Database Users

[Q] Which ROM Do you suggest?

I'm looking to upgrade my phone to a custom ROM, but I'm not sure which one is the best for my needs. This is what I am looking for:
Fyro Update
Increased Phone Speed
Increased Battery Support
Adblock for browser and apps
Also, how do I flash my ROM? I have the drivers to connect my phone to my computer, and that's about as far as I got. Secondly, will I lose my apps and their data? I already have my contacts and SMS backed up.
Thanks guys
jt

As a shameless plug - I whole-heartedly recommend SyndicateROM. It'll fulfill three of your four features already (including ad blocking in apps and the browser), and when the OFFICIAL, FINAL (ACS prides itself on stability and feature-completeness) Froyo release is out, it will be updated right away!

That's actually the one I was looking at. Is there instructions on how to flash your ROM? Will I lose my apps and their data?

After rooting you'll need Clockwork Recovery mod(CWM). Look for a Dev who has created a root with a CWM install (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=770388).
1. Follow steps to root and install CWM.
2. Download a ROM and put it on your SDcard (Start with ones that have been around for a while and have been tested quite a bit. Avoid Froyo ones till you feel comfortable with CWM and Odin {if you ever use it}).
3. Reboot into CWM, BACKUP everything (this is key for your data to come back), wipe x3 (including cache)
4. Install ROM from SDcard(reboot, may take a few minutes to load for the first time)
5. Reboot into CWM, and advance restore (DATA only). reboot
6. Enjoy with all your data.
Hope this helps

Epic Experience + Phoenix is the best battery life I've had on any ROM.
Performance feels like stock, which is to say, this phone is really fast just as is and I don't think its screaming for better performance out of the box. Its not like it feels sluggish like the Evo does.

All these devs do great work! You can't go wrong with any of these roms. This belongs in the General Discussions section!
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Streamline8 said:
After rooting you'll need Clockwork Recovery mod(CWM). Look for a Dev who has created a root with a CWM install (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=770388).
1. Follow steps to root and install CWM.
2. Download a ROM and put it on your SDcard (Start with ones that have been around for a while and have been tested quite a bit. Avoid Froyo ones till you feel comfortable with CWM and Odin {if you ever use it}).
3. Reboot into CWM, BACKUP everything (this is key for your data to come back), wipe x3 (including cache)
4. Install ROM from SDcard(reboot, may take a few minutes to load for the first time)
5. Reboot into CWM, and advance restore (DATA only). reboot
6. Enjoy with all your data.
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hoping you can help me a little further;
1) Done successfully
2) Done
3) How do I boot into CWM? I installed Titanium back up, and ROM manager - not sure if that's needed or not
Thanks guys
PS, sorry for posting in the wrong section

tuttjs said:
Hoping you can help me a little further;
1) Done successfully
2) Done
3) How do I boot into CWM? I installed Titanium back up, and ROM manager - not sure if that's needed or not
Thanks guys
PS, sorry for posting in the wrong section
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
camera button, down volume and power on.

I suggest you try them all and figure out what you like or don't like. Also try out the ODIN program so when you accidentally bork your phone you will know how to fix it right away.

Got it. I assume this is backing up to my SD card. Do I not wipe my SD card?
Thanks, this should be the last question!

tuttjs said:
Got it. I assume this is backing up to my SD card. Do I not wipe my SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way you will wipe your SD card is if you partition it for A2SD support. The factory reset wipes all your data and might be a good idea if you are going from one rom/kernel to another. CWM backs up to your SD card. I have about 6 backups and can restore several different roms if I want. If you try all the roms out and make backups of all them it will be easy to go back to what you want.
A program called ROM Manager will make it easy to rename your backups.

I must have done something wrong...

