I have had my Touch Diamond for a while but have always been afraid to switch Roms. My battery life is awful and my phone seems really slow. So I have thought about switching Roms. I figure it will make my phone seem new to me again and maybe help with some of my issues.
A couple of questions:
How do I go about doing this the first time? What steps do I need to make sure I do so I don't brick my phone and will still have my contacts and all?
Which Rom would you recommend? I'm on Alltel, I don't know if that matters. I would like something that helps with battery life and performance and also will look cool.
Thanks for any help. I'm sure these are really generic questions, but I don't really know what I am doing with this the first time.
your concats will erase so make sure you get a buckup software to make sure you still have them
research
check out the wiki section http://wiki.xda-developers.com/ for starting info on how to flash a ROM.
There are certain things you need to know before flashing like if our phone is locked to a carrier.. you will also probably want to backup your contacts and other info, maybe even emails and txts, so you will need a backup application.
You will probably want to make not of your current phones ROM and radio settings as well.
Keep in mind that there is a risk, however small it may be, to flashing a ROM. Please read up on the steps thoroughly before jumping in for the best chance of success.
note, i am currently in the same boat as you, wanting to flash my first ROM, but am still in the process of educating myself on how it works.
I plan on putting together my own How-To written in complete noob-speak once i have successfully flashed my first....
regards\
d
dkehler said:
note, i am currently in the same boat as you, wanting to flash my first ROM, but am still in the process of educating myself on how it works.
I plan on putting together my own How-To written in complete noob-speak once i have successfully flashed my first....
regards\
d
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also new to this whole flashing thing.
Recently got bored of the look of my TD from Bell.... and stumbled across this site with so many cool looking ROMS but I have no idea how/where to start even after reading the guides.
Hopefully you have success with yours and teach me and the OP
Hi,
I understand how the root process works. Owning a N1 I did not see a whole lot of need until I found out Google will not make a Nexus two and I cringe at the site of some of the carrier phones and their terrible update lag times. My only question is in regards to it wiping your phone. Is is there any way to avoid this? If not I am guessing the solution is just simply making a backup on my computer and than dragging and dropping the files back on to the phone. If not please let me know differently.
I have watched several videos and read several guides but my above question has not been answered very clearly.
In regards to flashing my phone.
This does not make much sense to me. It sounds like I can go between the stock version of my phone and the rooted version and that I would need to do this for OTA updates. Seems like the root community gets updates sooner than OTA so I am not too worried about that. It would be helpful if someone could explain what flashing your phone does exactly and is it something that can be done easily like using an app or do I need to go through the whole bootloading process etc.
My third and final question: If I were to overclock my N1 after rooting my phone what would be the ideal setting for it?
Thank you for your help
You can't "back up on your computer", and you can't "drag and drop the files back". But there is enough backup software to cover everything (Titanium backup for apps & data, SMS backup, APN backup, Call log backup).
You don't have to wipe if you don't unlock the bootloader. But then you won't have the easy way of flashing from fastboot, either. And moving to most of the custom ROMs you have to wipe.
Flashing = loading anything into ROM. That can include superboot hack (root), kernel or complete custom ROM, or even custom updates like themes etc. There are explanations in both rooting guides in Development section, and there's Android 101 in General which you should read before continuing.
The ideal setting is not to overclock at all. If you do - then not above 1075 MHz, for battery savings (explained in wildmonk's kernel thread in Development, for example).
Again, I suggest you read some more before further questions. It seems that the concepts are far from clear.
[edit] Android 101 is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=618768
And your questions should go to Q&A section.
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.
Good day all.
Before I ask my questions I would like to say that In the few days I have been here I have been working on Understanding the Technical terms and Jargon this site uses ever so much, I have learned.
While the wiki (and these posts here) has helped a bit...I still find myself feeling a bit nauseous from what I have been currently been unable to understand so you might have to stand me being a noob for just a little bit longer I'm afraid.
Anywho...on to the questions...
I am aware the ROMs must match a given make and model of a phone to work and custom kernels must be matched to specific ROMs, but alot of these ROMs have really awesome features & improvements. Better Sound, DSP-equalizer, More efficient battery use, more function UIs, more control on security, SONY based Engines, CRT-Off Animations, ...why can't they all just work together?!?! So now I have to ask the crazy...
