of the post line.
If you're using the XDA app, you have to tap on my post, and it should have a thanks selection in the options that come up.
A few more suggestions.
1.) How to save user installed content and the factory ROM image before wiping it out so it could be eventually restored if needed.
A) one you are rooted you should be able to back up all of your user data through a nandroid which is available in TWRP or 4EXT recoveries. This will back up everything to be able to restore exactly like it was before you change roms.
(NRG is my ICS preference, and Afnan has a good modified stock rom. ARHD (revolution) is also a good one without too many frills.
2.) How to prepare the phone for installing a new ROM
B) again, Root - s-off (really a good idea and not too hard to do) - dev unlock - and Super CID
3.) What new and stable ROM images will work with given phone and how to obtain them and in what form? Zip, rar, or what?
C) any roms listed in the dev section in the Amaze forum works. And, they should all be Zip fles. You can restore somone elses nandroid back up, but not adviseable.
4.) In what SD Card directory or in USB-connected PC directory the new ROM should be.
D) anywhere (except the PH85IMG.zip MUST be on the root of your EXTERNAL sdcard)
5.) How the flashing process would look like? Expected phases and length?
E) There are two types of rom flashes, standard and Aroma (thanks @amarullz)
1) Standard just does it's thing and when it's done, it returns you to the recovery menu to reboot.
2) Aroma is a highly configurable installation (preferred for selections of different kernels and adding or removing apps, keyboards, cpu freq's and much more) after it's done, most often it can reboot directly from the installer. ARHD has this type of installer, also NRG roms, and mine!
6.) Do I need to lock the new ROM's root just as the factory ROM was? How would I do that?
F) all of the "Custom" rom's (even thought some may be stock) should be rooted. A rooted rom containd the busybox and super user bianaries and apps (IE chanfireSU or SuperSU)
7.) Any special issues when booting the new ROM for the first time?
G) You shouldn't have any issues when booting a new rom for the first time. Some do require a little bit of behind the scenes set up time. Most users see just the boot animation reach the end, or it may seem like it's not doing anything, but it's doing an unbelievable amount of background processing, dexopting, and some comminucation with the carrier for data and validation set up. Some may take five to ten minutes to complete depending on the amount of apps and goodies that are in the rom.
H) if you see the HTC logo for an extended amount of time, more than five minutes, and you dont see the boot animation (which varies by rom) then you are stuck in a preload loop. This happens when you flash a carrier specific rom without being "Super CID", or you may not have flashed the kernel (if you are S-Off this won't be a problem) because you didn't select smartflash from the recovery settings.
** I had issues trying to install ARHD at first because there is a firmware update, a requirement to be Super CID (probably the easiest of things to do), and some roms specify that you should be using TWRP recovery instead of 4EXT, or vise versa.
8.) How would I restore the original factory ROM saved in step 1?
I) nandroid restore There is also a rooted stock rom based off of the latest OTA ICS Update. It is just like the rom that comes preloaded, or updated to on stock non-rooted phones. If you go that route, flash the "Stock ICS" rooted rom and do an advanced nandroid restore and only restore your data. That will (should) get you back to where you started from but keeping root, S-Off, Dev unlock, and Super CID.
I rewrote some of what I noted befor so maybe other's can benifit from this knowledge. And I wanted to expand on a few items. All good questions!
There's a lot of things that happen in the background that people need to see sometime (pull a logcat) to see the crazy lines of code flying by on a terminal screen.
If more poeple took the time to understand all of this it would reduce the amount of errors while flashing and poeple would be more happy.
And in doing so I think people will learn more about what they are doing, and the more you do it, the better you get at doing it.
Enjoy!
Chevy
chevycowboyusa said:
If you're using the web to look at xda, there is a thanks button on the lower left side of the screen before the very end of the post line.
If you're using the XDA app, you have to tap on my post, and it should have a thanks selection in the options that come up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the web for this and the only thing I see on the lower left side is a DONATE button. That's what you mean?
chevycowboyusa said:
A few more suggestions.
1.) How to save user installed content and the factory ROM image before wiping it out so it could be eventually restored if needed.
A) one you are rooted you should be able to back up all of your user data through a nandroid which is available in TWRP or 4EXT recoveries. This will back up everything to be able to restore exactly like it was before you change roms.
(NRG is my ICS preference, and Afnan has a good modified stock rom. ARHD (revolution) is also a good one without too many frills.
2.) How to prepare the phone for installing a new ROM
B) again, Root - s-off (really a good idea and not too hard to do) - dev unlock - and Super CID
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I still use my phone after it is rooted but before the new ROM is installed? How would the phone behavior change on a rooted phone?
You did not comment on why the htcdev site recommends against the S-Off as not being necessary for installing a custom ROM.
chevycowboyusa said:
3.) What new and stable ROM images will work with given phone and how to obtain them and in what form? Zip, rar, or what?
