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Hey guys, nice section you have here. I've been reading all about the Atrix and have a couple of questions to confirm what i'm assuming.
Oh yeah, is the Atrix and Atrix 4G the same? I'm assuming so as i've not seen different specs or sections for it here, just wanted to be 100000% sure as i've never owned an android phone!
If i keep the Bootloader locked, is it impossible for me to hard brick the device? Seeing as though i can't freely flash to a lower firmware? (not including things like upgrading to official firmware and running out of battery etc, that's a sure fire way of bricking
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Just say i'm on 2.3.4 and i'm rooted and unlocked, if i flash CM7, can i reflash something like Alien or MIUI (when or if it gets ported) without ANY chance of a hard brick (AKA does it touch the bootloader and/or does it carry the risks which the flashing of a lower firmware does?)
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Would LauncherPro and other theme programs be available across the wide range of ROMS as long as i'm rooted?
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Thanks for your time guys, i'm busy reading up and watching the few videos on youtube (seriously, hardly anyone makes videos about this phone, what's up with that? ) I do have a cold right about now so will take a rest but i can't sleep knowing that i may soon be getting this phone (if my order for a Samsung Galaxy S (1) is not accepted by Vodafone and their stringent credit checks!)
Thanks again guys, hope to see you around soon!
The phone will be on T-Mobile in the UK. Hopefully!
First and last bump! I was wondering if installing LauncherPro would have any negative effects on the speed of the phone? It's dual core and has 1gb ram so i'm thinking the new launcher would not cause any lag but has anyone tried this and found out that it does indeed lag?
No not impossible, i would think it would be easier to brick with a locked bl.
Yes you can reflash, and no you won't get the "lower fw brick".
Yes you can use other launchers, always.
Thanks a lot mate.
To expand on the 1st answer, is it because with the locked BL, i can't install CWM so technically if i brick, it'll be harder if not impossible to fix it? So in a way, an unlocked BL is safer then, as long as i don't try to downgrade? That sounds kinda awesome!
Also, after the first flash, is it easier to flash another rom or is it the same process? I mean, is the 1st flash always the hardest and longest? Because i'm thinking that the 1st time flash would have me install a lot of things, and the next time i reflash, i can use the things i already installed the 1st time (such as CWM etc) to flash another rom can't i? I just want to be able to swap between a few different ROMS without having to risk a hard brick! Thanks for your answers btw, really appreciate it
coolnow said:
Thanks a lot mate.
To expand on the 1st answer, is it because with the locked BL, i can't install CWM so technically if i brick, it'll be harder if not impossible to fix it? So in a way, an unlocked BL is safer then, as long as i don't try to downgrade? That sounds kinda awesome!
Also, after the first flash, is it easier to flash another rom or is it the same process? I mean, is the 1st flash always the hardest and longest? Because i'm thinking that the 1st time flash would have me install a lot of things, and the next time i reflash, i can use the things i already installed the 1st time (such as CWM etc) to flash another rom can't i? I just want to be able to swap between a few different ROMS without having to risk a hard brick! Thanks for your answers btw, really appreciate it
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Thats right, the unlocked bootloader is the best way to go if you plan on flashing because of custom recovery.
Yes most likely its about the same process BUT, most if not all ROMs will have instructions on how to flash - make sure you read and follow them dont just "do what you did last time".
Prob the easiest way to swap between ROMs easily is to keep nandroid backups for them through cwm.
As far as it being easier to flash the next ROM because you can "keep things from the last flash".. NO you dont want to keep anything between flashing, meaning you should most likley always wipe data, cache & such unless otherwise specified (sometimes upgrading ROMs from one version to the next you can use a "no wipe" upgrade).
Thanks so much! Will install Nandroid asap when i get it! Also, i didn't mean "keep" things as in data and/or apps or cache or whatever, i meant like the 1st flashing would include installing CWM recovery, but the next time i reflash, i won't have to install that again, or would i? If not, then that's great!
