About custom Roms - Galaxy S I9000 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So, I installed Juwe's ROM and now that I have it installed... well... to me it just seems like a compilation for the lazy. Dont get me wrong, i really appreciate the work done by all chefs but, theres no real reason to use them. Or at least I think.
I believe if I flash a stock firmware and apply a custom kernel the results will be much better. Many of the "features" of these roms are thanks to the kernels flashed in them, and can be done manually. Also, I think many of the cosmetic improvements are not my cup of tea, and I much prefer the stock samsung animations, etc.
Please correct me if i'm wrong, or well help me out choose what to do. I'm not eager to reflash my firmware all over again. I would just like to flash something on my phone and never have to reflash again.
-Nestor

exactly....if you have the time and knowledge do it yourself....if not flash any of the custom roms prepared by the rom "chefs" out there....and be grateful for the opportunity (I suspect you underestimate the amount of work and intellect that these guys have invested in their custom roms...far more than just different kernels and basic cosmetics as you suggest)
Unless i am mistaken you have stated the obvious...if not, what is your point?

Oh, yes. I wasnt really obvious on what i wanted to do. Well, I see all of the things my rom has installed, and see that im still having some bugs, etc, and, well I cant diagnose where are they coming from. Is it my apps fault, etc, since all these modifications are done and all of these apps installed and now I really dont know what caused what.
So I think, what if some of the stuff that was done was unnecessary? What if just flashing to stock, and then adding stuff one by one until im satisfied will rid me of most of my problems?
I must admit I relate the rom chefs with the people from the pirate bay who give you modified versions of windows, with all the necessary stuff done, but you can get a fresh copy of windows and get much better results on most cases.
I mean no disrespect to anyone's intelect, or ego. Im a really new guy myself, but the more I learn the more I realize, maybe the best way to go is just flash stock, root, get a new kernel and all will be peachy. That sounds too easy though. So i raised this discussion to see what do people think.
Edit: Well, after reflashing and doing some stuff, like repartitioning tried some custom kernels and ended up bootlooping my phone, and after much frustration, I reflashed Juwe's. Now I can appreciate how well this works. The couple of erros may have been caused by not repartitioning the first time. Now Im very happy with how my phone is working. Hopefully, this is the last firmware i ever flash.

Related

[Q] Hello, newbie here... Help me decide which ROM to use?

