Database Users

Got my galaxy note!

Hey guys.
My galaxy note will be arriving tomorrow. And just been reading the sticky about peoples devices becoming un-usable after flashing certain ICS roms.
Want to know what advice on ROMS people have got to give me as I want to flash a custom rom before I start using it.
Throw anything at me, what to stay away from and what not.

Welcome to the note, I'm sure you'll be overwhelmed as I was for the first 3 or so days, and that doesn't really seem to wear off too much
We've got a great amount of development and support going on for this device. If you're interested in ics straight off, check out the following thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1659768. That shows you the safe builds vs the current affected ICS kernels that could brick you. Personally, CM9 and paranoid Android are the most enticing, although both in early stages.
Also, check out Dr. Ketans guide to ROM installation and rooting, it's a sticky in the ROM development section and has everything you need to get rooted and cwm installation which you will need on your out of the box gingerbread before you can flash custom roms and kernels.
There's loads on here, and everybody has their own preferences, so hunt around. I hope you get as much joy, and fear, as I do
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

aussiesausage said:
Hey guys.
My galaxy note will be arriving tomorrow. And just been reading the sticky about peoples devices becoming un-usable after flashing certain ICS roms.
Want to know what advice on ROMS people have got to give me as I want to flash a custom rom before I start using it.
Throw anything at me, what to stay away from and what not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome! Just stay away from anything and everything related to ICS except the official CM9 nightlies. basically its the only safe way to get ICS on the phone (at the cost of S-memo etc. of course).
Thats about it, really. you might feel too big at first but give it 5 days and everything else will just seem too small. dat screen.

omersak said:
Welcome! Just stay away from anything and everything related to ICS except the official CM9 nightlies. basically its the only safe way to get ICS on the phone (at the cost of S-memo etc. of course).
Thats about it, really. you might feel too big at first but give it 5 days and everything else will just seem too small. dat screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you within 5 days screen look small to me...
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

Att S3 - load new rom how/where to start??

So i have the att version of this phone, and I found the Diet ICS rom: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1732195
and found the Root with no flash counter: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1739426
But don't know wehre to start?? Which roms are the best?? Diet? What other roms are available that are "good"? I've checked the roms that I've found, however I dont really understand the differences between all these roms. Nor do I understnad what steps I need to take and what exactly I need to do? I've read the "everything att s3..." thread, but it doesn't make sense to me on what I need to do to load a new rom.
Do I need to follow the root without flash counter thread?? Do I just follow a new rom thread?
What kernel/rom would be best to load for better battery life?
thanks!

Have you read the step by step guide for rooting? If not then start there.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

I did check it...but in the guide I don't see where it says to load your custom rom at. I'm reading the rom guide that doesnt add the flash counter.
Also, which rom/kernel is better for more battery life? Or should I wait for CM9?

you don't need to be doing anything to your phone at this point. READ, READ, READ, before you eff up your phone!

ReggieTee said:
you don't need to be doing anything to your phone at this point. READ, READ, READ, before you eff up your phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely true. The place to start is always with reading, not with posting more random clutter to the forums. All of the information is out there, and forums come equipped with a search.

+1 Go slow, read once you have root you can do a lot of things without the need to flash a custom rom right away. You gain ability to block ads with Adfree from the market. Also you can use titanium backup to backup your phone. Remember back Up! back up! back up! IT will save your butt.

Ballgum
All the above is Gospel! You need to read and then read some more. Rooting gives you freedom and the ability to choice a rom if u want. Roms are a choice u make. Everyone has different likes and dislikes so no one can say use this rom over that rom. YOUR choice. As far a things like battery life again each rom can give each person a different experience based on usage apps etc. Everyone above has given u good advice read read read. I have seen to many peeps who rush into things and find they have an expensive paper weight. After u have read more try rooting and then a rom or two.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

well, i'm not a complete newb. I had a Note that I completely tore down and reloaded numerous times with different roms, odin, etc etc...
I guess my question shouldve been is there any specific rom or kernel that is battery optimized? And also any idea when CM9 comes out? I could just optimize battery and wait for CM9 if its coming out soon.
I'm not going to just go hurry and load a rom. But once I know WHICH rom/kernel I need to load then I can go from there on how best to do that
Idk, when i read about each individual rom its not clear to me what the differences are between the different roms if that makes sense? Like they all kinda say the same thing "de-bloated, optimized, etc etc". I just want a bug free, clean rom that works well for battery really and i dont see that criteria listed on the rom descriptions
I realize theres an amount I need to learn to to get this thing loaded, my question more is whats a "popular" "less buggy" rom that works well with battery life and is CM9 supposed to be the bees knees or what?? haha

actually looks like not many roms available yet. i may wait until there's more to choose from and for now just battery optimize and remove att crap