On stock 2.1 from a brand new phone. Wanting to get a Bionix-V 1.2 rom installed to start with. (unless someone points out a more popular/stable/better rom to start with)
So I thought I was following the guide right but I cant figure out what.
NOOB GUIDE is what I was following. Here is where I think i messed up or got lost.
3 – Rom Manager / Clockwork Recovery
Now that you have your apps, system data & home settings saved, go to the Market to download Rom Manager (there is a paid and a free version, either will work, but I always suggest supporting developers if you can). We are going to use Rom Manager to install an alternate recovery, called Clockwork Recovery. This is what allows you to make a backup of your entire system (called a nandroid backup).
Once you download and install Rom Manager, open it, give it Root Access (Check to always remember if it's not already selected). At the top, click "Flash Clockwork Recovery" and after it has finished click to Reboot Into Recovery.
If this is your first time, you are very likely at the stock vibrant recovery (purple text)... click on Re-install packages. Your phone will reboot and should come back to the Clockwork Recovery (green text).
If at stock, click reinstall packages again (likely worked the first time).
Great, now you have a custom recovery. Scroll down (by using the volume buttons) and select (by using the power button) to backup your system. This will take about 5 minutes to complete. Once done, you have a complete snapshot of your phone that you should always be able to come back to.
I strongly encourage reading Koush's thread, you can find it here.
His installation instructions have more detail:
Installation instructions:
1.Download ROM Manager from the Market.
2.Flash Recovery.
3.Choose Vibrant as your phone.
4.Accept the Superuser prompt.
5.On the very FIRST boot of Clockwork, you may need to manually select "reinstall packages" if Clockwork does not start. You should only ever have to do this once. It will be automatic from then on.
6.Watch the backup go!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is when I try to reboot into Clockwork it still looks the same, nothing happens when i tell Rom Manager to backup, it just restarts to what looks like the original recovery screen. It looks something like this..
Android system recovery <2e>
Samsung Recovery Utils
- for BML -
Vol Up - up
Vol Down - down
Power - Selec item
Reboot system now
reinstall packages
delete all user data
delete cache data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since this is my first flash I might just be overly paranoid but if this is not right I dont want to mess up my brand new phone by just plowing ahead without being sure.
Thanks for any help... yet again.

Try selecting reinstall packages. And then again a second time.
Tap volume down then push lock/power to select.

Try reinstalling packages.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

TY, guess I must not have told it to reinstall enough times.

Took me 3x reinstall packages before I actually got into cwm. You will know when you get tehre.

Caliga if you need more help or have questions send me an email I'm PMing u my email address.

OK, so something has gone wrong. At first I thought it was all ok but now the more apps i try to open the more nothing seems to work. Going to try to go back to stock and see if i can start over but I cant seem to get this phone to go to the clockwork recovery menu. Every time i restart the phone and hold the keys it still boots like normal. guess its time for more research.

Had the same issue with my new Vibrant. Look for the 3e recovery fix listed in here. Solved my issues.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

^ he was on eclair (2e), the 3e recovery is not an issue here.

caliga4221 said:
OK, so something has gone wrong. At first I thought it was all ok but now the more apps i try to open the more nothing seems to work. Going to try to go back to stock and see if i can start over but I cant seem to get this phone to go to the clockwork recovery menu. Every time i restart the phone and hold the keys it still boots like normal. guess its time for more research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apps don't work probably because you did not do a correct wipe when you flashed. Try: Wipe Data/Factory Reset - then Flash the ROM - then Wipe cache - then go to advanced and wipe Devil Cache - then Fix permissions from the same menu, go back and reboot.

roumenjr said:
Apps don't work probably because you did not do a correct wipe when you flashed. Try: Wipe Data/Factory Reset - then Flash the ROM - then Wipe cache - then go to advanced and wipe Devil Cache - then Fix permissions from the same menu, go back and reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol Devil cache.
Were you able to flash bionix? From CWM You just select install zip from sd, and select your file.

ferhanmm said:
lol Devil cache.
Were you able to flash bionix? From CWM You just select install zip from sd, and select your file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ups, typo........ Dalvik Cache. I'm glad I made you laugh ferhanmm, i'm actually cracking up myself as I type. I must have been thinking of my boss when I posted....or maybe my wife!
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Sorry for delayed response. Towns wifi went down last night and someone just now got around to resetting it.
@ferhanmm: I did get bionix on but it was acting very flaky, system ended up getting stuck in what i thought was a brick but someone in my other thread helped me get it working again and now i have a fully working trigger rom.
Everything is up and going again now I would like to get a theme for it, but really the only thing i dont like is all the green icons. About to do some research and see if I can just replace icons somehow.

