Database Develop

[Q] New to all of this

Let me say I had an EVO and used Unrevoked to root it and all I did was use that for wifi.
So now I have an unrooted Nexus. I am in a position that I want some of the custom things but have not rooted and a lot of this technical stuff floors me at this point and I do not want to brick my phone.
Can anyone tell me what it means to install via recovery, how to do a backup and what deoxxed (I know it is spelled wrong) is?
I want to put a custom home screen, I like the blue market I see and I like the clear MMS that is posted, but the install instructions just confuses me.
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I really am wanting to customize my Nexus 4G.

steveh552 said:
Let me say I had an EVO and used Unrevoked to root it and all I did was use that for wifi.
So now I have an unrooted Nexus. I am in a position that I want some of the custom things but have not rooted and a lot of this technical stuff floors me at this point and I do not want to brick my phone.
Can anyone tell me what it means to install via recovery, how to do a backup and what deoxxed (I know it is spelled wrong) is?
I want to put a custom home screen, I like the blue market I see and I like the clear MMS that is posted, but the install instructions just confuses me.
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I really am wanting to customize my Nexus 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out the One Click Root thread in the Nexus S 4G Development section. See if that helps a little more. Your probably going to get flamed for posting this in this section, but oh well. Read that and try to get rooted first. Then if you need more help after that feel free to shoot me a PM and ill try to help you more. Read different threads as well, just search XDA for root NS4G. Hit me up if you need some help with anything.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

steveh552 said:
Let me say I had an EVO and used Unrevoked to root it and all I did was use that for wifi.
So now I have an unrooted Nexus. I am in a position that I want some of the custom things but have not rooted and a lot of this technical stuff floors me at this point and I do not want to brick my phone.
Can anyone tell me what it means to install via recovery, how to do a backup and what deoxxed (I know it is spelled wrong) is?
I want to put a custom home screen, I like the blue market I see and I like the clear MMS that is posted, but the install instructions just confuses me.
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I really am wanting to customize my Nexus 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went through the exact same thing. If you start reading more threads it will start coming to you. When you root, you need the drivers (adb and fastboot) installed on your computer, they come with either pdanet or sdk which you can find the download links to with a quick search of the forums. Find the stickied section of NS4G dev section and those should have all the files you need. Cwm is Clockwork Mod Recovery. It is flashed after unlocking the bootloader using a command prompt. After rooting and flashing cwm, you boot into recovery(cwm) and follow the instructions from a root guide to flash your new rom. I think BuglessPete has a great tutorial on root and flashing a rom. Find that and you're good to go. Don't get discouraged. It is NOT as hard or complicated as it seems. You will be surprised at how simple these guys have made it for us newcomers. Make sure you give them a thanks.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

So it was a day from you know what. I got rooted first this morning, I did the first update that I wanted which was the blue market, epic fail. I spent the whole day trying to get my market to work again, no go. I had not backed up (stupid me) and when put that new market in it was a FC galore. I tried downloading other market apk's including the market that is due to be released and none would install. I ended up flashing the phone with Oxygen ROM. Now I have to get the phone back to the way I like it, lots of apps to download (not sure why they did not restore since I am set to back up/restore from google servers) and go from there.
I will be doing more I am sure, lots of reading to do. Thanks to the two of you.

[Q] To root or to wait for ICS

Had OD and loved having it rooted. (My sister's bf helped me. I'm more or less a newb) Had to upgrade to Bionic and while I love it am missing root.
I've been searching online and between info about root and the upcoming ICS update I am getting confused.
Should I root now and wait for ICS? Or wait for ICS then root?

It seems pretty likely that there will be ICS based ROMs available long before Motorola gets around to releasing an official OTA update.

kimeee said:
(My sister's bf helped me. I'm more or less a newb)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need not be rooted at all. If you don't know exactly what you're doing, you should NOT be rooted because you WILL brick your phone.
If you really want to be rooted, you need to do some research and get more familiar with it, what it's for, how it works, and what it can do to your phone.
You probably want to be pretty familiar with ADB too.