There are no good roms for this phone so I would root and wait hopefully they start coming out soon but it maybe a few months or longer or never since the international version is getting all the developer love only. I want MIUI or CM9/10 then we can talk.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

sabre31 said:
There are no good roms for this phone so I would root and wait hopefully they start coming out soon but it maybe a few months or longer or never since the international version is getting all the developer love only. I want MIUI or CM9/10 then we can talk.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok thanks man, thats exactly what i was looking for. i guess i'll wait until something good comes out.
but i did find the "cpu sleeper" script to conserve battery, so I may root for that. depending on how much it saves?

[Q] Recommendations for a ROM ICS or JB

I'm currently running Toasted Marshmallow but the camera issue is killing me. Is there a daily driver out there with a working camera? I don't really care if it is ICS or JB I just need my camera/instagram to work again. I'm also hoping I can retain my apps/data as I have been running this for a bit. I did a search and could nothing definitive. If I overlooked something please let me know. Thanks for any help!

Synthetic AospX. Also, we have plenty of threads on this so you should have looked before you posted

I did a search. This was the most relevant thing and it was posted in July. Just sayin' Anyway thanks for the heads up.

Even if there is nothing titles "best ics roms", you could have just looked at the rom threads and found which ones had rave reviews. Most of the ICS and JB roms are at the top. I am not mad at you, slightly annoyed, i just want to tell you what to do for next time.

These are the threads I cannot f*cking stand. Test out the ROMs if you want to know which one is best for you! We don't know what you like. You do. So don't be that noob that asks all the questions in the general forum (like you did) and post ROM related problems as new threads.
Also, what's this? On the 2nd page?! No way someone would dare look there.. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1494680
Have a nice day.
Sent from my HTC One S running ViperOneS!

jennster said:
I'm currently running Toasted Marshmallow but the camera issue is killing me. Is there a daily driver out there with a working camera? I don't really care if it is ICS or JB I just need my camera/instagram to work again. I'm also hoping I can retain my apps/data as I have been running this for a bit. I did a search and could nothing definitive. If I overlooked something please let me know. Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is searching? Searching is definitely NOT looking something up on Google and skimming through everything. Searching CANNOT be done with shortcuts.
Now if you had really done a full search, you would've found that like you said, there is nothing "definitive", or good out there. So what does that mean..? If you don't find it out there, it probably means it doesn't exist. Like in this case right here, a great example. I, like Invasion2 hate threads like these because nobody knows what's the best for your phone, nobody knows your taste. Only you do. Sure, we can give you suggestions and stuff, but why don't you just save everyone's time and try the ROMs yourself? Does it really take that long and that much effort? It doesn't hurt to try.
You should honestly be thankful that we even have ICS and JB ROMs...HTC and T-Mobile left us on the Gingerbread side. And here you are complaining about things not working. Well no duh...you can't expect a OS that wasn't meant to be on our phone to work 100% do you? Cause if you do, then you set impossible expectations for developers.
Another thing: have you ever thought about how much effort, time, and energy were put into the development of these ROMs? Developers work hard, spend countless hours, sometimes giving up sleep to get something to just boot, and the last thing we want to hear and read in our threads is someone who thinks he deserves the work we put out to complain about this or that not working. We know it's not working, we don't need you to tell us that! Trust us, we're working hard on trying to figure out the bugs and fix them, it's not easy.
Lastly...what's wrong with Gingerbread? It's working perfectly fine for our phone. If you want to have everything "perfect and working" why not stay with Gingerbread, where everything is guaranteed to work? I'm on MIUI GB, and can't love it more. If you just want the look of ICS or JB, it's not that hard to theme Cyanogenmod 7 to look like them. And if you want to be on ICS or JB just cause it's cooler or whatever, well be prepared to sacrifice somethings, like the camera. Gingerbread is a OS that was meant to be on our device, ICS and JB weren't.
Thanks.
invasion2 said:
These are the threads I cannot f*cking stand. Test out the ROMs if you want to know which one is best for you! We don't know what you like. You do. So don't be that noob that asks all the questions in the general forum (like you did) and post ROM related problems as new threads.
Also, what's this? On the 2nd page?! No way someone would dare look there.. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1494680
Have a nice day.
Sent from my HTC One S running ViperOneS!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

MFW I saw this post.
Also, TL: DR.

