[Q] Defy is on the way - Defy Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi All,
I ordered a Defy on ebay because I need a temporary phone. I sold my iPhone 4S because I didn't like it and I am coming back to Android. I am waiting for the next crop of phones to come out before I decide what I want and I figured the Defy would make a good temporary phone and something I can mess with in the future because it seems like it has a great developer community.
I have quite a bit of experience with Android, rooting and customer roms etc. I was with Android from the beginning and should have never left.
Anyway, I am getting confused because I am late to the party and I can't tell which beginners/noob guide I should be using. The phone is going to be the t-mobile variant and it most likely not rooted and running the stock moto rom. I see a special guide for the t-mobile phone but it looks like it might be superseded by the guides for the unlocked phones. I also see a number of different rooting methods. Where should I start?
Thanks,
Rich

Root using framaroot. Install 2ndinit apk. Flash roms
There are additional steps for kitkat, and you need to follow a separate guide for it(in general section)
Sent from my MB526 using Tapatalk 4

Related

Buying a Nexus One and some questions

Well i decided to buy the Nexus one because of it's hardware and software (I love to customize). Since i have absolutely zero replies in the Q&A section i decided to try and ask here
1) I will be flashing my N1 straight away to 2.3.4(skipping the setup too) after I get it is that possible?, or do I need to go through certain updates
2)I will most likely will be getting the S-LCD version of the N1 I was wondering if ND1Razors guide on rooting would root that version of N1, Also what does he mean by the solid Nexus one logo (step 13) can somebody show me please
3) Lastly after I have rooted will I still have Clockwork recovery/mod and from there will I be able to flash Cyanogen mod 7?
Thank you
1.) Unlock your bootloader, but act really groovy while doing
2.) Flash that custom recovery you've always wanted (personally I prefer amon ra's over CWM)
3.) I've taught you everything I know, now the student becomes the master. Flash away
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
I would go to this Forums wiki and get very familiar with the recovery and rom you want--more involved than 3 steps
Also, where did/will you buy the N1 and what carrier is it for? Some are Att and some TMO.
lol...me trying to sell my nexus one and get a dual-core and u want to buy a new NEXUS ONE

Getting a tab soon, looking for info.

