Database Develop

Flashing my ROM - Why?

Hi guys,
I see lots of stuff in here about how to flash your rom and endless threads of different types of cooked ROMs etc but I can't see anywhere anything to explain why people are doing this.
Would someone mind just very briefly telling me the pros and cons of flashing?
Thanks.

pros:
-often get new features - like the new touch flow interface from the new rhodium and topaz htc phones. without flashing, you wouldnt be able to get this.
-you can install new OSs such as windows mobile 6.5
-if you want to, you can install "lite" ROMs which have very little features and as a result are faster
-you can also get "heavier" ROMs which tend to be a bit slower (with some ROMs such as Duttys, the difference is small)
-have many features/apps already "cooked" into the ROM to save you installing them yourself after a hard reset
-some have new drivers which improve performance.
-some have custom interfaces
-process isnt that hard once youve got hardspl/uspl sorted (and that gets easy after a short while too). its all run through an app on your computer with your HTC connected via activesync to your computer which is about as easy as installing a program (just click next, i agree etc.)
CONs
-can take a bit of time to get used to the process
-if you dont use a backup app, youll have to reinstall all your apps and contacts (everything on the main memory is wiped clean thugh SD cards are left untouched)
-if the cabe gets disconnected or the computer loses power during the flash, you can screw up your htc pretty bad
If you use your HTC for more than just its basic features and want to get the most out of it, definately flash a new ROM. the performance increase is noticeable going from a stock ROM to a well cooked ROM. Duttys 3.3 XT is a good place to start, however, youll have to hardspl your phone with the latest hardspl (its one of the stickies on this subforum)

Hi 449514
The main reasons are that either people are dis-satisfied with the way that the stock TF3D interface works for them and try to customise certain elements of it and/or they are trying to improve the speed, battery life and or memory available on their machines.
Those are the pros, of course the con is that there is no "official" commercial support for any of these Roms as they have been developed on a personal basis.
Hope that clarifies matters.
Kaid

Yes, is a Crazy World... I like it..

That's brilliant guys. Nice and simple. Makes perfect sense to me now and I understand the stuff in the other threads a bit better now!
I'll have a further read of all the stuff and then go from there.
Thanks a lot

maybe it's the reason 4all of us buying a wm device,the potential & possibilities are endless..

Rom that is most suitable

Hi there!!!
First of all, (just in case somebody wanders who the heck I am), I am regular bloke not particulary interested in any of the parts of developing and cooking ROM-s. Just a user who, (aren't we all), wants to have more stable and faster, (as it is able), os on the Phone.
In the first place, when I've bought the X1, I have been happy for a while, after that I begun to see some disadvantages of that device, (small icons, unresponsive OS, some kind of "its own will" etc), so I refered to this forum. Have been reading for it for a while, and decided to try some of ROM-s You gays are cooking.
And here is keypoint.
Ok, it is meant to be free, so I'm not actualy allowed to moan about any thing here, but...
Some ROM-s are to overloaded with needles features thus rather are slow, some are buggy, some of ROM-s are locked with features that are unable to move out of the OS, (like twitter, facebook, stocks and similar things specially coming with manilla interface).
These things are slowing down devices, (I really do not know why so), so badly that are diverting me, (and I believe others), from using some of Your products.
Instead of, I believe unnecessary thingies, You could cook an clean ROM with
Manilla some kind of , and basic features it gives. Other things could be put in by users.
Or I'm wrong ???
So I decided to put this post with Your, (meaning all users) opinions and to put some critics on same place
Thanks in advance.