Oh FFS
I didn't ask what was the BEST. That would be opinion and I am certainly not soliciting that. I could read all day and get a million. I asked what had a WORKING CAMERA. Seems like an easy enough question for such well versed people. That being said that renders the link you so condescendingly offered completely irrelevant. So that you know the query was here on XDA for working camera mytouch4G. I wasn't complaining. I said, for my needs I need a working camera. Did I post this on the ROMs thread? No. I didn't. I was looking for a suggestion that would meet my needs, i.e. a working camera.
What happened to people on forums being decent and helpful if not nice too?
You know what I can't stand? A$$holes like you people that think that any of this makes a $hit in the big picture. You know what *I* hate? Taking care of my dad with Parkinsons and my mother that can't leave the house because she has COPD all while working two jobs. Really next to that an extraneous thread doesn't seem that bad. "$hit I have to scroll over this thread that someone who actually looked posted!"
A lot of people work hard. Some not in front of computers in the air conditioning. I appreciate that this stuff is available but please do not hang yourself on a cross. If you hate it, find work elsewhere. If you don't get out of my a$$. I'm not going to suck your d1ck either way and I doubt anyone else is either with your sunny disposition.
And good evening.

jennster said:
Oh FFS
I didn't ask what was the BEST. That would be opinion and I am certainly not soliciting that. I could read all day and get a million. I asked what had a WORKING CAMERA. Seems like an easy enough question for such well versed people. That being said that renders the link you so condescendingly offered completely irrelevant. So that you know the query was here on XDA for working camera mytouch4G. I wasn't complaining. I said, for my needs I need a working camera. Did I post this on the ROMs thread? No. I didn't. I was looking for a suggestion that would meet my needs, i.e. a working camera.
What happened to people on forums being decent and helpful if not nice too?
You know what I can't stand? A$$holes like you people that think that any of this makes a $hit in the big picture. You know what *I* hate? Taking care of my dad with Parkinsons and my mother that can't leave the house because she has COPD all while working two jobs. Really next to that an extraneous thread doesn't seem that bad. "$hit I have to scroll over this thread that someone who actually looked posted!"
A lot of people work hard. Some not in front of computers in the air conditioning. I appreciate that this stuff is available but please do not hang yourself on a cross. If you hate it, find work elsewhere. If you don't get out of my a$$. I'm not going to suck your d1ck either way and I doubt anyone else is either with your sunny disposition.
And good evening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought you'd searched around already? And since you already searched, you should've known that there wasn't a fully working camera yet. So why are you still asking this question if you know the answer already? Seriously...
You don't expect people to be nice if you rub them the wrong way do you? It's sorta your fault we're "not nice" to you...you should check out the other forums when noobs post questions like this, oh man...sh*t breaks apart the fan.

Did you guys actually read his OP ,it wasnt really that bad.He did say he searched ,granted he could of tried a bit harder,but help a guy out once in a while!I am not knockin anybody but ,not everyone knows there way around these threads like some of us do..I mean if he was being a lazy dumb ass that one thing ,but he didnt come off like that to me when i read his OP
anyways. search harder next time dude and you wont get flamed!!!

jennster said:
I'm currently running Toasted Marshmallow but the camera issue is killing me. Is there a daily driver out there with a working camera? I don't really care if it is ICS or JB I just need my camera/instagram to work again. I'm also hoping I can retain my apps/data as I have been running this for a bit. I did a search and could nothing definitive. If I overlooked something please let me know. Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't get why you're getting so much flac. It's not like the MT4G is flying. Most threads about ROMs are months old.
The only answer I seem to see too is Synthetic's ROM.

"If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all"
I also didn't feel as if the op was a lazy dumb ass. To each his own
Sent from my MyTouch 4G using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 04:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:42 PM ----------
Deathwish238 said:
I don't get why you're getting so much flac. It's not like the MT4G is flying. Most threads about ROMs are months old.
The only answer I seem to see too is Synthetic's ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to double post but I don't agree with this. Most roms are NOT months old and are updated. Granted some old ones aren't but for an old phone we hold our ground
Sent from my MyTouch 4G using xda app-developers app

rockstarar said:
Sorry to double post but I don't agree with this. Most roms are NOT months old and are updated. Granted some old ones aren't but for an old phone we hold our ground
Sent from my MyTouch 4G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. Ignore the troll. Development for this ancient phone that was only released on one continent is still moving nicely.
Sent from my myTouch 4g using xda app-developers app

Synthetic's AospX for sure. Very smooth and I use it as my daily driver.

