Related
I’ve just updated from MoDaCo’s 1.5 ROM to the CM6 2.2 ROM and since it’s been so long (over a year) since I’ve rooted my phone and dived into all the information involved in doing so. Back then it wasn’t as easy as it is now with some of these rooting methods. In fact I remember it being a real mess ha. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583291)
So basically, I’ve managed to do quite a lot of things and I want to help a friend out but I want to make sure all my info is right.
ALL of this is basically on giant question. I just word it as if I know what I’m talking about. But please help me correct everything that is wrong (and I know there is a lot), help answer some of my questions, and even let me know where I’m right. I didn’t type everything up as questions so that it reads easier. If I need to repeat some sections to get clarification I can.
Customizing you Phone
The first step is to gain root access via installing (flashing) a recovery program (image).
This program (image) is only accessible via boot (boot into recovery). It allows you to make a back-up of the phone in its entirety, restore said back-ups, allow PC access connectivity (via USB), flash programs/files (“installing” in a sense), partition an SD card, perform various wipes, and some miscellaneous things.
Ok – I’ll pause here to get some info. Wipe Data/Factory Reset; this means erasing everything off the phone and it resets the current ROM back to its native state. Wipe Dalvik-cache… I’m not sure what this does exactly but I assume it has something to do with the programs installed or the SD card. Furthur, why would I want to ‘wipe battery stats’ or ‘rotate settings’ ? And wipe SD:ext partition has to do with Apps to SD?
Also, when you do these wipes and flashes and re-do your phone from scratch, the only thing that is never touched is the recovery image. It’s fair to say, when you flash the recovery image during your rooting, it’s the only set in stone thing on your phone… that is until you re-root your phone or flash an alternate recovery.
Apps2sd – When I first rooted my phone and installed MoDaCo’s ROM, I ventured into the land of Apps2sd. This too was a PAINFUL process partitioning my SD card and learning all about the ext2/3/4 and I’ve already forgotten everything. After going through all that to clear up what little space I had on my Hero, I then read all kinds of people saying Apps2SD is bad cuz it’s slow and blah blah. So I took it off. Now it seems that Google has made an Apps2sd native? I just need updated on the whole Apps2sd thing both in general and for the Hero.
Ok – Back. Some of the things you can flash are custom ROMs (a ROM is the Operating System essentially), data that tells the computer to work differently such as custom kernels (what makes the phone work, basically communication between hardware and software), new radios (what retrieves and uses signals), and battery stuff (what would it be called? “Battery kernel info”? haha). You can even flash programs right to the phone (apk files).
The biggest reason to root your phone, is to install a custom ROM. Custom roms typically cut out a lot of bloat that the stock OS would have such as un-removable programs (Sprint NFL and NASCAR… Thanks but no thanks Sprint) and OS things. Many developers have even tweaked ROMs to optimize performance and battery life. Why would the stock ROM not do this? And why would it seem the dev’s (developers) making custom ROMs are better than the devs at Google/Sprint/Samsung/etc.? Certain applications also require rooted phones (or just simple ‘root’) due to their extended abilities or required securities (such as WaveSecure?).
Reminder – everything is a question even tho some things have ‘?’ and some don’t. I know that I do not know what I’m talking about. I just want to confirm what I do know, and learn where I’m wrong!
Now some straight up questions:
When you get a custom recovery, ROM, and kernel on your phone… you’ve just about altered all major parts of your phone (software speaking of course)?
When you want to put on a custom ROM, you first wipe everything then flash the ROM. Then you may flash additional items such as gapps (google applications pack), custom Kernals, etc. When you want to change roms, do you have to undo everything and start from scratch and put new gapps back on, a new kernel, etc? What about just updating a ROM? What if you have a ROM you like, but just want to un-install(un-flash) gapps – possible?
[*]So example, If I needed something I forgot on an old setup – like a text message or file from EasyNote, I would have to nandroid backup, wipe everything, flash old ROM and additional files, restore OLD nandroid, grab the files, wipe everything, flash back newer ROM and additional files, restore new nandroid that was just created to be back where I started? (I actually have to do this too haha – want to make sure that’s right.) Basically I’m making sure I’m right about nandroid. It back’s-up all data and setting type files for current ROM?
What would happen if I tried to restore a nandroid back-up created during another ROM?
MoDaCo’s old custom ROM had WaveSecure installed with it so that it could not be removed. Is it possible to still do this with other ROMs?
Why do some people talk so negatively about gapps? Is there something wrong with them?
Back when I first tried learning all this a year ago, the Hero’s messaging app was known to be a real battery-eater and never slept so it was recommended to switch to a 3rd party and disable the stock app’s notifications. What’s the development on that?
I still have a whole paper full of other questions, but I think this is already getting loooong… so I’ll leave it here for now. The point of all this is to yes, educate myself so that I may help others…. But I plan on writing up a real all-inclusive guide to android and rooting and the like. I’ve searched a lot and learned a lot, but nowhere (including the wiki) did I find a nice, chronological guide of information. Hopefully I can fill that niche once I know exactly what I’m talking about, and even then I’ll need some peeps to clean my stuff up a bit. I also happen to be a filmmaker so I’d like to make a good video on this as well. It won’t be one of those videos where you can barley understand the person talking, shot in the basement with all the lights off, camera held in hand and shot with web-cam, etc. (Note: Just today I saw the XDA-TV post… sorry I missed it) D:
LAST NOTE:
Ok I promise I’m almost done. I just wanted to say that if anyone would not mind talking on the phone… I would love to just blow through this stuff a lot faster and be able to have a convo with some 1 on 1 feedback allowing me to get lots of questions answered. Even just 10 minutes would help me out tons! So if anyone who is a genious on this stuff (like devs… ) and wouldn’t mind chatting for a few – please PM me. I can do Skype as well.
I hope someone will take the time to answer you, it will help me too LOL. Last thing I rooted was the G1 years ago, & just yesterday rooted the Hero (& flashed CM6 today) I got off of Craigslist. Seems like some phones have better wikis than others.
I haven't been in the rooting/flashing game for a while since I've owned tons of different devices before & after the G1. Since then the only flashing I did was flashing Android onto a WM device LOL. Never bothered flashing the Vibrant, Epic, or Evo (sold, sold, & sold.)
Anyway, yeah, I hope someone answers! You have my support!