Can't wait to try out Cyanogen Mod, theme it up, install some cool apps and just mess around with it! Bookmarked every section of the Atrix forum so i can easily read through it
Thank you for your time in helping a confused noob out I have read a lot of guides but without the phone in front of me, and me being completely new to this, it's not really sinking in. Once i get the phone physically in my hands, then i bet i'll learn a lot more!
coolnow said:
Thanks so much! Will install Nandroid asap when i get it! Also, i didn't mean "keep" things as in data and/or apps or cache or whatever, i meant like the 1st flashing would include installing CWM recovery, but the next time i reflash, i won't have to install that again, or would i? If not, then that's great!
Can't wait to try out Cyanogen Mod, theme it up, install some cool apps and just mess around with it! Bookmarked every section of the Atrix forum so i can easily read through it
Thank you for your time in helping a confused noob out I have read a lot of guides but without the phone in front of me, and me being completely new to this, it's not really sinking in. Once i get the phone physically in my hands, then i bet i'll learn a lot more!
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Nandroid backup is a backup through CWM, it is not a seperate app. As far as having to install CWM each time.. No you wont have to, the recovery stays but it should be updated when available, unless stated otherwise. Rom Manager will install the latest version of CWM for you. Doing a backup in CWM is known as a Nandroid backup.
Right, i get it now, i was confusing it with Titanium Backup but i've looked at vids about it and know what it does now. Isn't it risky to read/write from NAND a lot? Hmm
Also, if i Nand backed up my stock firmware (before i flash anything), can i restore from there and return to that stock backup anytime i want? If that's possible then i'm sorted!
coolnow said:
Right, i get it now, i was confusing it with Titanium Backup but i've looked at vids about it and know what it does now. Isn't it risky to read/write from NAND a lot? Hmm
Also, if i Nand backed up my stock firmware (before i flash anything), can i restore from there and return to that stock backup anytime i want? If that's possible then i'm sorted!
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I dont know of any risks to Nandroid backup, only benefits. I have returned to a Nandroid backup on my Captivate but not on the Atrix, i have created a Nandroid backup on (stock) Atrix and recommend do the same jic. I believe you can return to that stock back up (after flashing) if needed but first check out the section on fruitcakes, there is more info along these lines in that thread.
Reading the section now, makes little sense yet but i'm sure i'll understand. What they basically are are roms that don't touch the BL, so doesn't matter if its a lower firmware than the one i'm on because these fruitcakes don't look at the BL and will flash the firmware without bricking, whereas if i downgraded with a stock firmware or something, they touch the BL and will find out it's unlocked and on a newer firmware so the flashing ends up physically bricking the device. That's what i'm basically assuming. Also, read another thread where the OP said he recovered from a stock nandroid backup from a CM7 rom, which sounds a hell of a lot easier than downgrading carefully using special roms!
coolnow said:
Reading the section now, makes little sense yet but i'm sure i'll understand. What they basically are are roms that don't touch the BL, so doesn't matter if its a lower firmware than the one i'm on because these fruitcakes don't look at the BL and will flash the firmware without bricking, whereas if i downgraded with a stock firmware or something, they touch the BL and will find out it's unlocked and on a newer firmware so the flashing ends up physically bricking the device. That's what i'm basically assuming. Also, read another thread where the OP said he recovered from a stock nandroid backup from a CM7 rom, which sounds a hell of a lot easier than downgrading carefully using special roms!
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Dont worry it makes more and more sense as you learn and play with it. Your assumption of fruitcakes is my understanding as well. I agree that nandroid backup/restore seams a slightly easier method than fruitcakes, but thought I would include the fruitcake methods for you seeing as how you were concerned of a risk with nand, plus the more reading the better. Also NandBacks do take up a good amount of storage space, but are worth it jic. As long as you read you should be just fine, reading here on xda is the best thing you can do to keep from screwing something up. Good luck.
Thank you mate, i really appreciate your time! If i wasn't so ill, i'd be understanding more i think, but i have to look away every few seconds or else my eyes will explode haha, i guess i'm not getting the Galaxy S anymore, i hope i don't regret it! And with the method of hiding the unlocked bootloader, i'm hoping IF anything bad happens, then i still have a chance of tricking the tricksters who gave us these locked down phones in the first place! Android was supposed to be free and open I'm just glad at the thought of getting rid of my iPhone 3g + iTunes + Quicktime.
Also, in your opinion, is ADW EX better than Launcher Pro?
