[Q] Definitions - Fascinate General

I have been lurking around here for a while (Yes another noob) and have been thinking of rooting and flashing my phone to DJ05 from this page.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=869990
However, before I do I hoped some of the more experience guy/gals maybe able to enlighten me a bit.
The Radio is basically what it sounds like right. Cell/data service, GPS, wifi, and ect?
The kernal is the os under the gui?
The rom is the GUI?
I looked at the stickes and the wikki and I am a bit confused.
First I need to root my phone with the one button flash instructions on the stickes.
Then what.
What do you use back up?
Can I back up games?
Is there a simple step by step instructions that start how to put phone in the right mode?
What do install on computer to flash?
Will this also get rid of all the bloatware?
Basically where to start step by step including what programs to use?
Like I said I'm a complete noob, and apprciate any and all help.
Thx
Scott

In the developement section there are stickies. They will get you from stock to rooted to romed.
There us an app called z4root which is a 1click rooting system and far better then the adb program imo.
After that you want to flash cwm.tar also coverd in the stickies.
Get familiar with odin. Remember pda button is your friend.
After you have rooted , make a back up through rom manager....
Sigh...... Its 4am my puppy woke me up. Someone else can take over lol. Pm me if you need assistance over the phone I can walk you through the whole process if need be.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

This is your one-stop shop for all your questions

Is there a wiki project affiliated with xda? I would like to organize everything I know about bricking and fixing these things, organized with hyperlinks. A lot of times I don't know the most efficient solution, but that could be refined.
It would be nice if I could see a question here and simply point to section 12a.13 of a comprehensive guide, concisely written (not necessarily my strong-suit I admit) with brief jargon and a complete glossary.
Swyped w/ XDA App. When in doubt, mumble.

Anubis9000 said:
I have been lurking around here for a while (Yes another noob) and have been thinking of rooting and flashing my phone to DJ05 from this page.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=869990
However, before I do I hoped some of the more experience guy/gals maybe able to enlighten me a bit.
The Radio is basically what it sounds like right. Cell/data service, GPS, wifi, and ect?
The kernal is the os under the gui?
The rom is the GUI?
I looked at the stickes and the wikki and I am a bit confused.
First I need to root my phone with the one button flash instructions on the stickes.
Then what.
What do you use back up?
Can I back up games?
Is there a simple step by step instructions that start how to put phone in the right mode?
What do install on computer to flash?
Will this also get rid of all the bloatware?
Basically where to start step by step including what programs to use?
Like I said I'm a complete noob, and apprciate any and all help.
Thx
Scott
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The radio/modem/baseband is basically what you say, yes. It lives on it's own partition.
The kernel is the OS.
Afaik ROM is a general term, and can include any combination of kernel, ui changes, and system apps.
You mau root with a one button app like z4root. However manual roots don't take long, and ensure that you have working samsung drivers, and a working adb environment, and at least a basic knowledge of how your phone can be modified in a shell if everything goes FUBAR on you. It is just nice to be prepared, and to know how to at least root (and unroot) your phone if the one clicks hang or stop working.
Avoid even considering a voodoo install until you a) have installed a clean rom like super clean or blackhole and configured it with adw or launcher pro b) replaced the kernel if you found it too slow or replaced the modem. c) still notice lag (specifically during disk writes - ex you stream a ton of rss feeds and email constantly) that is intolerable to you. d) you have bricked and fixed your phone on at least two different ways already and are prepared to take full responsibility for whatever crashes happen and for data lost. Ie. You are a newcomer, you should probably just stay away, non voodoo kernels are quite smooth -i have always been satisfied.
Titanium backup pro does a wonderful job of restoring your most important apps. I recommend not backing up every item / system data. It is just easier for me to stay lightweight. It also gives you the ability to freeze/delete bloatware.
Rom manager and accompanying cwr gives you a way to backup almost everything. It is CRITICAL to do this backup before doing any odin flashes or installing any ROMs for the first time.
Yes you can backup games.
I am not 100% clear on modes.
* if your phone is working and you installed adb on your computer like you should have -simply type 'adb reboot download' or 'adb reboot recovery' EASY! (what I do)
* download - Hold volume down button while your phone is turning on until you see the yellow warning sign. (get it? Down for download). You use this mode for heimdall/odin
* recovery - hold volume up & down buttons while turning on phone. If you get a battery icon instead, unplug the phone or the battery. This is basic stock recovery, not CWR.
Heimdall or odin for flashing. Always use pda button. Put on android SDK and set your path variables too. And of course install samsung drivers for your phone!
Where to start? Read the first post of every sticky in this forum, particularly in development.
Don't post to development.
Swyped w/ XDA App. When in doubt, mumble.