I recommend you try Jack 4.x ROM. You can try the lite or medium. Both ROM versions are very stable and fast and you can customize them. You can find them in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=543073

Well, I think I am the "typical" guy like you.
Depending on your preferences, I do think you can find what you want and need. It takes, of course, some trials, but the flashing process is fast and easy.
I actually prefer the Manila ROMs because of that very interface. In combination with WinMo 6.1, and without too much other software, you get speed and stability, as you assume. After quite some trials, I stayed with Touch X 10.8.2 because it is fast, not overloaded and stable.
Even the latest 6.5 WinMo variants combined with any version of Manila do not seem to me as fast as the 6.1 ROMs, including the really nice Touch IT Multilanguage, which looks as "clean" as you would get a new Manila device. When I tried it, I liked it very much even though it is slower than Touch X, but the bug I found took me back to Touch X again.
If you are not into Manila at all, there are some "clean" and "pure" WinMo ROMs - no Manila at all - which might offer even more speed than Touch X - I never tried that.

Touch X 10.1
It has an older manila 2.1, very fast and stable. Bugs have all been fixed and it has been around a while. Also has a nice selection of apps included and "it just works".
I am a bit of a flashaholic, but when I need my device to be usable and stable I flash 10.1

Completely New to Xperia/Flashing/Etc - Update to 6.5?

Hello! I have an X1a purchased in April 09, and currently has Windows Mobile 6.1
This phone, as pretty as it may look, gives me tons of grief daily.
1. It is slow, devastatingly slow. It freezes on pretty much anything.
2. WinMo 6.1 is confusing to me. I can't figure out how to save contacts to my storage card, or organize anything.
3. Opera always crashes on me and my internet connection goes out frequently.
4. Battery life is very short
5. It is now full of scratches (anyone use body guard or invisishield?)
and a lot more stuff
I bought this instead of an iPhone because the physical keyboard.
I would like to flash to winmo 6.5 w/ panels. Currently I am running it on AT&T in US.
I have no prior knowledge of anything technical regarding mobile phones, and so far I know that I need to get a Hard SPL to do anything.
How do I get Hard SPL on my phone?
Another question I have is regarding contacts. Currently I backed up all contacts to SIM and to phone, and in my contacts list, for every person, the contact is duplicated so I see the same name twice. I would like to backup my contacts to my SD card, but see only one line item per contact. What can I do here.
I am a newbie. trying to maneuver through this phone. Any and all input would be extremely valued and lessen the gray hairs on my head!

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=431218
Has the information you need for HardSPL

It is a must to go.
Once you upgraded to 6.5, x1 will perform like another phone. 6.5 is faster, however, depends which ROM you're using. Currently there are many ROM here are worth to try. For fastest/clean ROM, can try Jack's Lite or unoff V10.
However, these version are very lite without many applications but just fast. So you have to re-install softwares by yourself.
But some peoples would like ready to use ROM. Mean necessary applications already installed. In this case, Christian ROM is recommended.
Actually I tried almost all of them. For less bug one, I prefer clean/lite ROM.

Do all of the 6.5 ROMs that are here come with Panels? I know it may sound silly but I am pretty much hooked on the Sbp panel and don't use any other interface so I would like to get it back if I go to 6.5.

Tervel said:
Do all of the 6.5 ROMs that are here come with Panels? I know it may sound silly but I am pretty much hooked on the Sbp panel and don't use any other interface so I would like to get it back if I go to 6.5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some ROMs do include panels, but many of them don´t - it seems that quite a big portion of users are, just like me, very fond of Manila, the HTC I/F.
If you do prefer SPB anyway, did you think about flashing a "pure" ROM, as mentioned above, and to install the shell not as a panel, but as "home" screen? Saves memory and should be quite fast then! Or, maybe one day you will want to try another I/F, such as PointUI, who knows?

