[Q] requirement for stock firmware before flashing custom firmware? - Sony Xperia P, U, Sola, Go

Hell everyone,
I have a couple of questions regarding the installation of custom roms.
Does anyone know why there is a requirement to first flash stock firmware before flashing a custom rom in sola?
kernel, rom, recovery, all come with the custom rom, so why is that? (my main device is a nexus so this requirement is very odd for me)
On a second note, if you do a nandroid backup say of cm9 FXP205, and go to whatever other rom, do you need to flash stock again before restoring the nandroid, or you just hit recovery and restore?
thanx and forgive my ignorance on this matter

cpanos said:
Hell everyone,
I have a couple of questions regarding the installation of custom roms.
Does anyone know why there is a requirement to first flash stock firmware before flashing a custom rom in sola?
kernel, rom, recovery, all come with the custom rom, so why is that? (my main device is a nexus so this requirement is very odd for me)
On a second note, if you do a nandroid backup say of cm9 FXP205, and go to whatever other rom, do you need to flash stock again before restoring the nandroid, or you just hit recovery and restore?
thanx and forgive my ignorance on this matter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the first question
We always ask to flash stock ftf for two reasons
Firstly to get modules and certain dependencies from the stock rom ( thats why in cwm first rom is flashed and then system is wiped and not vice versa)
If u dun do that u will get installation aborted in cwm
Second question m nt sure coz I never restored trans rom nandroid
Bt bt bt.... Since we usually have nandroid backups of upto 1gb, I DUN THINK flashing stock would be a requirement
If m wrong plz correct me

Nandroid backup
For your second question, i have used nandroid backup in x10 mini pro to restore custom rom and saw no issues.
But in my xperia P sometimes I noticed that nandroid restore does not restore the custom bootscreen!!! But if you used advanced restore and restored every partition one by one issue seems to have fixed. So am not quite sure about the nandroid restore.

Thanks for the replies. However, any required modules/dependencies could be passed along with the custom rom, as it happens in other phones? What makes Sony phones unique in this aspect?
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app

cpanos said:
Thanks for the replies. However, any required modules/dependencies could be passed along with the custom rom, as it happens in other phones? What makes Sony phones unique in this aspect?
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct that the modules and others can be passed on through but that will increase the size of rom.So stock based roms can use the files already left behind by the stock ftf and hence there would be no need to include these module/dependencies files in the flashable zip.
Also stock based roms do not need to have kernel file as the stock firmware's kernel is already present on the phone,again reducing size.
The presence of locked bootloader makes sony phones special(although there are htc and motorola also).
In brief when u are going to install a rom that uses custom kernel,you need to have bootloader unlocked,so that custom kernel(not signed by sony)
can be installed e.g CM9.On the other hand if you have locked bootloader,you can't use custom kernel based roms and use stock based roms only e.g pulak's ultimate sola rom.
Hope this helps.

