[Q] Custom kernel flashing (and bricking) - Xperia Z1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all,
I have recently unlocked my bootloader and upgraded to 4.4.4 (Build 14.4.A.0.157).
Going thru the General section it seem that during the 4.2.2 to 4.3 era that there is a high chance of bricking the device when there is mismatch of baseband/firmware/kernel.
Is the issue still happening on 4.4.4 and is there anything I need to take note about when flashing custom kernel ?
I'm aware that stock ROMs (or variants) should go with stock kernel variants.
Thank you.

sayatsugu said:
Hi all,
I have recently unlocked my bootloader and upgraded to 4.4.4 (Build 14.4.A.0.157).
Going thru the General section it seem that during the 4.2.2 to 4.3 era that there is a high chance of bricking the device when there is mismatch of baseband/firmware/kernel.
Is the issue still happening on 4.4.4 and is there anything I need to take note about when flashing custom kernel ?
I'm aware that stock ROMs (or variants) should go with stock kernel variants.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-Dude if you already installed recovery then first of all take a full stock ROM backup. So if in future there goes something wrong you can flash it later.
-If you don't have recovery, then install it.
-Make sure you always flash ROM that are made for your device.
-DON'T ever flash different kernels to your device. Your pre-installed ROM may misbehave.
-If you want to use the ROM as a daily driver, make sure the ROM is pretty stable.
-Always try to clean flash the ROMs.
By wiping
Cache + Dalvic cache + Data + android secure + System
Dirty flash often lead to bootloops, soft brick etc.
-Hope this would be somewhat helpful for you.

