thanks for any help =) i just worked my way through the guide for rooting and nandroid backup.. i want to run a rom that will let me increase call volume (ear not speaker) and teather..
any help would be much appreciated!
also how do i know if root worked.. does the fact that i could run nandroid mean it did? i dont see any changes in the settings.
kraash said:
also how do i know if root worked.. does the fact that i could run nandroid mean it did? i dont see any changes in the settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can boot into the recovery image or make a Nand backup, then you are in fact rooted.
woooot... root =)
Go with Fresh ROM
OOTB rom would be best for non techies.
heres another thing... all the vids i saw doing the one click root end up with a sweet power user app.
I did the long cmd prompt way and i dont have that. how will i run apps that require root access?
most of the custom roms out there include Super User. I personaly run Fresh 1.1 and like it for a day to day rom since all the important stuff works and I just like the look of it.
yeah i just rooted my Appalachian Wireless hero and loaded up the fresh rom and everything ive used has worked, Im loving this over the stock hero.
To start of, i will be using superoneclick, since it seems to be fairly easy. Now saying that i use that, nothing from my phone will get swiped correct? Apps, data etc..
Now once i do that, i will still have the current os that my phone is running now before the root?
once its rooted will i be able to port whatever app i want over to my SD?
also can i rune themes with out a rom?
thank you in advanced.
1) Correct
2) Yes
3) If your app supports installing to SD you will yes
4) You can't run anything without a ROM
Source --> http://is.gd/yHp7vX
Just rooting wont give you much. I would recommend Rom Manager so you can flash a new recovery for backups and mods.
Most stock roms don't support themeing or a high level of customization. I don't even know if SetCpu will do anything on a stock rom.
Basically I root to install Rom Manager from the market to install clockwork recovery.
A custom recovery allows flashing updated stock apps, themes, custom roms, keyboards, etc.
I suggest a CM7 gingerbread rom and you'll be hooked.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Ok sounds like a plan, yea i am trying to learn the processes ive seen a few videos and seen how they did it. Using superoneclick and any other type of method to actually root the phone wont really be any difference right? No one root is better then another? at the end they will still end up doing the same thing?
Also when i do a backup what is that for? once i install the roms will i be able to recover the apps i had before? or is that for security reasons that you do a backup.
Sorry for such the noob questions.
sotorious said:
Ok sounds like a plan, yea i am trying to learn the processes ive seen a few videos and seen how they did it. Using superoneclick and any other type of method to actually root the phone wont really be any difference right? No one root is better then another? at the end they will still end up doing the same thing? Exactly the same thing.
Also when i do a backup what is that for? once i install the roms will i be able to recover the apps i had before? or is that for security reasons that you do a backup. 'Nandroid' Backup is a snapshot image of your ROM as it is at the time. Make sure you do one before flashing a custom ROM so that you can easily return to stock if you ever wish to. Once on a custom ROM your apps will show in the Market under 'my apps' and should sync to your phone.
Sorry for such the noob questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better to be safe than sorry
also, keep in mind nandroid is part of amon recovery. its a common misconception its a app itself.
I have a T-Mo G2 and want to keep my Froyo image to reinstall later if I cannot get theGingerbread to work right. I want to make an image file that will restore the phone to exactly how it is now. I have tried all kinds of stuff, but am not able to make the "img" file so that I ca do a restore when booting...
Can someone point me to what I need to install to do this, and if possible some directions on what/how to create the "img" or restore file ?
I would be most appreciative, as I had to reverse everything from the OTA of Gingerbread, since too many apps didn't work, ESPECIALLY the GPS!
My current Froyo is a temp-root system.
Thank you all!
Aloha. .
I would do full root via the wiki, and then install 4EXT (the full one that's like $2) - it will keep your old stuff straight
Ditto on previous reply
Root your G2
Backup all your apps with using Titanium backup
Get Clockwork mod ROM manger or 4ext ( I prefer 4ext) and backup your stock rom. You can download new ROM CM7 for first ROM.
If you don't like the ROM you can restore your stock ROM with CWM or 4ext at anytime.
I have a theory that Ti Backup or any backing up of apps is a bad plan. I know you can do it no problem, and that it is a great time saver, but I have a strong feeling that this ultimately results in an unstable phone with mysterious force closes etc.
Even though it's a real pain, I think you are always better off reinstalling your apps from scratch after changing to a new ROM and wiping caches.