I've had my Nexus One for a couple weeks, and am hungry for customization and optimization :].
I have heard lots of good things about CM6, but also have read many posts complaining about battery life. I really do like the looks of the settings menu tweaks, though.
Overall, I am looking for a ROM that will run very fast, have options to overclock, and that will give me good battery life. One look in the ROM section of these forums and I am immediately overwhelmed... I have no idea what to try!
As for themes, it seems they are dependent on which ROM you are running... all I know for sure is that I don't want Sense.
And I don't understand the installation process; flashing, recovery images, nandroid backups, radios, clockwork mod... I have no idea where to start!?!
If someone could point me to a good guide that explains the ins and outs of these different methods and options, their quirks and differences, I would be eternally grateful!
Backing up my data and apps- will my contacts be backed up automatically? Apps aren't a huge deal- I've already managed to bloat my phone a bit, so a fresh start would probably do me some good.
Ahh, and we also have kernels- so many options! I guess ROMs come with a kernel, and you can also change it out afterwards. Is there a best kernel?
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me- I hope to one day come back here and pay it back by helping others with their phones. I am immensely happy with the phone so far, and Android as a whole. The community is amazingly helpful!
EDIT: I just watched this. It sure makes the prospect of installing a new ROM seem easier, it looks like cake after installing the new Recovery Image. How does that work on a mac?
Also, on ROM Manager, when I select backup current ROM, the phone crashes and I have to pull the battery. What am I doing wrong?
EDIT2: I just learned that ROM Manager was not crashing, it was booting into the standard recovery. Still not sure wen wrong.
ive tryed them all and have been using enomethers rom,sweet battery life and tons of mods!!
yumcax said:
I've had my Nexus One for a couple weeks, and am hungry for customization and optimization :].
I have heard lots of good things about CM6, but also have read many posts complaining about battery life. I really do like the looks of the settings menu tweaks, though.
Overall, I am looking for a ROM that will run very fast, have options to overclock, and that will give me good battery life. One look in the ROM section of these forums and I am immediately overwhelmed... I have no idea what to try!
As for themes, it seems they are dependent on which ROM you are running... all I know for sure is that I don't want Sense.
And I don't understand the installation process; flashing, recovery images, nandroid backups, radios, clockwork mod... I have no idea where to start!?!
If someone could point me to a good guide that explains the ins and outs of these different methods and options, their quirks and differences, I would be eternally grateful!
Backing up my data and apps- will my contacts be backed up automatically? Apps aren't a huge deal- I've already managed to bloat my phone a bit, so a fresh start would probably do me some good.
Ahh, and we also have kernels- so many options! I guess ROMs come with a kernel, and you can also change it out afterwards. Is there a best kernel?
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me- I hope to one day come back here and pay it back by helping others with their phones. I am immensely happy with the phone so far, and Android as a whole. The community is amazingly helpful!
EDIT: I just watched this. It sure makes the prospect of installing a new ROM seem easier, it looks like cake after installing the new Recovery Image. How does that work on a mac?
Also, on ROM Manager, when I select backup current ROM, the phone crashes and I have to pull the battery. What am I doing wrong?
EDIT2: I just learned that ROM Manager was not crashing, it was booting into the standard recovery. Still not sure wen wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.androidappjudge.com/2010/09/to-root-or-not-to-root.html
I would suggest starting with MCR21 which is located below in my sig. From my experience, it's been the overall best for battery life, speed, and usability.
Woot!!
Well, I have spent the better part of the night downloading ROMs, reading forum posts, and trouble shooting. The conclusion I have come to is this:
If you are new to rooting, ROMs, etc. stay away from ADB commands, fastboot etcetera. I spent the majority of the time trying to install RA Recovery, and then tried ClockWork MOD... it makes everything very easy.
Anyway, in case anyone is still wondering (like I was); a recovery is the base firmware that lets you wipe your cache, boot into backups, make backups, and flash ROMs. Very important! ClockWork comes with one, and RA is also a popular recovery.
EDIT: Already been through 3 ROMs, haha. Currently on TheOfficial.
I recommend geo411's Stock frf91. It's most reliable in the clutch.
I keep going back to Enomther. The only downfall is if you are addicted to flashing, there aren't as many updates.
Alot of good roms, but I really like geo411's FRG33 Blackbar v1 right now.
Here's a step by step video. Play the video and you'll be done in no time.
http://theunlockr.com/2010/01/02/how-to-root-the-nexus-one/