Related

[Q] Boot Animations and Stuff

I realised when I ask questions, I always lump them into one paragraph, so I thought maybe I number them.
These questions are about boot animations.
1. What are the risks of installing/flashing a boot animation, if any?
2. For the I9305, where are the boot animations located? (I'm rooted, I searched for the files in Root Explorer, and there were some, namely bootanimation, bootsamsungloop and bootsamsung)
3. Can the boot animations that are made for other devices work on this device?
Thank you to those who answer my questions.
1. As far as i know there are no risk on putting custom boot animations since it won't replace any system files.
2. I don't know where it is really located on i9305 but it should be the same... on mine it's located on systemroot/data/local/.
(Custom boot animation requires a custom kernel by the way.)
3. I'm not quite sure on this but it may work since custom boot animations are just zip files.
OK, some more questions,
1. Do you need a custom kernel to modify the status bar and stuff?
2. I read more about boot animations, it seems that you can flash them through CWM without a custom kernel. Is that true?
3. What are the benefits and risks of flashing a custom kernel?
Hit thanks if I helped you! Sent from my awesome i9305!
herobrine_second said:
OK, some more questions,
1. Do you need a custom kernel to modify the status bar and stuff?
2. I read more about boot animations, it seems that you can flash them through CWM without a custom kernel. Is that true?
3. What are the benefits and risks of flashing a custom kernel?
Hit thanks if I helped you! Sent from my awesome i9305!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Nope. You need a custom framework such as Jkay's framework to modify the status bar. I just don't know if jkay's framework will work on the i9305 you can try searching the forums for a custom framework for the i9305 and see if you can modify the status bar.
2. Oh right you can just flash them through cwm. Kinda forgot sorry lol.
3. Risk of a custom kernel? Hmm... i think there are none, in fact custom kernels are way more better than stock kernels in my opinion. I've been running a custom kernel 3 weeks after i got my s3 and i've not encountered a single problem so far. Benefits of running a custom kernel really depends on how you configure it.
SignetSphere said:
1. Nope. You need a custom framework such as Jkay's framework to modify the status bar. I just don't know if jkay's framework will work on the i9305 you can try searching the forums for a custom framework for the i9305 and see if you can modify the status bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jkay's framework works like a charm, but with Samsung based ROM's (JB 4.1.2).
Ok, one last question (hopefully)
If I flash the stock Samsung ROM (if I feel like I want to), will all my mods I've flashed be erased, and returned to stock Samsung? Like, if I have installed boot animations, status bar mods, root, custom kernel, will all these be gone? Will I return to stock Samsung ROM like out-of-the-box? (I understand that if you flash a ROM, that is either the same ROM or an updated version of it, you wouldn't have to erase data, wipe cache to install the ROM right?) I know that CWM will not be gone, I will have to flash stock recovery, but this i'm not 100% sure.
herobrine_second said:
Ok, one last question (hopefully)
If I flash the stock Samsung ROM (if I feel like I want to), will all my mods I've flashed be erased, and returned to stock Samsung? Like, if I have installed boot animations, status bar mods, root, custom kernel, will all these be gone? Will I return to stock Samsung ROM like out-of-the-box? (I understand that if you flash a ROM, that is either the same ROM or an updated version of it, you wouldn't have to erase data, wipe cache to install the ROM right?) I know that CWM will not be gone, I will have to flash stock recovery, but this i'm not 100% sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not quite sure what you mean but i think i've tried it once. I was on EMMA2 firmware and I upgraded to EMC2 via Mobile Odin Pro. I think it only kept my apps, settings and some mods but i encountered some problems so what i did it start from scratch and restored some apps by using Titanium Backup. And CWM won't be gone as long as you don't flash another custom recovery or the stock recovery.
My point here is if you want everything to go smoothly is...
1 Backup everything via Nandroid.
2. flash the stock rom
3. root it
4. Install any mod you want may it be a custom kernel, rom, framework etc.
This way you won't encounter any problems while flashing a new stock ROM. But hey my understanding could be wrong Better search the forum deeply since more users might answer your question properly.
herobrine_second said:
Ok, one last question (hopefully)
If I flash the stock Samsung ROM (if I feel like I want to), will all my mods I've flashed be erased, and returned to stock Samsung? Like, if I have installed boot animations, status bar mods, root, custom kernel, will all these be gone? Will I return to stock Samsung ROM like out-of-the-box? (I understand that if you flash a ROM, that is either the same ROM or an updated version of it, you wouldn't have to erase data, wipe cache to install the ROM right?) I know that CWM will not be gone, I will have to flash stock recovery, but this i'm not 100% sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, restoring/flashing stock ROM will erase everything on your internal memory, cause flashing stock ROMs are trought/with Odin (*.tar or *.md5 file). So, be careful what you're doing!
But what I understand is if you flash a ROM that is an update or the same version of the ROM that you are on, your data doesn't wipe, oh well, I learnt something new today.
Hit thanks if I helped you! Sent from my awesome I9305!
I used this boot enablemod install to get them working and just flash the boot files
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=31833122&postcount=4
---------- Post added at 05:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:22 PM ----------
More info here aswell, i think if the animation is not compatible you just get a black screen.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2077101
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1053250
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1494591
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2063280
Harthouse said:
As far as I know, restoring/flashing stock ROM will erase everything on your internal memory, cause flashing stock ROMs are trought/with Odin (*.tar or *.md5 file). So, be careful what you're doing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nah, flashing with odin doesn't wipe data. but you'll need to do it manually anyway, same as flashing any rom
Thanks to everyone who answered my questions! (basically everyone who posted in this thread-except me) But I have read from many places (on XDA, AndroidForums and many other places) that if you are upgrading from a ROM, or flashing the same ROM, you do not need to wipe data unless the developer asks for a wipe.
yup, I was talking about flashing a different ROM.
SignetSphere said:
1. As far as i know there are no risk on putting custom boot animations since it won't replace any system files.
2. I don't know where it is really located on i9305 but it should be the same... on mine it's located on systemroot/data/local/.
(Custom boot animation requires a custom kernel by the way.)
3. I'm not quite sure on this but it may work since custom boot animations are just zip files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know a good custom kernel that supports custom boot animations for i9305?
check the dev section
Anybody knows a stable custom rom for this model?
maharu567 said:
Anybody knows a stable custom rom for this model?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can check the Android Development section of the forum for this device, and under the Index there are many.