Thanks for all the help. I have read some of the stickes. I will read the rest. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Related

im such a frustrated noobie

someone please tell me what does ADB stand for????????
i hate myself for being such a noob but what can i do?!?!?! whats adb pleaseeee...
and why is it that everytime i go into command prompt to try and do stuff with the phone it never finds "androidsdk"
ahh!!!!!
Frenzifun said:
someone please tell me what does ADB stand for????????
i hate myself for being such a noob but what can i do?!?!?! whats adb pleaseeee...
and why is it that everytime i go into command prompt to try and do stuff with the phone it never finds "androidsdk"
ahh!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about you tell everyone what you are trying to do, and what you are typing in command prompt.
Android Debug Bridge....
Do you have Samsung drivers installed/setup?
Take a nice deep breath and do one learning step at a time. Android has a lot to teach. I would also encourage learning the phone use basics, reading up on things before attempting any mods. Welcome to android family.
Here is a good thread to start in.... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=790004
tats_06 said:
Android Debug Bridge....
Do you have Samsung drivers installed/setup?
Take a nice deep breath and do one learning step at a time. Android has a lot to teach. I would also encourage learning the phone use basics, reading up on things before attempting any mods. Welcome to android family.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol ... well i already opened another thread about how to put hebrew fonts on the phone to support hebrew instead of seing empty boxes on facebooks and websites and what not... my phone Was rooted, Was voodooed but there was force closing on things and market stopped working so i completely stocked the phone, only thing that doesnt work now is my phone memory which is on 0.00 which i read and you apparently have to root the phone all over again
so right now... the phone memory is my only issue, i guess i can live without hebrew if its too much of a hassle to install while rooted::
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=480964
i have no idea how to work this^^^
i have the drivers installed like i said, i was able to odin, root, and voodoo, clockwork as well ofcourse. now phone is completely stock except for that memory issue.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=804457&highlight=phone+memory
completely got lost in this thread... so yeah, those are my problems with the phone at the moment. i wont mention the obvious of gps etc.
another awesome issue, everytime my phone is turned off and back on, it starts that set up process all over again... language; facebook; google... etc... why?
Once you install adb on your computer you have to go to change the path on your computer to point to that folder. Or you can change your directory to the one that holds the adb file from within the command prompt. This should allow you to run the commands.
The issue you are having with the memory on your phone is because voodoo did not completely uninstall. You can fix this by running the steps in this forum to uninstall voodoo. Don't try the one step zip, you are going to have to do the three step manual method to make this work. Don't forget the final step to wipe data.
Once this is done voodoo will be gone, memory should be back, and phone should stop resetting on every boot.
Obviously you aren't the only one to ever have these issues. But you can recover.
Good luck.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
No intro
Here is what I did:
Wanted to flash new ROM, [ROM] Super Clean DI01 + AOSP apps, (Thanks to everyone who worked on it AND everyone on this forum cause Ive spent the past week reading the threads and felt confident enough in the info and the support to try).
BUT
when trying to download with ODIN (not certain if this was the right method, too late now) found that it did not work, couldnt see file when looking in the PDA browse.
STUPIDLY disconnected phone from computer while in DOWNLOAD MODE. You know, when the screen says "DONT DISCONNECT FROM TARGET". Apparently, the rebus string for "you dun f*cked up" is a phone symbol... a yellow triangle w/!...computer symbol.
What do I do to get back to fun?
Tried reboot, tried CWR reboot, tried Nandroid restore w/reboot still the YDFU symbol
*EDIT* I continued searching while awaiting a response and found this thread: Stuck on connection warning screen. This got me out of the YDFU screen into a nice force loop. Since I am not a -complete noob- I pulled a nandroid backup outta my hat and ...tada back to good, now to the fun!

