Okay, so it's been almost a year since I've even looked at this site and I can see I'm so far behind. All I wanted to do is update to either a good ICS ROM or just root the most recent OTA update. I just don't know what the first step is for me since I'm very out of the loop for what all of the tutorials expect.
I currently have a custom rom with 2.3.5 and SafeStrap 1.09 on an XT912
I also have all the drivers and the the factory rom if that helps. If someone could either explain briefly what order I have to do things, or provide a link that works with what I have, that'd be nice.
Also any thoughts on whats a good ICS custom rom.
Related
Hey guys, Im completely new to rooting and im getting a rezound in a couple days and i just had a few simple questions that i couldnt find the answers too else where.
1. If I root my rezound will i still be able to receive all the regular updates like the verizon updates and upcoming OS updates? If not what can i do to get those?(Correct me if im wrong but I would assume that i would have to reverse my root somehow if the answer was no but im not sure how to do that)
2. If i root do i have to install a ROM?(Note:Im planning to remove htc sense as soon as i root and install a new launcher...idk if that has anything to do with having to install a ROM but i figured i should ask)
if you plan to stay on the original rom after you root, im pretty sure that you will be able to recieve the actual ota when its released. but you say that you plan to delete a lot of htc stuff (im assuming bloatware and things like that)...i would HIGHLY recommend just flashing a rom with all of that done for you. unless you know what youre doing, removing htc stuff by yourself can be detrimental to your phone and cause it to not work as it should. im currently running cleanrom 4.1 and its incredible. flashing a rom would be the best way to go
hope this helped.
yes that help, thanks. so if i were to use cleanrom 4.1 and i wanted to get the official ICS update when it released, what would have to do to be able to install it?
Forgive me for being a noob but I am going to attempt my first post I usually just read but feel I may be able to give a quality answer. SO, If you make a nandroid backup before flashing any rom's you will be able to revert back to stock at any time. You can do this via a custom recovery. In order to get an OTA, like the ICS one that is coming soon, you will have to reload your stock rom. Simply put, you cannot get an OTA with a custom rom. If you want a custom rom now and an OTA update later, make a backup and revert back to it when the OTA you want is released. Hope this helps!
One thing that nobody seems to ever mention is do NOT do anything to your phone for the first 30 days because you want to make sure you have a solid phone.
If your phone is constantly malfunctioning because of a problem with the phone, but you have already rooted your phone and flashed a new ROM, then you're going to be nothing but frustrated because you will think it's the ROM, or perhaps something you did when rooting the phone.
If you have a problem within the first 30 days and you have not rooted or flashed a new ROM all you do is walk in to Verizon, tell them the phone is brand new, but having issues with [insert problem here] and you get a brand new phone with all your info transfered for free, and another 30 days to make sure your replacement is not defective as well.
Sent from the resounding Rezound
very good tips! thanks guys, your answers are highly appreciated!
Aaronmc
What device are you coming from? I went from an OG Droid1 to the Rezound and actually love Sense. I think you should try it out first before cutting it out completely. If you wish you can leave the stock Status Bar/SystemUI and install a different launcher as that will disable most of the Sense elements, ~90% of it. As far as OTA's go, unconfirmed whether or not you can update from the recent leak. Make sure you have stock rom available or do not flash the recent leak and choose one of the older roms (Can always RUU back to the stock rom when official hits). I suggest Rezrom 3.1 with the old firmware patch as for me it's been so far the most stable and best battery life ICS rom I have used.
1. No, you won't be able to get OTA updates. But don't worry too much about that. It takes about a week, but the devs will post a manual method or you can use the RUU that usually preceeds the OTA by a day or two.
2. Don't try to disable sense from the stock ROM. It'll be trouble, I tried it for a while back when we only had temp root and it made it buggy and smoked the battery. Flash some ROMs and let the pros get that stuff worked out for you (and throw your favorite dev a few bucks to keep him interested!)
The real consequence of rooting though is the countless late nights flashing yet another new build or theme or whatever. It's kind of addicting.
Ok firstly im no stranger to Android, and not entirely new to Moto (Atrix 4G), but I have to say that the RAZR has me pretty confused.
