Ok so I'm new to customizing Android. I had a droid Eris but i never did anything other than changing launchers and such, now i have the Droid 2 Global (in white ) and im feelin up for customizing it.
Just to give some history on myself i had an HTC Touch Pro and did alot of romming and stuff on it so im not a total noob. However, android is quite different from WM from what ive gathered.
So here's what i get... I've got it rooted using the z4root program and i have bootstrap recovery for it. From my understanding, to rom an android device you go to this custom recovery and (after savin a rom's .zip file to your sdcard) you flash the zip to the phone, bam new rom. (QUESTION 1) Now is there anything else i need to know about flashing a rom, like anything else i should do other than just flash the zip. i keep hearing things about wipe this and that and nandroid backups and such but dont fully understand all that so help there would be appreciated.
Now to more device specific questions (QUESTION 2) i keep hearing the term "sbf". from what i've gathered it has something to do with the stock rom (right?) and for the D2G we dont have this yet (also right?) and if i want to play it safe for now as i am indeed a newbie to this, i should wait until there is a D2G sbf to flash a custom rom just in case something goes wrong i can go back to it(also also right?)
(QUESTION 3) Also, i see a few roms floating around in the D2 forums, but only one (Droid 2 Global Stock, deodexed, busybox blah blah) actually says its for the D2G. Should i stray away from flashing any of the others because they might brick/not work with my phone? Also what does "deodexed" and "busybox" and terms like that mean? Are there similar terms i should familiarize myself with?
If you had the patience to read all that, i thank you. If you have the kindness to answer any or all of my questions, i thank you again! Any help you guys got is much appreciated
Short answer. No roms are available for the D2G as yet. I know someone who tried the fission rom with success but had a few bugs with it. For now, root works so you can remove all the junk motorola included(well I like them).
SBF is said to enable you to return your phone back to factory if it's messed up or I guess brick. Without this file, no devs are willing to brick their $500+ device right now.
And so the wait continues.
*Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong..
alright, that makes sense, i wouldnt want to either lol. you say you can remove junk by being rooted...how so? all ive been able to do rooted that i couldnt do unrooted is wireless tether and adblock lol.
botnryan said:
alright, that makes sense, i wouldnt want to either lol. you say you can remove junk by being rooted...how so? all ive been able to do rooted that i couldnt do unrooted is wireless tether and adblock lol.
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download titanium back up and remove what you don't want better yet just freeze it instead..also be careful..some apps are not met to be removed.
Related
Okay xda, here's a hypothetical situation I'm considering:
I'm running damagecontrol 2.08.1, and I know the official 2.1 is out now. However, I hear mixed reviews. I'd much rather be running the official update, but at the same time not too sure I want to lose root. It'd be good to hop off the root train to avoid pains like this, but then I'll be impatient when Froyo comes around I suppose. Anyways, I was wondering if it were at all possible to:
1.) Backup via Nandroid my system running 2.08.1 rooted.
2.) Update to the official non-rooted 2.1
3.) Test it out, and if I don't like it, restore to my 2.08.1 rooted via Nandroid, and have root access again.
Can anyone confirm whether or not this would work? Also for those that updated, what are your thoughts on Root-vs-Non?
You figure out how to run a nandroid backup without root, after running the Sprint RUU, and you will make 27 people on this forum VERY Happy.
not me, I was smart and didn't load it...or at least i didn't "take one for the team"
colemorris said:
Okay xda, here's a hypothetical situation I'm considering:
I'm running damagecontrol 2.08.1, and I know the official 2.1 is out now. However, I hear mixed reviews. I'd much rather be running the official update, but at the same time not too sure I want to lose root. It'd be good to hop off the root train to avoid pains like this, but then I'll be impatient when Froyo comes around I suppose. Anyways, I was wondering if it were at all possible to:
1.) Backup via Nandroid my system running 2.08.1 rooted.
2.) Update to the official non-rooted 2.1
3.) Test it out, and if I don't like it, restore to my 2.08.1 rooted via Nandroid, and have root access again.
Can anyone confirm whether or not this would work? Also for those that updated, what are your thoughts on Root-vs-Non?[/QUOTE
This will not work, If you upgrade to 2.1 using official Ruu, You will lose root, and it will wipe the custom recovery image, so no more flashing anything, no more root, until someone finds the clink in the htc armour to regain root
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I see, so that recovery menu isn't stock android recovery? Well then here's another question.