[Q] Brand new to rooting - questions....

Hey guys... I am brand new to all of this... just got my samsung vibrant a couple of months ago and love it. I have since always wanted to root my phone, but am scared of doing so because I don't want to void my manufacturer's warranty on it (and i'm paying for an extended warranty). I was reading through the "guide - tips - tricks" post and found a LOT of good information. But it did not really answer my questions due to me being so new, so anyway, here they are:
1. Do I need to create a back-up of my system the way it is before I root? if so, how do i do it (in beginner's language w/ step by step instructions pls). I saw where I can down load the "ROM Manager App." But I don't even understand what "Flashing" the Rom means?
2. I didn't understand the post about returning your system back to a "factory OS" the way it was when you received your phone... (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728471 )In this post he explains supposedly how to do it, but I don't understand entering that stuff in a "terminal" on your computer... could someone explain in noob terms w/ step by step instructions?
Just to make sure... in theory, I can make a back up of my system before I root. Then I can root my phone. But if I ever want to "unroot" it, then I would have to follow the instructions in the link above, and then afterwards do a recovery of my nandroid backup to put me back to where I originally was? thanks guys
Rooting your phone will change nothing (meaning you lose nothing).
So, after you root, simply download Rom Manager, open it, click on flash recovery, then reboot into recovery (at this point you can make a backup of your phone).
Once you have root, you can also use titanium backup (in the market also) to backup all of your apps.
flash = install a rom *you do this in recovery, see above*
If you know nothing about this the best advice is to read the very first thread in this section. It walks you step by step from "hey I want to root" to "I'm rooted, Now what?" to "Hey I F'd up, can I fix this" and so on. And on the "Hey I f'd up" note apparently the Vibrant likes to brick, meaning it won't turn on and you'll think you broke it, so you need to be familiar with ODIN which you'll find out more about in the three threads I refer to. Also the first two threads in the Development section are also must reads. All of the answers are here. A lot of people here will be very helpful in giving guidance or pointing you to the answer your looking for but there are quite a few that will flame you for not searching.
You'll be much happier and more comfortable after reading these three threads. Good Luck.
Answer to question 1 can be found here. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7324731&postcount=1
Answer to question 2 can be found here. The terminal you speak of is ODIN. Kind of a fail safe if you will. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=734475
A "I need to send this back for warranty repairs" backup isn't critical since you can just load up Odin and flash it back to stock with that. No need for you to be hyper critical on that.
With this phone, pretty much anything you can mess up can be fixed with Odin (short of flashing things that aren't meant for this phone).
While I wouldn't volunteer to be the first to flash an image, I wouldn't be too scared of it either.
Rooting your phone will add a few files (superuser, busybox) and otherwise leave your system intact. If something breaks later & you need to sent it back to TMO/Samsung, you'd just Odin it back to stock and give them a "blank slate" which is actually something you'd want to do anyways (you don't want them having access to your gmail for example...when I send a laptop back for repairs, I always image it back to stock as well).
I would suggest you read through the Vibrant Bible and just poke around. When you see something that shows/tells you how to do things like flash, follow along (load up the software and do as much as you can without actually doing anything [if that makes any sense]).
Never EVER flash anything that wasn't meant for your phone (a few people bricked their vibrants by accidentally flashing the SPLs from their G1s...how they make that mistake I don't know, but it's happened). Be careful, follow directions & you'll be good to go.
There are youtube videos showing how to use Odin and get back to stock (I believe the bible has links) and there are probably also youtube videos showing how to do other things as well.
For root, all you have to do is download "RyanZA's OCLF 2.0" from the market and click the root button. Follow its directions & you are good to go.
For many of us, that's not good enough. You'll want to then install ROM Manager and have it download the new Recovery.
From there, the world is open, find a ROM and flash away! I'm partial to Bionix, but have recently started to like the Axura froyo ROM as well.