So I'm pretty sure I'm going to flash that new rom once I'm home but i haven't done one of those nandroid back ups since the infuse was new...can someone point me in the right direction, i forgot how to do it. Do i really need to do it?
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u can just boot recovery and then go to backup n restore and select backup no?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
You need to flash clockwork recovery then just go to the backups menu and do a backup. If you're going to install the Solaris rom you need clockwork anyway.
And DONT SKIP THE BACKUP!! I cannot stress this enough!
sent from my iPhone killers killer, Samsung Galaxy Note.
Backup up, backup always
Sent from the only smartphone designed by Chuck Norris
macked said:
You need to flash clockwork recovery then just go to the backups menu and do a backup. If you're going to install the Solaris rom you need clockwork anyway.
And DONT SKIP THE BACKUP!! I cannot stress this enough!
sent from my iPhone killers killer, Samsung Galaxy Note.
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That's what i plan on doing...thanks.
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Always always backup. I am a hypocrite (and many probably are) when I say this as I have skipped the back up. But I have learned the hardway. When I got into flashing with my G1 I soft bricked for about 3 days. This scared the bajesus out of me as there was no wide spread support, this was the first commercialy available android phone so any sites that did exsist were in their infantile stages at the time. I dodged the bullet and found someone who was able to get me fixed, but was a real PITA. The odds of this heppening are far less now a days so long as you read the instructions and follow them, but it's still not worth the risk. Doing a CWM backup takes a few minutes so there is no reason not to do one. Something else I learned the hard way the most people overlook, TEST THE BACKUP. Lucky for me I never got in an instance where my failed backup caused me anything but a little more work. I can think of atleast a half dozen times I created a backup that would fail when I tried to restore to it. If restoring the backup failes, you will be able to just boot back up into your ROM. However if your stuck in a bootloop from a failed ROM flash, and now your backup wont flash, you're in a little hot water. Likely you'll just have to pop your SD, xfer a couple images onto it, then back to phone and start flashing till you get one to boot up. Learn from those who have already been stupid, laughing at us is better then people laughing at you down the road.
Chief Geek said:
Always always backup. I am a hypocrite (and many probably are) when I say this as I have skipped the back up. But I have learned the hardway. When I got into flashing with my G1 I soft bricked for about 3 days. This scared the bajesus out of me as there was no wide spread support, this was the first commercialy available android phone so any sites that did exsist were in their infantile stages at the time. I dodged the bullet and found someone who was able to get me fixed, but was a real PITA. The odds of this heppening are far less now a days so long as you read the instructions and follow them, but it's still not worth the risk. Doing a CWM backup takes a few minutes so there is no reason not to do one. Something else I learned the hard way the most people overlook, TEST THE BACKUP. Lucky for me I never got in an instance where my failed backup caused me anything but a little more work. I can think of atleast a half dozen times I created a backup that would fail when I tried to restore to it. If restoring the backup failes, you will be able to just boot back up into your ROM. However if your stuck in a bootloop from a failed ROM flash, and now your backup wont flash, you're in a little hot water. Likely you'll just have to pop your SD, xfer a couple images onto it, then back to phone and start flashing till you get one to boot up. Learn from those who have already been stupid, laughing at us is better then people laughing at you down the road.
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Good points but the first time i bricked my phone (flashed a gb rom over my froyo infuse) i just used the ultimate unbrick tool and bam back to stock, yea i have to start over from stock but at least my phone is all set. Is there a tool available for the note that unbricks it like the infuse has or is the back up we make our only option to unbrick?
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Do. It. (just do it)
Do it. Back it up!
Sure it adds a few minutes to your flashing routine, but just start it and go make a coffee.
I cannot begin to tell you how many times I was glad to have something to restore to after playing around with a new/updated rom package.
nash2000 said:
Good points but the first time i bricked my phone (flashed a gb rom over my froyo infuse) i just used the ultimate unbrick tool and bam back to stock, yea i have to start over from stock but at least my phone is all set. Is there a tool available for the note that unbricks it like the infuse has or is the back up we make our only option to unbrick?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Nope, nothing that I know of, but the ROM scene is in its early stages. Theres not much need for tools such as this when there is little action. Something like this may hit the scene once our Note starts getting lots of custom ROM releases. I have only heard of that tool for two phones though. It's pretty hard to truely brick a phone nowadays, if you download the right packages and read the instructions a couple times and then (heres a commonly skipped one) FOLLOW the flashing directions, you won't encounter too many issues that can't be easily overcome by restoring image, delete rom and redownload, and try again. Alot of ICS ROMS actually require a double flash, if you don't read the instructions and don't catch that, you'll be freaking on the boot loop.
nash2000 said:
So I'm pretty sure I'm going to flash that new rom once I'm home but i haven't done one of those nandroid back ups since the infuse was new...can someone point me in the right direction, i forgot how to do it. Do i really need to do it?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
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Should always backup before flashing something, just as a precaution.