Really Can't make sense of it all

There needs to be a dummies guide to this. I can't make sense of it all. I find literally hundreds of ROMs and then find dozens of builds for each one. I can't take it anymore! All I want is something that removes the bloatware, runs faster than the stock Tilt 2 ROM, doesn't lose any capabilities such as keyboards, etc, lets SPB MS 3.5 run faster, and lets me tether.
Why don't the chef's at least provide a simple list of their ROMs and what they do, what works better and what doesn't work with that particular ROM? I've been digging through this site for two weeks now and I'm not even any closer to knowing what to flash now than when I started. I know from other searches that the Mods tend to close requests like this, but I'm really stumped and I really have tried. I'm not an idiot by any means. I do understand that these are being provided for free and that I should be appreciative....and I am. But it seems to me that even the devs themselves would benefit from this so they wouldn't duplicate each others work and would be able to better track what they are doing.
Anyways, any suggestions for the ROM to do what I want?

kfreels said:
There needs to be a dummies guide to this. I can't make sense of it all. I find literally hundreds of ROMs and then find dozens of builds for each one. I can't take it anymore! All I want is something that removes the bloatware, runs faster than the stock Tilt 2 ROM, doesn't lose any capabilities such as keyboards, etc, lets SPB MS 3.5 run faster, and lets me tether.
Why don't the chef's at least provide a simple list of their ROMs and what they do, what works better and what doesn't work with that particular ROM? I've been digging through this site for two weeks now and I'm not even any closer to knowing what to flash now than when I started. I know from other searches that the Mods tend to close requests like this, but I'm really stumped and I really have tried. I'm not an idiot by any means. I do understand that these are being provided for free and that I should be appreciative....and I am. But it seems to me that even the devs themselves would benefit from this so they wouldn't duplicate each others work and would be able to better track what they are doing.
Anyways, any suggestions for the ROM to do what I want?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you do is flash one and see if you like it. If not, it is quite simple to flash another.
Try the Titanium 2 Jun NRG ROM and see what you think. It has no Sense version at all, which increases the storage memory size.
http://www.fileserve.com/list/X9nQc65
EDIT: I am assuming that you have read the "Flashing for NOOB" and the "Hard SPL" threads, you need both to be able to flash a custom ROM.

I have pretty much tried all of the ROMs but I reallly like only 2 ROMs. The best one for me is Cell Evo V7 (23541) (the link to thread. I have just flashed Josh's ROM. n i havent had any problem yet. I use the Sense 2.1. (its in my sig) I think 2.5 is still very buggy. so that maybe somethin u may wanna try out. I think the evo one is the most stable! but this is all just my own opinion. u may or may not like them!

Thanks for the tips. I have read the pages you mentioned and I understand that flashing in itself is a simple process. But for me, it's not just the flashing. I have to flash, install SPB MS and all of my apps, setup my weather, my exchange server and sync my contacts, configure active-sync, apply all my tweaks and then the phone is ready to use. Then if I don't like a ROM because it is slow or buggy, I'll have to do it all again......
At least that's how I picture it. Now if you are telling me that I don't have to go through all that each time, then I'll be a happy camper, but I suspect I am right on this.
What is a "sense" version that you are referring to?
Also, if you could explain the difference between a light, full and normal build that would be nice.
And what the deal is with finding matching "radios" whatever that is about.
And what is a "manila"?
And the problem with keyboards???? Do most ROMS have trouble using the keyboard? What other issues might I encounter while trying to use the normal functions of the device?
There's a lot of jargon here and I just don't see a single place that explains it all.