I really, really hate people who just want to flame someone for asking a question, especially like this. Me, myself, I'VE been searching for a perfect rom for myself, and it's a PAIN to spend countless of hours when you are not experienced in messing with the phones, and you asking a simple question, than all these teenie boppers decide to start a flame war thinking they are the all-knowing, just because they design some ROMs and ports.
Now, personally the best ROM I have found so far that suits me is the CoreDroid ROM.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1434887
This seems to be the most stable ROM with best battery life that I have found after using many that keeps the original android feel to it. I have yet to find any real problems with it, seems to be the perfect one for me.
I'm currently going through most of the ROMs trying to find something else, instead of just upgrading my phone. I've tested out PacMan Glacier ROM, and honestly I'm liking that the most so far.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1933896
But again, problem is Camera freezing, panoramic does not work either, at least for me, may work for you. I'd look into that first to see how you like it. Has extensive customization options as well, so the settings screen is a little cluttered so to speak, but good for customization. I would REALLY LOVE to get this to work perfectly, cuz I will indefinitely use this (haven't tested out battery life though).
The next one from that I would check out (even though Saranhai is the one who pretty much crapped on you first) is MyTouchUX.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1826792
I would love to post what problems I've encountered in the thread, but I need to post at least 10 times or something or another before I can post in those forums. But anyways, problem I've had was that the Camera button does not work to get the camera on (but still can access the camera through the app itself), and the LockScreen still is not working in V3, at least for me. BUT panoramic does work with his, and it is really sweet. Less customization options on this ROM, but seems to be REALLY clean (couldn't get swype either, might just be me though.)

Ardanza said:
I really, really hate people who just want to flame someone for asking a question, especially like this. Me, myself, I'VE been searching for a perfect rom for myself, and it's a PAIN to spend countless of hours when you are not experienced in messing with the phones, and you asking a simple question, than all these teenie boppers decide to start a flame war thinking they are the all-knowing, just because they design some ROMs and ports.
Now, personally the best ROM I have found so far that suits me is the CoreDroid ROM.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1434887
This seems to be the most stable ROM with best battery life that I have found after using many that keeps the original android feel to it. I have yet to find any real problems with it, seems to be the perfect one for me.
I'm currently going through most of the ROMs trying to find something else, instead of just upgrading my phone. I've tested out PacMan Glacier ROM, and honestly I'm liking that the most so far.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1933896
But again, problem is Camera freezing, panoramic does not work either, at least for me, may work for you. I'd look into that first to see how you like it. Has extensive customization options as well, so the settings screen is a little cluttered so to speak, but good for customization. I would REALLY LOVE to get this to work perfectly, cuz I will indefinitely use this (haven't tested out battery life though).
The next one from that I would check out (even though Saranhai is the one who pretty much crapped on you first) is MyTouchUX.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1826792
I would love to post what problems I've encountered in the thread, but I need to post at least 10 times or something or another before I can post in those forums. But anyways, problem I've had was that the Camera button does not work to get the camera on (but still can access the camera through the app itself), and the LockScreen still is not working in V3, at least for me. BUT panoramic does work with his, and it is really sweet. Less customization options on this ROM, but seems to be REALLY clean (couldn't get swype either, might just be me though.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you noticed when the op last posted? Appreciate the efforts though

THEindian said:
Have you noticed when the op last posted? Appreciate the efforts though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bah, no I didn't even notice that... oh well...

Custom ROMs - questions

Hello again. I have been flirting with the idea of flashing a custom ROM, but never could bring myself to do it, mostly because, up until now, I didn't have a mainstream phone (Milestone X with nTelos). Now that I have a Nexus 4, I know that it's completely feasible. But, I have several questions before I do. Most of them are about comparisons, but some are about topics that I just don't understand. I know that probably every question has been answered on here somewhere, but the problem with finding the answers lies in sifting through hundreds of pages of threads and topics, where people are talking about a hundred different things. It's quite the overwhelming task to even know where to start. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask those questions here.
1. What are the 3-4 major, stable custom ROMs available for the N4?
2. What are the benefits, or highlights of each ROM when compared to the others?
3. As long as I have a current Nandroid backup, I really have nothing to fear, correct? I could always go back?
4. What are the really technical things I see people talking about (radios, baseband versions, I think), and do those apply to flashing a custom ROM? Will I have to know anything about them?
5. Will any app downloaded from the Play store work on any custom ROM? The two I'm most concerned with are GV and Messaging + GV.
6. Will my phone operate just as it does now, or will I have to input a lot of settings to get it to work with my carrier?
What I'm really looking for in a custom ROM isn't completely the ability to customize every last detail and setting. Rather, I'm mostly interested in something that just 'pops'.. something that looks and feels awesome compared to a stock ROM. Beauty, speed, responsiveness and most of all, battery life, are what I'm after.
Speaking of responsiveness, I've learned that this community is A+ when it comes to assisting those of us that seek more Android knowledge, so, allow me to say 'thanks' ahead of time!
Btw, obviously, I'm running stock 4.2.2, am unlocked and rooted, and have TWRP recovery.
Regards.