So i jumped on the deal on sellout.woot today, and i'll be getting a verizon galaxy tab, hopefully next week, and wanted to get a few things together and start reading up.
I'll probably look at just updating it out of the box and playing around with the stock firmware, but i know i'll probably want to stick some kind of custom firmware on it. So are there any recommendations on a good custom firmware? I'd like one that enable the ability to connect to ad-hoc networks (which the few in the development section i saw did not seem to mention). Should any rom for the VZW tab work? or are there different versions of this tab that i need to be aware of?
As far as flashing goes, what is hiemdal and odin? do they do basically the same thing? what about the clockwork mod, what exactly does that do? I've done a bit of rooting of devices before, but nothing major, so are there good tutorials or guides that explain a bit more about flashing custom roms? I'd like to not have a paperweight when all is said and done.
Any info you can provide or link me to is greatly appreciated.
dav3yb said:
So i jumped on the deal on sellout.woot today, and i'll be getting a verizon galaxy tab, hopefully next week, and wanted to get a few things together and start reading up.
I'll probably look at just updating it out of the box and playing around with the stock firmware, but i know i'll probably want to stick some kind of custom firmware on it. So are there any recommendations on a good custom firmware? I'd like one that enable the ability to connect to ad-hoc networks (which the few in the development section i saw did not seem to mention). Should any rom for the VZW tab work? or are there different versions of this tab that i need to be aware of?
As far as flashing goes, what is hiemdal and odin? do they do basically the same thing? what about the clockwork mod, what exactly does that do? I've done a bit of rooting of devices before, but nothing major, so are there good tutorials or guides that explain a bit more about flashing custom roms? I'd like to not have a paperweight when all is said and done.
Any info you can provide or link me to is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are not very many custom ROMs that have been developed for the Verizon Tab. Galaxy Cubed seems to be a good one. The same Dev created a stock rooted gingerbread ROM so you may want to start with that one. Some of the Sprint ROMs also work. The Sprint and Verizon are both CDMA and very similar. NEVER flash a GSM ROM to this device!
Odin and Heimdall both have the capability to flash ROMs to Samsung devices. Odin is leaked Samsung software and Heimdall is newly written software based on Odin code. I recommend you use Heimdall version 1.1.1, it is free and easy to use. Just do a google search and you will find their website.
Clockworkmod is a custom recovery that does what the stock recovery does only more. It adds the ability to flash various mods to the ROM from recovery and to do backups. But once it's installed you can only get to it by software on your system. If you try to get to it by booting, you get into the stock recovery.
Just be careful when flashing things to your Tab, it is easy to bork it up. There are a lot of tutorials here on XDA, so read them carefully.
I jumped on the same deal! Got a question too, if you don't mind the piggyback...
I chose the Verizon model and I'm interested in using a bluetooth keyboard... I understand that upon release not all keyboards would work but that Verizon put out an update and now all do work.
How do I know other than trial and error if this unit has been upgraded?
My plan is to root and go with a basic gingerbread upgrade and then pretty much leave it be. But if this is a Verizon specific update I'm wondering if I don't need to do a one month data deal in order to get the upgrade.
Any help is appreciated!
rouxdy said:
I jumped on the same deal! Got a question too, if you don't mind the piggyback...
I chose the Verizon model and I'm interested in using a bluetooth keyboard... I understand that upon release not all keyboards would work but that Verizon put out an update and now all do work.
How do I know other than trial and error if this unit has been upgraded?
My plan is to root and go with a basic gingerbread upgrade and then pretty much leave it be. But if this is a Verizon specific update I'm wondering if I don't need to do a one month data deal in order to get the upgrade.
Any help is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you install the stock vanilla rooted ROM by dsb9938 you will have the latest Verizon upgrade, only rooted. Look on settings, about device, and the latest says EI04. Even if your unit comes with the latest ROM, you may want to flash the rooted vanilla since that is the easiest way to get rooted. Most of the other methods fail or are very difficult to implement on EI04.
No need to subscribe to data unless you want to. I personally like having data everywhere.
Lagfix ASAP
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium
leapinlar said:
If you install the stock vanilla rooted ROM by dsb9938 you will have the latest Verizon upgrade, only rooted. Look on settings, about device, and the latest says EI04. Even if your unit comes with the latest ROM, you may want to flash the rooted vanilla since that is the easiest way to get rooted. Most of the other methods fail or are very difficult to implement on EI04.
No need to subscribe to data unless you want to. I personally like having data everywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! That was very helpful!
I have a droid 3 with data and it looks like there are ways to tether the Tab to the droid... I'd only need to send a few files via email a few times a month and even then it's not a necessity so much as it is a convenience.