I am running the most current unreleased patch 5.7.893 and have not really read what I am really going to gain my rooting. If someone can tell me what I would get that would be worth rooting I will root. but running stock OTA roms specially the 5.7 has fixed most of what was wrong with the phone. I would if I was you just patch per instructions on here rootzwiki.com/topic/8562-easily-upgrade-to-57893-keep-root-and-webtop/ to get the fixes unless someone says there is something well risking rooting

ichigo007 said:
I am running the most current unreleased patch 5.7.893 and have not really read what I am really going to gain my rooting. If someone can tell me what I would get that would be worth rooting I will root. but running stock OTA roms specially the 5.7 has fixed most of what was wrong with the phone. I would if I was you just patch per instructions on here rootzwiki.com/topic/8562-easily-upgrade-to-57893-keep-root-and-webtop/ to get the fixes unless someone says there is something well risking rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are happy with what you have on your phone now, you shouldn't root.
Better to not take the chances.
Oh and...it takes a lot of manual coding to root for you now because the 893 kernel blocks all One-Click-Root programs from working. You have to do it all manually now, and you have to go back to 886 before you can root again anyway.

Tivo7 said:
If you are happy with what you have on your phone now, you shouldn't root.
Better to not take the chances.
Oh and...it takes a lot of manual coding to root for you now because the 893 kernel blocks all One-Click-Root programs from working. You have to do it all manually now, and you have to go back to 886 before you can root again anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I understand about going back. I had to go back just to get the webtop working in 5.7.893. I did the incremental one and lost webtop. used the R3l3AS3DRoot_Windows_V2.1 to go back to the 886 then used the single file update to 5.7 and everything works great. I would probably root if I could get free wifi hotspot so I could use my XOOM thru my phone cause I don't want to pay the hotspot or extra for more 4G bandwidth for my XOOM since my phone is unlimited

I didn't brick my last phone. Rooted all by myself. BF just pointed the way.

kimeee said:
I didn't brick my last phone. Rooted all by myself. BF just pointed the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even if you did do it by yourself, if you don't know where to go from there, I wouldnt do it.

Its fun seeing the ROMs that are put out but unless that tutor is available I wouldnt do it. Bricking your phone isnt cool.

Rooting really isn't that big a deal once you have some idea what you are doing.
I have had 3 rooted phones and have rooted/jailbroke/hacked just about every other electronic device in my entire house at one point or another.
Do your research, and make sure you follow the instructions. Of course it also helps if you are familiar with ADB and a command shell so you know what the commands you are running actually do too.
Oh, and wait for ICS? C'mon you know XDA will have that at least 2-3 months before it get's an OTA update. [this is fact] <-- don't hold me to that.

Terror_1 said:
Oh, and wait for ICS? C'mon you know XDA will have that at least 2-3 months before it get's an OTA update. [this is fact] <-- don't hold me to that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. Motorola will have to start all over with Blur, that is gonna take forever. Rooting a phone with a decent developer community will always mean you have access to the new toys well before the OTA updates.

At the OP, You should have also ran the 43V3R root when you did R3L3AS3DRoot. I'm not an expert on android software and rooting but when I had my X2 I did some minimal research and haven't ran into any problems. When I got my Bionic I rooted it within the first 20 min of getting it. The tools that Dhacker put out (R3L3AS3DRoot, etc.) are amazing and rather easy for someone who is less experienced. They also make it nearly impossible to brick your phone as you can just run it again to get back to stock. Not to say you should just rush into things with reckless abandon.
If you do some research and read EVERYTHING that a developer provides as a guide to flashing their ROM, mod, hack, etc. you'll most likely be ok. Just do everything in small steps. As to your question about ICS though, do like I said. I know it's a pain but backup all your apps and run the R3L3AS3DRoot again, but then also run 43V3R root and intall Cheesecake. All of these can be done with the same tool. Then flash the 5.7.893 update and bam, you have the latest version and your still rooted. You may have to reinstall Super User from the market though.
As far as how useful having a rooted phone is, it all depends on what you will actually take advantage of. One of the simplest things is to just flash a custom ROM and enjoy the changes the developer has made. Liberty is top notch and I would reccomend it to a "newb". Personally I am quite satisfied with stock and would rather customize everything to my own personal satisfaction. If you go that route there are still great things out there. I'm using the V8 Supercharger script and ROM toolbox. TBH I'm not really sure what I'm doing with scripts but there was a good guide for the V8S one and I would highly suggest ROM toolbox. You can use it to install custom fonts, boot animations, download and install custom ROMs (though I think it only supports liberty (haven't tested it)) freeze or uninstall bloatware apps. Basically it's about 10 or so apps in one and it's very user friendly.
Wow this is getting way longer than I planned so here's the:
TL;DR
Do research til you feel comfortable. Read EVERYTHING any developer gives you as a guide. Don't rush into things. And looks at all your options. Rooting gives you access to a few neat tools and hacks to get everything you can out of your phone. Just keep R3L3AS3DRoot handy and you have a very low chance of completely bricking your phone. Also as a disclaimer, I'm not responsible if you completely wreck your phone.
Edit: Adding some links to helpful reads.
FAQs, highly recommend.
List of all ROMs and most tools, etc.
UOT Kitchen, very user friendly way to theme your phone. PM me if you want to use this because there are certain things you must do and things you cannot do.
Hope I have helped a bit.