I have a Rogers RAZR being delivered that I picked up on the cheap. Its brand new and supposedly "unlocked". I would love to get ICS running on it, but despite reading the treads here for the last couple of days im still uncertain if its possible
I have used RSD before with the Atrix, but it was only to apply a patch that would allow you to unlock the bootloader (also surprised to see that the RAZR is still locked down). I know that you can flash ROMs via RSD, but what I do not understand is whether or not root and custom recovery is required? I assume that if you're flashing an official ROM, then no it is not. Correct? I also thought that flashing full sbf files was dangerous to attempt. Maybe im way off here, I don't know.
Im still a bit confused about the GSM patch for CDMA ROMs too. People seem to report issues with their phones when this is done. So im not too sure that it is a good idea to go that route either.
I understand that when things start to happen for a phone in terms of ROMs, recovery, work-arounds etc... that it can get a bit messy in the forum and things can get buried a few pages back, but i've been reading until my head hurts and i'm still uncertain where to begin. Also, there is an update that is also "supposedly" beginning this month for official ICS, but we all know that could be delayed, and delayed, and delayed. Wondering if I should just wait.
I guess I'm really hoping for someone to say do this, then this, and this...viola! I don't need an in depth step by step as I know how to figure out instructions from their respective threads. But if someone has a min to post a point form list like
Root with Motofail
Install Boot to CWM
Flash this ROM
Then this ROM etc etc...
Any help is appreciated and I hope no one thinks im asking to have my hand held here, but im at a loss. Just don't want to F my new phone when it arrives.
Thanks in advance for anyone who can help a fella out.
brunswick000 said:
Ok firstly im no stranger to Android, and not entirely new to Moto (Atrix 4G), but I have to say that the RAZR has me pretty confused.
I have a Rogers RAZR being delivered that I picked up on the cheap. Its brand new and supposedly "unlocked". I would love to get ICS running on it, but despite reading the treads here for the last couple of days im still uncertain if its possible
I have used RSD before with the Atrix, but it was only to apply a patch that would allow you to unlock the bootloader (also surprised to see that the RAZR is still locked down). I know that you can flash ROMs via RSD, but what I do not understand is whether or not root and custom recovery is required? I assume that if you're flashing an official ROM, then no it is not. Correct? I also thought that flashing full sbf files was dangerous to attempt. Maybe im way off here, I don't know.
A. Yes. If you're flashing an official rom you do not need root/cwm. Flashing full sbf with rsd is safer than cwm restoring a nandroid backup. But if you do you'll not be able to receive further otas updates. Bootload is locked in Razr also there's a region signature verification. So you cannot flash another region rom. :/
Im still a bit confused about the GSM patch for CDMA ROMs too. People seem to report issues with their phones when this is done. So im not too sure that it is a good idea to go that route either.
A. Most of related problems on that is due bad procedure following.
I understand that when things start to happen for a phone in terms of ROMs, recovery, work-arounds etc... that it can get a bit messy in the forum and things can get buried a few pages back, but i've been reading until my head hurts and i'm still uncertain where to begin. Also, there is an update that is also "supposedly" beginning this month for official ICS, but we all know that could be delayed, and delayed, and delayed. Wondering if I should just wait.
A. There's one official update for latam razrs, like yours. The 2.3.6 > go into dev section and you'll find out. Ics will out in a month. Fingers crossed!
I guess I'm really hoping for someone to say do this, then this, and this...viola! I don't need an in depth step by step as I know how to figure out instructions from their respective threads. But if someone has a min to post a point form list like
Root with Motofail (motofail is for gsm 2.3.6 only)
Install Boot to CWM (this is for restoring custom roms and backup, u need to be root for)
Flash this ROM (look for latam razr roms)
Then this ROM etc etc...
Any help is appreciated and I hope no one thinks im asking to have my hand held here, but im at a loss. Just don't want to F my new phone when it arrives.
Thanks in advance for anyone who can help a fella out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I didn't get any point let me know.
