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Hey everyone,
I have the EVO 4g, and I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to consider rooting. The risks are a little scary as I would rather not get pooched and have to pay out the butt if something were to happen to my phone. So.. I'm wondering, should I root?
What are the benefits?
What is the best ROM in your opinion? Best for battery and function (meaning, I don't want to have to turn everything off for 30 hours of battery life). I'm currently using Launcher Pro Plus and I love it. Just wondering what my options are and what the XDA community thinks.
Why root.
jamehof said:
Hey everyone,
I have the EVO 4g, and I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to consider rooting. The risks are a little scary as I would rather not get pooched and have to pay out the butt if something were to happen to my phone. So.. I'm wondering, should I root?
What are the benefits?
What is the best ROM in your opinion? Best for battery and function (meaning, I don't want to have to turn everything off for 30 hours of battery life). I'm currently using Launcher Pro Plus and I love it. Just wondering what my options are and what the XDA community thinks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting now is very simple, it is no longer a complicated process that will take you 30min. I was in the same mind frame as you before I rooted, but I have to tell you that it was a great thing for me. After seeing the difference between my phone (stock HTC EVO) and my friends rooted EVO (running CM6) I was blown away. Rooting basically gives you complete control to customize you phone. I then rooted my phone and went straight to CM6 (Cyanogen Mod 6). It is fast and has quite a few options that you just cant get without rooting. There are quite a few apps out there that are only available to the rooted phone. I also was not a big fan of sense, or the huge boat load of apps that Sprint had installed on my phone and was able to get rid of them when rooting. The only advice I can really give to you is to explore the XDA Forums, see the benefits of each ROM, and all the words that you dont know, find the definitions for and things will make more sense. There is a lot of nomenclature here. I am currently running Myn's Warm TwoPointTwo RLS1. It is a sense based ROM with a different theme. I hope this was helpful.
Maximiano said:
Rooting now is very simple, it is no longer a complicated process that will take you 30min. I was in the same mind frame as you before I rooted, but I have to tell you that it was a great thing for me. After seeing the difference between my phone (stock HTC EVO) and my friends rooted EVO (running CM6) I was blown away. Rooting basically gives you complete control to customize you phone. I then rooted my phone and went straight to CM6 (Cyanogen Mod 6). It is fast and has quite a few options that you just cant get without rooting. There are quite a few apps out there that are only available to the rooted phone. I also was not a big fan of sense, or the huge boat load of apps that Sprint had installed on my phone and was able to get rid of them when rooting. The only advice I can really give to you is to explore the XDA Forums, see the benefits of each ROM, and all the words that you dont know, find the definitions for and things will make more sense. There is a lot of nomenclature here. I am currently running Myn's Warm TwoPointTwo RLS1. It is a sense based ROM with a different theme. I hope this was helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your response!
I have a couple of questions for you (or anyone else willing to answer):
1) I know rooting voids the warranty, but does unrooting make the warranty functional again? Can they tell that it's been rooted before?
2) I've been reading around and I've seen people simply go to unrevoked on their EVO, then root that way within a few minutes. I've also seen people connect it to their computer, install drivers, etc. Which is best? Are they the same basic principle, but one doesn't take as long?
3) I've been looking at Myn's TPT and I really like it. But I'm wondering how many hours I could get out of the battery using that rom. I'm also wondering what the best way to update that rom (when an update is released) is?
Thanks again! I look forward to getting the ball rolling and getting all the awesome features that my phone should include in the original pricetag!
jamehof said:
2) I've been reading around and I've seen people simply go to unrevoked on their EVO, then root that way within a few minutes. I've also seen people connect it to their computer, install drivers, etc. Which is best? Are they the same basic principle, but one doesn't take as long?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting with unrevoked is just a simple way of rooting. All the commands are entered for your automatically rather than manually using a comand prompt to flash images etc.
Alright, I did it. Used unrEVOked, and so far so good. I'm sticking with stock 2.2 for now until I can do enough research on quality ROM's.
I do have an additional question though..
I purchased SetCPU, but I've noticed that I can't "overclock" above 998mhz. Why is that? Isn't the processor a 1ghz? I wouldn't really consider that overclocking :-/
How do I get pass that so I can actually overclock it a little?
jamehof said:
Alright, I did it. Used unrEVOked, and so far so good. I'm sticking with stock 2.2 for now until I can do enough research on quality ROM's.
I do have an additional question though..
I purchased SetCPU, but I've noticed that I can't "overclock" above 998mhz. Why is that? Isn't the processor a 1ghz? I wouldn't really consider that overclocking :-/
How do I get pass that so I can actually overclock it a little?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only certain kernels allow you to overclock. Most custom ROMs come with custom kernels that allow you to overclock. You can also flash different kernels over a custom ROM. Just make sure that particular kernel is compatible with the ROM you are using.
jamehof said:
Hey everyone,
I have the EVO 4g, and I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to consider rooting. The risks are a little scary as I would rather not get pooched and have to pay out the butt if something were to happen to my phone. So.. I'm wondering, should I root?
What are the benefits?
