Database Users

[Q] Which ROM Do you suggest?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Compete Android OS Image restoration / backup?

Hey all,
When I had my Windows mobile phone, I could use Sprite Backup to make a backup that basically acted as an image that I could store on the SD Card. I could then do anything possible to my phone, and then I could simply restore the image, and it went back to the EXACT state it was when i took the image - registry, ALL apps, messages, icons, etc..., just like a 100% hard drive image.
I have Sprite backup on my Samsung Epic now, and was wondering if it acted the same way?
That is, if I install a custom rom, I would like to be able to factory restore it, then apply the backup to take it back to the exact state it was.
Is this how it works?
Thanks,
Matt!

It's called a nand backup and one of the benefits of rooting
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Great,
I'm rooted, so I'll. Check it out....
Thanks!

Get the one click root and recovery. Once you have clockwork mod you can do a full backup. Also you can do an "advanced restore" and just restore your /data.
I have found that sometimes a restore doesn't work correctly and I have to reflash the rom and just restore /data to put my apps and settings back.
A word of warning, sometimes when you flash an old /data to a new rom it causes issues with programs. Personally, I have had very few issues doing it, even when moving between 2.1 and 2.2.1, but ymmv.

Clockworkmod vs Titanium?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Q] Upgrading Typhoon CM7

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post. I'm a noob here. I have a question about upgrading the ROM installed on my phone.
I have an HD2 and I've successfully installed the CLK version of the Typhoon ROM through CWM.
I would like to know what the easiest method is to upgrade to a newer version of the same ROM.
I know this question must have been asked before and I've tried searching. After 3 days of searching, I think that I should backup the ROM using CWM in case something goes wrong. After that, I think I can use Titanium backup to back up the apps. Is this right? Can I just upgrade over my installation and expect things to be ok?
Also, I've spent quite a bit of time making my background just right in terms of widgets and positions of shortcuts. Do I need to re-do this, or is this preserved when I upgrade the ROM. I'm planning on upgrading through the ROM Manager app.
Finally, are my email settings preserved in the email app, contacts preserved, and ringtone settings preserved when I upgrade?
Thank you so much for your help and patience. I really tried searching, but I just couldn't find the clear answers. If there is a clear thread about this, I would appreciate you pointing me to the right direction. Thanks.

When you make a backup with cwm, there is no need to backup your apps with titanium.
To update a rom you can just take the new cwm rom zip file and install it over your existing rom.
all apps, settings and also widgets should be untouched after updating.
if the system or some apps behave crazy, run fix permissions in rom manager or cwm.
Happy flashing
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App

Thank you very much.

j4n87 said:
To update a rom you can just take the new cwm rom zip file and install it over your existing rom.
all apps, settings and also widgets should be untouched after updating.
if the system or some apps behave crazy, run fix permissions in rom manager or cwm.
Happy flashing
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's really good to know that I can just overwrite it with the downloaded ROM in zip. I tried yphooN_CM7_v3.5.4-MAGLDR.zip and I want to upgrade when new versions come out of TyphooN.
What's the difference between MAGLDR and CLK?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1021837

Difference between MAGLDR and CLK:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1011917

I find that in about 50% of updates,when I just run the flash over the existing one (I use typhoon) it hangs during booting, in which case back into cwm, factory reset, restart and let the phone boot to the welcome setup page,back into cwm, backups/restore, advanced restore and restore the data and sd-ext partitions, and reboot.

Hellos

Looking forward to flash my first ROM today, I've read the stickies, wish me luch
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Good luck. Make sure to back everything up first.

androidmonk30 said:
Looking forward to flash my first ROM today, I've read the stickies, wish me luch
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
read read read and read. get familiar with odin and make sure your phone is recognized ny odin. good luck once you start its addictive!!!!!

Yeah, i kind of have everything prepared, phone is rooted back up setup complete, i will just have to decide what ROM i want to go with. Not sure wich one yet, i know i want a decent battery life, fast, and GPS. I will look into more ROMs later today.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Reboot into CWR (both volume buttons held in) while booting until you see “Vibrant'
Once there, go to Backup and run that. Should take about 5 minutes, maybe more.
If all hell breaks loose, this is a snapshot of your phone at that point... it's important to do this before flashing a new ROM!
I'm sure it's something stupid on my side BUT, all the options i have after booting in CWR are(blue): reboot system now, reinstall packages, delete all user data, delete cache data, format internal sd-card.
I decided NOT to touch any of those now since i cant find the Backup option on there, so i just rebooted my phone. Please guide me with a link or something. Thanks. I don't want to rush things.

androidmonk30 said:
Reboot into CWR (both volume buttons held in) while booting until you see “Vibrant'
Once there, go to Backup and run that. Should take about 5 minutes, maybe more.
If all hell breaks loose, this is a snapshot of your phone at that point... it's important to do this before flashing a new ROM!
I'm sure it's something stupid on my side BUT, all the options i have after booting in CWR are(blue): reboot system now, reinstall packages, delete all user data, delete cache data, format internal sd-card.
I decided NOT to touch any of those now since i cant find the Backup option on there, so i just rebooted my phone. Please guide me with a link or something. Thanks. I don't want to rush things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats the cwm recovery, i dont think you backup from there.
you backup using the app, and nandroid I think.
also make sure to save the backup onto your computer also!
also, there is a special folder, i forget which folder it is. it must be backed up separately i think. It contains your phones imei and other information, without it your radio and phone will not make calls. back that up. I forget what its called. If you loose that, you lost it for good and your phone is junk

SamsungVibrant said:
thats the cwm recovery, i dont think you backup from there.
you backup using the app, and nandroid I think.
also make sure to save the backup onto your computer also!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's actually incorrect. What you described is still the stock recovery menu. Cwm recovery has more options, and the text will either be green or red, depending on whether you have the ext4 (voodoo) lagfix applied.
If you have the correct CWM update.zip file on the root of your internal sd, then boot into stock recovery and select "reinstall packages." You'll be thrown back into stock recovery, whereupon you select reinstall packages a second time. That second one will put you in CWM recovery.
And to clarify, you CAN restore/backup from CWM (as well as many other things...maybe read up on that). Just remember that a backup does not include your kernel, in case you bounce between 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 roms.
Hope that helps...good luck.
Sent from my Vibrant using XDA App

SamsungVibrant said:
thats the cwm recovery, i dont think you backup from there.
you backup using the app, and nandroid I think.
also make sure to save the backup onto your computer also!
also, there is a special folder, i forget which folder it is. it must be backed up separately i think. It contains your phones imei and other information, without it your radio and phone will not make calls. back that up. I forget what its called. If you loose that, you lost it for good and your phone is junk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're thinking of EFS. I don't believe you can back that up through recovery. There is a different procedure for that which I can't recall off the top of my head.
Don't forget, after flashing you should wipe cache, wipe dalvik cache, and fix permissions. All are options in the recovery.

Hi guys, all went smoothly and I am now using Axura ROM 2.3.1.3 and I got to say WOW,I love this ROM, very stabile,GPS works a breeze and battery life seems good also, thanks for your support.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

It is addicting the flashing game is very bad though I ruined 2 micro SD cards
Sent from my T959 using xda premium

its way too addictive!!!