Very new and complete noob

Hi all.
I have a Samsung Vibrant that's still on 2.1. I want to get into rooting and running custom ROMs, but my first attempt failed miserably. I had only rooted the phone and played with a little bit of overclocking for a couple of days when I received an OTA update announcement. Not thinking about it, I accepted it. After that, I got stuck on the "Vibrant" startup screen during the reboot. I took the phone and flashed it back to stock using the method most use (ODIN?). Anyway, even back to stock it would get stuck in a loop of running the media scanner during startup...needless to say I had to get a new phone.
My point is that I want to get my phone more personalized but I'm a bit stand-off-ish because of my prior experience. There is a ton of terminology I'm not familiar with at all...the most I can do with a computer is turn it on and use it.
Is there a place I can go that's an entry level course in rooting and the terminology associated with it? Thanks.
Check my signature. Noob guide. If something is not answered please pm me so I can add it.
I would not use kies to get 2.2.
What is "kies?" Also, I've been reading through (obviously there's a lot of reading to do) but I have another question that relates to my previous experimentation with rooting:
Is there ANY way to do a full back up of my phone now so that if I ever have to go back to stock using ODIN I can go back to how my phone is now? The last time I tried I could not find the same software I had before and a few things had been changed...basically like it wasn't a true stock file.
OK, so you are nooBie
Here are a list of things you are going need if you want to update your phone to 2.2
1. If you do not know what you are doing (which is the case) then, read
member-s15274n Noobie guide in the Bible. This will get you up to speed on the knowledge necessary to modify the phone.
2. If you decide to do the factory (from tmobile/samsung) update, then read on that process. I personally do not recommend updating that way.
3. If you update via some of the excellent roms in the Dev section (which I recommend) then read up on them Master's Axura, Jellette's Einherjar rom and Team Whiskey's Roms are all excellent and there are others YOU NEED TO READ UP ON THESE,
4. If you go with a custom rom Then you need The following programs/patches:
A. Odin 1.7 (this installs on the computer)
B. Oneclick root. (Go to unlockr.com) they have a video easy to follow and have the links for this.
C. Clockwork (Rom Manager) free installs on the phone
D. Titanium Backup (installs o nthe phone)
E. Original 959JFD 2.1 stock ROM (in case you f#ck-up) you can odin back
F. The Custom rom of your choice.
That is all you need, read up and once you get going you will maybe have questions..... Ask in the Q & A we all here welcome a new person to the forum and help them.
BMRbrnSNRbrd said:
What is "kies?" Also, I've been reading through (obviously there's a lot of reading to do) but I have another question that relates to my previous experimentation with rooting:
Is there ANY way to do a full back up of my phone now so that if I ever have to go back to stock using ODIN I can go back to how my phone is now? The last time I tried I could not find the same software I had before and a few things had been changed...basically like it wasn't a true stock file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung Kies is an official program that syncs your phone to your PC. This includes downloading and installing official OS updates to your phone.
A NANDroid backup can backup everything except the kernel. When you restore this backup your phone will go back to the state it was in when you backed it up.
Remember to always read a lot before doing anything.
I'm kinda new too. I personally chose Team Whiskey's ROMs. Their guide and s15274n's Noob Guide helped me a lot. Have fun!
Thanks for the information.
Ok, now I really feel like a noob....I am to the phone rooting idea, but not to forums...but I cannot for the life of me find the Developers section...
Vibrant > vibrant android development