Root and recovery are two totally separate things - you can root your phone and not flash a recovery, it's totally up to you. Root gives you access to things on your phone, that you would otherwise not have - like flashing recovery, ROM(s), apps that need root access, etc. Goto the wiki there's a link which gives a high level idea of what root gives you.
Recovery - gives you features such as Nand backup/restore, wipe cache, dalvik-cache, flash stuff (ROMs, kernels, etc.,)
Apps2SD - allows you to install apps to the SD card. If you are using android 2.2 or above, this feature is available natively, so you don't need something line apps2sd
Now, answers to your "Straight up questions..."
1. Yes, once you root, flash recovery, flash ROM... you have altered your phone from a software stand point. You can return it to "out-of-the-box" state by running any official RUU provided by HTC/Sprint (for HTC Sprint Hero)
2. This varies from ROM to ROM, you should read the specific instructions provided by the ROM builder. About removing gapps, it is pretty easy to remove any apps once you have root access - read up the wiki or search for removing apps
3. Depends on what you want to get back - for all your daily needs, there are backup applications that can help you backup stuff from the phone, which you can then restore, once you have the app running and backup available
4. If you restore a nand backup, it will put your phone to a stage when you had created the backup
5. You will have to read up about MoDaCo ROM, that is a ROM specific thing
6. There's nothing wrong about the gapps - not sure what you are referring to
7. There are multiple messaging apps - handcent, chomp, google voice, etc. It all depends on your personal preferences
I would honestly recommend you to search on the forums and also visit the wiki. There's a whole lot of information about everything here. Also, Hero being a bit old phone, more often than not, the problem you might be facing... might have been already answered. Yes, it is time consuming, but will surely help you. The more you read, the comfortable you will feel.
Hope this helps. Let me know if I can help you further. Again, I started the same way as you, rooted the phone, flashed CM6, played around, something went horribly wrong, then had to RUU, root, flash... everything. But, that taught me a lot.
Enjoy!
So basically, I’ve managed to do quite a lot of things and I want to help a friend out but I want to make sure all my info is right.
Customizing you Phone
The first step is to gain root access via installing (flashing) a recovery program (image).
This program (image) is only accessible via boot (boot into recovery). It allows you to make a back-up of the phone in its entirety, restore said back-ups, allow PC access connectivity (via USB), flash programs/files (“installing” in a sense), partition an SD card, perform various wipes, and some miscellaneous things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure which phone you are working with, but I'm pretty sure, as a general
rule, you need root before you can flash the recovery image. Could be mistaken
on that, but that's how it was for my hero. Once you have the recovery image
flashed, you are correct, you can make and restore backups, you can access
the phone's internal storage and SD card, push/install apps, remove apps, etc.
Ok – I’ll pause here to get some info. Wipe Data/Factory Reset; this means erasing everything off the phone and it resets the current ROM back to its native state. Wipe Dalvik-cache… I’m not sure what this does exactly but I assume it has something to do with the programs installed or the SD card. Furthur, why would I want to ‘wipe battery stats’ or ‘rotate settings’ ? And wipe SD:ext partition has to do with Apps to SD?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wipe/Factory Reset basically formats the various partitions in the phone's
internal memory, if you do a wipe and reboot your phone, you'll boot loop, as
the phone no longer has an operating system. To restore back to original,
you would need to use an official RUU as andythegreenguy stated. You can
get the official rom upgrades (RUU's) from your carrier's website.
I'm still learning a lot of this myself, but the Dalvik-Cache is basically the OS's
cache, which has files randomly dumped into it and removed from it. Wiping
the Dalvik-Cache is beneficial (and sometimes required) when making
modifications to your rom. It can help improve your performance under some
circumstances, but will make your phone boot slower while the cache is being
recreated. SD:EXT only applies if you have partitioned your SD, for example,
to be used with Apps2SD. If you have no EXT partition, you can't format it.
If you are using Apps2SD, and have partitioned your SD card, this will erase
the EXT partition.
As a general rule that I follow, whenever I am making major changes, and
especially when I am flashing between different roms, I wipe everything, and
repartition/format my SD card. This helps me to know that any problems I run
into are not caused by something from a previous rom that didn't get erased.
I've never messed with wiping rotate, but wiping battery stats can be useful.
Lithium batteries have a little controller board that basically stores the battery
state. Sometimes this can get messed up, and a perfectly healthy battery will
think it's out of power a lot faster than it should. Resetting the battery info
can sometimes fix this issue. A recommendation I saw was to run your battery
down, reset the battery state, let the phone die, then do a full charge/discharge
cycle. Never had to do this, myself..
Also, when you do these wipes and flashes and re-do your phone from scratch, the only thing that is never touched is the recovery image. It’s fair to say, when you flash the recovery image during your rooting, it’s the only set in stone thing on your phone… that is until you re-root your phone or flash an alternate recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorta.. hboot and the radio are both beyond the recovery, and messing with
either of those without knowing what you are doing can cause your phone to
become a brick. Any recovery you flash should remain in place unless you use a
RUU, flash a different recovery, flash a rom that includes a different recovery,
(haven't run across that except for the RUU's), or mess with the MTD partitions.
Apps2sd – When I first rooted my phone and installed MoDaCo’s ROM, I ventured into the land of Apps2sd. This too was a PAINFUL process partitioning my SD card and learning all about the ext2/3/4 and I’ve already forgotten everything. After going through all that to clear up what little space I had on my Hero, I then read all kinds of people saying Apps2SD is bad cuz it’s slow and blah blah. So I took it off. Now it seems that Google has made an Apps2sd native? I just need updated on the whole Apps2sd thing both in general and for the Hero.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apps2SD is fine, any speed issues would primaryly be loading delays on slower
SD cards. Apps2SD also requires your SD card to be properly partitioned. The
Apps2SD that is in Android 2.2 is a little different, in that from my nderstanding,
it uses the Fat32 partition on the SD card, and thus does not require you to
partition your SD card. It is also to my knowledge only available on roms based
on Android 2.2.
A lot of custom roms have some form of Apps2SD now, but they require you to partition the SD card, and, as far as "speed" issues, I have ran my apps from
a class 2 card just fine, but moving the Dalvik-Cache to the SD card will cause
lag if you have a slow card. Class 4 or higher is recommended for moving your
cache.
Ok – Back. Some of the things you can flash are custom ROMs (a ROM is the Operating System essentially), data that tells the computer to work differently such as custom kernels (what makes the phone work, basically communication between hardware and software), new radios (what retrieves and uses signals), and battery stuff (what would it be called? “Battery kernel info”? haha). You can even flash programs right to the phone (apk files).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, you can flash ROMS, Kernels, Radios, apps (if packaged properly),
apk files that aren't packaged in an update.zip will either have to be pushed
via ADB, or can be installed from your SD card with a file manager.
