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
Related
When I found out that 2.2 wasnt coming out from this phone I decided that I would root the phone and load a 2.2 ROM, etc. etc. So I started researching all of these about 2 days ago... and for the past 2 days I have read so much information on this that I am now currently so mixed up and lost. There are soooo many different ROMs, different ways to do this, that, etc. I see some people do one thing that it works great, another person do the exact same thing and they havent the same luck.
Even when getting ready to just root the phone, I found an awesome post that had great information... but, then when I looked at it the post was from 7 months ago and in the N1 forums. So, I started to 2nd guess.
I suppose basically what Im in need of is possibly a normal/basic recommendation to get moving on this... Would a possible recommendation be to root the phone with the 1 click root being run through a file manager, then create a nandroid backup, then go with something popular like Cyanogen6 RC1? Its just that mod -seems- to be what a good bit of people have, and problems seem limited on it. But then again, ive read about 10 other ROMs that appear to be just as good, and people like just as well... so agian, this choice leaves me frozen as well.
Im just so overwhelmed with information ive just about frozen up... I think it need to bring it back to a basic simple plan to get moving on this. Everything I read in these forums sounds so awesome and just plain ole fun.... but like I said im currently frozen/lost. Please help if my request isnt too much...
Thanks! Any help with this will definitely melt this horrid ice!!!
Use this to root: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=753910
Just do as it says and follow directions. I rooted both of my brother's phones this way. It works.
Then do as you were thinking: nandroid then install CM6 RC1. It will probably be your best bet for a solid 2.2 experience.
here's what I posted on my carriers facebook page. I kept things simple and to the point, and the point was to install 2.2 on a hero.
1. go to settings, applications and check allow installation from unknown sources.
2. install bar code scanner from the market if you don't have it.
3. scan the qr code from here: http://bit.ly/d1f0RN
4. download and install the app
5. open universal androot and click root
6. go to the market and download rom manager
7. open rom manager and click flash clockwork mod recovery
8. click backup current rom (you can always restore your backup later to go back to exactly how your phone was)
to load the rom after rooting:
1. download both the rom and google apps from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=755795
2. copy the zip files to your sd card
3. open rom manager and click install rom from sd card
4. choose the rom file you copied to the sd card and click add zip, then choose the google apps file you downloaded earlier. Click ok and choose backup current rom and wipe data.
5. Enjoy android 2.2 on your Hero!!
(be careful restoring stuff using mybackup, open source roms and htc roms don't store data the same way. applications are safe to restore but system settings can potentially break things requiring you to wipe and reload again)
Not because it is my root method, but I would actually recommend using my root method and following all of the steps. It has you flash a custom recovery and patched boot.img so you keep full root via adb.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=694572
CM6 is the ONLY 2.2 ROM for the Hero at this point. But know that it doesn't have much of the Sprint/CDMA or HTC SenseUI functionality and stuff that you're used to from your current phone....like updating Profile and PRL; Sprint Navigation/Football/Nascar/etc.; your Contacts, Dialer, Messaging, and some other menus will be a little different....that's just a few things off the top of my head.
So if you kinda LIKE the way your phone is now (except maybe for some lag/slowness), CM6 won't be a very similar ROM. But you won't know unless you try it out Just offering some helpful info. Good luck -- we're here to help.
I have not found a 2.2 FroYo that I like for the Hero, it's rooted and running Fresh 2.3.3
http://geekfor.me/new-release/fresh-hero-233/
Awesome... the community here is absolutely incredible. Although I am literally tryin my best to read the ****in manual, I continue to fear that im reading something too old or outdated, or that there is something newer (easier) that I should be doing instead. I did the rooting with the 1click which was so simple... I cant believe I even spent that much time on it.
Thinking next the nandroid/recovery image thing would be a breeze, but it appears to almost be the hardest step. I see on most posts that they always tend to mention Nandroid for backups - is there a particular reason that I should use that one? Some other ones appear to be easier, but not as interesting or fun. However, im fearfully coming across a lack of exact guides that explain the process.
I truly think that once I can get the recovery image done, and I can start trying out other ROMs and such... this will become too much fun. But again, im getting so mixed up by should i do this, that, or maybe this... or wait, is that too old of information?
Regardless, thanks for all the help!
Download ROM Manager from the Market. From ROM Manager you can flash ClockworkMod recovery or Flash Alternate Recovery (I prefer this option RA Recovery) there is a newer relase but this works fine.