Although I don't worry too much, it's fun re-customizing anyways. Going into market online and reinstalling apps is quick. Contacts and calender restores from google, at least for me anyways.
If you're thinking of flashing a new radio or going into something that makes major changes to the way your device is configured. I would highly recommend you have a nand of your last working setup. In case you need to revert.
clockcycle said:
Should always backup before flashing something, just as a precaution.
Although I don't worry too much, it's fun re-customizing anyways. Going into market online and reinstalling apps is quick. Contacts and calender restores from google, at least for me anyways.
If you're thinking of flashing a new radio or going into something that makes major changes to the way your device is configured. I would highly recommend you have a nand of your last working setup. In case you need to revert.
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I think we're more concerned with if the image doesn't flash or he gets stuck in a boot loop. If your able to get to CWM, you can recover. But having something to flash from immediately on hand is a very nice thing to have. As for recustomizing though, i'm with you all the way there. I look at as a good way to cut the fat. I use Titanium backup, but don't do full automated restores, but rather select the desired apps and ignore the rest untill I find myself needing it.
I bought my phone almost a week ago, but I only have a 7 day return policy so I need to figure this out quickly.
It's the C6802, bought in China (where I live), with HK firmware 1.4.1.B.0.475. Naturally, right when turning on the phone, it says to update to 532. The phone shop merchant did this for me when I bought it via PC (not sure what software he used), and afterwords the phone would suddenly just go dead and restart.
So I went back to stock 475, worked fine. Once home, I tried firmware 526, using flashtools, to see if it was stable, and same deal. The seller I bought it from says all the other firmwares are really buggy and I should just wait until there is a newer firmware to upgrade. But by that time, I won't be able to return the phone if indeed the problem IS the phone and not the firmware.
I was able to unlock the bootloader, root the phone, and install CWM, but every time I try to use CWM (whether backup, restore, or just navigating), after a couple seconds, the phone goes dead and restarts (same problem when using other firmware). I tried to install TWRP via goodplay, and that didn't work at all. I'm not sure how to flash it so I can use it during recovery because CWM doesn't work and I haven't seen an img of it for the z ultra (I'm still pretty noob at this as you can probably tell).
So does some firmware just bug out on some phones, like in my case, and will future firmwares fix this random death/restart? Do I just have extremely bad luck with CWM and firmware? Or is it a hardware problem and I should return the phone? Or is there a way to update to 532 and fix the crash problems? My first born for some expert advice.
The software you need to update on your PC is the Sony PC Companion suite. It should not prompted you to install it when you first plugged your phone in to your PC. Download that & see if you can update to 532 through there before you try anything else. To me it sounds like a bad flash & redoing it may resolve your issues. Hopefully...
Nuwidol said:
The software you need to update on your PC is the Sony PC Companion suite. It should not prompted you to install it when you first plugged your phone in to your PC. Download that & see if you can update to 532 through there before you try anything else. To me it sounds like a bad flash & redoing it may resolve your issues. Hopefully...
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OK, I'll do that first thing tmrw morning, right now I'm making back-ups of everything using titanium and nandroid. But I can only use them when the phone is on, they don't work during recovery, nothing does. And using TWRP even with the phone on just causes it to die and reboot as soon as I click "OK" - is this something to be concerned about? It still rebooting even with CWM (in recovery) and TWRP (in normal bootup), even with stock 475 firmware, this certainly shouldn't be normal, right? I'll update how the PCC flash to 532 goes tomorrow...
I agree with Nuwidol, it does sound like a bad flash...