WTF? said:
I have a theory that Ti Backup or any backing up of apps is a bad plan. I know you can do it no problem, and that it is a great time saver, but I have a strong feeling that this ultimately results in an unstable phone with mysterious force closes etc.
Even though it's a real pain, I think you are always better off reinstalling your apps from scratch after changing to a new ROM and wiping caches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I have had zero problems with TB personally.
2. Without it your app data is gone.
3. Triple wipe, takes a few extra minutes and makes a world of a difference.
4. Do not restore system data!
5. Check md5 sums BEFORE doing anything!!!!
6. Make sure you have a recent nandroid backup and you'll be fine either way.
7. triple wipe before flashing anything including nandroids. Preferably with different wipes aka factory reset, superwipe+ ext4, then recovery wipe!
Just my 2 cents, it's saved my a$$ more then a few times...
Hello guys,
Firstly, I have to thank all members of this forum for helping newbies like me to do wonders with our phones.
On topic, I have recently purchased the much coveted Nexus 4. The first thing I did after unboxing it was to unlock and root it.
And up until now I have been quite content using the stock ROM. But, now I want to mix it up a little bit.
Through XDA I have become aware of quite a few ways of modding my phone and generally I do not like to do anything without knowing what I am doing. So, therefore there a number of unanswered questions in my mind, which I hope that you guys can help me out with.
Adsaway
1. I have been using Adsaway ever since I rooted my phone and got to say, its amazing. But, I have been wondering if there is any way by which I could replace "Webpage not found" with something like a plain white color or plain black color. The "webpage not found" notification in place of the ads is quite ugly.
2. Talking about ads, I understand that adsaway only prevents you from receiving the ad instead of blocking the request for the ad. I found this thread on XDA where someone said that you could considerably increase battery life by using Lucky Patcher (no, I do not use this tool for cracking). I want to know how safe this is especially considering that you can mess up your phone using Lucky Patcher. Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28929442
Improving Battery Life
Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107163
This thread talks about how you can improve your battery life by flashing factory images. I definitely want to try it out. But, if I flash factory images wouldn't I be flashing the custom recovery too? And, does this mean that I have to stay on stock ROMs to improve battery life? I kind of find it a little bit confusing.
Further, he talks about 'kernel'. Being an engineer, I know what a kernel is. But, in the context of android, when flashing ROMs, is the kernel included with the custom ROM? or do you have to install the kernel separately? And, what are the advantages of flashing a custom kernel?
Titanium Backup
1. I know that this tool backs up your phone by basically creating a image file but I have no idea on how to use it to flash custom ROMs. An explanation or a link would be really helpful. If this question has been asked and answered before, sorry for asking it again.
2. Since the Nexus does not come with any desktop software, how do you do a normal backup of your phone? Again, this is a very basic question and I could probably find the answer online so feel free to ignore this question.
Finally, thank you all for being so patient and answering my queries. I hope that this will help other newbies as well.
Hi, I may be able to help with some of your questions.
I'm not sure but the "Webpage not found" error may be a result of the browser you use, or not . Anyway I use the app 'Adaway' with the Chrome beta browser and do not get that error in either the browser or other apps that have ads in them.
The first time I've heard of Lucky Patcher so I cant comment. But I personally wouldn't install it unless it is open source and proven not to be stealing your info. these kind of things are sketchy in my opinion. The thing is with adaway it is changing your Hosts file so any ad request is pointing back to the phone. So its not like you are using data to block the ads. So I can't imagine there is a huge battery savings.
From reading the thread about flashing the stock Image, it seems very hit or miss on getting any results. If you are planning to run a custom rom I wouldn't bother. When installing a rom you will usually be wiping all of that anyway.
Roms come with a kernel built in. The advantages of changing kernels depend on what kernel you install but they usually include options to be able to under or overclock the cpu and gpu. Adjust the voltages of the cpu. Change the cpu and gpu governors and i/o scheduler as well as the readahead value for eMMC. You can adjust color and gamma values for the screen. Adjust the vibration level of the phone. And some kernel developers will add their own tweeks to the governors for improved performance.
Titanium backup actually backs up each app and its associated data on your phone allowing you to restore them after flashing a new rom. You can restore apps themselves after a new rom install from the play store without using something like titanium backup but you will lose any data that is associated with that app. Restoring app data can cause issues though. So it is not recommended to restore any system apps after a rom install although I usually will restore Phone/Messaging storage data and have never had an issue but the possibility is there.
In the process of installing custom roms you will need to install a custom bootloader. Either CWM or TWRP usually. These bootloaders give you the option to do a full system image called a Nandroid. This is what most people use as a backup.