What is the best ROM in your opinion? Best for battery and function (meaning, I don't want to have to turn everything off for 30 hours of battery life). I'm currently using Launcher Pro Plus and I love it. Just wondering what my options are and what the XDA community thinks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wireless tether is enough of a reason to root for me. Try Ava. If you like Sense, you will love Ava. You will notice it is MUCH faster.
It seems like most of the threads about rooting are from back in July. I want to root my phone. I'm pretty sure I should use the Cyanogen ROM. Should I use stable? Experimental? Nightly? I want 2.2 for sure, beyond that I don't really know what the differences are I should be looking for.
So, using Windows 7 what should I do starting from square one, and in which order should I do it?
I would like the ability to un-root and return to stock, if possible.
Thanks for any helpful replies.
911jason said:
It seems like most of the threads about rooting are from back in July. I want to root my phone. I'm pretty sure I should use the Cyanogen ROM. Should I use stable? Experimental? Nightly? I want 2.2 for sure, beyond that I don't really know what the differences are I should be looking for.
So, using Windows 7 what should I do starting from square one, and in which order should I do it?
I would like the ability to un-root and return to stock, if possible.
Thanks for any helpful replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you posting this in the appropriate sub-forum. Here is a link in the Development sub-forum that explains all of the steps you need to root your Aria and prepare for loading custom ROMs.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=788737
As for a Froyo 2.2 ROM, you have CM 6.0/6.1 or Liberated FRxx Series. The Liberated FR series has the familiar HTC Sense interface that came on your Aria, but it is built on Froyo 2.2 instead 2.1.
Regards,
Tom
Thanks for the reply Tom, although I'm still hesitant. It seems like every thread I've seen with instructions has quite a few posts afterwards from people having issues. The instructions are also usually about as clear as mud. It seems like the people writing the instructions are writing them for people who have rooted in the past, because they use terminology that a new user like me doesn't understand. I have lots of computer experience (used to design websites in the 90's with Notepad - ha!) but I have zero Linux or smartphone experience, so maybe I should just forget the root thing. It's just that I love Photoshop and would really like to be able to use those skills to customize the look of my phone much more than I currently can.
911jason said:
Thanks for the reply Tom, although I'm still hesitant. It seems like every thread I've seen with instructions has quite a few posts afterwards from people having issues. The instructions are also usually about as clear as mud. It seems like the people writing the instructions are writing them for people who have rooted in the past, because they use terminology that a new user like me doesn't understand. I have lots of computer experience (used to design websites in the 90's with Notepad - ha!) but I have zero Linux or smartphone experience, so maybe I should just forget the root thing. It's just that I love Photoshop and would really like to be able to use those skills to customize the look of my phone much more than I currently can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you know what I did when i rooted my phone? I watched a youtube video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjgg__m-KHc
911jason said:
Thanks for the reply Tom, although I'm still hesitant. It seems like every thread I've seen with instructions has quite a few posts afterwards from people having issues. The instructions are also usually about as clear as mud. It seems like the people writing the instructions are writing them for people who have rooted in the past, because they use terminology that a new user like me doesn't understand. I have lots of computer experience (used to design websites in the 90's with Notepad - ha!) but I have zero Linux or smartphone experience, so maybe I should just forget the root thing. It's just that I love Photoshop and would really like to be able to use those skills to customize the look of my phone much more than I currently can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well 922jason, I think we are both going through exactly the same thing. I bought my Aria already rooted by the seller, and so I missed out on the learning curve of rooting and the terminologies involved. Think I'm more of a learn it on the job kinda fella and now I have to read all these texts.
Anyway, I just did the most daring thing today. I was running Liberated Aria R12 few hours ago and decided to get hands on. Downloaded FroYo Cyanogen, made nandroid backup (yes it's such a noob thing) & flashed (sounds fancy) Cyanogen. Anyways, I found out that it didn't suit me at all because:
1. I can't find my ALL my installed and backup-ed Apps anywhere
2. The familiar Market isn't anywhere in the phone
3. ALL my contact list are gone
4. I couldn't find any application that lets me access my SD card
5. There were wayyyyy too many options to customize in Cyanogen that gave me a headache instead
Now I realize that the pros would bombard me with comments and advice to sort out those problems, and they certainly would know better what to do than me. But as a new user to Android in the smartphone era, I'm just plain confused.
So I restored the nandroid backup and I'm back to the state before I installed Cyanogen
BUT, I'm not done yet. I'm now downloading Liberated Aria Froyo FR007 and want to try it out. Just don't chicken out at getting hands on with this cos I wanna get the most out of my Aria. So good luck!
The people at XDA are really helpful and you shouldn't worry about getting lost. Thanks guys!
Thanks for the link Zervic, I'll check that out.
I also appreciate the info Emigre, glad to know I'm not the only noob on XDA! =)
Root yet or still having problems?
Noz85 said:
Root yet or still having problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm waffling big-time!
I just read through the huge CM6 thread and seeing all those different problems posted gives me the willies. Going to read through the Sense/Froyo thread next and see if it looks any safer.