R3L3AS3DRoot and 43V3R Root were easier than expected.

I say go for root that update is a few months away anyways just make sure you know what you're doing.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App

[Q] rooting droids for newbies

hi, i recently acquired my sweet DROID 3, its my first smart phone and i would like to know the very specifics of rooting it.. im very tech savvy so dont hold the info back, i know how to root it (thanks to google) but am just very wary on what all i can do with a rooted phone (compared to an unrooted one) all replies are welcome. thank you
also, if i were to root, what apps (stock apps) should i get rid of to further enhance the performance of my phone?
Sorry if the title is misleading guys, if you want to know the easiest way to root your droid go to redmondpie.com

Custom firmware is the biggest reason to root. Others would include free tethering and removing pesky bloatware.

Honestly until you start playing with bootloaders and stuff it is hard to mess up a rooted phone. The worse you will have to do is a factory reset.
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA App

accophox, i am aware of the benefits of rooting, and i know the steps to take, but in what order? and do you know the easiest way to get rid of all those crappy stock apps?

Another newbie here....
I know the usual answer to this question is to search around this site and learn before we try these things. However, if someone could direct me to some general guide for new people for initial backing up I'd really appreciate it. It's really hard to keep all the jargon straight with all these great answers. So many assumptions are made with your abbreviated descriptions, just want clarification. This is maybe the silliest of questions and apparently the answer is obvious to most people on here because I can't find the answer.
Question:
Is there is a mostly bulletproof way of saving an image of my current D3 so that if I brick it then I can fully recover where I am now (or just back to factory once I use titanium backup)? Is that what 'safestrap' or clockwork recovery does?
I want to know if I can backup my current un-rooted state and restore it with very little risk. After that then I will just learn from poking around on here. What I THINK I want to do is this (if someone is still reading this far I will forever be in your debt if you let me know if I'm missing a step).
1. Fully backup unrooted phone in current state.
2. One-click root (I've been tempted to just do that but am afraid of doing any such thing until backup is done)
3. Buy titanium backup to always be able to restore my apps and data independent of the system files.
4. Try to debloat, see if that gets it to snappy enough...if not...
5. Probably install liberty rom...if this disables things like my corporate exchange sync then do the walk of shame back to step 1....
I really want to play with this thing, I'm willing to deal with the glitches and learn what you know....just need to know if there's a point of no return!