If you could get flash-rec on an unrooted phone through the ASTRO install method, could you flash a custom recovery image like 1.6.2, then do a nandroid restore from backup?
I probably sound like a mega-noob, just wanting to know why we can't do these things.
Nah, I "took one for the team" but am actually working on it. I DO have to say that the official 2.1 is DAMN fast though. Like, faster then pancacke 0.1 hehe
No but seriously, there is almost 0 lag, and the only thing that I have seen wrong is all of the apps in the app drawer
And no, the nandroid thing is NOT possible.
Hmm, thanks regaw for the answer. Is it fast enough to make waiting for a 2.1 rooted unnecessary right now? Cause damage hasn't logged in for ages, and I'm tired of all the force closes and errors I'm getting. I'm just not so sure it's worth upgrading when I may have to wait longer if I update to an unrooted. I mean, I have A2SD, DConfig, all those shenanigans that make the phone so much better. What's your take?
colemorris said:
Hmm, thanks regaw for the answer. Is it fast enough to make waiting for a 2.1 rooted unnecessary right now? Cause damage hasn't logged in for ages, and I'm tired of all the force closes and errors I'm getting. I'm just not so sure it's worth upgrading when I may have to wait longer if I update to an unrooted. I mean, I have A2SD, DConfig, all those shenanigans that make the phone so much better. What's your take?
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Well, If you would like to do anything other than what Sprint/HTC wants you to do, I would recommend NOT upgrading, but waiting for something to come out. I know that Damageless is really busy, but I know that trevE is working on things too. They just need to finalize some stuff to get it out. While official 2.1 is fast, it doesn't have a whole bunch of things that us on custom ROMs take for granted. This is my first time on an official ROM since January, and, I do not want to keep it on for long, 1) just so I can begin developing again... and 2) so I can figure out the method of getting root back for everyone who ran the RUU.
regaw_leinad said:
Well, If you would like to do anything other than what Sprint/HTC wants you to do, I would recommend NOT upgrading, but waiting for something to come out. I know that Damageless is really busy, but I know that trevE is working on things too. They just need to finalize some stuff to get it out. While official 2.1 is fast, it doesn't have a whole bunch of things that us on custom ROMs take for granted. This is my first time on an official ROM since January, and, I do not want to keep it on for long, 1) just so I can begin developing again... and 2) so I can figure out the method of getting root back for everyone who ran the RUU.
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Damn it Regaw I just realzied that you have more posts than me.
Any how, good luck on finding that root.
Here is this from Millworm, But it hink Eris devs proved it was fixed long ago.
http://www.milw0rm.com/exploits/9545
This one is also older, but not sure if anyone has tried it.
http://www.milw0rm.com/exploits/8678
Edit - Milw0rm must be dead.
and this, but it looks like only 2.6.30 Kernel maybe, and its just a Null Pointer exploit which is probably not suitable.
http://lwn.net/Articles/341773/
Also:
Possible way to change an MD5:
http://www.rapidleech.com/topic/2860-change-md5-hash/
Just some stuff I have looked at doing, but I am not willing to jump ship on a rooted phone.
you know I have been back and forth on whether or not to go with the official release and lose root, but during that process I loaded up Pure Hero rom which is based off the alysious (sp?) Rom but with Sense removed and man is it fast.
I have no need to lose root and this little phone is very speedy. And yes, I have tried Damage and Fresh (and a few variation based on those two) roms. Although they are decent roms, they just and turtles when compared to Pure Hero.
As far as Sense goes, I did like Sense, if you want it then do the alysious (again sp?) rom. Just that I think removing sense speeds it up, and honestly you can get all those functions through apps.
im new to phone molding and was wondering whats the things u need to install rooms and to make sure ur phone doesn't brick and what apps u need i have already rooted my phone with z4Root but please let me know just got my phone and wanna have fun with molding it to have different lockscreen and all that cool stuff
RioT23 said:
im new to phone molding and was wondering whats the things u need to install rooms and to make sure ur phone doesn't brick and what apps u need i have already rooted my phone with z4Root but please let me know just got my phone and wanna have fun with molding it to have different lockscreen and all that cool stuff
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If you are already rooted, first I recommend install Koush's bootstrap recovery. This allows you to backup/restore your phone. A warning with this if you are new: Don't bounce back and forth between ROM's that are made for different android versions. For example, if you are on 2.2, don't try to apply a ROM for 2.1 as it will brick your phone due to a difference in the bootloader.
