Database Develop

Risk of rooting and flashing roms

What are the risk of flashing third party roms onto your device. For the iPhone if you have problem jailbreaking or something you can simply put the iPhone into DFU and restore the phone and you can't really brick the phone. If there's a problem with the flashing process is there way to brick the phone?
On a ride note, does anyone know if the rooting process is the same for the Rogers captivate and the At&t captivate are the same

I can only assume that the process/risks are the same as the AT&T versions. As long as you are able to get your phone into "Download Mode", the phone is recoverable. The only risk I would say is 'time'. There is a lot required in the knowledge of flashing ROMs. It is not meant for a beginner, but easy enough that you can learn...O yea, the process of rooting technically voids your warranty. But you can flash to stock and unroot and AT&T probably would have no clue that you did anything like that. Rogers, I can only assume, is the same.

JimmehDean said:
I can only assume that the process/risks are the same as the AT&T versions. As long as you are able to get your phone into "Download Mode", the phone is recoverable. The only risk I would say is 'time'. There is a lot required in the knowledge of flashing ROMs. It is not meant for a beginner, but easy enough that you can learn...O yea, the process of rooting technically voids your warranty. But you can flash to stock and unroot and AT&T probably would have no clue that you did anything like that. Rogers, I can only assume, is the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sound advice. If you do plan in modding any phone, read, read and read some more. Better it takes some time than you wind up with a fancy paperweight.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

[Q] Bricking a Nook Color

Is it possible to "brick" a nook color? I just got mine yesterday, rooted, and decided I didn't like the stock ROM so used CWM to install nookie-froyo. Had some issues with that, and was able to revert back with CWM.
I'd like to tinker more, but I'm a total noob with Android and I don't want to be doing anything that is irreversible. Does installing through CWM do anything that I couldn't fix if I screwed up?
I just want to make sure I don't ruin my new toy only a day after getting it. I'm ready to try froyo again and look into using an OC'd kernel.

With the NC having boot priority on the SD slot the chances of any kind of software induced brick is very very low. You always run the risk of something crazy happening , but it's not a worry I personally have.

miemens said:
With the NC having boot priority on the SD slot the chances of any kind of software induced brick is very very low. You always run the risk of something crazy happening , but it's not a worry I personally have.
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Click to collapse
Agreed. Short of trying to mess up the boot order or disintegrating the sdcard... it would be tough for a real brick.

Ah, so in other words, if I screw up the on board flash, I can always throw an img on my SD card slot, and do the same process as autonooter?
Good to know, thanks.

claudius753 said:
Ah, so in other words, if I screw up the on board flash, I can always throw an img on my SD card slot, and do the same process as autonooter?
Good to know, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More or less that's correct. As far as I see, something physical would have to be damaged in order for you to fully brick. With that in mind, it's not out of the realm of possibility for a severely over aggressive overclock or something of that nature to cause physical damage over time, but all of the OC kernels available here seem well below the level required to fry anything.

claudius753 said:
Is it possible to "brick" a nook color? I just got mine yesterday, rooted, and decided I didn't like the stock ROM so used CWM to install nookie-froyo. Had some issues with that, and was able to revert back with CWM.
I'd like to tinker more, but I'm a total noob with Android and I don't want to be doing anything that is irreversible. Does installing through CWM do anything that I couldn't fix if I screwed up?
I just want to make sure I don't ruin my new toy only a day after getting it. I'm ready to try froyo again and look into using an OC'd kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There shouldn't be issues with the OC kernel but you do always run the risk of burning out your processor, which is basically bricking your device if you take bricking to mean turning into a brick.

claudius753 said:
Is it possible to "brick" a nook color? I just got mine yesterday, rooted, and decided I didn't like the stock ROM so used CWM to install nookie-froyo. Had some issues with that, and was able to revert back with CWM.
I'd like to tinker more, but I'm a total noob with Android and I don't want to be doing anything that is irreversible. Does installing through CWM do anything that I couldn't fix if I screwed up?
I just want to make sure I don't ruin my new toy only a day after getting it. I'm ready to try froyo again and look into using an OC'd kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to the Nook Colors characteristic of booting from the SDcard before the internal, it is very near impossible to brick your nook. Your always able to boot into a Clockwork Mod Recovery sd card even at the worst of times, and from there you can flash a backup, custom ROM, etc.

I take bricking as "Something where it won't boot and isn't recoverable." I know that an OC can do physical harm, I just was wondering that if I flashed a ROM and it went horribly wrong, is it able to be recovered or not. It seems that, yes, it very well is. Which means that I am much more comfortable with trying different roms and kernels, etc.
Thanks again, everyone.

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] Is bricking 'permanent'?

Hey guys. Just a quick basic question here, before I get too involved with changing between roms trying to find one that suits what I want for my phone.
If I 'Brick' my Samsung Galaxy, is it essentially now useless? Or can it be unbricked using certain techniques. I don't want to go changing rom after rom just knowing eventually I'm likely to brick it, and I do quite like my phone
Cheers.

Bricking your phone to an unrecoverable stage is actually quite hard to do (as long as you follow the guides on the installs properly). When I first started installing roms on my other old phone I panic'd a few times that ohhh no I bricked my phone but no I did not.
One of the most common ways of bricking your phone is not letting it complete the flash process. Been halfway through is not a good thing. I know for me when ever I install a new rom I ALWAYS do where possible a factory reset on the device, and as I have contacts etc backed up to gmail and messages backed up on server I do not really care about loosing keis support for back ups, there are plenty of great apps to do this, I also wipe cache and reformat the internal sd card as well.
So would not worry about bricking your phone but READ, and REREAD hehehe one more time (with coffee of stimulant of your choice) REREAD the rom instructions prior to install and do it step by step then you should have no problems, and if there ies, its because then the device is more than likely faulty..
One of the most common issues is the internal sd card, there is a forum post regarding testing the card, now never did this but seems a good way to see if your card can withstand the process, another is download a benchmark app run the test (turn off as much crap as you can) then compare results with other users and if its favourable then your device should be fine (this is for the overtly cautious method >:¬} .
Needless to say following my advice and it leads to a bricked device, well I it wasn't me and I was not here >:¬}

update to Gingerbread ?