[Q] Need with picking a ROM and more

Okay, so I've been reading for a couple days now, and I know the exact process that I want to take to Permaroot my MT4G and get S=Off, and I understand very clearly what those terms mean and why I want them.
Once I started looking into what to do beyond that, I got really, really confused.
If someone could refer me to somewhere so I can read more, I would really appreciate it.
For starters, I don't understand what flashing is. I also don't know what pushing files via the adb is. I don't know what the difference between a ROM and a kernel is.
^^^^All of those would be helpful
I guess I'm just confused about what to do now. Should I now set up the SDK on my PC and configure the ADB? Or should I flash Clockworkmod and do a nandroid backup? Neither?
Once I've done that, should I find a kernel, a ROM, or both? I know I want Gingerbread, I want OC capability, and I it stripped down (missing bloat), but I also want stability and for things like WiFi to work. On top of all of those questions I posted above, does anyone have any recommendation for a ROM/kernel like that?
Sorry about all the questions, and thanks.
corruptsmurf said:
Okay, so I've been reading for a couple days now, and I know the exact process that I want to take to Permaroot my MT4G and get S=Off, and I understand very clearly what those terms mean and why I want them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that i a good start. Good to see some reading before the jump in feet first.
corruptsmurf said:
Once I started looking into what to do beyond that, I got really, really confused.
If someone could refer me to somewhere so I can read more, I would really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why we're here.
corruptsmurf said:
For starters, I don't understand what flashing is. I also don't know what pushing files via the adb is. I don't know what the difference between a ROM and a kernel is.
^^^^All of those would be helpful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edited: added Later
ADB is a commander center/protocol (if you will) that allows you to control your phone via a PC/Mac/Linux. You can push files which would be taking the file and "pushing" to the phone. Or "pulling" files from the phone and putting them on the computer. It's simply as it states, pushing and pulling the files.
To see what a Kernel is read This.
A ROM is the phones physical Operating system. Similar to what Window, Mac or Linux world be.
corruptsmurf said:
I guess I'm just confused about what to do now. Should I now set up the SDK on my PC and configure the ADB? Or should I flash Clockworkmod and do a nandroid backup? Neither?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you can flash Clockwork Mod you need to root your phone and turn s=off. For one of the methods, - before you can start you need to set up the ADB (Android Debug Bridge). See my signature for the quickest and most painless way to get that set up. You will also need VISIONary.apk. A quick Google Search will find it for you. Link
corruptsmurf said:
Once I've done that, should I find a kernel, a ROM, or both? I know I want Gingerbread, I want OC capability, and I it stripped down (missing bloat), but I also want stability and for things like WiFi to work. On top of all of those questions I posted above, does anyone have any recommendation for a ROM/kernel like that?
Sorry about all the questions, and thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want a 2.3 based ROM you will need to flash Recovery image 3.0.0.6, link can be found in my signature, and hit up the development section to read reviews on different ROMs. I personally like the plain AOSP look so that leave Cyanogen(mod). But i know TeamRoyal has put together some newer ROMs that i haven't tampered with yet.
I do everything on my phone through CWM (clockworkmod) or terminal emulator, so there's no need for a PC, unless to download the files and transfer them to my SDcard, as I don't understand adb. Anyways, I'm gonna explain this very short and sweet cuz I was once in your shoes, and remember how much I had to read to understand something That could've been explained so simply.
Think of it this way. You're building the software version of a car. Now, if the whole car is the ROM, then the engine is what would be the kernel. And flashing would then be another word for installing , Now, a toyota with a ferrari engine, would be a custom ROM. While a toyota with a ferrari engine and BMW insignias all over it would then be a custom themed ROM.
**Remember, you can never install a car on something, but you can always install something in a car**
Ex. You can never flash a ROM on a kernel, but you can always flash a kernel on a ROM.
Anyways, first off, you will need CWM recovery to flash. Get it from the market. In the app itself, flash (this is the "flash" in the app) recovery 3.0.0.6. This will flash (this flash is not in the app) anything; any ROM, any kernel, etc. as long as its a FLASHABLE ZIP.
To boot into the recovery (the place you do flashing), hold both volume down and power buttons down as you either turn on or restart your phone. The screen you see is the bootloader. Choose recovery using the volume buttons, and use the power button to select it.