Why Complexities

First off, Thank you to all the dev's who've put out all the great roms (too many to mention)....
But, as I was reading through some of the most recent releases of roms, I found myself more and more frustrated with confusion. It wasn't the screenshots (thanks, it helps), it wasn't the list of changes/additions/subtractions (that really helps), it was more the complex install info.
I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings, but why would you go off on a tangent to left field while your writing down how to install something? Can we get a universal install procedure?
Most roms are released within hours and in some cases days of one another. Lets assume that rom a has what newest rom b needs and create something from that. Then if you need to express random thought for the new guy, that could be post #2. I guarentee that most of the people here have flashed and re-flashed and soft bricked and flashed again.
Guess what I'm trying to say is, rom dev's are releasing things that probably no one will use cause they aren't clear and concise on the install procedure.
FroztIkon said:
First off, Thank you to all the dev's who've put out all the great roms (too many to mention)....
But, as I was reading through some of the most recent releases of roms, I found myself more and more frustrated with confusion. It wasn't the screenshots (thanks, it helps), it wasn't the list of changes/additions/subtractions (that really helps), it was more the complex install info.
I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings, but why would you go off on a tangent to left field while your writing down how to install something? Can we get a universal install procedure?
Most roms are released within hours and in some cases days of one another. Lets assume that rom a has what newest rom b needs and create something from that. Then if you need to express random thought for the new guy, that could be post #2. I guarentee that most of the people here have flashed and re-flashed and soft bricked and flashed again.
Guess what I'm trying to say is, rom dev's are releasing things that probably no one will use cause they aren't clear and concise on the install procedure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see your on super nova. Have you looked at Mosaic. I tried to make the directions as simple as i could
right now with the recent port of the i9000 2.3.3 things have changed.
and changed very recently.
soon enough there will be an easier, more standard way to upgrade.
but keep this in mind....
what we are doing here is programming a phone. the devs AND YOU!
programming an electronic device is not a simple thing, and is not childs play.
the devs have YEARS of experience in programming to bring us the software,
we need to understand what we are doing in order to do it.
so we need to understand programming.
this cannot be done in 10 minutes by just reading instructions.
and this SHOULD NOT be able to be done in 10 minutes by reading instructions.
there are real risks in doing this, that is why it voids your warranty.
you need to understand what you are doing to be able to do it.
thats why you must LEARN in order to do this.
nobody ever learns with brain-dead instructions.
the more you LEARN first, before flashing, the better your chances at success.
the easier the instructions the easier noobs run into problems! Brick their device or get scared and confused about very simple things that they should have understood first!
so the complexity has a dual purpose, it forces you to go out and LEARN before you do anything AND also provides you with alot of information to start learning
<<Captivate Post of the Week>>
TRusselo said:
right now with the recent port of the i9000 2.3.3 things have changed.
and changed very recently.
soon enough there will be an easier, more standard way to upgrade.
but keep this in mind....
what we are doing here is programming a phone. the devs AND YOU!
programming an electronic device is not a simple thing, and is not childs play.
the devs have YEARS of experience in programming to bring us the software,
we need to understand what we are doing in order to do it.
so we need to understand programming.
this cannot be done in 10 minutes by just reading instructions.
and this SHOULD NOT be able to be done in 10 minutes by reading instructions.
there are real risks in doing this, that is why it voids your warranty.
you need to understand what you are doing to be able to do it.
thats why you must LEARN in order to do this.
nobody ever learns with brain-dead instructions.
the more you LEARN first, before flashing, the better your chances at success.
the easier the instructions the easier noobs run into problems! Brick their device or get scared and confused about very simple things that they should have understood first!
so the complexity has a dual purpose, it forces you to go out and LEARN before you do anything AND also provides you with alot of information to start learning
<<Captivate Post of the Week>>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice long post. Although alot of rambling Tru but I like your last line
As for a standard set of installation instructions, I dont think we will ever see it. Each rom is as unique as the person that developed it, and with that individuality comes an individual requirement for implementation.
ATM some ginger roms are wipes, some arent, this used to be true for all froyo/eclair roms.
that is why we USED TO have to flash to stock each time. same now. (for non wipe roms)
that changed! it can again!
as for getting the bootloaders, if you are installing a WIPE rom you dont need to flash the whole i9000 package. Just the bootloaders alone and ONLY ONCE. some roms currently use this method.
other roms that arent wipe roms depend on apps and framework to be there, or might not like other stuff left over that may still be there. so it is necessary to flash back to i9000 stock, this can be done with or without bootloaders if you already have them. but most of the non bootloaders packages have been taken down. once again you only need to get the bootloaders once.
once again all this can change and standardize again. with the following intructions:
from eclair or froyo
1. odin flash GB bootloader and CMW3 kernel in a single package. (small 4 MB package!)
2. boot into CWM3 and flash a WIPE ROM.
done and upgraded.
my fastest upgrade was one extra step. the bootloader package had re-orient kernel with no cwm3 so i had to reboot and odin flash talon between step 1 and 2.
still pretty easy with a wipe rom.
we grow up so quickly...