Dont worry so much with any of the roms here theres a very small chance to brick your phone. If you like how your phone looks now then Liberated is for you. If you want to customize everything them go with CM6.
Your choice but dont over think it lol.
if you need help just ask.
Hey man, I really appreciate that... I like the idea of all the customization possible with CM6, but all of the bug reports in that thread scare the crap out of me.
Thats mostly for the nightly roms. CM6 and CM6.1 RC1 are very stable, I didn't have any major problems with them. Just make sure to fallow all the instructions when installing to avoid any problems with any roms you chose.
Noz85 said:
Thats mostly for the nightly roms. CM6 and CM6.1 RC1 are very stable, I didn't have any major problems with them. Just make sure to fallow all the instructions when installing to avoid any problems with any roms you chose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would agree. Both CM 6.0.2.1 and CM 6.1 RC1 have been very reliable for me. As has been mentioned in other posts, most of the 'bugs' are about the nightly CM builds which are truly 'experimental'.
There are a few caveats with CM 6.x that you won't run into with the Liberated ROMs. Number 1 is read the wiki instructions completely. Once you flash the CM 6 you then need to flash the Google Apps so that you can access the Android Market. Number 2 is that the CM 6.x cannot read any contacts you have stored on your SIM card, so you should export them from the SIM and sync them with your GMAIL account.
Regards,
Tom
Okay, anything I need to set aside for doing this? Will the stock 2gb SD card work fine? How long does the process take, from start to finish?
i too am on the learning curve of all this rooting and whatnot. before i got the aria just this last wednesday i had the hero cdma with Alltel. which apparently was a B* to root and whatnot, cuz alltel isnt popular for devs ive noticed. when i first got the hero it was really new for alltel, and there were people working on the root process. I too get pretty nervous when i read stuff that i could do to my phone but could brick it.. but then i found out about the recovery mode and nandroid backups.. and OMFG they help a lot when you change a setting to be incompatible and get a boot loop. that was VERY often with that hero.
When i found out that i was getting the Aria cuz of the Alltel to AT&T transition, i kept an eye on the aria threads. day one of getting the aria, i plugged it right in running unrevoked and it went real quick, however thats just the root process of course. you havent installed any roms at this point, just got the privileges.
thats when you boot the recovery mode, do that nandroid backup and copy that backup somewhere safe on a computer or something.. then of course after that then you follow the steps for whichever rom you choose that you want.
IMO- i prefer the Liberated series, i had my chance with CM6.1 on the hero and enjoyed it a bit, but got tired of it and went to the Fresh Hero ROM. so since i knew i liked fresh hero, i knew i wanted liberated series, and most especially because its 2.2 FroYo with the HTC Sense UI (the "stock look" that was mentioned earlier)
and to answer your questions:
1. make sure you have the right usb drivers, youll know if you read the tutorials. the nandroid backup would be somewhere between 200-350MB so make sure you have enough free on the sd.
2.the stock 2gb will work just fine. in the future look into upgrading with a class 4 or class 6 speed MicroSD for even better performance.
3.once you get the drivers and software downloaded, the unrevoked root process takes probably around 5 minutes, if that.. it seemed really fast to me. the nandroid backup process will be fast if you dont have many apps installed now. should only take a few minutes as well. im guessing it takes me like 10-15 minutes sometimes cuz of apps and such, (sometimes i lose track of time). then after nandroid, the wipes are like instant, then flashing the rom, (like i said im bad with time sometimes) and i believe that takes about 5-10 minutes.
So it seems like after I root my phone, I should boot back into the stock ROM and download Titanium to back-up my apps and app data. Is this correct? I don't want to lose access to the apps I have purchased. Is that the best way?
the purchased apps you can obviously re-download, but yes. titanium backup is really useful for saving app/app-data. however, if needed, you can always nandroid the custom rom, restore your stock backup and pull info from that, then restore back to the custom.
joachim123 said:
the purchased apps you can obviously re-download
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Click to collapse
I have found quite a few threads around the internet about people losing their paid apps after rooting and flashing a custom ROM. Wasn't sure if there was some step I needed to take to ensure that I can retrieve my paid apps. There aren't many, I've only had my phone for a few weeks, but still... I'm cheap!
1. You can use titanium to back up your apps, though that isn't 100% necessary because, as previously mentioned, you can re-download your purchased apps.
2. Once you get the ROM installed (if it happens to be cyanogenmod) you need to also install gapps, which includes the market app. If you don't flash the gapps package, obviously, there will be no market.
3. Keep in mind that if you install CM, there will be no more HTC Sync.
4. If you follow the directions in 1, the video i posted for you or 2, any of the threads that explain this process the possibility for you to brick your phone is slim to none. -- as attn1 said "If you manage to brick your phone with this ROM from there, you are a dumb ass of unimaginable proportions, and I absolve myself of any responsibility whatsoever. "
There were a few other things I wanted to mention but I gotta run...
oh haha, well as far as im concerned, the purchases should be saved in the google database as long as you use the same gmail account to log in to the phone. ive been fine every time. even from goin thru the transition of different cell providers and phones. there is an app that im not sure if its allowed to be posted but ill message a link to you. its helped a lot lately even tho i just found it out like two days ago.
zervic said:
There were a few other things I wanted to mention but I gotta run...