wvcadle said:
Hello again. I have been flirting with the idea of flashing a custom ROM, but never could bring myself to do it, mostly because, up until now, I didn't have a mainstream phone (Milestone X with nTelos). Now that I have a Nexus 4, I know that it's completely feasible. But, I have several questions before I do. Most of them are about comparisons, but some are about topics that I just don't understand. I know that probably every question has been answered on here somewhere, but the problem with finding the answers lies in sifting through hundreds of pages of threads and topics, where people are talking about a hundred different things. It's quite the overwhelming task to even know where to start. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask those questions here.
1. What are the 3-4 major, stable custom ROMs available for the N4?
2. What are the benefits, or highlights of each ROM when compared to the others?
3. As long as I have a current Nandroid backup, I really have nothing to fear, correct? I could always go back?
4. What are the really technical things I see people talking about (radios, baseband versions, I think), and do those apply to flashing a custom ROM? Will I have to know anything about them?
5. Will any app downloaded from the Play store work on any custom ROM? The two I'm most concerned with are GV and Messaging + GV.
6. Will my phone operate just as it does now, or will I have to input a lot of settings to get it to work with my carrier?
What I'm really looking for in a custom ROM isn't completely the ability to customize every last detail and setting. Rather, I'm mostly interested in something that just 'pops'.. something that looks and feels awesome compared to a stock ROM. Beauty, speed, responsiveness and most of all, battery life, are what I'm after.
Speaking of responsiveness, I've learned that this community is A+ when it comes to assisting those of us that seek more Android knowledge, so, allow me to say 'thanks' ahead of time!
Btw, obviously, I'm running stock 4.2.2, am unlocked and rooted, and have TWRP recovery.
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No
2. No
3. Lots to fear. Can go back though.
4. Search, read, & learn a bit before you start flashing. You need to know EVERYTHING about everything ahead of flashing.
5. Apps are OS version / phone / country dependent.
6. Yes
You have a bit of searching but l o a d s of reading ahead of you.
Good luck!

Vangelis13 said:
1. No
2. No
3. Lots to fear. Can go back though.
4. Search, read, & learn a bit before you start flashing. You need to know EVERYTHING about everything ahead of flashing.
5. Apps are OS version / phone / country dependent.
6. Yes
You have a bit of searching but l o a d s of reading ahead of you.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I'm not understanding your answers to numbers 1 and 2. Are you saying you can't answer those questions, or that you won't.
As for the rest, thanks, really. But although I generally always appreciate brevity, it doesn't really help me here. I have done a lot of reading on the topic, but the problem is that everyone that's talking about this custom ROM or that one already knows quite a bit, and is discussing some quite technical (like flashing this radio or that one). Another main problem I have is that I'm not sure which ROM I'd like to flash. If I could narrow it down by features, pros and cons, then I could narrow my attention to that particular ROM, and save myself a lot of trouble.

wvcadle said:
1. What are the 3-4 major, stable custom ROMs available for the N4?
2. What are the benefits, or highlights of each ROM when compared to the others?
3. As long as I have a current Nandroid backup, I really have nothing to fear, correct? I could always go back?
4. What are the really technical things I see people talking about (radios, baseband versions, I think), and do those apply to flashing a custom ROM? Will I have to know anything about them?
5. Will any app downloaded from the Play store work on any custom ROM? The two I'm most concerned with are GV and Messaging + GV.
6. Will my phone operate just as it does now, or will I have to input a lot of settings to get it to work with my carrier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Google have yet to release their Binaries to AOSP so many of the AOSP based ROMs are still unstable / nightly
2. This CNET article is a good starting point (here)
3. Maybe ADB backup is better to backup your app APKs and data, and an ADB sdcard pull is better to backup your sdcard. Nandroid is good if your restoring a ROM back to an earlier snapshot, but can become messy going from, say, CM10.1 back to stock
4. search and read, read, read
thats all I got. Good luck.

wvcadle said:
I guess I'm not understanding your answers to numbers 1 and 2. Are you saying you can't answer those questions, or that you won't.
As for the rest, thanks, really. But although I generally always appreciate brevity, it doesn't really help me here. I have done a lot of reading on the topic, but the problem is that everyone that's talking about this custom ROM or that one already knows quite a bit, and is discussing some quite technical (like flashing this radio or that one). Another main problem I have is that I'm not sure which ROM I'd like to flash. If I could narrow it down by features, pros and cons, then I could narrow my attention to that particular ROM, and save myself a lot of trouble.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only you can answer them.
Start with a simple rom, with few modifications so you don't get overwhelmed.
____________________________
I was reading for a week before I rooted and flashed a rom on my n1, can guarantee you many if not most in here started like that.
You want to have it all answered in a thread & spooned to you?
I'm sorry to say but you're starting wrong.