Clockworkmod vs Titanium?

I've had such great help in these forums (Nook specifically) I couldn't resist trying my luck in these (Droid X) forums as well.
So, I've searched for Clockworkmod threads but they are all (That I found or noticed) from back in August.
Plenty of info to be had on Titanium Backup.
So my question, is Titanium the backup/restore program of choice? I was hoping for an idiots guide to backup and restore (especially in the event of problems) but the guides are kind of sketchy on the restore part.

Titanium
Use titanium backup to backup and restore all your apps. Useful when trying out new roms, although without the paid version of titanium you will spend alot of time tapping through the installation screens as it goes through your apps. Titanium won't help you recover a broken system.
SBF
Use RSDLITE 4.9 with a .SBF file to perform what many call a "sbf". This is usually used to restore a phone back to stock, or to recover from a bad/corrupted operating system. If your phone is unbootable, this is your recovery option. SBF'ing your phone is not as scary as it sounds, just download the system restore file (.sbf), connect your phone via usb to your computer, and use RSDLITE 4.9 to flash the phone.
Nand backups / Clockwork recovery
Use clockworkmod to do a full backup of your phone. Think of it as a clone of your phone. Restore your phone by booting into clockwork recovery and instead of choosing "backup", use the "restore" command. It will then allow you to select one of the backups you have made with clockwork. Pretty easy stuff here.

jeftep said:
Nand backups / Clockwork recovery
Use clockworkmod to do a full backup of your phone. Think of it as a clone of your phone. Restore your phone by booting into clockwork recovery and instead of choosing "backup", use the "restore" command. It will then allow you to select one of the backups you have made with clockwork. Pretty easy stuff here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, this is exactly what I was after. My only problem remains that I do not see any guides on how to go about downloading/installing/operating this program. I'll keep searching now that I know more about what I'm searching for. Thanks!

Search the market for "rom manager", it's free. Load it and tap "flash clockworkmod recovery".
You can use this app to reboot into recovery or by holding down the home and volume down buttons while pushing the power on button.
You can also download the DX bootstrapper from koushik's site, just google "koush bootstrap". Also free.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