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Click to collapse
Oh that's just great... reminds me of the teases for "News at 11 - The critical info you need that could save your life"... meanwhile, it's 4pm, what do I do until 11 to stay alive?!?!
I am a new to android. Was a long time Iphone user and I wanted to know how to root DHD and what are the major benefits of rooting the DHD
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
I want now to.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
rooting is very easy, i rooted mine a couple of days ago and flashed a custom ROM today
http://theunlockr.com/2010/11/15/universal-android-rooting-method-visionary-method/
There are plenty of guides in the development section. I only rooted mine last week, after having been completely new to the android system.
To give you any advice, it would be to read around what you have to do before you actually do it. For a first time user, it could sound complicated, but it really isnt.
Also, I would go for LeeDroids custom Rom and kernel, they run immaculately.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
The benefits of rooting your phone is a much faster phone and improved battery life, and much more other stuffs
the main benefit is the possibility to run apps that need special privileges... you should do when you want to run those apps. rooting by rooting is pointless...
I rooted my phone a month ago cause i wanted to change the pixel density and now i flash a new rom every day... it's a addiction.. =o)
Can you pls explain what you mean by changing pixel density
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Teach the boy to crawl first
Rather than start a new thread I hope you don't mind me asking in here!
I want to root my DHD, however I need to downgrade my phone to 2.2 from 2.2.1. Is it possible to do it on a Mac?
Any help would be great!
@eiKr, there is a whole thread about it: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905003
i really don't know, since i don't use a mac...
@niks_5in, type "LCD density" on the market and you will know what i meant! =oP need to say, i don't see any bad side effect in rooting, but since you came from iphone, you should read a lot on dev section before make any kind of change in your device...
I was on the same boat as you...
Today I decided to root it and what a difference!
Should be possible on a mac since there are osx versions of adb and fastboot available. Think there is already a pre extracted pd98img.zip available for download from the downgrade guide thread.
You don't need to run any windows exe for the downgrade.
-----
Someone Swyped my idea.
Most benefits has already been brought up, but one big benefit is to have full control over your device.
And I will soon flash the phone for the first time, just waiting for wid0w to set up a rom flashing tutorial (hopefully today).
thiagodark said:
I rooted my phone a month ago cause i wanted to change the pixel density
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that like using a higher resolution display on the phone? Can you show us a comparison?
+1 to LeeDroid 2.0.0 although you're best to look through the many available to see which one might suit you best. They're all pretty stable.
PLEASE remember that this is your choice though, nothing to do with the developer of the ROM if it goes wrong. There's plenty of information about how to do it so you should be fine! I successfully got root, s-off, recovery, and have flashed loads of different ROM's with no problems.
Be warned though that as someone else above said, it gets ridiculously addictive, you'll be checking for updates all the time!
Benefits of it for me is that I have control over my device. I got mine in the UK through Orange and there was a load of "bloatware" on there which I would never use but couldn't uninstall. Rooting and a new ROM solved this plus when a stable gingerbread ROM comes out, I'll be at the front of the line for it rather than wait for my service carrier to provide the update!
franklin20uk said:
Is that like using a higher resolution display on the phone? Can you show us a comparison?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you can change the DPI in the boot.prop. Ill get some screenshots of my Streak up when I get home.
Yeah, I rooted mine because of those preinstaled applications such as stocks, filckr or news which i never used and they still kept running in the background. You can also make your DHD even faster by OC (+30% of CPU performance - safely), make the speaker louder so you can finaly hear it. Most (if not all) of the ROMs available are also faster and smoother than the stock and they should improve your battery life. However it is not my case, cause since i flashed the new ROM (Core Droid - nice eyecandy and super smooth) i'm still playing with the phone and sometimes i have to recharge twice a day
Its thruth that you can brick your phone for good, but if you carefuly follow instructions on this forum and think twice, its 100% safe (or 99.9999% at least).
Just one advice that might prove useful and i haven't seen it here on the forum. After flashing a new ROM, do not erase the instalation .zip filefrom the SD. Can be useful if something goes wrong, especialy if you dont have a card reader
just search for "visionary"
its a one click root tool
Yea I used Visionary and it's was very easy
I've had the MT4G since it came out in November and I used to absolutely love it but recently it has become increasingly sluggish and certain aspects have become much less responsive.
Pulling down the notification bar is much less responsive than before as is installing apps. Apps take much longer to install and when I reset the phone it now takes FOREVER (3 or more minutes sometimes) for the apps that are installed on the SD card to become usable. This wouldn't bother me quite as much if it weren't for the fact that it didn't used to be like this.
I do have a lot of apps on the phone (around 200) but I have plenty of free space on both internal memory and the SD card. When I go into the running apps section of the app manager it doesn't appear like there are any unwanted background apps running - just the essentials.
I'm not sure what I could have done to slow it down so much but is anyone else having this problem and is there a known solution?
Thanks in advance.