To put thing simple, forget CWM / TWRP for the moment, try 'CLEAN' install your phone with the latest firmware (532), then test using it for a day or two and see if it works properly. Yes, all firmwares released by Song so far for this phone are kind of buggy but nothing serious - just minor issues I would say, and definitely not random death or restart like you said.
To clean install, I like using SUS (Sony Update Service) because, unlike PC Companion which packs with a whole bunch of functions, SUS only deals with one thing, to reinstall or update firmware for your phone, and it works well.
First, backup whatever you find important, then relock you bootloader (restore from your TA partition backup, and flash back any stock FTF... stuff like that...).
Hook up your phone with SUS by following its instruction. Choose 'erase / format everything (...or something like that)' when it provides you with update options. Sit and wait until it finishes.
Turn on your phone, skip WiFi setting as well as the Google account, go straight to Home. Then:
'Settings' --> 'Backup & reset' --> 'Factory data reset'
Choose 'erase / format everything' (or something like that) again.
After reboot, you should have a very clean system by now. Use it as is for a few hours / days and see if anything strange comes up. If nothing strange comes up, then your phone is fine; if not, go return it or ask for exchange.
One minor note, rooting the phone is ok, pretty straightforward and safe to do I would say. But unlocking the bootloader? Well... it is ok too, unless you know what you're doing.
Hope this help.
so far so good
littopillo said:
I agree with Nuwidol, it does sound like a bad flash...
To put thing simple, forget CWM / TWRP for the moment, try 'CLEAN' install your phone with the latest firmware (532), then test using it for a day or two and see if it works properly. Yes, all firmwares released by Song so far for this phone are kind of buggy but nothing serious - just minor issues I would say, and definitely not random death or restart like you said.
To clean install, I like using SUS (Sony Update Service) because, unlike PC Companion which packs with a whole bunch of functions, SUS only deals with one thing, to reinstall or update firmware for your phone, and it works well.
First, backup whatever you find important, then relock you bootloader (restore from your TA partition backup, and flash back any stock FTF... stuff like that...).
Hook up your phone with SUS by following its instruction. Choose 'erase / format everything (...or something like that)' when it provides you with update options. Sit and wait until it finishes.
Turn on your phone, skip WiFi setting as well as the Google account, go straight to Home. Then:
'Settings' --> 'Backup & reset' --> 'Factory data reset'
Choose 'erase / format everything' (or something like that) again.
After reboot, you should have a very clean system by now. Use it as is for a few hours / days and see if anything strange comes up. If nothing strange comes up, then your phone is fine; if not, go return it or ask for exchange.
One minor note, rooting the phone is ok, pretty straightforward and safe to do I would say. But unlocking the bootloader? Well... it is ok too, unless you know what you're doing.
Hope this help.
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Click to collapse
Litto... your awesome. This has probably been one of the single most helpful replies in my history on xda. I did everything you said, step by step, and I was able to flash 532 without any problems, and so far, after using it for half a day, it's been completely stable. Granted, I haven't installed a single app on it yet or synced anything, I'm hesitant, ha. But I'll do that tonight, and Lord willing, nothing will happen. But so far so good. You really helped me a ton, thanks so much. :victory:
As for the issue about unlocking the bootloader, well, I did it because I was told that is the only way you can install custom ROMs and CWM? So for flashing anything besides stock, I would think it's pretty much mandatory, am I wrong? I hope to install radioactive or paranoid android eventually, but of course with it crashing during CWM and any firmware upgrade, that wasn't an option before. I'll use it for awhile longer with the stock (but rooted) 532 and if no problems occur, I'll move onto flashing the CWM/TWRP img by krabappel, which means then I can finally flash a custom ROM. Here's hoping...
I'm gonna go out on a limb here & ask a question that's been on my mind for a while, so bear with me. But first, let me give you some background so there's no confusion & no unnecessary questions asked. I'm by no means a "pro" at modifying my Note 3, I just follow instructions carefully & then implement those directions to achieve results. That's how I rooted my Note 3 but could still care less that I tripped Knox in the end.