After you have installed Koush's bootstrap recovery, IMMEDIATELY make a backup. Then archive this off to your computer for safe keeping. This will be your saving grace if your phone gets messed up a little, and you want to go back to how it was as of right now.
Once you have that installed, you can install ROM manager, as this usually has the most recent releases (for the general public). I recommend that you do some searching on the forums here under Droid X themes and Droid X development and take a look at the threads for the different ROMs/Themes so you can get a feel for what they look like. Often reading through the posts also will help you get a feel, as people will usually provide their feedback.
A note if you are not familiar with flashing Themes/ROMs. This can be dangerous if you don't follow the instructions for each specific theme or ROM.
Sorry if this reply has seemed daunting by any means. I just have run into a few bumps myself as when I started messing around, I didn't know what I needed backups of...
Hope this helps! PM me if you need specific questions answered! Otherwise I'll try to check back
As for the different lock screens... I would look into Widgetlocker. It allows you to create shortcuts on your lock screen and use it a little more than the default lock screen from android.
How do you install updates to roms? I want to install gummyjar 1.9 but then there is also an 1.9.1 update. I know how to flash the rom but am not sure about the update. Is it just the same through clockwork, install from sd?
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
Jon El Canche said:
How do you install updates to roms? I want to install gummyjar 1.9 but then there is also an 1.9.1 update. I know how to flash the rom but am not sure about the update. Is it just the same through clockwork, install from sd?
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
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Usually you want to refer to the original post for the ROM and download the update from there. They will usually have steps to install the update.
I have a new Magic (32b Google/Vodafone Ed) and I am hoping this is an ok question to ask... Any help, is much appreciated!
I've been searching through forums and seeking help wherever I can and not getting anywhere fast with information I'd like.
Firstly, when I bought the phone (2nd hand) it came with Cyanogen on it.
But there were all sorts of issues and so I had to do some fast learning, to fix it.
I managed to find out how to flash the phone, and reinstall the Restore functionality on the phone......
Once that was done, I was loving it and started installing apps.
I thought I had it perfect, so decided to install a theme (I didn't know it was untested) so when I flashed it, it locked the phone into a boot loop.
I spent 24 hours trying to understand how to 'fix' it as I restored a NAND backup which wasn't mine, and ended up with the phone back to it's factory default Vodafone Android 1.6 version with the old owners picture lock code!!!
A friend ended up 'fixing' it, I believe by getting a good copy of the default OS and flashing it with the fastboot menu.
After he did that, Vodafone here released an over-air update, so the phone is now running the default HTC Android version, but on 2.2.1
What I would like to know, is before I embark on the rather terrifying task of trying to put Cyanogen back on, is what are the benefits to rooting the phone vs the risks?
I understand that the risk of 'bricking' the phone is very real, and if I screw it up, I could basically destroy the phone, but do the benefits outway the risk?
I now have been given the Goldcard, plus install files for Cyanogen the original owner used to root the phone, so I am reasonably confident that it will work fine - as it was running Cyanogen beautifully (other than a couple minor glitches) when I got the phone.
If I root the phone and install Cyanogen, what benefits do I get over the stock 2.2.1 install?
IMHO the real true benefits from rooting is the complete freedom and the ability to really make the phone your own.the question you asked has been asked so many times and truthfully the real reward comes with actually rooting the phone yourself.
1. itll free up ram on the phone allowing you to do things faster(this depend on what rom you get too)
2. you can put apps on a part of your sd card which will keep your phone going fast just dont over do it
3. overclocking and underclocking to speed it up even more
4. the themes! me personally i dont care too much for themes people complain so much about them but its whatever.
5. the customization is really endless
the real reward comes with finally exhaling that breath after you first start rooting your phone lol.
thisishoot said:
the real reward comes with finally exhaling that breath after you first start rooting your phone lol.
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Well... now that I know I'll get for sure!!! As I know how rough it was when I broke it hahaha
As for the rest, you aren't able to change things like themes without rooting??