The biggest reason to root your phone, is to install a custom ROM. Custom roms typically cut out a lot of bloat that the stock OS would have such as un-removable programs (Sprint NFL and NASCAR… Thanks but no thanks Sprint) and OS things. Many developers have even tweaked ROMs to optimize performance and battery life. Why would the stock ROM not do this? And why would it seem the dev’s (developers) making custom ROMs are better than the devs at Google/Sprint/Samsung/etc.? Certain applications also require rooted phones (or just simple ‘root’) due to their extended abilities or required securities (such as WaveSecure?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as the biggest reason to root your phone, I would have to say that the
answer to that would vary from person to person. Most users root to install
custom roms, but rooting gives you full control of the operating system. Since
android is Linux, having root access on your phone will allow you to change the
things that you otherwise could not. Utilities like Titanium backup can be used
to back up and restore your apps and data, performance benefits are always
a huge consideration. Companies like HTC and Sprint don't take performance
concerns into consideration because they are providing a product that is in their
opinion disposable, and "generic enough" for most users. Asking why they don't
fix the performance issues is like asking why every car on the road can't run 160
miles per hour while getting 40 miles per gallon. Some people don't care to have
the fastest, most efficient phone, and some people can't stand having sluggish
and unresponsive phones.
Now some straight up questions:
When you get a custom recovery, ROM, and kernel on your phone… you’ve just about altered all major parts of your phone (software speaking of course)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With a recovery, rom, and kernel, you've flashed all of the major software components
that you will be concerned about. Performance gains are all found in the ROM
and Kernel, and so most people have no need to go further than that. Basically,
think of the Kernel as the brain, and the ROM as the rest of the operating system
The recovery is important, but is transparent to the function of the phone once
everything is up and running.
[*]When you want to put on a custom ROM, you first wipe everything then flash the ROM. Then you may flash additional items such as gapps (google applications pack), custom Kernals, etc. When you want to change roms, do you have to undo everything and start from scratch and put new gapps back on, a new kernel, etc? What about just updating a ROM? What if you have a ROM you like, but just want to un-install(un-flash) gapps – possible?
[*]So example, If I needed something I forgot on an old setup – like a text message or file from EasyNote, I would have to nandroid backup, wipe everything, flash old ROM and additional files, restore OLD nandroid, grab the files, wipe everything, flash back newer ROM and additional files, restore new nandroid that was just created to be back where I started? (I actually have to do this too haha – want to make sure that’s right.) Basically I’m making sure I’m right about nandroid. It back’s-up all data and setting type files for current ROM?[*]What would happen if I tried to restore a nandroid back-up created during another ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try to answer these in one shot. It's recommended that you always wipe
everything before installing a custom rom, except if the rom you are installing
is *SPECIFICALLY* an update for the rom you are running, and the dev states
that a wipe is not necessary. Generally, you want to make a nandroid backup,
wipe, install the rom, make sure everything is fine, nandroid, install the kernel,
check things over, rinse and repeat.
In my case, I generally return to configs that I've already tested, so I skip some
steps, but the order is ROM, Kernel, then the other parts.
If you forgot a text message from another rom, as long as you have the nandroid
you should be OK. You can boot into recovery, make a nandroid backup of your
current configuration, then wipe everything, restore the nandroid from the
old configuration, retrieve your message or data, Then you can reboot, wipe,
and restore the nandroid from the new configuration. Keeping multiple nandroids
can be userful if you are using an AOSP rom as your daily rom, since on the
Hero, to my knowledge, you can only update your PRL under a Sense based rom.
A lot of users will restore the sense backup to update their PRL, then restore the
AOSP rom.
[*]MoDaCo’s old custom ROM had WaveSecure installed with it so that it could not be removed. Is it possible to still do this with other ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never used WaveSecure, but as a general rule, if you can download the APK, you
should be able to install it on any rom.
[*]Why do some people talk so negatively about gapps? Is there something wrong with them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people like fat chicks, and some people don't. The argument about
gapps is akin to asking what's better, PC or Mac, Linux or Windows, sports cars
or station wagons. It's all personal preference. What's right for you might not
be right for your best friend.
[*]Back when I first tried learning all this a year ago, the Hero’s messaging app was known to be a real battery-eater and never slept so it was recommended to switch to a 3rd party and disable the stock app’s notifications. What’s the development on that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The messaging app had a bug that would lock the dialer and prevent the phone
from sleeping. This bug was supposedly fixed in the 2.1 update, but 2.1 also
introduced a whole plethora of other bugs. Some people still prefer third party
messenging apps, but I use the stock app with no issues. on a good day I can
get 27 hours on a charge, but I do a lot and so most days I get 12 hours or so.
Hope this has helped.
LAST NOTE:
Ok I promise I’m almost done. I just wanted to say that if anyone would not mind talking on the phone… I would love to just blow through this stuff a lot faster and be able to have a convo with some 1 on 1 feedback allowing me to get lots of questions answered. Even just 10 minutes would help me out tons! So if anyone who is a genious on this stuff (like devs… ) and wouldn’t mind chatting for a few – please PM me. I can do Skype as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This may sound strange from a guy with a cellphone, but I actually hate talking
on the phone. Feel free to send me a PM now and then with questions. If I know the answer, I'll help out.
I'm not as knowledgeable as any of the devs, I'm still learning all of this myself. My answers might not be
'correct', but they work for me. most things related to android have no 'correct' or 'definitive' answer, but
that's the beauty of a platform that can be customized to taste. We can all make recommendations, and
can even tell you our reasoning or logic behind them, but we can all also learn a few things.
andythegreenguy said:
Root and recovery are two totally separate things - you can root your phone and not flash a recovery, it's totally up to you. Root gives you access to things on your phone, that you would otherwise not have - like flashing recovery, ROM(s), apps that need root access, etc. Goto the wiki there's a link which gives a high level idea of what root gives you.