Hope this is some help. I am no expert, this is just what I have learned from experiance here at XDA.
linelock said:
Hi, I may be able to help with some of your questions.
I'm not sure but the "Webpage not found" error may be a result of the browser you use, or not . Anyway I use the app 'Adaway' with the Chrome beta browser and do not get that error in either the browser or other apps that have ads in them.
The first time I've heard of Lucky Patcher so I cant comment. But I personally wouldn't install it unless it is open source and proven not to be stealing your info. these kind of things are sketchy in my opinion. The thing is with adaway it is changing your Hosts file so any ad request is pointing back to the phone. So its not like you are using data to block the ads. So I can't imagine there is a huge battery savings.
From reading the thread about flashing the stock Image, it seems very hit or miss on getting any results. If you are planning to run a custom rom I wouldn't bother. When installing a rom you will usually be wiping all of that anyway.
Roms come with a kernel built in. The advantages of changing kernels depend on what kernel you install but they usually include options to be able to under or overclock the cpu and gpu. Adjust the voltages of the cpu. Change the cpu and gpu governors and i/o scheduler as well as the readahead value for eMMC. You can adjust color and gamma values for the screen. Adjust the vibration level of the phone. And some kernel developers will add their own tweeks to the governors for improved performance.
Titanium backup actually backs up each app and its associated data on your phone allowing you to restore them after flashing a new rom. You can restore apps themselves after a new rom install from the play store without using something like titanium backup but you will lose any data that is associated with that app. Restoring app data can cause issues though. So it is not recommended to restore any system apps after a rom install although I usually will restore Phone/Messaging storage data and have never had an issue but the possibility is there.
In the process of installing custom roms you will need to install a custom bootloader. Either CWM or TWRP usually. These bootloaders give you the option to do a full system image called a Nandroid. This is what most people use as a backup.
Hope this is some help. I am no expert, this is just what I have learned from experiance here at XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for the comprehensive reply. It answers many of my questions. Firstly, I am going to do away with Lucky Patcher and at this time I do not think I need a custom kernel.
However, after reading your reply I have a fresh set of questions:
1. If restoring apps can cause issues, then what is the alternative if you do not want to lose your app data? Are you saying that once I install the custom ROM, I could restore most apps using Titanium Backup but for system apps (meaning root access apps right?) I should just do a fresh install from the Play Store?
2. I have already flashed CWM during root so 1 plus point for me . From your description, it is my understanding that people will create a Nandroid right before flashing a custom ROM/kernel so that in case anything goes wrong they can just restore back to previous state using the Nandroid image. Again, correct me if I am wrong.
Well and another problem that I forgot to mention in my opening post is with my WiFi:
Many a times, even after connecting to my home wifi network, I cannot access the internet. Then, if I reboot my phone and reconnect to wifi it starts working. Weird, I know. And, no its not a problem with my WiFi network, I verified that.
w1ndhawk said:
Adsaway
1. I have been using Adsaway ever since I rooted my phone and got to say, its amazing. But, I have been wondering if there is any way by which I could replace "Webpage not found" with something like a plain white color or plain black color. The "webpage not found" notification in place of the ads is quite ugly.
2. Talking about ads, I understand that adsaway only prevents you from receiving the ad instead of blocking the request for the ad. I found this thread on XDA where someone said that you could considerably increase battery life by using Lucky Patcher (no, I do not use this tool for cracking). I want to know how safe this is especially considering that you can mess up your phone using Lucky Patcher. Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28929442
Improving Battery Life
Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107163
This thread talks about how you can improve your battery life by flashing factory images. I definitely want to try it out. But, if I flash factory images wouldn't I be flashing the custom recovery too? And, does this mean that I have to stay on stock ROMs to improve battery life? I kind of find it a little bit confusing.
Further, he talks about 'kernel'. Being an engineer, I know what a kernel is. But, in the context of android, when flashing ROMs, is the kernel included with the custom ROM? or do you have to install the kernel separately? And, what are the advantages of flashing a custom kernel?
Titanium Backup
1. I know that this tool backs up your phone by basically creating a image file but I have no idea on how to use it to flash custom ROMs. An explanation or a link would be really helpful. If this question has been asked and answered before, sorry for asking it again.
2. Since the Nexus does not come with any desktop software, how do you do a normal backup of your phone? Again, this is a very basic question and I could probably find the answer online so feel free to ignore this question.