Belvadier said:
I've had the MT4G since it came out in November and I used to absolutely love it but recently it has become increasingly sluggish and certain aspects have become much less responsive.
Pulling down the notification bar is much less responsive than before as is installing apps. Apps take much longer to install and when I reset the phone it now takes FOREVER (3 or more minutes sometimes) for the apps that are installed on the SD card to become usable. This wouldn't bother me quite as much if it weren't for the fact that it didn't used to be like this.
I do have a lot of apps on the phone (around 200) but I have plenty of free space on both internal memory and the SD card. When I go into the running apps section of the app manager it doesn't appear like there are any unwanted background apps running - just the essentials.
I'm not sure what I could have done to slow it down so much but is anyone else having this problem and is there a known solution?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing happened to my friends mytouch. What ROM are you running? I rooted her phone and installed CM7 and she's even more in love with the phone as to her it's 100x faster. So maybe you can go that route? Or you can install Faux's Orange Glacier if you want mySense, maybe ext4 will help you.
I am running everything stock. My phone is not rooted or running any custom roms. I haven't rooted because there honestly isn't much for me to personally gain from it. I like the MT4G interface and appreciate the things that it does well and ignore or workaround the things that it doesn't.
Also, I know Gingerbread has been confirmed so it's just a matter of time. So I guess I've just not done it because it's easier and I'd like to avoid doing it.
The thing is, when I got it and it was stock it ran like a dream. In fact it ran like a dream for quite some time. It's only been quite recently that it's begun to decline...
Belvadier said:
I am running everything stock. My phone is not rooted or running any custom roms. I haven't rooted because there honestly isn't much for me to personally gain from it. I like the MT4G interface and appreciate the things that it does well and ignore or workaround the things that it doesn't.
Also, I know Gingerbread has been confirmed so it's just a matter of time. So I guess I've just not done it because it's easier and I'd like to avoid doing it.
The thing is, when I got it and it was stock it ran like a dream. In fact it ran like a dream for quite some time. It's only been quite recently that it's begun to decline...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont like suggesting rooting/flashing to fix errors when its not needed, but in your case, it looks like it is. Because you say you like your rom, i would look at THIS one. Its the same as what you have now, but with root and you can get the version that has some of the bloatware removed. Hope I helped!
JDV28 said:
I dont like suggesting rooting/flashing to fix errors when its not needed, but in your case, it looks like it is. Because you say you like your rom, i would look at THIS one. Its the same as what you have now, but with root and you can get the version that has some of the bloatware removed. Hope I helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But why would this fix it? Something had to have happened to make it so sluggish. If you can't tell I really don't want to have to resort to rooting my device. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with the functionality of a rooted phone: do all of the features work? (camera, gps, etc). Is it easy to update to a newer version of a custom ROM when a new one comes out? I don't really want to root because when an official Gingerbread update comes out I imagine it will be a nice and painless update whereas with rooting there is always that X factor that I could brick my phone and be worse off than I was before...
Belvadier said:
But why would this fix it? Something had to have happened to make it so sluggish. If you can't tell I really don't want to have to resort to rooting my device. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with the functionality of a rooted phone: do all of the features work? (camera, gps, etc). Is it easy to update to a newer version of a custom ROM when a new one comes out? I don't really want to root because when an official Gingerbread update comes out I imagine it will be a nice and painless update whereas with rooting there is always that X factor that I could brick my phone and be worse off than I was before...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the hint originally that you dont want to root, but it really is the best option for you. All the features work, you can get those Gingerbread roms right now, if you would like. My favorite things about it are: WAY better performance, customization, choice of version of android, choice of Sense (or another UI overlay) or stock android, etc. I could go on forever with a list of whats better. If a new version of the ROM you are using is released: you download it to your SD card, (re)boot into recovery (something you will learn), three clicks of the trackpad and it will be flashing. Then you reboot and its all done!
If you would like, PM me and I'll walk you through all of it with links/guides/tips and opinions
EDIT: As far as the sluggish thing, i can guarantee you its something with the (currently stock) rom. I'm not saying its unfixable, but this is a good reason to go ahead and root, flash custom rom, etc.
JDV28 said:
I got the hint originally that you dont want to root, but it really is the best option for you. All the features work, you can get those Gingerbread roms right now, if you would like. My favorite things about it are: WAY better performance, customization, choice of version of android, choice of Sense (or another UI overlay) or stock android, etc. I could go on forever with a list of whats better. If a new version of the ROM you are using is released: you download it to your SD card, (re)boot into recovery (something you will learn), three clicks of the trackpad and it will be flashing. Then you reboot and its all done!
If you would like, PM me and I'll walk you through all of it with links/guides/tips and opinions
EDIT: As far as the sluggish thing, i can guarantee you its something with the (currently stock) rom. I'm not saying its unfixable, but this is a good reason to go ahead and root, flash custom rom, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to add on to what he's saying:
But I can understand why you're hesitant. I think the sluggishness is just part of the stock ROM, every person I know that has the stock ROM it eventually slows down after some time. But a custom ROM should be faster because it's just lighter over all, it's been deodexed (whatever that means) and all that stuff plus bloatware taken out. Plus it would be in EXT 4 format which has proven to be faster. There's wonderful youtube tuts if you need em, and of course you got us!