Recovery - gives you features such as Nand backup/restore, wipe cache, dalvik-cache, flash stuff (ROMs, kernels, etc.,)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah! So the recovery is a nice, built-into-phone way of flashing, whiping, etc; otherwise you would need to use the command prompt. (Correct?)
andythegreenguy said:
Apps2SD - allows you to install apps to the SD card. If you are using android 2.2 or above, this feature is available natively, so you don't need something line apps2sd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent. But does running apps from the SD card cause the apps to run slower or open slower? Should I keep primary apps or most commonly used apps on the phone or it doesn't matter?
andythegreenguy said:
If you restore a nand backup, it will put your phone to a stage when you had created the backup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the Nand-Backup saves ALL information including flashed ROMs, Kernels, BatteryTweak, etc? What about information on the SD card especially not that apps can be moved there)?
andythegreenguy said:
There are multiple messaging apps - handcent, chomp, google voice, etc. It all depends on your personal preferences
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand this, but I just wanted to know If it's a mistake to be using the stock texting app - if the messaging app in CM6 is even the stock one. I have tried Chomp and Handcent and I actually love handcent, but it's just WAY to slow.
I have searched the forums and wiki quite a lot, thats how I got this far. I try to search for some as many things as I can, but it's just hard to get some real clarity on some things and especially the broad things. That's why I plan on taking the results of this thread and making a nice 'general' guide and possibly a video.
Thanks a lot andythegreenguy. Appriciate the help a lot
To moxlon69:
moxlon69 said:
you need root before you can flash the recovery image
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are right. I was a bit mixed up on that (even though I've done it twice! haha)
moxlon69 said:
Wipe/Factory Reset...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lot of good clarification there. Very good, thanks!
moxlon69 said:
Sorta.. hboot and the radio are both beyond the recovery...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah. What is hboot? Had some trouble finding general info on it. What is there to know about the radio? I haven't done it nor think i need to, but isn't changing the radio just the same as flashing something? (http://geekfor.me/faq/flash-radio/)
moxlon69 said:
Apps2SD is fine, any speed issues would primaryly be loading delays on slower SD cards. Apps2SD also requires your SD card to be properly partitioned. The Apps2SD that is in Android 2.2 is a little different, in that from my understanding, it uses the Fat32 partition on the SD card, and thus does not require you to partition your SD card. It is also to my knowledge only available on roms based on Android 2.2.
A lot of custom roms have some form of Apps2SD now, but they require you to partition the SD card, and, as far as "speed" issues, I have ran my apps from a class 2 card just fine, but moving the Dalvik-Cache to the SD card will cause lag if you have a slow card. Class 4 or higher is recommended for moving your cache.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if I have a 2.2 ROM... would I need to make a partition? I never read anything about needing it in CM6 threads. What was all the jazz about making different ext-s? Like 2, 3, or 4? I guess it's not relevant any more.
How do you move the Dalvik-Cache to SD?
Quick note:
AOSP and PRL are not on the wiki - not that many people don't know what they are... but why not?
Q: Why do some people talk so negatively about gapps?
A:Some people like fat chicks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said haha. The whole analogy was good.
Thanks a million moxlon69 - That helps out more than you can imagine. I'm going to begin working on a write up of all this, but I do still have lots of questions. I'll probably continue posting in this thread for a while to keep it simple... unless I have an embarrassingly stupid question I can't find an answer for then I'll PM ya!
Thanks again moxlon69 and andythegreenguy.
Edit: This thread is going to become the tl;dr thread! haha
One more try.
I know it's a lot of reading, but any help you guys can offer is much appreciated and will be returned in the form of a video. You could then just send all the newbies to the video and hopefully many of their questions will be answered.
I just don't want to make the video without being precisely accurate. I have more questions, but I should probably wait for the current queue of my questions to go down.
Thanks again for the help thus far!
I have had my Bionic for a while now and have been thinking about rooting it. I finally got the ICS update but have been using GO Launcher too much to even notice it. Anyway, like I said, I want to root my phone. I am current on all updates. For some reason it's running at a tenth of it's memory tho not much is running that I can see. This leads me to believe there's things running in the background that I can not see. I am reluctant to get rid of all my apps, but I also don't want anything that's eating all my resources either. I kinda want to start new but kinda don't. I guess I just don't like letting go of anything.
I know this is selfish of me, but I am hoping that this thread will stay clean of others chiming in asking about their issues. I just don't want the thread to lose focus since this is about what I hope to get from my phone.
Ok, so here are my questions or favors to ask:
Since my phone is fully updated, do I need to do some other updated steps for rooting my phone or is rooting always the same no matter the build or version?
When I go to root my phone, I back up everything first and then I get it back, right?
I read somewhere that it's possible to brick the phone. What precautions should I take to avoid that?
Can I get all the benefits of a rooted phone without a ROM?
Are ROMs really that awesome that I should get one, or three?
I am interested in a ROM after some posts and pages I read. I was attracted to CM at first but so is everyone else probably at first. Does CM even work on the Bionic? And if it does, does everything work like the camera and Bluetooth?
As I said earlier, I use GO Launcher. One of the things I really like about it is the folders I can make in the App Drawer. Now CM is based off of ADW Launcher, but no options to make folders in the app drawer? Is it possible in any way if I choose CM as my main ROM?
Is CM overrated? Liberty and Eclipse look nice too. I also read a little, very little, about AOKP. Any suggestions? I want to get rid of a lot of extra processes and bloatware but I don't want to lose some of the apps pre-installed like Google Maps and Navigation, etc. Unless there are other, much better replacements that anyone knows of.
I know most of this is personal preference but I am hoping to find a comprehensive way at figuring out what's best for me.
I had more questions but I will wait and ask more as the thread continues.
Oh, I don't really need answers in step by step unless I ask. A simple link would suffice unless it's not covered anywhere.
Thanks for reading this, I hope I am not frustrating anyone as I am sure similar posts have been made.
You're basically asking to have this entire forum summarized into one post...
Spend some time reading, then ask smaller, more concise questions.
Not trying to sound like a ****, but i could spend an hour answering all of that. Half of those questions could be answered with some reading of the ROM specific threads.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
Ok, I know that SOME of the questions are answered somewhere else. The thing is that after I read one thread only to find it unsolved, I read others that are are 50 pages long going nowhere as well. I haven't seen anything about my phone being fully updated and I am not going any further until I know for sure from someone like a DEV that I can.
Some of these questions are yes/no questions, which wouldn't take long at all to answer, maybe even less time it takes to write a complaint about my post. I certainly don't expect one person to write for an hour on every topic I asked about. I thought it would be a collective effort.
I guess I will take this slowly.
Since my Droid Bionic is updated to the current versions, do I need to do this differently than others have used in the past to root this phone?