nathanb131 said:
I know the usual answer to this question is to search around this site and learn before we try these things. However, if someone could direct me to some general guide for new people for initial backing up I'd really appreciate it. It's really hard to keep all the jargon straight with all these great answers. So many assumptions are made with your abbreviated descriptions, just want clarification. This is maybe the silliest of questions and apparently the answer is obvious to most people on here because I can't find the answer.
Question:
Is there is a mostly bulletproof way of saving an image of my current D3 so that if I brick it then I can fully recover where I am now (or just back to factory once I use titanium backup)? Is that what 'safestrap' or clockwork recovery does?
I want to know if I can backup my current un-rooted state and restore it with very little risk. After that then I will just learn from poking around on here. What I THINK I want to do is this (if someone is still reading this far I will forever be in your debt if you let me know if I'm missing a step).
1. Fully backup unrooted phone in current state.
2. One-click root (I've been tempted to just do that but am afraid of doing any such thing until backup is done)
3. Buy titanium backup to always be able to restore my apps and data independent of the system files.
4. Try to debloat, see if that gets it to snappy enough...if not...
5. Probably install liberty rom...if this disables things like my corporate exchange sync then do the walk of shame back to step 1....
I really want to play with this thing, I'm willing to deal with the glitches and learn what you know....just need to know if there's a point of no return!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, there really is no way to back up your phone without rooting it in the first place. If you do mess up badly, like bricking it, you can always use a program called RSD (found in the Droid 3 Android Development section) to restore the stock ROM.
If you aren't 100%, a ROM is basically the OS of your phone. Think of it as different versions of Linux (which is exactly what it is).
Second, as stated earlier, by simply rooting your phone, it's hard to mess it up. Rooting merely gives your phone additional permissions. Unless you start deleting stuff in Titanium backup, you are fine.
Third, One Click Root is very idiot proof. But I will run you through a very brief guide: Download and install the driver for your respective computer's OS here and download the latest version of Pete's One Click Root. http://www.psouza4.com/droid3/ Then, enable USB debugging by going under settings-> Applications-> Development, and checking the box. Assuming you have the correct drivers installed on your computer, you should plug your phone in and allow it to recognize the device and such. After it's all done, open up Pete's One Click Root and simply click Root My Phone. Let it do it's thing, then you are done.
Fourth, I never use Titanium Backup. To make a perfect back up of your device, download Rom Manager from the app marketplace. Then download the droid 3 bootstrap at http://goo.gl/b4b6L visit that link on your phone and make sure you have "Unknown Sources" checked under application settings on your phone. Open up Rom manager and Click the top option to get the correct version of ClockworkMod Recovery for your phone. Once that is done, open up the bootstrap application you just installed and click the top option (bootstrap recovery) wait for it to say Success! then click the second option. Your phone will reboot. Using the volume buttons on the side of your phone as up and down and the power button to select options, scroll down to Backup and Restore on CWM menu that popped up (it's blue). Select Backup. Note: Make sure your battery is at least 75%. Allow it to do it's thing, it will take a while. When it is done, click Reboot Now. You now have a perfect backup of your current system.
Fifth, Debloating your phone is kind of risky, at least in my opinion. A safer option is to install an app called Script Manager and download and run the script found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1238472 Instead of removing your bloat, it simply renames it and prevents it from starting up. It also comes with an option to reverse the changes if you want bloat back.
Finally, I would recommend following this guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1278056 to installing Steel Droid V3. Steel Droid is a simple Rom that doesn't require you to wipe all your data and is still pretty neat. I would run the script I mentioned earlier AFTER flashing to Steel Droid though.
Looking back, that is a **** load of text. I typed it all for you so I hope you get some use out of it
Have fun customizing your phone!

It may sound a little mean but go start reading threads. If someone tells you step by step, great you've done it but do you have any idea what you've done. All the info is in these threads. Its ridiculous how much I've learned reading every thread I can since I joined in august. When you don't understand what it is you're doing, that's when you goof **** up and post help me threads
Sent from my XT860 using xda premium

Thanks. You guys are awesome!
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA App

Slayer621 - a thousand thanks for the baby steps! Best walkthrough I've seen and exactly what I needed to know!
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA App

No problem! Just make sure you are careful. Don't do anything without checking on these forums for the possible outcomes. Deleting a seemingly useless file could make your phone a paper weight!

[q] need to get back to stock

i have a bionic and stupid me let my grandson get his hands on it. he installed safestrap and eclipse 2.2, as he said that was a better o/s. he said with safestrap you can just reboot back to the original. i found a few things i didn't like and told him to put it back to original which he had a problem doing so i reinstalled the eclipse.
i started to read how to do it and disabled safestrap and tried to get back to original o/s. when it completes it gets stuck at the droid screen.
i read a thread in the dev. forum and it gave a link to getting back to stock and there are a couple spots i get stuck on.
it says to use rsd lite, get the drivers, and use the motofail tool. i understand the procedure for rsd lite and how to install the fmz zip. where i get confused is where and how to i install the drivers to the phone and how to use the motofail program. also, would i have to disable safestrap to start?
any help would be appreciated.