You're aren't they only one with the sluggish phone. My wife told me that her phone started getting sluggish about two days ago. She's also stock and not wanting to root. She only has about 50 apps installed. So like others have said it's part of the stock rom.
You could always factory reset it and start from scratch. That will bring back its original speed but you will obviously lose all your apps.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Having a faulty SD card or having a bad sector in the internal memory might also be a reason for it. In that case, formatting the "offender" will solve it (formatting internal memory means factory reset).
If I root my phone and install a custom ROM do I lose all my apps and/or other personal data? Also, which is the most highly recommended ROM for this phone? I'd like to use the most current and up-to-date one and preferably one where all the features work, etc...
I'm really unsure about this but I'm left with little other choice I suppose...
Belvadier said:
If I root my phone and install a custom ROM do I lose all my apps and/or other personal data? Also, which is the most highly recommended ROM for this phone? I'd like to use the most current and up-to-date one and preferably one where all the features work, etc...
I'm really unsure about this but I'm left with little other choice I suppose...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As others have said - if you truly don't want to root for whatever reason, your other option is to factory reset the phone, which will revert it to its original condition when you first got it. I for one totally support the rooting option, as it really does make you feel like you just upgraded your phone to a better model. Phone will be faster, more responsive, and offer better battery life (depending on the rom you flash). Plus, you just get a world of customizable possibilities that aren't available to you on stock. You can choose between Sense (and many different versions of Sense at that), stock/AOSP (i.e. cm7), or even something totally different like MIUI.
If you do decide to root, but enjoy the stock experience, I'd suggest Iced Glacier (correct me if I'm wrong) which is pretty much the stock UI with bloatware removed...or if you want to try a different version of Sense, I'm on Royal Panache right now, which is gingerbread Sense 2.1, and it's really awesome and works flawlessly.
You can use Titanium Backup to backup your apps/data and then restore them after you've either rooted and flashed a new rom, or factory reset...hopefully someone else will confirm this, because I'm not sure off-hand if you need to be rooted to be able to backup/restore.
sunsean said:
As others have said - if you truly don't want to root for whatever reason, your other option is to factory reset the phone, which will revert it to its original condition when you first got it. I for one totally support the rooting option, as it really does make you feel like you just upgraded your phone to a better model. Phone will be faster, more responsive, and offer better battery life (depending on the rom you flash). Plus, you just get a world of customizable possibilities that aren't available to you on stock. You can choose between Sense (and many different versions of Sense at that), stock/AOSP (i.e. cm7), or even something totally different like MIUI.
If you do decide to root, but enjoy the stock experience, I'd suggest Iced Glacier (correct me if I'm wrong) which is pretty much the stock UI with bloatware removed...or if you want to try a different version of Sense, I'm on Royal Panache right now, which is gingerbread Sense 2.1, and it's really awesome and works flawlessly.
You can use Titanium Backup to backup your apps/data and then restore them after you've either rooted and flashed a new rom, or factory reset...hopefully someone else will confirm this, because I'm not sure off-hand if you need to be rooted to be able to backup/restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know titanium backup needs root before you're able to use it. He won't lose anything of he gains root. He'll be able to use it after root.
lilchip85 said:
I know titanium backup needs root before you're able to use it. He won't lose anything of he gains root. He'll be able to use it after root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, wasn't sure if you had to be rooted to backup/restore - so to the OP, either way if you factory reset or root/flash a rom, you'll lose your apps. In that case, next best option is to make sure you sync google backup right before whatever you decide to do, so after you reset/root, your google market apps should automatically be restored to your device. Obviously, same goes with contacts, they will automatically restore to your device provided you have it synced with google.
If you decide to root, you won't have to worry about this again as after that you can use Titanium to backup/restore apps and data when you flash different roms. Pain in the butt, but better than the alternative of having a phone that doesn't run well.
I understand the hesitation with rooting, I was the same initially, but I promise you - if you don't mind putting in a little extra time and energy, the benefits are substantial. Obviously you're into your phone enough to register with XDA, so I encourage you to explore it. I'm not a hardcore tech-savvy guy, rooting is pretty painless as long as you read a bit before you do it.
sunsean said:
Thanks, wasn't sure if you had to be rooted to backup/restore - so to the OP, either way if you factory reset or root/flash a rom, you'll lose your apps. In that case, next best option is to make sure you sync google backup right before whatever you decide to do, so after you reset/root, your google market apps should automatically be restored to your device. Obviously, same goes with contacts, they will automatically restore to your device provided you have it synced with google.
If you decide to root, you won't have to worry about this again as after that you can use Titanium to backup/restore apps and data when you flash different roms. Pain in the butt, but better than the alternative of having a phone that doesn't run well.