Source Code for Straight Talk Galaxy S II Released/Found

I'm honestly not sure where to post this, I found it on another forum (and that post was made about three hours ago). In any case, Samsung appears to have open sourced the stock firmware and kernel for Straight Talk's version of the Galaxy S II.
If you go to http://opensource.samsung.com/ and search of the model number - SGH-S959G - it's the only thing that comes up. The download appears to be just what it says, the uncompiled source code.
I've been looking for stock ever since I bought this phone and since I'm not exactly green when it comes to Linux and using a terminal, I'm tempted to give a crack at compiling this myself. Anybody have any experience with this? It can't be too hard...right? :silly:
(source: http://androidarea51.com/modifications/straight-talk-s2-sgh-s959g-source-code/msg8830/)
IndigoAK said:
I'm honestly not sure where to post this, I found it on another forum (and that post was made about three hours ago). In any case, Samsung appears to have open sourced the stock firmware and kernel for Straight Talk's version of the Galaxy S II.
If you go to http://opensource.samsung.com/ and search of the model number - SGH-S959G - it's the only thing that comes up. The download appears to be just what it says, the uncompiled source code.
I've been looking for stock ever since I bought this phone and since I'm not exactly green when it comes to Linux and using a terminal, I'm tempted to give a crack at compiling this myself. Anybody have any experience with this? It can't be too hard...right? :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't get the stock firmware by compiling the kernel, mate. Why do you want stock when you already have stock (original) firmware? If you're looking for unbranded, you're unlikely to find it as you have a carrier specific phone.
Force Close said:
You won't get the stock firmware by compiling the kernel, mate. Why do you want stock when you already have stock (original) firmware? If you're looking for unbranded, you're unlikely to find it as you have a carrier specific phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm aware of how this source code works!
IndigoAK I am the one that posted the link on AA51. The file appears to be in tar.gz format like what is used for install through odin. I have not tested it, as I am not a developer, or in need of flashing to factory firmware at this time. I posted it as I seen many people looking for it. I believe it is needed to be able to safely start making modifications for this phone, CWM, Root, custom ROMs, ect., and being able to flash back to stock if something goes wrong. Hopefully with the information out there now it will jump start development.
Edit: After further research the source code files are used to create the firmware, and these cannot be installed through Odin. Feel free to correct me if I'm still wrong.
mr-cook said:
IndigoAK I am the one that posted the link on AA51. The file appears to be in tar.gz format like what is used for install through odin. I have not tested it, as I am not a developer, or in need of flashing to factory firmware at this time. I posted it as I seen many people looking for it. I believe it is needed to be able to safely start making modifications for this phone, CWM, Root, custom ROMs, ect., and being able to flash back to stock if something goes wrong. Hopefully with the information out there now it will jump start development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I probably should have linked to your post. I apologize.
I just thought that posting it here on XDA might get it seen by more people who might know how to put this to use.
Hopefully somebody does put it to use. Due to the way that Straight Talked has gimped this phone, it's going to take the community to really make it worth the price they're charging for it.
I tried to link to the original post on android area 51, but as a new member I am not allowed, yet. I am just trying to get information out there, so thank you for posting it here (as I just now joined). The phone is fairly new and under advertised, but hopefully these posts will stir interest.
I was looking under the battery cover and noticed the FCC id for this phone (SGH-S959G) is A3L SGH I777. Now for everyone smarter than I. Does this mean that the phone is an i777, and would all the mods and ROMs ect. be directly compatible. Also its android 2.3.6. Version s959g UDLG1. Kernel 2.6.35.7. Any thoughts, educated opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Sent from my Galaxy Precedent using Tapatalk 2
mr-cook said:
I was looking under the battery cover and noticed the FCC id for this phone (SGH-S959G) is A3L SGH I777. Now for everyone smarter than I. Does this mean that the phone is an i777, and would all the mods and ROMs ect. be directly compatible. Also its android 2.3.6. Version s959g UDLG1. Kernel 2.6.35.7. Any thoughts, educated opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Sent from my Galaxy Precedent using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
Everything needs to be modified. The I777 rooting method works for this device, but nobody has been able to get past that as far as I'm aware. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to double reboot my phone trying to install every custom recovery image (and searching around suggests this is the case for a lot of other people) I can get my hands on and I've kept a pretty close eye on custom firmware sites - none of them have added support for this device (probably because you can't install a custom recovery image yet).
Guys I have the same problem, I tried to root my Straight Talk Galaxy SII using the AT&T root but CWM doesn't install and the root breaks the Wifi, Contacts save option, several apps like YouTube. I cannot revert back to the stock ROM due to this issue and I really could use the help.. I'm surprised that DEV teams haven't done much on the phone considering for 45 dollars a month you get really fast 7mb/s speed.
I'm willing to do whatever I can to contribute to a way of finally getting this awesome phone off of a sucky stock rom.
Thanks everyone!
I was just curious if it could be fully flashed to stock i777 GB. As it appears to be the exact same hardware. Completely start over making it the at&t i777.
Sent from my SGH-S959G using Tapatalk 2
mr-cook said:
I was just curious if it could be fully flashed to stock i777 GB. As it appears to be the exact same hardware. Completely start over making it the at&t i777.
Sent from my SGH-S959G using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. I tried this.
Also, if your WiFi doesn't work, you probably used the Zedomax kernal. Search XDA for Entropy's kernel and use that instead.
LOOKIN. For Fully Rooted .. Samsung Galaxy s2. Sgh-s959g From Straight Talk. FLASHED a kernel dat when loading. Tells me its a sgh-i9100 ... has a ... ! ...triangle under it...and when I check the info on bout phone. It says sgh-i777.. any links for the best FULLY ROOTED kernels GB?.. PS. Willing to do testing with this phone from straight talk. But has. Att kernel.. one from. Entropy! !! Thanks 

[Q] Upgrading ROM etc.