Vangelis13 said:
Only you can answer them.
Start with a simple rom, with few modifications so you don't get overwhelmed.
____________________________
I was reading for a week before I rooted and flashed a rom on my n1, can guarantee you many if not most in here started like that.
You want to have it all answered in a thread & spooned to you?
I'm sorry to say but you're starting wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe me, I'm not asking for anything to be spooned to me. I mean, if I could at least get some help in figuring out which ROM I'd like to flash, that would be appreciated. I could certainly do the leg work if I could just get help deciding on which ROM. I stated in my OP the type of things I'd like to have in a custom ROM. Didn't what I posted put one or two in your head? If so, may I ask which ones? Even with your opening sentence of this reply, you said to start with a simple rom. Any examples?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2009561
At least he has an op that explains a fair bit.

Roastgoat said:
1. Google have yet to release their Binaries to AOSP so many of the AOSP based ROMs are still unstable / nightly
2. This CNET article is a good starting point (here)
3. Maybe ADB backup is better to backup your app APKs and data, and an ADB sdcard pull is better to backup your sdcard. Nandroid is good if your restoring a ROM back to an earlier snapshot, but can become messy going from, say, CM10.1 back to stock
4. search and read, read, read
thats all I got. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are more stable than you think, i wouldnt call some of the better ones unstable or nightlies. i've been running aokp for a few months now and it's very stable no major bugs over stock rom for me.
wvcadle - It's hard to say what the best roms are since that's mostly personal taste but some of the more popular roms are ParanoidAndroid, AOKP, Xylon and slimbean. There is a questions section that has lots of threads comparing roms.

neotekz said:
They are more stable than you think, i wouldnt call some of the better ones unstable or nightlies. i've been running aokp for a few months now and it's very stable no major bugs over stock rom for me.
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Click to collapse
I have tried PA and CM10.1, both of which I liked but some minor issues have me back to stock and waiting for stable releases. I think personally I would go CM10.1 once stable.

Test several ROMs, then decide which one better fits your expectations. Nobody can tell which is the best.
I have tested 3 or 4, then I went back to stock and just added some tweeks to it. But hey, that's me!

JanusDC said:
Test several ROMs, then decide which one better fits your expectations. Nobody can tell which is the best.
I have tested 3 or 4, then I went back to stock and just added some tweeks to it. But hey, that's me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I'm going to try Modaco's ROM first. Do you know what Kernel it uses? Is it the stock kernel? I'd like to flash Franco's kernel, as I hear it has improved battery life.

wvcadle said:
I think I'm going to try Modaco's ROM first. Do you know what Kernel it uses? Is it the stock kernel? I'd like to flash Franco's kernel, as I hear it has improved battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't jump into kernel flashing so fast. I'd try a couple of ROMs first.

irishman103 said:
I wouldn't jump into kernel flashing so fast. I'd try a couple of ROMs first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I just flashed my first Custom ROM. I'm pretty stoked! Even though it's one of the simpler ROMs, it's still pretty cool. Hopefully I don't get hooked!
So, is flashing a custom kernel more dangerous than ROMs? I heard Franco has an app he created to flash his kernels.

I wouldn't say its dangerous. There's just more things to tweak and mess with. Voltages, gamma, CPU speed, etc. I'd just get comfortable with flashing ROMs and finding what you want first. And yes, flashing is an addiction. You will now flash hundreds of times only to find you want to flash a hundred more.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

irishman103 said:
I wouldn't say its dangerous. There's just more things to tweak and mess with. Voltages, gamma, CPU speed, etc. I'd just get comfortable with flashing ROMs and finding what you want first. And yes, flashing is an addiction. You will now flash hundreds of times only to find you want to flash a hundred more.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will the other ROMs not work right out of the box, or would I need to tweak all of those settings to get them to work?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

All the ROMs will work out the box. Developers will not turn over incomplete ROMs to the end users. Like now I'm using Paranoid Android...works beautifully, but there are tons of settings built in to mess with. Other ROMs don't have some of its features and vise versa. With kernels, I use the stock kernel with it. I've flashed other kernels but in MY opinion, I like the stock one. So read up on some ROMs, back up and flash some to see what you will like
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