Is it possible to stack the features of different ROMs?
What is it I need to be looking for compatibility wise between all these ROMs/Themes/Apps/Kernels to make sure that I don't Clay or Brick the Note by combining the wrong codes?
I'm trying to figure out what I can do to mix and match intelligently to get the most out of a rooted note (as is... I suppose... all of you here).
On that...uh...note, I have seen a lot of talk about Titanium-backup App, Clockworkmod Recovery App & Nandroids.
Why do I need to use these to back up?
Why can't I just go into the phone & copy and paste all the files on a folder in the computer? Is it because Android is Linux based? Do not all the files show?
Should I have all these Backup Apps to back up every part of the Note or is just one enough?
Oh and one more thing... I Received my note today & a lot faster than I expected. So...
What would you recommend to be the smartest thing to do first after root?
Decisions Decisions.
Thank You
The most basic differentiating factor is to see if the ROMs are TouchWiz based or AOSP/CM/AOKP based, those are the main 2 categories that every ROM here falls under
Features from one category *mostly* can not be ported to other category if they are not present there. For example, S-Memo are exclusive to TouchWiz ROMs just like Tablet mode is exclusive to AOSP/CM/AOKP ROMs, but there might some rare exceptions
IMHO Titanium Backup is useful only if you have games data, normal apps I prefer to set them up manually to have the cleanest setup possible. Nandroids, OTOH, are essential, they are your safety net if anything goes wrong.
You can't back up an OS just by copying the files over cause you don't have access to the kernel and lower system files, that's where nandroids help
Hope this helps
matius44 said:
The most basic differentiating factor is to see if the ROMs are TouchWiz based or AOSP/CM/AOKP based, those are the main 2 categories that every ROM here falls under
Features from one category *mostly* can not be ported to other category if they are not present there. For example, S-Memo are exclusive to TouchWiz ROMs just like Tablet mode is exclusive to AOSP/CM/AOKP ROMs, but there might some rare exceptions
IMHO Titanium Backup is useful only if you have games data, normal apps I prefer to set them up manually to have the cleanest setup possible. Nandroids, OTOH, are essential, they are your safety net if anything goes wrong.
You can't back up an OS just by copying the files over cause you don't have access to the kernel and lower system files, that's where nandroids help
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh! Right... I'm not just backing up apps... I'm backing Up the OS. Duh. Ok.
I was thinking about it the wrong way.
I know what a TouchWiz ROM is, and its good to know that Tablet mode is exclusive to AOSP/CM/AOKP ROMs, I didn't know that either. As I mentioned in my post... I'm still working on the Jargon here. What does "AOSP/CM/AOKP" Mean? Can I switch around features if I kept in those respective types of ROMs?
CrazyOGuy said:
Oh! Right... I'm not just backing up apps... I'm backing Up the OS. Duh. Ok.
I was thinking about it the wrong way.
I know what a TouchWiz ROM is, and its good to know that Tablet mode is exclusive to AOSP/CM/AOKP ROMs, I didn't know that either. As I mentioned in my post... I'm still working on the Jargon here. What does "AOSP/CM/AOKP" Mean? Can I switch around features if I kept in those respective types of ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOSP is "Android Open Source Project". That is just one kind of custom ROM. Also, several ROMs on here are built on "AOSP", meaning they use AOSP as a base and add "features" to it.
CM is "CyanogenMod". They are a very popular team that builds custom ROMs for different phones out there. Same thing applies, people will builld custom ROMs based on CM9 (which is Ice Cream Sandwich based) and add their own "features" to it. CM7 is Gingerbread based and not on the Note.
Also, read about the bricking situations, just to wrap your head around it and stay safe. Basically, just know right now that the only "safe" kernel is the CM9 kernel built by xplodwild OR the DAFUQ kernel built by Entropy.
The ICS sources have come out so we should see more kernels come out as the devs get their hands dirty.