Pretty girly I know, but that's one of the main things I really want to do with it!
Being faster would be a help too as I have found over the past few days, that sometimes it can be quite slow..... Would Cyanogen speed it up a bit?
thecharmed01 said:
Well... now that I know I'll get for sure!!! As I know how rough it was when I broke it hahaha
As for the rest, you aren't able to change things like themes without rooting??
Pretty girly I know, but that's one of the main things I really want to do with it!
Being faster would be a help too as I have found over the past few days, that sometimes it can be quite slow..... Would Cyanogen speed it up a bit?
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Most stable ROM's will help with performance, CyanogenMod being one of them. The myTouch has a CPU rated for 576 MHz(if I recall correctly), but it comes from the factory underclocked at 384 MHz. Most ROM's have an OC kernel in them and will just require that you install SetCPU to control the CPU speed. As for your worries about bricking your phone, nowadays you don't even have to have a Goldcard. You can simply root with one of the many one-click root programs, use ROM Manager to flash a custom recovery (I prefer Amon Ra, but you can also use ClockworkMod) and create a backup of your untouched ROM, and then flash a new ROM from there. It's really all quite simple now IMHO, unlike when I originally rooted my phone using the Goldcard method.
hmm, is there a tut for that somewhere? As the only tutorial I have atm is the Cyanogen one which requires a Goldcard, dropping back to an older version, then rooting the phone?
I'd love to see another way of doing it?
Here's one and there's also the z4root app. You used to be able to use Universal Androot, but the exploit it used was patched in that 2.2.1 update you got.
Do you have any idea if the HTC Magic is compatible with that? As if it is, it is looking most intriguing!
thecharmed01 said:
Do you have any idea if the HTC Magic is compatible with that? As if it is, it is looking most intriguing!
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All three of the methods I mentioned will work for the Magic. The one I linked should work fine.
As easy as hacking psp, but then i broke the unwritten rule, i let my phone update a month ago (it said 2.2....so) which took me from the what seemed easy process of rooting a phone at 2.1 to the hard one of 2.1 update1...
downgrading back to 2.1 seemed liked a plan right cause
Code:
unrevoked.com/m
that should work then... i think and its seems almost to easy, but i just cant wrap man head around downgrading.......
I also found a easy way of doing it with the radio but my baseband version is also to high (at least from what Ive read 2 42 02 10 29)
All the stickys ive found seem to be out of date, and thats seems the case every where, i was going to use my update to get a evo instead, being new if i dont let it update it should be easy to root, but i hear after 1/30 you got to pay more, i not sure if thats counts if i activate the phone before that date tho...
so now im stuck and asking for help, somewhere to start would be mucho great. ty in advance.
Ummm......I'm lost here brother. The tutorials here work, even for the lastest update. I just did another one yesterday for a friend. Which one's have you tried?
Well see i honesly havent tried much, just been doing my homework trying to see what works, what dont, if you say these tuts are on point ill start puting everything ive gathered together and start, ill use this topic if i encounter any problems.
just alot to take in, all in one night new terms and all that...
Edit:Ok this tut http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=694572
says if i dont have 2.27.651.5 in his case 2.27.651.6 (i have 2 32 651 2) i need to downgrade with the ruu the thread provides, since it dosent mention my build number, im unsure if it matters, going to download ruu as i dont see how it will hurt so.
any advice?
Run the "One click root apk" in the themes and apps forum. Not the universal root cause that gives people problems.
One click root apk will root whatever sprint update your on. Its super easy
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
.... that was all a little to easy...... well it worked i guess, wireless tether here i come, anything else i need to know?
Edit: so really the only reason i did this was for the wireless tether, my phone is the only internet i have so i hope it was worth it... but what else can/ should i do with it.... im unsur, can i get true android 2.2, and roms they what an OS, and whats froyo? kinda in over man head lol but i keep getting myself deeper...
well i will reccomend AOSP 0.9.8 it is very good rom....fast and stable...
make yourself a nand back up(you can use Rom manager from the market) wipe...flash and you are ready...
if you dont like it..you got the back up....so you can restore whatever you are running now....
shiozaki said:
.... that was all a little to easy...... well it worked i guess, wireless tether here i come, anything else i need to know?