[Q] Need help with my 4x

hi
first of all i apologize for my retarded questions , but i'm late to the android party as this is my first droid
Loving the phone so far other than the horrible battery life that's why i thought about roms and kernels , but then i got very confused and i have a few questions.
Do all roms require root or unlocked bootloader ?
I read a thread saying that the new cyanogenmod is rooted , Does that mean that it automatically root the device? , if so how do i install it exactly ?
Do i need root to install kernels ? do i have to install a kernel with a specific rom ? can i install a customized kernel on official rom ?
I read someone saying that i need to wipe cash before installing a rom , again how do i do that ?
Sorry i asked so many questions but i tried to read about it and i got overwhelmed , if there are any guides that i missed kindly point me to it and i'll be glad if anyone can recommend a rom and a kernel for improved gaming and battery life
thanks a lot
please bear in mind that i have no idea what adb is or kdz or any of this stuff , i hate myself right now
There are many wonderful guides for all of your information just a few clicks away.. But anyhow..
1. Stock roms - firmware (from LG) do not require rooted and unlocked device.
2. Yes, CM is already rooted.
3. First you need to upgrade your phone to 4.1 (v20a) Jelly Bean Android, root it and then unlock bootloader. After that, you have to install a recovery like CWM or TWPR so that you will be able to install roms, do backups, restore, wipe partitions etc. Easiest way to get CWM for example, is to install it via Rom Manager app.
4. Yes and unlocked BL.
5. Every rom has it's own kernel already but you can install a different one. (Which must be compatible of course and made for the device specifically)
6. Yes, but only on a rooted and unlocked device.
7. It's advised/needed to wipe CACHE not cash hehe which can easily be done by selecting "wipe cache partition" in CWM (recovery mode)
About roms, I would recommend either CM 10.1 RC1 + WerewolfJB kernel or just WerewolfJB which already has that kernel installed. (There are also some other nice roms and kernels but I did not try them yet so I cannot tell you. I just tried those 2 and they are great)
Read some of these guides.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2147879
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2225910
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2230934
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2264616
thank you
you cleared some of the fog on my mind , will try those guides
Np at all. Yes do that, they are great and easy to understand.

Can't Install Roms HELP PLEASE! Huawei U9000 Problems!

Hi I am new to this "romming" business. For my u9000 I installed UtterChaos kernel .32. Most to the roms require .35 kernel. And when I try to install SUT LR 1.8 it never works with windows 8 64 bit. I do have CWM Recovery, and I do have superuser permissions. But for some reason when I try to flash a different kernel like CK Kernel Lebay edition, the whole device gets stuck at boot. Yes I have wiped data, cache and davlik. before doing so. I had to then remove the batteries and put them back to start the phone in download mode to replace the boot image from a back up then go do a CWM restore. And I have tried doing factory resets but the UC kernel boot wont change.
Bottom line is, I AM LOST and I will be using this phone for a long time and I can use a way out of this and I need to find a very fast and stable rom with all working features.
What I have:
- .32 kernel
- UtterChaos kernel
- Custom SU
- CWM Recovery
What I need (please help):
- To get rid of UC kernel (boot, etc...)
- .35 kernel (if possible)
- SUT LR for Windows 8 64bit (if possible)
- A really good rom for heavy gaming, performance, stability, something other than GB (preferably JB or ICS)
I may be asking for too much, and sorry if I am, but I can use some help with this phone right about now.
Thanks in advance!
My answer
You can get 35.7 kernel here, depending on what rom you wish to use. Just flash it along with your preferred rom.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1919097&highlight=kernel
For the rom, it really depends on your preference, because the performance is mostly the same between all the JB roms, smooth enough if you don't install lots of apps that stay in the background. Currently, I'm using the XperienceXperia JB rom. It's about as good as the other JB roms, just with Xperia stuff. Also, make sure that you don't put too much load on it, because it might freeze. No kind of software would be able to magically turn our phone into a gaming powerhouse, because it has an old, outdated gpu to start with. So, don't think about running games like Asphalt 8, because it probably wouldn't run.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2479460
I'm not aware of a Win8 x64 compatible SUT LR, but I don't think you'd need it for anything besides flashing stock roms.
By the way, what rom are you using now? If you flash a cm10 (JB) designed kernel to a GB rom, it would definitely cause problems.
Sorry for the long reply, I don't know how to make it simpler.
THANKS
Hi thanks very much I am using the stock rom. Thank you sir :good:
And I suppose for any rom I flash the corresponding kernel first before I flash a rom?
2nd answer
_ikhan_ said:
Hi thanks very much I am using the stock rom. Thank you sir :good:
And I suppose for any rom I flash the corresponding kernel first before I flash a rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure about the order myself, but I usually flash the rom first, then the kernel. I do this everytime I want to flash a rom, and I've never had any problems. Have you tried flashing one of the JB roms for this device? If you haven't tried, remember to wipe data and cache before flashing the rom, and backup your current rom just in case something goes wrong.