Going to flash a new ROM? Do a factory reset (in recovery), wipe cache (in recovery), and wipe delvik cache (this is in advance in recovery). Then install zip. Its pretty straight forward from there.
Going to flash an updated ROM, skip factory reset (as this deletes all data on your phone) and do the rest.
After you've flashed the ROM, you can now flash the kernel.
Note that, kernels are ROM specific. Read what kinds of ROM's the kernel is for before you flash it.
There, easy as pie, yeah? Hope that helped.
I recommend cyanogenmod 7 (Gingerbread based ROM) with faux's kernel (Gingerbread based kernel)
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
corruptsmurf said:
Okay, so I've been reading for a couple days now, and I know the exact process that I want to take to Permaroot my MT4G and get S=Off, and I understand very clearly what those terms mean and why I want them.
Once I started looking into what to do beyond that, I got really, really confused.
If someone could refer me to somewhere so I can read more, I would really appreciate it.
For starters, I don't understand what flashing is. I also don't know what pushing files via the adb is. I don't know what the difference between a ROM and a kernel is.
^^^^All of those would be helpful
I guess I'm just confused about what to do now. Should I now set up the SDK on my PC and configure the ADB? Or should I flash Clockworkmod and do a nandroid backup? Neither?
Once I've done that, should I find a kernel, a ROM, or both? I know I want Gingerbread, I want OC capability, and I it stripped down (missing bloat), but I also want stability and for things like WiFi to work. On top of all of those questions I posted above, does anyone have any recommendation for a ROM/kernel like that?
Sorry about all the questions, and thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Neidlinger's got your back.
1. Glad you're reading before doing. What a welcome change of pace!
2. Flashing is the process of installing new software. We "flash" it to the phone's memory.
3. ADB is using a computer to control the phone via command-prompt from DOS. Push is a command which sends a file from your computer to your phone. Do a search, there are lots of good guides on ADB. TrueBlueDrew made one just recently that I highly recommend.
Here's Drew's thread. Don't forget to hit his thanks button! - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=928370
4. Start with Clockwork Recovery and a nandroid backup. That's good practice. CWR2 is compatible with Froyo (2.2) ROMs. CWR3 is compatible with Gingerbread (2.3) ROMs. CWR 3.0.0.6 is compatible with BOTH. Very convenient.
5. I say start with CM7. It's extremely stable, even though it's still in development. A ROM is a complete OS replacement for the phone. ROMs contain kernels, which control the most basic hardware, such as processor. If you flash a custom kernel on your stock ROM, you can overclock it more. You can also flash custom kernels on top of custom ROMs for different battery life, clock speed, etc.
To be honest I don't even bother with custom kernels since this phone is so damn fast out of the box I really don't see the point.
QUICK TIPS FOR CM7 - On your first boot, let it sit for 5-10 mins before setting up. There are background processes running and interrupting can harm stability. BEFORE you sign into google for the first time, after it's finished sitting, reboot. This will clear out any wifi glitches and give you smooth sailing.
Have fun!
BTW, I think most ROM's have a kernel already built in. People install custom kernels because they can have fixes for bugs, help with battery life, overclocked frequencies, no lags, etc. Otherwise, you can just flash the ROM, and if you're satisfied with the kernel its running on, then obviously you'll have no need to flash a custom kernel.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Uchennadi said:
BTW, I think most ROM's have a kernel already built in. People install custom kernels because they can have fixes for bugs, help with battery life, overclocked frequencies, no lags, etc. Otherwise, you can just flash the ROM, and if you're satisfied with the kernel its running on, then obviously you'll have no need to flash a custom kernel.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is pretty much spot on. The developers have included kernels that they feel make the OS preform at it's peak. and most of them will allow for overclocking. However on some of them you may need to use a program called "setCPU" to adjust the frequencies. Cyanogen(mod) will have this built into the ROM natively. However most of the veterans will not promote running your phone in an over clocked status 100% of the time. most of us leave the phone at 1Ghz or slower. There are physical reasons, ie the constant expansion and contract of the chip isn't good for the mother board.
If i were you i'd stick with the Stock Kernel and leave it running as it. That way the developer can adjust their ROM, if you use an 3rd party kernel they aren't familiar with the coding so it's not going to act correct.
I'm not putting down what the kernel coders do, they do an awesome job. but for a n3wb i'd leave well enough alone.