I use Titantium Backup, personally, to back up my individual apps and such when I switch ROMs. Now, of course, if you restore apps, you might run into problems and you might need to wipe data again and start over and not restore apps. But, I RARELY have problems.
I hope all these details help!
CrazyOGuy said:
Oh! Right... I'm not just backing up apps... I'm backing Up the OS. Duh. Ok.
I was thinking about it the wrong way.
I know what a TouchWiz ROM is, and its good to know that Tablet mode is exclusive to AOSP/CM/AOKP ROMs, I didn't know that either. As I mentioned in my post... I'm still working on the Jargon here. What does "AOSP/CM/AOKP" Mean? Can I switch around features if I kept in those respective types of ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOSP = Android Open Source Project = Google's pure android
CM = CyanogenMod
AOKP = Android Open Kang Project
Features theoretically can be ported between these, but it requires hackery skills since mostly it's framework dependant
For example, AOKP is famous with its ROM Control option in Settings menu, this is not present in AOSP at all and some of it is present in CM9. If you have good knowledge in code you can port, not very easy task
CrazyOGuy said:
What would you recommend to be the smartest thing to do first after root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are things that need to be done before the root. You need some basic tools to get into the business of flashing stuff.
1. PC Odin - that's a software for flashing firmware from your Windows. You can get it here. Top left hand corner of the first post.
2. Windows drivers - they are needed so your PC can recognize the phone once connect the two. Get it from the same URL, same place.
3. Mobile Odin Pro - basically does the same functions as PC Odin, but from your Note, not from the PC. Get the Lite version
if the Playstore doesn't let you buy the Pro one.
4. Titanium Backup - this is optional. I use it all the time with no trouble, but some prefer to re-install their apps manually after they switch to another Rom. Titanium allows you to backup all your apps and their data, and does a quick batch restore when you need it.
Now about the rooting matter.
I would recommend the following method:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=25285584&postcount=3
I think it is by far the easiest and quickest one.
After you are successfully rooted, come back here, report, and we'll take it from there, OK?
We won't be going anywhere.
P.S. If you get into bootloop after the PC Odin has finished the flash, don't panic, but read this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26460335&postcount=4
chasmodo said:
There are things that need to be done before the root. You need some basic tools to get into the business of flashing stuff.
1. PC Odin - that's a software for flashing firmware from your Windows. You can get it here. Top left hand corner of the first post.
2. Windows drivers - they are needed so your PC can recognize the phone once connect the two. Get it from the same URL, same place.
3. Mobile Odin Pro - basically does the same functions as PC Odin, but from your Note, not from the PC. Get the Lite version
if the Playstore doesn't let you buy the Pro one.
4. Titanium Backup - this is optional. I use it all the time with no trouble, but some prefer to re-install their apps manually after they switch to another Rom. Titanium allows you to backup all your apps and their data, and does a quick batch restore when you need it.
Now about the rooting matter.
I would recommend the following method:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=25285584&postcount=3
I think it is by far the easiest and quickest one.
After you are successfully rooted, come back here, report, and we'll take it from there, OK?
We won't be going anywhere.
P.S. If you get into bootloop after the PC Odin has finished the flash, don't panic, but read this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26460335&postcount=4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did all that Pre-Root stuff two days ago. ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜) YEAAAA!
As for how the root went...so far so good. As such I've just been upgraded from noob to kiddie hacker. Yay me...I guess.
I also did go for Titanium-backup App & Clockwork mod Recovery App (Free). Could not find Nandroid.
I am currently on 2.3.6 GB.
With that said. Now comes the fun part(...right?)
If you have done just what cursed4eva did in his video, you are rooted, but still haven't got a proper CLockWorkMod Recovery for further flashing.
If that is the case, you need to go to Chainfire's kernel thread and download the matching CF-Root kernel. For instance, download CF-Root-SGN_XX_OXA_LC1-v5.3-CWM5.zip if you have flashed N7000XXLC1_N7000OXALC1 Open Europe.
You need to extract the kernel zip to get the tar file inside. Put that tar file on your SD card, start Mobile Odin, tap on 'kernel' option, navigate to the kernel tar and flash. The phone will reboot, MO will flash the kernel, and you'll have the fully functional CWMR you need for doing nandroid backups/restores and flashing custom Roms.