Cheers
Sent from my XT910 using Tapatalk 2
Thank you. You hit the points. Much appreciated.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
like everything i find is for the 910 or whatev. does anyone know if there is a root/recovery method for the 912 with 4.0.4? im new to motorola. ive used htc androids since the g1 tho so im not new to android... htc seemed a lot more "hack friendly" to me...
update
Nevermind. I think i found a good place to start http://www.eternityproject.eu/topic/79-toolrootrazr-eternityproject-easyrootics/#entry739 but still, any advice on bootstrapping or safestrapping would be appreciated. i have rsd and the 73 stock rom if anything bad happens
deshaggs will find the way and the links for ya
lhommedangereux said:
like everything i find is for the 910 or whatev. does anyone know if there is a root/recovery method for the 912 with 4.0.4? im new to motorola. ive used htc androids since the g1 tho so im not new to android... htc seemed a lot more "hack friendly" to me...
update
Nevermind. I think i found a good place to start http://www.eternityproject.eu/topic/79-toolrootrazr-eternityproject-easyrootics/#entry739 but still, any advice on bootstrapping or safestrapping would be appreciated. i have rsd and the 73 stock rom if anything bad happens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NOTE: I'm doing all this to a Verizon DROID RAZR XT912(so I can only guarantee it works on that model)
You were heading the right way for root this feed works///.....:good:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1710871
Now on to custom recovery and other cool things this awesome phone can do dual boot among them the link below will get you through the custom recovery and install of custom roms
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1792955
Awesome page for ROMS for this device from stock to well everything (click here) just cause I'm using CM10 stock doesn't mean you have to and this will give you a shopping market full of fun ROMS to choose from (NOTE: I recommend you read about the ROM before using it and make sure to look for the what isn't working part and it doesn't hurt to read a few comments to see if the developers have fixed the glitches sometimes they fix the problem but not the original post) later hope it helps
Hello everyone, I'm trying to do a buddy of mine a favor by upgrading his Vibrant to something a lot better (he's on stock) but I'm a bit unclear on a few things. First of all let me get out of the way that I'm a Fascinate (Verizon) owner that recently modded my own phone to run AOKP ICS Milestone 6 with great results, so I figured since he pretty much had the exact same phone I could do it for him. The problem I'm running into is the procedure I used to flash my phone doesn't seem to apply to the Vibrant (or at least what I was searching for) so I just wanted to clear up a few steps before I try to flash his phone.
He's not a very tech savvy guy, so he won't be updating ROMs on the bleeding edge or anything, he just wants his phone to run better so I figure ICZen is the way to go right, considering it's based off of what I'm using now (AOKP M6)? Everything needs to work, so that pretty much rules out any JB right now because of the GPS issues. Okay now onto the specific flashing questions:
1) This thread seems to be the go to thread for flashing the Vibrant, but it hasn't been updated since Dec '11, so would I just follow the same procedure for the newer ICS roms?
2) Here is the guide I used for my Fascinate (see section 4), which has a few extra steps that I notice are lacking for the Vibrant... namely installing cwm4 fixed for cm7 first, then installing THS Build 2, then flash over that with whatever ICS Rom you need.
3) Devil Kernel is what's considered best on my phone running AOKP M6... is that true as well for ICZen?
4) Since the Vibrant never got 2.3, what is the best modem to be using? On the Fascinate the EH03 (GB) stock modem is best, but I'm unsure what the deal is for the Vibrant since they never got an official GB update. Also along the same topic, Verizon has a code you can input that updates your PRL and improves reception... does T-Mobile have such a code or not?
I appreciate any and all input, as I want this to go as smoothly as possible. Thanks
You seem to have a pretty good grasp on what your doing.
From stock, install gingerbread bootloaders then go to recovery via volume rocker down and hold power button, until the logo. Might have to practice it a couple times.
Once in recovery click reinstall packages, might have to do it s couple of times. This installs your update.zip
From here I always perform wipes and flash a custom Froyo ROM. Maybe overkill but, only takes a second and I don't mind.
From here I flashed the latest CM9 nightly and on to Helly Bean.
Do your wipes in between flashes, and you should be fine.
I haven't ever heard about a T-Mobile code for tower updates, I think its automatic.
Well I didn't have to worry about bootloaders on my Fascinate since I was already on GB, so that's a bit new to me... but doing a quick google search I found this guide. Is that an accurate guide to follow? Alright so basically what you're saying is before I root at all I need to do this?
Also like I was saying earlier, he wants everything to work so I think Helly Bean is out of the question because of GPS, right? I was thinking ICZen looks the cleanest, with everything working nicely, and it's based on what I'm currently using on mine.
Can you clarify on why you're flashing a custom froyo rom? I won't mind to do that either, if it has any benefit.