Bricked in 48 hours...

Well, long story short, had it 2 days and hard bricked it. Here's the question though. Im getting a new one in an hour or two, and I'm looking for the absolute idiot proof version of rooting and getting a rom and kernel on the phone. I had a samsung moment, and I never had any issues with any of the flashing or anything on that. I have read probably 200 different post on rooting and 3e recoveries and roms and whatnot. Can someone suggest a decent set-up, maybe a 2.3 rom, and a recovery that works well together. I do not tether, and i dont really need to overclock it (maybe later). I just want to be able to have my phone run smooth, be able to install non market apps and have everything work well together...
thanks in advance!
There is nothing we can really say that hasn't been said already in those 200 other posts you mentioned.
make sure your computer / usb cable works properly first. then just follow the steps exactly described and you should be fine.
redneck.nerd said:
Well, long story short, had it 2 days and hard bricked it. Here's the question though. Im getting a new one in an hour or two, and I'm looking for the absolute idiot proof version of rooting and getting a rom and kernel on the phone. I had a samsung moment, and I never had any issues with any of the flashing or anything on that. I have read probably 200 different post on rooting and 3e recoveries and roms and whatnot. Can someone suggest a decent set-up, maybe a 2.3 rom, and a recovery that works well together. I do not tether, and i dont really need to overclock it (maybe later). I just want to be able to have my phone run smooth, be able to install non market apps and have everything work well together...
thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure it was a hard brick? This is somewhat of a "learn as you go" kind of thing. The devs on here post excellent instructions on what to do to get there Rom on your device. I would suggest MikeyMike's 2.3.3 JVB Rom or my personal choice of Cezar's Continuum 2.3.3 Rom with JVH Talon Kernel. These have a slight risk because of the "bootloaders" you will need to get on your phone, but I had no trouble and would do it again in a heart beat.
Take your time reading the instructions in the Rom you choice to go with, then read it again. Then go through the post to see what others had problems with, because 9 times out of 10, someone has posted the question multiple times.
Don't be afraid to ask questions, you will see others posts and get to know who actually helps, who is a douche and should be avoided. This is an excellent community of people who love to mess with things and have fun doing it.
I know I did not address the question with a tutorial on how to do this step by step...because it has been done
Best of luck, and if I can help...shoot me a message.
If all you want is a smooth running phone where everything works, flash Andromeda 3.0 on it and forget about JVB, CM7 or anything with bootloaders.
@ TigerEnigma: Yes im sure it was a hard brick. I've been modding android phones since donut and this was a definite brick. I was able to get into download mode one time, and after that nada. No recovery no, download, no boot of any sort. The guys at the "Shack" didnt even question my story so no big deal.
Thanks for all the help guys. This is the first phone I have had issues with. My last phone was the moment, which is probably one of the easiest phones to mod so going from that to this was a little bit of a shock. Im going to peruse the forum some more, before making any final decisions. i may try this stuff tonight so hopefully all goes well...
thanks again guys
Make a jig also. I made a jig that saved me and the guy i work with. Also if you are looking for a 2.3 rom then do go with a JVH build and not JVB.