Related

[Q] Kernel

Is it ok to flash a custom kernel on top of another custom kernel?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
You dont need to revert on the original one before flash another custom. But you need to format dalvik cache and cache in recovery before flashing or you probably have a bootloop.
I suggest to make a backup of the rom in recovery, so If something goes wrong you can enter recovery and have the latest known working rom back in 2 minutes.
Please note flashing kernels always have a very small chance to corrupt your efs partition, its suggested to backup your efs folder before start play with roms and kernels. How to backup the efs, use the search tool of the forum
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
rembrandtlnx said:
You dont need to revert on the original one before flash another custom. But you need to format dalvik cache and cache in recovery before flashing or you probably have a bootloop.
I suggest to make a backup of the rom in recovery, so If something goes wrong you can enter recovery and have the latest known working rom back in 2 minutes.
Please note flashing kernels always have a very small chance to corrupt your efs partition, its suggested to backup your efs folder before start play with roms and kernels. How to backup the efs, use the search tool of the forum
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that. I know how to backup efs. Can i just use nitrality instead of ADB? To flash ROMs does it need to be in a specific firmware like sgsl or is it ok to have different firmware from the base of a custom rom?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
I know my english sux sry:
Depends on the kernel but usually it is listed in the kernel thread the how to (odin or clockworkmod), clockworkmode is already on your phone if you rooted it with cf-root.
Now, to enter clockworkmod recovery, just push volume up + home + power button until the S2 bootlogo appears, then wait few seconds.
About the kernel type, i always flashed any kernel despite of my baseband, the difference is not so big.
if something is not working, you can always youse the nandroid backup (the backup done with the recovery cwm (up+home+power) and get back to the previous rom with previous kernel.
Im not really in the kernel "how to" someone else can prolly give you more detailed info, but as for me, i flashed ninphetamine 2.05 and 2.1.3 in cwm and it worked.
But.. as always, the kernel developers got a how to install in their kernel thread, so just read those and be sure about if you need odin or clockworkmod, if you are not sure, DONT flash anything until you are sure on how to proceed or wich system to use for flashing, better keep an old kernel with a working phone than have a brick to hold the papers
PS: also almost all the roms on the S2 forum are flashable with the clockworkmod, only few (like the lite'ning) are flashable with odin.
Again, i know im boring, dont proceed if you are not sure, better ask 10 times instead brick your phone
ephraim033 said:
Is it ok to flash a custom kernel on top of another custom kernel?
Yes not a problem flash as per the custom kernel instructions .
Kernel can be changed within an individual firmware or custom rom .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply guys. Coming back to my second question. What if i have KF1 and the rom i want to flash has a base of KI3, should i flash to stock KI3 first before flashing the custom rom or is it ok to flash a KI3 custom rom without flashing first to stock KI3?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
The custom rom first, the kernel after.
I got the habbit to boot succesfully at least once the custom rom. If everything is ok i then flash the kernel. Better do 1 task at time.
You can decide to try the rom without change the kernel..and try a different one if you experience battery drain or other problems.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
If i am on KH3 and want to flash a custom rom based on KI4 then i would flash stock KI4 and KI4 root first .
Custom rom flashed i will often try a different kernel later .
jje
from my experience
I have found that when i upgraded rom from gingerbread to ics that most custom kernals work with these roms ie now running with xxlpw ics (from gingerbread) with xwlp7 kernal. from what i have read on other posts and threads i could swap kernal to siya or any other as the mega good developers have made them (hotswappable) interchangeable as previous reply said swapping kernal might give you better battery or solve overheat probs.
Eg iwas running darkys rom with siya kernal v?something my phone rocketed temp in short time so i swapped kernal for an up to date one (could have used older one) it solved problem.
Anyone feel free to correct explination im still learning too lol
linuxnubee said:
I have found that when i upgraded rom from gingerbread to ics that most custom kernals work with these roms ie now running with xxlpw ics (from gingerbread) with xwlp7 kernal. from what i have read on other posts and threads i could swap kernal to siya or any other as the mega good developers have made them (hotswappable) interchangeable as previous reply said swapping kernal might give you better battery or solve overheat probs.
Eg iwas running darkys rom with siya kernal v?something my phone rocketed temp in short time so i swapped kernal for an up to date one (could have used older one) it solved problem.
Anyone feel free to correct explination im still learning too lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll just point out this thread was dead since Sept 30 before you posted...

[Q] Unbranded 2.3 UK f/w?

Sorry for being a bit dumb, I used to be on XDA all the time when I had my x10 but that's some time ago now!
I want to flash an original unbranded uk 2.3 ROM on to my phone. No tweaks, rooting etc
Can someone please help me find one or link me to the relevant thread?
And once I've got the ROM what do I need to do? With the x10 it was a simple case of place the zip on the sd, boot into xrecovery and flash. Is it the same with the GS2?
Curious as to why you'd want to put a 2.3 GB rom on your phone ? Anyhoo, have a look at this thread. If you find links don't work, note the details of the firmware you want & search Samfirmware.com for it.
Want to install unbranded GB so I can get the official ICS update via Kies. That would work - right?
Yep. If you install 'correct' stock rom for your region it should give you the correct CSC for your country & you should be able to get Kies updates. If it doesn't work, you can always grab ICS stock roms from here/elsewhere & flash them manually.
psx612 said:
Want to install unbranded GB so I can get the official ICS update via Kies. That would work - right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a tad confused as there's so many ROMs to choose from!
I've installed Clockwork Mod, is it now just a case of find the correct ROM, stick it on the SD card and boot the phone in recovery?
Doubt you'll find many stock roms that are CWM flashable.
The majority (all ?) are Odin flashable, because people tend to go back to stock to either get a 'clean slate' they can then install custom roms/kernels over if they've had problems, or if they're sending the phone in for warranty service/replacement.
Right, so gotta work out how to use Odin....cheers!
So that means that custom ROMs can be flashed using CWM?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Many (most) custom roms are CWM flashable. Some also have Odin flashable versions.
That's what makes trying custom roms so easy, you backup your existing rom in CWM, flash the rom you want to try, if you don't like it you restore your backup & go back to your previous setup. All in a matter of minutes.
psx612 said:
Right, so gotta work out how to use Odin....cheers!
So that means that custom ROMs can be flashed using CWM?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As to the last post .
I have custom GB rom and want to try but not buy ICS custom rom .
Nandroid backup of full existing GB rom and all apps and settings via CWM recovery .
Flash ICS custom rom via CWM recovery test it make a nandroid backup also .
Boot CWM recovery and go back to the exact GB settup and i can even restore the ICS rom again .
jje