I understand the hesitation with rooting, I was the same initially, but I promise you - if you don't mind putting in a little extra time and energy, the benefits are substantial. Obviously you're into your phone enough to register with XDA, so I encourage you to explore it. I'm not a hardcore tech-savvy guy, rooting is pretty painless as long as you read a bit before you do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you misunderstood what you quoted, you dont lose anything during the rooting process. You can sit with the stock ROM w/ root, JUST like how you had it before the rooting process without doing any extra steps.
@OP, The rom I linked you to on the first page was the stock ROM that you are running now, but debloated and few minor features added. You can do that, but now there are quite a few *stable* Gingerbread ROMs w/ Sense(2.0,2.1,3.0).
JDV28 said:
No, you misunderstood what you quoted, you dont lose anything during the rooting process. You can sit with the stock ROM w/ root, JUST like how you had it before the rooting process without doing any extra steps.
@OP, The rom I linked you to on the first page was the stock ROM that you are running now, but debloated and few minor features added. You can do that, but now there are quite a few *stable* Gingerbread ROMs w/ Sense(2.0,2.1,3.0).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah, duh...I was thinking if he rooted and flashed a new rom, forgot that he can still stay stock with root, and back up before flashing anything
Forgive me if anyone already suggested this, but have you tried rebooting? I didn't read all the text because I keep seeing people talking about ROMS and rooting. My myTouch does the same thing and restarting always fixes it.
Nitrouspony said:
Forgive me if anyone already suggested this, but have you tried rebooting? I didn't read all the text because I keep seeing people talking about ROMS and rooting. My myTouch does the same thing and restarting always fixes it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I reboot frequently - sometimes several times per day. As a last ditch effort before giving in to the root I got LauncherPro and have to say that it has solved like 75% of the problems I was having. SD programs still take their time loading on a reboot but homescreen switching is much faster as is app drawer scrolling (and scrolling in general really) and app launching is also quite a bit snappier.
The only caveat is that it really feels like now my battery is draining faster than it did before although the battery monitor doesn't show any abnormal amounts for any programs...
I was also taking a look at the memory usage and I was averaging around 168mb free which seems awfully low for a device with 768mb of RAM although there didn't seem to be that much stuff running either...
sunsean said:
Oh yeah, duh...I was thinking if he rooted and flashed a new rom, forgot that he can still stay stock with root, and back up before flashing anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol its ok, we all have our sunsean moments hehehe
@OP, convinced that rooting is eternal happiness and stock is the devil yet?
Belvadier said:
I was also taking a look at the memory usage and I was averaging around 168mb free which seems awfully low for a device with 768mb of RAM although there didn't seem to be that much stuff running either...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why, it's OK actually- Android (Linux-based) RAM management has a different behavior- compared to Windows. You can use Task Killers but whatever RAM you free will soon be occupied again.
I have used Nexus phones for the longest time but as I got a tablet (first Galaxy Tab and now I have a 10.1 coming) I find myself using the smart part of the smart phone very little. That said, my thinking is I am sitting on several hundred bucks I do not really use in my Nexus S so I sold it on E-Bay and took advantage of a T-Mobile deal that got me the MyTouch 3G for free (well, for extra $10/mo for contract cost).
So now I am back to a phone with Android hacked up by carriers and even though I do not use it as I once did there are several very annoying things (apps I cannot uninstall, MyFavs instead of starred in Android, and other stupid carrier crap). Anyways, i was thinking of just going with Cyanogen to try to get back to Android my way, or at least not T-Mobile's way. Any suggestions on if Cyanogen is the right MOD for this phone - all I really want is something as close to vanilla Android as possible with the least hassle possible. Also, I know there are many methods for flashing ROMs - recommendation on the easiest and most reliable?
Thanks in advance for the info.
SWBgHz said:
I have used Nexus phones for the longest time but as I got a tablet (first Galaxy Tab and now I have a 10.1 coming) I find myself using the smart part of the smart phone very little. That said, my thinking is I am sitting on several hundred bucks I do not really use in my Nexus S so I sold it on E-Bay and took advantage of a T-Mobile deal that got me the MyTouch 3G for free (well, for extra $10/mo for contract cost).
So now I am back to a phone with Android hacked up by carriers and even though I do not use it as I once did there are several very annoying things (apps I cannot uninstall, MyFavs instead of starred in Android, and other stupid carrier crap). Anyways, i was thinking of just going with Cyanogen to try to get back to Android my way, or at least not T-Mobile's way. Any suggestions on if Cyanogen is the right MOD for this phone - all I really want is something as close to vanilla Android as possible with the least hassle possible. Also, I know there are many methods for flashing ROMs - recommendation on the easiest and most reliable?
Thanks in advance for the info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cyanogen is pretty good and bloat free if you like sense I would go with virtuous unity a near perfect rom.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA Premium App
SWBgHz said:
Also, I know there are many methods for flashing ROMs - recommendation on the easiest and most reliable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Methods for flashing ROMs? The only way to flash anything is in recovery mode. You have to root your phone and install ClockworkMod recovery, then you'll be able to install ROMs.
Once that's done, I would try CyanogenMod or RoyalGinger, since you want the plain Android UI.