A friend saw my Samsung Note 3 performance & asked if I could do anything for her Razr M.
System - 98..7.XT905.Retail.en.au
Android version - 4.1.2
I haven't rooted a Moto before so I did some reading - seems very different to Samsung methods and also seems to have far more ways to do it and also, the thing which gives me pause, a wider variety of things to go wrong. Don't get me wrong, I am not afraid of risking my phone - I have bricked my S3 and my Note 3 quite a few times in searching for performance and function.
But this is someone else's phone and she gave it to me for a day!!!
So, given all she really wants is better performance, I'd appreciate any advice on what I should tackle.
Some Q's... (as in point me to threads - I can read and work things out but some pointers on where to look can save me having to read all the threads in all the forums for a phone I will probably never touch again)
1. How do I protect against bricking? i.e. what is the standard way to reflash a stock ROM if things go wrong?
2. Is there a Moto repository for stock ROMs? Sammy has sammobile.com where all new releases (and old) are available for DL - does Motorola have similar or is it just Google and hope?
3. What level do I need to go to just to give better performance? (e.g. on my Note I did a lot of debloating to improve things, but that came after root, kernel and custom recovery so I could remove system apps etc.) Do I need to unlock BL or just root and install a custom ROM?
4. At first glance there doesn't seem to be many custom variations of the stock ROM, mostly CM and AOSP types. I am not sure how different that would make her phone to use, so I am assuming I'd be better sticking with a stock-customised ROM - is that a correct assumption?
Thanks for any assistance...
Journyman16 said:
A friend saw my Samsung Note 3 performance & asked if I could do anything for her Razr M.
System - 98..7.XT905.Retail.en.au
Android version - 4.1.2
I haven't rooted a Moto before so I did some reading - seems very different to Samsung methods and also seems to have far more ways to do it and also, the thing which gives me pause, a wider variety of things to go wrong. Don't get me wrong, I am not afraid of risking my phone - I have bricked my S3 and my Note 3 quite a few times in searching for performance and function.
But this is someone else's phone and she gave it to me for a day!!!
So, given all she really wants is better performance, I'd appreciate any advice on what I should tackle.
Some Q's... (as in point me to threads - I can read and work things out but some pointers on where to look can save me having to read all the threads in all the forums for a phone I will probably never touch again)
1. How do I protect against bricking? i.e. what is the standard way to reflash a stock ROM if things go wrong?
2. Is there a Moto repository for stock ROMs? Sammy has sammobile.com where all new releases (and old) are available for DL - does Motorola have similar or is it just Google and hope?
3. What level do I need to go to just to give better performance? (e.g. on my Note I did a lot of debloating to improve things, but that came after root, kernel and custom recovery so I could remove system apps etc.) Do I need to unlock BL or just root and install a custom ROM?
4. At first glance there doesn't seem to be many custom variations of the stock ROM, mostly CM and AOSP types. I am not sure how different that would make her phone to use, so I am assuming I'd be better sticking with a stock-customised ROM - is that a correct assumption?
Thanks for any assistance...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock ROM repository for XT905 -> http://sbf.droid-developers.org/phone.php?device=20
You should be able to use towelroot to root it.
Can't help much further since I have XT907
Edit: You could try freezing some unneeded bloatware (I know there's A LOT of that on the stock ROM for my phone) to free up some memory improve performance and conserve battery
rahimali said:
Stock ROM repository for XT905 -> http://sbf.droid-developers.org/phone.php?device=20
You should be able to use towelroot to root it.
Can't help much further since I have XT907
Edit: You could try freezing some unneeded bloatware (I know there's A LOT of that on the stock ROM for my phone) to free up some memory improve performance and conserve battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the help. I'm learning... I gave her phone back with just a few tweaks and will get it back when I am confident I can unbrick anything that might go wrong.
In the Sammy world, freezing apps requires root - same in the Moto-world?
Journyman16 said:
Thanks for the help. I'm learning... I gave her phone back with just a few tweaks and will get it back when I am confident I can unbrick anything that might go wrong.
In the Sammy world, freezing apps requires root - same in the Moto-world?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root will be required for freezing system apps, not for users apps. Rooting should be fairly simple (hopefully). Install, supersu from the playstore, have data/wi-fi internet connectivity, install towelroot and use that to get root.
Don't let her update it the latest update breaks root. Hopefully she is on kitkat and that is why her phone is performing poorly. Root with towel root then run motoapkakypse.apk to unlock the boot loader. Now honestly there aren't any Roms I'd call a daily driver yet with the kitkat kernel so you'll have to downgrade to the jellybean kernel and install one of the top 3 or 4 Roms... I'm still on stock I found that location services and a few wake locks were the problems and fixed them with an app called app ops
Sent from my XT907 using XDA Free mobile app

I've had it...