[FLASHING ROMS] HTC EVO 4G 2.3 gingerbread how to flash roms

Hello again, everyone. This is going to be another one of my easy-to-understand, simplistic type tutorials. For all of the people that might not have an extensive knowledge of android and how to operate basic linux devices, this is going to be a noob level how-to on flashing roms. Most of these directions also go for kernels (not 100% of the time, but most), so just ask if you need help.
Alright, I'm going to assume that you're already rooted and have s-off, as well as a custom recovery menu, if not this tutorial will mean nothing to you. Go read my root tutorial if you need to accomplish this task.
My root tutorial: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1228566
How to flash roms:
(Step 1) Finding a rom. May sound easy, but you have to figure out what you want, and more importantly, what you need. There is a very diverse selection of roms here on xda so reading up shouldn't be too much homework for y'all. If you're not willing to do this little amount of work to just read and see what you want and need, then you are hopeless in the first place. I will, however, help you if you are putting a significant amount of effort into this process.
(Step 2) Downloading the rom. This is not hard at all. I get all of my roms and kernels (not including my own) from xda, and downloading has always been a breeze. I can't remember now if you need to sign up for xda or not in order to access downloading. If so, then you should sign up anyway, xda is great! The easiest way to download roms is to download them on the computer then plug your phone in as usb drive and just place them on the root of you sdcard. There is another way though, and it isn't much more difficult. Just go to the market and download the xda app, you don't need the premium (unless you want it) the free version is good enough. The app is pretty much just a mobile translation of the actual site, so finding something on the app that you found on the computer isn't too much of a pain. Once you have found it in the app, just download it, and it should be placed in the folder sdcard>downloads.
(Step 3) Making a backup. Go into recovery by powering down the phone and holding volume down and the power button until the hboot menu appears. Make sure before you actually power down the phone, that you have fastboot turned off. If it is on, then the phone will automatically do the fastboot procedure, instead of going to the hboot menu. How to turn off fast boot: home>menu>settings>applications>fastboot. Make sure that it is unchecked. Okay, at this point we are at the hboot menu. It may check for an image, but shouldn't find one. Just let it do its thing. Volume down to recovery and select it by hitting power. The phone should reboot into recovery. This next part may have some variation because there are a couple of different custom recoveries. Most of them are all going to operate the same though. Once you are in recovery, volume down to "backup/restore". Select it. ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP BEFORE FLASHING ANYTHING, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING THAT GOES WRONG!! Now select "backup". It will start backing everything up. It usually takes about five minutes so be patient, if it looks like it froze then just wait it is probably just rendering. After it has completed go back to the previous menu and proceed to the next step.
(Step 4) Flashing the rom. To do this, have the phone in recovery and volume down to "install zip from sdcard". Select this then volume down to and select "choose zip from sdcard". Now navigate to where you put the file and select it. If you did the method of downloading it on the computer then putting it on the root of the sdcard, then it should be on the current menu. If you downloaded it using the method of the app, then it should be in a folder called "download/". Finding it is really simple, just navigate the folders until you see it. Once you have found it, select it and install it. This process might take a couple of minutes. Once it has completed, you can select the reboot phone option and power that baby up.
(Step 5) Troubleshooting. If you are in a bootloop, (a bootloop is when the phone is stuck booting up) then just take the battery out, put it back in and power it up to try again. If it fails again, then go back into recovery. (like we did before^) This is the reason we made a backup. Just volume down to "backup/restore" select restore and select the image you would like to restore. Again, this may take a few minutes, just let the phone work. After it is done you can just boot it up and it is like you never did anything. If this happens, then this whole process was a fail. But, on the bright side, you made the backup (hopefully) and avoided having to flash a stock RUU or bricking your phone. Just try again with more roms, you'll get the hang of it.
Here is a very good aosp rom that I, in know way, take credit for: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1178834&highlight=omgb
This rom was created by user: r2DoesInc
I am in no way affiliated with this user and have no right over his/her rom.