Where is the best method to do this?
Before I start, I have to backup everything, right? If so, what's the best way to go about backing up everything?
I read somewhere that there are 3 things you should do to make sure you avoid bricking. I have since lost it. Does anybody know a surefire way to do this.
Please be gentle.
CycoPuppet said:
Ok, I know that SOME of the questions are answered somewhere else. The thing is that after I read one thread only to find it unsolved, I read others that are are 50 pages long going nowhere as well. I haven't seen anything about my phone being fully updated and I am not going any further until I know for sure from someone like a DEV that I can.
Some of these questions are yes/no questions, which wouldn't take long at all to answer, maybe even less time it takes to write a complaint about my post. I certainly don't expect one person to write for an hour on every topic I asked about. I thought it would be a collective effort.
I guess I will take this slowly.
Since my Droid Bionic is updated to the current versions, do I need to do this differently than others have used in the past to root this phone?
Where is the best method to do this?
Before I start, I have to backup everything, right? If so, what's the best way to go about backing up everything?
I read somewhere that there are 3 things you should do to make sure you avoid bricking. I have since lost it. Does anybody know a surefire way to do this.
Please be gentle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1st question . No, your phone is not special since it is updated what worked for others will work for you.
2nd follow this link and the instructions to the letter http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/4026-samurihls-house-of-bionic/
3rd . Since you are stock. I would suggest using Verizon's back up services. TiBu requires root. IMHO I wouldn't bother because Google automatically backs up contacts and most roms require you to do a full data wipe.
There is no magic formula to keep from bricking your phone. Just follow directions and if you can't tolerate the risk don't do it.
From my EVOLVED bionic
Obsidian_soul said:
1st question . No, your phone is not special since it is updated what worked for others will work for you.
2nd follow this link and the instructions to the letter Can not post links
3rd . Since you are stock. I would suggest using Verizon's back up services. TiBu requires root. IMHO I wouldn't bother because Google automatically backs up contacts and most roms require you to do a full data wipe.
There is no magic formula to keep from bricking your phone. Just follow directions and if you can't tolerate the risk don't do it.
From my EVOLVED bionic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That link no longer works
Also I found an article named "Learn How-To Root, Custom Recovery, Backup, And De-Bloat Your DROID BIONIC" while searching around for ROM ideas and such. Anyway, after reading this, it almost seems as if I don't need to do factory reset. Is this ok?
CycoPuppet said:
That link no longer works
Also I found an article named "Learn How-To Root, Custom Recovery, Backup, And De-Bloat Your DROID BIONIC" while searching around for ROM ideas and such. Anyway, after reading this, it almost seems as if I don't need to do factory reset. Is this ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just last week I started with a stock ICS Bionic and followed this guide to root: http://droidbionicroot.com/droid-bionic-root/how-to-root-ics-on-droid-bionic-and-motorola-android/
That went very well. I wanted to try out JB 4.2.2, so I installed SafeStrap and an official CM 10.1 nightly. The net result was that I had a very unstable phone until I did a factory reset . As of this writing, however, it's behaving extremely well. YMMV.
Ratamacue said:
Just last week I started with a stock ICS Bionic and followed this guide to root: Can not post links
That went very well. I wanted to try out JB 4.2.2, so I installed SafeStrap and an official CM 10.1 nightly. The net result was that I had a very unstable phone until I did a factory reset . As of this writing, however, it's behaving extremely well. YMMV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so you flashed the ROM, didn't work so well, then you did a factory reset. Doesn't a factory reset wipe the phone? If that's the case, doesn't it wipe out the ROM?
Oh one more thing. Following this link, does this wipe the data from my phone? Anything I should back up before doing this? Should I do any updates before flashing CM 10?
CycoPuppet said:
Ok, so you flashed the ROM, didn't work so well, then you did a factory reset. Doesn't a factory reset wipe the phone? If that's the case, doesn't it wipe out the ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, a factory data reset doesn't wipe the ROM, but it does require running the initial setup (as if you were setting up a brand new phone).
CycoPuppet said:
...one more thing. Following this link, does this wipe the data from my phone? Anything I should back up before doing this? Should I do any updates before flashing CM 10?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You definitely want to back up everything you're not willing to lose. I ran a backup the very first thing after installing SafeStrap, and it was a good thing because with all my messing around I managed to bork my stock ROM to the point that it wouldn't boot. Fortunately, all I had to do was restore it from a backup.
My phone on CM 10.1 had enough issues with freezing and crashing that I decided this morning to try a different ROM. So far, I've had really good results with Icarus HD (a custom ICS ROM). I really don't know if my experience with CM 10.1 was typical.
OK, so I want to root. Now does rooting wipe any data? Regarding Safestrap, I install that first before rooting?
Rooting doesn't wipe any data. Root first, then install SafeStrap.
Okay, I will be rooting and installing safestrap when I get home for work today. I will still have more questions I am sure. I do have a few before I actually start rooting or right after.
I know safestrap makes a backup/recovory, but is it full recovery only or can I recover portions, like say my Dolphin browser with the settings and bookmarks?
I read that when making a backup of stock ROM, use sdcard, I'm sure that means external but when flashing a ROM, will that wipe data from the external card?
When setting up slots for multi booting ROMs, gernally how much storage do they need?
If I have two different ROMs, does it act like user accounts in Windows, would I have to download the same app on each ROM or do both ROMs have access?
Can one ROM have stuff I don't want the other ROM to have visible?
CycoPuppet said:
I know safestrap makes a backup/recovory, but is it full recovery only or can I recover portions, like say my Dolphin browser with the settings and bookmarks?
I read that when making a backup of stock ROM, use sdcard, I'm sure that means external but when flashing a ROM, will that wipe data from the external card?
When setting up slots for multi booting ROMs, gernally how much storage do they need?
If I have two different ROMs, does it act like user accounts in Windows, would I have to download the same app on each ROM or do both ROMs have access?
Can one ROM have stuff I don't want the other ROM to have visible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. SafeStrap is full recovery only. Use Titanium Backup for backing up apps and data.
2. Flashing a ROM won't do anything to your external SD card.
3. When you set up ROM slots, you'll be asked how much room you'd like to allocate for data. The choices are 1, 2, or 3 GB. I started off allocating 3 GB to the stock ROM slot and was never able to load more than 3 separate ROMs before I ran out of room. I'd start with just using 1 GB for data.
4. Each ROM is an island. You have to download the apps separately (unless when you go through the initial setup you tell the system to restore apps and settings from the Google servers.)