C) any roms listed in the dev section in the Amaze forum works. And, they should all be Zip fles. You can restore somone elses nandroid back up, but not adviseable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, I've got that. Does this Nandroid backup the entire image of the phone's content sector-by-sector, or as individual files? To the external SD card or to the PC connected by USB cable? BTW, why are all flashing procedures requiring loading of the HTC USB drivers when such drivers must be on the phone already? Otherwise we could not link the phone to PC in the first place.
chevycowboyusa said:
4.) In what SD Card directory or in USB-connected PC directory the new ROM should be.
D) anywhere (except the PH85IMG.zip MUST be on the root of your EXTERNAL sdcard)
5.) How the flashing process would look like? Expected phases and length?
E) There are two types of rom flashes, standard and Aroma (thanks @amarullz)
1) Standard just does it's thing and when it's done, it returns you to the recovery menu to reboot.
2) Aroma is a highly configurable installation (preferred for selections of different kernels and adding or removing apps, keyboards, cpu freq's and much more) after it's done, most often it can reboot directly from the installer. ARHD has this type of installer, also NRG roms, and mine!
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Click to collapse
Aroma? That doesn't smell too good to me.
chevycowboyusa said:
6.) Do I need to lock the new ROM's root just as the factory ROM was? How would I do that?
F) all of the "Custom" rom's (even thought some may be stock) should be rooted. A rooted rom containd the busybox and super user bianaries and apps (IE chanfireSU or SuperSU)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, so this might answer my earlier question about how a rooted phone might behave. Essentially a user might not even know the difference, right? So, I could also do this process in two stages: First just root the factory ROM and use the phone that way till I am ready to actually flash the new ROM in the second stage, right?
chevycowboyusa said:
7.) Any special issues when booting the new ROM for the first time?
G) You shouldn't have any issues when booting a new rom for the first time. Some do require a little bit of behind the scenes set up time. Most users see just the boot animation reach the end, or it may seem like it's not doing anything, but it's doing an unbelievable amount of background processing, dexopting, and some comminucation with the carrier for data and validation set up. Some may take five to ten minutes to complete depending on the amount of apps and goodies that are in the rom.
H) if you see the HTC logo for an extended amount of time, more than five minutes, and you dont see the boot animation (which varies by rom) then you are stuck in a preload loop. This happens when you flash a carrier specific rom without being "Super CID", or you may not have flashed the kernel (if you are S-Off this won't be a problem) because you didn't select smartflash from the recovery settings.
** I had issues trying to install ARHD at first because there is a firmware update, a requirement to be Super CID (probably the easiest of things to do), and some roms specify that you should be using TWRP recovery instead of 4EXT, or vise versa.
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I've got this.
chevycowboyusa said:
8.) How would I restore the original factory ROM saved in step 1?
I) nandroid restore There is also a rooted stock rom based off of the latest OTA ICS Update. It is just like the rom that comes preloaded, or updated to on stock non-rooted phones. If you go that route, flash the "Stock ICS" rooted rom and do an advanced nandroid restore and only restore your data. That will (should) get you back to where you started from but keeping root, S-Off, Dev unlock, and Super CID.
I rewrote some of what I noted befor so maybe other's can benifit from this knowledge. And I wanted to expand on a few items. All good questions!
There's a lot of things that happen in the background that people need to see sometime (pull a logcat) to see the crazy lines of code flying by on a terminal screen.
If more poeple took the time to understand all of this it would reduce the amount of errors while flashing and poeple would be more happy.
And in doing so I think people will learn more about what they are doing, and the more you do it, the better you get at doing it.
Enjoy!
Chevy
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Click to collapse
Thanks. I like your attitude about this.
When you get time stop by
XDA University.
I learned tons here its a great place to start and much better than trying to Google everything
http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/xda-university
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
been busy
NWsoccerfan said:
I use the web for this and the only thing I see on the lower left side is a DONATE button. That's what you mean?
Can I still use my phone after it is rooted but before the new ROM is installed? How would the phone behavior change on a rooted phone?
You did not comment on why the htcdev site recommends against the S-Off as not being necessary for installing a custom ROM.
OK, I've got that. Does this Nandroid backup the entire image of the phone's content sector-by-sector, or as individual files? To the external SD card or to the PC connected by USB cable? BTW, why are all flashing procedures requiring loading of the HTC USB drivers when such drivers must be on the phone already? Otherwise we could not link the phone to PC in the first place.
Aroma? That doesn't smell too good to me.
Oh, so this might answer my earlier question about how a rooted phone might behave. Essentially a user might not even know the difference, right? So, I could also do this process in two stages: First just root the factory ROM and use the phone that way till I am ready to actually flash the new ROM in the second stage, right?
I've got this.
Thanks. I like your attitude about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you're welcome! I wish everyone would try to learn this
and the university is also very helpfull as freakboy noted above,
I've been busy working at bringing the comunity the next greatest romz!