You can then reboot and go into recovery, back up your system as it is right now, that way you can always go back to the basic root version that you have right now. That my friend is a Nandriod back up. now you can install a ROM of your choice, once it is installed and functioning the way you like make a Nandriod back up of it, that way you always have a good platform to start from if anything isn't playing nice.
saltyclams said:
When I found out that 2.2 wasnt coming out from this phone I decided that I would root the phone and load a 2.2 ROM, etc. etc. So I started researching all of these about 2 days ago... and for the past 2 days I have read so much information on this that I am now currently so mixed up and lost. There are soooo many different ROMs, different ways to do this, that, etc. I see some people do one thing that it works great, another person do the exact same thing and they havent the same luck.
Even when getting ready to just root the phone, I found an awesome post that had great information... but, then when I looked at it the post was from 7 months ago and in the N1 forums. So, I started to 2nd guess.
I suppose basically what Im in need of is possibly a normal/basic recommendation to get moving on this... Would a possible recommendation be to root the phone with the 1 click root being run through a file manager, then create a nandroid backup, then go with something popular like Cyanogen6 RC1? Its just that mod -seems- to be what a good bit of people have, and problems seem limited on it. But then again, ive read about 10 other ROMs that appear to be just as good, and people like just as well... so agian, this choice leaves me frozen as well.
Im just so overwhelmed with information ive just about frozen up... I think it need to bring it back to a basic simple plan to get moving on this. Everything I read in these forums sounds so awesome and just plain ole fun.... but like I said im currently frozen/lost. Please help if my request isnt too much...
Thanks! Any help with this will definitely melt this horrid ice!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know exactly what you mean. I've rooted my Hero the day the universal 1 click came out,but as yet have been reading everything I can on which new Rom to install first.
I went out and bought a new 16 gig sd card for more storage as well. I've been trying to read up on how and what is the best way to do all of the various partitions on it cause some say to just have a ext 2 partition,and others say have a ext3/4 partitions on it.Unfortunately I haven't found a easy way to make this happen except by using the FroydVillain 1.4.3 rom and I don't know if it will work with a cdma Sprint Hero or not yet.
I love the phone,and want to upgrade it to the best stable over clocked rom that will allow me to use it for everyday usage,but it doesn't look like it is going to easy as rooting the damn thing was. Seems to me that you need to be a programmer in Linux to make it work the best
I hate posting a bunch of neewb questions about it but I guess I will
Mac
Awesome! Okay perfect... it worked perfect! I know have CyanogenMod running - yeah, it def different. Seems like it will take some time to get used too. Esp since its so far from SenseUI off the bat... err well, just the way that it handles things and such.
I will definitely give it a fair shot before I even try out some other ones... but I def want to try to use one of those Fresh Roms as well.
Thanks a ton for all the help! Most appreciated!
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.
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.
Hi
I am new to Andriod, I just bought a Atrix from someone which came with the cyanogenmod 7. I was able to install Google market, however I am not sure how to restore to stock, atleast for now I want to restore to stock get more comfortable with it and then install custom rom
I downloaded the drivers off motorolla, when I plug-in into usb it is not reconized. I also downloaded the roms posted on the motorolla website and tried installing the different version ( gingerbread and froyo) but I got error code 7.
If anyone can explain me in lament terms what would be needed to be done to restore to factory, I would greatly appreciate. I do not teether or need hot-spot for now, so will do custom little later..Thanks
Also I checked, there were no backup, so can restore off backup.
Install ROM Manager from Market, flash CWM with it. Then download a fruitcake from XDA dev section to your phone. Finally open ROM Manager and install it, be sure to check both wipes when you get prompted to do so by ROM Manager
Easiest way
would be to install a similar ROM such as Alien 4 without the theme. It looks and works almost exactly the same way as the stock ROM but with added goodies such as Tethering (all you have to do is turn it on to make it work) and the Droid 3 camera app which allows you to record video in 1080p. Just download the zip file into the memory card and flash it and you should be good. Let me know if you need assistance
Just a sidenote, you asked for "stock Android"... CM7 is as close as you are going to come (at this moment) to what we call "vanilla" or even "stock" ANDROID. I understand you want stock MOTOBLUR, but that is far from stock Android.. I thought I would point that out to you jic.