kfreels said:
Thanks for the tips. I have read the pages you mentioned and I understand that flashing in itself is a simple process. But for me, it's not just the flashing. I have to flash, install SPB MS and all of my apps, setup my weather, my exchange server and sync my contacts, configure active-sync, apply all my tweaks and then the phone is ready to use. Then if I don't like a ROM because it is slow or buggy, I'll have to do it all again......
At least that's how I picture it. Now if you are telling me that I don't have to go through all that each time, then I'll be a happy camper, but I suspect I am right on this.
What is a "sense" version that you are referring to?
Also, if you could explain the difference between a light, full and normal build that would be nice.
And what the deal is with finding matching "radios" whatever that is about.
And what is a "manila"?
And the problem with keyboards???? Do most ROMS have trouble using the keyboard? What other issues might I encounter while trying to use the normal functions of the device?
There's a lot of jargon here and I just don't see a single place that explains it all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Manilla = Sense. "Sense" is the name that HTC uses for their UI. There are two major versions, 2.1 and 2.5 (newest). There is also an older UI called TF3D (TouchFlo 3D).
Matching radios refers to flashing your radio with different firmware. The device has ROM versions, which is what everyone is referring to, and the Radio has a different version. Some people prefer a certain radio, some ROMs recommend a certain radio. I'm using NRG, and have never updated my radio version.
Keyboards. Most ROMS will not automatically map your keyboard (AT&T and T-Mobile have different mappings - the exception is a ROM built for a specific carrier). The reason is simple - the Chef doesn't know what carrier you are using! On the NRG ROMs, there is a tool included to "provision" your device for your carrier; this fixes the keyboard. Or you can do a search and find the right keyboard .cab file for your device.
- Light, medium, and full. I personally don't use these terms, but my definition would be as follows. Light is a ROM that has very little added functionality other than what Microsoft provided with the operating system. Full is a ROM (like NRG) that has lots of custom stuff baked into the ROM - extra utilities and etc., which are useful to you (in the Chef's opinion). A medium would be somewhere in between.
I would include the stock ROM as a "Full" ROM, except that in their case a lot of their software is "bloatware", which means stuff they added because they could, or they had some kind of deal with a particular company, etc. It is called "bloatware" because it seems to serve only the purpose of making the ROM harder to use and cluttering up the menu system with lots of useless stuff - bloated.
Are you a happier camper?

two of your best bets are gonna be the
e2 rom and the nrg version of your choise
e2 rom is almost exatly like the att stock but a lot sexier

jdm_labrat said:
two of your best bets are gonna be the
e2 rom and the nrg version of your choise
e2 rom is almost exatly like the att stock but a lot sexier
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm, speaking personally, I'm not sure I want a "sexy" TP2!

Ah. That explains a lot. Thanks for the info. Maybe one day when I'm no longer a dummy I'll write a dummies guide. Until then, thanks for the tips.

Hi,
I had the same problem as you, I just wanted a stock rom without all the extra stuff that htc provides, I wanted to be simple, fast and stable, after flashing a lot of ROM I decided to take the problem in my own hands so I started learning how to cook my own ROM, you have a very good guide about how to do that here.
After reading and understanding this guide you can create your own ROMs just the way you like it.
Maybe just like me you will not succeed for the first time, but in the end you will have a ROM cooked by you and will suite all your needs.
Good luck!

To much info for me...:)

I've got a few questions, and there's so much stuff on this forum, that i can't seem to find what i'm looking for.
I own a dutch TP2 without a simlock, just to make clear.
I'm looking for a very simple, fast and stable rom.
I only use the phone for calling, sms, i-net with opera or skyfire, and sometimes i watch a youtube movie. So i don't need everything else. Only thing i have on my phone now is the simple start menu and S2U2. I don't even use Sense.
Is there such a rom out there, that works on my phone?
And is there a "n00b guide" for how to flash it?
Tnx in advance

I'd say try mine LBFAR based on COM2 (21899), it is probably the fastest ROM featuring Manila. Don't worry, it is 100 times faster than Sense, while it keeps nice and cool UI .
You can try mine also COM5 (23569), but it isn't bugless and I'm afraid I will never fix some issues, because they are unfixable.

yes, there is a guide for how to flash it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550540
be sure to read the whole guide before you flash it. Flashing the ROM is not too hard although can be a bit intimidating for the first time but after you have done it, it's not too bad.
For your need, I would suggest go with the titanium based roms, these roms took out all of the extras and just have the essentials in it. A lot of people like the long time establishment, such as Energy ROM. I personally have been using energy's rom and happy with it as to which oen is the best or most stable that's a bit hard to say because each ROM can be slightly different. You can also opt for a few other ROM that simply stripe all of the extras and use them.

I second that, Ondrster's ROM is incredibly fast and stable. I'm not using it ATM, but I would recommend it to anyone. If you want a lot of features and want to avoid HTC's UI all together, try NRG's titanium ROM, full of features, and very stable and fast. You might also want to look at using a different UI, such as SPB Mobile Shell; which is customizable and widget based, allowing you to keep your homescreen layout quite simple (it's also great on battery life).