Woah there buddy.
I'm going to clarify this process a bit for you before you mess something up, if you don't mind.
Root your phone.
The simplest method is to search for Z4Root here in the forums...it's a .apk that roots your phone for you.
Now...
I assume you want a sweeeeeeeet rom, ya?
We can do that...
MY personal recommendation would be this...
Make sure you have at least 2-3 gigs free on your SD...it won't need to STAY that way...but during this process, it will.
Open your contacts.
Click the options button.
Backup your contacts to your SD card.
Now download Titanium from the market...
The free version works fine for 99% of what you need.
The only problem is (as mentioned) you have to manually click the "install" button for all 500098098098 of your apps when you restore...as opposed to just one button and letting it work for a few minutes.
Open Titanium and backup all of your apps+data.
Do you want Liberty 2.0? I personally use it and LOOOOOOVE it...but you currently have to pay $5.99 for it...a free version should be released soon.
If you do...just download liberty toolbox donate from the market.
It will install the rom for you! The option is under the "Rom Manager" part...
Make sure you select both options when installing....The "Backup" and "clear data" ones.
If you don't want liberty...read below...if you've chosen to pay the $5.99...skip down to the ****** below.
Download either DX bootstrap or Rom Manager.
Rom manager actually installs Clockwork...where bootstrap is simply a method of booting into clockwork via an application.
Either work fine.
Find the ROM you'd like to install and download the .zip
Put the zip on the root of your SD card.
Boot into clockwork.
(With DX bootstrap you click "bootstrap" and when it finishes click "reboot recovery")
Backup. (Camera button selects options, volume moves up and down, and power moves back a page)
Now Wipe Data/Factory Reset
Now...Wipe Data/Factory Reset
And again.
And again.
I usually do that 3-4 times just for extra security.
Now install zip from SD card.
Pick the "Choose Zip from SD card" option.
Find your rom's .zip
Click Reboot.
******
CONGRATULATIONS!
You're running a custom ROM!
Now...if you're contacts don't automatically start restoring...
You can choose the backup that you made from the options menu in your contacts.
Now...restore all apps+data with Titanium.
And you're back to where you were before the rom.
All your contacts...all your apps...
You may need to go back into your settings menu and change those back to your exact specifications.
Now...
If you don't like your rom...
You can boot into recovery again...
And restore to where you were previously with one click.
At this point after deciding I like the rom (I don't keep much free space on my SD)
I usually move my nandroid backup from before the rom to my computer...and delete it from my SD card...and then do another backup of my current (rom'd) setup.
I keep a copy of the titanium backup on my PC as well...and delete it from my SD card...there is no reason to waste a gig of space that can easily be transferred back when needed.
My recommendation is to always have you're most recent nandroid backup on your SD card and a copy of your last few on your computer.
You can rename the backup folders for organization...but don't use any spaces or special characters.
If you're REALLY hurting for space...
You can delete the nandroid backup safely if you have a microSD reader on your computer...in the case that your phone doesn't work and need to transfer the backup back onto your SD card.
Happy modding!

Thanks for the info, all of which answered my question just right. I've been using Gingerbread rooted & deoxed since Friday and it is quite nice. The improved battery life is phenomenal!

I want to STRONGLY recommend that everyone who is new/does not know what they are doing actually go through the process of flashing the rom. I was inexperienced once and I hard bricked it (unfixable). No one needs to go through that and anyway that's what keeps our bootloaders locked.
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT STEPS
If you do not wipe data/cache/dalvik cache/battery stats, you will bootloop. Repeatedly wiping is not at all necessary but its good for ocd.
If you do not mount system and data, your phone WILL NOT BOOT and you will have to sbf.
SBF'ing is not difficult but a pain in the ass. First of all you do not need version 4.9. I used 4.7 three days ago to flash the most recent system version. Make sure that you have the file for your bootloader version or again your phone WILL NOT BOOT.
That being said, I have found that all problems are almost always careless mistakes or at least mine have been
You will find that as long as you're careful and follow all instructions, you'll never have any problems

Ok. Great info. I have been reading through the stickies n then came across this.
I am currently running darkslide 4.2 with blur. Flashed using clockwork mod on DX rooted with z4. I know that's alot of acronyms but yall understand. I used the bootstrap to get to clockwork and load everything using astro file manager.
Here is the question.
Do I have to wipe my cache in clockwork or can I leave it? So far I have left it n its running fine but doesn't seem any faster and my battery runs down in about a day.
I also use Titanium to back up my stuff but do I ha e to back up everything manually or is the free version one touch good enough? I noticed there are alot of things not backed up in to do list. I will happily get the donate version if its recommended.
Thank you all for your time and effort to answer our beginner questions.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

Glad to see you are making progress, jperro. It never hurts (in my experience) to wipe the cache.
The paid version of Titanium backup lets you perform batch operations without interacting with every single install screen. There are other features that make it good, but thats the main one that saves you time/frustration.
I only back up a few system apps/data like Contacts Storage and Wifi Hotspots Storage. If I'm restoring my phone, chances are I'm either trying a new rom and I don't really want to muck it up with any old data - so I don't back up all the system apps/data that Titanium Backup shows as "not backed up". Besides, I've got nand backups in case I'm flashing back to a previous setup, so restoring system data or apps via Titanium seems redundant.