Also, I checked his phone last night and it's on stock 2.2, not 2.1 if that makes any sort of difference. Thanks again
First root and get cwm recovery then flash bootloaders. The vibe never got an official GB, so that's why boot loaders are recommended. The guide you have is fine. Second the GPS on the vibrant has been notoriously hit or miss. I have a captivate, the GPS works great but my vibe couldn't get a lock to save my life.
Now as far as iczen or hellybean, you have to weigh the options:
Iczen is a great ROM and might have a better chance getting a GPS lock. IMO if you can get a lock with ICS you will probably get a lock with JB. But with ICS you have to be concerned with the EU bug. What's that you ask:
There has been an issue with people randomly looking at phone and a message saying encryption unsuccessful press to reset. If you press the button you have basically just locked up your internal SD card. If you don't press you MIGHT be able to recover it. There is a workaround if this happens, to use ext SD only but your friend will not like that.
I'm currently running hellybean on both of my devices and I love it. Like I said, cappy gps works great and my vibrant not so much. If you really want stable go with bionix as toast recommended or one of moped Ryder's ROMs . If you want to be wowed, go with hellybean.
There are some things you can try with it to get a GPS lock. The general consensus is turn on GPS, reboot, wait it out till you get an initial lock. After that locks will be quicker. I hope this helped in some way, if so hit thanks. As far as the guides etc you are good to go.
its peanut butter jelly(bean) time
That did help quite a bit, thank you. I have never even heard of that bug, do you know if that's Vibrant specific or can that happen on any of the others? I have been wanting to try Helly Bean on my Fascinate, but unfortunately my sdcard isn't very stable and I don't trust to flash anything until I can buy a new one. Honestly, I don't even think he cares much about the GPS, my original point was more along the lines of that I wanted to give him as much of a glitch-free experience as possible, so my fault for not being more specific. If Helly Bean is as stable as you're saying, then maybe I'll just do that instead then, especially after you explained that glitch. Also, since I don't have any Helly Bean experience myself, does it offer as much customization as AOKP? I've grown quite fond of all the little tweaks they include
Hellybean is pretty stable. When I did my vibrant I didn't have to use a boot loader I went straight to ICS then jellybean. If you want ICS then you may want to try aokp for his vibe its nice. If you end up trying aokp milestone 6 and have unknown baseband let me know and I'll link you to a linario build that should fix that
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda app-developers app
I have a complete guide to install ICS ROMs in my signature if you feel so inclined. PM me if you need any of the files or I may just host them on my Dev-Host account. I'll be out most of the day, but I can upload them later on tonight.
When I need to go back to stock and root and flash cwm I use the AIO toolbox. I just put the rom on the internal flash and then use AIO to get cwm on it from the flash custom rom option. Then cancel the file and the phone will reboot into recovery where you install packages twice and should end up in cwm.
The EU bug has hit vibrant and captivates that I know of. It seems rare though, if you think about the number of users compared to the reported number of cases of the EU bug, its a small percentage.Hellybean doesn't have nearly as much customization but it does offer theming and some launcher/lock screen tweaks. You could always use a custom launcher. There are a few other jellybean ROMs you could try. Honestly any way you go will be better than stock!
*I forgot to tell you, you will need to Odin back to stock 2.1!
its peanut butter jelly(bean) time
Yeah.. I don't think root is actually necessary to do any of this. You'll be rooted when the process is complete however. The custom ROMs come with root access.
But to elaborate on Samsgun357's last post, if you are currently on Froyo 2.2 stock, you'll need to Odin back to stock 2.1 prior to starting, because Samsung fixed the bug that allows installation of custom recovery when they released 2.2
It's simple to do, search the forums and you'll find a guide on Odining back to JFD. That's stock Eclair. If I have time in a few I'll locate it for you and post it.
There are YouTube videos about it with links to the files as well. I think djeddie1west posted a good one with links to all files needed, if they are still working links.
Edit: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1117990
There's the link for installing GB bootloader.
Also, I am on my phone and haven't tested links, but as long as they work, near the bottom of the post you'll find the files needed to Odin the JFD files.
Eh, I just gave up and told him to go get an iPhone instead, to increase his hipster status.
Or... that's right, I'd rather be dead than own one of those ugly bricks.