Finally, thank you all for being so patient and answering my queries. I hope that this will help other newbies as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. Adsaway blocks ads in apps so they aren't downloaded AFAIK(don't see the Download arrow in status bar) which saves power
3. You don't have to stay on stock after flashing the images. The images touch different partitions that were probably flashed improperly at the factory.
4.Kernels are already inside custom Roms. Custom kernels that are available separate have their own perks though and are from different Devs.
6. For Titanium after you backup you just connect your phone to your pc and it'll be detected. No desktop software is needed, just drap and drop.
By system apps I mean things like android settings. I use TB for stuff like games so I don't have to stay over from the start. when you install TB you will see what is labeled as a system app and what is labeled as a user app.
Exactly, a nandroid is a like a disk image that you can restore.
Sorry I can't help with your wifi issue, I'm not having that problem.
@Ace42
Ok so I guess it should do no harm if I first flash stock images and then over that flash the custom . NM/kernel of my choice. In fact there is a chance it may improve my battery life.
Thanks for clarifying the titanium backup part, it sounds simple enough.
OT:
I managed to solve the webpage not found problem on ad away. All you have to do is enable web server in preferences.
Again, thank you guys.
linelock said:
From reading the thread about flashing the stock Image, it seems very hit or miss on getting any results. If you are planning to run a custom rom I wouldn't bother. When installing a rom you will usually be wiping all of that anyway.
In the process of installing custom roms you will need to install a custom bootloader. Either CWM or TWRP usually. These bootloaders give you the option to do a full system image called a Nandroid. This is what most people use as a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These paragraphs are incorrect.
The top one was covered already.
There are no custom bootloaders for the Nexus 4. There are custom recoveries, but a bootloader is by no means a recovery. Do not confuse the two.
w1ndhawk said:
@Ace42
Ok so I guess it should do no harm if I first flash stock images and then over that flash the custom . NM/kernel of my choice. In fact there is a chance it may improve my battery life.
Thanks for clarifying the titanium backup part, it sounds simple enough.
OT:
I managed to solve the webpage not found problem on ad away. All you have to do is enable web server in preferences.
Again, thank you guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No harm at all. After you do the images you can go to whatever custom setup you wanted. It personally increased my battery life and many other users here by varying degrees.
lucky patcher is for using "stolen" apps, patching their licence checks etc. it is frowned upon and can carry many bad things in it.
simms22 said:
lucky patcher is for using "stolen" apps, patching their licence checks etc. it is frowned upon and can carry many bad things in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but apparently it does have its uses or so I've heard.
However, what do you mean it can carry many bad things?
I thought I’d give my 2 cents on Titanium Backup…
It doesn’t create an image file of the current state of your phone. That would be a Nandroid backup done via CWM Recovery.
Titanium Backup allows you to backup apps. That means apps installed by the user (user apps) and apps that came baked into the ROM (system apps). As mentioned, it’s not recommended to restore system apps because this often causes weird issues.
When you restore, you can also choose whether to restore the app only or the app plus data. In rare cases, restoring app data causes weird issues.
One of my favorite feature of Titanium Backup is how it allows you to create a zip file of your backup that can be flashed from recovery.
Everybody uses Titanium Backup differently. But here’s how I tend to use it when moving between ROMs.
1. Backup all user apps.
2. Create a zip of the backed up user apps (no app data).
3. Wipe data (factory reset), wipe dalvik cache, flash new ROM.
4. Boot into the newly flashed ROM and go through the initial setup process.
5. Reboot into recovery.
6. Flash the zip created by Titanium Backup.
Sure, I lose all app data, but that just means I guarantee myself a clean slate to start.
ohyeahar said:
I thought I’d give my 2 cents on Titanium Backup…
It doesn’t create an image file of the current state of your phone. That would be a Nandroid backup done via CWM Recovery.
Titanium Backup allows you to backup apps. That means apps installed by the user (user apps) and apps that came baked into the ROM (system apps). As mentioned, it’s not recommended to restore system apps because this often causes weird issues.
When you restore, you can also choose whether to restore the app only or the app plus data. In rare cases, restoring app data causes weird issues.
One of my favorite feature of Titanium Backup is how it allows you to create a zip file of your backup that can be flashed from recovery.
Everybody uses Titanium Backup differently. But here’s how I tend to use it when moving between ROMs.