Can I install CWM without flashing new ROM or kernel?

As I mentioned in my other thread, I have a second hand US SGP 5.0. I really want to try some other ROMs but I want to create an image of my current setup just in case something happens. I've read that CWM can make full Nandroid backups so is there a way I can install CWM without flashing to a new ROM to make the backup of my current setup? I only see threads for new ROMs that include CWM but not a thread just for CWM.
Alternatively, if anyone can suggest a way to make a full image of my current setup without the need to flash anything, that would work as well.
Thanks!
CWM is included in custom kernels. just make sure to flash the CORRECT kernel with odin and u shall be fine
So just to clarify I can flash a custom kernel without flashing a new ROM?
Can I still hang onto the hope of being able to just install CWM without flashing anything? I would really prefer to make a full Nandroid backup of my current working setup before exploring new ROMs.
Thanks!
Yes you can flash just a kernel with odin. There is a way to install cmw without a custom rom or kernel but the galaxy player is a rather shunned device so sadly not for us.
I'd recommend flashing terrasilent, and if anything goes wrong theres stocks on this forum you can flash back to.
Sent from my YP-G1 using xda app-developers app
PairOfSocks said:
Yes you can flash just a kernel with odin. There is a way to install cmw without a custom rom or kernel but the galaxy player is a rather shunned device so sadly not for us.
I'd recommend flashing terrasilent, and if anything goes wrong theres stocks on this forum you can flash back to.
Sent from my YP-G1 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He have a 5.0 so depending from his device region, he would have to flash either rj's or entropy daily driver.

[Q] A few questions about rooting and custom roms.