Cool. I rooted and got safestrap but it's version 3.05 and not 3.11. Some ROM I was interested in said must have 3.11, which I am assuming that's the newest one so far. I did watch a tutorial about getting the current version, so no question there.
So the ROMs are separate islands and during flashing they can be in slots allocated up to 3GB. Does that mean that's the only amount of storage I can have when running that ROM? Say I like taking lots of photos and didn't save them to my external card, could I essentially run out of space or is the storage allocation just for the ROM itself and any updates it may have?
Sorry about these series of questions, just want to make sure I am doing it correctly in case I might make a mistake for future's sake.
The storage allocation is for the ROM, apps, and data that haven't been assigned to the external SD card. You can definitely run out of space if you load several ROMs and don't save any of your data to the external SD card.
Also, keep in mind that when VZW sends the OTA update to 4.1 next week, the only way to keep root is to root in ICS and use Voodoo OTA Rootkeeper to protect root before you take the OTA. If you flash the system image, you will lose root, and there is no known working root exploit for the Bionic JB release.
Lost Root
Hey, I used Voodoo before flashing the 4.1 update, but forgot to update the binary beforehand, and therefore lost root. Anyone have any luck yet with an exploit for the OTA?
And there's no working FXZ before this now, correct? This software is now the earliest version I can FXZ to?
auglove3rd said:
Hey, I used Voodoo before flashing the 4.1 update, but forgot to update the binary beforehand, and therefore lost root. Anyone have any luck yet with an exploit for the OTA?
And there's no working FXZ before this now, correct? This software is now the earliest version I can FXZ to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not root exploit yet for bionic JB. And if you try to FXZ back to an earlier version, you will brick your phone.
OK, so I rooted, got safestrap tho still not updated to 3.11, got TBU (free), got Voodoo. I had to race the clock today cuz it was updating android, or at least downloading the update. The root process I used gave me SuperSU and didn't tell me the version for the SU binaries. I searched around and all I could find was info on SuperUser in regards to backing up root. I uninstalled SuperSU, kinda. I just told it to use a different SU cuz when I used SuperUser and updated the binaries, SuperSU wanted to update them, then I opened SuperUser and the binaries reverted back. I was worried so I just told SuperSU to use a different SU. Was that ok? I didn't update to JB yet. Has there been luck with the Bionic using voodoo and keeping root after the JB update?
All this back and forth means I'm making a full image backup, then trying various ROMs. I've tried CM10.1, too many issues (no car dock, trouble installing lots of apps, no speakerphone). Next is... Whizzed Bean?
EDIT: Seems Speakerphone issue was fixed in the 0420 nightly. Will have to try it again.
AND I copied all the backups to my PC, so I can restore them at will (provided the phone still boots, that is... )
If I can't find a JB ROM I like I guess I can do HouseofBionic reflash (which did NOT cause me to lose data, as I upgraded to ICS that way) then allow the JB OTA to go through.
*sigh*... So much bull**** in these updates.
Hope someone sees my question above. I still haven't updated to JB yet. Once I do I will be flashing ROMs. I am interested in CM, Liquid Smooth, Icarus Hd and Wizzed Bean or Synergy (executioner ) Both WB and Synergy look indentical. What is the differences.
CycoPuppet said:
Hope someone sees my question above. I still haven't updated to JB yet. Once I do I will be flashing ROMs. I am interested in CM, Liquid Smooth, Icarus Hd and Wizzed Bean or Synergy (executioner ) Both WB and Synergy look indentical. What is the differences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WB is a fork of CNA (codename Android) 4.1 JB (which is itself based on AOSP)
while Synergy is a fork of the standard Moto ICS (.246).
Yes, they look identical because they both used the Samsung UI elements.
Hello guys, it's me (nay, not Mario :laugh again. Another question.
Got a new battery which seems to hold charge well so I thought I might flash something in the likes of CM9 or CM10(.1).
I'm starting this thread because I would like to be totally sure what should I do (although I know I will never be 100% sure I'm doing it right). The reason I'm starting this thread is fear from bricking my phone (now troll me).
A little background (might be TLTR so freely skip it):
A year or so ago, I had a LG GT540 in my possession. Spoiled by the painlessness (is this a word?) of flashing Huaweis I fearlessly dared to flash fastboot on it in order to flash custom ROMs and stuff. The installation instructions seemed dead simple. Battery was full. Followed the procedure from letter to letter. Despite the fact that I followed the whole tutorial, in the end I got a hard brick. One hour later I thought it ought to be either finished or terminated due to an error of some kind. But no. It just stuck. Unplugged it and tried to turn it on. Fail, bootloop. Tried to reflash it, in all the modes I knew of. There were two or so modes: emergency and some über-emergency mode thingy. Fail. Then I tried with the official LG update tool. Final fail. That was the worst idea one could ever get, it got hard bricked, with no signs of life at all. RIP.
Back to the question.
As a proof that I used that damned search feature (at least tried to) here goes the procedure as I've understood it (while searching):
do a Nandroid and TB backup (optional, but you might really regret it if you don't do so)
back up your EFS folder
wipe data/factory reset
flash the ROM thru recovery
reboot
if it bootloops, reboot to recovery manually
flash the ROM again to finalize the procedure
eventually flash GApps
So,
did I leave out something?
what's the most reliable procedure/app to backup EFS?
is there a way to verify if EFS is properly backed up?
what's the proper, ahem, primer ROM to flash first and make stuff glue together nicely?
Semaphore's recovery tends to blink when browsing through using the capacitive menu button instead of volume buttons, is that a problem?
is Semaphore's recovery itself, regardless of the before mentioned issue, appropriate for flashing ICS/JB (or should I flash some other kernel/recovery before flashing)?
will I survive on XDA with that much questions at once?
It's SIM unlocked (don't know how, second hand phone, most likely with Helroz's unlock application), other details are in the signature.
Thanks in advance!
EDIT: See last post (#7 if the discussion goes on) for more details and answers to my questions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DLySUtI8vo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRnH13sRAIc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RoZU5ZPMS4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwHVm90HO1w
check out these and you wont brick your phone happy flashing
I have already flashed a rooted kernel with CWM (CF-Root and later Semaphore).