TBH it will take you some time to learn everything. All the questions you need answered will come in time with you learning Android. Its best to learn by LOTS of reading but you also need some trial and error. You will learn what Roms work best for you and which dont. You will see that you dont always need a custom kernel, and perhaps your screen only needs to 2 more clicks of saturation to have 2.2 gamma while others need to tweak across the board. Once again you gain that knowledge over time. You will get in trouble from time to time, not have help and possibly brick badly, but you learn to fix and work it out, and THAT is really where you learn lots. When you hit a roadblock READ and you will have your answer and in the process gain the knowledge you need.
Good luck and enjoy the hobby!

irishman103 said:
All the ROMs will work out the box. Developers will not turn over incomplete ROMs to the end users. Like now I'm using Paranoid Android...works beautifully, but there are tons of settings built in to mess with. Other ROMs don't have some of its features and vise versa. With kernels, I use the stock kernel with it. I've flashed other kernels but in MY opinion, I like the stock one. So read up on some ROMs, back up and flash some to see what you will like
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've been a great help. Really. And I appreciate it. I just realized there was a 'Thanks' button on this forum, so you've got my first one.
One last question, and I'll leave you be... promise (I think!): The three things I'm most concerned with in a ROM deal with power consumption, speed, and, yes, beauty. I can safely say I will never try to overclock my phone, or change any really deep settings. Do those three items bring any specific ROM or two to mind that you can point me in the direction towards?
Thanks again!

wvcadle said:
You've been a great help. Really. And I appreciate it. I just realized there was a 'Thanks' button on this forum, so you've got my first one.
One last question, and I'll leave you be... promise (I think!): The three things I'm most concerned with in a ROM deal with power consumption, speed, and, yes, beauty. I can safely say I will never try to overclock my phone, or change any really deep settings. Do those three items bring any specific ROM or two to mind that you can point me in the direction towards?
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. Glad I could help.
And your last question is the ultimate question...lol. It's all about how you use your phone. One ROM might be more efficient for you than it would be for me. You might watch a lot of videos and don't have good reception. That could drain your battery. I'd go with ROMs that have a good thread. Read and read about the ROM before you flash it. Read the first pages and the last. I personally like Paranoid Android and AOKP ROMs. Look in the original development section and read up on Liquid Smooth, AOKP, and Paranoid Android. They are really great out the box and no overclocking or "deep settings" needed. If you have any questions about the two I like I'll be more than happy to answer any questions. Just PM or email me.

Ok, MoDaCo on my N4 and PA 3.0 on my N7!
Yes, flashing custom roms is becoming a hobby!

[Q] new to At&t, porting phone #, rooting help

Hi everyone,
Time to retire my EVO 4G and ditch Sprint. New S4 coming today. If it has MDL, I plan on rooting it. My question is this:
Since I'm porting my phone number from Sprint, can I leave the SIM card out and root it before it has been provisioned, or do I have to insert the SIM card and wait until I have At&t service before rooting?
Thanks. Looking forward to flashing a custom ROM...but I sure am gonna miss my OG EVO!

The phone does not have to be provisioned so leave the card out and turn off wifi. Then not only root, but also freeze/delete the three files used to update our put a custom recovery and rom on. The three files are something like at&t software update, FWupdate, and localFOTA. They're apk's

when the device arrives, before opening it, look on the packaging and locate the firmware version. it will be with the IMEI number, etc. if its MF3, i'd take it to at&t for an exchange (you have 14 days). then i probably would have the clerk search the inventory until they found one that had MDL on the S4 box. haha. the red S4's werent terribly popular so there might be a few MDL versions of them left.
when you get home, do as jd1639 said and freeze those apks if you're not going to flash a different ROM entirely. cheers

xBeerdroiDx said:
when the device arrives, before opening it, look on the packaging and locate the firmware version. it will be with the IMEI number, etc. if its MF3, i'd take it to at&t for an exchange (you have 14 days). then i probably would have the clerk search the inventory until they found one that had MDL on the S4 box. haha. the red S4's werent terribly popular so there might be a few MDL versions of them left.
when you get home, do as jd1639 said and freeze those apks if you're not going to flash a different ROM entirely. cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"If you want to avoid the update, you should root your phone and freeze the following three apps using titanium backup or some similar app.
1. AT&T Software update Vxx_x_xxxx_x_x
2. FWUpgrade x.x.x
3. LocalFOTA vx_xxxx_x_x"