Remember, the rom page will probably have directions also. If it calls for specifics, then make sure to carry out those specifics!
Congratulations, you now know how to flash roms, even if you are a noob!
Thank you so much xda for making this site where fellow androdians can come together and help one another.
Thank you to all my supporters and I hope you all found this tutorial to be quite resourceful.
Post all of your questions and statements here. If I don't immediately respond that means I am asleep, at school, or at work. Yes, I am just a high school student, but that in now way makes me any less eligible of being a genius than anyone else.
soo pumped
finally got my evo 4g root tried miui thought it was incredible...until i tried cm7 rc1.....completely flawless but i cant find the savaged kernel to pair it....
You should try that rom that I linked. It's really refreshing to experience true gingerbread 2.3.5. I love it and I use it as my daily rom. But cm7 is pretty amazing also.
dont know why i was so dumb i went with rc1... rc4 is even better ...what link? ill check it out i just am still confused about flashing a rom and kernel i know fn noob haha
sorry for the edit i meant to say im confused about flashing them both because the evo has been out for so long but it seems like there isnt that much for them or way too much there isnt really an optimal flash yet with both kernel and rom
I think it's a little bizarre to assume that someone can root the phone, s-off, and get a custom recovery on the phone but not flash a rom.....
deathsled said:
I think it's a little bizarre to assume that someone can root the phone, s-off, and get a custom recovery on the phone but not flash a rom.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, I agree. But still, if you used revolutionary to root, like in my tutorial, then it was all automated. By using that method, the user doesn't have barely anything to do except for some small stuff like taking out the battery and turning some functions off. I'm just being helpful because I too was once a noob.
This was super helpful thanks for the guide
Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet & Watch, evO²·³·³
infamousteeboy said:
This was super helpful thanks for the guide
Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet & Watch, evO²·³·³
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gracias. Hit that thanks button if it helped!
Thank you for posting this guide, as this helped me to install MIUI.
YouThere said:
Thank you for posting this guide, as this helped me to install MIUI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are very welcome. Hit the thanks button if ya want.
ceng7904 said:
Gracias. Hit that thanks button if it helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have to do it tomorrow...I got hit with
"You are only limited 5 thanks per day"
LOL but I will hit the thanks for sure in the morning!
Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet & Watch, evO²·³·³ *ROOTED*
infamousteeboy said:
I'll have to do it tomorrow...I got hit with
"You are only limited 5 thanks per day"
LOL but I will hit the thanks for sure in the morning!
Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet & Watch, evO²·³·³ *ROOTED*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you...
Well what happens when your SD won't mount as disk drive
Sent From KaoMinerva
I am new, but I have a question why you didn't mention wiping things before flashing the rom? While I saw many other tutorials emphasized on wiping menu in the recovery mode.
Is that really a necessary step or not?
yww325 said:
I am new, but I have a question why you didn't mention wiping things before flashing the rom? While I saw many other tutorials emphasized on wiping menu in the recovery mode.
Is that really a necessary step or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is necessary, believe me. Wiping everything in recovery except for SD card is important between ROM switches. Otherwise you will run into so many issues.
Sent from my HTC Evo using xda premium
thank you.
ceng7904 said:
Post all of your questions and statements here. If I don't immediately respond that means I am asleep, at school, or at work. Yes, I am just a high school student, but that in now way makes me any less eligible of being a genius than anyone else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you have successfully flashed a ROM do you need to keep the Zip file for it on your SD Card in order for it to work or can you delete the zip file?
scrappa_doozie said:
Once you have successfully flashed a ROM do you need to keep the Zip file for it on your SD Card in order for it to work or can you delete the zip file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can delete the Zip off your card once you are done flashing!
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
Thanks for posting this guide. It was huge helping me Root my first phone! I spent a ton of time researching, trying to soak it all in before I attempted to root and this thread was awesome!
Thank you

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