Please, I know my English ain't perfect, but try to skim through my post. At least the second half of it.
your english is fine i read your post all of it i was just giving you a bit of direction incase you soft bricked your sgs,and as for what the best rom is they are all good roms the devs spend alot of time developing them its just a matter of what set up you like so try them all till you find one you like darkyrom v11 ,is pretty smooth its ics and stable cm 9 is good also ,remics jb 4.2.2 is good also .sgs i9000 is almost impossible to brick just read or watch the info two or three times just to be sure goodluck
TIGER 123 said:
your english is fine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aw, thank you! Sorry for me being kinda needlessly rude.
TIGER 123 said:
and as for what the best rom is they are all good roms the devs spend alot of time developing them its just a matter of what set up you like so try them all till you find one you like darkyrom v11 ,is pretty smooth its ics and stable cm 9 is good also ,remics jb 4.2.2 is good also .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You meant this?
moorkai said:
what's the proper, ahem, primer ROM to flash first and make stuff glue together nicely?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fact I wanted to know (along with the doubts from post #1) what do I need to flash prior to playing with ICS and/or JB because I thought that there are some ROMs (e.g. CM9) that do the necessary repartition process(es) as there are some partition layout differences between stock Gingerbread and the newer ICS and JB ROMs... and that failing to do so might lead to soft/hard bricks.
I know that asking questions like "What's the best ROM for my phone?" might lead to subjective and conflicting answers as some prefer lightweightness over functionality and vice versa, thus I don't prefer to do so, neither I did so in my first post. Sorry if you understood me otherwise.
Hope that I made some things more understandable now.
Okay, solved this doubt:
moorkai said:
what's the most reliable procedure/app to backup EFS? Tar zcvf contents of the /efs folder in terminal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
However, in one of the videos you posted here CWM 2.5.1.2 was used and thus it additionally stresses the following question:
moorkai said:
is Semaphore's recovery itself, regardless of the before mentioned issue, appropriate for flashing ICS/JB (or should I flash some other kernel/recovery before flashing)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Help me!
I finally dared to flash CM10.1! Everything went silky smooth. Here are my conclusions for further reference (maybe someone can find them useful). These might be inaccurate, but I didn't brick my phone. After all, don't hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong.
How I flashed CM10.1:
do a Nandroid and TB backup (optional, but you might really regret it if you don't do so)
back up your EFS folder
wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache partition, advanced > wipe dalvik cache
flash the ROM through recovery (install zip from sdcard > choose zip from sdcard)
now it will reboot and finalize the flashing if everything is OK
eventually flash GApps
Questions from the first post and ...answers:
Q: Did I leave out something?
A: Most likely, not.
Q: What's the most reliable procedure/app to backup EFS?
A: Type the following stuff in Terminal Emulator or adb shell (root privileges necessary):
Code:
su
tar zcvf /sdcard/efs-backup.tar.gz /efs
# some users suggest that backing this up can also help if IMEI goes belly up
cat /dev/block/stl3 > /sdcard/efs_dev-block-stl3.img
Q: Is there a way to verify if EFS is properly backed up?
A: Dual File Manager is quite useful for testing archive integrity.
Q: What's the proper, ahem, primer ROM to flash first and make stuff glue together nicely?
A: CM10.1, I guess.
Q: Semaphore's recovery tends to blink when browsing through using the capacitive menu button instead of volume buttons, does that mean it will cause ROM installation to fail?
A: I don't know, maybe, so flash CM10.1 with CF-Root kernel installed instead.
Q: Is Semaphore's recovery itself, regardless of the before mentioned
issue, appropriate for flashing ICS/JB (or should I flash some other kernel/recovery before flashing)?
A: See previous answer.
Good afternoon all,
I have an HTC One PN072. I've flashed the phone from Sprint to Cricket. They were very adamant about me not "resetting" the phone as it will remove the information, or flash they've added.
I've done several searches and can't seem to find a thread indicating 1) if this is possible and 2) a guide to doing so. The phone already is rooted and has TWRP on it as well.
If anyone knows of a thread I would love a link to a guide.
heartspains88 said:
Good afternoon all,
I have an HTC One PN072. I've flashed the phone from Sprint to Cricket. They were very adamant about me not "resetting" the phone as it will remove the information, or flash they've added.
I've done several searches and can't seem to find a thread indicating 1) if this is possible and 2) a guide to doing so. The phone already is rooted and has TWRP on it as well.
If anyone knows of a thread I would love a link to a guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Sprint One fully flashed to Verizon and I flash custom ROMs all the time without any problems. I have never lost any settings and I don't even have to re-activate my phone. I would think that as long as you dont use Bootloader to flash a complete RUU image you should be fine. Goin s-off if your not already might cause issues here as well. (If someone knows for sure please correct me) I would say just download a ROM and install it with TWRP. I have updated firmware as well with no issues as well, however the firmware I upgraded with did not contain a radio update, which I am hesitant to do since I imagine that will effect my flash. I did my flash myself but it seems like a headache re-doing it.
electroblood said:
I have a Sprint One fully flashed to Verizon and I flash custom ROMs all the time without any problems. I have never lost any settings and I don't even have to re-activate my phone. I would think that as long as you dont use Bootloader to flash a complete RUU image you should be fine. Goin s-off if your not already might cause issues here as well. (If someone knows for sure please correct me) I would say just download a ROM and install it with TWRP. I have updated firmware as well with no issues as well, however the firmware I upgraded with did not contain a radio update, which I am hesitant to do since I imagine that will effect my flash. I did my flash myself but it seems like a headache re-doing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The wipes in TWRP usually recommended before flashing a custom rom don't remove their flashed data?
heartspains88 said:
The wipes in TWRP usually recommended before flashing a custom rom don't remove their flashed data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that I have ever experienced. That was true on my EVO LTE and has so far been true on my One. I have the newest TWRP and in the past two days I have flashed EclipticOne, Elegencia and Insert Coin. On my old Droids Clockwork recoveries reset worked fine as well. DONT do a factory reset from inside the ROM. I have not tried it on my One, but on my EVO and my Droid 1/2/3 phones that would undo parts of a flash and I would have to reactivate. If I were you I would just work within my current firmware and flash what was available.
It is possible for you to flash your phone back to Cricket for free but its requires a lot of setup and can be a real pain in the ass. Getting 3G on Verizon was particularly painful and I have many screen shots and pages of notes on the actual procedure. When I upgraded from my EVO to the One I managed to get it right the first time by following my notes but it was still a serious hassle.
electroblood said:
Not that I have ever experienced. That was true on my EVO LTE and has so far been true on my One. I have the newest TWRP and in the past two days I have flashed EclipticOne, Elegencia and Insert Coin. On my old Droids Clockwork recoveries reset worked fine as well. DONT do a factory reset from inside the ROM. I have not tried it on my One, but on my EVO and my Droid 1/2/3 phones that would undo parts of a flash and I would have to reactivate. If I were you I would just work within my current firmware and flash what was available.