I can walk you through it. Do you use google talk on your pc?

eye__dea said:
I can walk you through it. Do you use google talk on your pc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no i don't use that program. i cant stay on computer at this time but i do appreciate the offer. if the steps were written i could follow them and i usually make out well. its just that the post i read says get the drivers and use the motofail but they dont tell you how to do that part, they only tell you how to use the rsd lite with the o/s file

Since you dont have time, use this... http://androidforums.com/bionic-all-things-root/480176-how-flash-5-5-893-5-9-902-rsdlite.html
I was going to try and help restore your stock system thru safestrap.
This will wipe root and safestrap.
The drivers go on your pc and motofail is used to root.

thanks for the info. cleared up the questions i had (as far as i can tell). appreciate your help.

Anytime. PM me if you have issues.

eye__dea said:
Anytime. PM me if you have issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
everything went perfect. phone is back to stock. learned 2 things. first is not to let my grandson touch my phone and second how to fix it. should have learned the first one when he bricked my samsung tablet.
just one other question. can you explain the purpose of rooting a phone and is it worth doing?
again thanks for your help.

From addictivetips.com " Android is based on Linux and comes locked with only standard user access given to its user. Root access – also known as Superuser access – is the access level on Linux-based devices that lets their users perform administrative tasks including updating the system, installing applications at the core level without using the standard ‘.apk’ installation files, accessing the system partition, modifying protected system files and changing their permissions etc."
You will be able to delete or freeze verizon bloatware. Flash custom ROMs. Edit certain files within your system. And more...
Disclaimer: It can void your warranty.

You can customize more of your phone when you root. Custom boot animations and custom task bar are just 2 examples.
You can also backup your system and any apps that you buy. I highly recommend backing up any app you buy.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA

Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Thanks ✟
Moving to Q&A

Does that method work if I am on .905 as well?
Thanks

[Q] How Do I Flash Cyanogenmod on Bionic?

So I've flashed Cyanogenmod on my Droid A855 back in the day, but doing a little research I've come to find the the Bionic is a little trickier. I've read several threads that seem to go on forever and never really accomplish anything, so I'd like to start from scratch. Can anyone tell me exactly what files I need, maybe where I can look for them, and just give me a general guide as to what I'm doing. Any help is appreciated, thank you.

Jack2402 said:
So I've flashed Cyanogenmod on my Droid A855 back in the day, but doing a little research I've come to find the the Bionic is a little trickier. I've read several threads that seem to go on forever and never really accomplish anything, so I'd like to start from scratch. Can anyone tell me exactly what files I need, maybe where I can look for them, and just give me a general guide as to what I'm doing. Any help is appreciated, thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://get.cm/?device=targa
Follow the instructions here:
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_targa

csantarcangelo said:
http://get.cm/?device=targa
Follow the instructions here:
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_targa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on where you are coming from, that instruction might not work.
I think if you are still on GB, then that can work. If you are on JB, definitely those instructions will NOT work.
In general, the ideal is to root your phone.
Install safestrap.
Boot into safestrap.
Install CM10 into a slot in safestrap.
If you are on JB, you need to use safetrap 3.11 (newer versions have problems).
Rooting JB requires a linux machine, or a virtual linux session on windows machine.

Umm... Not following the official directions will cause trouble. After you brick your phone, Google House of Bionic and follow those instructions to fix your phone, then go back to the CM instructions.
Read the Bionic CM 10 thread under development before you do anything and follow Hashcode's guidance.
Sent from my XT875 using Tapatalk 4

csantarcangelo said:
Umm... Not following the official directions will cause trouble. After you brick your phone, Google House of Bionic and follow those instructions to fix your phone, then go back to the CM instructions.
Read the Bionic CM 10 thread under development before you do anything and follow Hashcode's guidance.
Sent from my XT875 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, to be completely honest, I actually have bricked this Bionic before whilst flashing it to Pageplus Cellular. And in the middle of FXZ-ing back to stock, my battery died lol. I actually had to cut a battery cable and split the two copper wires inside apart and tape them to my battery to give it enough to charge to start the process over. I definitely don't want to go through that nightmare again haha. I'll give the thread you gave me a shot and I'll post the results. Thanks man...

heofmat and
bobdole said:
Depending on where you are coming from, that instruction might not work.
I think if you are still on GB, then that can work. If you are on JB, definitely those instructions will NOT work.
In general, the ideal is to root your phone.
Install safestrap.
Boot into safestrap.
Install CM10 into a slot in safestrap.
If you are on JB, you need to use safetrap 3.11 (newer versions have problems).
Rooting JB requires a linux machine, or a virtual linux session on windows machine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man, I'm about to FXY back to .905 just in case.