Help...please.
Rooting this phone is a convoluted bunch of bull****.
I am on OC4. I need to downgrade. Yet every tutorial I go to is full of broken links for the files I need and over a year old.
So far I have these as steps.
1. Downgrade via Odin somehow, not sure what file to use for that, as most links are broken af due to their age. I have Odin 3.10.
2. Towelroot.
3. Recovery
4. Custom rom, going Cyanogen.
5. I have seen threads mentioning having to downgrade my Kernel? Where does that fit in?
Before you ask I have searched google and this forum first, as per protocol. I probably didn't look hard enough.
I am not asking for a step by step, just updated links or tutorials, and maybe some info on what I have right and wrong.
I am NOT NEW to rooting android phones. Rooted the last 5 I've owned starting with the G1.
Thanks in advance. Sorry for the noobness. This S5 isn't like my 4G LTE or Droid Incrdible, but it is still pissing me off.
Honestly77 said:
Help...please.
Rooting this phone is a convoluted bunch of bull****.
I am on OC4. I need to downgrade. Yet every tutorial I go to is full of broken links for the files I need and over a year old.
So far I have these as steps.
1. Downgrade via Odin somehow, not sure what file to use for that, as most links are broken af due to their age. I have Odin 3.10.
2. Towelroot.
3. Recovery
4. Custom rom, going Cyanogen.
5. I have seen threads mentioning having to downgrade my Kernel? Where does that fit in?
Before you ask I have searched google and this forum first, as per protocol. I probably didn't look hard enough.
I am not asking for a step by step, just updated links or tutorials, and maybe some info on what I have right and wrong.
I am NOT NEW to rooting android phones. Rooted the last 5 I've owned starting with the G1.
Thanks in advance. Sorry for the noobness. This S5 isn't like my 4G LTE or Droid Incrdible, but it is still pissing me off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are no Cyanogen ROMs for our phones, since that requires a different kernel than our locked bootloader can accept. Which ROM do you want to use? I'll see if I can put together a quick guide for you. I personally use Freedom ROM, which currently uses an OC4 base.
Right here buddy 3rd post. Most of this stuff is pretty easy you just have to read threw the threads.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/help/samsung-user-lollipop-to-root-t3092863
Thanks and that thread never appeared in my searches. That and I don't have time to go through thousands of results. It'd take me longer than this did. Also. Cyanogen for galaxy s5
.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...ent/rom-cyanogenmod-12-1-android-5-1-t3066252
freedom rom and alliance rom look good. So one of those if cyanogen doesn't work.
Honestly77 said:
Thanks and that thread never appeared in my searches. That and I don't have time to go through thousands of results. It'd take me longer than this did. Also. Cyanogen for galaxy s5
.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...ent/rom-cyanogenmod-12-1-android-5-1-t3066252
freedom rom and alliance rom look good. So one of those if cyanogen doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah you can only use t-wiz base roms because of the bootloader.
Honestly77 said:
Thanks and that thread never appeared in my searches. That and I don't have time to go through thousands of results. It'd take me longer than this did. Also. Cyanogen for galaxy s5
.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...ent/rom-cyanogenmod-12-1-android-5-1-t3066252
freedom rom and alliance rom look good. So one of those if cyanogen doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you bought a Developer edition with an unlocked bootloader, it's best to stay away from the Unified Development section. You'll just end up with your heartbroken, since they all require kernels that we can't get on our phone. Your best bet is to stick within the Verizon-specific development thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/development
And make sure you end up with the right firmware (bootloader, kernel, modem) that matches the ROM you choose! Otherwise, you won't boot up. It took me a few failed boots and attempts before I learned that the hard way.

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