I have the 32 GB Sprint Galaxy Note 3 with an 8 GB microSD. It's rooted using Chainfire's method. I also have TWRP for a recovery, but I'm using the stock Sprint ROM that came with it. I have a few root apps installed (Titanium backup, AdAway & Root Explorer) but the rest are what Sprint (& Android) put in there, minus a few that are totally unnecessary for me...(chat apps, picture drawings, step counting & so on) that were removed with Titanuim. It's still on 4.3 Jellybean with PUBMJ4 baseband. I also have the Wi-Fi hotspot fixed through 2 file replacements using Root Explorer.
Now that you know what I have, onto the question...
I see many, many ROMs in other threads that I'd like to try out, but don't know how to go about doing this. Before you jump right in & answer, here's my problem. If I try a ROM but don't like it, or it doesn't suit my needs, how can I go about going back to what I have now in the best (& fewest) steps necessary? In other words, to go back to exactly what ROM I have now, the apps installed, baseband, the whole nine yards. Just like a computer backup, it's a bit-for-bit restore, completely mirroring the hard drive. Understand?
Maybe you could explain to me like I'm seven years old what apps I need, what procedures are taken, the order in which they happen & so on. If I need an app or two to do just this, I have approximately $20 Google Play credit left.
Can a DEV or an experienced person that's done just this help a fellow out? Don't get me wrong, the stock ROM I'm using works for me, but there's ROMs posted that look just awesome! It's all about "personalization", am I right?
Easy, since you have a custom recovery installed (twrp) , you simply do a "nandroid" backup (I personally like to backup to an external SD card, so get a bigger one) before wiping and installing something new. If you like what you got, fine. If you want to go back, wipe and restore! Easy Peasy!
Sorry, being a father means sometimes your time suddenly becomes unavailable. But believe me, it's really easy once you figure out twrp.
I'll let another fine member get more details if you actually need them. ?
Sent from my calculator watch.
So did you figure it all out?
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
kingdazy said:
Easy, since you have a custom recovery installed (twrp) , you simply do a "nandroid" backup (I personally like to backup to an external SD card, so get a bigger one) before wiping and installing something new. If you like what you got, fine. If you want to go back, wipe and restore! Easy Peasy!
Sorry, being a father means sometimes your time suddenly becomes unavailable. But believe me, it's really easy once you figure out twrp.
I'll let another fine member get more details if you actually need them. ?
Sent from my calculator watch.
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Click to collapse
Doing a Nandroid backup as we speak! I didn't realize TWRP could do that. (duh! ) I only installed TWRP because I just liked the name of it. TWERP!! (gotta nice sound to it, doesn't it??) Thanks a bunch! :good:
tonyevo52 said:
So did you figure it all out?
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Click to collapse
I did. I found a Youtube link on how to do a TWRP backup on the Sprint Note 3. Easy Peasy as said above! I'll try some ROMs this weekend (can't promise nuthin' cause it's gonna be 70 degrees this weekend & I'm itchin' to ride my mountainbike along the boardwalk at the Virginia Beach.)
But now that the hard part is outta the way, it's all easy street from here!
Just be sure to Please, oh god Please, read all instructions on any rom you decide to try. Doesn't hurt to read the last 10 pages of each too, get an idea of Current issues that may not be documented in the OP.
And don't get lazy, follow word for word. The only times I f*cked stuff up was when I didn't follow instructions (ie, thought my experience meant I knew best), or just got sloppy.
And, don't forget to wipe! (I wipe 3X, everytime, as a habit. Some people will give you reasons why that's unnecessary, but I can say confidently, if perhaps anecdotally, that I Never have the issues others have with bad flashes, softbricks, FCs, etc.)
Something to get comfortable with, even though you may never need it is ODIN. It's most common use is a utility for flashing stock ROMs and firmwares, great for recovery from bad things. Again, you may never need it, but have it ready in your Pc with a stock ROM file, just in case.
Finally, Titantium Backup can be your best friend, if used properly. It can also be a real pain, so don't become too dependant on it.
FIN
Sent from my calculator watch.
kingdazy said:
Just be sure to Please, oh god Please, read all instructions on any rom you decide to try. Doesn't hurt to read the last 10 pages of each too, get an idea of Current issues that may not be documented in the OP.
And don't get lazy, follow word for word. The only times I f*cked stuff up was when I didn't follow instructions (ie, thought my experience meant I knew best), or just got sloppy.