1. Backup all user apps.
2. Create a zip of the backed up user apps (no app data).
3. Wipe data (factory reset), wipe dalvik cache, flash new ROM.
4. Boot into the newly flashed ROM and go through the initial setup process.
5. Reboot into recovery.
6. Flash the zip created by Titanium Backup.
Sure, I lose all app data, but that just means I guarantee myself a clean slate to start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey thanks ohyeahar. Going to follow this when flashing my custom ROM.
So ideally, aside from user apps you shouldn't restore anything. However, I would like to save backup and restore my contacts and also app data for the game Subway Surf. How safe is this? And, let us suppose do I face some problems after restoring app data, will just uninstalling and resintalling the application suffice in alleviating the problems?
OT:
Now, that I will be flashing factory image (to try and improve my battery life), I assume I am going to lose my unlock+root. Should I be making a nandroid before doing this in the case of some problem?
Reflashing the system image will remove root yes, but your bootloader will still be unlocked. All you need to do after flashing the new system image is install http://download.chainfire.eu/306/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.00.zip from CWM (or TWRP).
--You should always have at least one nandroid backup on your phone in case anything goes wrong.
w1ndhawk said:
Hey thanks ohyeahar. Going to follow this when flashing my custom ROM.
So ideally, aside from user apps you shouldn't restore anything. However, I would like to save backup and restore my contacts and also app data for the game Subway Surf. How safe is this? And, let us suppose do I face some problems after restoring app data, will just uninstalling and resintalling the application suffice in alleviating the problems?
OT:
Now, that I will be flashing factory image (to try and improve my battery life), I assume I am going to lose my unlock+root. Should I be making a nandroid before doing this in the case of some problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your contacts shouldn’t require backing up because they should be backed up to your Google account.
If you want to restore app data for certain apps, I would do it one at a time. That way, if problems occur, you at least know which app is the culprit.
If you uninstall and reinstall the problematic app, that would work. Or you can simply just go into the app settings and clear data for that app. That should be sufficient.
Hey, all!
So, I'm trying to make the jump from Android 4.2.2 to Kitkat, but I don't know which ROM/kernel combination I want to use. I have my current configuration, which has worked out for a long time, but it's recently begun to drag its feet and I figured it's time to reflash. I get insanely good battery life as it is (about two days with light usage and consistently monitoring the apps its keeping hibernated) and I've always been afraid to lose that.
In case I flash something I don't find particularly fitting at the time, it would be nice to revert to build that I know has worked for me in the past, even if it means having to wipe the device to switch from Kit Kat back to Jellybean.
Basically, I'm trying to back up all my user data + apps, as well as the ROM & kernel I'm currently using into a flashable .zip, so all I have to do is push the .zip to my device and flash it. I have thought of using Titanium Backup to handle all my apps and user data as I have in the past and backing this up to the Google drive, but I was hoping there was a more... convenient way to consolidate the ROM, Kernel and apps into one neat little package.
Obviously, I won't be flashing the apps over a new Kit Kat ROM I know it's better to start fresh with something like that. But it would be nice to have a flashable .zip to fall back on, with all the apps & modifications I rely on in my day-to-day life.
What are the methods that you 'fellas have tried?
Ryou_Concord said:
Hey, all!
So, I'm trying to make the jump from Android 4.2.2 to Kitkat, but I don't know which ROM/kernel combination I want to use. I have my current configuration, which has worked out for a long time, but it's recently begun to drag its feet and I figured it's time to reflash. I get insanely good battery life as it is (about two days with light usage and consistently monitoring the apps its keeping hibernated) and I've always been afraid to lose that.
In case I flash something I don't find particularly fitting at the time, it would be nice to revert to build that I know has worked for me in the past, even if it means having to wipe the device to switch from Kit Kat back to Jellybean.
Basically, I'm trying to back up all my user data + apps, as well as the ROM & kernel I'm currently using into a flashable .zip, so all I have to do is push the .zip to my device and flash it. I have thought of using Titanium Backup to handle all my apps and user data as I have in the past and backing this up to the Google drive, but I was hoping there was a more... convenient way to consolidate the ROM, Kernel and apps into one neat little package.
Obviously, I won't be flashing the apps over a new Kit Kat ROM I know it's better to start fresh with something like that. But it would be nice to have a flashable .zip to fall back on, with all the apps & modifications I rely on in my day-to-day life.
What are the methods that you 'fellas have tried?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using a custom recovery? If yes, do a nandroid backup.
meatboy371 said:
Are you using a custom recovery? If yes, do a nandroid backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ended up just doing a backup in the TWRP Manager app and moved the files from the folder on my phone to my PC.