SWBgHz said:
I have used Nexus phones for the longest time but as I got a tablet (first Galaxy Tab and now I have a 10.1 coming) I find myself using the smart part of the smart phone very little. That said, my thinking is I am sitting on several hundred bucks I do not really use in my Nexus S so I sold it on E-Bay and took advantage of a T-Mobile deal that got me the MyTouch 3G for free (well, for extra $10/mo for contract cost).
So now I am back to a phone with Android hacked up by carriers and even though I do not use it as I once did there are several very annoying things (apps I cannot uninstall, MyFavs instead of starred in Android, and other stupid carrier crap). Anyways, i was thinking of just going with Cyanogen to try to get back to Android my way, or at least not T-Mobile's way. Any suggestions on if Cyanogen is the right MOD for this phone - all I really want is something as close to vanilla Android as possible with the least hassle possible. Also, I know there are many methods for flashing ROMs - recommendation on the easiest and most reliable?
Thanks in advance for the info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are aware that this is the MyTouch4G department. They are two completely different phones. Rooted two totally different ways.
1) if you are still on Android 1.5/1.6 you need to download/install/run Universal Nandroot. It will root your phone. Then download Clockwork ROM Manager and flash the recovery image and flash away. CM stopped development @ CM6. But due to RAM requirements for that phone and 2.1 you'll need to install and run SWAPPER2. It's a good app. and you'll be good to go.
2) if you are on the 2.1 updated version. you should be able to download Super One Click Rooter and do it that way. then download CWRM and flash the recovery image. If that still falls short you can always visit the MyTouch3G section of this forum, and you should find something there.
neidlinger said:
you are aware that this is the MyTouch4G department. They are two completely different phones. Rooted two totally different ways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw that too, but the thread title says 4G, so I assumed it was a typo. Who knows with some people though...
TeeJay3800 said:
I saw that too, but the thread title says 4G, so I assumed it was a typo. Who knows with some people though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LQTMS
you hit the nail on head. I know they are still selling the Glacier, but they are giving away the Magic. So when i saw free i assumed the Magic and the 10 bucks is for the data pack.
neidlinger said:
LQTMS
you hit the nail on head. I know they are still selling the Glacier, but they are giving away the Magic. So when i saw free i assumed the Magic and the 10 bucks is for the data pack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha yeah, very possible.
SWBgHz said:
I have used Nexus phones for the longest time but as I got a tablet (first Galaxy Tab and now I have a 10.1 coming) I find myself using the smart part of the smart phone very little. That said, my thinking is I am sitting on several hundred bucks I do not really use in my Nexus S so I sold it on E-Bay and took advantage of a T-Mobile deal that got me the MyTouch 3G for free (well, for extra $10/mo for contract cost).
So now I am back to a phone with Android hacked up by carriers and even though I do not use it as I once did there are several very annoying things (apps I cannot uninstall, MyFavs instead of starred in Android, and other stupid carrier crap). Anyways, i was thinking of just going with Cyanogen to try to get back to Android my way, or at least not T-Mobile's way. Any suggestions on if Cyanogen is the right MOD for this phone - all I really want is something as close to vanilla Android as possible with the least hassle possible. Also, I know there are many methods for flashing ROMs - recommendation on the easiest and most reliable?
Thanks in advance for the info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i used the method found on theunlockr.com it worked first try and ive never rooted a phone before and have no prior knowledge about how to do it. i used a few roms. iced glacier first then a few others but have stuck with Faux's AOSP rom. its been by far the most stable and the best performing. i get the best benchmarks as well as the best battery life. your best bet is to read read and read some more. then when you think you've read enough, read a whole s**t ton more.
neidlinger said:
you are aware that this is the MyTouch4G department. They are two completely different phones. Rooted two totally different ways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Typo on my part - I have myTouch 4g.
I looked at Virtuous Unity and it seems nice and clean - anyone have any warnings about that ROM?
So I got it rooted easy enough and loaded Cyanogen 7. Going to load up Virtuous Unity now that I got the process down and see how that one looks. Thanks for the info - it is much easier now than it was a few years back when I last bothered with customer ROMs.
All the sense roms have to much bloat. Try cm7 or fauxs AOSP.
Sent from my Green Sludge using XDA Premium App
Absolute easiest and safest way
You don't have to flash a custom ROM to get rid of the bloatware on a MT4G and beat it back to the simplicity of a Nexus One (almost). Because the MT4G is still on 2.2.1, Visionary will still work to temproot and then you can use Titanium Pro to "freeze" the bloatware you don't want to see. Once you've frozen the apps they stay frozen whether you temproot again or not. If you want to use some apps that require rooting though, such as Quickboot, you can set Visionary to temproot whenever you boot. Visionary r11 seems to work better than r14 on the MT4G.
Using the above simple and reversible method, plus a custom launcher, I've got the Apps drawer and home screens to look pretty much as they do on my Nexus One on 2.2.1. You are stuck with the HTC idiotic phone screen ("faves") and the useless Genius button but you get in return a front facing camera and 4G speed.
Jeffrey
You can flash Virtuous Unity. It's an excellent ROM. And MT4G is powerful enough to run anything, and not resort to AOSP-style ROMs.