[Q] Howto: Fresh and clean install of official 4.1.2

Hi,
I own a Galaxy Note GT-N7000.
I never rooted it, just used two official updates provided by Samsung and then flashed the original 4.1.2 using Odin.
I have rooted my older Android phones (San Francisco) and used to try all kinds of ROM's on many Windows Mobile phones - I am not a exactly a noob, I just did not mess with my Note, because I am happy with it just like it is and because it is my work phone, which needs to be 100% working.
However, battery life is getting shorter (so I just ordered a new original Samsung battery) and, worse, the phone is getting more and more unresponsive.
This is the real problem: whenever I want to do something, it takes like 1-2 seconds, if not longer, before the phone reacts. This is very annoying. I don't have that many apps installed (I just stick with my preferred ones, instead of betting on sheer quantity). Still, the other day, the phone complained that there is no free space to install upgrades of some apps.
To make it short: how can I install a clean original 4.1.2 as if my phone was just purchased, i.e. with a clean flash?
Before you flame me and tell me I should spend the next month reading the forum: I already did!
I am afraid of the brick bug, so I guess that doing a wipe of the flash is not an option, as i guess that the bug has not been fixed by Samsung on 4.1.2. On the other hand, I do not want to root my phone, to install some custom kernel, to then wipe the flash and revert to the official ROM, risking to activate the counter, etc. Not that I don't know my way around flashing, soldering, building the flash dongle or even JTAG - I just don't have the time and nerve.
So my simple question: How do I securely wipe the flash and install a clean official 4.1.2 ROM on my phone, getting rind of 2 years of garbage files and God knows what else is slowing down my phone.
Many thanks for those guiding my way - I don't want to believe that there is a planned obsolescence in course, like Samsung building a timer that makes the phone get slower and slower...
Cheers,
vma
If you really want to enjoy the speed of your phone, IMO, you should go ahead and try CM /AOSP roms. They will give you some time out of the "slowness".
Just saying. On the other had if you want to be on the stock TW 4.1.2 rom, then doing a factory reset from the recovery will do the job. JB kernels for 4.1.2 seems to be safe to do a reset as there has not been cases of bricking on stock JB kernel.
But what my method would be to...
1. Install Philz kernel for JB using recovery and boot into recovery again... to get CWM recovery this time
2. Choose wipe data/factory reset ----> Clean for new rom install. (this will delete the current rom, data and cache)
3. Mounts and Storage -> Format Internal storage.
4. Mount USB storage and connect to PC... delete all files
5. Go to advanced menu and choose reboot download.
6. connect to PC and flash stock rom JB using odin,
Thanks for your reply.
However, you say:
nokiamodeln91 said:
On the other had if you want to be on the stock TW 4.1.2 rom, then doing a factory reset from the recovery will do the job. JB kernels for 4.1.2 seems to be safe to do a reset as there has not been cases of bricking on stock JB kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While in another post it says:
"Warning :
Don't wipe anything from stock ICS recovery
Don't factory reset/Hard reset on stock ICS.
Don't flash any Wipe version of ICS ROM"
(http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1424997)
This is what I don't get... Is it safe or not? Does this warning only apply to ICS, while JB is safe?
Cheers,
vma
Its applies only to ICS stock kernels. There is no evidence to prove that JB is safe. but Samsung seems to have suppressed the bug on JB kernels.
nokiamodeln91 said:
Its applies only to ICS stock kernels. There is no evidence to prove that JB is safe. but Samsung seems to have suppressed the bug on JB kernels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your kind help!
I will probably work on my Note this weekend.
Cheers,
vma