And, don't forget to wipe! (I wipe 3X, everytime, as a habit. Some people will give you reasons why that's unnecessary, but I can say confidently, if perhaps anecdotally, that I Never have the issues others have with bad flashes, softbricks, FCs, etc.)
Something to get comfortable with, even though you may never need it is ODIN. It's most common use is a utility for flashing stock ROMs and firmwares, great for recovery from bad things. Again, you may never need it, but have it ready in your Pc with a stock ROM file, just in case.
Finally, Titantium Backup can be your best friend, if used properly. It can also be a real pain, so don't become too dependant on it.
FIN
Sent from my calculator watch.
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Click to collapse
No worries! As I said in the OP, I follow directions carefully. I read everything.
Odin is my friend as well. I have it installed on my laptop. That's how I flashed basebands & deodexed stock rooted ROMs on my Galaxy S III. I also have the original stock Sprint ROM for this GN3 "just in case", in a folder sitting on my desktop with a few extra tools. I've never bricked a phone, unless you count using Samsung's online update (can't think of the name at the moment). It said 4.3 was available, so I downloaded it. It flashed, rebooted, but stuck there. Never finished the boot, just gave me an error code. Samsung's own update killed my GS3 & was unrecoverable. Believe me, I tried everything. What was strange, was the ROM was 4.3 but the baseband was the previous version, not the newer one, so the phone just puked. It never updated the baseband so it bricked. Now, I tried (and used) different radios with no problems before the update. Everything worked in harmony. Go figure!
Time for sleep my friend. Gotta work in the morning!
Ive been reading about the need and importance to backup the TA Partition. Earlier I had it backed up on my C Drive but later when reverting back to windows 7 i accidentally formatted the backup along with it. So anyways, I had unlocked the booloader which basically wiped out clean all my personal data, then installed TWRP and wiped out the phone and flashed PA Rom to try it out. So later went back to stock using Flashtool app, everything went smooth and all apps are still working as it should. I was able to use Walkman app, Bravia Engine still works, OTA works, etc. So what exactly am I missing by not backing up the TA Partition? Ive come from Nexus line so please excuse me if I come as a bit naive lol. Any response is appreciated.
bushako said:
Ive been reading about the need and importance to backup the TA Partition. Earlier I had it backed up on my C Drive but later when reverting back to windows 7 i accidentally formatted the backup along with it. So anyways, I had unlocked the booloader which basically wiped out clean all my personal data, then installed TWRP and wiped out the phone and flashed PA Rom to try it out. So later went back to stock using Flashtool app, everything went smooth and all apps are still working as it should. I was able to use Walkman app, Bravia Engine still works, OTA works, etc. So what exactly am I missing by not backing up the TA Partition? Ive come from Nexus line so please excuse me if I come as a bit naive lol. Any response is appreciated.
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pre 4.4 it would break track ID and x-reality, it does look as if Sony have fixed these 'bugs'. A valid TA may/is still needed to get the phone repaired under warranty
blueether said:
pre 4.4 it would break track ID and x-reality, it does look as if Sony have fixed these 'bugs'. A valid TA may/is still needed to get the phone repaired under warranty
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Don't mean to sound rude but can you please provide a source of this info? I've done searches and this hadnt come up. Also how does one check the validity of the TA?
I unlocked my boot loader the first day I got my Xperia Z Ultra, and destroyed the TA not having made a backup.
I've never missed what I never had. I don't use the Sony music or video service so I can't tell you if they would be broken due to the lack of DRM keys,and I've never had any app complain they're missing.
In the very early days the Sony Camera App would force close, but I switched to A Better Camera app, later versions of the stock ROM didn't have the problem.
Overall then, don't panic, they don't matter.
hey thanks for the reply. Ive got everything still working as it should so as mentioned by the earlier poster id agree its only an issue with pre kitkat roms and perhaps for warranty purpose.
speculatrix said:
I unlocked my boot loader the first day I got my Xperia Z Ultra, and destroyed the TA not having made a backup.
I've never missed what I never had. I don't use the Sony music or video service so I can't tell you if they would be broken due to the lack of DRM keys,and I've never had any app complain they're missing.
In the very early days the Sony Camera App would force close, but I switched to A Better Camera app, later versions of the stock ROM didn't have the problem.
Overall then, don't panic, they don't matter.
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Click to collapse