Edit: so really the only reason i did this was for the wireless tether, my phone is the only internet i have so i hope it was worth it... but what else can/ should i do with it.... im unsur, can i get true android 2.2, and roms they what an OS, and whats froyo? kinda in over man head lol but i keep getting myself deeper...
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told you it was super easy, your welcome. You can hit the thanks button if you want
as far as roms yes you want a custom one. yes you can get 2.2, it comes in two flavors, CM6 and AOSP. CM6 allows for lots of customizing. AOSP is the fastest rom you can download for this phone right now with everything working. Personally I would recommend AOSP. If you want to switch later you can(you probably will cause everyone does, its an addiction.)
you need to flash a custom recovery to do custom roms. easiest way to do that is download Rom manager from the market and use it to flash the clockwork mod recovery.
and Froyo is 2.2, Gingerbread is 2.3, and Eclair is 2.1.
If you have any other questions, like specifics on the process and other things check this thread first----CLICK ME
if you cant find the answer there, check the sticky at the top of the development forum.
if you cant find it there, perform a search using the box at the top of the page.
if that doesn't work, perform a google search.
If you still cant figure it out, PM me and I'll see if I can simplify it for you.
If after all that, and only after all that, you still don't have an answer. Make a thread in the Q and A forum and only that forum. And you shall find an answer.
Good luck.
http://romrepo.info/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
enjoy
I just used z4root to root my Hero and it worked fine using the newest version (1.3 I believe) and the Permanent Root option. The only hiccup that I ran into is that z4root seemed to have gotten stuck on the "Rebooting" screen. I had let it run for about 20 min and hit the Home button then went to applications and found that SuperUser was installed and the phone is actually rooted. Been able to install ROM Manager and use Titanium Backup to remove a bunch of the Sprint and HTC apps.
hi guys I have a HTC BOLT , familiar with that phone. Now my gf have a droid x which I'm not too familiar with. Its rooted and flashed to Cricket. I want to ask if I flash it to a custom Rom would i lose the Cricket flash also ? If not then how do I flash a custom Rom? If anyone is willing to help I'll paypal ya =) . Its for my gf so I really need to do it hehehe.
thisguyeh said:
hi guys I have a HTC BOLT , familiar with that phone. Now my gf have a droid x which I'm not too familiar with. Its rooted and flashed to Cricket. I want to ask if I flash it to a custom Rom would i lose the Cricket flash also ? If not then how do I flash a custom Rom? If anyone is willing to help I'll paypal ya =) . Its for my gf so I really need to do it hehehe.
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I'm not really familiar with what android version Cricket currently has on the Droid X, but I just picked up one this week from C Spire. My best suggestion would be to just root and uninstall any preinstalled apps that you couldn't otherwise if you don't have to sbf for your carrier and android version readily available. I'll actually be returning my phone this morning because I made the mistake of trying to flash Liberty3, and it somehow has FUBAR'd the bootloader on my end (absolutely no luck with the sbf using rsd lite or sbf flash on ubuntu).
Coming from the HTC Hero, I can go ahead and tell you that the way these two companies do bootloaders are entirely different beasts. The Hero was an absolute breeze to root and flash roms on, but that may also have been because of its huge userbase at one point as well. Anyways, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by losing the Cricket flash, but the original rom will be completely replaced if you flash the rom correctly (wiping data, cache, and dalvik from the bootloader).
edit:
After Googling some terms for the Droid X on Cricket, I don't think you'll have nearly as much of an issue if you follow the guides available. Just read carefully and always do a nandroid backup if possible.
thisguyeh said:
hi guys I have a HTC BOLT , familiar with that phone. Now my gf have a droid x which I'm not too familiar with. Its rooted and flashed to Cricket. I want to ask if I flash it to a custom Rom would i lose the Cricket flash also ? If not then how do I flash a custom Rom? If anyone is willing to help I'll paypal ya =) . Its for my gf so I really need to do it hehehe.
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You will not lost the flash unless you SBF, or upgrade to gingerbread if your not currently on it. The worst part about flashing custom ROM's is getting everything working again. What I mean about everything working is MMS, and web. MMS is the hardest. Try my thread here http://www.cricketusers.com/verizon-motorola-droid-x/12264-working-apn-mms-apk.html#post21416 and see if you can get it working. Before doing anything make a backup so you can fall back onto a working rom.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App