Information overload... I agree. I am Dutch and have a HTC Pro2 too, just like you. Sometimes I come here on the forums, because I'd like to see what ROMS are there. This time my eye fell on this one:
"[ROM] [WWE] [ August 21 ] [ simplicity - 21915 | 23130 | Sense 2018 ]"
Wow! Looks fast, and not too different from the original WM 6.5 software. I decided to give it a go... So I start to read, and sure enough, I'm confused again before you know it and decided not to bother with it. First reason was this:
"IMPORTANT: Make sure you have used Hard-SPL before flashing any ROM. I also recommend you to use Task 29 each time before flashing any ROM."
Hard-what? Why do I need that? So ok, I click on the link, go to another thread, see tons of info with bigletters and red warnings etc. but NO INFO ON WHAT IT ACTUALLY DOES! Confuuuusingggggg... And Task29? What the heck is THAT?! Must I really read 100+ pages per thread?
See, you guys might understand a lot of this stuff, but not all of us do. My wish is that it would be made easy and understandable so I don't just keep coming and going but nothing changes on this microsoft dominated *** slow phone that contains a lot of sh* i don't even need....
Bleh. I'll keep trying until I get it.

In few words: HardSPL disables checking when flashing, if the ROM is from HTC or any other people (in default, it is enabled only for HTC of course).
Task29 is overrated IMHO, I never did it and I never had any issues . If you don't have strange and weird issues that happen only for you, you can forget about task29.

OndraSter said:
In few words: HardSPL disables checking when flashing, if the ROM is from HTC or any other people (in default, it is enabled only for HTC of course).
Task29 is overrated IMHO, I never did it and I never had any issues . If you don't have strange and weird issues that happen only for you, you can forget about task29.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK thank you for the answer. I have browsed much and have read that Task29 removes stale files that have not been removed after ROM upgrades. Perhaps I'll give it a go later on. Right now I am waiting for a HardSPL key, because I understand that I need one. After that I'm going to flash my first ROM! So exciting...!!
I have used my calendar a lot and I sync it with ActiveSync daily. I won't lose the calendar, will I? I think that I can just sync it back after ROM flashing.. but if I am overlooking something, please let me know
OldSkool-II >> How are you doing with your flashing quest?

If it's synced, you should be fine.

If you want a fast and completely stable ROM then stay with Windows Mobile 6.1, don't care if someone has a "fast" version of any WM6.5 out there.
It's like saying Windows Vista is faster, and more stable, than Windows XP. Regardless of all the tweaking you do XP will always be faster.
But give both versions a try if since you're new to flashing and if one bothers you then just keep flashing , I've had this ROM on my phone for moths and it doesn't even cross my mind to even want to try a new ROM or look for anything else. It's as perfect as it can get in fact lol.

buru898 said:
If you want a fast and completely stable ROM then stay with Windows Mobile 6.1, don't care if someone has a "fast" version of any WM6.5 out there.
It's like saying Windows Vista is faster, and more stable, than Windows XP. Regardless of all the tweaking you do XP will always be faster.
But give both versions a try if since you're new to flashing and if one bothers you then just keep flashing , I've had this ROM on my phone for moths and it doesn't even cross my mind to even want to try a new ROM or look for anything else. It's as perfect as it can get in fact lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm, not with Sense its not.
There is a reason why they created 6.5. If you add Sense to 6.1, you are going to recmod a LOT of things and its just gonna make your phone so darn slow you will want to set it on fire.

Still a bit iffy about flashing it, although i did it beforen with a really old WM phone.
Just want to find a ROM that does what i want it to do.
On another note, my coworker has an Iphone, and when he's watching a movie with youtube, it doens't have to buffer every 25 sec...
Same provider tho, but that's prolly the difference between windows and android?
Maybe not the right place to ask, but is there a stable android for the TP2?