Got my phone... I'm ready to root
Got home from work today to find my shiny new 16gb black s4 waiting for me. Ordered it from amazon.com for $149 with activation. I must say that I am impressed at the speed of delivery...ordered it Thursday night at 6PM and got it today (Saturday) at 11:30AM. It's MDL, so I am charging up the battery and downloading casual. Once I get root, I will kill the OTA and then provision the phone. After that, any suggestions on a stable ROM with everything working? Coming from Sprint and HTC, I have a lot of learning to do although I have experience with rooting and flashing on the Epic.
Thanks all!

pipefitter said:
Got home from work today to find my shiny new 16gb black s4 waiting for me. Ordered it from amazon.com for $149 with activation. I must say that I am impressed at the speed of delivery...ordered it Thursday night at 6PM and got it today (Saturday) at 11:30AM. It's MDL, so I am charging up the battery and downloading casual. Once I get root, I will kill the OTA and then provision the phone. After that, any suggestions on a stable ROM with everything working? Coming from Sprint and HTC, I have a lot of learning to do although I have experience with rooting and flashing on the Epic.
Thanks all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best thing to do is go to the development and original development sections and read through the OP's of each ROM to see which has the features you want. They are all good so you will need to decide for yourself what is good for you. Good luck.

scott14719 said:
The best thing to do is go to the development and original development sections and read through the OP's of each ROM to see which has the features you want. They are all good so you will need to decide for yourself what is good for you. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
C'mon now. I've been on xda for 4 years and I have read that very same answer dozens of times. I'm coming from the HTC Evo 4G. I've flashed dozens of ROMs and I can tell you which ones I prefer. But I'm new to the S4 and I don't even know everything it can do. I guess I will settle on root & recovery for now, disable OTA, debloat what I find I can do without, and then get to know the device before I decide on a custom ROM.
I would, however, appreciate your (and anyone else's) honest opinion on specific ROMs based on speed, battery life, aesthetic appeal, etc.
Thanks again.

pipefitter said:
C'mon now. I've been on xda for 4 years and I have read that very same answer dozens of times. I'm coming from the HTC Evo 4G. I've flashed dozens of ROMs and I can tell you which ones I prefer. But I'm new to the S4 and I don't even know everything it can do. I guess I will settle on root & recovery for now, disable OTA, debloat what I find I can do without, and then get to know the device before I decide on a custom ROM.
I would, however, appreciate your (and anyone else's) honest opinion on specific ROMs based on speed, battery life, aesthetic appeal, etc.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's all fine, but you seem to be missing the fact that what I like, you may not. I can not tell you which ROMs you will like and what is fast and stable for me isn't for others. It's ALL opinion. You can tell me which of the other dozens of ROMs you have flashed you might like, but you can not tell me which ones I might like and I can not tell you which ones you will like.
Because you are new to this particular phone and forum, you will find that "best" or "favorite" threads are not allowed for the very reasons I listed above. You might not like the answer, but if you want to know what ROMs works best for you, you will have to try them (or at least read about them) for yourself.

scott14719 said:
That's all fine, but you seem to be missing the fact that what I like, you may not. I can not tell you which ROMs you will like and what is fast and stable for me isn't for others. It's ALL opinion. You can tell me which of the other dozens of ROMs you have flashed you might like, but you can not tell me which ones I might like and I can not tell you which ones you will like.
Because you are new to this particular phone and forum, you will find that "best" or "favorite" threads are not allowed for the very reasons I listed above. You might not like the answer, but if you want to know what ROMs works best for you, you will have to try them (or at least read about them) for yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that. However, I didn't ask for what you think I would like, but rather what YOU like based on your experience with the S4.
Belive me, I have read the entire development section and many pages deep into each individual ROM. Been reading them for weeks. Since I am unfamiliar with the device, I have nothing to compare to the custom ROMS. Everyone appreciates a little guidance when they are new to anything. It seems that it would be more of a waste of the forums time if I had flashed every ROM and then asked what everyone thought of each particular ROM, trying to justify my choice.
But as I stated previously, I will be happy for now to have r & r...which gives me complete control over my device.
Thanks again for your time!

pipefitter said:
I understand that. However, I didn't ask for what you think I would like, but rather what YOU like based on your experience with the S4.
Belive me, I have read the entire development section and many pages deep into each individual ROM. Been reading them for weeks. Since I am unfamiliar with the device, I have nothing to compare to the custom ROMS. Everyone appreciates a little guidance when they are new to anything. It seems that it would be more of a waste of the forums time if I had flashed every ROM and then asked what everyone thought of each particular ROM, trying to justify my choice.
But as I stated previously, I will be happy for now to have r & r...which gives me complete control over my device.
Thanks again for your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you haven't seen this post, it might help you a little in separating available ROMs into categories such as Stock or Source based...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2312444
Source based tend to not have extra features such as gestures or other Samsung sourced features. Good luck