You have all been extremely helpful, and I think I have more than enough to go on. I think for now I'll just throw ICZen on his phone since it's based on the rom I'm most familiar with... and when I have more experience with Helly Bean (I finally ordered a new sdcard that's on the way, so I can play with it on my own phone soon enough :good I'll just flash his again. He'll be okay with the risks mentioned so far in this post, and honestly his upgrade is coming up soon so I'm sure I'll be drooling over his S3 when that time comes.
@Woodrube That guide you made to install ICS was exactly what I was looking for, and I wish I had found it earlier so thank you for making such an excellent post.
I'll post back here with the results, thanks for all the help once again
I got my GS4 back in the summer and I promptly rooted and I believe I even was able to unlock the bootloader. I then flashed Eclipse S4 TW edition (based on MDK) and its been so rock solid I haven't had a reason to touch is since. I'm been staring at my android 4.2.2 version and have been thinking no reason to upgrade. If it isn't broke don't fix it right? Well I'm starting to feel the flashing itch so I decided to jump back on XDA and see whats out there.
I'm trying to get a grasp on what all has changes since the last time I flashed my phone. It looks like there has been a few new builds to drop since I flashed. I'm confused on the details though. With my current state can I flash anything I want using the custom recovery or are there restrictions that I must follow. I have seen posts about using SafeStrap for flashing. I remember SafeStrap from my Razr days as a solution for phones with locked bootloaders. Does one of the OTA's relock the bootloader and make it impossible to unlock or are the SafeStrap posts for people that got the phones after me which already came with a locked bootloader?
Any reason why not to upgrade to the newest builds? I can't find any details on what is different between the builds but I have to imagine there is some new stuff that I might want to play with.
Lastly, can anyone suggest a good solid ROM to similar to Eclipse TW that is based on a newer build?
I appreciate any help you guys can give me. Being away this long and coming back is slightly overwhelming and who has time to navigate through every page of every thread for the past 6 months or so.
I would suggest to read some of the threads....custom Roms for 4.3 and 4.4 are a bit slow in coming. If you are mdk...no need for safestrap....you can still keep your phone rooted and loki'd..and move to 4.3 base
powered by hashcode safestrap hyperdrive 10.2
trevoryour said:
I got my GS4 back in the summer and I promptly rooted and I believe I even was able to unlock the bootloader. I then flashed Eclipse S4 TW edition (based on MDK) and its been so rock solid I haven't had a reason to touch is since. I'm been staring at my android 4.2.2 version and have been thinking no reason to upgrade. If it isn't broke don't fix it right? Well I'm starting to feel the flashing itch so I decided to jump back on XDA and see whats out there.
I'm trying to get a grasp on what all has changes since the last time I flashed my phone. It looks like there has been a few new builds to drop since I flashed. I'm confused on the details though. With my current state can I flash anything I want using the custom recovery or are there restrictions that I must follow. I have seen posts about using SafeStrap for flashing. I remember SafeStrap from my Razr days as a solution for phones with locked bootloaders. Does one of the OTA's relock the bootloader and make it impossible to unlock or are the SafeStrap posts for people that got the phones after me which already came with a locked bootloader?
Any reason why not to upgrade to the newest builds? I can't find any details on what is different between the builds but I have to imagine there is some new stuff that I might want to play with.
Lastly, can anyone suggest a good solid ROM to similar to Eclipse TW that is based on a newer build?
I appreciate any help you guys can give me. Being away this long and coming back is slightly overwhelming and who has time to navigate through every page of every thread for the past 6 months or so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, So heres what you missed. After the MDK release they(Verizon/Samsung) patched the loki bootloader hack so thats why anybody whos not on the MDK release has an locked bootloader. That is where safestrap comes in. Safestrap is a custom recovery that was developed by Hascode, in order to provide those with a locked bootloader a way to get in on the rom action, while keeping there stock rom untouched.
Now that said i would advise you to update but not through the stock "Check Update" tab (as that will lock your phones bootloader). Instead you should just flash a rom that is built with the new update as the base (E.X. Hyperdrive 11). This will allow you to get the new update without locking your bootloader.
Now for roms, i believe there is an updated Eclipse TW Rom & Eclipse AOSP ROM on the Dev's site ( dont know the link but will post it once i find it).