[Q] Totally confused about kernel/ROM/lagfix

I have been trying to find answers for a week now and have found a lot of info. The problem is most of the info is contradictory and I'm not really sure which is good and which is not. I currently have an AT&T Samsung Captivate, firmware ver 2.2, kernel ver. 2.6.32.9 build# FROYO.UCKB1. I believe that is the stock At&t froyo build. It is rooted, I do have SGS tools (which I don't really understand what all it can do for me) and Titanium backup (which I've not tried to use yet for fear of breaking my phone). I run 91PandaHome and a bunch of apps I like.
My problem is that the phone sometimes is just really sluggish, certain programs really kill it. For example, I have PlantVsZombies which mostly runs ok, but sometimes slows down and worse 3 out of 5 times I play will not close. I have to power/volume up reboot to get out of the game. Other programs occasionally do this to me, but not as often.
I've been reading up and see that there are lagfixes, and understand that samsung apparently chose a ****ty file system, but I don't understand android well enough to know what's safe. What I want to know is what is as of today the safest, easiest way to fix the lag. I think I am going to be told something that changes the file system to ext4 is what I want, but I really don't understand what will be safe to use for that. I thought I wanted OneClickLagFix, then I found that maybe Voodoo was what I wanted, and now it seems that neither is currently being developed. Reliability, ease of transition and ease of putting it back to stock are important factors for me.
Suggestions, links and general help will be greatly appreciated.
Try going to a custom rom where all of that is done for you. Since you are new to this, I suggest you go look up the rom Serendipity 6.4, it's very easy to install and has it's own thread in the development section.
fianor said:
I have been trying to find answers for a week now and have found a lot of info. The problem is most of the info is contradictory and I'm not really sure which is good and which is not. I currently have an AT&T Samsung Captivate, firmware ver 2.2, kernel ver. 2.6.32.9 build# FROYO.UCKB1. I believe that is the stock At&t froyo build. It is rooted, I do have SGS tools (which I don't really understand what all it can do for me) and Titanium backup (which I've not tried to use yet for fear of breaking my phone). I run 91PandaHome and a bunch of apps I like.
My problem is that the phone sometimes is just really sluggish, certain programs really kill it. For example, I have PlantVsZombies which mostly runs ok, but sometimes slows down and worse 3 out of 5 times I play will not close. I have to power/volume up reboot to get out of the game. Other programs occasionally do this to me, but not as often.
I've been reading up and see that there are lagfixes, and understand that samsung apparently chose a ****ty file system, but I don't understand android well enough to know what's safe. What I want to know is what is as of today the safest, easiest way to fix the lag. I think I am going to be told something that changes the file system to ext4 is what I want, but I really don't understand what will be safe to use for that. I thought I wanted OneClickLagFix, then I found that maybe Voodoo was what I wanted, and now it seems that neither is currently being developed. Reliability, ease of transition and ease of putting it back to stock are important factors for me.
Suggestions, links and general help will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a few quick things:
Titanium backup is a good friend to have on your phone. It won't break it - it will just take snapshots (for lack of a better phrase) of your apps so that you can restore them later if you need to.
Most lagfixes are cooked into kernels, so using lagfix will most likely go hand-in-hand with flashing to a custom rom. Not that you can't lagfix stock, but statistically speaking, lagfix will be done with a new kernel via the Clockworkmod Recovery Menu.
As for general fixing of lagginess... (READ UP FIRST) Flash a custom Rom (READ MORE). Most of the problems you're experiencing (ARE YOU READING UP ON FLASHING?) should be fixed by flashing (DO MORE READING) a custom rom. Do some research on roms and pick one that you think you'll like. (Note - don't post questions asking which one to do, it tends to be a bit of a touchy subject on the forum.) If you're wanting to be cautious, it would be safer to stay with a Froyo-based rom, as they're more tested and there's less danger involved (specifically, you don't have to flash bootloaders, which is the area where you can get a real brick).
Oh, and (shameless self plug) if you need to know what different terminology and items on the forum mean, just click the link in my signature.
jmtheiss said:
Just a few quick things:
Titanium backup is a good friend to have on your phone. It won't break it -
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, it CAN break your phone if you don't know how to use it. Backing up is safe, but never, ever restore system data with TiBu when changing ROMs and only restore app data you know is safe.
I would recommend staying away from any Gingerbread-based ROMs until you have a better understanding of the phone and the process. Andromeda 3 is a good choice for a Froyo-based ROM and is very easy to flash, but do your research on the process before you attempt it. Almost any custom ROM will have a lagfix in the kernel and performance will be noticeably better than stock. You will likely have to redo your root after installing a new ROM, so read up on that process, too.
jmtheiss said:
As for general fixing of lagginess... (READ UP FIRST) Flash a custom Rom (READ MORE). Most of the problems you're experiencing (ARE YOU READING UP ON FLASHING?) should be fixed by flashing (DO MORE READING) a custom rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I lol'd at the "()" parts
To build on jmtheiss post. For "reliability" look for a KB1 based ROM as this is what your phone is currently running, and is the newest version of firmware written specifically for the AT&T captivate. You won't come across any major issues that make the phone unusable, nor any "annoying" bugs. Then if your feeling more adventurous, and have gotten a solid understanding of the process of flashing ROMs, look to I9000 based 2.2.x ROMs, and lastly 2.3.x based ROMs.
For "ease of transition" start by getting the SGS Kernel Flasher or Heimdall to change the kernel. From there you can get past 3e recovery and you'll be free to make other changes.
For "ease of putting it back to stock" first find out what is your stock. Since this phone technically has 3 different "stock" firmwares. Then get a copy of that firmware (and steps on how to flash it) and keep it on your computer, in a location you'll be able to find easily in case of problems. Depending on how far "to the dark side" you go, will effect just how much of the "stock" files you'll need to keep as backups.
Personally I'd suggest this ROM as it's whats currently on my phone. Many have started off with Cognition and it's still a crowd fav. Both are KB1 based ROMs