I have an ATT Captivate which I managed to update from original Android 2.1 to 2.2 firmware, version I897UCJI6.
This was before ATT release their official 2.2 update.
I also managed to unlock the phone.
I have to admit I am totally ignorant of this stuff, and I was lucky enough not to brick my phone during those updates.
I am very unhappy with the battery life of my phone, and I read that the Gingerbread dramatically improves this aspect.
So, shall I upgrade to Gingerbread?
If yes, I am confused with the many sites which offer advice with how to do this, some contradicting with others. (One indicated to reverse back to 2.1 before upgrading to 2.3, other didn't say that, etc etc)
Should this upgrade be successfull, what happens to the lock/unlock status?
Do I need to unlock again?
Which is a trusted site?
Any advice?
Thank you for any help

UnLock stays after flashing.
As for a trusted site.... Ummm you found it. Xda...

Thank you
Will this upgrade really improve battery life?
If not I'll stay with 2.2

I got Max of 18 or so hours on froyo, I can go over 2 days now. Ymmv though.

Thanks again
I assume this would be the thread to follow, right ?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1233620
Which indicates the use of this file : I897UCKH3_noboot.tar.md5 (dated 8/24/2011, 305191 KB)
I did find another file somewhere, presumably doing the same thing - that file name is:
I897UCKH3_HOME.tar.md5 (dated 8/19/2011 298421 KB)
I stated before I am kind of ignorant, and easily confused with all those information.
Which one is the right file?
Am I on the right track?

If you going to use KH3 without bootloaders you need to flash This bootloaders first.

Is there a thread for novices, where all those terms are explained, or where the procedures to be followed are explained for somebody who who can follow indicated steps (without really knowing the meaning of all those terms) which could lead to 100% success?
I don't mind reading a little, but I don't have time to become an expert (and I'm sure many readers here are like me, looking for plain simple advice on how to upgrade their phones, without having the skills and knowledge to do it)
Reading those posts here can be sooo confusing...
Somebody recommends you to do this, somebody recommends you to do that, and the poor you have no clue what they're talking about...

Simple if you want Gingerbread you need new bootloaders (except Cyanogenmod and MIUI). Bootloaders are like the BIOS in your computer. If you mess up the bootloaders you can hardbrick your phone.

Got it
Next logical question would be WHY the person who indicated how to upgrade to Gingerbread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1233620) did not tell in his post that you need new bootloaders.
Or at least I do not see that in his post.
Which means that a novice like me can ruin his/her phone very easy..

No bootloader ODIN packages are made for people that already have the GB bootloaders. So you don't get a hard brick.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1232703
I believe this is what you want to use.

mirceani said:
Got it
Next logical question would be WHY the person who indicated how to upgrade to Gingerbread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1233620) did not tell in his post that you need new bootloaders.
Or at least I do not see that in his post.
Which means that a novice like me can ruin his/her phone very easy..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a GB ROM without GB bootloaders won't ruin your phone. May cause a bootloop, but not a hard brick. Cezar is super picky about things being safe. If you had hit the link he had for tips and tricks, it says something about bootloaders.

After reading all related posts, I am still confused - pls help:
I understand that if I follow Cesar's link, I need bootloaders first.
If I follow Przekret's link, I do NOT need bootloadres first (they are included)
So how do I decide which route to follow ? In the end I get the same result, GB 2.3.4 - correct?
I am currently on Froyo, UCJI6, rooted and unlocked.
Do I loose my rooting (I understand that unlocking stays)
Again, which method should I use (Cesar or Przekret) ?
Thank you

If you need bootloaders, don't use Cezars.
As these are stock roms, you will lose root. But if you flash any custom ROM, it should be rooted.

No method is incorrect. I would flash Bootloaders firs because there seems to be less chance to hard brick (I've noticed sometimes ODIN doesn't flash one bootloader after another). Thats my personal experience, but like I said neither of the methods are incorrect, I just never used the one with bootloaders included since I already had them when KH3 came out, so I can't speak for that package myself.

How do I know if I need bootloaders or not?

Unless you bought that phone modded with the GB bootloaders you need them. No real way to know except flashing a GB rom like cezars package. If it works You didn't need them, If it din't work then you soft bricked your phone and you might need a jig to get in to Download mode again.

mrhaley30705 said:
If you need bootloaders, don't use Cezars.
As these are stock roms, you will lose root. But if you flash any custom ROM, it should be rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry for my ignorance, what is a "stock rom" and what is a "custom ROM" ?

prbassplayer said:
Unless you bought that phone modded with the GB bootloaders you need them. No real way to know except flashing a GB rom like cezars package. If it works You didn't need them, If it din't work then you soft bricked your phone and you might need a jig to get in to Download mode again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK
since I bought the phone from ATT a year ago, running 2.1, I would assume that I do NOT have them, so I do need them

mirceani said:
sorry for my ignorance, what is a "stock rom" and what is a "custom ROM" ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A stock rom is that package that Cezare and pretzel posted. A custom rom is Fusion V, Pinnacle, Fasty II, among many many other. All those are based on the stock KH3 that cezar and prertzel posted