It is possible for you to flash your phone back to Cricket for free but its requires a lot of setup and can be a real pain in the ass. Getting 3G on Verizon was particularly painful and I have many screen shots and pages of notes on the actual procedure. When I upgraded from my EVO to the One I managed to get it right the first time by following my notes but it was still a serious hassle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was thinking about getting my one flashed to verizon but how does it work?? say i get my phone flashed.. is it verizon pre paid?? does that come with unlimited data?? text & talk?? how much would my bill be a month? sorry for all the questions
I apologize, so just to be as clear as possible, if you follow all of the wipes that roms usually ask you to perform in TWRP then you should be fine? However, do not perform a factory reset in the rom itself once loaded?
Doing a wipe through TWRP's wipe feature is fine as long as you dont go into 'Advanced' and mess with settings. Do not do the factory reset within the ROM once the ROM is loaded. If, while installing a ROM, the installer wants to do a wipe, that is fine as well.
I have the exykings ROM I have magisk, viper and Dolby. I don't really want to do everything new again when flashing. When a new build comes how can I still keep my data like viper and Dolby?
R77 said:
I have the exykings ROM I have magisk, viper and Dolby. I don't really want to do everything new again when flashing. When a new build comes how can I still keep my data like viper and Dolby?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you wipe cache and dalvik cache then you flash rom on top.
R77 said:
I have the exykings ROM I have magisk, viper and Dolby. I don't really want to do everything new again when flashing. When a new build comes how can I still keep my data like viper and Dolby?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium Backup Pro. back up your apps with data, run a batch command to restore them once youve properly installed the new ROM
bober10113 said:
you wipe cache and dalvik cache then you flash rom on top.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this has historically been known to cause issues. its always best to factory reset at least once, wipe caches, reboot into TWRP, install new ROM(and GApps, if needed), go into file manager within TWRP and delete the android folder (just for good measure), boot and restore your apps/data with a backup app used before getting into the installation process
youdoofus said:
Titanium Backup Pro. back up your apps with data, run a batch command to restore them once youve properly installed the new ROM
this has historically been known to cause issues. its always best to factory reset at least once, wipe caches, reboot into TWRP, install new ROM(and GApps, if needed), go into file manager within TWRP and delete the android folder (just for good measure), boot and restore your apps/data with a backup app used before getting into the installation process
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol nuke it from orbit each time because there's a new rom base for that particular custom rom. yeah sure...
5% of the time when there really is an issue with a new build i think i have enough insight to know what to do.
changing rom completely yeah for sure. but i did respond specificially to his question where he was referring on maintaining the team exykings rom from update to update.
bober10113 said:
lol nuke it from orbit each time because there's a new rom base for that particular custom rom. yeah sure...
5% of the time when there really is an issue with a new build i think i have enough insight to know what to do.
changing rom completely yeah for sure. but i did respond specificially to his question where he was referring on maintaining the team exykings rom from update to update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
more often times than not, the 5% you mentioned are unaware of what to do if an issue arises. i wasnt trying to tell you what to do, moreso just bring it up into conversation for those just-in-case situations
youdoofus said:
more often times than not, the 5% you mentioned are unaware of what to do if an issue arises. i wasnt trying to tell you what to do, moreso just bring it up into conversation for those just-in-case situations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I were to go to advanced wipe when flashing a new build if I were to leave data option alone. Will that keep all of my data or not?
edit:
@R77
but that's what he says to not do. if you do so you maybe in the 5% and you just may have problems.(wiping all but data is considered a dirty flash)
but what i am telling you is that just wipe cache and dalvik cache and flash rom of the same dev. you should be fine. if you are not fine, and have weird stuff going on use regular factory wipe option in twrp wipe menu.
so one method is called: a clean flash.
the other called: a dirty flash.
on the same rom, dirty flash works fine 96 to 100% of the time. so dont worry about it.
if you flash an other rom from an other dev then clean flash is recommended for sure.
so its very simple as you can see. some have a tendency to make it appear difficult.
bober10113 said:
but that's what he says to not do. if you do so you maybe in the 5% and you just may have problems.(wiping all but data is considered a dirty flash)
but what i am telling you is that just wipe cache and dalvik cache and flash rom of the same dev. you should be fine. if you are not fine, and have weird stuff going on use regular factory wipe option in twrp wipe menu.
so one method is called: a clean flash.
the other called: a dirty flash.
on the same rom, dirty flash works fine 96 to 100% of the time. so dont worry about it.
if you flash an other rom from an other dev then clean flash is recommended for sure.
so its very simple as you can see. some have a tendency to make it appear difficult.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ive been flashing ROMs since the OG HTC Evo 4G and am keenly aware of the definitions and consequences of dirty flashing vs clean flashing. The android folder should be deleted irrespective of what youre flashing if we're being forward. I guess we are just going to overlook the hundreds of versions of various rom builds that REQUIRED a clean flash every time otherwise bugs were known to occur.
youdoofus said:
ive been flashing ROMs since the OG HTC Evo 4G and am keenly aware of the definitions and consequences of dirty flashing vs clean flashing. The android folder should be deleted irrespective of what youre flashing if we're being forward. I guess we are just going to overlook the hundreds of versions of various rom builds that REQUIRED a clean flash every time otherwise bugs were known to occur.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did i make it sound like i was replying to you?
guess i should have quoted him to make it obvious.
and again, if he's on rom A 1.0 and wants to upgrade to rom A 1.1 then no need to clean wipe or del android folder each and every time.
have you ever had an OTA ? samsung dosent wipe clean ure device just because u upgrade. so his question regarding a similar scenario would apply, dirty flash would work fine.
and again as stated before, if there is weird stuff happening then just clean wipe. no need to get nuclear each and every time.
btw various rom builds require clean flashes because they suppose people are coming from other roms. not saying that there aren't situations where continuously dirty flashing the same custom rom all along its progress wouldint eventually mandate ir benefit from a clean flash but i know of no one that clean flashes each time their rom dev updates/increments a build. they/we only do it incase of issues, this is of some sorts an unwritten law so to speak. devs even state it when users ask if they can do as such.