[Q] A few questions about mods, from a total n00b

I have a Sprint HTC hero with original everything.
I've been wanting to do a mod but that brings up a few questions.
1) A lot of places say the CM7 mod from here is great for this phone but I clicked around and can't find a list of things it changes/improves. Why would I install a mod and will most things continue to work (market places, email, phone utilities, purchased apps).
2) All roms have those warnings that they void warranty. How often do they brick the device? Is this something I should worry about?
Sorry for the noobish questions but I am looking towards modding the hero but I want to make sure I don't make it worse.
1.) well basically MOD's are roms that people cook themselves from the scratch android or from a base like for example the DesireHD android base. They can do things varying from the look and feel of android to adding elements like being able to browse Privately on your browsers. i know that CM7 allows you to do that. Being able to flash different roms opens up a even bigger Android World.
2.) I have been flashing back and forth for a long time and not once have i bricked the device. Besides not like a little system restore wont fix anything. Also if you happen to send you device into maintenance or repair just restore you phone back to factory settings. All of it is reversible. When i first started out it helped me to really read NOOB forums so i didn't do something i would regret, but you should have nothing to really worry about.
reply from a still nearly noob, although i read alot about roms already and flashed my sgs2. ill just attemt to help you a little here.
1) i now flashed lite'ning rom on my phone as there is no cm7 for it yet. once realeased i will also flash it as i also read that it is the most widely used rom with best support. within a thread of the specific rom there should be a list of improvements/major changes or what will be added if you flash the rom. these and mostly more battery life and/or more speed are the reasons people flash roms. after flashing the phone you will have all the things still working, sometimes even better. for apps it depends on the rom. mine for example didnt require a wipe that delets all you data on the phone. others (as i think cm7 also) require a wipe of all you on-phone personal data apps and so on (not sd card if im not mistaken, please correct me!)
2)yes, you void warranty if you flash a custom rom, root or do sth else on the firmware not published by the manufacturer. when i flashed and overflashed my phones rom for several time already i haven't had any problems. and as i read all over the net/xda there is just a very little chance to brick your phone and even there you might have possibilities to revive it, i think. but im not sure on this, cosider others informations first!
hope i could help you a little from noob to noob and enjoy flashing roms. oh and of course have a look in the htc hero android development section for roms!
cheers!
IQHU
Damn - too late, and didnt recognize until now...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Go to this thread and start reading some of the linked threads. All your answers can be found there.

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