Hi
Im new to rooting phones and have rooted my Samsung galaxy s3 GT-I9300. Im running 4.1.1 on it and rooted it using odin and CF-ROOT-SGS3-v6.tar.
Ive got CWM manager and superuser on it and have backed up my apps using titanium back up and backed up the rom using ROM manager.
What I want to know is can anyone recommend a ROM that is like the stock one but with added features such as multi window and takes away a lot off the added Samsung stuff thats not really needed and also runs smooth without eating up too much battery?
Can I just update my kernel or do I need to install a custom ROM?
Can I install the new ROM using ROM manager?
Do I need to move any backed up apps and current rom off the phones memory to an external SD card before installing a custom rom?
Do I need to take into account the Baseband version (mine is I9300XXELJ2) when looking what roms I can install or does it simply have to be for the S3 I9300?
Sorry if my questions seem a bit daft or if Ive not given enough information. Im new to all this and want a custom rom that will hopefully offer a bit more than the standard one but dont want to brick my phone
Thanks in advanced.
nicksmith1989 said:
Hi
Im new to rooting phones and have rooted my Samsung galaxy s3 GT-I9300. Im running 4.1.1 on it and rooted it using odin and CF-ROOT-SGS3-v6.tar.
Ive got CWM manager and superuser on it and have backed up my apps using titanium back up and backed up the rom using ROM manager.
What I want to know is can anyone recommend a ROM that is like the stock one but with added features such as multi window and takes away a lot off the added Samsung stuff thats not really needed and also runs smooth without eating up too much battery?
Can I just update my kernel or do I need to install a custom ROM?
Can I install the new ROM using ROM manager?
Do I need to move any backed up apps and current rom off the phones memory to an external SD card before installing a custom rom?
Do I need to take into account the Baseband version (mine is I9300XXELJ2) when looking what roms I can install or does it simply have to be for the S3 I9300?
Sorry if my questions seem a bit daft or if Ive not given enough information. Im new to all this and want a custom rom that will hopefully offer a bit more than the standard one but dont want to brick my phone
Thanks in advanced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend sotmax ROM or android revolution ROM which is both close to stock ROM and my favorites. But you have to try for yourself to know.
You can use custom kernel after rooting. But read the op to see if compatible.
ROM manager can install ROMs but only with the premium version if I'm not mistaken. Alternatively just use cwm to flash. Fast and easy.
Backup apps depends on what you using. Titanium backup? Usually backed up apps are safely stored. And can restore in any ROM after flashing.
Baseband usually will be along with custom ROM.
All in all if you read the op in first post of each thread and follow steps. Bricking is usually a non issue. But as always make a full backup before flashing.
Happy flashing
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
No need to move the backups anywhere unless you're gonna wipe your internal SD.
Baseband doesn't matter, just flash anything for the i9300.
And don't ask for best ROMs, it's against the rules
Raiden00 said:
I would recommend sotmax ROM or android revolution ROM which is both close to stock ROM and my favorites. But you have to try for yourself to know.
You can use custom kernel after rooting. But read the op to see if compatible.
ROM manager can install ROMs but only with the premium version if I'm not mistaken. Alternatively just use cwm to flash. Fast and easy.
Backup apps depends on what you using. Titanium backup? Usually backed up apps are safely stored. And can restore in any ROM after flashing.
Baseband usually will be along with custom ROM.
All in all if you read the op in first post of each thread and follow steps. Bricking is usually a non issue. But as always make a full backup before flashing.
Happy flashing
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does the baseband in the rom have to match the one on my phone or can I install any rom and my baseband will just change and all will be fine?
This is going to seem stupid but what do you mean by op?
To install or flash a rom using CWM do I just click recovery mode in the app and continue from there?
Thanks for the quick response,
first, read the basic guides.
op means the first post
BASICS.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1927113
jje
You can't have Samsung features on an AOSP (aka stock Android) based ROM. Its integrated into Samsung ROMs.
For best of both world's you can dual boot two ROMs using Siyah kernel 1.8.9 eg. A Samsung ROM (ex: stock) and an AOSP based one (ex: CM10.1)
Before experimenting copy backups to an external SD card or your PC.
International S III 16GB / Dualboot 4.1.2 Stock & Cyanogenmod 10.1 / Gokhan's SK
Anono ROM gives high performance stability and great battery life
Other than that it is like stock
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
discussing what's the best /most stable /feature - rich ROM is against the rules

[Q] Nandroid Backup

Guys I'm fairly new to all the flashing and stuff but have come a long way with my several xperiments :victory:. I've a Xperia Neo L and with the stock ROM (locked BL) I had made a Nandroid backup. Today I unlocked my Bootloader and installed MIUI 2.11.30 from MIUI Australia.
1) I'm just curious will my previous backup can be used to restore my old stock ROM considering the BL status is changed now?
2) Stock ROM is backed up with CWM Recovery ver 5.5 and I'm currently running CWM Recovery ver 6.0.1.2. Will this have any impact?
Please forgive me for the noobish questions...
BL unlock status shouldn't make a difference. Different CWM version can give problems afaik, but chances are it works fine because of backward compatibility in restoring.
sdk16420 said:
BL unlock status shouldn't make a difference. Different CWM version can give problems afaik, but chances are it works fine because of backward compatibility in restoring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx mate! Will try restoring.
more important part is to use ICS kernel with ICS ROM, and GB kernel with GB ROM, same goes for backup's.
Madfysh said:
more important part is to use ICS kernel with ICS ROM, and GB kernel with GB ROM, same goes for backup's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm Now I'm running a MIUI ROM based on 4.04 and I'm curious to try Turbo UI r4 based on JB 4.1. For that i need to first flash a JB kernel. Will my nandroid backups still be working as I'm changing kernels?
One more time..
GB kernel GB ROM
ICS kernel ICS ROM
JB kernel JB ROM
Any other combination MAY work, but they are looking for trouble.
Right Thankyou!
anandbobby said:
Right Thankyou!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try out the Thanks button next time
It is there to just avoid posts just sayin thanks
We Shan't spam n clutter up unnecessarily!
Sent from my MT11i using xda premium

Categories

Resources