Sorry for the Delay. Micro-SD Card took longer to receive than expected.
I have gone in and put that matching LA# .tar file on Moble ODIN. At the risk of asking a question whose only answer can be "DUH!"...
To flash the Kernel (or any of the respective things Mobile ODIN can do) do I press "Flash Firmware"?
My Concern of Bricking > Risk of asking Stupid Obvious Question
Edit: Every single place I searched presses said button...so I guess that's a yes. >_<
Edit 2: Success!
So how are the names given? Is all I need to look for is just match random bits of the titles code to see if the two are compatible?
And with this done...I can now start with some of the fun stuff... right?
Will updating the firmware affect anything if I wish to flash a custom ROM?
Any other precautions I should take with this virgin phone?
Thanks!
be careful
there is a post in the Development area a sticky that explains a situation
with some ICS leaks that bricked many notes... to the point where you need to pay for a new motherboard .
if you are new .. there are MANY posts and searches you will have to do to find your way around with the kernels and the roms...
yesterday i made a small folder with all the right files you need to root to install CWM and to safely being able to flash any rom you want (as safe as you can offcourse)
i have used this in 3 notes for more than 15 different roms ... and everything is fine...
since i am new to the XDA i can't post a link but i will post the instructions...
and i will send you the link to my dropbox folder for the RAR...
it has everything you need in there..
the last days i send it to friends that don't have experience and need a
1. 2. 3. kind of guide for updating and installing custom roms...
here are the instructions... the link to the rar.exe will be in your personal folder..
----------------------------------------
1. thourgh odin i use the files of the folder
"Rooted_Stock_Odex_N7000XXLC1"
with the order showed in the pic "odin file order"
the rom is now rooted and i need CWM
2. through the folder
"CF-Root-SGN_XX_OXA_LC1-v5.3-CWM5"
i choose the file "already-rooted.bat" (while my phone
is connected and the " usb debugging " pressed
i let the program do it's thing and when it's finished
it will tell me to reboot ...
now i have a safe rooted phone with CWM
3. for ANY custom rom .. GB or ICS
I FOLLOW THESE GOLDEN RULES and i am safe...
Four steps to installing any rom for galaxy note
a. put the file abyss 4.2 into your phone reboot to recovery
choose install zip and then choose the file... now you have Abyss kernel.
b. press reboot to recovery ( just to be sure )
c.chose wipe Data, cache and in advanced the dalvike cache wipe
d. if you want to be extra cool reboot to recovery one more and
chose the custom rom of your choise (the one you have downloaded allready and placed inside the phone waiting
as a zip file..
YOU ARE DONE..
This is the universal instructions for any ics rom installation.
No brick and maintain root.
TL;DR.
Disregard all of the above.
My first advice to you would be to read. Don't be lazy, just read for a couple of days. You are a native speaker and will be able to follow everything with no problems whatsoever.
There's plenty of information in the Note Forum you need to digest before taking a plunge into rooting, installing and tweaking custom Roms etc.
Unfortunately, the Note community is plagued by a series of hard-bricks ATM, and you need to know why, and adjust your actions accordingly. There are safe ways of doing things and there are lethal ways. You don't want to end up having a shiny, expensive paperweight, do you?
You need as much info as you can possibly adopt before doing anything.
chasmodo said:
TL;DR.
Disregard all of the above.
My first advice to you would be to read. Don't be lazy, just read for a couple of days. You are a native speaker and will be able to follow everything with no problems whatsoever.
There's plenty of information in the Note Forum you need to digest before taking a plunge into rooting, installing and tweaking custom Roms etc.
Unfortunately, the Note community is plagued by a series of hard-bricks ATM, and you need to know why, and adjust your actions accordingly. There are safe ways of doing things and there are lethal ways. You don't want to end up having a shiny, expensive paperweight, do you?
You need as much info as you can possibly adopt before doing anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And as chasmodo said some important thread to be viewed are this,this,this,this
The links include Public service announcements for bricking issues,rooting guides and some threads you must read to understand the problem
Thanks so much!!! )