Ahhh. Ok. Thanks jeftep for the info. Very useful and informative.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

Need help, backing up my rom...

Can someone explain me, how i backup up my current rom with cwm?
I tried to search, but i couldn't find something helpfull...
I run TyphooN CyanogenMod 7 v3.2.2 and want to update to v3.2.8
Before the update i want to backup the current system, but I'm a newbe and i don't know how to do a backup with cwm...
It was the first time a flashed my HD2 last week, and it works pretty good, but because of that i have many many questions
Thank you all for the great job you are doing here in that Forum!

In CWM, go down to backup/restore, and press the left (green) phone button. Then go down to backup, again press the left phone button. Then CWM will make a backup of your ROM, data, and SD ext if you have one and it will be stored on your SD card in /clockworkmod/backup. It takes a while to back up, so have at least 50% battery. It will show you on your phone's screen what its doing. Then if you flash a different ROM or screw up your ROM by installing some incompatible modification, you can go into CWM and instead of backup, choose restore instead of backup, and your phone will be returned to the state it was in when you did the backup.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

Thx, that was exactly what i needed

[Q] Do I have to format stuff before installing cm7 (update- solved, thanks!)

I am currently using the stock rom on my rooted g2, and I want to get cm7. I got rom manager premium, and downloaded cm7. At this point one of my friends told me that I should boot into clockwork recovery, format every option except the sd card, and then I should install the rom from the zip on the sd card, using clockwork recovery. He said that this would remove all the old system files so that the new rom would install cleanly, and that if I dont do this I might have problems running the new rom. I thought that rom manager does this for you automatically, as long as you use the option "clear data and cache" before you install the new rom. According to my friend, that option in rom manager (to clear the data and cache before installing the new rom) doesn't remove all the necessary things. Is this true, or does rom manager take care of all of this for you?
This is my first time installing a new rom, so I wanna make sure I do it right.
I really appreciate the XDA forums in general, so I want to thank everyone for making XDA my go to place for anything having to do with my phone!

htcg2 said:
I am currently using the stock rom on my rooted g2, and I want to get cm7. I got rom manager premium, and downloaded cm7. At this point one of my friends told me that I should boot into clockwork recovery, format every option except the sd card, and then I should install the rom from the zip on the sd card, using clockwork recovery. He said that this would remove all the old system files so that the new rom would install cleanly, and that if I dont do this I might have problems running the new rom. I thought that rom manager does this for you automatically, as long as you use the option "clear data and cache" before you install the new rom. According to my friend, that option in rom manager (to clear the data and cache before installing the new rom) doesn't remove all the necessary things. Is this true, or does rom manager take care of all of this for you?
This is my first time installing a new rom, so I wanna make sure I do it right.
I really appreciate the XDA forums in general, so I want to thank everyone for making XDA my go to place for anything having to do with my phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your friend has the right idea. one thing I would add (prior to formatting anything) is making a nandroid backup of your stock setup.
also, don't rely on rom manager to perform any CWM recovery functions properly. anything that will be done via recovery (ie flashing a rom, making a backup, etc) should be done straight through recovery and not through rom manager. ymmv there, but better to be safe than sorry.

Thanks for the quick and detailed post. I already made a nandroid backup, and saved it on both my laptop and my phone, but I forgot to mention it in the post. I will go ahead and flash the rom diretly from clockwork recovery. Thanks a lot for the advice!
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Oh no...
I installed cm7, and it looks good, but it looks like I don't have the android market anymore! What should I do?

You have to flash the Gapps to get the market etc.. download from the link and flash through recovery.
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Latest_Version#Google_Apps

ostinq said:
You have to flash the Gapps to get the market etc.. download from the link and flash through recovery.
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Latest_Version#Google_Apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! It works perfectly now! You're the best!