[Q] Updating stock JB firmware

Recently I have been facing 4 problems
1.Intermittent phone restart mainly while using Firefox browser
2.Poor battery life, need to charge twice a day
3.Phone becomes unresponsive,hangs
4.Cannot do video recording,be it on internal storage or even class 10 SD card with even low resolution ,the phone hangs.
The problems may get solved by factory resetting, but these things had happened before also when on gingerbread and factory reset helped,which means every six months I need to reset the phone.So I was planning to
1.Update or change to better Kernel, maybe might prevent phone restart problems
2.Install permanent custom recovery, so as to backup and be able to restore stock JB ROM
3.Update to Custom ROM running KitKat
I request help on
a.Procedure needed for backup and restore stock kernel, in case anything goes wrong
b.Recommended Kernel
c.Best stable KITKAT ROM(preferably 4.4.4) with least non working functions/features
Is it advisable to update to Kitkat?
What is the effect of increase in binary count? Is there a maximum count after which up-gradation is prevented?
My phone is rooted and out of warranty period.
Please Help
darryl_co said:
Recently I have been facing 4 problems
1.Intermittent phone restart mainly while using Firefox browser
2.Poor battery life, need to charge twice a day
3.Phone becomes unresponsive,hangs
4.Cannot do video recording,be it on internal storage or even class 10 SD card with even low resolution ,the phone hangs.
The problems may get solved by factory resetting, but these things had happened before also when on gingerbread and factory reset helped,which means every six months I need to reset the phone.So I was planning to
1.Update or change to better Kernel, maybe might prevent phone restart problems
2.Install permanent custom recovery, so as to backup and be able to restore stock JB ROM
3.Update to Custom ROM running KitKat
I request help on
a.Procedure needed for backup and restore stock kernel, in case anything goes wrong
b.Recommended Kernel
c.Best stable KITKAT ROM(preferably 4.4.4) with least non working functions/features
Is it advisable to update to Kitkat?
What is the effect of increase in binary count? Is there a maximum count after which up-gradation is prevented?
My phone is rooted and out of warranty period.
Please Help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a) Install "Universal Kernel Flasher" to backup Stockkernel or extract boot.img from your Stock Rom file.
b) If you want to use stock rom or a stock based rom, go for CoCore kernel.
c) There is a best rom thread. Just have a look.
I prefer vanir, paranoid and slimkat. Sadly, development of slimkat has stopped, but paranoid gets still updates and vanir is an offical rom with OTA updates. So the choice is yours
I like kitkat and it will not increase your binary counter.
If I flash CoCore Kernel will I be able to flash any of the custom Kitkat roms or there will be a limitation?
darryl_co said:
If I flash CoCore Kernel will I be able to flash any of the custom Kitkat roms or there will be a limitation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no limitations. Just on some you might need to flash its kernel first, by extracting kernel from ROM zip and installing it with Universal kernel flasher. Read ROMs thread (the one you want to install), it should be talking about it there.
One final question, I saved the stock kernel.bin file using Universal kernel flasher. How do I create a flashable zip file incase I custom kernel creates problem and phone refuses to boot
darryl_co said:
One final question, I saved the stock kernel.bin file using Universal kernel flasher. How do I create a flashable zip file incase I custom kernel creates problem and phone refuses to boot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use the Android flashable zip creator. But do not flash stock kernel to a non stock based rom. If you need to go back to stock, use odin and flash stock rom.
Flash Kit Kat
darryl_co said:
Recently I have been facing 4 problems
My phone is rooted and out of warranty period.
Please Help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just Play with your phone and Update it to kitkat and you will not regret on your decision.
As per My Experience.
Following are most stable KK ROM (All rom are best and have developers effort and i appreciate the same).
Carbon ROm - 25/7/2014
Slimkat Rom - Final version. - Offline charging Bug
Liquid smooth - 2/8/14 or 14/8/14.
PA by tano - 30/7/14 PA4.45 stable.
Vanir - 6/10/14 - APN BUG (maual APN setup)
You may choose
SAMI OS with Co core kernel
Revolution ROM

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