Sorry for the confusion for stock android I mean motoblur gingerbread. I meant the one which ships with the phone and since Motorola came out with gingerbread update I would like to have that installed.
Someone I was talking to today said if you root you device and try going back, device will brick, is there risk involved in this process?
AAD_1 said:
Sorry for the confusion for stock android I mean motoblur gingerbread. I meant the one which ships with the phone and since Motorola came out with gingerbread update I would like to have that installed.
Someone I was talking to today said if you root you device and try going back, device will brick, is there risk involved in this process?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you're being misinformed, rooting your device poses no risk. all rooting does is give your device root access to system files.
however, if you do the Gingerbread OTA update through Motorola, you're going to end up stuck on Gingerbread. if you attempt to RSD flash a .sbf file to downgrade, you will break your device.
however, you can install a froyo fruit cake to downgrade to Froyo if you don't like Gingerbread.
just look at the top of this forum and read the noob thread, it has all the information you need. after reading it, read it again. and after that, go into the development forum and read all of the stickies there. after that, go and read the noob thread again and then you should have all your questions answered.
Hey there. I rooted my Vibrant successfully, but realized I left some important things out. I used this guide to root my Vibrant: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=723479
The problems:
1) I can't nandroid (not that I need to, I only have 4 apps)
2) I would like to install either Miui v4 or CyanogenMod 9 but cannot as my recovery screen does not show me the options to do so (I only get the 4 options you normally would get unrooted, such as "Reinstall Packages"), so I'm stuck with the lame default homescreen.
3) I'm currently on 2.1-update1; should I upgrade to 2.2? If so, must I unroot to upgrade, and then reroot? And if this were the case, how do you unroot, and can I reroot using the same method in the link above?
Also, I was looking at this guide: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Sa...te_Guide#Installing_the_ClockworkMod_Recovery
and noticed the line "This guide assumes the Samsung Vibrant already has Android 2.2 build UVKB5 already installed on it."
Does this mean 2.2 is required to install the CWM Recovery?
Thank you.
I'm not sure how you don't have CWM recovery if you followed the guide as it is written. Maybe its because the 2.1 is updated? I would do the following and see if that's all it takes. You definitely don't want to update to stock 2.2 via Kies or anything of that nature.
Worst case scenario, we can have you Odin back to stock JFD. You'll be smooth sailing from there.
Search the forums and find the update.zip for CWM for our Vibrant.
Put that on the lowest level of your INTERNAL storage. Not your microsd card. For example f:\update.zip
Now go to your boring 4 option stock recovery and select reinstall packages. It will reboot to the same boring screen. Select reinstall packages again, and it will reboot into Clockwork Mod Recovery.
Let me know if that does anything for you. Also what version of stock recovery do you have?
Toast6977 said:
Search the forums and find the update.zip for CWM for our Vibrant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can pull that directly from my signature, if OP wants. (Only works on Eclair [JFD] build btw)
Also OP, You will have to have a ROM that you are going to want to flash saved on your Internal SD card. Jsut download it, put in a folder and follow the ROM OP's instructions. Since you are fresh and new, I would NOT suggest flashing anything of ICS or JB until you get the hang of things first.
Read, read and then read somemore. When it comes time to flash ICS or beyond, there is a guide in my signature. Good luck and make sure to hit Toast's "Thanks" button. He is a good asset to have around here.
Wow! I was hesitant to even check today, let it alone this early! Did not think that I would have two very useful replies waiting for me. Thanks guys, much appreciated!
I'll try the Odin thing out first before I even try to flash (you need root first before flashing, I'm assuming). Just out of curiosity, what is JFD and Odin? I'm still gonna try it out using the guides found here, but just curious.
EDIT: Damn, it worked like a charm! Now I have CWM. The mistake I made was that I only installed the Superuser/ROOT and not both. Gonna play with it for a bit now
I'm glad that your issue was solved
If you have any other questions/issues feel free to hit us up. We tend to lurk around these parts from time to time.
--you could now modify the title of this post to add [Solved] to the title or contact Oka1 and let him know it's case closed.--
Toast6977 said:
I'm glad that your issue was solved
If you have any other questions/issues feel free to hit us up. We tend to lurk around these parts from time to time.
--you could now modify the title of this post to add [Solved] to the title or contact Oka1 and let him know it's case closed.--
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for teaching me the etiquette around here as well